Stats Suck Sunday

Sorry I haven't posted lately. We have been incredibly busy these past 2 weeks. Amanda came home for 1 1/2 days to sort through things. Brought and empty suitcase & then took a carry-on from us. Both crammed full of clothes & other belongings. Her other request was to take pictures in front of her house. So we did. We have the most wonderful neighbors. Both retirees. Husband loves photography. He's pretty darn good. He has taken probably half our Christmas card pics over the 20 years in our home. On to bullet points.

• Packers come on Wednesday. Estimated 2 days to pack.
• Movers come Friday to load our belongings and the Tahoe. The Tahoe will be full of plants! Can't leave those! Some are going to good homes.
• Not looking forward to the 1700 mile ride. The scenery, yes. Doing it in 2 days, not so much.
• Downsizing is hard! All the closets are empty, except for our bedroom & the coat closet.
• Garage sale was Thursday & Friday. We had an amazing turn-out. Even on Thursday (not a traditional day). Made our travel money.
• Renting a storage unit tomorrow. Haven't found a babysitter for the piano, yet. The dining room stays here. We are moving into a 3 BR duplex. 1500 sq ft (from 2300). Don't want to sell the DR set.
  
• Am going to my last Amarillo NA mtg today. It's getting hard to say good-bye.
  
• My home group took me to lunch Friday. It was great! 9 of us. I have pics, but someone (me) accidentally threw away the cord from the camera that had the USB on it. It has a memory stick that works on the laptop, but am not on it! Both my sponsors were there (my 1st relapsed, but is still a great woman in recovery).
  
• A friend who moved a few months ago was in town & came, too. Then he paid for everyones lunch! I knew there was a reason I missed him!
• Yesterday was Unity Day. There is an NA World convention every 2 years. This year it was in Barcelona, Spain. Unity Day has been going on since 1993. It is where you can hook into the last night's meeting & speakers. We did that yesterday! It was unbelievable to listen to the readings in 8 different languages! There were over 100 hook-ups! From India to Australia. From Hawaii to Iran. From Egypt to Washington. From El Paso to Guatemala. Amazing. Simply amazing.
  
• Keep us in prayer. We are tired & sore. But, we keep on keepin' on.
  
• Ted starts work in 10 days! Yeah!
  

OK, I'm tired of typing & have a lot to do. Not sure when I'll post again. I'll try with the laptop if I can find wi-fi in our travels. Love you guys! This pic says it all. Can you see the tear drops on my post.

Stats Suck Sunday, a little different today

This is a picture of the MercyMe guys last November in Amarillo. One of the earlier trial & error shows getting ready to stream the RAWRS live from a new venue every night. Lots of artists have streamed live before, but not every night from a new spot. With new adventures every day. It started me on a great adventure! Blogging, a facebook page, twitter, and friends from all around the world. Coming together as the Body of Christ. I am so grateful for this one night! Someone wrote recently reminding me that there really is no luck or coincidence in life. It's always, always God. Today's meeting was on gratitude without attitude. The guys above went through such a tragedy yesterday in Ft Wayne, In. I praise God none of them were injured. Where is the gratitude in 2 people in the other vehicle dying & the 35 week old fetus of the driver, who remains in critical condition? These seasons don't always make sense. God doesn't answer us in our time! As I type this iTunes shuffle is playing dc*b's "Never Let Go". Oh, my, goodness! "When clouds brought rain and disaster came". He is there. "ever faithful, ever true". Why can't we be like that. I seem to strive for that and I can do better. Gratitude without attitude.
I have been so melancholy the past few days with the final decision to move to Quincy, Wa. 1600 miles from my home of 27 years. Over half my life! I haven't stopped to say thank-you. And mean it. There is so much to do! 20 years in the same house! Ted & I are organizing our days. What room or closet to tackle when. What to take (we will be downsizing for now), what to store, what to store for Amanda, and what to give to various charities. Downtown Women's Center. Habitat's ReStore. Salvation Army. Sell the house or rent.
Guess I got off-track today with no bullet points! Way off! Started off with the guys above & rambled my way into moving! I can honestly say I am not excited about what the next 3 weeks hold, but I'm getting better. New friends waiting for me to meet. New NA groups. New places to explore. I've already checked the fall concerts out for Washington, N. Oregon, and N Idaho. Maybe meet up with those wonderful peeps from W Wendover, NV in Boise. In November. God is good to me. He has set me up with all kinds of survival tools for those first few days & weeks.
My biggest obstacle now is to find some serenity at leaving my baby! She will be 23 in a month & I will be another 1600 miles further away from her! I know she is "on her own", but it's hard. I don't remember being this melancholy when she went to Germany for a summer! Or when she went to college. Keep me in your prayers. I know they are already working on my heart & my head. So they get on the same page. Love you guys! :)

