Beginning Again

The funny thing with prayer is that sometimes the answers you pray to find come in a very unexpected way. Sometimes you end up in a place you didn't even think you would be. Again. Guess it goes to show us (again and again) that God knows our hearts better than we do and He knows what our future holds.


So, here's what I am talking about: in December Mike and I decided to take some time apart....too bad our "time apart" really wasn't separate. We still talked and when we did, we talked a lot about what went wrong with us and what we could do to fix it. The fixing part meant that both of us needed to bend more than we did before and that we had to stop trying to fit each other into an image we had in our minds of what we should be. That can be a scary thing to do. But as scary as it can be, it's exciting. It's exciting to see things in a different light and to truly appreciate him for who he is (even though some of the stuff he does annoys the heck out of me). Without all my ideals on a "perfect for me" kind of guy, I am able to enjoy him without the second guessing and the what ifs.


About three weeks before we decided to give it another go, officially, I had four people tell me that just because he wasn't the strong spiritual family leader I had envisioned being with, to not discredit him. People change and grow and maybe he needed/wanted my support and encouragement to help him in his journey to having a relationship with Jesus. That whole statement just kinda floored me. The people who told me this are all people I admire, faith wise, and all people that I respect. Point taken, God. So, with that thought in my head and in my prayers, Mike and I started having the types of conversations we should have had in September before we started dating. It is so amazing when you have these light bulb moments and you have someone sharing them with you! In our many conversations, I learned a lot about him that I didn't know. Many times I have been pleasantly surprised to find out things about him that I had hoped to find in him...in all areas, but mainly faith and family.

 I am not perfect, he is not perfect....but we both laid aside our ideals and differences and have created a relationship that is built on honesty, trust, open communication, quite a bit of silliness, and faith. I could go on and on about how he is so different than other guys but I won't. But he is pretty terrific and I love what we have together. I know that there are many people who don't get this or us and that's fine. It's not their life to live, it's ours. Second chances are a wonderful thing!

Here we go, again!

Wow. A year long break from blogging. A lot has happened in a year. Where to begin?!

Well...For starters, the kids and I moved into our own house. We actually got to move into my grandma's house. This is the same house that she lived in for more than half her life. This is the house that my sister and i spent summer vacations in. Now I get to raise my kids here. My parents and a couple of their friends spent all last spring and summer remodeling it, cleaning it, etc. We moved into our new home the second weekend in September. It has been perfect for us and we love it. I have even overcome my fear and dislike of gardening...yeah, I know. I have a thriving container garden and pots of flowers that I have grown from seeds. I am very proud!

Along with a shiny new house, we got two goldfish and two adorable cats that we all love. We got Belle in November. She was a complete surprise for the kids. I planned for two weeks to get her without them knowing. It was so fun to surprise them when we went to pick her up. She quickly became the spoiled princess of the house and we wouldn't have it any other way. We recently added Mavis kitty to our clan. We have had her for about a month now and she is something else. A little spitfire. Belle did not like her at all for about 4 days. Then suddenly they were best friends. It is so fun to watch them play together. And yes, they do try to get the goldfish. About those fish...the kids won them at the school carnival. yay. I have always hated the idea of fish because they are so dirty. But the night the kids won them, I was a changed woman. Watching their excited faces as they watched the fish swim around made me change my mind about fish. The very next day we drove down to the pet store and bought up all the supplies we need for the long haul of being fish owners. Fish One and Fish Two are now big, fat, happy goldfish. And, it deserves mention, we are now owners of a baby praying mantis that Zane named Mr. Greenwald. He found them last night at the pool.

I have now completed a full school year at the primary school and I love it. I love the staff and I love the kids. Doing a whole school year was so much better than joining mid year and feeling awkwardly out of place. Half way through the school year, I got offered a job at the Christian school and I accepted. I am now the secretary of that school as well as working my two hours at the primary school. I am officially employed full time with summers off! How can it get better than that?!

Speaking of school...Zane is starting second grade this year and is so excited! He got the teacher he really wanted, which makes it so much cooler. He is a reading maniac and is super excited to have his own Kindle to read on. I can't believe he is in second grade now. Crazy. Miss Claire will be in Pre-K this year. She finished her second year at Headstart in May and then transferred to the Christian school where she will stay for all of next year. She has blossomed even more in a smaller class and has really come out her shell. So with one kid at each of the schools I work at, I get to see them both throughout the day. I love it!

I am really looking forward to this coming school year. Last year was a crazy roller coaster of fun but busy days and months. I signed on as secretary of the PTO last year and that kept me busy. I also volunteered at Awana full time and did games and secretary there. I also tried to volunteer at both Headstart and the primary school as much as I could. It was a crazy time. This coming school year is already significantly less busy. I won't be doing PTO as an officer, I won't be running games at Awana, but I will try to volunteer when I can. Working full time is tricky when it comes to volunteering, even with working where I want to volunteer. But I have been greatly blessed with wonderful, understanding and supportive employers in each school. I'm telling you, you can't dream up a better deal than this, folks.

So what else is there? I'm still single. I did meet someone who I had hopes of getting to know better, but we ended up parting ways due to some pretty major lifestyle differences. I have tried online dating websites but I always end up feeling really discouraged. I just know God will bring someone into my life when it's His timing and not mine. So...I wait as patiently as I can and pray a lot. I would love to meet someone who could share this amazing life with me and the kids. I would love for the kids to have someone in their lives who could encourage and love them. I know he is out there...so I wait, I pray and I trust God.

But on a different note, I have a super awesome group of friends here. I am so lucky to have so many amazingly fun people in my life. I am so grateful for each one of them. It's wonderful to be part of such a small, mostly close knit community.

It's amazing what happens when you just let go and trust God. I can't even tell you the countless ways I have seen His provision, guidance, and love poured out on me and my family in this past year. It never ceases to amaze me just how mighty He really is.

Tooth!

My son lost his first tooth tonight!! I knew it wasn't far off when I checked on it this morning. So after a drama filled dinner ("I can't use my teeth to eat my hot dog mom") I grabbed a cool wash cloth and we pulled it out. I got queasy, thanks to a weak stomach for things like this but he is very relieved, proud and excited! I am proud too! I cannot believe my boy is big enough to be losing teeth!

Time to turn into the tooth fairy!