I cannot believe that the last time I wrote we had just gotten back from the Midwest! Since then, Nick has gone on two business trips - one to Phoenix and another to Orlando. Owen and I accompanied him on the first trip to Arizona (after spending a few days in California with the wonderful Laing family first) but he was all by himself in Florida. Nevertheless, it's been a lot of traveling for us in the last few months and while it was really fun, it feels good to know that that season is over.
Here are some photos from our trip to Los Angeles and Phoenix in March...
The wonderful Laing family
Carissa and Jeremiah Laing
The Laings' slightly satanic cat, Phoenix
Carissa saying goodbye to Owen
Very cool cacti at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix
Owen napping while touring the Desert Botanical Gardens
There was lots of variety at the DBG - I highly recommend visiting!
Saddleback Mountain
Owen hiking A Mountain in Tucson with Daddy
In the midst of our traveling, life goes on, no matter if you have time for it or not! There has been so much to celebrate about in recent months, it's amazing. Our family has been to a couple of weddings, welcomed friends' new babies and celebrated several holidays. We've been in a season of immense joy. So immense, in fact, that I've had an ongoing cold for six weeks. But no matter how tired I may be, I definitely find the joy to jump out of bed every morning. God is so good.
Easter was a huge celebration this year. Our church celebrated the holiday by gathering all our campuses together and worshipping at Qwest Field in Seattle! There were 17,500 people there and over 650 were baptized. What an amazing evidence of God's grace! Unfortunately, Nick had to fly out to Florida that morning and missed the celebration but Owen and I were able to be there. It was an amazing experience seeing so many people worshipping Jesus no matter how drizzly the weather was!
Nick's job is going very well and he will finish training this week. It's been a long journey of classes, seminars, traveling and overtime, but he is now definitely ready to take on the position of an insurance salesman! I'm so thankful for the way he provides for our family. He is finding joy in this job and works very hard to support me staying at home with our beautiful boy!
My handsome and professional husband
Speaking of Owen, he is just over 10 months old now. It's hard for me to believe that in less than two months, he will be a year old! This first year has flown by and from what I hear from other parents, it only speeds up from here! Sometimes it feels like the days move slowly but then I look back and feel like he was only born a couple of weeks ago.
Cutest boy ever.
Although Owen is ten months old, he's not moving yet. He seems pretty content just sitting on the floor and playing with his toys. He's starting to learn how to pull himself to standing while holding onto the couch for support. I think he likes standing up tall! This morning we were practicing crawling (for the hundredth time, or so it seems) and he was closer than ever to figuring it out. I think he's right around the corner! I should start looking at TV cabinets this week because as soon as he starts moving, we're going to need a new one! Owen has already spotted the XBox, subwoofer and Playstation as the most coveted items of the living room. We're going to need to lock those away before he breaks one of them!
Recently, I officially launched my photography business with a Facebook page and website. I have been building up my portfolio for over a year now and finally felt ready to open my business to the public. It has been so fun! I have several projects lined up in the near future and am looking forward to expanding my portfolio even more and learning more about taking pictures as I gain experience. It's pretty fun to start a business where it doesn't even feel like work to me - it's really just a hobby turned professional! I am so blessed to primarily be a wife and mother and take this business as it comes without forcing anything too soon.
If you haven't taken a look at my Facebook page or website yet, here are the links:
Rachel Walker Photography
Facebook Page
Nick and I will also be leading a community group starting in a few weeks. This is something we've felt called to do for about a year and a half now and it's so amazing to be able to follow through with that calling! I'm also going to be co-leading a women's Bible study as we launch the new group. I'm very excited about that too. I feel like I'm able to serve our church more than ever and it feels really amazing! I know I'm right on the cusp of learning more about myself and more about Jesus and I'm really looking forward to experiencing that growth.
There's so much more that has happened in the last several months but I can't cover everything without this post being a whole novel. All I guess I can say is that the Walker family is incredibly blessed. We are surrounded by people who love and support us, a warm, cozy home that feels safe, a job that supports our family well, a church that grows us and challenges us to be more like Christ every day and a family that is in good health and is thriving in the life stage we are currently in.
God's grace is overwhelming. None of this is deserved, yet all of this is given freely and lovingly. I am in awe. There is no way I could return this kind of love. All I can say is that if you don't know Jesus, there's absolutely no way to experience this joy and peace on earth without Him.
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