Life in Cheyenne

I've been in Cheyenne for six weeks now. It's hard to believe it's already been that long - it feels like just last week I said goodbye to Boise friends and colleagues. And yet, I also can't believe it's only been six weeks. How quickly I seem to have adapted to this new location, life, and position.

I love it here! I love the friendliness of the people and how easy it is to get involved in the community. I've been accepted into the Leadership Cheyenne program, to start in the fall, and I'm also looking at joining a community choir. I'm trying to be careful though - I know this position has the potential to require extra time (although I'm trying to keep to 45 or so hours per week), and in the fall I'll start my PhD program again. I don't want to over-commit, but I want to do it all!

We've survived a couple of hailstorms and some odd weather, but that we can handle. Josh is here for another two weeks before he travels back to Boise to prepare for his mission trip to Cambodia. He'll return to Cheyenne in late August and settle in for the winter.

We are enjoying the new adventure, and pray daily that God's will is clear as we step in faith. This relocation has been full of tremendous blessings, and I am excited for the journey!

Retreat versus Refresh

I was privileged to attend a retreat last weekend; however, once I arrived, we were told that we were actually attending a refresh. We did not want to retreat from the world; instead, we wanted to refresh ourselves and our spirits to go back into the world.

It's not rocket-science, but the shift in perspective was encouraging. It has helped me return from the weekend, back into my daily life, with intention to live out the lessons taught. I want to focus on the eternal more than the temporal, love people more openly, and spend time with Him more consistently.

I am refreshed, and looking forward to living it out.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Davis Family!

2013 brought a number of changes, and some incredible lessons.

1. Josh transitioned into full-time volunteer work / ministry with the homeless population in downtown Boise.

As Josh ministers, and I am privileged to join him at least once a week, we have learned to be less judgmental and more forgiving. We have also learned to be more grateful for all that we have. We have met some amazing people - both homeless and other volunteers - and have shared in some

2. Josh's parents moved to Boise.

We love having family nearby! We are able to have weekly family dinners, and share in life's journey with those we love on a day-to-day basis. Email, phone, and social media have provided opportunities to share with those both near and far, but having family physically close is a wonderful blessing, and we are so grateful for the support, encouragement, friendship, and time we are able to share with one another.

3. We moved into an RV.

I'm still a little bit astounded by this particular transition, and how much we are enjoying it! We are learning to live more simply. We are spending more time together. We are less worried about having/keeping/maintaining/pursuing stuff. We think about what we want, why we want it, and if we need it, before we purchase it. We are living more day-to-day and appreciate the gift each day is. We are learning to be more adaptable (this lesson is mostly for me!) and less worried about expectations - our own, and others.

4. Josh is preparing for a mission trip to El Salvador.

We've talked about mission trips for years, but the timing hasn't been right. Late this fall, Josh felt the call to join a group traveling to El Salvador in February. We've taken every step in faith, not knowing how it would come together, and have been richly blessed as we follow God's will. The financing came through, thanks to the generous donations of family and friends, within ten days. Not only was the mission trip covered (which was our initial request) but the cost of airfare has also been covered. We are in awe of God's working through others as Josh prepares to travel, and continue to request prayers and words of encouragement.

Those are the major highlights. :) There are more, but not all are solely about us. Suffice to say, we are works in progress; however, we are progressing! As we prepare for 2014, Josh will continue to serve within the homeless population, and will share pictures and experiences from his mission trip. I am still working full-time and also pursuing my PhD. I love to join Josh as often as possible to prepare and serve meals in downtown Boise. The kids are doing very well - Donovan is thriving in the diesel mechanic program as he continues his junior year, and Audri is excelling academically as she prepares for high school next year.

We are looking forward to 2014, and continuing live the lessons we have learned in 2013.  We look forward to visits with friends and family throughout the year, and are so grateful for the relationships that strengthen, encourage, and sustain us. 

Happy New Year!

Emotional Attachment to Stuff - Storage Cleaning Part I

Today was the first day of our storage cleaning. We didn't get as much accomplished as we hoped, but Josh has been sick with the flu and it was pretty warm outside. Between the two, we weren't able to complete the project. However, we were able to get through about half of the unit.

It's amazing to me how much emotional attachment I had to some of the stuff... from pictures to appliances, extra kitchen stuff to projects...

For example:

• The bottling kit we purchased the year we wanted to make root-beer with the kids; 
• The canning kit we purchased when we planted a huge garden; 
• The popcorn popper from Christmas when we had movie marathons because I was not feeling well; 
• The extra TV trays from before we had a kitchen table; 
• Boxes of office supplies - pens, paper, envelopes, paperclips - when we started the website company;
• And so much more.

We are going through the process of identifying what will come the RV, what will stay in storage, what we will sell, and what we will donate. It's a liberating step - freedom from the trappings of things, no matter how wonderful the memories, because we no longer use or need them.

I feel good!

Our New Home

We are simplifying our lives! It's a new adventure. :)

Moving into an RV gives us the opportunity to sort through our "stuff" and figure out what we really need, what we want, and what we can let go of.

So - details. We bought a 25' Monterey Road Ranger:

From the door - the kitchen/dining area

 

 The bedroom space - I couldn't get back far enough to get a better picture. :)

 The bunk beds - for now they are stacked with clothing, but we are sorting through and minimizing... we'll keep the top bunk for storage, but want to open up the bottom bunk as an extra bed. Of course, we also have the couch, so we can still host company!

We're settling in nicely. We are looking for the right accessories (i.e., a small knife block, a small dish-drainer, etc...) so the kitchen works a little bit more effectively. We're also trying to figure out where to put the small television, and are thinking about removing one of the kitchen benches to open up the space a bit and put in a small chair. 

All in good time. :)

Quote of the Day

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." – Robert Fulghum

This resonated with me, and I wanted to share it. I seek to live in a state of wonder, a state of gratitude and awareness for all I am, all I have, and all I hope to become.

Travel Time, Work Time?

I generally travel by plane, leaving lots of time while traveling to catch up on work... waiting at the gate, reading while flying, etc...

Thursday I'm traveling to Seattle.

I had to remind myself three different times today that I am driving... because three different times I said or thought, "oh, I'll prepare that / read that / write that while I'm traveling this week." Ummm, no.

I'm looking forward to the small road trip. It's been a long time since I've driven more than a couple of hours, and the quiet time will be good for me. If, of course, I can talk myself out of bringing work to do in Seattle upon my arrival. I will not be working while driving!