Take 2

Well, never mind about that Australia thing. Turns out, we are not moving to the other side of the world after all. Not yet anyway. The project has been delayed 1-2 years. So potentially, we could be moving down under in another year or two, but so much could happen between now and then, I'm not going to get my hopes up. Actually, it will be really difficult for me to get my hopes up about any future opportunity after the hit my heart took this time.

So, now what? I've been in a difficult place this last month, trying to figure out the purpose in all this. I know that God always has a plan and a purpose, but He doesn't always share it with us. I've quit my job (which I wanted to do anyway) and de-committed from all my volunteer roles, so now I have a fairly clear schedule (as clear as it can be with two busy girls and lots of great friends) and I'm wondering if God has a big thing that He wants me to do. I hope that He does, because honestly, I was all set and ready for a big change, and now I'm not really content just going back to the same stuff I was doing before. It was good, don't get me wrong. But I was looking forward to something different, and now I need something different. Does that make sense?

Hopefully I'll have some ideas and answers in the next couple of months. My mind is open and searching for what God has planned for me and my family, but my heart is still a little guarded. To be continued...

Telling the Girls

We found out on Tuesday that the transfer to Australia was official, but we kept it our own little secret for a few days. We didn't want to start telling friends and family until we had a chance to talk to the girls. And with our busy after-school activities, we waited a few days until it was a good time to sit down with them and talk. So, on Good Friday afternoon, we called a family meeting.

The girls could tell that we had some exciting news to share and they immediately started trying to guess what it was: "Are we going on a vacation?", "Are we getting a new pet?"

Brian said, "Well, we are sort of going on a vacation...a really long vacation. We are moving to Australia!" At first both girls were excited! In fact, Katie jumped up and screamed, and then ran outside so she could scream some more! Sarah jumped up with a look of elation on her face, but that quickly turned into sadness when she realized what was actually happening.

Then she looked outside and saw that Katie also had started crying. Katie came back inside and, through her tears, cried "I don't want to move!"

I knew it would be a hard pill for the girls to swallow. Everything they know is here: their home, their friends, their school, their family. Brian and I are very excited about this opportunity, but change is always hard. I know the girls will be just fine, and even better than fine, in the end, but I can't discount the challenging road it will be to get there.

We will have many more tears in the next several months, and much joy too I hope. We have already begun to cherish moments with friends and family, and we are making plans to fit in as much time with people as possible before we leave.

I know it will be difficult, but I plan to continue relationships with our friends here as well as we can while we are gone. Through skype and facetime, we will have monthly appointments with our firends and family to keep that connection. And I really hope that we will have some visitors. I hope I hope I hope!
We have already started praying for friends to be waiting for our arrival in Perth as well, people we don't know and haven't met yet, but who will be an immediate easy connection with our girls. We are praying for a like-minded family there to connect with and a church to attend and get plugged into.

Brian and I are confident that this is God's plan for our family and that he will provide everything we need to live an abundant life in Australia, including sweet friendships! 

John 10:10 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Big News

Brian informed me back in November 2014 that he might have an opportunity to be transferred to Austrailia in 2015. I was very excited about the possibility, but told myself that I wouldn't really start diving into the idea until it became more certain. I started praying that we would get the opportunity to go, and that God's will would be done.

Then, in late February, Brian told me that it looked fairly certain that the transfer would occur in June or July. But again, I was not going to get overly excited until we knew more. Brian traveled to Perth in March to meet the management team and make more solid plans about the move. When he got back to Houston, I expected him to tell me that it was absolutely going to happen and we could start telling our friends and family that we would be moving to Austrailia.

But, he didn't.

He said, "It's not certain until I get an offer." He expected the offer to come sometime that next week.

Well, the week came and went, and no offer was made. Needless to say, I was on a roller coaster of emotions. On pins and needles waiting for an answer. I was praying constantly, everytime I thought about Austrailia. I would even wake up in the middle of the night and pray. Praying for an answer, for God's will to be done, and asking for patience in the waiting. But the longer the week went on, the more doubts crept up.  By the end of the week, I told Brian I didn't even care anymore if the answer was YES or NO, I just wanted an answer.

Early into the second week, when we still did not have an answer, I was beyond frustrated. I began to pray again, and this time it was not just me talking. I heard a question: "Would you rather wait for a YES or get a NO right now?" I don't know if this was God's voice or my own voice in my head, but I want to believe it was the Holy Spirit talking to me. I responded, "I would rather wait for a YES!" Then I asked God, "Why? Why are you doing this to us? Why are you making us wait so long for an answer?" And I heard the voice respond to my question: "Amy, you have not stopped talking to me since Brian came home from Austrailia." Then I realized that I had been praying nonstop for over a week. I had felt closer to God in the previous week than I had at any point in the previous year. So I went to bed that night knowing that God was with me in the waiting, and even though it was not fun for me to wait, it was good for my faith.

