.embracing newness.

this is now where i call home, not too shabby huh?
i am living in newness right now... and i really have mixed feelings about it. but first... a blog tour.

i love yellow and i really love that our house is yellow. we have a cute patio, but it's not ready for your viewing pleasure quite yet.

this place is so peaceful. i like hangin' out in here. it's not quite finished yet, but when it is, i'll re-blog tour it.

this is our little dining area. it's quaint, it's cozy and i have to say my parents have great taste in picking out wine racks and tables. i've come to love happy hour at this little nook.

this is what sold us on this house. hands down. it's just been redone and it's awesome... loaded... gorgeous. this is one of my favorite places to be - now to find friends/college students to cook for :)

i had to go public with my new bedding because good gracious it wasn't cheap. the reason i had to get new bedding was not because i thought i deserved it or because i now have a job and can afford it. nope - none of the above. the reason is because the paint color on the walls of my bedroom is HIDEOUS. my friend came over and his description was, "flesh toned." i call it peach. my roommate is attempting to make me feel better and call it light salmon (her bedroom is a delightful color of yellow mind you). my room has a tinge of pink it it and if you know me, that's no bueno. needless to say, it is also not ready for your viewing pleasure quite yet, i have some diverting to do. but i do love my new bedding.

and your grand finale... my commute to work. right. this is not a joke. i drive south on the 101 for about 20 miles and 12-15 of it is ocean. unbelievable and considering the rain we just got, the hills on the other side of the freeway look like ireland. it's absolutely the most beautiful place to live and i feel like God is spoiling the heck outta me by letting me live here and have the job that i have. [i'm planning on posting a "new job" post this weekend, stay tuned].

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okay back to the whole mixed emotions about the newness thing.

reasons i love being new in town:
- new coffee shops, stores, neighborhoods to explore
- people always want to know why you moved here and what you're doing
- for some reason people here like texas, so they want to hear all about it
- i get the chance to 'start over' in some ways
- i get to visit churches and see what God's up to in alot of places before i commit to a community
- i could spend the next 6 months going to a new restaurant every friday night and still not even scratch the surface
- my house is 3 miles from the beach. not even double digits - bliss :)
- i love to organize and new houses/offices call for lots of organizational skills
- i like getting to know people so it's fun to have the opportunity to make new friends
- my house is 1 mile from some really fun friends with 2 stinkin' cute little boys
- everything here is SO much closer and there is no traffic, i'm diggin' the small town gig

reasons i DON'T love being new in town:
- i get lost sometimes, but thank God for my iphone
- i feel like an idiot my first day at spin class... and at the office... and taking the trash out on the day the recycle goes out
- i am 2 and a half weeks in and am getting really tired of telling people who i am and why i'm here
- i miss being known, like truly known by people and not having to explain myself
- i miss not feeling 'at home' when i walk into church and i'm ready for the awkwardness to wear off
- i don't like stubbing my toe on my dresser in the middle of the night because i don't know where things are in my bedroom
- i don't like the transition period that goes with a move and the 6-12 months of unsettledness

i know these are normal things that come with moving and i know "this too shall pass." all of those things are true and clearly the good outweighs the bad and i have absolutely no doubt that our great God spoiled me rotten by making my next assignment santa barbara and there's no question in my mind that He has purpose for me here. this was undeniably the right decision. i have a community of people (mostly young life staffers and their people) who are here and have loved me well from day one and let me tell you - i. am. grateful. they've been amazing with everything from beds, to showers, to meals, to laundry, to wine-football-nachos parties at midnight, to helping me move, to being a listening ear. and i have had an overwhelmingly warm welcome from the community that already exists surrounding my new job.

i know that in each place i've moved, i've experienced more of God, grown more in my faith and become a better, stronger person for having lived there and i have no doubt that santa barbara will be the same because my God is faithful. and because He is faithful, i am embracing newness.