Meeting the neighbors Part 2

Yesterday was a big day in the life of our new house. We went out and saw the forms have been laid for the foundation, and we met our next door neighbors. The neighbors are Kent and Julia, and daughters Tina (7) and Valerie (4 months). Julia has a heavy accent, but I couldn't determine of what origin. They didn't chat long, as the baby was fussy, but Jonas, Carleigh and Tina hit it off in a matter of seconds! They said they hoped the house would done on time, as they need to have Tina in school. Julia doesn't drive. So- she and I may see a lot of each other, as we are both at home all day, and Tina and Jonas will go to school together.

The backyard is as small as we expected, and the front is as big as we hoped. On our way home Craig and I agreed that we would need to do something with the fence as it will be our only scenery from our bathroom window and one of the kids' windows, as well as the back porch. I then got excited thinking about the vines we could grow, or the hanging baskets that lay flush with the fence we could set up. There won't be room for any trees, but that makes mowing easier, anyway! As I said before, it will be perfect for a slip n slide!

Breaking up is hard to do

While I knew this was coming, it still hurts. Cameron has announced this first "break up" of our table group. Two families will be leaving our current table and joining with another family to create a new table. This is great news, because it means that we are growing. This is sad news because I will miss seeing these people as often as I have been. I know in the long term vision of The Springs, this will happen again. Eventually, we want table groups to be pedestrian friendly. I can hardly wait for that day! With Cameron's blessing Craig and I will open the doors to our new house to a new table group as soon as possible. And I pray that each participant will have walked to get there. But in saying that, I know that means that none of the current members of our table will be there. This is a good thing, really. I just have to pout for my own selfish loss a few minutes...

A plan much bigger than I could have dreamt of

Craig and I were talking about our move to the Bay Area last night and I began remembering details that I had not thought of in a while. And while it is fresh on my mind, I want to jot down as many of the amazing things that happened to bring us here. In case you didn't know, we were living in Arlington, Texas up until January of 2007.

• In September of 2006, Craig was fired from his job. I had been a stay-at-home mom for the 18 months prior to that, but immediately went back to work when this happened. I was able to get a job with the company for whom I had worked up until Carleigh's birth, Citi. I retained all my previous time in service and benefits!


• In October, Craig went in to business with another chiropractor and opened an office in Mansfield.


• In the summer of 2007, Craig wasn't bringing home much money at all. But because of a convicting story we had heard from another Christian, we committed to begin tithing regularly, no matter what.


• In September 2007, he took a second job unloading freight at Kohl's department store. We shared our struggle with our Home Group, and because of their generosity we never missed a single bill or meal.


• By October 2007, Craig's partner asked him to step out of the business because they couldn't support two doctors on the income they were bringing in, and Josh had bought in the majority of the expenses. We were heart broken. Owning his own clinic had been Craig's dream, and we thought God has smiled on our venture with a fellow Christian.


• At the end of October, we attended a Financial Peace University lecture our pastor was giving at Pantego Bible Church. I couldn't make it through a single lesson without crying. It was all very raw for me. At the end of one of the sessions, I left crying without talking to anyone around me. Our friend Will Walsh caught me outside and asked what was going on. I broke down and shared the anger I felt that Ron was preaching about the "overflowing" that would come from tithing, and here we were with Craig having no job. Ron wasn't preaching the prosperity "gospel" by any means, but he was saying only good could come from being faithful to God. I felt that the opposite was happening in our case, and I was so angry. Will didn't offer anything other than "That has to suck". He was sympathetic, and that was all I needed right then.


• During the next week, Craig sent out resumes to offices in DFW, the major metroplexes in Texas, and even in Nebraska where he is from. We heard from only 2 offices- one in Mesquite and one in Pearland. The one in Mesquite sounded perfect, and the Pearland one sounded ok. They both wanted to interview Craig on October 31st, so he scheduled the Mesquite interview for lunch time, and the Pearland interview for after 6:00 PM. We saw Will again on Sunday and updated him on the status of Craig's job search. During the conversation, we found out Will's uncle is the city manager of Pearland! Small world, right? Also, we mentioned that the Mesquite job sounded so good, we may not even bother making the drive to Houston- we didn't even have the gas money it would take to do so. After church, Will caught us again and handed us $100 for gas money and said "I don't think you should close any doors that God has opened. Let Him do that." Wise man, that William Walsh!


• I took the day off, we loaded up the kids, and we went to Mesquite. The kids and I drove around to kill time while Craig had his interview. When he came out he was excited, because the owner had practically said Craig could have the position and start as early as the next Monday. He would call Craig in the next few days to iron out the details. We sat in the car and again thought about not going to Houston. But I was reminded of Will's advice, so we headed south.


