A Day At The Beach

After dinner tonight we decided to go for a walk on the beach. Life has been crazy hours, crazy learning, crazy fun, but some days just plain crazy. Tonight I got off a little earlier than normal and we were able to have a yummy dinner before 8pm. Which in my life has been a feat the last few weeks. Then we decided to head to the beach for a little walk on the beach.

Life has seem to find a rhythm to it I think. There are still moments I am not sure what end is up in our lives, but I have really enjoyed all that was in this season of life. As we were walking just chatting on the beach I just stopped...I couldn't believe that we live by this beautiful beach that we could just walk down after dinner and enjoy. There is just something about the waves and the sound and the calmness of the ocean. Life is always just a little better at the beach. There are times when the beach helps you sort life out and others where the beach helps you plan your life. I think every significant moment for me and Sam has been at the beach...there is just something magical about it for us.

In 12 days, on a beach in our quiet little beach town I will become Mrs. Ackland...who would have ever thought? I can promise you this, at this time last year I was under no circumstance even thinking my life would look anywhere close to what it does...really? Florida. In love with my best friend. About to get married on the beach. Not in a million years did I guess this.

But....I am so glad that this has been my life...at times it has seemed like a movie, but really at the end of the day I want to live a life that is full of adventure and excitement and love. Isn't that why we go to the movies in the first place? To see other people do that? I can't believe this is the life I get to lead. As much as I have seen my faith seem so scarce when so many things weren't coming together, I am so glad that God's faith in humanity and God's faithfulness never once wavered. To live your dreams....a job where I can love people, use my talents and enjoy it so much I forget I am going to work....a best friend that has turned into the love of my life, and in 12 days will become my husband....life just doesn't get much better than this...

Laundry

So many things make me smile these days...

But laundry is the one that made me smile the most yesterday. It's been over 5 years since I had a washer and a dryer in my house, to pull warm clothes out and sit on the floor folding clothes as Sam and I watched Friends on DVD yesterday just made me smile.

There are so many other things that make me smile these days as well....

Spending the day at the beach, watching Friends with Sam, hearing from friends on the phone, feeling energized by my new job, reading an email from a friend that just makes me remember how lucky I am to have the friends I do, Wednesdays, playing with Jensen kids, thinking of getting married barefoot on the beach in 21 days...

I will become Mrs. Ackland in 21 days in a small sweet beach wedding and next summer we will have a wedding that will include all our friends and family at a beach in CA. I thought it was time to announce the next piece to our fun and out of a book life we seem to be leading these days. We will be married on June 8th, before Sam's visa is up and instead of rushing to plan a wedding where so many important people couldn't attend, we decided to get married in Florida then plan the "wedding album" wedding with all Sam's family, my brother and sister in law, our friends from New Zealand and all our friends from California. I want to get married on the pacific coast beaches...I'm a west coast girl at heart. So we will do the wedding in Cali. If you didn't know we got married out here, you wouldn't know at the wedding next summer. It will be the one me and Sam dreamed of, it won't just be a party or reception I PROMISE :) I need to catch my breath a bit after the last few months and life seems to be coming to a bit of normalcy for me...the laundry yesterday makes me feel like life is heading in a more peaceful place. Once I catch my breath we will set the official date for next summer...

But for now...barefoot on the beach with the love of my life in 3 weeks is the what is evoking the biggest smile ever!

New Seasons

New job, planning a wedding, new city, new place, searching for all new things...hair dressers, where the post office is, grocery stores, and the like....what a whirl wind.

Today I was sitting in a New Hire Training for my job and couldn't believe all the new in my life. While I have had a few melt downs, for the most part, I haven't totally lost it. I am not sure if I have grown or if the vitamins and herbs I am on, testing stuff for my new job, have really worked to keep stress low and energy high. Either way the new in my life is SO exciting, so refreshing, and even so scary sometimes...but the new is the promise of each new season. When a season ends a new one begins, I think it is the same with life, when one season of life ends a new one begins. Sometimes the newness is overwhelming, but there is something refreshing about it.

I LOVE all the new in this season. It makes me smile, makes me laugh, makes me shake my head in wonder and often times make me crazy. But I love it. We live by the beach and each night after work and on the weekend I feel like I go on vacation. I think that after my crazy 20's and even a crazier start to my 30's I am ready for a little quiet, a little slow, a little remembering what makes life so wonderful. I will never be a slow person, but I think this season has something special in store for me, a little slowing down for this moment is good for my soul. Life has been so crazy and insane that slow is what I am craving...sitting at home just being quiet sounds so refreshing. And really? Can you complain when you live at the beach?

I promise that I will put up condo pictures soon...it still is not really put together, but maybe this week and maybe not. If it doesn't get down in the speed I want it the world will NOT cease to spin. I know, who knew? There doesn't seem to be enough hours in my day, but finding my priorities and living those out is so much more important to who I am and how I will serve humanity. My other favorite part of a season is that it has an ending, and while my seasons of CRAZY busy seems to not really ending, I know that it will and a new pace of life is coming...

Though, the reality is sometimes life's seasons are like Florida summers...hot, beautiful, fun in the sun...then BAM! A huge lightening storm, massive winds, or even a hurricane. You just can't predict life, but you can roll with it and accept where you are and what you can actually offer. Here's hopin' for no hurricanes in our world any time soon :)

SNEAK PEAK AT SCHOOOL

HEy dana georgia here i am at school tring to talk to you and i am about to get caught and pretty dodgey but it's a secret between me and you . oh and mum i come and try to get on my blog while i am supost to be doing my work but it is so boring . i will try adn call you tonight.
tap tap
Georgia
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Georgia
Tapp tapp tapp love you heAPS
PS STILL SAVING TO COME AND SEE YOU
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooo
PS:PS: sAY HI TO sAM xxoo