Two months in!

We are continuing to feel more and more comfortable in Des Moines. Nothing too new or exciting going on here, but we’re definitely adjusting and finding our routine. We’ve starting having fun with some of the new people we've met and getting involved in our church. I’m already feeling pretty familiar and comfortable with my job. Not only is it, of course, fantastic working part time, but I’ve been getting to know the kids I’m working with, which makes things a lot easier and more fun. I get to do all kinds of little games and projects with them, which I think is a blast. And these sweet kids struggle with so many things that come easy to most other kids their age, so I find myself determined to help them learn and grow and accomplish their goals. Andy’s been doing a little traveling for work lately, right now he’s in Chicago for a few days, and last week he was fortunate to be able to travel back to Wisconsin. I’m a little jealous he got to spend time with family and friends, and even meet our friends’ new little baby, but we will be back soon enough. We’ve got a week off after Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait to see everyone again!

Yesterday was a big day for us, we woke up early and ran the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure, and then voted. We were happy to get voting done with since we weren’t sure how smooth things would go with needing re-register and all. But we’re so blessed in this country to have a right to a voice and opinion through our vote, so we would happily and eagerly do what it takes to make our vote count. And then probably most exciting for us, we finally got out couch delivered yesterday! I hope it will be a long time before I have to sit on a camping chair again! I know it’s just a couch, not THAT exciting, but when you haven’t sat on a couch in almost 2 months, trust me, it is that exciting. It’s amazing the things you take for granted, huh? We had a fun movie night and got sushi takeout spent the evening relaxing.

Oscar’s been doing great with adjusting to his new home! We have so much fun with him and he is just so funny and sweet and snuggly. He is such an easy dog to have, really does not cause any trouble other than a few minor accidents. He does much better with being left alone, still a little whining, but this has gotten much better and I think he’s realizing that we always do come back.

I’ve been feeling very blessed with this change. It has not been easy, but Andy and I have had much needed downtime together, just the two of us. Life gets crazy, and this has given us a chance to just relax and have fun together and enjoy each others company.

Welcome Oscar!

Seems like a lot happens in a short amount of time lately. We’re still working on settling into our new home and city. I started working at my new job last week. I work for Child Serve, an organization that has programs for children with serious health conditions. The specific program that I work for is a day health program, which is similar to a day-care/after school program except it’s for kids who’s health keep them from participating in regular school or day care. I work in a classroom for middle/high school kids, help them work on their individual goals as well as activities, playing, feeding, just generally taking care of them. They’re such neat kids. I’m still very new and have a lot to learn, but they’re a lot of fun.

We’ve also decided on a church that we plan to attend and get involved in. What we like most is that it was very welcoming and has lots of opportunities to get involved and meet people. They have groups based on "life stages" like the church we attended in Neenah, so we’re thankful for an answer to prayers.

And, we adopted a dog! His name is Oscar, he’s around 2 years old, and he is a rescue dog. The shelter workers thought he was a cocker spaniel/poodle mix, but after looking at pictures and learning about different breeds, we think he seems more like a schnauzer/poodle (or a schnoodle!). However neither breed explains his adorable curly pig tail, so he really is a mix!

He is literally the cuddliest, friendliest dog I have ever met. The minute we sit down, there he is making himself right at home on our laps.  That’s his favorite place to nap as well (he’s napping in my lap as I type this).

(typical....)

(drying off after his bath)

(helping me make the bed)

His second favorite thing besides human contact is anything soft to lie on. I swear he can sense there is a blanket on the ground from a different room and makes a beeline for it. All together he’s just so sweet and has perfected the puppy dog eyes that melt us.

His adoration for human contact and attention definitely has its downside. He was found by animal control as a stray with another friend-dog. They brought them to a pound, then the shelter, then a foster home, then his friend was adopted and moved out, and then he moved in with us. Needless to say he’s had a lot of transitions in just a matter of weeks. He does not let us out of his sight. When we first brought him home he didn’t even want to eat or drink because that would involve not being able to see us for a few seconds. Now he doesn’t have a problem eating, and is slowly doing better when we take a shower or go to the bathroom, although he still follows me around the apartment everywhere I go. He still hates being left alone, and will cry and whine loudly when we leave him to go to work or the store. He also does not really play yet, and does not like treats (though he does like hot dogs). We’re told this should all continue to improve as he gets used to his new home and family, but it will take him awhile to really feel secure and believe that we won’t leave him. He's not one for mischief, no chewing or destroying or really barking at all. He does need work on his house training, but this hasn’t been much of a problem yet, we’ve been able to keep on top of it. He doesn't shed much at all, which is great. When they found him, his hair was so long and matted down that they had to cut him very short. Here's a picture the shelter took before they shaved him, he looks like a totally different dog!

So he’s got some challenges but he is so sweet and just loves to be near us, and it’s so fun to watch him get more and more comfortable and improve each day. We also happen to think he’s just the cutest and gives us hilarious looks and makes us laugh constantly. He’s great company, and we’re so happy to have this new family member of ours!