• It was Halloween and Craig went to his interview in Pearland while the kids and I trick-or-treated with Sara and John Sanders. They loved the idea of us moving to Houston, but I kept telling Sara how awesome the Mesquite job had sounded. I remember walking through her neighborhood that night, sweat dripping off my face because of the lovely Houston humidity, thinking "I don't think God would make us come here."


• Craig made it back from the interview and all he could say was "It seems great, too." Huh. Didn't expect that. Our drive back to Arlington the next day was spent talking about the pros and cons of both options, the entire time expecting the Mesquite office to call and seal the deal. Instead, halfway to Dallas, Craig's phone rings and it's the Pearland office. Can he start on Monday? Shocked, Craig said he'd have to call him the next day. We honestly thought we'd weigh the two offers and choose the better one.


• We get home that evening and there is a message from our Children's pastor, Keith Smith. He had hurt his back and was looking for Craig as a chiropractor. I called Keith back and let him know Craig was no longer in practice in DFW, but I would recommend someone for him. Keith asked why, and I explained we might be leaving the area for a small town outside Houston. Oh really, where? asks Keith. Pearland, I answer. Well, you know that is where we moved from last year, right? NO! We began a dialogue about the area, churches, schools, etc.


• By 5:00 the next day, no one had called from Mesquite. And Craig had called and left a message for them. The Pearland office wanted an answer by 6:00, so Craig went ahead and called and accepted. We assumed he could always call and back out if the Mesquite deal came through before Monday.


• Craig called and left no less than 5 messages for the Mesquite office over the next few days. But on Sunday, with no contact with them and a paying job waiting in Pearland, Craig loaded up his truck and drove to the Sanders' house. He would stay with them and drive the 40+ miles to Pearland each day.


• I was in school and working full time, and my parents were worried about me having the kids by myself while I finished up the semester, so by the end of Monday, my mom was at my house ready to take my kids home with her for the next 5 weeks.


• That next week was a blur. I got the house ready and listed on the market with a realtor friend who was from church. We listed it above the price our realtor recommended because I had dreamt of a certain number and felt convinced that was what we needed to ask. We sent out a mass e-mail to everyone we know in Texas asking if anyone knew of anyone who lived in Pearland and might be willing to put Craig up until January. We had no extra money, and we hinted that the cheaper the better, and free would be best. The 80+ miles a day on Craig's truck was expensive and long!


• In the conversations with Keith Smith about Pearland, he had mentioned a church he knew of in the area, but had not been to himself, called Gateway Community Church. Craig and I prayed that we could find a church similar to our beloved Pantego Bible Church- focused on people and community more than the church building and programs. I sent an e-mail to the pastor of Gateway, Randy, because I saw their website listed the same 30 Core Competencies that Pantego used, and they had a study guide that looked like the Scrolls we had used. I mentioned we were coming from PBC and we wanted something like it. Randy wrote back and said he would love to have us there, but really wanted to introduce us to two men on his staff that would be starting a new church based on PBC- Brad Gartman and Cameron Simmons.


