Meet our sweet little GIRL!

On Tuesday, hubs and I headed off to the OB for my 20 week appointment.  We knew that this appointment would be a sonogram appointment and we would get to find out if we were having a boy or a girl - if the baby cooperated.  I was SOOOOOO nervous.  Not only was I just plain nervous/excited about finding out what we were having but add on to that the normal "mommy worries" that go along with pregnancy.  If only I could get a sonogram everyday to know that the baby is OK!!  This has been continuous test of faith and trust in the Lord. 

Sooooo... as you can tell, we DID get to find out!  And I was right all along!!  :)  We are having a little GIRL!!  We are so excited!!  But at the same time, I'm a little freaked out too.  LOL.  I have always imagined me having a daughter but oh dear... when you get out there and look at some of the clothes for little girls.... OH MY.

I can't wait to see her sweet little face.  I can't wait to hold her in my arms.  I can't wait to kiss that sweet head.  I can't wait to see her daddy get swept away by her.  :)  I can't wait... (I could go on and on)

Meet our little stinker... (I added the video below because at the end you see her move and she faces front.  :)

Peyton Elizabeth

16 weeks

Please excuse this picture... but it was the best I could do by myself.  All you care about is the baby bump, right?  Not my head.  :)

Gratitude

This time of year, so many will voice what they are thankful for.  I wish it didn't take a holiday to get us recognizing what we are thankful, but let's be realistic.  It often times does.  I'm not an expert at gratitude.  I tend to not be optimistic unless it is about YOUR life, so many times, I just wallow in my perceived shortcomings. (READ: my focus is inward and not outward)

Today while chatting with my sister online, I was just overwhelmed with how much I love and cherish my family - almost to the point of tears.  (Could be the hormones... but hey.  I'll continue...) 

I thought about last Saturday when my mom, my sister and I went on a long-awaited shopping outing.  We had a most joyous time - they even put up with me and my sensitivity to smells right now - which is quite difficult this time of year.  (The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays evidently mean that everything must smell 20x stronger!) 

I thought about my husband who I am blessed to be on this journey to parenthood together.  He loves me in spite of myself.  I thought about my email exchange today with my 2nd mom (my step-mom) and a smile came to my face.  I always hear/read such encouraging words from her.  I thought about my sweet mother-in-law. 

I love this time of year... how festive it is... the cooler weather... the food... OH THE FOOD... (someone pass me a slice of pumpkin pie please)... the red cups at Starbucks... the sweaters... I could go on.  But the thing I LOVE the most about this time of year is spending time with my family.  It warms my heart. 

So today, I am thankful for my family.  The Lord has truly blessed me.  We may be quirky.  We may be slightly dysfunctional... haha.  We may not be perfect.  But we are family. 

14 weeks

Sorry... no growing belly shot.  Maybe in a couple of weeks when I don't just look FAT.

Here are a few of my thoughts so far...

• Indigestion 24/7 is AWFUL.  
• Hormones can do some weird things to your body... and it is different for every pregnant woman.  For me, I have the worst adolescent acne of my life.  And nothing can get rid of it. 
• Smoking should be banned...  Oh.  And so should flavored coffee.  These both send me over the edge especially at work when I cannot escape it!
• My brain has already been sucked up by the baby and according to hubs, so has his.  :)
• Something can sound really good to me so I will go to the store and stock up.  And then 9 times out of 10, the next time I grab for it, it tastes awful to me.
• I LOVE orange juice. 
• I could live off of dried cherries... the Sprouts kind.
• Salt is a beautiful thing.  Chips make the world a better place.
• Chocolate (especially chocolate CANDY) seems to have been removed from my diet.  I would have never guessed that one.  
• I crave pizza, breakfast tacos, sausage rolls, chips & salsa.  What in the world?  Where are the veggies??
• Why must food purchased at a restaurant/fast food joint or cooked by someone else always taste SO good but food cooked at home is less than desirable?  
• Why do body sounds (coughing, blowing nose) make me cringe and want to gag?  Oh wait... this is normal.  :)
• Why have I forgotten how to do my hair or makeup?  I can't seem to get the "tired" erased from my face.

All that said...

Baby Seels, mommy and daddy love you so much!  We are anxious to get through the next 6 months and be able to see your sweet face and hold you!

Baby Seels, mommy and daddy have our guesses on if you are a little boy or little girl.  We will be thrilled with either one!  Just can't wait to find out!  What a fabulous Christmas present!

