On this day.....

8 years ago...it all began.

and on this day 4 years ago...I said YES!

September 13, 2006

I would reminisce a little more but I'm exhausted from a rough day...and I want to relax a little bit. :)

Round 2...on a Friday

This mornings post was unexpected, so I thought it would only be fair to finally and fully fill you in on what the true big announcement is.

Sadly, and I'm sorry to disappoint but it is no baby. No pea in a pod...yet.

My big news is nothing that we are purchasing...it's more or less as opportunity that God has provided for us. A family in our church is moving and was unable to sell their house. Knowing that we would be interested in moving out, they offered to rent their house to us.

Sadly though, we couldn't afford it. [insert much sadness here] With no real jobs on the horizon, it doesn't lend very well to paying rent along with other bills. 

Despite this my official announcement is....

we are still moving! :)

In order to help them and help ourselves, it's been decided that we will split the house and the rent with Greg's younger brother and his new wife (they are getting married a week before we move). [this is where you will kindly keep all rude and un-nice comments to yourself please]. We all know this isn't an ideal or normal situation. We know it's bound to have some issues. BUT we have had enough of living in an attic with 95% of our belongings in a storage unit 2 miles away. 

We are moving to this house:

and yes...this house has an awesome garden, full of growing zucchinis, cucumbers, tomatoes of all sizes, mint, raspberries, dill, parsley, rhubarb, green beans, etc.

We are house sitting while the owners are on vacation, so I am already benefiting from the oh-so-plentiful garden.

I'm sorry this has taken so long, lots of stuff has been going on around here. Like how on earth we are going to replace this car when our money is already going to that house up there.

**Us trying to unload all of my hubby's "stuff" from his car to mine

We are praying that God led us to this position because He has bigger plans for us than we can see. While he hope and think we are making the right decisions, there is no way to be sure. The next month or two could be great, bad, or a little bit of each. I guess we'll see what happens...

It's the little things that count

There are days in everyone's life that you just walk through with blinders on. Now I'm not saying that you are purposely ignoring everything around you, but things are going smoothly and there aren't any major bumps, turns, or other catastrophe's that make you look around.


Then there are those other days that just make you stop and question. Those are the days that you get a true perspective on your life and you have two choices:
         1. Focus on the things that are going wrong
         2. Focus on the things that are good


I'll admit, it is easy to look first to the things that are wrong, the things that could be better, or the things you aren't happy with. But why? Where does it get you. You worry, you lose sleep, you get angry or frustrated because it all boils down to the fact that you have no control over what is going on. And that's when I am so thankful I can turn to my God and realize I don't have to be in control.


Today, nothing happened to me directly. But hearing some recent events that happened to a dear friend (whom I'm praying for) and having a lovely night with my in-laws it really got me thinking. I am so thankful and glad that I have a loving and caring husband (even when he is preoccupied with sports...after all I knew what I was marrying), an awesome mom (who I've gotten to work with--not just visit at school), father, and alright I'll even say my BIG-little brother...

..who is quite a lot taller than me, and just generally and overall BIGGER than me.  And who am I kidding my in-laws are a wonderful group of people. I've got a few close friends who I would consider my "support circle"...if I need to talk to a girl, they've got my back (among other things..haha)


But the funny thing I realized in trying to offer some words of encouragement and support to this dear girl is that I was told that the people you were friends with in high school wouldn't always be your friends--some would go to different colleges and some would move away and you would make new friends. Then I went to college...and no one told me this. That you really possibly end up living farther away from the people you met in college. I realized that two of the girls who I adore and met in college both live over an hour away and I follow their lives on facebook and their blogs: (here and here). I saw one over the summer because she had a BABY and the other one I haven't seen for almost 2 years!!  But on the upside, I'm super happy that we have the wonderful ways of technology to interact and share about what is going on in our lives. 


Well there was your random thought(s) for the day (if they even made sense). :)


...maybe going to visit my niece and sister (who is going to have a baby in 19 days!)

