Over the past several weeks I have had a great deal of editing, which means the kids and I haven’t been able to do the amount of adventuring that we would like. They have handled it well, and while I am locked in my room editing, they are usually playing with neighbor kids and friends. But I have missed my time with them, so I decided that today I would take a few hours off to do something special. We met up with friends at the local pool.

It was such a difference since the last time we were there. Before they had been very hesitant and wary, especially of trying any slides or other activities, but today, they jumped right in.

I’m thankful for the friends we have made out here and the way they have welcomed us into their lives. My previous friendships spanned years or decades, and they were comfortable in their familiarity. There have been many times over the past year that I have missed the easiness of those relationships and have longed to have those friends near. However now that we have hit the year mark in our new town, my friendships here are starting to feel that way too and that familiarity feels so nice.