All right, I will finally admit it. I am falling in love with this area. I didn't know if it would be possible after the hell we'd been through earlier this year, but I had also never experienced spring in the Appalachian mountains. Now you might be thinking, 'How amazing can it be?" and to be honest, I wondered the same thing when people kept telling me "wait 'til spring." Spring is spring, right? Trees and flowers bloom, birds come back, the weather warms up, people come outside, etc. Yes - there's that -- but magnify it. We are in the midst of old mountains that are covered in thousands and thousands of trees, and when their new leaves unfurl, they are the brightest, most surreal shade of yellow-green I have ever seen. There are more flowering trees than I've ever seen or smelled before - light purple, dark purple, red, fuchsia, white - and their fragrance is so strong that entire swarms of bumble bees feast on them. There are all different kinds of wildflowers along the ditches and creeks and hillsides - little red ones, white ones, purple ones - it has become a treasure hunt of sorts to see if I can spot one I haven't seen yet. And the birds - oh my gosh, the birds! Every morning I awake to the most amazing, peaceful, joyous chorus of birds - dozens of different types of birds, all greeting the glorious morning sun as it lights up the mountainside. It is absolutely breathtaking, and makes me so grateful to live here. I have also fallen in love with the people. It took awhile to adjust, but once I did, I realized how much happier and comfortable I am here. Life is hard here, but you never have to be anxious or afraid, because everyone is (or has been) struggling, and everyone is willing to help you. Everyone is so incredibly approachable and willing to have a conversation with you. There is no judgment, no anxiety, no pretentiousness. You are who you are, and everyone accepts that and loves you. It's the most wonderful feeling. The crazy thing about this area that I can't get over is the juxtaposition of natural beauty and man-made garbage. I won't try to sugarcoat it - it is dirty here. It is full of dozens abandoned and broken down houses, heaps of garbage, rusted vehicle frames long-forgotten and grown over by weeds, crumbling roads and piles of mud from frequent flooding. The wages are heartbreakingly low, the utilities devastatingly high, and the infrastructure lacking if not completely absent. BUT - if you can look past all that, and look at the actual people, at their hearts and their courage and their kindness, and really take a moment to enjoy the soul-piercing peace of the mountains, the trees, the flowers, the creeks, the birds, and the fresh air -- you can't help but fall in love with this place too. I am so glad I came here.

Is it possible to fall in love with a place after you've seen it at it's worst? Is it possible to enjoy a place after you've experienced so much sorrow and heartache in it? I am in the process of figuring that out. Spring has arrived in eastern Kentucky, and it is beautiful. The trees are bright green and purple and pink, wildflowers grace the hillsides, and the weather is warm. As always with spring, there is that glimmer of hope, that light at the end of the dark tunnel of winter, that breath of fresh air that enables you to face another day with a little more vigor than the last. These past four months have felt like far longer and given me a beating that has brought me to my knees...but I am still here. I am still here, and on this spring evening, sitting on my porch, with the birds signing, the creek gurgling below, and storm clouds building up over the mountains, I am able to do some reflecting on what I've been through and what God might be trying to teach me. Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon say that we must be meek, humble and submissive like a child in order to grow in God's grace. I have always considered myself to be humble (maybe that means I'm prideful?) and grateful for what I have, but these past few months have truly shown me how many things in this world we take for granted. I know this is something us humans hear quite often, such as "don't take clean water for granted," but here are a some things that truly never crossed my mind until I came here. - Screens in windows. - Having a laundromat less than 30 minutes away that actually has working machines that don't tear up your clothes. - Automatic car washes - Owning more than 5 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans - Nice fitting jeans - Having more than one vehicle - A toaster that actually obeys the setting you put it on - Meat to eat - Makeup - Mouthwash - Running water / clean water / water pressure - Two-lane roads - Guard rails - A world free of natural disasters - Being able to afford vitamins - Decent hair cuts - Being able to eat out (you know you're broke when you can't even afford Taco Bell) - Having enough gas to make it to your next pay check - The DMV (one place for all your car needs instead of two) - A quality coffee shop - Aldi (or any decently-priced grocery store that isn't Walmart) - TV & Music services - Affordable utilities - A high enough wage that actually allows you to pay your rent and bills. - A local government that actually cares about and invests in its community I know that I have never lived anywhere else other than here and Wisconsin, but living here has shown me that Wisconsin is an incredibly safe and affordable place to live. I do miss those qualities. But - as tough as it has been here - I am also grateful I am having this experience. This area is incredibly beautiful, and the variety of flora and fauna is astounding. Every morning I am awakened by a chorus of different birds, and every evening I am lulled to sleep by a cacophony of frogs among the babbling creek. Every hike we take uncovers new mushrooms and flowers and trees we've never seen before. I often feel like an explorer, discovering a new place for the first time. So, circling back - is it possible to fall in love with a place that has caused you so much pain? Possibly. Even if I don't, I'm going to do my best to be in the present moment, and keep my eyes and heart open to whatever it is that God is trying to teach me.