Now We Shall See What God Will Do, pt. 3

If you haven't read Pt. 1 or Pt. 2 in our saga of unemployment and relocation, you can find them here and here.

Nearly midnight. Can't sleep. I enjoy naps too much. :p My heart is full. My eyes are, too. Full of blessings. Full of missing. Full of wondering.

The Lord is truly gracious. No doubt about it. We don't deserve to be so blessed. Well, maybe Jason does. I know I don't.

Next Saturday we will see the end of this five month chapter of our lives. We will see the page turn, a new heading given, our new life truly begin. Next Saturday, we move into the most beautiful, wonderful house and into a brand new future. More on that later . . .

Five months. I never dreamed Jason would be unemployed so long. I never thought the journey would bring us here, though God dropped plenty of hints along the way. Two months into this adventure, while hopes rose and fell and our path became unclear to us, God gave me Isaiah 30:21:

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

He knew just when I needed to hear this, and I clung to this promise for many, many weeks. Jason went through job interview after job interview. Our spirits soared while we waited for word, and fell when the companies hired someone else. Still God was faithful; He remained constant even as we doubted, wondered, questioned, and worried.

When Jason came to me with a plan to move to Washington, I knew immediately it was from the Lord. He gave me Psalm 118:23 & 24 as confirmation:

"The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

If those two verses weren't enough, the entire psalm speaks of God's deliverance and protection, how we cry out to Him and how He always, always answers us. In faith, we packed our belongings, loaded a rental truck, and drove 1800 miles north. In faith, we put our stuff into a storage unit, moved in with my in-laws, and waited. After four months of waiting and a long three-day drive, we arrived to hear the Lord say "Wait some more."

Another job fell through, and I began to think we might live in a pop-up trailer forever. Then the Lord gave me Psalm 66:10-12:

"For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance."

The very next day, Jason received a phone call offering him a job. He started yesterday. After two days of searching, and through a series of supernatural circumstances, we found an amazing house for an amazing price. I still can't believe it's ours; after five long months of famine, we've truly come to a "place of abundance" and I cry out with the psalmist "Let me tell you what He has done for me!" (Ps. 66:16).

Five months. A very long journey, full of changes both major and minor. A faithful God, who has walked every mile with us. An all-powerful God, who whisperes to me that He has still more plans for our family. Plans I know I couldn't possibly conceive. Just like I couldn't possibly have seen, five months ago, where we would be now.

I don't deserve to be so blessed.

I know ya'll will be anxious to hear about this amazing, wonderful house, and I promise to have pictures and details up soon. But tonight friends, let us ponder and remember what an amazing, wonderful God we serve.

"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" Ps. 66:20.

After nearly five months . . .

. . . my husband has a job once more! Woohoo!!!! Praise Jesus!!

We get to stay on the island. Thank you, Lord!

We get our own house. Thankyouverymuch, Lord!

We get medical insurance and income again. Oh thank you, God!

In Which She Takes a Big, Deep Breath

Hey everyone! Sneaking a few minutes on the lap top while Caleb naps. . .

Gosh, where do I begin? My mind has not fully registered the fact that I live in Washington now. It feels like we've come up to spend the summer. A vacation. Not a life. A whole new life. So instead of trying to comprehend this amazing, enormous change, I'm taking it slow. Last night, I drove to Wal-Mart and back without getting lost. Today I'm doing laundry and putting our clothes away in the chest my mother-in-law has so graciously provided.

Slow changes. Slow days. Hopefully, my mind will catch up soon.

Our three day drive was long, but uneventful. We spent around 10 hours in the car each day (including stops), spent one night in northern California and one night in central Oregon. Caleb was a real trooper and I praise God my son behaved himself so well. He napped, played with his menagerie of plastic animals, watched movies on the laptop, and chattered away like a monkey when the mood for verbosity descended. My mom and Harry were a HUGE help. We all took turns driving, navigating, and babysitting. On our last day, Mom and I read from a tour guide book about all the state and national parks we passed. We saw Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. Saint Helens, and Mt. Reineer. We saw deer and bison, fields of rice and fields of sunflowers, trees and more trees. We drove through Los Angeles, Sacremento, Portland, Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle. We saw no rain, but lots and lots of rivers.

