Strength Will Rise....

... When you wait upon the Lord.

Those seem to be the words we are living by. From 3 am until 4 am last night those words repeated in my mind. Then this morning when I looked at Facebook I saw that a good friends from West Point actually left those words as comments on my recent status update.

So why those words? Well when you have sold your home, do not have a job, you have no choice but wait upon the Lord, and I am trusting that not only will strength rise, but peace too. And it is.

I was reminded this morning God promises us food and clothing, but no home. While I do trust our homeless state is temporary I do know that God never promises us a home. And yet, do you know how many options we have for a roof over our heads? Well, right now we are staying with wonderful friends who are mentors to us and love us. Then we are planning to head out to a cabin east of Dallas sometime this week. Not to mention many friends who have offered their floors to us. So while God does not promise us a home, he has provided many for us. He is really good!

So yes, we sold our home. And now we are completely open to where God is going to lead us. We are excited. Packing was tough - for all of us. The kids would have loved some more attention, Robert would have loved a bigger pod, I would have loved a maid. But we all seemed to manage with what we had. The house is now under new ownership and it was empty and clean! Yeah for that.

Now we get to relax a little, get to enjoy our friends and we get to wait. So that is what we are up to and I will admit we are all doing well. Robert is feeling much less stressed now and is looking forward to our week ahead of us. We hope to hear on Friday about the job in Indiana - hope it is a yes with a good offer, but if not, there are a couple other opportunities still looking good. We know God is going to provide a great job and bless us! We are just waiting patiently to see how!

Monday/Tuesday

What have we been up to?

some swimming

some hanging out with friends

some refreshment

some more fellowship with lots of little people

some more time with Friends!

and some alone time too :).....

some silly times

but most of all - fun!

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What a week we had - and weekend and here we are at the beginning of another week.

We got out to the pool a couple times with friends and that was a great break from the heat.

Robert flew in to Indiana and had a nice time with Boston Scientific and seeing Bloomington and the surrounding area. He really likes that company and we are still hoping to hear a job offer this week! So we wait somewhat patiently to hear from them.

Meanwhile we are finishing packing up the house, not too much more to do, just the little stuff. But we need to clean while packing, and organize the stuff that will go with us in cars, in the trailer and may end up being what we have for a month or two if we rent in Indiana.

So, on Thursday a friend offered a free ticket to Women of Faith in Dallas for this weekend! I was so blessed to be able go with friends for free, hear Steven Curtis Chapman among many other great speakers and just feel God reinforcing all that I have been learning this summer spiritually. On top of being free, it was just fun!

Now it is Tuesday evening and after dinner at Chuy's in Dallas with Robert's brother and his family- which was great thanks to Besty!! - we are trying to determine all the things we need to do before we close on Friday!! Only 3 days away and really just 2 work days!! So we still do not have word on the job, but the house is going to be taken care of in just a few days!! Yeah~!

So we continue to be patient as all of you patiently wait to see what happens with us!

Meeting you where you are

WARNING: I am fired up about Jesus and this post may seem preachy!! So read at your own risk if you are not fired up too!!

That is such a great thing about God. He meets you where you are. He does not want you to get your life right to get to know him. He does not want you to change you - he just wants you to go to him. No matter what.

While away from Texas this summer I was spending so much more time in my Bible, reading the words God wrote to me for such a time as this. I read devotion books, I listened to music praising him, I was there. But when we got back here to Texas, I feel back into being busy! Can't imagine why! Packing our home, seeing friends, and Facebook - yes that took my attention too. I justified my lack of time with God as just a phase of being busy.

While away I would say that I felt God's peace during a difficult time. I was stressed at times, but for the most part I knew in my gut that he will work everything out perfectly. The sale of our home, finding a job, and moving. I knew that to be true, I did not stay up worrying about it, I did not fret about where the money would come from, I did not really deeply fear. I felt that he was leading us and really ultimately leading us to where he wants us.

This past week and a half while being "too busy" to make time for quiet time I felt fearful, worried, stressed and even the panic attacks came back. We received a couple "no's" from jobs that were still out there - and I started to worry about this most recent job. I started to fear that maybe we won't get this either. I started to worry. I had more than one friend say that I was not as relaxed and at peace as I had been. Wow! Talk about seeing the effects of God's word and a lack of it!

So, yesterday I got the kids set up with a movie and stole away to my room with my Bible and devotion book. Well, God met me there with just the words he knew I needed to hear. I knew he would - I knew the devotion would be about just what I was dealing with - because, well, that is how he is. He meets you where you are with the words you need to hear - no matter what!

