Moving.

I've been having a hard time coming up with a post to describe my feelings about our upcoming move. I've shared it on Facebook and made references here, but haven't talked much about this new journey for our family.

Last week, Steven accepted a wonderful job offer in another city. It's really an amazing opportunity for him and one that we just couldn't pass up. The problem is that we thought we were here for good, settled for life. The great thing is that God knows just what our family needs and he's answering specific prayers and dreams, although not in the way we'd expected.

We'll have a bit of time to transition to our new town. He'll be training in Houston for awhile, and we'll try to get through the MRI and possible open heart surgery for Steven Joseph this fall. So it could be October or November, or even later, before we actually make the move. We're hoping to make a few more visits in the next month or two, as we explore the city and try to find an area where we'd like to live.

It all seems very surreal. It is the one city in Texas where we literally knew no one and had no familiarity with the area. But it's a city with a great Catholic culture and is very close to our favorite place...THE BEACH! We've now been able to visit the parish where we'll likely be members, and we met many of the homeschooling families after Mass last weekend. So I feel like we have a "home base" and have a little more knowledge of the area.

The girls are upset about leaving family, friends, their house, their homeschool group, and especially their dance school. They fluctuate between saying they are never moving away, to negotiating about the things they want in a new house or about the exact time frame of moving (demanding it be after a birthday or after their May recital).

It's going to be a busy few months. Along with preparing for the surgery and the move, we'll also start our new school year and several new activities this year. They'll continue ballet for the time we're here, and we'll try to soak up all the blessings of having family and amazing friends close by. From the wonderful grocery store nearby, to the chicken finger restaurant down the street, to our pool within walking distance, and our lovely parish downtown, we are really going to miss living here.

BUT...although it's an unknown territory we're going to experience, I know that God has our family's best interests in mind. I can foresee weekly beach adventures, a wonderful small parish community, close-by museums, and opportunities to participate in the Nutcracker and other ballets. I envision more time with Daddy and less stress about finances. I imagine a time of growth in our family, better organization and scheduling, and a slower life pace. I am thrilled about purging some of our belongings and having less "stuff" to worry about. And it'll probably be good to have this big distraction as we're facing the scary surgery.

It's going to be a great adventure. 2012 will start a new page in our family journal and I can't wait to look back and see how God blesses us through this experience. Thanks for following us along the way, and please pray that we will find God's peace in the midst of it!