ramblings of making friends

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We have been in California for almost 4 months. It feels like forever.
I don't mean that in a bad way, but January feels like it was so far away! Mason isn't a newborn anymore. Adelyn's vocabulary has just exploded and she acts more and more like a child rather than a toddler everyday!  My hair has gotten a little longer. The weather is way warmer :) and sunnier. You can't see the mountains anymore because the air isn't as clear....
alot has changed since we first came out here.
Moving away from everyone and everything we know has been  a huge leap of faith for us....but we were--and still are--confident that this is where we are supposed to be for a while. 
Thankfully, Visalia is in one of the more conservative areas of CA :) and is a bit smaller than Des Moines, so we don't feel TOO out of place here :)  People still as where Iowa is and keep confusing it with Ohio :) 
The other night at small group, one of the guys was talking about how they "roll their hay" in Montana and he was just amazed and thought it was the coolest thing. Hehe....I really have only ever seen hay baled into rolls! :)
Anyway...
For weeks before we moved out here, I prepared myself to be uncharacteristically outgoing. I knew that if I didn't purposefully put myself out there, making friends and meeting people would be extra hard.  Nick was going to be busy with work; learning the ropes of a new job. I didn't want Adelyn taking on my homebody ways :)
My goals were to find a church and a small group, and find a MOPS group.
We landed at Gateway Church of Visalia. I did something I never do....I filled out the community card with our information, what we were interested in (children's ministry, small groups, women's ministry, etc) and stuck it in the offering thingy.
I got a phone call 2 days later from Leslie, the children's minstry director. We talked for a while and she mentioned a small group that might work for us.  After I hung up with her, I got another phone call from Cassy--a now friend--who led this small group with her husband, Mike. They met on Wed. nights at the church so we could take advantage of the nursery services because Awanas met that night too.
The rest is kinda history :)  3 couples are in that group, and they are awesome :)
It turns out that Gateway hosts a MOPS group, so I started on that next. I met 5 amazing women (including our mentory mom, Judy, from IA!). Tracey and I have recently started meeting M,W, F at the gym (at 6am!!) and taking a circuit cardio class and a cycling class. She is the sweetest and I can't wait to get to know her better :)
Our neighbors, Alex and Shawn, have been awesome. Alex has one of those personalities I am jealous of.....she can get along with anyone and everyone. :) It's been fun spending time with her....and her kids are the cutest! 
Cassy recently introduced me into working with Arbonne International.......after a few weeks of researching, talking and praying...I decided to go for it :)  It has challenged me to get out there a little more and talk with people....and I know I'm going to meet alot more ladies along the way! :)
I am so thankful for the friends we are making and the people we have met. God has been good.
We have made more non-family related trips in the last 4 months than we have since Adelyn was born 2 1/2 years ago!
Although Mason won't remember any of it and Adelyn may only remember a little bit...I love the memories we are making here and am excited to make more :)
Things are going well. I still miss our dearest family and friends in the midwest every single day. I still cry once or twice a week :) Easter and now Mother's Day are especially hard because we always spent those days with family......but now we are celebrating those days with our little family...and we will be okay :)
I'm thankful for how God has used this move to stengthen our family and our marriage. I have had to lean on Him so much when I get sad, homesick, lonely, discouraged....and He pulls through everytime :) God always has been and always will be the only constant in my lfe. I am so thankful for His grace.