2012. a look back.

I already wrote a "goodbye, 2012" blogpost. 

But then I decided I wanted everything that happened in 2012 in one place. With some pictures. 

So that's what I did.

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January: 

The first of many snowy nights in Virginia. Brian spent his nights and days out in the field doing training, while I spent my days holding, playing with, and feeding babies as I nannied for 7 month old triplets. I also got to start a bible study with some of the other wives that ended up being such a blessing to my heart. I miss those ladies! We spent a night with our dear friends, Luke and Kate, in a swanky hotel in DC just for fun.

February:

I spent many of my nights watching Brian do work, write orders, study, etc. We traveled to North Carolina to send Brian's older brother Kirk off to Afghanistan. I made a trip home to Charlotte while Brian was in the field again. And we got to spend our first married Valentine's day together! We really enjoyed our cozy little apartment and loved having people over to feed them dinner. 

March:

I started a blog! New Years Resolution only 3 months late. I wasn't that great about writing posts, but I'm working on it! We found out Brian received ground supply as his job and it took us a while to come around to the idea of it. My love turned 23 and we celebrated with some sweet friends. One of my best friends, Megan, came to visit me and I got to show her our life in Quantico. I spent lots of my nights with Kate, Angela, and Lauren while our boys were out in the field. 

April: 

We found out we were moving to Japan! And we were so excited. I had four of my favorite little ladies and their awesome mama come visit me while Brian was again out in the field. We had the best long weekend together exploring around DC. We spent lots of our weekends with Luke and Kate. And Brian and Luke always fell asleep. And we went to a NeedtoBreathe concert. 

May:

I celebrated my 23 birthday with sweet girl friends since Brian was gone that night. Brian graduated from The Basic School! Both sets of our parents and Brian's brother, Evan, came to his graduation. My cousin Adam, and his girlfriend, Liz, came to visit us and we showed them around DC.  We made a trip to Brian's alma mater, VMI, for an engagement party. Then we got to take a quick getaway to celebrate one year of marriage. The best year of our lives. 

June:

We spent a lot of June on the road traveling to and fro. Trying to see as many family and friends as possible. Just taking every opportunity to spend quality time with the people we love. We loved being together, as we spent much of the past 6 months apart. We went to my cousin's wedding and then spent a week at home in Charlotte. We said bye to friends in Virginia and packed up our stuff to send to Japan (which, still hasn't made it to us!). Brian headed to North Carolina for training and I headed to Mississippi be in a wedding of my oldest, sweetest childhood friend, Bethany. And we got to spend a week at the beach with Brian's family. It was so relaxing and fun. 

July:

I was in a wedding of one of my besties from high school and college, Carly. It was so fun to be back in Chapel Hill celebrating two wonderful people. We moved into a hotel in Jacksonville, NC and lived in close quarters. It was fun sometimes and not fun other times. We spent a lot of weekends at the beach either with my wonderful parents or in Beaufort, NC with Sarah and Bedford and all their fun friends. Our great friend Nathan came with us on many of our beach adventures, though we were missing his wife Ellie, who was deployed. We also developed a great friendship with new friends, Jesse and Katy. 

August:

I took a fun trip to Denver and Boulder to visit friends and go to Brian's cousins wedding. It was such a fun trip, but I was bummed to have to leave Brian back home. Back in Jacksonville, I spent my mornings working out at Curves and Brian got to come home for lunch everyday. I made a trip to the beach to spend a girl's weekend with my mama, and then another to spend a weekend with my nana and my aunt and uncle. 

September:

Kirk came home from Afghanistan! We got to go welcome him home in Fayetteville and we were so so thankful for his safe return. We spent labor day weekend at home in Charlotte and cherished more family time. Brian graduated from Ground Supply Officers Course! He worked so hard and I was so proud of him. We headed back home to Charlotte to spend the last few weeks with family before our big move. We had multiple going away parties, got to spend time with all our siblings, and felt so loved by the people around us. 

October:

My two best friends came and spent my last day in Charlotte with me. October 3rd, we left for Japan! Tearful airport goodbyes with our parents, but were so excited for the road ahead. We spent a night and day in Seattle and had the best time thanks to Brian's sis, Erin, who has the inside scoop on Seattle life. We flew through Iwakuni and Yakota, and then finally arrived on Okinawa on October 5th. We went to the Naha Tug of War and were baptized by fire into the Okinawa culture. We were totally delirious because of the time difference and had no idea what was going on, but it was fun. We bought a car and started exploring as soon as possible. We got moved into our home and lived a floor away from our friends, Nick and Sarah. We visited the aquarium and spent our weekends just driving around/learning to drive on the left side of the road. And we ate enough sushi to kill a small human. 

November:

We found a church that we love here and immediately got plugged into a community group. We continued to meet new friends through church and where we live. We developed a fast and awesome friendship with another couple in our building, Joel and Jenni. Brian's job was busy busy, but he always had the best perspective. He works with great people, so we are thankful for that. We got to go to 2 Marine Corps birthday balls which was a great way to get to know the people Brian works with. We did lots more exploring of the island and had our first Japanese karaoke experience. We spent Thanksgiving surrounded by friends, new and old, and were thankful for being on this beautiful island. 