So I read my devotion book, often aloud as a prayer to God and as a statement to the one who lies in my ear and plants doubts in my head. The title yesterday was "When my foolish heart asks why" - and while I am not asking why I am being foolish in my fears. I announced :
"Satan, get out of here! My God has never promised me a perfect life of bliss on this earth. And when suffering comes my way, it is only further evidence of his truth and love. He is teaching me not to fall in love with this world and drawing me closer to himself and his promises in Christ." Wow - what truth! This is what I need to focus on and not to some silly fear that Robert will not get a specific job that we think would be great. God knows what is great for our family and he wants that for us.

It was a great period of time that I went looking to talk with God and he was there waiting, like he always is with all of us. He is waiting for us to surrender our fear, our control, our pride - all of it and to follow where he leads us to go. When we get to that place we will see that his will for us is so much better than we could have dreamed! So whether our change of address cards come from Indiana or somewhere else, I trust HIM. Not the job, not me, not Robert, but my God who will never lead me wrong or astray! And that brings tremendous peace to my heart!

It does not make sense that in the midst of trials, a simple book can calm the storm, but like my Sunday School teacher said this week - it ALWAYS will - and it is the only thing that can do that! God is so good, through pain, through joy, through unemployment, through a great job, through a move and through life, God is GOOD all the time!

Worn out but feeling good about it!

So when I woke up this morning Robert was already gone. He left about 6am for the airport and I slept through is departure. That is what a night out with a friend will result in! :)

So with a day to plan without the heavy mover here I was not sure what we would do. I even polled the people on facebook : Pack or Pool. The results were not surprising, Pool won! In fact no one voted for packing.

However, I did spend the morning vacuuming and mopping the majority of the house. While we have been working like crazy around here nearly every day, cleaning was not part of the work. So there was a lot of cleaning that needed to be done. And wow! The house looks so much better!

So then, I headed out to the garage to catch a few minutes before the heat really hits to pick up a little and I even managed to get the Suburban in! Woo Hoo!!

Did I mention that I empowered my small assistants? Yes, I did. The boys wiped cabinets and baseboards all around! Saved me from having to bend down with a not-so-happy back! Another Woohoo!!

So now I am beat, it is 10:30 - and I am not heading to the pool until about 2pm. So it is movie time for the kids - I caved! And I am going to find my Bible and spend some much needed quiet time. I have been letting fears and doubts creep back in. Funny how it happens when we get busy and "distracted" by life, facebook (specifically FarmVille), and whatever else competes for our attention. So I have missed my time in my Bible reading truths that bring peace and comfort.

So hope you had a productive day, I feel like I already have and it is not 1/2 over! So I am off to meet with my dearest friend and then lunch and then pool with more friends!!

Pray that Robert's time in Indiana is good and results in an offer SOON!! Thanks!

I recently signed up to review books after a friend sent me a couple links. I am always up for free books and reading - so it is a great combination. The requirement is that I review them on my blog after reading them. Great deal!

So my first book is a Toddler Bible, I feel like I am fully qualified to review such a book, I have 3 graduated toddlers and one who thinks she should be graduated! She was so excited to see this book when we arrived back in Texas last week! She loved it - her very own Bible.

So we really enjoyed this version of the Toddler Bible. I love the pictures, for animated pics they are more real looking than some we see in other children's books. I want them to seem real in order for my kids to understand that these are not just fairy tales, but real stories. The stories are brief enough to keep the interest of a child under the age of 5, but also flow well together if you wanted to spend a little more time reading several stories to your child.

Each story lists the specific Bible passage that the story comes from as well and I really liked that - you were able to find the whole story rather easily in a traditional Bible if you wanted to offer more details or answer questions your child may pose regarding the story they heard.

I also enjoyed the little notes to the parents on how to bring the story to life for your child. For example when reading about Jericho there is a suggestion to build a wall of pillows and march around then knock them down, or while reading about Noah to cut strips of colored paper to glue down to make a rainbow while talking about the promise that comes with a rainbow. These little ideas were simple, yet a great way to take the story to a deeper level.

Finally, the DVD that comes with the book is another great tool to reinforce the stories they are learning while reading with mom or dad in another venue.

I hope everyone who has a toddler at home finds this Bible Story book very enjoyable, I know your children will!

