The News Is Out! We Are Moving Back Home!

Where do I begin?! Just a few weeks ago Matt was informed about an opportunity to apply for the position of Campus President at the Art Institute California Inland Empire. So many mixed emotions were present. We were thrilled with the thought of a chance to return home to our friends and family and all that we left behind just one year ago, but saddened at the thought of leaving our new home. But knowing that he couldn't pass up this opportunity Matt applied for the position, interviewed and got the job! Now that the news is out and we have had a little bit of time to process the reality of moving again, I can sit and share some thoughts.

Since we announced the news on Facebook it has been so absolutely amazing hearing from all our Cali friends and family on the excitement of having us return home. We definelty feel so loved and missed! Thank you to each of you for giving us this love, it has truly prepared our hearts for our soon return home. We are more than excited to be back in your lives and cannot wait to see each of you. Looking forward to family parties, friend parties, game nights, UFC fight nights, movie dates, girls and guys nights out, playdates and some In-N-Out and Carne Asada! Thank you for all your prayers as we have been away. We have felt each and everyone. God truly met every need for us out here in Cincinnati.

Oh Cincinnati! We didn't know what to expect coming here, and you have made us feel so at home. On the other end of all the excitement is of course the sadness. So many neighbors, friends, co-workers and church family members have expressed their sadness to see us leave. Again, thank you for making us feel so loved. The friendships we have made over this past year will forever be in our hearts and we truly do intend to keep connected with each of you.

And so the craziness begins yet again! Another trek across country. I'll be keeping you updated as we move along.

An Entire Year

                                

I can't believe it's been an entire year since we moved from our sunny state. On March 27th, 2012 we were boarding a plane and leaving to begin a new life in Cincinnati, Ohio. I can still remember when we were about to land. The kids were sleeping and I was looking down at all the lights on the ground, talking with God and praying that he would lead us and protect us in our new city and state. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of his presence and felt peace knowing He would faithfully direct our days. Now here we are a year later and I can say that He completely exceeding my expectations!

The home God directed us to couldn't have been more perfect for us. It's safely tucked away from the street and has a  beautiful view of the forrest. Still to this day, Matt and I can sit and look out to our backyard and feel as if we are on vacation. I've personally learned so much about my God the "Creator" and his magestic heart. Through watching the seasons unfold for the first time, to listening to the rustle of the wind through the leaves, it's magical!

Living in this home, placed us in a wonderful community. In one year we've met more nieghbors than the 2 1/2 years we lived in Corona. What amazes me still is the love, generocity and genuine hearts of these neighbors (now friends). My kids have made so many sweet friends throughout the neighborhood and have had more playdates than we can count! If any of our neighbors read this, thank you for reaching out to our family and making us feel so welcome!

Within only a month or so we found a church to call home! Big shout out to Rivers Crossing Community Church and Pastor Paul Taylor! This past year has been a wonderful journey growing in our walk with Jesus. We've been a part of a kids summer camp, handed out donuts to the community as a family, I served as a Sunday school teacher for 3 and 4 year olds, Matt and I joined "the best" community group for weekly discussions on the service, did the "Journey Home" series, our family took part in our first 21 Day Fast doing the Daniel Fast, we attended fun family nights at the church, worship nights, I did a few women's weekly studies and attended a phenominal women's conference...the list could probably go on and on. But the point is, we've shared so much of our life with RC3 this past year and have grown so much in our walk. Matt and my number one prayer was that this time away from the distractions of living in CA would draw us closer to eachother, our family and to God. We knew we would need to find a church family, because they would be our family away from home. God met that need for us in a HUGE way! Thank you Lord! We look forward to serving and living life with RC3 and the wonderful people there for however long God keeps us here.

For Micah and Mylie, the Kings School District, Kings Mills Elementry School and Kings Sports has been amazing! They love their teachers, friends and all the fun activites they have done here. I sometimes ask them, what they would think about moving back to CA and they all say "No, we love it here!" Even though we don't know how long we will be in Ohio, as a parent I couldn't be more happy knowing that my kids are happy and love where they live. They are living and experiencing life in such a different way than Matt and I did growing up. From spring thunderstorms, a tornado watch, crazy lightning and thunder storms, summer days and nights at the community pool, Kings Island play days, the sound of cicadas and crickets, playing with lightning bugs for the first time, crunching up huge piles of leaves, hiking in our backyard, bird watching, waking up to snow days and snow play...we are all smiling a little bigger with the memories we've shared here and continue to make. Just another blessing...

Landen Stingrays Swim Team sign ups, Football sign ups and the Berry Festival are here again just like last year. It's so weird to think it has been a year and we are starting it all over again. But as I sit and reflect with you on this blog, I am overwhelmed by the feeling of joy and thankfulness. And I know my joy is from the Lord. Yes, there are tangible things listed above that have brought me and my family joy, but underneath it all is simply God's goodness.