Baby Seels, your Grammy/Granddad, Grandmommy/Papa and Gram/Pop are so excited to meet you!  (as are your aunts, uncles and cousins... and if Keely has her way, your name will be "Tink" if you are a girl!)


Baby Seels, I hope you have your daddy's sense of humor and love of sports.  Lets just hope you don't get my awkwardness................

Baby Seels, I KNOW you will have blue eyes but I hope that you have strawberry blond hair like me. And maybe be soft spoken like your mommy and Papa to drive your daddy crazy!!  Hee hee. 

Baby Seels, we can't wait until May for you to get here!  In the meantime, keep growing strong and healthy!!

Soon

I am reminded of this song this morning thinking about a sweet friend and her unborn baby who went to be with Jesus yesterday.  She served well.  She encouraged well.  She loved well.  In our human eyes, she left this world way too soon.  Our hearts are broken.  We are left with so many questions of why.  BUT we find comfort that in all of this God is in control.  God is still good.  He knows our sorrow. 

Even though she left behind so many who she loved and loved her, so many lives she touched - her husband, sweet little Jack, her parents, her sisters, family and countless friends, she is now with the One she loved.  Her soul is satisfied. 

Soon and very soon
my King is coming
robed in righteousness
and crowned with love
When I see Him
I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
I'll be going
to the place He has prepared for me
There my sin erased
my shame forgotten
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
with unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
see the procession
The angels and the elders
round the throne
At his feet I lay
my crowns my worship
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon

Though I have not seen Him
my heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the lamb
the Lord of heaven

I will be with one I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon

Baby Seels

Watch out!  There is a little Seeley on the way!!  Should be here early May.  :)  Hubs and I are beyond excited!

This is a picture of the little stinker from yesterday... 12 1/2 weeks.  Do you see the little hand??  Hehehe.  I am just so in awe that the Lord is allowing me to be a part of one His miracles.

Now, if only we could get that house...

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL Mom!

Words cannot express what this woman means to me.  She has shared my joy.  She has shared my pain.

I remember watching her relationship with my grandmother... and hoping one day that we too could be that way.  It didn't seem possible because, well, I was a selfish, bratty teenager.  (Sorry Mom!!)  But several years ago I realized I had that.  The Lord has truly blessed me with a Godly mother.  She is my prayer warrior.  She is my best girl friend (with a close second being my sis... :).  She is my mother.  I love you, Mom. 

Throwback.... Wednesday??

My father-in-law sent me this picture of my mom, sister and me and I just had to share!  It is one of my favorite pictures of us!  Love them SOOO much!!  And oh dear... look at that chubby face.

our little swimmer...

A couple of weeks ago, hubs and I took the yellow dog to Andy Brown Park.  We have gone there several times with the dogs.  The first couple of times, the yellow dog really couldn't swim.  Really?  A labrador that can't swim?!  What was wrong with this dog?!  She would literally dog paddle with only her front paws.  One of the funniest sights to see.  After a couple of minutes with a dog trainer, the girl could swim!  And OH does she love it!!

Hubs throws her "bumper" out in the water and she will just go fetch it.  (She used to jump in after the ducks - can't do that anymore because she might scare some of the kids out there!!)

Here are a few of the pictures from this excursion.  Some hubs took and some I took.  On a side note, I had a lot of fun using hubs' camera.  Might have to use it again!!

And oh yeah. Yellow dog is CRAZY.  She is full-force, all of the time when hubs is throwing the bumper. 

 

 

yesterday

yesterday was a weird day.

yesterday, i turned 33.  And honestly, despite the fact that that number sounds so OLD to me, i am not freaked out about it.  i had a pretty good day.  i heard from every member of my immediate family in some form or another - facebook can be a good thing sometimes.  :)  i'm not sure that has happened in a very long time.  i was blessed beyond measure.  hubs' birthday was also over the weekend so we have been celebrating since friday.  we had a sweet, sweet time celebrating together, with friends and family.

yesterday, the oldest son of a precious family so very dear to me lost his short battle with cancer.  matt was 40.  he left a beautiful wife and three kids: 12, 9, 6. my heart just aches for his family.  for his parents.  for his wife.  for his children.  for his brothers and their family.  i'm at a loss for words.  BUT, this i DO know.  the Lord is STILL mighty.  the Lord is STILL sovereign.  the Lord is STILL loving.  even if we don't understand... even if we can't find words...

