Life does move really, really, quickly. And, we've been gone from this space for a long time. But in giving up, being too busy, or just not feeling like blogging, Travis and I certainly did not miss much of life. In fact, here's a rundown of everything that happened in the last 2.5 years:
1) Home Away from (any) Home - Mo-Ranch & Massanetta Springs. Shortly after our last blog post, Travis and I accepted a summer job to be the co-chaplains for summer camp and the Alive @ Mo program at Mo-Ranch in Hunt, TX. I also worked as a lifeguard on the beautiful Guadalupe River. We put our belongings into a storage unit in Atlanta, loaded the truck (we were a one car family by May 1, 2011), and headed west. Then, for 2 weeks in July, I left Mo, traveled to Massanetta Springs Camp & Conference Center and was a Workshop Director for the Middle School Conference. We had such a great time, and both places quickly felt like home to us...that summer stretched us, was ridiculously fun, and just what we needed.
2) Call, Ordination, Installation - We prayerfully accepted our first call as Co-Associate Pastors to First Presbyterian Church, Greenwood, MS in May, 2011. We moved to the MS Delta about 10 days after finishing up Mo, and in those 10 days, we packed more of our stuff, were examined for ordination, drove all the way from TX to ATL and back to MS. Still in one car. We laughed most of the time. I was ordained August 27, 2011 at FPC Lexington, NC by Salem Presbytery. Travis was ordained the following weekend, September 3 at FPC Graham, TX by Palo Duro Presbytery (foreshadowing alert). We were installed into our call by St. Andrew Presbytery the first Sunday in October, with celebration and a great reception by the awesome PW of that congregation.
3) Shenanigans with Friends - we began making some pretty incredible friends while in Mississippi. From presbytery colleagues to people our age in Greenwood, Travis and I quickly found a niche and started having lots of fun. There are so many adventures to be had in the Mississippi Delta - over the 2 years we lived there, some of our favorites included bartending at River to the Rails, late nights at the Alluvian, trivia at Webster's, and heading over to Po' Monkeys juke joint. We have so many stories, jokes, text conversations, and pictures to remember our season of life and ministry in the MS Delta.
4) Family - while in Mississippi, a lot happened in our little family. Joe (bro) graduated from college and joined the Navy, Meredith (sis) started college, Emily (sis-in-law) graduated from grad school and got a job in Dallas, Thomas and Tara (bro and sis-in-law) got married, eventually left Houston, and now live in Ft. Worth. Jacque and Nathan Allen both passed away after illnesses a few short months apart (Aug 2012 and Jan 2013). Travis and I got on a waiting list for a puppy, and Scout joined our family on Dec 19, 2011. He'll be 2 in November. Look at that face...he's about 6 months old here.
5) Ohh, Baby. Then this happened.
We found out in late October 2012 that we were expecting...almost exactly this time last year. I had a great pregnancy - pretty normal, even with preeclampsia at the end (no pictures of how swollen I was, thanks anyway). We found out at the very end of February that we were having a son, and Jeffrey Barrett Allen joined the world on June 14, 2013. He was 2 weeks early, I had to be induced, but he's our Mississippi baby. And he's just the best thing Travis and I have ever seen, done, loved. He is now 4 months old and full of snuggles, spit-up, and laughs. He was baptized last weekend, surrounded by his great-grandfather, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
6) Moved to Texas - about the time we found out I was pregnant, we began seriously praying and discerning about where God was calling us...to stay in Greenwood or to move closer to one side of our family? While we loved our friends and congregation, being 800 miles from either NC or TX was really hard. So, in late February, after some hard conversations, we began circulating our PIFs, and were picked up pretty quick by 2 churches. Along with the PNC, we discerned that God was calling us to be the next Co-Pastors of FPC, Canadian, TX. So, when Barrett was just under 12 weeks old, we moved to the northeast corner of the panhandle of Texas. We're closer to Oklahoma than to Dallas, y'all. We love it here so far, after about 6 weeks, we're slowly finding our rhythm and are adjusting to life in the panhandle. It's windy, they don't lie. And this happened on Sunday, Oct 12.
We were installed on Saturday afternoon, then Travis and I led worship with a retired minister in our new congregation, and Mert baptized Barrett. It was more special than I imagined...having our little boy sealed into God's big family by the sign of water on his head, in front of a church family that has covenanted with us to nurture and raise him in the way of Christ, to love God and his neighbors. Blessings abound, y'all.
So, this is where we are. Moving forward in life, stopping to look around most of the time, and hopefully, returning thanks for the many blessings God has given us.
I'm hoping to write at least once a week, as transitioning back into full-time ministry has really been a challenge for me so far. After 7 weeks of maternity leave and 3 weeks of vacation with our little guy, it's hard to stay focused on anything other than sweet Barrett. Here's hoping that writing out our experiences in Canadian, Texas will be life-giving and centering as both Travis and I pause to reflect on God's grace in placing us here.
To that end, come visit us, we'd love to see you!
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