new year, new thanks

Happy 2015!  This will be a year of changes for the Gifford family.  We ended 2014 by placing our home of almost 10 years on the market.  The last few days of the year were spent in preparation for a new step in our lives -- a move from Newberg to Portland to significantly shorten my husband's commute.  This new step is bittersweet.  The kiddo will cope with transitioning to a new school sometime this spring.  We'll eventually cope with a search for a new church community, though we do plan to remain engaged with our current congregation for the present.  I'll need to cope with perhaps the most significant life change among the three of us -- an end to my time at George Fox after spring semester.  I do not know what my future holds.  I find that very uncomfortable, but I feel optimism that good things await.  Meanwhile, we'll see Geoff more during the week and we have the opportunity to  live in the city that always has and always will be "home."  As a matter of fact, it will likely be more of a "homecoming" than I had anticipated... if all goes well with the current agenda, we're returning to my childhood zip code.  Life works in crazy ways!

Meanwhile, if you know someone searching for a nice ranch in Newberg, do we have a lead for them... and in the midst of the transitions, I give thanks for:

* Zoolights with friends :-)

* PDX carpet socks!

* a wonderful Christmas spent with wonderful family and friends

* good home inspections

* snuggling with the cat

* "Downton Abbey" on Sunday

* Christmas cookies and candies

* a great realtor (seriously, if you need a reference, just let me know)

* good runs

* sunny weather

* scented water simmering on the stove to counteract dryness of aforementioned sunny weather

* black-eyed peas in the pantry to ensure we consume our prosperity-inducing Hoppin' John later today

* new beginnings -- not just on New Year's Day, but day by day

How about you?