It has been almost 2 years since we have been to Florida to visit my parents, and because we live on the wild side of life, we decided to DRIVE to Florida for our family vacation. With two babies that absolutely hate the car by the way. But, we survived the trip down, we drove straight through and the kids did exceptionally well!!
We had such a great vacation, we spent so much time together, which for us doesn’t happen as much as we would like back home, so we all soaked it in for an entire week! The kids were so happy to get out of the cold weather and to be able to run around in the sand and swim, and swim, and swim some more! Little did I know I have 3 little fish on my hands! At one point Luca was in his floaty with his head laid back and his bottle in his mouth falling asleep! He was livin it up! It was great seeing them spend time with their grandparents. Josiah and I even got to sneak out for a date night on New Years Eve, which we hurried back home from to watch the ball drop with Jackson but he was already passed out for the night and would not wake up! The rest of vacation went by very fast, my parents rented us a hotel on the beach for our last 2 days so we at least got to spend our last days by the ocean, but we never saw a sunset the entire trip. We were not looking forward to the trip home the next morning knowing there was a ton of snow there to greet us and Luca was getting sick which turned into a terrible cold! So we started our journey home but had to stop in Nashville for the night because Luca was miserable!
But the kids had a ton of fun swimming at the hotel and avoiding the snow for 1 more day! And Luca was a little better by morning so we continued home and I’m thinking the goodness of vacation is coming to an end!
My New Years Resolution this year is to trust the Holy Spirit in me more and stop second guessing it what I’m hearing the time and to be more bold with what I do hear, we had a few situations in the past year where I know if I would have just listened to what I was hearing, and trusting the Holy Spirit, I think it would have saved us from some of the headaches we are experiencing now. But thankfully I know God will even work those instances for good! So the journey continues… I knew Teshay was living in Louisville with her mom, and we stopped to get gas right outside of Louisville and I asked her what side of the city she lived on just to see if it was close to where we were at so we could swing by real quick, she was on the opposite end and side of the city, but I kept feeling that I God wanted me to go see her, I knew we had a long drive yet, it was rush hour, excuse, excuse, excuse. But I kept feeling like God wanted me to go see her. So then we come to a complete stop in traffic and I ask if we can go see her, and Josiah says YES! It was a total God thing! We talked for quite a while about life, school, the babies, and all the things going on and how she so badly wants to move back, and how its been rough for her there and she can never really get away to have time to herself, she could sense she was discouraged and I really tried to boost her spirits! It was time for us to leave and as we were about to go she told me, with the biggest smile on her face, that us coming was the best thing that has happened to her since she’s been there. She blew me away. She totally filled my spirit and encouraged me and reaffirmed why God wanted me to stop and see her!
(Teshay is a girl I met through Sonnyvilla/212, she moved to Louisville with her 2 babies a couple months ago, she is a teenage mom and one of the best teen moms I know, always putting her kids first, and working so hard to finish high school this year and eventually wants to move back to South Bend and wants to open a shelter to support teen moms!)
So with all that being said I am very thankful, thankful for a great vacation with my husband and kids, thankful for the Spirit of God living in me, thankful for a husband that listens to the Holy Spirit as well and supports me when I have crazy ideas, and so thankful for being able to be apart of the lives of so many amazing youth!! She sent me this text as we were about to cross the bridge to go into Indiana,
“I’m still happy right now lol thank you guys so much I swear yall where a breath of fresh air 
“
Little did she know she was my breath of fresh air, and she reaffirmed that we were heading back in the right direction, heading back to where God has called us to, South Bend, Indiana. And this is what we saw after we crossed the bridge into Indiana, no sunsets in Florida, but the most gorgeous sunset I’ve ever seen, in Indiana. I truly and probably selfishly believe God did it just for us, for listening to Him together, and doing what He said! And for heading back to where He has called us!
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139:7-12
