It has been quite a while since we have updated our story. So this may be a bit long.

Since moving to Idaho, we have found a wonderful church, The Pursuit of Boise, and family with our Life Group. We have been blessed to make some good friends and to really feel like this is our home here in Nampa, ID. We aren't sure how long we will be here for this part of our pilgrimage as our main goal is to not get too comfortable but to also grow in being a Christ-centered family and try to be financially wise and responsible so that we can jump into the next calling God has for this little family. Well, maybe not so little... March 19th Zach and I found out that Levi J was going to be a "big brother", making our family size of 4 as of sometime around November 19th, 2011. We are certainly excited!!! It was a little scary at first, as some surprises are, because our plans hadn't panned out like we were trying, but God answered our prayers and we are continually trusting Him to provide for our needs. June 23rd we found out that our expected child is a "little brother"! Elias Marck (for our dads Marc Soles and Mark Becklund). So today I am 21 weeks.

Zach's job was slow at the beginning. Praise the Lord! for He allowed us time to adjust to our new home and life in Idaho. But now we are in the busy summer season where he is gone if not for days at a time for long days and early mornings. He is quite exhausted, but we are very proud of him!
He came home one day in mid-May and told me that within the next week he would be leaving for probably a month. So I decided to buy a plane ticket that night to go help my dad in Michigan with packing up his house in preparation to move. Zach left on My 17th, I left on May 22nd, and a month later Levi and I returned on June 22nd.

Levi with Great-Grammy and Great-Papa Soles- their first meeting:)

 It was a wonderful visit in Michigan with both sides of the family. We totally saw God work out the details as Levi and I flew in late Sunday night and the next day traveled with the Soles family to Detroit for the funeral of our Aunt Colleen. Unfortunate circumstances, but a nice time for us to visit and meet relatives.

Levi and Grandma Therese at the reception following the funeral memorial ceremony.

Levi with Great Grandma Lyons

On the days when Grandma Therese was off work Levi would go over to spend time with her (and I would try to be productive at Dad's). He absolutely loved it! Well he may have had a few hard times, but only because he is a baby still and missed his mommy. But Levi loved the horses, the fishies, and of course Miss Angel

New Home

We have made it our new home in Nampa, ID. We've been here for about a week and since we have arrived we have obviously experienced a lot of "firsts". This is our "first" home after school. When Zach and i married, we lived in his parents' basement for a couple months till we moved down to TX for school. For 2.5 yrs we lived in Married Student Housing, i worked at Starbucks, and Zach worked at the school part-time and went to school full-time. We were blessed with our son Levi November 2009, and as we look back, we realize just how loved and blessed we were by our church and friends who supported us. 


Anyways, Zach is working for Valley Air Photos as a camera operator, mechanic, and pilot. The Lord prepared Zach for this job through his first jobs as a tax surveyor studying maps, as a land surveyor for oil companies with a friend, and because of his interest in photography. And as far as i can tell, even though it was a tough decision and we knew we would be a sacrifice to be away from family and live on a tight budget, we also know the Lord is more faithful than we can imagine and he loves when His children trust in Him. A scripture that the Lord had given Zach and i when we were maturing in our relationship before marriage that we used in our wedding were 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.
 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
   fear the LORD and shun evil."
Proverbs 3:5-7 

and the communion song at our wedding was "Walk by Faith" by Jeremy Camp. Yes, we know he wrote the song after the death of his first wife and how he trusted the Lord through the healing process, but Zach and i chose it because we wanted to dedicate our marriage as a walk by faith in our Lord.

Levi is almost 16 months, and when we set up his room, we also put up his "big boy toddler bed". New house, new bed. He is doing pretty well.

i have stopped working at Starbucks and am praying for an added income as whatever the Lord brings. Maybe even go back to school for something. i don't know what else i want to do or be, but i am glad that i have the opportunity to be a full-time mom and wife.