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There is just something about summer that offers this whole new outlook on life, along with new experiences. This summer has been so different for me personally because I haven’t felt this good in such a long time. Heat and humidity, I’ll admit, aren’t my friend, but I have been able to do everything my heart has desired this summer and I couldn’t be more thankful! God grace has just been showering down in so many ways, that I can’t help but continue to share with you, His love.

This past week was spent in Minnesota, visiting our old stomping grounds. It is such a special place to visit because it has been a place of healing and miracles for us. A place that always welcomes us with open arms. As much as we LOVE where we used to live, we also know life is about seasons. As one season ends, another opens. And though we have friendships that will last a lifetime there, we know that living in Michigan is just where we are meant to be. I have no doubt in my mind that we would’ve received incredible support if all of my heart issues happened in MN, but there was something about having our families with us during that difficult time, that made our move 3 years ago, part of God’s perfect timing. Little did we know that 3 months later, God would allow all he did with my heart in 2017. And yet be able to have the support from our friends in MN too. It is so hard to explain, the love for both, but we are so grateful that God has granted us this much “good” in life. It’s truly humbling because we deserve none of it.

Before I get too deep, here is what life has looked like for us:

Seeing pictures of this girl brings tears to my eyes at times…she means so so much to me! She’s my buddy, my sidekick, my girl, and my baby. A picture of a miracle. And as some would say, my mini-me.

We were making GREAT time to Minnesota, until we got in an accident. My first official one (outside of hitting a deer). It was near Madison, so about right smack dab in the middle of our trip. There was a giant slam on break session on the highway and as we all locked up, I bumped the guy in front of me. We were all completely fine, as the damage done to the guy in front of me was a dent in his bumper. I’d love to say that we had the same, but we didn’t. The guy we hit was so incredibly gracious! He was a retired truck driver and he said he’s always aware of what’s going on around him. He told that I did everything right and couldn’t have done anything more. If I swerved (since we were in the middle lane), we would’ve been side-swiped. My brakes can only do so much. He said it was only a matter of time. I didn’t feel I was following too close, but now I give even MORE space, to say the least! He was just so gracious and said there was nothing I could do, which made me feel so much better. Nevertheless, we had to get a crash report and soon realized, coolant was leaking. We made it to a gas station where we filled up on coolant, but knew we couldn’t make it far. By God’s grace, a Honda dealership was literally 1.4 miles down the road. I mean, c’mon…that is GODcidence, not coincidence. And here’s where the story just gets better.

After driving into the service center, they took one look and said they’d get it down to their shop. Within about 30 minutes, they said they could try and order a new radiator from another place and install, same day. We accepted and knew we still wanted to get to MN that day, even though it’d take a few hours just to get the part. Mazy was an absolute CHAMP and Wilde East Towne Honda in Madison had impeccable service! Every employee we encountered ensured we had what we needed and we were even able to borrow a vehicle to grab some lunch. And lo and behold, to make a long story short, we were back on the road in 4 hours. We were SHOCKED. To have it fixed and back on the road in that amount of time, was incredible. The dealership was HOPPING that day, so for them to make us a priority, brought tears to my eyes. And God’s grace, once again, showered down. They did mention that our air conditioner would go out at some point on the trip to MN, but it never did! Mind you, it was 95 and the 2 miles we drove it without air, we knew it wouldn’t be easy. But it never went out and we were able to get that fixed while in MN because our amazing mechanic, who we used when we lived there, was willing to get us in then too. Again, God’s grace.

The damage looks minor, but just a little bump caused the hood to pop, cracked grill, scraped bumper, broken radiator and compressor. But what really matters is that we were all okay and as Mazy says, “Mom, I was just chill when it happened” which actually is very true :).

Our goal was to make it in time for the Prinsburg fireworks and we made it with 1 1/2 hours to spare! Mazy was SO SO excited to play with her friend all week!

This little town of 500 sure knows how to put on a fireworks show!

The best of buds:

I mean, why not?

I wasn’t very good about taking pictures during the week, but this pretty much sums it up:

I have found more and more, that I don’t take as many pictures as I used to. But I find myself living more in the moment too. The days may seem mundane, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have meaning behind them. As I’ve taken a little bit of a blogging break, I’m being reminded of the life of simplicity I strive to life with. There is something about simple. The simple things. The simple ways. And this summer, that is what I have found. I am eager to share all I’ve learned to realize in the future, but until them, I’m just going to keep learning.