Six Months

 It's January already!  How did that happen?  Seems like such a blur.  Moving from Oregon to Asheville, NC last March was probably the biggest adventure of our lives.  We just made a decision that life was short and we were ready to try something new for a year.  My husband's work allowed him to do this easily.  Well, is moving across the country with three young kids ever "easy"?  Ha!  But, in the big picture, making this big change flowed quite easily.  Moving costs were covered, it was easy to find renters for our house, we had a place to stay in Asheville until we found our perfect little house in this little town, and all the excitement that comes with discovering a new place was ours to enjoy day after day!

"For one year", we said.  We'd move for about a year and then come back so that our kids could be raised near family.  One. Year.  Seemed like a pretty awesome plan. No problem.  I just wasn't prepared to fall in love with a place like I have with HERE.  I wasn't prepared to have my breath taken away by the Blue Ridge Mountains day after day.  I wasn't expecting to have a feeling of "coming home" when we settled here. I didn't imagine that living in this small town with my front porch swing and walk to coffee and library life would still provide our family with so much. So much  community and charm but yet still so close to the funky, artistic, one of a kind city of Asheville. I never imagined that I'd have the perfect soft dirt/gravel path near Beaver Lake to run around day after day or trails at our finger tips for our dates (when we find a sitter).  I never imagined that once I got here, I wouldn't want to leave.

But we're sticking to the plan.
Six months left.
I've avoided thinking too much about this.  When I do, it puts a pit in my stomach and my heart hurts a little (or a lot if I was going to be my normal dramatic self).
I've been digging my heels in, dropping little hints about staying forever, wishing, hoping....But all along I know in my heart of hearts that raising our kids near their very loving and supportive Grandparents and extended family (who want nothing more than to be a part of their life as much as possible and create some lasting and loving memories) is a RICHNESS that can't be replaced with HERE.  I know that moving back is the right thing for us despite my desires to stay here (what feels like home) forever.

This morning, I woke up with the intention to snap out of this mindset of already missing something that I haven't even said goodbye to yet.  Instead of thinking of how much I don't want to go, I will be thinking of how much living I still have HERE.  I will think of all the things I still have to look forward to TODAY... the next six months.

In the next six months I will:

• Continue to run my favorite trail almost daily (and no, it doesn't get old even though it is only 2 miles for every loop).
• Keep exploring Asheville.
• Make new friends and develop the ones that I have made but been too scared (until now) to bond with too deeply.  
• Volunteer and stay involved with the Literacy Council
• Keep training for the Boston Marathon. Training has been so joyful! 
• Travel as much as we can on this side of the country.  A big trip coming up really soon that I'm super excited about...and way easier to fly to from here than Oregon.  YES to seeing the world!!  
• Take a road trip to Boston in April to stay with friends, run a marathon and show our kids a big part of history.  
• Enjoy 3 more seasons in these Blue Ridge Mountains that I love so much...the rest of winter, spring, and the beginning of summer. Oh glorious summer with fire flies, humid nights (yes, I love this), sitting on my porch with coffee while watching birds and the town streets filled with families taking evening strolls.  
• Continue watching my kids thrive!  They are all three doing so well right now.  My son (gosh, he's had a rough start here) has made tremendous strides this last month or so and I only see it getting better.  So proud of him! My mama heart is beaming right now. All the hard work of the last many months is paying off.  
• Keep being conscious of my goals for life, particularly the way I am as a mother.  This is the most important role to me out of all my roles I play in life. Patience. Love. Modeling. Presence. 
• Take part in the Asheville Marathon and Half Marathon as an ambassador and using the half as a training run.  
• Visit the Biltmore Estates as often as possible until we leave.  What beautiful and romantic grounds!  
• Be open to receiving fully whatever life has in store for us each and every day, including six months from now.  
• Love fully.  
• Live richly.
• Give myself.
• Reach out.
• Keep learning.  
• And a big one:  Keep getting rid of fear!  Fear of sharing myself (knowing I'll just be leaving).  Fear of change.  Fear of not knowing what life holds.  Goodbye fear.  Farewell.  I won't miss you.  

Oh, I'll hold on to THIS day always.  

So, here's to SIX MONTHS!  Amazing all that can happen in Six Months if we are present and willing enough to truly LIVE and make the most out of our life!  

Amanda 

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