New year, new a d v e n t u r e .

Hello and happy new year to all of you!

It's been about 6-ish months since I was on here last. The first couple of those were some of the hardest of my life. I'm not gonna lie about it... it was really rough! Deciding to leave our church was the hardest decision Mark and I have ever made. Period. The grief, the emotional roller coaster, the sadness and anger over what happened and how it was handled. It was all so awful. I gained about 15 pounds. I cried a thousand times. I lost the desire to be around people that I love. Etc. From what I understand, those are all natural responses to this kind of situation. Even still, it SUCKED.

BUT, as the weeks went on, God slowly started to mend my heart and open my eyes and my ears. The confusion slowly cleared away and my frustration subsided. I gained a clear understanding of what happened. My desire for other people to understand the truth went away, (and that's a huge deal for someone like me!)

One of the main things that God really opened my eyes to was the GIFT that he had given our family through this. Really! What a GIFT to be set free from a cycle of hidden abuse and a toxic environment! As much as it hurt and as much as I miss my friends and my place there, I am grateful to be set free from it!

(I know that some of my readers still attend the organization  and do not understand what I am talking about. These words are not for you. I don't expect you to understand. I own my story and I am free to talk about my experience. Some of my readers left years ago, some more recently, and you know *exactly* what I'm talking about. It's been good to reconnect and talk on a new level with new language and understanding. I gladly stand with you.)

However, this post is actually not about any of that! Lol!
I just wanted to get you caught up a bit and fill in the gap from my last post!

Currently, Mark and I are at a much, much healthier place. My eating and sleeping patterns are back to normal. I'm feeling like myself again: happy and creative. Our schedules have been simplified. Our screen time is minimal. And for my 30th birthday I spent 3 days de cluttering, cleaning, and organizing our ENTIRE HOUSE. Every closet, every drawer. The kids' stuff, my stuff, random stuff. It's all been gone through, simplified and organized. It was all so symbolic of what's going on inside my soul.

I also cut off 13 inches of my hair! (Don't hate me! It'll grow back!)  All of the dead ends and broken pieces - gone. It's so healthy now! Absolutely symbolic.

And that brings us to the new year.

The question that's been pressing us, "What do we do now?" Now that we have worked through the crap and detoxed our lives; now that we have no leadership roles or responsibilities; now that we have this GIFT of  freedom... what do we do now??

I'll tell you what we decided. :)
Maybe you already know.
(And this is what this post is really about!)

We have decided to take our family and spend a good portion of the year on the road!

If there was ever a year for us to travel with our family, this it it. 

Mark and I both turned 30 in December and we are ready to see the world a bit. Starting our family right out of high school meant settling down before we ever had a chance to get around. It's high time we broaden our horizon! Mark is self employed, the kids are homeschooled, I'm... well, I'm an artist!

The kids are old enough to understand instructions and to remember these days, yet still young enough to WANT to spend all the time together with the family on a trip like this.

It's just GOOD TIMING, if you know what I'm saying.

So, we are doing it. We're packing up what little we have left,  renting out our farmhouse, and using a friend's travel trailer to see the states.

And what do you do when you set out on an adventure like this?

You BLOG ABOUT IT, of course! I'm totally hopping on that bandwagon!
It will be a good way for me to capture our time together and to share the experience with the people I love. (That's you!)

I will have no hard feelings toward anyone that doesn't want to follow along! I know some people have a hard time watching others travel. I get it. Just don't follow and we'll both be happy!

I plan on posting once a week, although at first it might be less. We have some work to do to get ready for this trip and it's probably not the kind of work you post about. There'll be some, maybe, but we need to iron details out before we get going on a blog.

I'm thinking posts will be on Fridays, but I'm not making any promises! I know how things can get irregular at times. Go ahead and expect a little inconsistency throughout this adventure!

I'll share more ideas and plans as time goes on. It'll be fun to unfold it slowly. For those wondering, music is definitely in the plan! (The Texas school, too!) Probably not a whole lot of performing, but I'll do what I can. I am, however,  anticipating a lot of songwriting.

I hope you guys will continue to pray for us this year. It will be an interesting year, for sure! We are hopeful and expectant for God to work in us and through us. It will undoubtably be exciting. Thank you guys for loving us and supporting us, even if it's from a distance! And an extra thank you to those that have stepped in and loved us up close! You are our family!

Looking forward to a great adventure,

~Anna Austin