Settling In

Well, we are finally in our new home with all our stuff! It feels really good to actually be at a permanent residence after being a bit of a nomad for a few weeks. We stayed at a hotel in Des Moines last week for a couple of days until the movers arrived Friday afternoon and got all of our stuff PILED in the apartment (they did not seem to appreciate that our apartment is on the third floor with no elevator…). We got right to work unpacking and it’s starting to feel like home. Still a long way to go with unpacking/organizing/wandering around our small apartment hoping a new place to put things magically appears…

 

  In between the moving/unpacking we’ve been getting more familiar with our new city. We already feel like we have a pretty good handle on getting around and knowing where everything is that we need to find. I am continually amazed by how incredibly easy it is to get around Des Moines and how well the traffic moves. It’s as if the highways and streets are actually designed to hold the flow of traffic! 

We’ve gone out to a couple of restaurants, including watching the Packers beat the Bears at a really neat sports bar downtown, which, of course, was a blast. It was quite odd to watch the Packer game in a public place where not EVERYONE was cheering passionately for the Packers. We woke up early on Saturday and got out to the farmers market here, which is incredible! It’s so big and has really great farmers and food. We came home with a ton a vegetables, as well as our first whole roasting chicken, which was an adventure to figure out how to, um, clean, and roast. But it turned out delicious! We visited a church nearby on Sunday, which seems pretty great. We have one or two more we want to check out, and are just praying that God has a home church prepared for us to be a part of while in Des Moines. 

 

 Another small challenge is that we decided before moving here to buy a couch, so we did not bring much for furniture along with us. It was very exciting to order our first couch this weekend! However it takes 6 weeks to come in…which leaves us lounging on camping chairs in our living room for the next month and a half. :)

So all and all, we’re starting to feel pretty comfortable here. We are missing our friends and family and home dearly, but God has really given us a sense of contentment. We truly do feel blessed by His provision and care and concern for us. We’re constantly reminded that this is all a part of His great plan for our lives, and take joy in that realization. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!

(Gradually) On our way to Iowa

Ok, I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon. I’ve never really wanted to do this in the past, mostly because I never felt like I had much to say that people would care to read. But now I realize that I love reading my friends’ blogs, I like hearing about what’s going on in their lives and what’s been on their minds. It’s another useful tool for keeping updated on others lives. So now with us moving and all, I figured, why not? 

So just a little update, we are moving six hours southwest to Des Moines for Andy’s job for 2 years. He’s still working for the same company, just taking on a project that the company needs someone to head up. So we committed to picking up our lives and moving to Iowa. We have visited Iowa twice this summer, and that is the only two times I ever remember being in Iowa, so we are moving in to unfamiliar territory. However we have spent hours praying about this and really have peace and assurance that this is what the Lord has in mind for us for the next few years. Right now we're playing a waiting game as the movers picked up our stuff last week, and it looks like it will not be arriving at our new home until next week.

I’ve been feeling lots of mixed emotions lately, and they can change a lot from day to day (minute to minute!). We have been so blessed throughout this process, everything has really fell in to place so far, another testament to God’s provision and care for us. We are very grateful that some dear friends have moved into our house for the next few years to take care of it. So Andy and I are looking forward to less packed schedules for awhile, less yard/housework (we will be renting an apartment), and looking forward to some time just to be together. However I am going to miss all my friends and family so much. And of course, any sort of major life upheaval is unfamiliar and scary!

Those who know me know I am a natural born worrier. I’ve been surprisingly calm about the logistics and craziness of the move, especially since there seems to be so much we don’t know. However, I have so many fears and worries. Will we be able to meet people? Will I be able to find a job that fits our needs? Will we find a church with a community that we can really grow in? What will we all miss as we’re gone for these few years? Will we be able to just pick right back up where we’ve left off when we get back? And the list goes on. 

Thankfully I serve a wonderful God and have the most supportive and encouraging husband. I have been really learning lessons in trusting the Lord and really letting go of control. I know in my head that He knows the plans He has for us, but so often I try to hold on to a little bit of control just in case He doesn’t quite have things worked out. But this does no good except to cause me anxiety. So God is working on my heart to let go, enjoy His peace, and believe that He is worthy of my trust and has plans for me that are far better than I could ever have for myself. 

Something that has really comforted me lately is God's promises that His plan and timing are perfect.  

"There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The line that has really stuck out to me is "a time to search and a time to give up." There is so much that we will be searching for (church, job, friends, everything!) and so much to give up. But this is what God has called us to do at this time in our lives; it is not a time for comfort and ease and familiarity. And that is okay. Truthfully, unless God yanks me out of my comfort zone, I rarely give anything up on my own, so I'm glad that He knows what I need better than I do. 

So friends, thanks for reading. Let's hope I have the commitment to keep this blog somewhat updated! Please continue to pray for us throughout this transition.