for good...

Ever wonder where/how/why certain people come into your life? There are some that come in & come out, some that you wished you could have developed deeper relationships with, some that stay for a long time & then there are those that are "for good"! . I am so sorry to use another song reference, but I when I think of Casey, I think of that song, For Good, from the musical WICKED....the chorus says, "because I knew you, I have been changed for good", and that my friends is true.

This girl & I on paper, don't look at all like we would go together, but somehow when we met in college we became 2 peas in a pod. Case is from a small town in Nebraska and grew up on a dairy farm. In fact the first time I went to visit I looked out the window in their house and there were the cows grazing in the open land behind it. She is extremely intelligent, and graduated from college as a water engineer, one of a few females in her class. She also has this huge heart for people, the earth, traveling, adventure. I am from Naperville, IL a suburb of Chicago. It's pretty large and packed to the brim with suburban life. I was an education major in college and instead of tackling math problems I made a lot of poster boards and got boggies wiped on me (not to discredit my education, because I seriously did work really hard) but I was a part of an almost all female class. I love people too, but I really feel comfortable with small groups I know well, I am a total home body, and my adventures seem to revolve around surviving the doctors office with my toddler. All this though has never seemed to stop us from having a friendship that goes beyond all these differences, miles and direction our lives are going in.

Even better is that she married someone equally amazing who happens to be great friends with Ryan (and I love him too). In fact, Ryan & I were set up by Casey and Zach sophomore year of college. The four of us conveniently named "the super couple"adventured through a lot of ups & downs in college and formed unbreakable bonds. We made it through my diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, a hospital visit for me where I discovered 3 kidney stones and threw up on the floor almost all over Z's shoes, break ups, getting back together, fights, intramural sports for every season, Husker football season (the boys & girls each made it through for our own reasons), getting engaged, getting married, being married and chasing dreams along the way. Case & Zach moved to Colorado after they got married 2 months after Ryan & I!

In college we lived together for 2 years in an old house downtown Lincoln. Lots of nights we would lay in my bed drinking disgusting gas station coffee drinks & talking through life, faith, God & what we wanted for the future. I always wanted to get married and have kids and Case always talked about she & Zach's desire to travel and live/serve in Africa. And here we are, both couple about to celebrate our 5 year anniversaries, and we made it there. I don't think it happened the way either of us would have imagined, but maybe all for the better. Ry & I are about to have baby #2 and here we are at the airport in Chicago, sending Zach & Case on there way to....

yep...Africa!

Can you believe that? They moved there! They sold and packed up all their stuff. Left their home & life & jobs in Denver. Moved across the world to help rehabilitate kids in Africa. I have never actually seen someone chase their dreams, their calling & follow God even though it hasn't been easy like they have. I am changed by these two. I was even before they did this. God put them in Ryan & I's hearts from the very beginning and we know they are part of his plan for our life, but getting to see them embark on this adventure together has been such a privilege and blessing for us. We are so proud. We wish the ocean suddenly didn't seem quite so big, but we also know that now Africa is going to get a little "for good" too.

We love you guys, and miss you & can't tell you how thankful we are for you!

Our prayers are being sent your way!

kissing baby bean "bye bye"