thank you Jesus that we can celebrate births and thank you that we can even celebrate homecomings amidst the sorrow.  thank you that you saved Matt through the cross.  he is now in your arms.  thank you for the life he lived.  thank you that he is now healed and whole.

oh dear

is it really almost august?? good grief!

i just turned my calendar (that hubs gave me for Christmas) to august and look at the picture i get to look at for the next month!!

awwww... aren't we cute?  actually, isn't HE cute?!    this is a picture of us the night "it all began".  am so glad it did... :)

finny, fin fin!

i know i'm a tad bit early... but... just wanted to say...

happy birthday finian!  i can't believe you are ONE!!  you are such a precious little guy.  your big, sweet smile can turn any bad day into a good one!  uncle steven and i love, love, LOVE you!

community

was catching up on the blogs i follow today at lunch (killing time) and came across a new post from beth moore.  here is a quote from that post: 

"The way God ordained it, we don’t just need our vertical relationship with Him to make it in life and marriage. We need one another. We need Hebrews 10:24-25 kind of people. We need folks around us to cheer us on and even to question us and hold us accountable. We need people who will not only pray for us but laugh with us and cry with us. Eat Mexican food with us. Live life with us! We need more than Facebook and blogs and tweets, as much as I enjoy them. We need real people and real face-to-face, life-to-life relationships."

to read the full post, click here

steven and i desperately need more community.  after selling our house (and before even), life to me feels so out of whack.  i guess living in the apartment is making me feel like we are "in limbo" right now.  what i need to remember is that this is where the Lord wants us to be RIGHT NOW.  even though its temporary (PLEASE!!!), it is not as if life is on hold... waiting for the next step.  i spent way too many years when i was single waiting on life to happen (get married) that i didn't realize that i was already in the middle of it.  there is always a "next step"... and if we get so obsessed with waiting on that next step, we won't be able to enjoy where we are now.  so thats where we are.  craving community... craving to live life fully NOW.

anyways... enough with the rambling.  anyone want to go out with us and "do life" together?  :)  am praying that we will find this community (or they find us) soon. 

waiting

if you've been any part of my life... or if you have read any of my blog posts, you will know that i have a hard time waiting.  and actually, i have come to realize that my struggle with waiting directly reflects my struggle with trusting.  ugh. that realization is hard to swallow.  i want to control everything. i want for things to happen NOW or at least know when they will happen. wow my heart can be so filthy.

this morning as i was driving into work, i heard this song on XM radio. the words just stirred something inside me.  so many times when i'm waiting...on whatever it may be - either trivial or significant... i seem to stop everything else. no. i must serve Him while I'm waiting... i must worship while I'm waiting. what a beautiful view of what it looks like to truly trust Him... trust Him with ALL things even when the future is unknown or scary. i pray that this be how i respond while I'm waiting.

"While I'm Waiting" by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Merr-bear

Happy Birthday to our niece Merritt!  Wow!  5 years old!  We love you bunches!

(I love her expression here!!)

WW

(wordless wednesday... almost)

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister Amy! I love you more than words could express!

Happy Birthday to sweet Willow! Can't believe you are THREE!!! Wow. Love you!!

throwback thursday...

ok... ok... i know its another picture post and NOT a regular post BUT - it actually has to do with today.  on a side note, isn't she just SOOO cute?? she still does her lip like that... haha.

anyways... hubs is on his way as i type to take riley to a 2 week obedience training up in gunter.  i call it her "summer camp".  :)  before they left, i told her to behave (ha), be sweet, have fun and use that noggin' of hers and actually LEARN something!  i'll be interested to hear how hubs does saying goodbye.  he's been sad all week!

i'm really AM going to miss her (i don't yet since its just like me going off to work for a day) - but i WILL enjoy the following for the next 2 weeks:

1. 
   
   putting on lotion after my shower and not have a dog run across the apartment immediately to lick it off.  ugh.
2. 
   
   vacuuming and not having to revacuum 5 minutes later.
3. 
   
   even though its cute at times, not have a 55 lb dog crawl under the bed.  it usually involves chewing on something she's not supposed to.
4. 
   
   no scratches and bruises brought on by a hyper puppy
5. 
   
   maybe getting to sleep in? 
6. 
   
   a happier kota dog (a.k.a. "the old lady") - maybe she will have a little bounce in her step!!

UPDATE:  ok.  i miss her already...  and it hasn't even been 4 hours.

throwback thursday...

some of my favorite pictures of the now 5 year olds...  

