What a Year It Has Been!

You know the phrase people often use in response to someone who is facing an uncertain situation where life seems to be headed in a direction they weren't quite expecting:  "Everything happens for a reason".  Or often it comes across as:  This is just a part of God's plan for you.

To be honest, in the past I've used this phrase and wasn't quite sure that I believed it.  Stated a different way, I don't know that I truly understood what it meant to use that advice.  For me, as a bit of a confession, it took God's plan being shown to me in the form of working through all the obstacles in the road and sending Nicki and me to Fayetteville, Arkansas and providing us with an experience that we couldn't have drawn up if we were planning our own lives.

April 1st was our one year anniversary of living in Fayetteville.  I was looking back at some pictures over the past year and I thought this picture was a great way to summarize our lives on April 1, 2011.  We had just arrived after our drive to this new city, new state, new house, and new life.  We didn't have any of our stuff as it was arriving with the movers the next day.  I remember how close I felt to Nicki knowing that we were truly "on our own" for a little while.

Fortunately, we wouldn't be on our own for too long.  God brought some absolutely amazing people in to our lives who have changed us forever.  I will spare you the in-depth, long winded, and sappy story of the past year of our lives.  If you've read any of this blog or interacted with Nicki or me throughout the past year you know that this year has exceeded any expectations we had when we made our final road trip to Fayetteville from Cincinnati.

But what I will say is that I can, without hesitation, know God has a plan for us.  And while it took putting us in a situation and a place with which we were totally unfamiliar - and bringing a certain amount of uncertainty in to our lives - we wouldn't have had it any other way.  It seems like the past year has gone by so fast, but in the same measure, it feels like the incredible development of friendships, family members, and in our marriage has been more than a year's worth.

We were able to celebrate our one year anniversary by taking a trip back to Cincinnati - and in addition to somehow fitting in Skyline, LaRosas, Maggiano, First Watch, Paxtons, and Jeff Rubys in a three day period - I went for a run on the Loveland trail.  As I ran down the trail which we had spent so much time on discussing our future, praying for events we were 'certain' were meant to be, wondering where we were supposed to be, and what we were supposed to be doing, it all seemed so crystal clear.

And while we slip in to the conversation every once in a while of "what's next" we know one thing for sure:  

Everything happens for a reason.

It is all a part of God's plan for us.