The next morning I felt Peace. I felt in my heart-of-hearts that we would get a YES, and I was committed to waiting for the YES. I shared these feelings with my dear friend Pam in an email and then also with my husband. It was about 30 minutes later that Brian called me and told me that they had accepted the transfer. The answer was YES!

I told Pam that I think God just wanted me to experience His peace before giving us His answer, and she said, "God is so faithful to give us the desires of our hearts when we truly seek Him." Amen! YES!

Seagrove Beach Babes

Well, we have just returned from a wonderful week at Seagrove Beach, Florida. This was our fifth time to vacation in that area. We just love it. The water is clear, the beach is beautiful white sands, the people are friendly, and the town is quaint. This has become our family's favorite vacation spot. Last year, we decided to forego our beach trip in order to save money for our Disney trip in the fall. And I missed it! I was so happy to go back to our favorite beach spot this summer. And we totally lucked out with the weather and the clear water! We had several cloudy days and a few small rainstorms, which kept the temperatures down in the 80s. It sure was a nice break from our unbearable Houston heat!

This year, Drummer Boy's sister and her 2 kids joined us, which added to the fun. It's so much more of a vacation for the adults when the kids have friends to play with:)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Drummer Boy gettin' serious about his Sand Castle

Our favorite snowcone stand in Seaside

Snowcones!

Mom and girls in the clear Florida Gulf

Cousins in the pool

Sweet Summer Smile!

Surfer Girl 

Playing Beanie Boos at the Beach

Our favorite VRBO beach house

Pumpkin catchin' a wave on the Boogie Board

Mid-week concert in Seaside

Dinner at Bud & Alley's Taco Bar

Beautiful Florida sunset

A Most Colorful Dish

Last week in my veggie co-op, I received blue potatoes. I don't happen to have any blue potato recipes on hand, so I searched the internet and found this jewel:

Fresh Corn and Blue Potato Hash

It was perfect because I also received 6 ears of corn in my share of veggies. The only ingredients I had to buy at the store were fresh spinach and manchego cheese.

Drummer Boy and I thought it was delicious with a little added salt and pepper. Princess also liked it a lot. Pumpkin balked at the fresh spinach, but ate the corn and some of the blue potatoes.
One thing is for sure: it is the most colorful dish I have served in quite some time. I thought it looked and tasted lovely. I loved the fresh spinach and fresh corn. It felt very healthy. And if you don't have blue potatoes, you can use any small, slightly waxy potatoes.
We will definitely be making this dish again!

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago, I became a mother when this little pipsqueak was born, purple-faced and screaming. She's still just as LOUD and just as dramatic. And I still love her to pieces!

To celebrate her birthday, she invited 2 friends to join her at the American Girl Bistro. We had a nice girl's lunch and she dropped her doll, McKenna, off at the salon to get her hair done. After a little bit of shopping, we headed home. The girls played and swam together all afternoon and then we had family over for dinner. Princess requested that I make Hoppin' John (a black-eyed pea soup) for dinner, and she wanted lemon cupcakes for dessert. Of course the birthday girl's requests were honored.

It's strange to me to see her getting so big and acting so grown up in some ways, but also keeping that little girl part of her that loves to play with her American Girl doll and stuffed animals. I hope we can keep the little girl part of her close by for a while longer. I'm not ready for the pre-teen drama and sass and all that jazz!

First Christian Camp Experience

Last weekend, Pumpkin and I went to Tanglewood Christian Camp with a group from our church. We stayed one night. It was an introduction to church camp for the youngest kids, 6 and 7 year-olds. I was looking forward to getting to spend one-on-one time with Pumpkin, but I really didn't know how much fun it would be! The best part about the weekend was watching her get so excited about every part of camp.

On the way there, she continually asked me, "How many more minutes?" Once we arrived and found our bunks, she went straight to the swimming pool and diving board. She loved the diving board!!

She also loved roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, of course! And she loved the group games and the bible stories. She loved it all! 

I especially loved getting to talk with her about Jesus and tell her how special she is to him. She's so smart and sweet, and she has such a joyful heart. I think she's probably one of God's favorite people. She's one of mine, that's for sure!