Boy, we were glad to finally get here! :) Three days is a loooong time to spend in the car; I don't care WHAT kind of snacks you have. But we did enjoy seeing so much of the Pacific Northwest. Jason and I are working on a list of day and weekend trips we want to make; there's so much to see here! But more on that later.

Jason has a job interview!! Already!! He got the phone call this morning, and next Tuesday he goes in. It's an IT job here on the Island, working for a bank. Getting a job is the next step for us as a family. Once Jay has employment, we can find a place of our own. But employment is tricky; Jason could find work closer to Seattle, but we'd kinda like to stay on Whidbey, or close by. So we're praying, real hard, that God would make our path clear. Do we stay here, closer to his family and in an area we love, or do we go where jobs are more plentiful?

Mom and Harry left this morning. They were my last good-bye, my last piece of California. They might come back toward the end of the summer. Depends on when and where Jason finds work. And they are definitely coming for Christmas. :) :) I'm not thinking that far ahead right now, though. The immediate future has me organizing the trailer where we now live, helping prepare food for the family, getting Caleb back into a routine, and the like.

Pictures will come, I promise. I need to find my feet and that may take some time. There's no denying we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I've only ever read about places like this; I can't believe I actually live in one now. God is very good. All the time. :)

Arrived!!

We're here!!!

We arrived last night, and as you may imagine, we're all pretty tired today. Mom and Harry fly back to Cali tomorrow, so my in-laws are busy showing them the island today. :) I sit outside writing this and it's probably not even 70 degrees. Caleb is busy making friends with Buck and Willie, the dogs, and digging around in the dirt pit Grandpa Neuhauser put in for him. :)

The yard is fenced. Completely enclosed. And I'm lovin' it. :) So is Caleb.

And there, my friends, I shall leave you. This is short, I know, and I have much more I want to say. But exhausted as I am, I fear I would make no sense and all you would hear would be a bunch of gibberish like:

"Ugly central California is" and "got many trees Oregon" and "huge Mt. Reineer" and "I'm glad my in-laws love me."

See? No sense whatsoever. :)

A longer posty-thing to come. Iz promise.

Washington, Here I Come!

Hey ya'll! Twelve days have flown by and I find myself sitting here, propped up against the wall with two pillows because we have no more chairs to sit in. We have no furniature at all, really. What a weird feeling, to feel homeless in your own home. ;)

This is my last post from California. We leave later this morning in a 16-foot truck and a Chevy Cavalier. Our whole life is packed up between the two, deconstructed and collapsed and stored away like a pop-up book. Everything bit of paper has a place and fits snuggly together as the book closes.

I don't know why I'm awake at 6am. We had such a loooooong day yesterday. Maybe I just don't like sleeping on floors. Haven't done that in a while.

I don't like good-byes, either. I have done a lot of those recently, and I've decided I'm allergic to them. They make my eyes tear up and my nose all swollen. They make my face red. Yuck!

So for the sake of my newly discovered allergen, I will not be saying good-bye (achoo!) here. That's the nice thing about the Blogosphere. There are no good-byes (sneeze!) here. And for that, I'm very thankful.

SO, I promise to post when we get to Washington, if not sooner. (Depends on the internet capability of the hotels we stay in along the way). I'm super-excited to make this drive, because it will be so so so beautiful. Don't worry, I'll be taking pictures along the way, too! :)

Well, the boys are stirring, so I best get going. Later, ya'll!!! See you in WA!

Now We Shall See What God Will Do, pt. 2

I sit here tonight utterly amazed by my Lord.

Most of you know by now, through Facebook and email, that Jason and I have decided to move to Washington. We decided this over the weekend, while we were busy anniversary-ing.

Our weekend away came at precisely the right moment. God knew. He knew we would need this last weekend to be away and be alone. To have uninterrupted time for talking. To have plenty of time to think. Time for quiet. Time for rest. Time for plenty of Law & Order reruns. ;)

Our weekend was pretty darn close to perfect. Exactly what we needed. God knew.