This past Sunday our pastor started a series on "The Blessed Life" and we are learning that living the blessed life isn't based on a list of the material stuff you have or the things you can see and feel, but of the gift of life and freedom God has given us. We sometimes identify how blessed we are in life by what we have and what we can produce. It's our curse. But as Pastor Paul said "God gave us the capicty to connect with him and reflect his heart and live a generous life." And I think that's ultimately what God has been showing us this year. All-in-all we are blessed! We are blessed to have a loving father who sent us here and provided all our needs, and is still showing us his heart and teaching us to be his stewards, to love fully and give with thanksgiving!

Paul said it best in 2 Peter 1
² May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Thank you for taking a minute to pause and reflect with me. I hope our journey of life, love and faith has been and will continue to be encouraging to you. We deeply love all our family and friends and are so thankful God placed us in life together to share with eachother, encourage and love one another.

Love and Hugs!

Now here are some random pictures from the year:

 

 Exploring the river

Lazy summer weekends 

Fall is here! Mylie overlooking the Ohio Valley

 Colors of fall

Jumping in piles of leaves

 Hay ride memories

Just a pretty Ohio sunset

 Winter is here

 Sledding

 

 

Snow is melted and it's just cold and gray

30 degrees...brrr! 

 Kids being kids

 Spring is here again! Mylie taking a moment to take it all in. She is so sweet. 

 Cousins enjoying Easter 

Visiting the zoo

 

Max jumping rocks on our family hike

 

 These kids love living in Ohio :) They are my heart.

It's The Holiday Season

Time to catch you up...
As I sit and reflect on November, I am flooded with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness. Thankful for every memory made, for every movie night, family dinner night, date nights, moments of uncontrollable laughter, bedtime prayers, hugs and snuggles, deep conversations, and moments of peace. It's important we take the time to reflect and see God's hand in all we do. He gives those moments meaning and purpose...He gives our lives purpose. Before I dive in on catch up time, as I sit here and write, I would like to impress the following because it's on my heart. The past few days and evenings Matt and I have united with our Nation in tears and heartache about the horrific events that occurred in CT last Friday. And although life must go on, I truly believe that those precious lives have impacted the hearts of so many Americans and have forced us to ask important questions. What if it was me or my kids? I encourage each and every one of you who reads this to slow life down, take a long time, and think about all those precious moments that have passed you by, the moment you are in and the moments yet to come. There is a loving, merciful, forgiving and powerful God walking along side you in those moments, wanting to love you, lead you and protect you. (Jeremiah 29:11)Cling to Him as you ask those questions. And find Hope in knowing Him and knowing that in His time we will understand His will in this life. I pray now that we don't forget all those lives that were taken, and that from this very sad event lives will be saved and added to the Book of Life!(Revelations 20:12).

So now as I reflect again on November, I praise God even more for these memories and rejoice in today and the events to come!

We finally got to visit the Cincinnati Zoo. It is the second oldest zoo in the U.S. It is a beautiful zoo, very comparable to the San Diego Zoo and in some ways even nicer.

Cute lil Red Panda :)

Mylie looking for the Red Pandas.

The trees of fall are so beautiful here!

Little Miss Baby Cheetah...the kids loved getting up close and personal with her :)

 

 

After everything we do we like to ask the kids, "what was your favorite?" Micah said he liked the baby cheetah, Mylie liked seeing the baby giraffe, and Max loved the penguins. Dad and I just liked being with our own lil zoo animals, Micah Monkey, Mylie Snuggle Bunny and Moosey!

 

 

Thanksgiving this year was amazing! Matt and I have always been a part of very large family Thanksgivings. This was the first time having a Thanksgiving dinner of less than 30 people. It was just our lil fam bam, Grandma Noni, Auntie Mindy, Megan and Morgan. Our family of 9. We had a great day making the turkey and all the fixings. Everyone, even Matt, had some hand in making our Thanksgiving feast! The food turned out delicious...but my favorite part of our dinner was the time we took after to read every card off our Thankful tree. All month long, each of us would write something we were thankful for and hang it on the tree. It was really sweet to read them on Thanksgiving. Here were some of my favorites:

Mylie: I'm thankful for tickle fights

Max: To go to the park

Micah: Thankful for Max and Micah when they play ball and for playing football with Dad

Morgan: Thankful for a roof over her head

Megan: Thankful for being in Ohio and all the new colors she saw this fall

...and 30 minutes later

Matt: Thankful that the Thankful Tree is over...until next year! LOL!

 

Helping Dad make Pumpkin Pies

Cooking and Chit Chat...my fav!

 Our own rendition of the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving Picture :)

Thankful tree fun!

