Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

Transitioning

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packing_a_moving_truckWe 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.

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empty_houseThis 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.

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moving_caravanWe 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.

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country_girlAfter 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.

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playing_in_snowNow, 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.tips_for_moving

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 2nd 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.

 

craft_suppliesWith 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!

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It’s Time For A Vacation!

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Did you know that July is National Vacation Rental Month? I just learned that from my new friends at Wyndham Vacation Rentals.

 

If you’ve spent anytime around here, you know that we love to travel as a family. We’ll be packing up the ole mini van pretty soon for a trip to Indiana for a dear friend’s wedding. I think if we’ve learned anything about traveling is that there are plenty of deals to be had. For so long I was afraid to dream about taking vacations-fearing that we could never afford it. I’ve found it just takes a little work to make it affordable. 7 quick traveling tips to use

Here’s a few quick tips we’ve learned along the way to make things more affordable and fun:

    1. Pack food for the car. This saves money and cuts down on stops. It also gives you healthy options. Trust me, when you are cruising along I-40 outside of Albuqureque, NM your choices are gas station beef jerky or Big Macs.
    2. If traveling with kids, try to get them to play really hard before typical nap-time or bedtime, load them up, and roll! On our last trip to Arkansas, we did this and got 7 hours of drive time in with the kids totally asleep. No extra food, potty, or stretch breaks needed. Of course, you need to keep coffee on hand and rotate your drivers to stay safe, but it can really help for long distances.
    3. If you can rent a place that has a kitchen, do it. Again, it’s another huge savings than going out for every meal. This is where a rental can work out to be better than a hotel. You’ll often find a lot of conveniences of home and more ways to save.
    4. Being on the beach is awesome. Being 1-2 blocks from the beach is still awesome and often times 30-50% cheaper. We’ve found that if you have to load the car up to hit the beach, find parking, load back up, etc., it can be draining. But if you are staying at a place that is less than a mile from the beach, it’s perfect. You can walk back and forth easily and enjoy the same beach access at a fraction of the cost as the folks on the beach front.
    5. Have realistic expectations for your kids. They don’t normally sit in the car for hours. They don’t usually hike around an amusement park all day in the hot sun and stand in line for hours. They rarely spend all day getting hot and sandy at the beach. Bottom line, you are going to have some meltdowns. Be prepared. Don’t push them too hard. Just realize that they don’t need to do everything in the park or be on the beach for 6 hours straight to have fun. Be willing to adjust to their level and needs and everyone will have more fun.
    6. If you are going to a prime time spot for vacation, try to stock up on supplies or groceries before you get there. Vacation areas charge a premium even for simple things like eggs, milk, and bread. Pack a cooler and hit up the last town before your destination. Same goes for gas. Fill up away from the hot spots.
    7. Relax. Think simple. Don’t miss your vacation by over scheduling it. The most important part is being together and creating space to rest.

What are some of your travel tips? Are you going anywhere on vacation this month? Screen Shot 2013-07-10 at 9.28.06 PM If you haven’t booked your trip yet, consider trying Wyndham Vacation Rentals.  They are offering summer deals at up to 35 percent off nightly rates on bookings made throughout July at www.WyndhamVacationRentals.com. Also, for peace of mind, Wyndham offers a “Vacation Rental Bill of Rights®” service pledge ensuring quality standards (vetted rentals with accurate images), comprehensive customer service and real-time payment and bookings. In the U.S., their properties range from private homes, resorts condos and villas in beach destinations such as Florida, South Carolina, Delaware and Alabama’s Gulf Coast to mountain-side condos and luxury cabins in Colorado, Utah, Tennessee and Idaho.

Take a look at a couple of their beautiful properties. Wyndham Vacation Rentals_ Hilton Head Island, SC

Hilton Head, SC

Wyndham Vacation Rentals_ Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC

I can’t wait to hit the road again for our next trip. I hope you’ve got some fun travel plans ahead too! Make sure to chime in and tell me where you are going and things you’ve learned about traveling along the way.

To connect with Wyndham Vacation Rentals more be sure to visit them online, twitter, or facebook!

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I’m BACK!!! (with info about our trip across the country!)

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Last time I posted, I was leaving for the beach and needed a media silence.  That was almost exactly one month ago.  I am back and here to tell you that beach trip was only the beginning of our travels!!   I am sorry I could not reveal the full extent of our trip, but we were gone for almost a month. For all the stalkers and house toilet paper rollers out there, we didn’t want it to be hugely wide known that our house would be vacant for weeks on end.  This little blog of mine is not huge by any means, but you know, a girls gotta be careful!

We left August 8 and headed to Florida, from there we started our travels to the west coast!  Our goal was to see our beloved friends in California, and we did that and had so many awesome stops before and after!

We got back this past Saturday, and we have been adjusting to life back at home, doing laundry, and seeing family.  Its been bitter sweet to get back from such an incredible trip.  In the coming days, I will be sharing more details from our trip.  The post I am most excited to share with you is the FACTS from living on the road for 25 days, while driving across the United States, with a 5, 3, and 1 year old.

Thank you for being patient with my while I took time away from social media.  This was a great time for me to just enjoy my family.  That was my only “to-do”. While gone, I really got to recenter my priorities, process what I am doing and where I am going, and just be FREE!  Matt and I had some amazing talks and got to dream together.  It’s incredible how pulling yourself out of your “norm” and being freeed up can bring you back to the root of who you are, what you want to be about, and what matters in life.  We had an amazing trip, and I can’t wait to share more of it with you!!

For all of our friends/family that we didn’t get to see on this road trip, we will get to you next time!!  There will be more road trips!  Isn’t that a success alone?!  I can honestly say, I can’t wait to get back on the road.  More coming along these lines too!!  I have some great ideas for blog posts (well, that are exciting to me!?!  I hope you enjoy them as well!) and series that I can’t wait to share!  I missed this little outlet of mine!

For now, let me leave you with some fun shots from our travels:

Thank you so much for stopping by!!