Finding our stride.

When I first met the hubs - he introduced me to the sport of "running".

It was new to me -- and something I'd always considered very challenging (as I watched from the sidelines).

Eight years later ... I most definitely enjoy the activity to help stay on course with both emotional and physical health.

It's done wonders for my soul.

We're not die hard runners, but we do enjoy signing up for races, training and seeing it through to the "finish line".

When training for a race -- or even starting to pursue the sport of running - there are many growing pains along the way.

Some days feel really, really tough.... exhausting mentally and physically.

Other days are easier -- you feel the wind at your back and you're able to run further than you'd planned.

That success feels amazing.

Each and every run is a separate event in my mind.. whether you're training for a big race or just running for good health.

And, I try to remind myself of that on both kind of days... challenging and easy.

But it seems.... eventually ... things settle out during training.

You have fewer and fewer really tough days ... and somewhere along the way -- "find your stride".

I find this to be the perfect metaphor for where our family is -- right now.

We are in that process of "finding our stride".

Emotionally - we ALL seem ALL over the place.

Moving this summer is proving to be much different than it was last summer -- specifically for the twins.

Last summer ..  at 20 months old they were plucked out of their norm, but much of their world stayed the same ... despite being a world away from 'home'.  We worked hard to keep it that way, for them.

They didn't seem to notice the differences, as much.  The transition was pretty seamless, much to my surprise.

This summer .. at nearly 3 years old -- their awareness is much higher.

This summer -- they are testing boundaries and wanting more and more freedoms.

This summer they are seeking independence.

Bedtime routines have changed -- daily happenings have changed -- surroundings have changed ... and this time - they have really NOTICED.

It's been almost a week since our return to MN ... and many wonderful things have happened.

We've been blessed with special visits from family, long conversations with friends, people lending helping hands making an impossible task (settling back in) seem possible.

And, we've tried to inhale the wonder of moving back into what feels like a 'new' home again.

We've also had much transition -- big sisters saying goodbye to cribs -- and on the flip side - little sister sleeping in her crib for the very first time (both highly emotional for mama).... new caregivers entering our lives --- a puppy dog to readjust to ... VERY warm temperatures greeting us each day....  maneuvering a bigger space to live and play in, AND living in a constant state of "unpacking".

So, from where I stand today -- we are smack dab in the middle of "finding our stride".

And I'm very thankful the hubs introduced me to the invigorating sport of running all those years ago ... 

Because, it's taught me -- we'll get there...... we'll cross the finish line in this season of life.

It will likely be, as with running, one separate event at a time....

One (sleep-filled OR sleep-less) night at at time...

One box at a time...

One day at at a time.

And ... I have no doubt at some point --- we'll feel more wind at our back than we feel struggle ... our feet will feel lighter instead of exhausted and our home will feel like... HOME, again.

And then we'll have found our stride in this leg of the journey -- we'll take a minute AND a deep breath -- before gearing up for what will likely be another race somewhere just around the bend.

With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!