7 days never felt so fast!
My brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces came for a whole week. NO ONE has ever come to visit for an entire week. But you gotta figure, flying 4.5 hours each direction with a 4 year old and a 9 month old, you have to stay for a week.
Back in March, when my brother sent me a copy of the flight receipt, I nearly cried to find out that all 4 of them were going to make the journey out here. I know all of the arguments. "It makes more sense for you and Adam to come East." Or, "You'll be able to see so many people." Or, "There's only two of you as opposed to 3, 4, 5, etc, of us." Which, I totally get.
But it's incredibly meaningful when people choose to enter into our world. Because when we go home, we're pulled so many directions to try to visit everyone, spend equal amounts of time with two families, and somehow, we leave feeling like we didn't get quality time with anyone.
But for 7 days, my house was filled with laughter, endless babbling from Ryann, and the chaos of 6 people sleeping in a small, 2 bedroom apartment. I loved that we didn't all fit comfortably. I loved getting up at 7 to make sure I could spend as much time as possible with my family. I loved the hours upon hours in the car, the sharing of meals, the new experiences, and the concentrated time with them. I'm so thankful that Adam is even more connected to them now. And I'm so thankful they got a glimpse into our lives.
We are the recipients of a lot of generosity. But perhaps the best way to love us right now is the visiting. It's not always easy being so far from home and so far from family. There are days when I very much long to be within driving distance of our families. When we miss birthdays, recitals, graduations, and family gatherings, we certainly feel the cost of living out here.
But for one whole week, I got to live life with family near by, as in, under my roof. It was wonderful. And refreshing. And very, very fun.
Ryann would often stop and say, "Blue! I love you!" And she would just go on with her previous activity. I'll miss her slipping her hand in mine. I'll miss Alee's little tongue sticking out when she's really happy. I'll miss Anthony and Erin's banter, and their unbelievable ability to jam pack a week with adventures.
My parents gifted this trip, in theory, to Anthony for graduating from seminary. But really, it was a priceless gift to me. An extravagant outpouring of love by enabling quality time with family that I never see enough of. For a week of near constant companionship. For new memories with my adorable nieces. For an opportunity to further embrace Adam in our family.
The past 7 days were so good for my heart.
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