He knew, as we did, that when we came back home, we'd be entering the hurricane. There won't be much time for rest or quiet these next few weeks. Heck, I'm not even sure there'll be enough time to sleep.

I feel like I'm on a Star Trek episode. You know, where the Cardassian ship (or Romulan, or Klingon - choose your villain) destroys all the defenses of the Starfleet ship and then demands surrender. The Starfleet captain stalls by asking for 12 hours to evacuate the ship. Then the Cardassian captain says in a deadly serious tone, "You have one hour." I feel like that.

God told us to move to Washington. We said, "Ok God, we'll go! When should we leave? Maybe in a month? Maybe two?" And God says, in a serious tone that betrays a slight smile at the corner of His mouth, "You have twelve days."

Except of course that I don't see God as a villain. Forgive me for my poorly constructed metaphor. It made more sense in my brain than it does on paper. Ok, so maybe Law & Order wasn't the only TV show we watched this weekend.

Seriously friends, I'm taking deep breaths every five minutes or so. I must be insane. Who else tries to move across two states in less than two weeks? With a toddler? Without a husband home to help pack??? We must be insane, crazy, loco. Something this nuts couldn't possibly be from God.

Unless you consider that my Mom, instead of breaking down in tears and screaming at me "How could you?!" sat calmly when she heard our news and with eyes full of love and just a bit of dampness, asked "How can we help?"

That was God.

Unless you consider that we have just enough money in our bank account to pay for the move up to Washington, where Jason's parents have graciously allowed us to stay with them indefinitely and rent-free while Jay finds a job.

That was God, too.

Unless you consider that my husband was totally and completely against moving to Washington until Thursday night, when he stayed up till four in the morning, praying and contemplating and having his heart changed. When I woke up Friday morning, I found a different man waiting for me in the livingroom with the laptop on his knee and something he wanted to talk to me about.

That one was all God.

Unless you consider that, busy and crazed and chaotic as the last few days have been, I feel peace about our decision. That I've wondered a thousand times "Are we out of our minds???" but never once second-guessed our plans. We know, somehow, that we are doing the right thing. I couldn't prove it to you. Only time will do that. We just know. And that is God, too.

Frustration

I'm posting today because I said I would, not because I feel like it.

Briefly put, Jason didn't get the job. We're feeling a bit stung by this, since he went through three interviews, and after the one on Friday, they asked him for his references. He worked hard all weekend contacting his old boss and manager, and they wrote him really nice reviews. But all for naught, apparently. Grrrrrr.

We're waiting for a miracle now. We need one. Please keep us in your prayers.

Now We Shall See What God Will Do

Spring snuck up on us this week. Last weekend rained and blew winter upon us with fury and force. But this week? Mild as weak tea. Sunshine. Fresh, warm air. T-shirts and bare feet. All my windows open.

Mmmmmmm . . . I'm one happy girl right now. :)

And when I get around to unloading the last six months' worth of pictures from my digi camera, I'll take a few of our beautiful Spring and post 'em. ;)

Amazing the change one week can bring, eh? Last Sunday, clouds covered the sky. We bundled up in jackets and hoods before going to church. The windshield wipers swish-swished as we drove. And my husband was still employed.

Here we are, a week later. The weather sings a spring symphony to me every morning when I wake up. Caleb brings me the fuzzy caterpillars he finds (they're hatching en mass right now). And my husband is looking for a new job.

Yep, we're officially a causaulty of the economic recession.

We knew it was a possibility. Jason's company hasn't done well financially this last year; on Thursday, they laid off 10% of their employees. Jay was one of them.

Now this is the part where I'm supposed to sigh and worry and fret, right? Don't wives usually do that when their husbands lose jobs? Well, maybe so. But I'm not. Neither is Jay. And we don't want you worrying and fretting for us.

We're actually excited about all this.

Jason hasn't been happy at his job for a long time. We've spent a lot of time in prayer about it this last year, and we feel that God is now starting to answer those prayers and provide us with direction and purpose. He has already shown Himself mighty to provide for our needs; now we are waiting to see what He has in store for Jason and by extension, our family as a whole. Something's ending, but something new is about to begin. That's how we feel. And beginnings are exciting, aren't they? Isn't that what Spring is all about?