Grade: F

i just glanced through some of my old blogs and ran across this one. 

wow.  if someone were to grade me on this, it would definitely be a big fat "F"!  although there are a couple of ones that i'm proud to say have happened... and FAR outweigh the others!!

let's see how i've done:

Ten things I'd like to do (and more)

1. Go to Europe – namely Paris and Italy (ok… those aren’t the same things. One is a city, another, a country. But still. I want to go!!)  nope

2. Run another half marathon  nope - can't even run 2 miles these days but i'll keep working at it

3. Fall in love – haha. Yeah. Just had to put this one on here. :)  YEAH!  this one is my favorite one that happened!!

4. Get out of Texas this year!!!  do colorado and kauai count??

5. Cook more - become more comfortable with it  eh... not TOO great at it. or maybe i'm just lazy??

6. Become a photographer – guess that would mean I would need to get a good camera, take a class and start taking pictures?  nope

7. Experience more of Dallas – anyone want to join me?!  nope

8. Figure out how to work in my yard. LOL. I hate yardwork and have successfully killed my plants. My flowerbeds/plants look horrible!!  nope.  haha.  luckily i don't have to accomplish this one anytime soon.  no house = no yard 

9. Learn how to do flower arrangements – weird one. I know.  nope

10. GET A NEW JOB!!!!! (and maybe a new career?!?!)  a BIG nope

**UPDATE** (I keep thinking of more things I want to add... and I know there are more but here are just some I think of...)
11. Take voice lessons  nope

12. Learn how to dance  nope - although the hubs keeps pushing for this

13. Get a dog - a chocolate lab  does a yellow one count??  :) 

14. Start riding... a road bike that is  nope

today would have been my step-brother's 33rd birthday.  his life was cut way too short.  there's quite a bit of sadness that creeps up when i actually stop to think about it...

and then i think about how i didn't really KNOW him.  sure... he was my brother for so many years.  but due to situations, circumstances and even neglect on my part, i never really invested in truly knowing him.  i would always make the excuse that we were "very different", lived two very different lives. 

honestly though, that does not matter.  relationships are created whenever my life crosses the path of someone else's - and not by accident.  i believe it is all divinely ordained.  and in this case - we were FAMILY.

BUT - i am learning ever so more that in order to keep and GROW relationships, i must be intentional.  i am so good at just retreating... when things are uncomfortable, when things are awkward, when i don't feel good about myself (which is usually the main reason)... i could go on and on.  that is my first reaction to things.  (this could also be why i am craving relationships/friendships right now. i've retreated.)

if i'm not intentional in the relationships of those i hold dear, they fall apart.  they disintegrate. 

i pray that i always remember today.  that i never forget.

throwback thursday...

enjoy.  :)

looking back

as this week closes in on our first year anniversary, there is so much to say.  i've been thinking about what i was doing a year ago.  how was my stress level?  what was left to do?  was i REALLY getting anything done at work?  :)

i have also been thinking about all of those that helped get us to that day... that celebrated with us.  we were truly blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that praised the Lord together with us.

i know its a year later... but i feel like thanking those people again.  (even though most do not read my blog!!  haha.)

- first, my sweet husband.  little did he know about the indecisive and easily-stressed woman he was about to marry... i know its hard for the man to feel involved in the planning when the woman has been "planning" her wedding since she was old enough to dream of being married.  i know you are still learning my quirks... but yet you love me anyways.

- the unsung hero:  my mother.  she had dreamt of this day for me... but at the same time was terrified of the "stressed brooke".  :)  the planning started off a little rocky but ended with ease - at least in my opinion.  what a wonderful, beautiful woman.  am so blessed to call her mom.

- my parents.  all of them.  i was blessed by them financing my wedding even though i was 31!  what a gift. YOU are a gift.

- my in-laws.  i was welcomed into the family with arms open wide.  and they are such givers.  i am truly blessed to have this new family.

- my sister.  i could never imagine going through the wedding process without her.  she always has a desire to take care of me... and for her to be by my side through it all - there are no words.  even though she was VERY pregnant with little finian, she wanted to do all she could... anything to lighten the load.  and her work on the wedding programs was even better than i could have imagined.  both her and j-man worked so hard at getting them done and printed in time.  love you!!

- my bridesmaids.  for everything.  you have each been such an important part of my life.  whether it was for my full 31 years... or for just a couple... you make my heart smile.  also, for my wonderful shower.  you can see my post about that here.  looking at those pictures makes me laugh... and smile... and cry... and wonder where my collarbones went.  LOL.  but seriously.  you all are a blessing.