December:

We started making our house feel like a home, even though we have yet to receive our shipment. We bought a couch, a TV, and a few other pieces of furniture. We spent our weekends cozied up by the Christmas tree watching movies and being lazy. Brian's work days are long and we love love love spending our weekends together. We skyped and facetimed with family back home a lot and we're so thankful for technology. We had 12 Marines over for breakfast on Christmas morning and loved having a dining table full of friends. We took a drive out to Cape Zanpa on Christmas day just for fun. We brought in the new year playing monopoly with friends and are so happy to be here in Japan. 

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And congrats for making it to the end. We can now officially put 2012 to rest. 

Happy New Year, dear friends!

#hotelliving, no more!

So, yeah. I'm running low on inspiration these days. 5 months of #hotelliving has got me in a place of low creativity, but tomorrow, TOMORROW, we get a home! A real, live home! And we get to pull our musty clothes out of suitcases and walk barefooted on our own concrete floors and lounge on our government issued furniture. Glory be.

No but really, we are excited as all get out. Housekeeping and continental breakfast sounded promising 5 months ago, but I'm honestly just ready to clean my own bathrooms, ya know? Not cleaning or cooking any meals can make a jobless girl feel pretty lazy. I'm ready to cook my husband good food and invite people into my home again. Instead of like, "Hi friends, come over for dinner. We can all sit on our king sized hotel bed and eat in community." I'm going to have a table and chairs again! Yay.

And here are some instagrams that can mostly already all be seen on my sidebar right over there on the right. Low inspiration, remember? Stick with me.

There's our baby. Our Capa. Our minivan/station wagon crossover. We love him. 

Oh, yes. This girl is a legal driver in Japan. And now everyone on the internet knows how much I weigh.

This is our home. Not the softest on the eyes, but it works. And we have 3 bedrooms. So come visit!

We are really excited about Japan. Cant you see?

Clear water, pretty rocks, chippy toenail polish.

My options this week were 1) sit in the hotel room all day or 2) drive Brian around as he checked into his unit. So, I became a personal chauffeur. 

We found the golden nugget. I was in dire need of an iced starbees. 

This is my "it's so windy face." It was a blustery week. Lots of tropical storms and typhoons swirling out over the pacific.

Oh, the seawall. I love that we live SO close to water. And really, really pretty water at that. 

Some more water. Why not?

Curry pizza. YUMMM. I'm jealous of myself for eating this. And you should be too. Delish. 

So there is our week! 

How did ya'll spend your week? 

on waiting

I really am trying hard to cherish this time, where life for me is slow and easy. I am SO, so quick to always want what's next; the next thing, the next place, the next group of friends, the next role in life. 

When I'm in bad perspective and I look at my life right now, it seems like wasted time. Two months in an unknown place. Not quite long enough to make really strong friendships, but too long to not try. No job, no place to cook for people, no home to clean. I mean really, someone cleans my room everyday and I am trying to complain? 

Satan is so tricky. 

And then! I remembered this. 

Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings

 like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;  they shall walk and not faint. 

Isaiah 40: 31 

and this

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27: 14

Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. My study bible says that to renew one's strength is to find 
endless supplies of fresh strength. 

Fresh Strength. I need that. Everyday.

So here I am, in my waiting room. Trying hard to be where I am, where the Lord has me.  And believing hard that God is storing up endless supplies of fresh strength in me for what's ahead. Believing that there is something great waiting for me in Japan. And oh, how sweet of the Lord  to give me this time. To be. To refresh. To store up strength. 

And yes, I could be filling my time with things. Ok things. Maybe even good things. 
But to store up strength for the best things? I think that's what God has called me to right now. 

And so, that is what I will do. 

Feel like you are in limbo? In an in-between? Remember that God doesn't waste time. 
He doesn't put you somewhere without a purpose. He has plans. Believe that today. 


THIS sermon series, so good. 

the little things: hotel living

So I guess I'm finding that hotel living is not real conducive to blogging because welllll, it's been two weeks since I posted. My B. I don't know if it's that my hotel lifestyle is not interesting enough to write about or if it's that we have cable for the first time and House Hunters plays ALL day, EVERY day.

Anyways, my life still feels in transition mode and I'm starting to get a little stir crazy living in 300 square feet. It's always helpful and refreshing and really healthy for me to look back over my week and see the little blessings that keep me sane. I can be real quick to throw myself a pity party about how chaotic and misplaced everything in my life feels right now, but in reality, the Lord has provided for us so much and in so many ways throughout this season. I think we will look back on this time fondly, when we got to live so simply and spend such quality time together.

1. Seeing Brian in the middle of the day? YES.

2. Ice cream cones right down the street for $1.50. It's almost a nightly thing for us now.

3. We have dinner in bed every night. Why? Because our kitchen table is a bed tray. 

4. My favorite afternoon snack. Quinoa, coconut milk, fruit, walnuts, honey. Delish. 

5. Again, he came home for lunch, but this time he brought Chick Fil A with him. Double YES. 

 1. I got to spend 1 on 1 time with my mama last week at the beach. Just me and her. What a sweet time that I will cherish forever. She is truly one of a kind.

2. A walk by the inlet with my love. I could get used to living on the water with sights like this. 

3. I got blessed with a free membership to Curves. And yes, I am the youngest person by 25 years there. I love all the sweet old ladies. It's awesome.

4. Date night at the beach with my mama. Enjoying me a nice glass o' wine. 

I truly have so much to be thankful for. What a sweet little life we get to live. God is good to us.

if you care to follow along, instagram: mckenzieharding

Linking up with Lindsay!