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From this ... 

to this ...

and from here ...

to here, 

all in the space of two weeks. 

In other words, it's been a little bit exhausting to be a member of the Kirk family these days. 

It was incredibly difficult to lock the door to our little white house and walk away. 

Before I did, I went through all the rooms, sobbing like my four-month-old daughter, and prayed for the family who eventually buy the house. 

That house was the first home our girls knew, the place where I spent sleepless nights feeding them and countless waking hours marveling at the miracle of new life. 

That house was where we entertained friends and shared meals, where we watched way too much TV and ate more junk food than I want to admit. 

That house was where we fought and made up, where we agonized over the uncertainty of the future and where we eventually released things into God's hands. 

I will always love that house. But I'm ready to let another family make their own memories there. 

And you know what? The house where we're living now has some pretty spectacular memories of its own … 

Thankful

Over the years, I have written intermittently in this gratitude journal: 

My aunt gave it to me while I was in college. It got lost in the shuffle of several moves after graduation, but during our most recent relocation, I rediscovered it. 

I've been writing it during my morning devotions lately, and I'm struck by how the things I was thankful for seven years ago are still the things I'm thankful for today: 

Of course, my gratitude list has grown since then: 

But overall, it's clear that God is steadfast and true; His mercies are new every morning.

{And PS - my computer, though an upgrade from my sophomore year of college, is thankfully still virus-free!}

Enter His courts with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; 

give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; 

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

I'm back!

Oh, I've missed this. A lot has changed over the last month — new house, new city, new job, new age — but I've found my need for self-expression via the written word has not.

I'm eager to get back into the swing of writing regularly, especially since my new job doesn't require it much, so expect to see me posting in this space a lot more often. Thanks for sticking with me during the transition!

I'll kick things off with a thrifty outfit post:

Purple ruffle top - clearance at a {formerly} local boutique {well, I guess it's still local, just not for me!}

Olive cardigan - clearance at Pamida

Pants - Lands End via Goodwill {$3.99, I think?}

Necklace - Wal-Mart clearance

Boots - Lassen via 6pm.com {I know you can't see them, but they're there. And they're awesome. I will write a separate post about them later.}

I'm quite glad I picked this piece up, because the colors have proven very versatile for transitioning into fall. It's actually a long necklace {hangs to my mid-section}, but I used a clip-it to make it shorter and easier to wear for work.