On the horizon...

WSU campus and Pullman view during the Winter months


Seeing red combines like this take me right back to farm memories!


the Palouse





The first week of school officially is behind us- Ken's graduate program down at WSU, that is. And the verdict is: it was great & he (make that, we) are excited! It was an interesting week with some unexpected changes in his financial aid package we had initially been planning around. We have prayed much over this, and continue to believe God opened this door and will take care of the details... in many ways, it feels like a huge leap of faith. And also the start of a new chapter in our lives. AND, an adventure! Part of that adventure may lead us to moving closer to school so Ken doesn't have a 73 mile commute each way, 5 days a week. It would still be a while before that potentially happened, but it just makes the most sense. So prayer over that idea has begun. We LOVE living in Spokane, being close to family, being a part of a very special church community that is near & dear to us, we really do hate the thought of moving farther from friends, and I can still hear our words ringing in my ear right now from last Summer when we swore that we never wanted to move again. (did I post about that last August? haha) I have to trust that if God wants us to move, He will make that known and open the door. I admit though, that the idea of living in the Palouse and/or Pullman area does hold an appeal, especially if it means helping balance family with the demands of the program. My dream of some day living in the country and having a garden could come true! (or we could be renting a small apartment smack dab in the heart of Pullman and listening to party animals rock the house next door) haha. Just kidding, I do think we would search for a quieter setting rather than right on campus - but something that would be a shorter commute than Spokane is; and, there happen to be a handful of small towns surrounding Pullman that fit that description. After scanning some of the gorgeous scenery that I realize does exist some of the year, and perusing housing potential, it's become part of a prayerful plan we hope might work out in the next year. Life is funny sometimes; I spent my early childhood summers in the palouse area down on the "family farm" that had been in our family for close to 100 years -- riding in the back of wheat trucks & getting to sit on my Grandfather and Uncle's laps as they drove combines and plowed during Harvest. Those are such brilliant memories that are quite dear to me. So despite what a huge change it would be to move to a rural or small town setting, it holds a sense of familiarity in a strange way too. And the way we see it, we're still a short drive from Spokane and all the things we love, but it would enable us to have more time with Ken during school and begin a fresh start to this phase of life. Ok, enough of this long post & time for pics of the beautiful palouse! :)