• The time frame of the next few things is blurry, but isn't as important as the fact that they happened at all! We were connected to the aunt of a family friend who lived alone in Friendswood, and had a room Craig could use, for free! Julie let a man she had never met before live with her in her town home based solely on the character reference of her nephew's wife. Ashley and I grew up together, as did our fathers, so I think that is saying a lot for how Julie feels about her nephew, Andy, and his wife Ashley. What an amazing blessing! Craig was able to reduce his commute to less than 5 miles each way and stay in a safe, very comfortable home, for only his share of the utilities for a little over 7 weeks.
• Somewhere in that time, Cameron and Brad met Craig for lunch. We discovered that Brad had been on staff at Pantego! They laid out the plan they had for the Church at the Springs and before lunch was over Craig told them to count us in. I'm not sure how much more God could have answered that prayer!
• Nine days after we listed our house for sale, we got an offer. Vickie, our realtor, sat me down and showed me the details. It was 6k lower than our asking price. You could see Vickie's expression say "I told you so". So I told her that we had to counter with our original asking price, and we'd throw in the play scape in the backyard. She said "they won't accept this, but I'll do it just to show you. We'll come down next time." Three hours later she called me and started the conversation with "I owe you an apology." They had accepted the counter offer! This was a family in California, and they hadn't even stepped foot in our house. They saw the pictures on-line and sent their realtor to look at it. It was exactly what they wanted. AND they wanted to close the weekend before the next semester started at UNT. We couldn't have asked for a better closing date!
• I asked Cyndi and Clint Rains if I could stay with them during the Spring semester. I was slightly hurt when they said no. I really thought that would be the best case scenario. I then contacted friends who live in Denton, Greg and Sarah Kemper, and point blank asked if I could stay with them until I finished school in May. They have a huge house and have been good friends to us. They said yes, and only asked me to pay my share of utilities! Amazing!
• Craig secured an apartment for him and the kids and we planned to close on our house, load the U-Haul, and move in to our apartment in Friendswood the same weekend. Other than a couple of snags, we made it. I helped move Craig, Jonas and Carleigh in to an apartment on my 33rd birthday. The next day I drove back to Denton to start my last semester of school.
• While I glossed over it, it is no small feat that my husband didn't even hesitate when he found out he would have to be a full-time daddy in order for me to finish my master's degree. NOT ONCE did he indicate or hint that it would be too much for him to handle. So for the next four months, I saw my family every other weekend and worked and went to school in between visits.
• I was still employed with Citi in Irving, and wasn't sure what I should do about getting a job in Houston. I enrolled in the alternative certification program for Clear Creek ISD, and naively marched in to a job fair that April. Me and 2500 other applicants. Talk about God slamming a door shut! I was so overwhelmed and quickly realized that I was not in the right place that I left less than 30 minutes after showing up. I left my resume, but not surprisingly never heard from them.
• I approached my boss and asked if she thought I could keep my job and work remotely full time from home in Houston. She said she would take it to the powers that made such decisions, and I would know before I planned to move in May. God taught me a big lesson in patience on that one, as it was the last day I planned to work in Irving before I found out that my request was approved!

I know I'm missing other little things along the way. And I know I spent way too much time on this entry. But I don't ever want to forget the miracle(s) God worked in our lives in the past two years. I want someplace to come back to and see the faithfullness of God, especially when I think He isn't. And maybe someone else will read this and be encouraged, inspired, or blessed.

Big bummer (little yard) and strawberry fields

On a whim I stopped by the builder's office today to see if they happened to have the official plot lines for our land yet. They did. The front yard is going to be nice and big, but the back, well, not so much. It is a great width- 69 feet. But it's only going to be 10 feet deep. That's crazy! So it will be big enough for a slip n slide, and that's it. If it weren't for the fact that it starts at the end of our covered porch I would say "no deal" right now and walk away. Our porch, which is included, is 17x13 and fully covered. So we don't have to find room in that 10 feet for furniture and a bbq pit. And we weren't planning on getting a trampoline or playscape anyway. And our house is on a cul de sac, so the kids will be in the front yard most of the time. I don't know. I'm not fully convinced either way yet. We'll see...
Trying to wear the kids out and keep them busy while spending little or no money, we headed to Alvin this afternoon. Froberg's Farm is a great farmer's market sort of place on several acres on which they rotate crops. Right now there are strawberries! So the kids and I went and picked our own strawberries. It was a beautiful day, and the kids really got in to the idea of "harvesting" their own food. I see this becoming a spring tradition!

Weekend-ing

I'll start with the good stuff... I lost 2 pounds this week! Woo hoo! I am now 9 pounds from my goal. So how did I reward myself this morning after stepping off the scale? With 3 cinnamon rolls, of course. =(
So it's off to the gym this morning to work off that sugar and all those empty (but oh so yummy) carbs. Lunch will have to be lean protein and veggies. Good thing I like those things.

Craig is somewhere between Houston and La Grange right now. They have been on their bikes for about 2 hours. It looks like they will have fantastic weather for the entire ride. I hope he has a good time, and enjoys his time away from us. I mean that in the best way, of course! We all need down time. I was going to take the kids and meet Craig at the finish point in Austin on Sunday, but then I found out the finish point is at UT. Are they crazy? 13K riders, and their families, downtown Austin, which is already a hard part of town to traverse. So I opted out and told Craig he can ride the bus home with his buddies. Besides, it cost $25 for the bus ride. It would have cost me well over a tank of gas ($40) to get to Austin and back. Craig gets a few more hours to himself, we save money, it's all good.

We went to the gym in League City yesterday and I drove past our home site on the way. They've started leveling the land next to our lot, so you can actually see our southern lot line! Very exciting! I plan to pop over there often as the building progresses, and maybe even start to meet some of our future neighbors (as they are out there watching their homes go up). What an exciting time for all of us! The kids are going to love this process!