Future

All summer I have thought about blogging and just never have for a few reasons.  All summer we have been on a search for our next home.  I took summer off from school so we could dedicate that time to just focusing on finding the right home and moving.  I have been reminded of making sure what I want is in God's plans and not my own.  If it was me, we would have moved around July 4th.  Of course we hadn't found a home to put an offer on at that time so it didn't happen.  Heath and I looked at tons of  houses, we even went out of our elementary school district to look.  There were so many factors that we had or at least it seemed like it.  I wanted to make sure we had a kitchen that was large enough for our family.  The boys are really getting into helping with cooking and baking and I want to encourage that, which means space.  Jonathan has been asking for his own room so we wanted to make sure we could give him that and have the space to give Noah his own room eventually when he is ready to not share with Caleb.  We miss having a 2 car garage for our cars, mostly for the winter months so we don't have to scrape.  And we wanted a yard.  Preferably a fenced one but at least one for our boys to have fun and in the future a dog.  And in the midst of looking for something with all of that our top concern was making sure we had room to minister.  We love having the teens over for parties, sleep overs, game nights, studies, etc.  This requires space to do that.  And within a few weeks after moving in God has laid it upon our hearts to start meeting with our college kids.  I know Jr High and Sr High are tough times for kids.  A lot of changes happen, and by the time they get used to all of the changes, they graduate.  In college, are you an adult, still looked at as a teen...?  Its a time of finding yourself.  Old enough to be an adult but not old enough to always be treated as one.  We have several kids that have graduated out of youth group and we have been stuck, trying to help them and keep in contact with them, etc.  So having room in our house for them to come over was a must as well.  We knew God had the perfect house for us, we just had to find it.  Well God showed off and I love it when he does that.  Its funny how we took our list of what we thought we just had to have and we condensed it to what do we really need.  Once we were content with that list is when we started looking.  And God gave us more of a house than either of us thought we could get in our price range and budget.  He even threw in some nice "extras" in our new house too.  Things that are cool but we would probably never have because they are not necessity.  Like in the cupboard the drawers all slide out. I have always thought that was so cool but never really thought it a need so why did we need to spend the money.

Well, we finally found it!  The process of buying has become increasingly more of a pain. I don't think there is anything in our lives the bank didn't need to know about and need copies of.  But finally that is all behind us and we are getting to close this week. I cannot tell you how excited we are to start a new chapter as a family.  The boys are so excited and have been for weeks.  They are not getting much sleep because they are just too excited.  We have managed to wear them out a few times and achieved a decent bedtime but not very many. 

And we get to close just 4 days before my classes for fall start!  The thought of starting school again on monday has been a stressor that I am having to work at every minute of the day.  I know it will be okay. I know that we will be moved in and have things unpacked and ready to the point that I can focus on my classes. I know that Heath's quarter end is also on monday and with him doing two jobs at work this means we will not see much of him.  I know we are moving during the week which really puts a damper on who can help us move.  I know that God could have shown us this house sooner and we could have closed quicker but I also know that everything works out for good and although this move hasn't happened in my time, it is in his time.  As long as I keep my focus on that my anxiety of everything that happens with moving goes away.  Our God is such a great God and he has blessed us so much.  In light of attack in Colorado it made me think of how minor my stress was/is. The horror these people had to face and be witness to and victim of, my stressor of decided whether to get a uhaul or not seems silly.  I have had a good look at my life and my families life over the last few days and we are incredibly blessed.  We have been reminded to simplify our lives.  We have started as a family to rid our lives of things that are holding us down, keeping our focus away from what is important and simplifying our "stuff".  I never would have considered myself a materialistic person but once God brought to life things in my life, I realized I think I just might be.  There are things we don't need and don't use so as we move we are simplifying and it feels great! 

After we move I will catch up with activities the boys have been involved with.  Its been a great summer!