Reflections on Thanksgiving

Dear friends and family, Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we celebrate the profound way God has directed our path and the sweet ways we have grown individually and as a family. We have so much to be thankful for I get speechless just thinking about it all!

After 11 years, this is only the second time since getting married that we have done Thanksgiving dinner at home! Pat prepared an amazing prime rib roast and potato salad and I fixed a small ham, collards, baked mac-n-cheese, ham rice, baked potatoes for the kids, corn bread muffins, deviled eggs, and two pumpkin cream cheese pies! It was heavenly and we're all stuffed.

What an amazing way to kick off the Advent season. If we venture out tomorrow it will only be to buy candles for our Advent wreath!

We are blessed beyond measure and wish each and every one of you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We're moving WHEN?!

So if you've been trying to keep up with us (which is hard enough for me to do these days) you'll know that Pat and I have landed great jobs in southern Durham and that Pat's in the early stages of discernment for ordination at All Saints (an AMiA church a.k.a. conservative Anglican in Durham). So God's obviously leading us to live, serve, and for all other purposes BE in Durham. But when? That's the question that we've been entertaining for months!

At first we assumed Pat would need to find some third shift security job or some other not-so-appealing gig. We were wrong. Then we assumed I wouldn't find a job quickly or easily, that I wouldn't have a job until the spring, and that we would move in June when the kids' school year ended. Again, wrong on all counts. So we're striking out with our assumptions and God's replacing them with His assurances. Wow.

I couldn't care less about being wrong so much. It's very freeing!

But with all our miscalculations, we realized we needed to "move it" with our final assumption and move. So I hit the internet and started hunting. It was a dream hunting on my iPad and I am now an expert with all the apartment and rental apps out there! We ended up finding our apartment listed in only one place (which-if you know apartments-is a freak occurrence in and of itself!) on my HotPads app (HotPads.com which I have never heard of until now). I called and, wouldn't you know, they had a 3 bedroom (also another freak occurrence) available to move in January 14! We couldn't get to Durham fast enough!

So all the paperwork has been done, deposit paid, and all the chaos in my brain of unanswered (move-related) questions has already been silenced. So much for June.

Praise God!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADDENDUM-November 12, 2011

Just when you think you have it figured out, guess again!

Everything has been worked out for our benefit and we're going to be able to move Saturday, December 17, the day after Pat graduates! This is great because the kids are tracked out the whole month of December and will start in their new school with everyone else in January.

We think this will be a much smoother transition for everyone and will eliminate the extra month of driving the long commute, spending more money on gas, and having less time together as a family. We're ridiculously excited.

We now have the task of finding someone in Durham to watch our precious 3-year old Johnny full time. Any takers?! Please pray for that to be smooth, too!

Ready or not… when God moves fast!

Many months ago we started praying for Pat to find a new job. One that would allow him to protect his back and knees and be more closely aligned with his experience and training: technology and communications. We were excited when a friend at Apple recommended he join the team there and shocked when he landed a job after a few short days and started training almost immediately!

Around the same time, we started praying for God to pave the way for when I head back to the corporate work environment in the Spring. Little did we know He was already doing just that and practically overnight-okay literally overnight-I interviewed and was offered an amazing opportunity with a company also in Durham minutes from Pat's!

We are stunned and humbled by God's provision. It's undeniable that God wants us in Durham; who are we to stop Him! Obviously we were off when we thought it would be June 2012.

What a way to kick off November: the "thankful" month! Our thankfulness is outpouring from our every thought.