death and new life

i heard it said recently that in order to experience new life, there must first be death.

easier said than done.

but always worth it.

we've been called away from our life in LA to begin again in Fresno...

some of us handled the news better than others. :) July was a blur of saying goodbye, summer camps, packing, moving, finding and then losing a house, unexpectedly storing all our belongings, being homeless for 2 weeks, vagabonding around in our minivan across many miles, cities and friends' floors, and then finally settling into a new place...all in just 26 days! i have no idea how to get all these pictures in order, to make some sense of things, but honestly, that kinda sums up our life right now. out of wack. chaotic. unpacked but undone.

so...as this new chapter of oursweetmess unfolds, we begin again with our endless counting of His gifts...

one last dodgers game (i was cheering for the giants on the inside!)

soaking in the sun at our favorite beach

winning the championship farm league game!

breakfast at the beach!!

last day of fifth grade!

one last early morning run on the beach with a dear, faithful friend

endless playdates with amazing neighbor friends

very first sleep away camp at Hume Lake!!

my brother (a truly amazing man, husband and father)

sleep away camp with gram and papa (and cool cousins!)

adventure days with special friends

dinner at an old favorite burger joint in SF

children's playground in SF...this place holds so many memories for us!

...thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts!!

and so we begin again...trusting in The One Who Knows...praising Him for even the really painful parts, knowing that He is only and ever good... and that we are His, even in Fresno. :)