There and Back Again!

Well, the last couple of weeks has been a whirlwind that has really flown by! It all started two weeks ago with Kaden’s 7th birthday. He got to open one of his presents a night early so that the night before his birthday we could have a family movie night with his favorite movie – Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. Then on his birthday we enjoyed a nice brunch at a local cafe, went and saw the new Captain America: Civil War movie, and had a 4-course birthday celebration at The Melting Pot. It was the kids first time and they LOVED it! It was a great day celebrating an incredible boy!

Birthday Brunch

Birthday Brunch

Birthday Movie

Birthday Dinner

Birthday Presents

Just a couple of days later it was Mother’s Day and we had a chance to celebrate Ashley and what an incredible mother she is. We had lunch at one of our favorite spots, Bonefish Grill and then enjoyed a nice afternoon at the Tulip Festival in Albany. But that wasn’t all! The next morning, bright and early, the boys and I got in the car and made the 16 hour trip down to Gainesville, GA! It was a long trip, but the kids did a great job. Then, on Tuesday morning, we surprised my mother by showing up at a breakfast she had planned with my sister. It was a great, albeit late, Mother’s Day present for her to get to see her grand kids.

While in GA, we were able to stay with my sister Kara, and she got to spend a lot of time with Kaden & Quinn. I also got the chance to visit my old Gwinnett Church small group, which was such a blessing. The boys got the chance to have a sleepover with their good friend Dallas, and Kaden even got to hang out with a very special friend, Eliza. As you can see, they had a great time together. It was so great to see many of our friends from back home.

In the meantime, while the boys were in Georgia, Ashley got to spend the weekend with her friend Erin in NYC. It was so good for her to get some adult time and get to explore some other parts of NYC without the kids in tow.

We all returned to Albany safe and sound this week and life has returned to normal – or normal for us at least.

Lastly, we have agreed to an extension at this assignment and will be relocating (upgrading) to a new place next week. We are thankful to be able to stay in this assignment for a full 6 months and look forward to the adventures still to come!

Hangin’ by the River

One of the great things about the area that we are in is all of great outdoor things to see and do. The Albany area is positioned right along the banks of the Hudson & Mohawk Rivers and sandwiched between three unique mountain ranges: The Adirondacks to the North, the Catskills to the Southeast, and the Taconics to the East. We have already been looking forward to the warmer weather so we can explore the incredible things that this section of God’s creation has to offer.

Last week, we had the chance to spend some time at a couple great locations along the Hudson river. Ashley had a couple days off that thankfully matched up with some beautiful weather, and we took advantage of it by getting outside.

The first day, we found a really great little marina just south of Albany. They had a “Noah’s Ark” style play area that the kids loved, some little trails along the water, and a great restaurant that sat overlooking the Hudson. By evening time, it was a little chilly to sit on the patio of the restaurant, but we are looking forward to returning soon to watch the massive cargo ships cruise by while we enjoy another great meal.

The next day we had a great opportunity to meet up with one of Ashley’s good friends and former co-worker from her previous job at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Erin van Nus. Erin started working as a travel nurse last year and has been working in nearby Greenwich, CT. We met in Poughkeepsie, NY for brunch and a little playtime for the kids. One of the cool things we discovered about Poughkeepsie is that it is home to the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. It is called the Walkway Over the Hudson and it is a former railway bridge that has been converted into a walkway and state park. The bridge is over 220′ high and provides incredible views of the river and nearby area. The kids thought it was “the most amazing, super awesome thing ever!” (As described by Quinn)

It was so great to get to see a familiar face and get to catch up on her adventures as a travel nurse as well. I wanted to share something she said, because it really stood out to me and made me reflect on our situation. Erin and Ashley were talking about many of the differences in procedures and policies between Northeast (the hospital they came from) and their current assignment hospitals. As they shared positives and negatives, and things that frustrate them at times; and as we all shared how much we miss home at times, Erin made a comment that was so profound. I can’t remember word for word, but she said something along the lines of “When I get frustrated, and miss home, and just wanted to go back, I look around and try to remember that God has me here for a purpose. There are so many people I work with who do not know Jesus, and I can be the person to introduce them to him.”

That statement really made Ashley and I both think more about the purpose that God has for us in each and every day. We don’t always know what it is, but if our focus and our mind is elsewhere we may miss the very thing that God wishes to accomplish in us on that day. It was a great reminder that each new person we come in contact with could be someone that God wants to use us to reach for him and for his Kingdom.

Well, I wrote far more than I planned, and if you read all of this, you should get some kind of a prize. This Friday is Kaden’s 7th birthday and we are looking forward to celebrating him this week. We will be sure to share it with you this weekend. Until then, God bless!