new!

it has certainly been a while since i've updated. being home (in Nashville) has certainly been both relaxing and exhausting. there have been moments that i have felt so renewed by the presence of the Lord (here and in my life) and so distant from the intimacy that i felt certain times in my time in Haiti. i came back into a strange season; not one that felt like the waiting period i experienced prior to leaving for Haiti, but similar in the nature of waiting, for who knows what's next. it's not a wilderness season, where i am wondering aimlessly, searching for the Lord. it's an odd season of contentment; where the more still i sit, the more i find myself. i've rediscovered (as if it was ever lost) my joy of cooking and entertaining (thank you Jesus for both the passion and the talent!). i've found a simple peace sitting in front of my singer sewing machine, stitching away at a hostess apron, after spending an hour picking out the most complimentary patterns. i've tasted bitter defeat by way of sour-cream-and-chocolate icing, or an icing recipe that calls for a pound and a half of butter (most of which spread out over the cake stand it was so runny!).

spending the past two weeks back in nashville, unemployed-but-eagerly-looking (i prefer to use the term interning as a domestic housewife to unemployed, it sounds much better!), i've realized that, for perhaps the first time in my life, i am doing exactly what it is that i want to do. i'm cleaning. i'm cooking. i'm developing new recipes. i'm finding what i like, what i don't like, what works for me. i'm working out (to help compensate for all the baking). i'm hosting dinner for my friends and roommates, and even wearing my new homemade apron.

it sounds simple. to some, it probably sounds a bore. but to me, it sounds like i am practicing for what i want to do for the rest of my life, and enjoying it. sure, i don't have a job right now, and that's not realistic as a recent college grad with student loans peeking around the corner. but i did just get back from working for 4 months, without a paycheck, because i chose to do both what i love and what God has called me to. so i feel as if this season God has brought me back into is reminding me of the things that i do love and desire for my life, and allowing me to enjoy them, as they were meant to be. this may seem obvious to you, or completely irrelevant. but for me, it's revelatory.

only God knows what is next. and to be honest, only He can orchestrate it. i've done what i could: applications in to 6 counties/districts. applied to 60+ positions (40 of which in metro alone). resumes to principles across the greater Nashville area. even a potential "back-up plan" across the pond if i'm unable to get a teaching job this year. i don't feel careless by saying that God will make the next move; i feel confident in putting my trust in Him to do so. this in-between time, i feel as if He has so precariously detailed for me to relish in, to relish in Him in.

and tomorrow, i leave for vacation. a week with my best friends in the mountains. the mannings, the smiths. shelley, carly, christina, lauren, james, kerry, caleb, and even jackie as of a few minutes ago. no cell service and no internet. high in the low 70s, and lots of drizzly skies. deep conversation, meditation, solitude. i can't wait to sob with the rain, to breathe freedom in with the fresh mountain air. i'm excited to have nothing pressing to-do, nothing taking precedence over just seeking the Lord and sharing in fellowship with my brothers and sisters.

praising God for what He is doing, even just in allowing me the time and freedom to soak in His love and joy. praising Him for being faithful and provisional, even when i have no inkling as to what lies next for me.

i am so eager to share this new journey with you, too.

so in honor of new, i've revamped my blog to include all the new things that the Lord is growing me in (which you'll have the power to choose to read or not read the other avenues). i am expanding my blog to include one on cooking, photography, sewing/creations, teaching/classroom ideas (assuming i get one!), and just every day life. my homepage with be:

www.RhiannonDean07.blogspot.com

and from there, you will be able to navigate via tabs to:
www.RhiannonDean07-food.blogspot.com
www.RhiannonDean07-sew.blogspot.com
www.RhiannonDean07-photo.blogspot.com
and even this blog at: www.RhiannonDean07-Haiti.blogspot.com

and with that said: thank you. Thank you for walking through this journey from start to finish with me. For following faithfully. for your prayers, your encouragement, your support. for your love and the motivation to get through. thank you for all you've generously offered me, and for seeing me through the entire process that was Haiti. i'm both sad and excited to see that chapter in life come to a close. it only means that God has something new in store, and His inventory is definitely the best.