Stop This Train

Well, now that Ryan has officially accepted the offer with Remington and signed all the paperwork, things have begun to move rather quickly! His first day on the job will be May 26th. So, thankfully, we get another week or so with him at home. Because of the way they have structured the relocation package (giving us a lump sum and we decide how to use it), we calculated that the least expensive option is for him to drive back and forth (a 2-hour commute each way) every day. I know that sounds crazy, but we have to save money as much as possible. We are just going to stock him up with some good audio books and pray that his car can handle all those miles we'll be putting on it!

Yesterday we were contacted by our relocation coordinator. She is the one who helps us find a realtor, reimburses us for things along the way and helps with any issues we may have. She must be extremely efficient, because shortly after we spoke to her, we received calls from 2 local realtors who wanted to come look at the house and take pictures. They will give us an estimate of what they think we can list our house for based on the market conditions, etc. The first one is coming this afternoon, so I am rushing around and trying to clean up!

My mom is flying into town next Thursday and will be staying with us for 2 weeks. We are all so excited to have her here and I know she will be a tremendous help to us. In fact, we will be putting her right to work, because I have scheduled school visits with 4 christian schools in Winston-Salem for the day after she arrives. So, we will be leaving the kids with her and driving up to find a school for Lauren. Most of these schools start the 2nd or 3rd week in August. So, that means that even if our house hasn't sold yet, we will be moving and living in some kind of temporary housing so she can start school.

For those of you who have been asking, I am on the mend and starting to get back to normal. I am not there yet, as Ryan tries to daily remind me when I am doing too much. I have good days and I have days where I have no energy whatsoever. But, I am doing my best to juggle all this and try not to let myself get discouraged. I will say that I have definitely reached that point where I am tired of being tired! I am so ready to have my life back and there are times I want to just jump back into things...but I can't.

Lauren is handling the change well and is very excited to graduate from preschool next week. It is good that she has that going on because it has helped distract her from the other things, which might normally be very unsettling for a 5-year-old. She is also thrilled that Grandma will be here for her spring dance recital on the 30th. In her words, she gets to "wear a Cinderella dress and dance for Jesus". :)

This week, it definitely became real to us that all this was happening. We are moving and there is no turning back. In many ways, I feel like we have jumped on a moving train and there is no way to get off. There is an element of excitement anytime you move...new house, new church, new friends, new opportunities. And I think we are always very curious when we see the Lord move like this in our lives - we know He's up to something, we're just not sure yet what it is or what it means. I am doing my best not to dwell on the fact that this move means it will be longer (if ever) before we are able to move back to Oregon. That's a very hard pill for me to swallow because I miss my family so much. But, I have to remind myself that He will never give me more than I can bear and there is nothing I need that He cannot provide.