Beauty in the Ashes

Am I the only one who found making friends as an adult complicated in ways I never saw coming?   Am I the only one who searched through college and beyond to find her niche?  A single place where she belonged?  Only to fail again and again? My story (and Matt's too, for that matter), might not be terribly common.  We belonged to a crew in high school that was diverse and tightly-knit and irreplaceable.  These people became my support group and my best friends and my whole life.  Then college hit, and we scattered across the state and the country and the universe (not really the universe)!  Still, moving into Newman Hall in the fall of 2005, I had high hopes of a new chapter on my own.  Surely in a crowd of nearly 11,000 people I could find my place.  No I couldn't, and don't call me Shirley!  Everything I tried either fizzled or exploded.  At best, I didn't fit in.  At worst, I was being yelled at for missing a bible study.  Side note: if you are ever yelled at

     I begin with four words: We. Got. The. House. Not just a  house, but the house .   This is a tale about dreaming and faith and trust and a love lavished on us by our Father, from whom every good and perfect gift comes.        Matt and I are a bread and butter couple...fundamentally different but complementary when joined together.  We work well because we have different personalities but share common interests and find the same things amusing.  (The couple that laughs together, stays together!)    I might argue there are two types of house-hunters out there--"Move-in Ready Me" and "I Love a Project Matt."  On our last day of happy hunting, I found a house in Newburgh that had everything on our checklist and was, you guessed it, move-in ready.  I was ready to make an offer.  By the time we got to the driveway, Matt couldn't even remember what the kitchen looked like.  My gentle, quiet spirit and I proceeded to explain to him why that house was perfect for