So we live in Portland, Oregon now! On June 6th, we loaded up our two pups into crates, our 8 pieces of luggage, four checked, four carry on, our baby, our stroller and ourselves to make the two flights to Oregon. Thank goodness for my incredible in laws who came to help out for three weeks! Without them, I don’t know how we could have done any of it.

The hardest part was saying goodbye to our pups for the rest of the day. We both teared up as we saw them in crates, knowing that they would be in those crates for many many hours and through flights that would make them anxious. They are ok now but it was a traumatic day I think for them. We had one layover in Iceland and chose the flights that would get us there the quickest…total travel time of 12 hours and 41 minutes.

We arrived, got through customs and immigration, with the help of amazing airport staff we ran into smiles and signs from the family welcoming us home.

We have been here a month now and have been settling, transition and reacquainting. We both talk often about how it all still feels pretty surreal. Some days I keep expecting that our visit is up and we are headed back “home” and yet home is here now. Isn’t home such an interesting place? Everything feels familiar and yet weird to me. This world is totally different for Ana even though she had visited many times before. Tadej is having the time of his life with cousins and friends and his other grandparents. Ana is trying to call her parents almost everyday so we still have that strong connection too although we know that timezones can be really hard.

On July 1, I began a halftime job back in the church world in Milwaukie, Oregon. I am excited about what is to come in this place as well. Although a different appointment than I have had before…smaller and halftime, there seems to be some ideas about what could happen next. I am excited to accompany this community forward.

I am also learning what it means to pastor while I have a baby as well. This is a whole new ballgame in so many ways. The best we can do it just take every day a step at a time. I am learning about the people I am in community with, learning about our new surroundings and holding things loosely sometimes as well as trying to make home feel like home now.

Hoping to return to the blogging world, I want to thank you for checking in!

We live in Oregon now!