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Positive Post Tuesday

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." 1 Cor 16:1

Jeremy Camp tweeted this verse earlier this evening. In fact, it seems that God put several references to faith in my life today. From my NA meeting at noon to tweets all afternoon. Bible verses. Quotes. All directed at me! Someone's blog the other day reminded me that there is no luck, no fate, no coincidences in life. They are all God-directed pieces to the puzzle of our life. The pieces fit together so much better when we stop & listen to what God must be screaming at us! "That piece doesn't go there! Listen to me! It would fit perfect there if you would just take a step back & look at the direction I'm pointing you in!" I can imagine how many times God shakes His head in frustration at all of us trying to put the puzzle together OUR way.
Back to the faith thing. The above picture is part of the front of my home of 20 years. The yard my husband takes such care with. 20 years of memories. 20 years of stuff. Our lives are getting ready to change dramatically. Whether it is a move to Washington in roughly 3 weeks, or staying in Texas, but another part of the state. I'm having a tough time! I trust God, but I don't! I have faith that God is in control, but I just want to tweak His control just a teeny tiny bit! My sweet sister-in-law reminded me the other day that, yes, one door had closed, and that God would open another, but I couldn't just go barging in through a door I open. I have to wait on God's timing. But, I want the answer now. In bright neon lights so I don't miss it! And she also reminded me of Proverbs 3:5-6: Remember that God's plan is always, yes always, better than anything we can dream or imagine!
It doesn't matter where our decisions take us. #1 I know God will be there. All the way. #2 We have each other. #3 I know Amanda is a great woman of faith & that no matter where I am, God is always watching over her. Wonderful, I just made myself cry! Doggone it! This is one of the hardest things I've dealt with in a long time. I think it may even be harder than getting clean. Oh, and #4 Recovery is available wherever I go.
I'm scared, but with all the positive reinforcement from so many friends, I can & will survive! No matter what.

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Stats Suck Sunday

Today marks my niece's 1 year anniversary! They are busy moving into a new town & house. She is a basketball coach & now will be teaching 5th grade math. They are so cute! Say hello to Cody & Nicole Chapman. Now for the rest in bullets.

• We drove to my brother's last Friday to borrow his pick-up so we could move Amanda's stuff that was put in storage in Waco after graduation. She moved into her new apartment on Saturday. Went well, but it was oh so hot & humid! She is all settled. And in her own bed again!
• She has made great friends already. Met 3 of them last weekend. Didn't stay for church Sunday since we needed to return pick-up to my brother.
• On the ride down to my brother's we decided not to take the job in Washington. I would expand my search to include most of Texas, then Ted find a job second. It is such a hassle to reciprocate my license. Plus about $1000 non-refundable cash before I even know if they will accept me with my license on probation. They still want us to come, so they called licensing people & had them call me. Still a lot of "what ifs".
• I have a phone interview with Target for a job in the Dallas area on Tuesday morning. Also, hopefully with Kroger for the same area.
• I hate being in the not-knowing. I know this a test of surrender & faith. It's still hard. Same community for 25+ years. Same house for 20. Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant, and Bebo Norman here on November 7th.
  
• Am filling in for a friend who is a pharmacist at a rehab hospital here. Thursday & Friday. A little different that what I'm used to,but excited all the same. Dealing with Drs & nurse's vs customers. I've done that, but it's been about 10 years. Pray!
• Working will mess with my unemployment, so pray for a rapid paper trail. Thankfully, my unemployment was extended under the Emergency stimulus stuff. Obama's not all bad. It's a morsel compared to our normal income, but it's been such a blessing.
  

That's long enough. Got to get back into step-work on this lazy afternoon. Or maybe another chapter of "Crazy Love". Francis Chan writes from the Spirit within. He makes the hard stuff easier. I read a sentence or two & it's like "duh! I knew that!". Will keep you all updated.

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