Adam began his new position on May 1. He spends part of the week in Indiana, but most weeks he plans to come back to GR for a couple of days during this transition time. So far, he really likes it. Its a very different dynamic than what he had been doing. He has part-time staff....interns....office personnel....which results in a much greater team effort and a lot more meetings. As his doting wife, I think he is going to do great and this will be a chance for him to really stretch and grow in his ministry experience and relational leading.
I'm trying to hold down the fort while he's away. He was so integral and helpful in things running smoothly around here. I'm definitely having to pick up the slack while he's away. He did all of the morning stuff with kids and running them to school. (Yes, he is amazing! We're talking getting kids up, making breakfast, brushing teeth, packing lunch, etc.) And now I'm doing that....plus getting the 3 year year old up and carting him with us. I know many people have to do this already. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying....he does a lot around here and I had a pretty cushy existence prior to this transition. :)
Our dearly loved house. Well, we finished up a few projects that made us wonder why we hadn't done them sooner. But as we made a list of all of the updates that we have done since we bought the house 7 years ago....well, we have pretty much been doing something since the day we bought it. Or waiting for the cash flow to replenish for the next project.
And we are very excited to share that we have received an offer. And we've accepted it. (It is contingent upon their house sale....but their's should be on the market very soon. And the market is a seller's market and pretty crazy out there!) We are hopeful that it will all go through smoothly. Its a family of 7 that I think would really enjoy this place.
And nope, we hadn't listed it. Or advertised it in any way.
We are wanting possession until the end of June. We have a lot of back and forth things going on and will need a place to lay our heads here in GR.
As for a place to lay our head in IN. The church has a house that they have offered to us that we are slowly moving our belongings to. Such a blessing to not have to be frantic about selling/buying and how we would handle this in-between time.
I have been purging and slowly packing. Selling some furniture on Craigslist. We'll have a garage sale this weekend. Crazy how much "stuff" accumulates. Every time I sit down to relax (or in this case, write a blog update), I feel a pang of guilt that I need to be going through a closet or putting something in a box.
Our little boys. Kicking soccer balls. Field trips. Legos and Pokemon all over the place. They are troopers and awesome kids! Every once in awhile, I see a glimpse of them struggling with this transition time. This morning, I told Tate I couldn't go on his field trip because I would have to find a daytime babysitter for Heath (which isn't easy to find). He didn't throw a fit and whine like he usually does when he doesn't get his way (which does NOT sway me). He just sat real quietly and still and had huge tears rolling down his cheeks and off his chin. Do you think I'm heartless?!?!?!!!! Of course, I got out the permission slip and changed my answer saying I would be going.
Our big boys. One of the things that was holding Adam and I back on considering a ministry outside of the GR area was that we wanted to see Kenny and Parker through high school. We have had to let go of that though. They both will return for their senior year next year. With new host families. Kenny wanted to go with us and it was possible, but we pursued all options through our organization and did a lot of advocating, but we received closed doors from the schools in our new area. We are disappointed and slowly realizing that our family will feel much, much smaller next year.
Its kinda nice that this transition time is a bit "drug" out. But its also a little awkward. Just a feeling of not sure where we quite fit these days. Adam is making lots of connections in our new place.....but we aren't yet. But we are connecting with people here still. It is good to know that we have 2 places where we will come to love people.
Since blogs are better with pictures, here's a few to make you happy:
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| Heath really likes dogs still. (And yes, we are well aware of all of the Target controversy these days. This was taken two months ago. And we didn't use the bathroom.) |
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| Side entry update. New flooring. Painted walls and closets. Little boys get a scolding if they are caught touching the walls or driving their vehicles on it. |
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| Master Bath update. Its crazy how different this one looks and feels. Sorry, no before shots. It had pink wallpaper with a flowered border. The most difficult wallpaper I have ever had to remove. The floor was gross. I painted the vanity a gray color. Adam had the mirror cut down and then did a pallet wall behind it. I mixed several leftover paints to get the color on the wall....of which I really like. Very minimal cost, but SOOOO much better. As Adam and I ripped up the multiple layers of old flooring on a Saturday night.....I fell in love with him all over again. I love doing projects with him. |
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| Handsome soccer players. |
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| Heath has discovered there is a candy bar in the checkout lane that has his name on it. He thinks we must buy one every time. Lucky for him, I really like Heath bars. |
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| We have been introduced to the game of rugby. I still don't get it. A mix of football, soccer, wrestling....and even cheerleading. Yes, I said cheerleading. Moral of this blog post: God is good. Very, very good. And we trust Him. |
