Where to "begin"....

This blog originated as a way to stay in touch with friends and family overseas while Bill and I lived in Sydney.  As you can see from my previous post - from 2007! - once we returned, I sort of 'retired' the blog.  Life just wasn't as interesting then, since we were back home.  Well, it wasn't interesting... until now.  :)

 Enter Eli David Shelby.

Eli was born on March 26th at 10:20 pm.  He was 7.1 pounds and 20.5 inches long.  Healthy and beautiful.

It is hard to imagine life without him.... how incomplete it was, but yet I didn't realize.  I am so grateful for the time Bill and I had as simply husband and wife - just a little over 4 years.  It was fabulous.  We built a strong foundation for our relationship.  We took time to go on adventures and explore together.  We learned new things and tried new things together.  Bill introduced me to life as a farmer's wife.  I introduced him to sushi and red wine.  ;)  It was beautiful and perfect.

Leave it to God to take something already acknowledged as beautiful and perfect and up the ante.  There is no way we could return to life pre-Eli and find it as fulfilling.  Yes, welcoming a new little person into the world brings new challenges and struggles, but it also brings joy you never thought you could experience.  It's the most fulfilling thing of which I have ever been a part.

I will share pictures, stories and challenges that I have encountered along the way.  Eli is nearly 8 months old now (gasp!) and each week brings something worth sharing to the masses (because everyone is as interested in my child as I am, right??!).  ;)

While Eli is the star of my life right now, I will share stories from other facets of my life as well.  Take, for instance, the at least 8,000 pumpkins left in the field after an already tremendously successful pumpkin harvest.  That was interesting.  People still stop on the side of the road and take pictures.

Love you all, and I'm excited to be able to share stories from my life with you, again!!