Transitioning

We have moved!!

In my last moving post, I shared how things were moving fast, and we were trying to hang on. In some ways it’s hard to believe we actually got moved and are now in Indiana! We couldn’t have done it without the help of so many friends and family. Last Thursday we emptied our house and on Friday we closed on the house and started our travels north.

This house was a part of a very special season in our lives. It is where we began being foster parents and was the house we found when we started pursuing this calling. Everything in me knows we lived in that house for 18 months, so we could get to know and love on one very special boy. It was sad to leave. On top of leaving this house, unlike our last house move, we were moving hundred of miles from most of our family and friends.

You know that feeling when you think you can’t cry anymore, but then you do cry more? I feel like I lived that for a week as we slowly said our good byes.

We got to Indiana and were welcomed at an amazing country home with sweet, sweet friends and with a crew of strong guys to unload our stuff into storage.

We immediately started house shopping. It felt like we just ran a marathon and should crash, but we couldn’t. We didn’t.

After a few days, we started getting into a new routine. Matt started his new job at Mission Point Community Church. We came off “fall break” and started school back up. Oh, the beauty of homeschool!

We have already enjoyed a couple light snows, and I think the kids have finally gotten used to wearing shoes and coats.

Now, that we have officially been here for a week, I am coming up for air and finding rest. Without having a home, I can just enjoy my kids in a fun way without a huge to-do list. There’s definitely still some transitioning and learning, but I am enjoying it. Ask me again in January, but for now I have loved wearing layers. I love the small town. I feel so welcomed and supported as people I have never met are reaching out to me. I know we are where God wants us, and I have so much peace and strength in that fact.

I’m sure there are hard days ahead, but I’m living with the people who mean the most to me. We are on adventure. We have so much to be thankful for. Perspective does a lot for attitude. We have had some funny moments along the way though and want to share 10 tips for moving your family across the country. Enjoy these truthful moments.

10.  Have family and friends that can pack a moving truck and accept Chick-fil-a nuggets as payment.

9.    Let the whole “we’re not buying any more pull-ups” thing slide for another month or three.

8.    When you start packing your 2^nd moving truck, give up hope and consider burning all of your possessions.

7.     Make sure to schedule your move 700 miles north the week that the Polar Vortex is going to hit.

6.     When hubby is driving Uhaul towing one of your vehicles, make sure to follow him, so you can let him know every time he drifts into another lane. He loves that.

5.     Eat at every Chick-fil-a that you pass; it may be your last for a while.

4.     Convince yourself as the skies turn from bright blue to a hazy grey that it must just be an overcast day.

3.     Enlist the church to unpack your truck into storage while you are out house shopping. This will save your back when you need to move again in a month.

2.     Find friends that will graciously let you live in their basement while you are homeless…and keep giving your dogs drowsy pills so they give a good first impression.

1.     Figure out before you move that Old Navy does not ship winter coats to PO Boxes.

 

With more down time than I am used to, the reality that all my craft supplies were packed in storage hit hard. No worries, this small town has a Wal-mart and I was able to get some supplies and have picked my crafting back up. I can’t wait to show you what I have been working on. Hopefully, my next post will be back with the usual tutorial crafting.

Thank you so much for caring, journeying with us, helping to dream big and use our imaginations in every area of our life. This life is an adventure. Love you friends!