- my old homegroup.  "doing life" with them was truly an answer to prayer and one of the biggest blessings i have ever had.  in fact, my mother prayed for that quite often for me... and got my tears flowing after thanking the Lord for my sweet friends right before walking down the aisle.  love you... and miss you.

- sharon.  she offered to help decorate in any way... and she decorated the reception so beautifully.  it was so wonderful to decide on a theme/design and let her do her magic... and not have to worry about it.

- the ladies at mbbc.  so much of my history has been in that church.  so many dear friends.  i was blessed by a bridal shower given by several women that have played a big part of my life.  and of my family's.  the love of Christ is definitely portrayed through those women.

- the scurry compound.  so neat that my in-laws have such great friends... that are also next-door neighbors.  they threw us a couples shower and we were truly "showered" with love. 

has it really been a year??  wow.

what it looks like after daycare...

first day of camp...

a lot has changed in the past week... we moved out of our house into an apartment (not sure for how long) and finalized the selling of our house.  we have gone from a 3 bedroom house to a 1 bedroom (1 bathroom... yikes) apartment.  this has been an adjustment for all of us... especially the 4-legged members of our family.  (it has/is hard for the 2-legged ones as well... but that is whole other post.)

our first night here was a bad one.  coming off of complete exhaustion (physically and emotionally) from packing and moving, all we wanted to do was crash.  we spent the afternoon of the move trying to get things in order so it would at least feel like home.  and since we have a much smaller space, we had to figure out where to put the yellow dog.  we found a spot right next to the entry door to put her crate.  thought it would be "out of the way".  i guess we both forgot how apartment living is... noises everywhere... and at all hours.  well, our little stinker was startled quite a bit that night... in other words, there was quite a bit of BARKING.  ugh.  and coming from living in a house next to a "yappy" dog that was out at all hours... we didn't want to be those neighbors.  so we were up constantly trying to quiet her down.  and when all was finally quiet, the fire alarm went off!  TWICE.  talk about a jolt!  of course, this didn't help calm the yellow dog down at all.  i think we got about a total of 3 or 4 hours of sleep that night.  woohoo.  ha.

that next morning we were up early and headed over to clean up the house before closing.  we put the yellow dog in her pen and off we went.   we got back at lunch and discovered she had ripped her pen "mat" to shreds.  we had put an industrial piece of carpet down under her pen to keep the carpet clean.  she had always been on tile or wood floors at the house.  oy.  bad girl.  oh but it gets better...

i came home from work on monday to discover that the yellow dog had decided to dig a hole in the CARPET.  really?  i didn't know this was possible.  and on our third day in the apartment.  THIRD.  guess we won't be getting the deposit back. 

after all of this, the hubs and i decided that before we make a decision whether to send her off to training (which wouldn't correct THIS behavior...) we could find a doggy daycare to send her a couple of days a week... just get some of that energy out.  she's a puppy still... even though she's over 50 lbs... and she needs to play!  (actually i don't think she'll ever grow out of the "play stage").  so wednesday she was "interviewed" at camp bow wow to see if they would accept her as a camper.  i think i was more nervous than anything!  i didn't want her to get rejected.  haha.  but how could she?  she LOVES people and dogs... she just doesn't know how to contain that excitement yet. 

well, she passed.  whew.  :)  her certificate is below.  can't you just see how happy she was?!  :)  we left her there 3 hours to play... (oh.  and we can watch her online and on our iphones... we were obsessed!  yes.  we are THOSE first time parents... :)  we brought her home and she basically passed out until bedtime and then slept thru the night.  HALLELUJAH!  

we took her back to camp yesterday and she's still sleeping.  :)  i know that we will still have many difficult puppy days ahead... but i love my sleepy puppy.  thank you camp bow wow.  thank you.

find rest my soul...

i'm sitting at work, ipod on shuffle and one of my favorite songs came on.  "still" by hillsong.  i have probably posted it here before... oh well.  its worth posting again.  and if i wasn't sitting in a cubicle but in my car, i would be singing this song at the top of my lungs probably bawling.  it always seems to hit me right in the gut.  i have such a disease of wanting to control things (my family can attest to this).  getting worked up about how things aren't going the way i  "planned".  getting overwhelmed about my little world that i forget about the One who lets me be a part of it.  getting down about changes i didn't see coming...all of the "what ifs".  how poisoning those thoughts are!!