 The day after Thanksgiving we were quick to get Christmas up, since we would only have 20 some days to enjoy it. The tree is up and stocking are hung. The kids have enjoyed snuggling on the couch with countless hot chocolates this month! We love being in the holiday spirit here at home, but we are so excited to spend time with family and friends in California this Christmas and New Year!

 





 And just for fun...little Miss Mylie Pie playing dress up! She is such a joy in our household. I pray she never grows up and always has such a playful spirit.

 





Where did October go?

I think I'm still trying to catch my breath from the month of October, where did it go? It's amazing how fast the fall season seems to come and go. I think it was mid-September when we first started to notice a few trees change color. October was by far the most colorful month here in Ohio, but it seemed all the leaves feel too fast! Now here we are left with bare branches and chilly weather. However, it hasn't taken away from the splendor of the fall season. We've enjoyed many cups of hot chocolate, daily fires in our wood burning fireplace (courtesy of Dad), football, warm soup, cozy slippers, scarves, hats and big jackets. Everyday seems to bring a new experience and more things to be thankful for. Ahhhh...the season of thankfulness, by far my favorite.

October was too much fun in the Madrid home. It was our last month of football practices and games for Micah. He had an awesome season and really developed as a young man. Matt sincerely loved coaching Micah's team this year and thanked God daily for the opportunity. Micah says he already misses it, but is eagerly anticipating his very first basketball season. Mylie finished up her soccer season and earned her very first trophy! She was so excited. There is something about the first time you get a trophy, it makes my little ones so proud and beam with pride. They deserve each one! Mylie is still active in Cheer and Ballet...the fun never stops! Max too finished his soccer season. He had a blast and made lots of friends. Not sure what is next on the agenda for my little guy, maybe baseball?

As for me, I like to keep things active, so I enrolled at Matt's school in their Web Design and Development Diploma. I figure with my degree in Communications and Advertising, I could possibly start up my own Graphic Design and Web Design company someday and work from home. That's the plan, but we shall see where God takes me. I've really enjoyed my Image Manipulation class so far. The projects have been great and I've been learning a lot. The plan is to take one (maybe two) classes a semester and be done in about 2 years. This has given me the opportunity to do something I love and make something out of it. I love being a mom, wife and homemaker...but this allows me to be Marissa, and that is just as important! I'm so thankful to have the time, energy and support from my family to follow this dream of mine!

Matt's work is going really well. Matt's professional career has been such a testimony of how faithful God is. AI-Cincinnati is dong great things and growing in size. The look and feel of the school has improved and the staff seems to appreciate Matt's efforts there. Please continue to keep him in your prayers for wisdom and leadership. On one of my runs the other day, I was reflecting on my husband and all he is to this world (and my world) and I believe whole heartedly that God has soooooooo much in store for this guy! As you all know, I am Matt's biggest cheerleader! Matt is so smart and such a loyal person who truly loves people and loves his father in heaven, and I feel like the sky is the limit for him! We are so young and have a lifetime in front of us to fulfill our purpose in this crazy, amazing world. And I hope you all take that as encouragement in your own lives as well, we have a purpose and God has a plan! Proverbs 16:9 And in Max's new words "That's brilliant!"

Anywhooo, It's time for me to wrap it up and head over to Micah's school for some volunteer time. I also wanted to throw in here that Matt's and my trip to CA in October was so much fun and it was great seeing all of you. We had a blast at Alan Michael's football game and are sooooo incredibly proud of him. We got to have a late night dinner conversation with him and we were just so impressed by the amazing young man he has grown to be. Alan Michael, if you read this, Matt and I pray for you often and are so excited to see all that God has in store for you as you finish up your senior year at Chino Hills! Savor every minute but be excited for the future! You are going to be so successful in all you do if you keep God first! Love and hugs to you! And to all our family, friends and little ones, it was so special to see some of you and spend time with you. Thank you for making us feel so loved. Ohio is great, but we truly miss our family and friends! Can't wait to be back out at Christmas time to visit again. Mark your calendars December 20-January 5th!

Here are some highlight photos from October:

Megan and Morgan all prettied up for their Homecoming Dance.

Mylie's field trip to Spooky Hallow Farm

In the old school house/chapel with her friends.

 

 Just Gabby Girl enjoying her life in Ohio.

One of Micah's last game as a Guard on the Kings Nights 3rd Grade team.

 Another shade of fall...beautiful!

 Nothing like playing in a pile of leaves.

 Leaf Angels

Micah's school musical performance. He was so proud to perform for us.

 14 Acre Corn Acre Maze at the Iron Fruit Farm Pumpkin Patch

 I thought we lost Morgan!

Our Family Pic in the maze

They picked their pumpkins finally...it was a freezing 40 degrees out!

 My handsome little guy and an old fashioned water pump.

It was a very Happy Halloween!