Small Towns and Surfboards

Photo by: Bonnie Potts

Our plane tickets are booked! And only 34 days till take off!
 
You know the feeling when you finally book your flight? Especially if it’s a trip you’ve been saving up for or dreaming about for a while? The whole process is an adventure in itself!
 
You’ve requested time off work and gone back and forth over dates, times and airlines. You’ve checked to see how many miles you’ve racked up and if some how you can put those silly things to use. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve visited half a dozen websites to compare prices just to make sure to get the best bang for your buck without having to hopscotch across the globe or endure a 17-hour layover!
 
Then the moment finally comes when you’ve selected your itinerary, punched in your credit card info and are ready to hit “CONFIRM”. So much excitement and built up adrenaline, maybe even a little bit nervous. Did I get the dates right? Check everything one more time. Okay, we’re good. Click! The request is being processed, time stops, the spinning wheel of death keeps your eyes glued to the screen, heart racing….
 
“Your flight from Honolulu, Hawaii to Bozeman, Montana is confirmed. Your trip confirmation number is….”
 
HALLELUJAH!! A huge sigh of relief, a heart that’s bursting at the seams with excitement and maybe even a 30 second dance party in front of your computer.
 
So clearly we’re (I’m) pretty thrilled about our upcoming trip. We’ll be in Montana for a few weeks at the end of May for my little sister’s graduation. I can't believe it; she's so grown up! I moved to Hawai'i when she was just starting 7th grade and now she's off to college! Time flies. As a big sister, I couldn't be a more proud of the incredible young lady she's become. 

We hope to do some adventuring while we're home, but we're mostly looking forward to spending a lot of time with family. It's strange, but since we've moved in with Ramsey's family, I've been missing mine more than ever. I don't know if it's a small town thing, a Dutch thing or a Montana thing, but there's nothing more important than just being together. I never thought anything of it until I started taking Ramsey home to Montana with me. He'd always laugh because anytime we'd meet up with someone or family would stop by the house, it was like clockwork... whatever you were in the middle of doing was put on hold, phone calls went to the answering machine, chairs were set up, coffee was made, ice tea or lemonade (if you're at Grandma's house) was poured, whatever baked goods in the house were offered (multiple times) all for the sake of visiting. There's no agenda, no rush and no time limit to how long it could last. But it doesn't matter, because you'll eventually get back to whatever it was you were doing, even if it's tomorrow. For now, it can wait, while we catch up on life, reminisce on good times, tell the story about the craziest thing that happened last week and laugh our fool heads off. Oh I just can't WAIT to be home!
 
These past few weeks, God has been pouring His blessings on us. Staying with Ramsey’s family has been great. I’ve had a lot of side jobs. Ramsey got a promotion at work and is stepping into a new leadership role at church. Coaching basketball has been a blast. The girls are so sweet and the team has improved leaps and bounds since tryouts. The other coach and I have had lots of laughs from the bench and the girls are always so positive and encouraging no matter what the scoreboard says… the things in basketball (and life) that can’t be taught.
 
We celebrated Ramsey’s 29th birthday last week! …another year of God’s goodness and abundance on his life. We had a great time celebrating with friends and family and Ramsey even got a free surfboard! Funny story actually, Ramsey had wanted a new board for months and had even tried out several of our friend’s surfboards to get an idea of what he really liked best. We didn’t have the money for a surfboard, so we started praying for one. About two weeks ago, one of Ramsey’s friends sent him a Craigslist ad for a board that was selling for $150. On a whim, he replied to the email to see if it was still available. Turns out, the person selling it was Ramsey’s classmate and friend from high school! We went to check out the board, his friend let him try it out, Ramsey fell in love and his friend sold it to him for $100!! AND someone had blessed Ramsey with $100 just a few days prior!! Thanks God, you're awesome!! 
 
We’ve also been getting a lot of dog sitting jobs! In fact, I just got another request yesterday! It’s been really incredible to see how God has been opening the doors into people’s homes and lives. We’ve gotten requests through friends, co-workers, family and even online! A few weeks ago, Ramsey and I set up an online dog sitting profile. We had no idea anything like this even EXISTED, but sure enough there’s tons of websites where people can find and post in-home dog sitting jobs! Who knew?! It was super simple, we just had to type up a little blurb, add some photos, get a few references and we were off to the races! After we got everything set up, we gave it to God and said that we’ll go wherever He sends us. Whatever homes, whatever people, whatever dogs, we would go. There’s no pressure for us to go out looking for jobs or advertise, we’re trusting God to make it happen and we are willing and available for whatever and whoever He sends our way.
 
And of course, the first person that contacted us just so happens to have the exact same name as me!
 
Thanks God. Yep, this is from you!
 
Oh what an adventure it is to do life with God, whether you’re driving down a dirt road in small town Montana or out catching waves in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
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