Ahhh, life is returning to normal..whatever that is

I apologize to all of you that I haven't gotten back with in the last month...our life has been crazy! Stephen and I have been praying about selling our home for some time and felt that the right thing to do was sell. We decided to put it on Craigslist and possibly get a realtor after the first of the year. Within two weeks we had awesome buyers who were downsizing and paid cash. Stephen and I were shocked and it took us some time to digest that this was really happening this quickly. It is amazing how God answers prayer and then we have to double check if this is what He really wants. I hope a day comes when I won't be shocked when he answers a prayer so clearly and dramatically. So everything went smoothly and as of Wednesday we are no longer homeowners. We are so thankful that we were able to sell while we were still ahead and we are currently staying with my parents and saving. It is working out great so far and I have been able to spend quite a bit of time with my Grandma who is going back home today. :(

We also squeezed in a trip to Florida in November to honor his Grandma Ott. I am so thankful to have learned more about the Ott's who have left an incredible legacy of love for the Lord to their family. I was so excited to receive a book of prayer that Grandma Ott had put together years ago for her devotions, and to to teach others. What a treasure! I also met Stephen's one and only cousin Derek and his wife Jennifer and their son Elijah who is 6 months older than Malia. They were adorable together and I can't wait to get the pictures from Pamela. We finished up the trip at Disney World with Stephen's Aunt Jenny as our incredible guide. Since we have returned home we have been packing and moving most of our waking hours. We also mixed in some birthday celebrations for Chad, Malia and myself. Now it is time to prepare for Christmas, I plan on keeping things simple and focusing on the Lord's birth. I am grateful for feeling more settled and I can't wait to reconnect with everyone now that things have slowed down a bit.