Coming Home.

  So July 14th-17th the packers and movers come.  Our home here in Colorado has still not sold, but we are hopeful that that will happen soon.  The lengthy time it has taken to sell our home has actually helped me to slowly settle with the idea of leaving.  I am good and I WANT it to sell sooner rather than later. Tom arrives July 10th and it feels as if our world will be just a little bit more settled.

  We love our home in Charlotte already.  The only problem is that there is a very nice 16 year old male that lives across the street.  We must keep an eye on that one.  Across from the side of our house, there lives a woman who grows Irises.  I lover her already.  Tom said the neighbors are wonderful and it is beautiful.  Our new back yard faces the woods and there are many deer to be seen. The neighbors also had good things to say about Olympic High School.  Whew.  Just a few worries off my list.

  My mind has been full.  My faith has been tested.  I know that God is good and working all things out for my good.  It is easy to say, but harder to live for sure.

  To keep my mind off of the sale of this house, I decided that when I can't sleep at night, most nights, I do genealogical searches on my family.  So far I have done the males of both my parents. I have discovered some really interesting things.  First, both sides were Quakers who came from England. I knew they left England for religious freedom, but I never knew what that REALLY meant. It meant that they were against slavery, they thought all people, including women, were equals and had a purpose.  They thought that you could pray to God directly .  They believed that minimal living was best. They believed in these things so deeply, they risked being killed, accused of heresy and witchcraft.  It meant that when they arrived in the New World, they had to live in Pennsylvania because the government would leave them alone.  When the Pennsylvania areas got too crowded, they ventured to new land.  In the case of my forefathers, both sides went to North Carolina.  They were threatened and sometimes killed because they were against slavery.  They were basically run off.  From there, my forefathers went to Alabama and Georgia.  During the time they were in North Carolina, they lived not far from where I will be living.  Granted, I hope I am not going to be run off, and I would like to think I can live there in peace. Charlotte prides itself on being multicultural.  We like that.  We believe all people are equal and should be treated as such.  We know and believe in a living God that we can speak to.  Our new home is definitely not minimal, but we know it is a gift to us from God.  I am amazed at how times have changed, yet a lot of the basics are still the same, 300 years later.

  The next couple of weeks will be filled with goodbyes and meeting new people.  I thought I would never leave my beautiful mountain.  Here I am, middle aged, and starting a new adventure.  God sure has a sense of humor.

TTFN

A Little Bit of Hope

Yesterday, we found out that the home we have been hoping for in Charlotte, will soon be ours.  We are going to lease it until our house in Colorado sells and then we will purchase it.  Our new address will be 9440 Segundo Lane, Charlotte, NC 28278.  I am so excited.  It is a beautiful home and only minutes from Lake Wylie.  Better yet, we will be together again.  We are hoping to move the third week in July.  In the mean time, we are hoping and praying for a contract on the Colorado home.  We have offered incentives for new buyers, so we are hoping it works.  God is good and we are trusting him.

My world is changing.

  Life is sure tough right now.  So many, many changes.  Laura graduated from high school last week.  We are so very proud of her.  Tom came home for the occasion.  Just before graduation ceremonies, we had a terrible hail storm.  Now we have to replace windows and a new roof.  It feels like God is testing my faith to the very end.  As of today, we have dropped the price of the house by $25,000.00.  That would have been a nice down payment on a new home.  The house remains on the market and it remains so very difficult to remain optimistic.  I am bombarded with scripture about faith and that it is trust in the unknown future.  That is SUCH a difficult task for me.  Some days it feels like God was just kidding us when he called Tom to his new job.  I am trying so hard to remember that we are called to Charlotte and that God wants us there.  He just doesn't seem to want us there very quickly.  

 On the other hand, I want to stay here forever.  This is home.  Someone was hired today to replace me at Antelope Trails.  I keep thinking "What in the world am I doing?".  I love the people here.  I am happy here. Our home seems to love us so much it won't sell.  Are we truly meant to leave this place?  I feel like I don't know where I belong. This is a hard place to be.

  I don't want to end without a picture of our beautiful graduated Senior.  Laura started work this week as a hotel housekeeper for Hyatt Place.  I can't say she likes it, but in her words "It's a job.".  I am so proud of her for doing it.  It's another bittersweet spot in my life.  So sad to see her so grown.  I keep questioning myself about all the things I have done or haven't done as her mother.  The last few years have been rocky at best.  Above all, I want her to know that I love her.  She is off to England in the fall.  Off on a big adventure. She will be spreading her wings and flying away.  Far away.  I hope I have taught her well. I hope her wings are strong enough to carry her.  I hope that she wants to come home from time to time.  I hope she thinks of home as a place of safety, peace, and love.  Wherever our home is.

So many changes.

Tom and Laura went to her graduation luncheon at the Broadmoor on Friday.  They both looked to nice.  She has prom this weekend.  My Laura is grown.  She is so beautiful and so smart.  I can't believe she is mine.  She has all of her paperwork in order for Capernray.  She really is leaving home in September.

Still no luck on the sale of our house.  It is REALLY getting me down, but God called us to this new adventure.  He will get us through it.  I am trying my best to be patient, but man is it tough.  We had an open house over the weekend.  Not one person came on Saturday, but we had five lookers on Sunday.  I know it only takes one, but I really wish they would come soon.  It is just as well as we are still considering what part of Charlotte to live in.  This is getting real too.  My position posted last Friday..  It makes me so sad.  I really wish I had a home in Charlotte to think about.  In time......

TTFN

Not gonna get me down.

Still no action on our house.  This week, I found myself really getting depressed about the lack of showings. We can't buy a new house in North Carolina until we sell our house here in Colorado.  It feels like we are never going to sell.  

My string students performed for the last time at school this week.  I was in tears and so were they, as we all realized that the strings program will stop with my leaving.  It felt like I was leaving all of these things that I love and can't even see where I am going in North Carolina.  Having faith and not losing hope is hard I tell ya.

The hope is that the market will soon pick up with the new academy instructors getting their orders later this month.  Things will get better.  God has not brought us this far to not see us through to the end.  I miss my beloved.  I miss our family being together.  

TTFN

Faith

  We have had one showing in one week.  Others have had much, much more.  I got so bogged down in thinking that this house will never sell.  It will.  God is reminding me that I just need to be patient.  It's tough.

  I have been sick for over a week, with a bug I brought back from Charlotte.  I have felt better this weekend.  With that, I have tidied up the house once more.  I choose to think of this as a new start.  A new week.   I am no longer feeling sick.

  I am trying to not questions my faith and our decision to move.  Things will all work out, in the right time.

TTFN

Patience

  We had two showings of the house this past week.  Both were duds as one thought the commute was too long and the other thought our bedrooms were too small.  Tom keeps reminding me that the "right" buyer will come along.  It sure is hard to wait for.

  I sent off my application for a North Carolina teaching license.  That made this whole move seem more real. We are working on the final touches to Laura's graduation announcements, so that is feeling real too.  Our family is changing in such big ways.

  The girls and I are doing fine, but we sure miss Tom.  I miss just talking to him about every day things, and knowing that he is there.  We talk many times per day, but it is not the same.

  My cold is better.  Still hanging on to an annoying cough.  I am hoping that I can rest and kick this bug once and for all.  We may get at least a snow delay tomorrow as we are to get 2-6 inches of snow tonight with 30 mph wind gusts.

  TTFN

First impression of Charlotte

  Last Friday morning, Becca and I got up at 2:30 am, went to the airport and flew to Charlotte.  This first thing Becca said was "look at all the trees".  The next she said was "look at all the water".  Indeed there were lots and lots of trees and so much more water than here.  The absolute best part was being reunited with my beloved.  Just to be near him and be a part of his life, was such a treat.

  We found a gorgeous home, that we hoped to put an offer on, at least that was until we visited the local school.  The school felt like a ghetto and not a single teacher had a smile on their face.  I just can't imagine Becca going there.  Because we don't want the school, we have to look for a different house.  Because we have to look for a different house, the search goes on.

  I am sick of looking for houses.  I am sick of worrying about our house.  We had one showing over the last week.  The feedback was the same as it has been "shows great, hate Voyager Pkwy. in the back". It feels like nothing about this move is easy.  I am reminded that we are doing what we feel God is calling us to do. He didn't get us this far, to let us down.  Someone will buy this house, and somewhere, there is a house for us.

  On the upside. Charlotte was very pretty and so very friendly.  They truly have the southern charm going on.  Tom's office is beautiful with a gorgeous office garden.  The girls explored "uptown" and went to a white water rafting center.  Becca wiped out on the mountain biking trail, but she will be fine.

  As the Spring break comes to a close, I look forward to the end of the school year.  Hoping the house sells and we can move on with our lives.

Waiting

  I saw a quote on Facebook that said "Patience is not in waiting, but how you act while you wait".  That sums it up.  We have had four showings in three weeks.  I am wondering if the price in our house is a bit high.  I am wondering if we need to do something to get the house moving.  I hate this process of clean everyday and wait.

  Tom is loving Charlotte and I can't wait to love it with him.  I miss him so much.

  I went to a meeting at Rampart High School, all about Laura's graduation.  I sat there with other parents thinking "How did we get to this place?".  I can't believe my baby is about to go off to experience the world on her own.

  Not sure I can handle any more change.  It is so hard to think about how different our lives are about to become.  My little family is changing.  I know I have to just accept it and move with life, but I am truly sad that my comfy little life, here in this comfy little town, is about to be rocked apart.

Keeping on.

   It was a tough day.  Two of my students were in the office for referrals.  I often blame myself and then have to remind myself that I did not cause them to misbehave.  I care so much for these children.  It is a double sided sword at times.