right now, life seems to be so "noisy".  selling the house, packing, moving, job-hunting (hubs), puppy "training", frustrations, discontentment, friends hurting, family stress, missing community... so many things.  so many big life decisions ahead but yet all we see right now is a big "?".  my mind is always going... always "stressing" about something... i don't remember the last time my soul felt rest. 

i need to just be still.   through all of the "noise", i need to stop and listen to His voice. and realize that He's there.  He hasn't left me.  He hasn't abandoned me. and i can trust Him with all of this.  no matter the outcome... no matter what He brings me to and through... in the end, its all about Him.  

find rest my soul... in quietness and trust.  Lord, may I be still and know you are God.    

here are the lyrics:

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

moving on up...

well, sort of - if "up" means "north"... and by "north" i mean slightly north.  :)

we put our house on the market on a sunday a month ago.  we spent the previous weekend getting it into tip-top shape.  and wow.  it looked SO good.  if only we had done that earlier!!  (i think everyone feels that way when getting a house ready to sell.)  to get it ready, we got new carpet, new paint, tiled the guest bathroom, new sod, new mulch... and just did an overall deep clean.  i am so proud of our work! 

our agent came out that sunday, we signed the papers and the "for sale" sign went out!  eek!  that week we had several showings - no repeats though.  the comments were overall really good.  "great curb appeal", "lovely home", etc.  woohoo!  loved hearing that.  well, that next friday we got an email from our agent that we had two offers... TWO!  seriously.  how crazy. we were in shock!

long story short... we went with the best offer - and so the option period began.  talk about stress.  we were still showing the house so we had to keep it clean (hard to do with two dogs).  and there was a little bit of stress because my agent was going out of the country for a week the next week.  we wanted to get everything squared away before she left.  after some tense bargaining, we finally signed the amendment to the contract, got the option period waived... less than two weeks after putting the house on the market!!  crazy!  the Lord's hand has definitely been on the selling of our house.

so now the fun part.  PACKING!  ha.  we are moving into temporary housing as we still aren't certain/don't know where we will be this next school year.  hmmm... 3 bedroom into a 1 bedroom.  with two dogs!  oh.  what an adventure it will be!  at least i get to journey through it with my wonderful hubs! 

we are still waiting on the Lord for where He wants the hubs next year.  we are confident in His provision and faithfulness but we pray daily for a clear open door... and soon.  :)

moving day is in a week... Lord help us. 

in limbo...

hi there.  yes.  i'm still alive and kicking.  of course, chances are... if you are reading this... we probably talk on a regular basis.  i don't have much of a following.  :)

quite a bit has started rolling since Christmas.  hubs has decided to look for a new teaching (and possibly coaching) position in another district/area - preferably 1) further out of the "city" and closer to the "country" - although it must be close to shopping.  haha. 2) smaller so he can get to know the students/parents/community more 3) great place for us to start raising a family some day. 

sooooo... what does all of that mean? 

1.  get our house ready to put on the market - we are VERY close.  we have new carpet, bathroom tile, paint, sod, etc.  all we have left is to just finish decluttering the "living" part of our house.  kind of makes me wish we had updated months ago so we could have enjoyed it more!  question is - WHEN do we put it on the market?  (see #2)

2.  wait for feedback from the districts hubs applied at.  "wait".  what a hard thing for me to do.  its not just waiting for a job but waiting on the Lord to direct us.  it is so comforting to know that He's got this one - He knows where we need to be - but i want to know NOW.  i want to plan, plan, plan.  hmmm... think He knows a little bit about the tendency of my heart??

3.  look for a new house.  now this is the easy part... somewhat.  its fun (and scary) to look to see what is out there.  problem is we don't know WHERE.  (see #2)  and of course, finding a house that will be a great house for kids, 2 dogs, close enough to my work and to match what is on our "wishlist" can be pretty interesting.  there have been a couple of houses that i've loved (via realtor.com) or that the hubs has loved... but it is still too early to do anything. 

so we wait.  and wait. and wait.  its all exciting, scary and bittersweet all at the same time.  most likely wherever we move will be further away from my closest friends.  i know life moves us in different directions but i want to hold on to those beautiful friendships forever. 

if i have learned anything over the last couple of months it would be the Lord knows.  He knows how scary life can be... how hard it can be... how sucky it can be... how joyous it can be... it can change in an instant... but He is constant.  praise the Lord i don't have to do this alone. 

oh... and if you know anyone who wants to buy a great house in a great area of town, just let me know.  :)