and life picks up again...

we've been absolutely crazy busy since last time i blogged. everything is about to change (again) and after this, i'll be ready to settle down for quite awhile. new job, new dog, new house. goodness.

we found a great home for our psycho weimaraner at the weim rescue in louisville and got talked into a free chocolate lab puppy. we named her Marley (no relation to Bob...although they are the same color and tim's a big fan) and she's wonderful. possibly the cutest dog i've ever seen, and she's pretty laid back and enjoyable to have. we're still working on potty training, but she's a great puppy.

we are moving into another rental home, and have been doing a lot of work on it today. we deep cleaned and painted some today and there's quite a bit left to go. it's a cape cod style house on almost a full acre lot, with hardwood floors and a great big living room. i'm going to really love the yard and the quiet neighborhood. Marley already loves the yard and the rabbits that like to come by, although i'm sure they won't stay long. everything worked out with finding a renter for our current house so we could break our lease, and we're moving next week.

in the meantime, i'm in the process of moving into my new classroom as well. i'm not kidding when i say it's probably the nicest classroom i've been in...in all 5 years of field experiences and internships, i've never seen a school this nice. it's going to be great, and the staff i've met so far are wonderful. i still have a few things to come together with my Indiana teaching license, which makes me nervous so close to school starting...but God will make it happen, just like everything else up to this point!

it's all a bit overwhelming, but tim and i both agree that we're starting to feel a little more at home in the odd little town of Anderson, and we're really enjoying this ministry. we still have plenty of places we'd love to live and visit...but for now, i'm loving Indiana summers and learning about combines and corn fields.

old and married

so things are looking up, and God is faithful, always providing. also, Tim and i just passed our one year anniversary. crazy.

we finally got our stimulus check, so Tim's car has hope of being repaired, or turned in...whichever is cheaper.

Tim surprised me (well, tried to)with tickets to the Brad Paisley concert last Thursday for my birthday. Kenny & Nicole came up for dinner, and we all went to the concert together. It was a lot of fun, and one of my favorite birthdays, as simple as it was. Good friends, good music, and a cookie cake. Oh, and a JOB OFFER. The principal from the elementary school I recently interviewed with called on my birthday to offer me a first grade teaching position. The day was complete.

we're also considering moving. not states, cities, churches, etc. but to another house. when the bugs kept falling out of the ceiling, and the termites had managed to unhinge the sliding glass door, it was almost the last straw on this house. i love being renters when stuff like that happens...just have to make a phone call! don't get me wrong, we're grateful that we had it to move into, since we only had a day to look while we were here, but opportunities present themselves and we are definitely considering. we had looked at this particular house months ago, just out of curiousity, but declined, knowing that it was much too soon and more than likely out of our price range. plus, the thought of actually committing to a place was terrifying.

the house situation was long forgotten when Tim got a phone call from the owner about a week ago. he was curious if we were still interested in buying the house, and if not..maybe renting? our ears perked up for sure, and we just chuckled that it was "so weird" that he called us out of the blue months later....but on the same week i finally landed a teaching job...and the same week we had both finally felt at home at BCC. weird?

i sat in the driveway of this possible house (don't worry, no one lives there) on Sunday afternoon, unbeknownst to Tim...praying that if God wanted us to plant seeds in the Anderson community and start to grow roots, that we needed a clear sign. i didn't want to just try and justify a great house for all its perks when it could clearly be a major financial mistake. and yes, i can usually convince myself of almost anything.

not even an hour later, Tim started a conversation about random things he'd been thinking since having a great day at church that morning, finally feeling at home, and finally seeing relationships with kids being established. it was one of those conversations where you take turns saying, "Yeah! