You Just Never Know and Now What?

I feel like I am currently the poster child for the phrase "You just never know what you might get".  I could go into detail here, but I will spare you most of the details and deal with them myself.  When you find yourself in a new place and situation, well, you really don't know what's bound to be in store for you.  And your own best intentions, detailed planning, and positive outlook don't always achieve the results you hoped for.  What was it Mom said about the road to hell being paved with good intentions?  Well, let's not dwell on that!

Just some of the things I didn't know I was in for:

Hugs and warm greetings from Walmart employees

Bug species and sizes I've never seen or heard of before

giant beetle(that's Kenny's shoe)

a gas leak

skies filled with three types of clouds at once

package/ red dot stores

being awakened by the chirping of  frogs, not birds

The list could go on, but I will stop with the one that has really hung me up.  It took a long time to get my SC teaching certification, and when it came it was a pleasant, but loaded surprise.  I am happy to say that  I am highly qualified in the areas of English and Middle Level Language Arts and have certification in theater, but it's the second certification that threw me.  In Ohio, I can teach grades 7-12.  In South Carolina, I can teach Language Arts down to the 5th grade!  While that thrills me, I have missed several job opportunities that I could not afford to miss, especially this close to the school year.  I know you are wondering if I had called and asked in what I would be certified.  I did, but I was told that it would have to be determined because the Department of Education representative had never even heard of my certification before!  I am more than frustrated at my missed opportunities--especially when I had no information to work with.   Today found me scrambling to apply for a position I am now qualified to teach.  I really need and want to get a full-time teaching job, and I am very concerned about the consequences of that not happening!

Sometimes we just can't anticipate, control, or even remedy the things that happen in our lives.  What we have to do is try to keep our perspective and not allow those life-quakes and bumps in the road to paralyze us with fear. First, we have to get back up on our feet and figure the best course of action with what we have left, even while we are still dealing with the aftershocks.  I find myself especially challenged by this sometimes.  Perhaps I'm a bit of a drama queen, but I can begin to get lost in the worst-case scenario and want to give up all hope.  (Kenny and my puffy eyelids will attest to such an occurrence within the last 24 hours.) Secondly, we have to actually step out and take action toward restoration or construction of our plan.  Fear of failure (again), just plain fear, defeat, or even a sense of unworthiness can keep us from ever making the first step.   I have been challenged over the last few weeks to feel my fear and do whatever it is anyway.  And I encourage you to do the same, even if it means you don't succeed.  Just taking positive action helps build confidence and competence to try again.  I have worked up my courage by praying and talking to God on my way through challenges.  Sometimes I have even told God that I wasn't prepared or didn't want to, but I would go ahead and do the best or right thing.  I have to admit that there are even times when I have felt or do feel very alone and somewhat abandoned by God.  In those times, I try to imagine what I would do if I felt God was cheering me on, and then I do that thing. (Notice I use the word felt here which is not a true reflection of reality!) I always seem to feel better after I have taken action, and I continue to pray for wisdom and blessings as I try to make my way back onto the path.  

What has knocked you off your feet that you didn't see coming?  Maybe it's the actions of a friend or family member, a death, a job or lack of one, a home or car repair, a diagnosis.  Remember what the Lord has said...

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.

Do not be terrified;do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you 

wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

Long Distance Moves: A Short Tutorial

I have heard many people at my stage of life say that they don't know where they would even begin if they had to pick up and move the way we did.  For others, moving every several years is just a way of life--think military or pastor families.  Let me be straightforward: moving long distance with a family is not for the faint of heart.  But it can be and is done all the time.  I thought I'd share what I have learned mostly the hard way.  Maybe it will be useful for you when you have to or want to move, even if it's not until retirement.  (Shannon, this post is especially for you!)

First, check out your new community as much as possible.  There is a lot of grunt work involved in this, especially when it comes to finding a place(housing/neighborhood) to live. The internet is the best place to start.  Check out the newspaper online.  Call the city building and talk to someone there.  Visit, more than once.  While there, go to the Chamber of Commerce and talk to the person there.  They will give you all kinds of newcomer pamphlets, a phone book, a list of helpful phone numbers. We were fortunate; the lady who works at our Chamber of Commerce is a transplant from Indiana.  When you find a potential home, take the time to drive the area in the morning, afternoon, and after dark.  This will help you know what the atmosphere and neighbors are like. Scout out the stores and other places you frequent.  Where are they and how far do you have to go to get to them.  A local hospital was a must--it's the mom in me. Visit a church and see how you are received.  We chose the church with a large youth group, and we think we got it right.

Second, prepare yourself for what all you have to do to get established in the new place and close up shop in the old.  Navigating utilities and government agencies can be a real headache.  For example, we had to show up in person to have the utilities switched over.  Some things can't be done over the phone.  Find out what it takes to get your driver's license, your kids enrolled in school, your car insurance transferred.  Don't forget to  notify your creditors, subscriptions, etc of your address change.  Even though I did, some still are in the process of getting it right.  It's also important that you find out about sales, property,  and employment tax rates in your new area.  Things may be done very differently in other places.  We now pay annual property tax on our cars, but our driver's licenses are good for ten years.  No local employment tax, but the state tax is a flat rate.  In Ohio, there's a sliding scale for income tax.

Third, once you have found a house, do your homework.  We were fortunate enough to be given the keys to the properties and sent out to look at them on our own(highly unusual).  We took our time and spent at least an hour in each of the contenders.  We took pictures, made extensive notes, and took measurements.  We visualized our stuff and our lives in the space.  We wrote down what we had that would work in the spaces, right down to the curtain rods.  We listed what we would need.  When I got home, I made lists of what would move with us and what had to be sold.  The fact that we are about 100 miles from the coast means that there are no basements.  Since I had a basement, that called for some pretty drastic storage changes.  Have a garage sale!  Donate the rest.  Weed out all the things you don't need or absolutely love.  If you can afford it, sell almost everything and buy new(or new to you).  I am not kidding.  Take only your personal effects and most valued treasures.  I would have bought almost all new furniture if I could have.  

As far as the moving goes, my best advice is to hire a mover.  We didn't.  We couldn't.  We were given a moving allowance, but it did not cover the $7k it would have cost. We packed a 26' UHaul full.  It was grueling work.  I did most of the packing all by myself because of Kenny's work schedule.  Start a month ahead of time, at least.  Get friends to help if you can.  Thanks to our dear friends, I did not load the truck at all.  Unloading in the pouring rain in four hours was a nightmare.  Get help at the new place if you can.  We should have hired the hourly help to unpack.  Buy the stupid moving insurance.  A few bucks is worth the peace of mind knowing they'll replace your stuff.  Did I say this already?  If you can, get rid of all or most of your stuff and buy new!

This list is long, I know.  It's certainly not complete, but I will give you a break now.  One day it might be useful.  It's really nice down here.  Come January, you might just consider a move to the South too.

Hugs, Ya'll!

Habits and the Freedom to Choose Them

To say my world's been turned upside down is an understatement. With summer, packing, unpacking, and trying to get settled in a completely new place, I have fallen completely out of most routines I had established before.  In some respects, that's a good thing.  Yesterday it became clear to me that it was finally time to re-commit to some good habits, establish some new ones, and drop some old, bad ones.  (Why are the bad ones the hardest to get rid of, anyway?)  It's sometimes easy to forget that we have the freedom to choose or lose our habits among the other freedoms we have in this great nation.

I decided to go ahead and put these out here for all to see, mostly because if I let ya'll see them then I feel more apt to stick with them.  "They" say it takes six weeks to form a habit, so I better get started.

1)  Resume exercising and eating healthfully.  (Yeah, maybe that's two in some people's books, but I say they work in tandem.)
2)  Practice gratitude.
3)  Speak and act in a positive manner; put aside negativity.  Proceed confidently.
4)  Persevere.
5)  Aim high.  (Falcons, wasn't our high school motto: "To reach the heights, aim high"?)
6)  Date my husband and re-connect with him.  (This is not all personal, gushy, TMI stuff.  He has been travelling 4-5 days a week for the last seven years.  There's a lot you miss just raising kids.  The marriage experts say this should be a habit of every married couple.)

Since I am being positive and all that I won't go into the bad habits I have to drop.  Suffice it to say, there is nothing you need to worry about.  That would be a bad habit for you to fall into. ;)

What good things are you up to now?  Feel free to share your ideas for fun dates too!

Hugs!