Many people have asked how we are doing in our new State, New Mexico, so I thought I’d share an update.
The kids are adjusting to school – which I think is an amazing place, Hope Christian. I know God hand-picked this place for us, and even if the kids have lots more homework than before, they are adjusting to the workload and responsibility quite well. The first quarter just ended and the grades were great, so considering the major life change, Mom and Dad are proud of everyone. We went out to Dani’s favorite restaurant, Pei Wei on Saturday night to celebrate!
The girls have found a dance school, and are fitting in very well. It is smaller and focused on technique and excellence much like our former, (AND FAVORITE EVER!) dance school, Prairie School of Dance. It is a hard act to follow, but I’m proud of the girls for having open minds as they have learned that not all dance teachers, schools and classes are created equal. Dani takes hip-hop, jazz, pointe/ballet, and rhythm tap while Mo is taking Modern, Ballet and Jazz. It’s not as close to home as before, so the driving is a bit more, but they are happy so it’s worth it.
Mo just finished her first ever season of Volleyball, and learned a lot, met new friends and had fun. Dani and I learned our way around Albuquerque as we traversed over hill and dale to find these tiny private schools they played at each week. It was a great way to get to know every area of the city! Mo is also getting adjusted to all English school after 6 years of Spanish Immersion- whew! No spanish here in school that would even be close to a challenge, so I’m looking into some Spanish tutoring for her that will keep her language up.
Nick is playing football, and they are 5-0 which is super fun (JV). They play far away most of the time, but it’s good way to see the state I guess: ) He’s adjusting back to having 7 classes (away from the EP Block schedule) and it’s lots to keep track of again. He took a date to the Homecoming Dance and is investing fully in his new school as a sophomore.
Dani is loving dance and school – and she’s been my co-pilot/navigator as we drive all over to see volleyball and football games. To our delight, she recently decided she likes football, so now we have one more on the couch for Badgers and Packers on the weekend. : ) And she’s a huge fan of the Hope Huskies, of course.
I asked the kids on Saturday morning what they would rank life here on a scale of 1-10 and they gave 2 “8”s and a “7”. After just 2 months I would say that is AWESOME! God answers prayers.
I truly have perfect peace about being here – and Craig is doing well at work and there are lots of opportunities for me to invest in his work people and some new charitable projects which is great!!!! He is thriving with his family here by his side…even when there are hard days.
The weather and mountains are gorgeous – and the Balloon Fiesta just ended so we had 9 days of blue skies filled with balloons from all over the world. It was “busy” in ABQ which is about the only time of year I think we have true “traffic” (compared to Minneapolis!) If Fall is any indication of future weather, I’m sure I’ll love winter. It’s cold in the mornings, but warms up by 10-11 a.m. and the sunsets are bountiful. It truly is a beautiful place to discover.
For fun we do lots of hiking, biking (but we are up to 9 flat tires – there are these little things called goat heads that have a way of catching our tires) and discovering new places. We’ve been to Sante Fe, white water rafting and the Sandia Peak tramway which is just a 10 min drive from our house. We are looking forward to a trip to Los Alamos in the coming weeks to visit the national monument there and a possible trip to CO for some skiing at Thanksgiving.
As for me, I’ve been writing, speaking (women’s retreat in MN and speaker training in CO) and getting to know the area. I joined a prayer group on Mondays at the school and a Bible Study at a new friend’s house on Wednesdays. This helps to keep me grounded even on my “lonely” days when I miss my awesome friends, family and life in MN. I also spend lots of time walking Millie so we are loving the weather.
We are looking ahead to dear friends from MN and CA visiting in November and we will travel to WI and MN over Christmas to see our families.
We are truly blessed, and I am grateful for God’s hand in our transition.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3