Over Tea //

If you were here I would tell you that I am moving to New Jersey next month and that I am so excited and that there is so much to do! But first I'd tell you a little bit of the story behind my move -- because I'm a story-teller and I love to give context.

five months ago //
I was finishing up the remodel of my Little House and preparing to move into it. But there was a nine day stretch in between my move, my transition from living at home to living on my own -- young and single and independent -- where I was an assistant leader on a mission trip to Denver, CO for our youth group. I had a pretty good idea of what the Lord wanted to do through me on this trip but I had *no* idea of all the things He had up His sleeve for me. (I'm still finding out to this day!)

five months ago //
we pulled the church van up to the apartment complex we were going to be housed in for the week. Two of the interns with Mission:Denver were waiting in the courtyard to get us situated. My first glance was of Zachary. My first thought was, "Lord, I did *not* come here to meet a man." Funny joke!

five months ago //
after focusing hard on doing our jobs and avoiding each other all week long, Zachary came outside and engaged me in conversation for a good hour on our final day of the trip. We said goodbye the next day and really, I never thought I'd see him again. The Lord had other plans. Long-story-short, we kept in touch.

As Zachary finished his internship in Denver, went back home, started Senior year... As I moved into my house, found a roommate, started a new job... We "did life" together -- long distance. Crazy similar and wildly opposite of each other we became best friends. After a couple months of getting to know each other, I missed him. On a whim I went to Pennsylvania to visit him for a weekend. He thought I was crazy. But he likes crazy.
There was a good chance that we would meet up and it would be super awkward. After all we had only talked once during our week "together" in Denver. Now it was just he and I and his Mom for a weekend. There was that chance. But when my 15hr drive ended at 3am with me pulling up next to his house and he came out to welcome me it felt like coming home. It was nothing but confirming of how real our friendship was. So natural it was nuts! I didn't want to go home again.

a month or so later // 
all I asked for for my birthday was to get to see him again. Sappy? Maybe a little. But it worked! In October, the weekend before his mid-terms, he came to Wisconsin and stayed at my family's home -- met my family, saw my town, visited my Little House, and reconnected with the group that went to Denver. They were just a little excited to see him again. Putting him back on a plane wasn't what I wanted to do but I did it. The countdown until his Winter Break started for me that day.

two months ago //
when we said goodbye in October we were planning to see each other again over his Winter Break. I took the week between Christmas and New Years off of work in advance. Somewhere between then and now, the Lord put an adventure in motion.

(less than) one month ago //
Some friends were interested in renting my house, but to rent to them would require me moving out of it. This was an open door to move closer to Zachary -- a chance to "do life" face to face a little bit more and long distance a little bit less. Lots of prayer, a nudge in my spirit to talk to a friend overseas, several Facebook messages and a few phone calls later, a potential move was in place.

last week //
i turned in my notice at work. A lease hasn't officially been signed by my future renters yet, a host-home in Jersey hasn't been secured yet, and my job as a classroom assistant in a preschool out there isn't set in stone yet, but I just know that I am supposed to walk forward in this knowing that the Lord is aligning everything -- He goes before.

So, a little under a month from today, on January 5th, I'm packing my car on up and moving on out East. There are new chapters to be written in my friendship with Zachary, there are children to love and help mold, there is whole new set of people's lives to touch, there is a brand new city to explore. There is stretching to do, there are adventures to be had and more wild and wonderful plans of the Lord's to have unfolded before me as I walk forward in crazy obedience to His voice. And for the record... I did not see this coming when we pulled up to that apartment complex in Denver this summer!