  We are counting down the days until we get to go see Tom.  I have never missed him so much.  I am excited about going house hunting.  I can't wait to see Charlotte and all the places he has told us about.  I just want to go for a long walk by the lake with my love.

  No showings on the house, in a week.  I was getting a little discouraged, but a realtor friend told me that house hunting doesn't begin until around Spring Break.  Spring Break just can't get here fast enough.

TTFN

Waiting Is The Pits

   Four showings so far.  The feedback has been positive with one realtor saying we may be somewhat high on the price.  We are trusting our realtors as to whether or not we lower the price.  I am trusting that God will bring the right buyers at the right time.

  This trust thing is so hard for me.  I am tired of cleaning every day and fighting with the girls about keeping the house spotless.  I miss Tom and realize how wonderful he truly is. We have been married for almost 27 years and this is the longest we have every been apart.

I know we will look back on this and be stronger.  I know we are doing what God has called us to do.  I know we will make it.  I know we will get a buyer for our home.  I know I need to stop whining and just keep going.

TTFN

Monday Monday

  Typical Monday.  Tired today because I didn't sleep well last night.  I just can't sleep on Sunday nights.  My head is full of things I need to accomplish both at home and at work.  Tomorrow will be worse as I have a phone meeting with Graebel Van Lines at 6am.  Charlotte is two hours ahead of our time here in Colorado.  I hope I am awake enough to understand all that is being said.

  Tomorrow we begin TCAP testing for third grade.  It's always a stressful time at school for both the teachers and the students. I am praying my kiddos do well.

  Painting on the exterior of our house is to start tomorrow.  I hope it doesn't interfere with any showings we might have.  On the other hand, I hope it makes the house look top notch.  It has only been a week and we are already sick of having to keep the house spotless.  I think I will feel better when this house is sold and we can freely look for a house in Charlotte.  I know I have another seven weeks of school, but at least I will feel like I am going home rather than leaving, once the house is sold.

  The healthy eating went fairly well today.  No major splurges.  I am really hungry when I first get home, so I need to find food that will keep me going until dinner.  I may have overdone it on pretzels when I got home today.  I don't need the carbs and I really don't need the salt.

TTFN

A whole lot of change.

  Last November, Tom and I decided to test the waters with his resume and see where it landed.  It landed with four rounds of interviews from Google, two from Lowe's Corp., two and an offer from Belk.  After much much prayer, we took the offer from Belk.  Charlotte, North Carolina here we come. January was a blur as Tom had to report for his new job on February 17th.  Steven, Jan's sweetheart, and Tom drove almost straight through for 22 hours in order to avoid the big blizzard of 2014.  They just missed it, but had to haul furniture into Tom's apartment with 3 inches of snow on the ground.  Tom learned really quick that people in Charlotte are not equipped for snow as nobody had shoveled or cleared the roads.  I have turned in my resignation at D20.  That was so very tough as I KNOW this is what God wants us to do.  I just can't believe I am leaving a job that I worked so hard to get.

  I miss my beloved like crazy.  We have never been apart for this long.  I miss his smile, his crazy sense of humor, his hugs, his kisses, his encouragement.  I miss my soul mate.  My very best friend.  We skype, but it is not the same.  I am trying really hard not to complain as I know there are military families that do this all the time.  I have a new appreciation for all that they go through.

  We now begin preparations for Laura's graduation.  She is off to Carnforth, England where she will attend Bible college for the next year.  She and I have had our ups and downs, but I am so very proud of her.  She has "senioritis", but she appears to be finishing strong.  Just like I can't believe we are leaving our beautiful home, I can't believe my beautiful daughter is moving on to a place that will be her own.

  Becca is looking forward to our big move.  She is looking forward to new friends and a new climate.  She sees the excitement of the new adventure ahead of us.  I don't know what I would do without her sense of humor and willingness to put up with me having my "moving moments".  We call them that because she knows that when I am quiet, deep in thought, and start to cry, it is because I am already missing my Colorado home and my friends here.

  I want to start blogging once again, as now I have some time.  The house is on the market and is settling in to a weird routine.  I am hoping that blogging will somehow help me let go of Colorado and welcome North Carolina.  I am hoping that it helps me to look back and remember how God is working in our lives.  I already find myself fretting over the sale of this house.  I clean it EVERY day.  We had two showings on Saturday.  Supposedly, that is good for this time of year.  I was reminded in church today that as a believer in Christ, I have to believe that he is working all of this out and just "let God do it in the perfect time".  I have to stop fretting and do more believing. That is such a toughie for me.

  This afternoon, the girls and I went to Denver to IKEA and The Cheesecake Factory.  We had a nice time. The meal was a "thank you" to the girls for working so hard to get the house ready for showings.

  I have decided that I want to plot my weight loss journey on here as well.  If I am held accountable by those who love me, I am more apt to follow a healthy diet and exercise.  There it is.  I want to blog and exercise more and eat less.  I hope it works.

TTFN