Sunday, October 05, 2008

Nashville

I guess the first thing we can say in our first Stateside blog is...
Where do you people in America find time to blog?!!

We have been in the States now for almost two weeks, and while it has been wonderful to see everyone, we are feeling a little dizzy from all the newness and hustle. We flew into DFW and met with Missions Rescource Network to do some exit counseling and re-entry training. It was great, and will surely pay off in the coming months to have a better understanding of the things we can expect. Another added bonus to being in DFW was seeing some great friends. We got the chance to catch up with the Cookes (Holly's college roommate),the Pinsons and the soon-to-be Cox's (TJs college roomates), as well as our Guatemala friend Blair (who is not Guatemalan... long story).

Next stop was Tulsa, where we had the chance to see both sets of parents and say thank you to one of our supporting churches, Park Plaza, for their amazing care and encouragement of us over the last two years.

Now, we are in Nashville, and making baby steps at settling back into life here. It already feels like Fall, and we realized the other day that we haven't seen a Fall in two years! We raided our friends' houses to find all of our warmer clothing and are now unpacked (mostly) and staying with the Srygleys (an elder and his wife at Otter Creek) for a month or two.

We are also hitting the job front hard, with both of us interviewing this week for positions. Hopefully we will know more about the outcomes this week!

We are starting to feel a little funny- Saturday we didnt have much to do and it really hit us that we actually are planning to LIVE here... not just visit for a few weeks. We find ourselves missing friends and little brown faces from the DR, but are also so glad to be surrounded by our Otter Creek family and friends. I think we are getting used to driving again in the States, but Kroger was a little intimidating... buying groceries in the States again for the first time in two years.The sheer volume of choice leaves us a little dazzled(How many kinds of salad dressing does one person need?!). Surely this bewilderment will wear off (which is sad to realize, as well) but hopefully we have forever been changed in some deep ways by our Dominican experience- ways that will pay spiritual dividends in the years to come.

Thanks for your continued care and prayer-
TJ and Holly

6 comments:

Bre Wilkins said...

Welcome back to Nashville! We can't wait to see you guys again. Let's do dinner or something. Maybe a bunch of us can go out one night. We'll set something up. We will be praying for your job searches too. That can be tough but I pray it'll be easy and painless.

Elizabeth said...

Welcome home, guys!!!

Dad/GP said...

I'm sorry, but I let our long-term guest read your blog and he's a bit bummed by not even getting mentioned in your list of those you visited. Now he's off his feed, his tail doesn't wag, and he's turning counter-clockwise. (If you believe all that see me about some property....)

Anonymous said...

So glad to have you home!

Anonymous said...

hey guys! is it selfish to say I'm glad to have you stateside?? I felt so blessed to see all the amazing work you did down in the DR. Though I'm now actively looking for a BNA overnight so I can come say hi! I've missed you guys!

ps: I had a really hard time reading the European travels for it drove me crazy with Jealousy! hahaha. But I KNOW it was a blast. I'll do better when you can give me the rundown in person.

Emily Cade said...

Holly!
Hey! I have been away from blogs for a while, and I just read your post and I was surprised to see you're moving back to the states! You guys will have so much fun in Nashville! It seems like the place to be. What are you guys going to do there?