[some clever title]

Well, we are in an in-between stage. Looks like the house will sell on the 31st - there is a contract and since I do not want to count my chickens before they hatch I refuse to say we have sold it.
Robert is flying in to Indiana to do a follow-up interview & site tour. The head hunter suggested he meet with a realtor before he flies home. Again, trying not to count eggs - we are thinking this is looking good and that we may have a job next week!
Would that be great timing or what!!?? Of course can you expect anything less from God? I think not.
We thoroughly enjoyed seeing our friends (AKA church family) today back at Tate Springs. It was great to see everyone, sit in our normal section and to look out and feel at home. We have missed our church and we will miss our church. It was great to see our 1st graders who we taught all year - we have really missed them!
So we are waiting to hear for sure about a job, and finish getting all of our earthly possessions packed and we will once again hit the road. Not sure if we are heading to Oregon to visit or Indiana to house hunt, or where. But as it has been all along, this is an adventure and we are making the most of it. It could have been a very difficult time and it has not. There have been days that I have felt the stress and pressure, but honestly this has been such a time of blessing. I can already see fruit from this time manifesting in my children. They are enjoying each other more than I saw before we went away. They are being kinder to one another. I think that comes from having so much time that all they had was one another. I am enjoying watching them choose that now and enjoying that choice.
So we will be patient. We are eagerly anticipating what is going to happen and where we are going. We know that God goes before us, and if we trust him to guide us he will steer us in the right direction!

Coming to an End

Our travel time that is...
First, we spent a great 2 days in Chicago this past week. Robert attended a conference for a head hunter we are using for the job search. He was blessed with 6 interviews - and we were only expecting 2-3! The kids and I hung out and took in a few sights. We visited the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. The kids loved the museum - the animals were great and so fun to look at! They enjoyed seeing a few displays from the movie The Night at the Museum.

We enjoyed a swim in the pool after picking up Robert from his conference and having supper at Glenn's Diner. We found that restaurant from Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives from the Food Channel. We enjoyed a great meal of shrimp, trout, and cereal. Yes, the kids all had a big bowl of cereal! They loved it!

So back to the coming to an end part.... our travels are. We have a contract on the house and we are heading back to pack up the house. We are back in Michigan now trying to organize all our stuff to pack up in the next 2 days. We are leaving for Texas Tuesday morning and plan to drive straight through. So after 18 hours in the car we will arrive to our home which we have not seen for almost 4 months! We are so looking forward to our own beds! Not to mention seeing all of our friends again! Yeah! Not sure where we will go once the house closes if Robert has not started work, but we know God will work it all out! He is good!!

Well, in the meantime, here are some pics from Chicago and the days before. We sorted through some of Robert's boxes that have been packed up here for about 16 years. The kids thought they found lots of treasures. One of which was a kit to build a lobster boat. So Jacob was thrilled to put that together with some of Robert's help below is a pic of him painting it with his brothers watching, it was very sweet!

Here are the boys doing some art at the Field Museum, they loved this part too!

Here is a friendly pirate they sat with a the Field Museum.

Here is a shot of the skyline, notice the little girl being so sweet and obedient! Okay, maybe not....

Well, that is all for now, I am sure I will have more pics soon!

Fun was had by all...

We did have a great weekend. We started on Saturday morning with no plans, which is always fun. So I packed them up to run out for a surprise - trip out. So we took Robert to the trail in the bog. The boys did not know either, but about half way there they guessed, but did not tell Dad!

As you can see from our pics, they loved showing Dad how much water they could get to squirt up and how fun it was! They were in heaven! And what a mess when we were done!

Before we left - notice the clean legs and shorts! Not for long....

Here are the boys jumping to get the water to squirt up through the boards.

The boys playing at the park

Here is little girl getting a break from walking...

Here is the gang taking in the view at the first bog lookout.

Then we stopped for lunch at Schwarma King - a Lebanese restaurant in town. The kids loved to try some new foods and we enjoyed our lunch too!

We spent the afternoon playing outside around the house and playing some wii. We ended out fun family day with some Dr. Doolittle, they are loving this book, and I am too!Sunday was an equally fun and family day! We started out with Sunday School and Church - great sermon from Isaiah. Then we came home to Chili Frito Pie for lunch! Then we hung around the house for a little while until we decided to go swimming at a neighbor's pool. We only lasted about 45 minutes, I mean the kids only lasted that long. Robert and I did not swim, we played lifeguard instead! Then we came home to shower and have supper. We did get to get out and walk again with our favorite dog Rizza - she is the dog the older boys are paid to walk each day.

It is a great deal! They are paid by Rizza's owner and they are learning some great lessons in work & responsibility! And it is not taxing our wallet! Great deal for all!We ended this day with some wii and a little more Dr Doolittle again!Great weekend!

Last but not least, here is a sweet pic of our little girl...