Okay God...I'm listening

A post I wasn't sure if I wanted to make because if I wrote it...and published it then I couldn't ignore it. But who am I kidding, it's pretty much all I'm thinking about. Now where to start...

Clearly, if you know anything about my life at the moment you would know that I'm living on the 3rd floor of my in-laws. After 2 years (almost to the day) of moving into our own apartment, out we moved and back to my in-laws. Don't get me wrong, I love them dearly. We get along great, we give each other space and frankly most of the time I forget where I am. But still--it's not our place. After all 90% of our stuff is in a storage facility a couple miles away.        [How did we end up here you may ask. Well long story short I lost my full time teaching job because I was just a long-term sub. If I gave you any more details than that, it would just be my personal opinion and speculations about what happened. So let's leave it at that.]        Clearly this was not my plan. This wasn't my man's plan. Who would plan this? Ohhh that's right He would. God knew this all along. He wants us to be here. I don't know why...I don't know that I ever will. But I MUST remember it is His plan and that's all that should matter.


If it was MY plan, we would have our own house (mortgage and all) with a fenced in yard for the puppies. Greg would also have a full time job and I would be home taking care of our baby (or 2..hahah) Why didn't God ask me??? It sounds great right? Well let me step back a few days or a week...


First I read a post on a dear dear friend's blog. This is what she writes...

"Scripture is FILLED with situation after situation where people are praying, wanting, crying out for something and God seems to respond quietly with a "not yet." His timing is perfect, yet often much slower than we seem to think it should be. Although we don't audibly hear it, many of our prayers are answered with a 'not yet beloved, not yet.' I wish we could hear his gentleness as He whispers it..."

And right then and there..I cried--no not just a tear---I mean I cried. Somewhere in my mind and my heart I knew this. But sadly I was trying to ignore it because..well because I don't think I wanted to admit it.

And obviously He didn't think it was enough for me to just read that...Oh noo, He had to continue to make His point on the radio on the way to school yesterday. When I heard this song: My Savior My God - By Aaron Shust.
I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed, what God has planned. I only know at His right hand, stands one who is my Savior. I take him at his word and deed. Christ died to save me; this I read. And in my heart I find a need of Him to be my Savior! That He would leave Him place on high and come for sinful man to die. You count it strange, so once did I. Before I knew my savior. My Savior loves, My Savior lives, My Savior's always there for me. My God He was, my God He is, My God is always gonna be.
 [Insert tears here] Okay God really I am listening please believe me!

But He knew I wasn't listening, I was just hearing. Because if I was listening and understanding I probably wouldn't be as frustrated or jealous of all the babies being born and pregnancies around me or the ability of my friends to decorate THEIR houses. [lame I know]

Then came God:Step 3. Preparing curriculum for the coming weeks for the kiddos at church. And that's when I found myself typing this.
[Peace-Trusting God instead of worrying
Faith-Believing God's promise instead of doubting
God gives us a freedom and a choice to choose our life's direction. Committing our plans into God's hands means we PRAY each day that God will guide our life. Here is what a prayer of commitment sounds like: "God, I trust your plans are bigger and better than any plans I could ever achieve. I'd ask that you would guide me today. Lead me where you want me to go. Help me hear your voice and follow your plans for me. In Jesus' name, amen."]

Clearly I needed at least 3 reminders that my plan means NOTHING, because His is so much more important and better for me than I can even imagine right now. Maybe His plan is going to take years for us to have that house or a baby and no matter how much that upsets me--I need to trust HIM and let HIM lead me where HE wants me to go and wants me to do. I'm sure that while I'm praying to be able to do all of this and succeeding and failing to do this that I will have more reminders--but for now my eyes and ears are certainly open.

So in the words of a very very wise friend: He must be whispering...

not yet Katy...not yet. Come to me, trust me, I am always here for you. 

Now if only I could really LISTEN and follow.