Josh made it home safely and even with the minor misfortune of emptying his stomach, he had a great time! But he'll be updating you all himself, so I won't spoil any of his stories!

I drove the 2 hour trip to Canada quite successfully by myself and returned very proud that I had conquered my fear of driving on the interstate! Easter was a blast, in a very crowed home filled with adults and crazy loud children. It was kinda soothing after my very quiet months in Kirkland! I was able to see all but one sister during my stay, and of course my Portland sister, who wasn't there either!

Being back "home" made me realize how much I am a part of my family and but also how much I've changed in the past 9 months. I am so lucky that I get to spend my first few years of marriage away from both of our families, yet close enough that we can still see them. I didn't use to think it was a good thing, but its turned out to be great. We are turning into our own family and learning to lean on God and each other when things are rough. We're learning to fight our own battles, without bringing in other family members, and learning to stand together as a unit. We're learning when to ask for help and when to just do things ourselves. I know that personally, I always felt like I had to please everyone, especially with my very unique and crazy family. But Josh has been helping me to see that usually, my family doesn't care as much as I think they're going to, and they'll be happy with the majority of my decisions if I decide things for me and not just because I'm afraid of offending someone. I guess you can say I'm starting to grow up! So even though I was happy to see my family again, I was even more happy to come back home to my husband!

We are leaving in just a few short weeks, and man, the time is flying! There is so much to do!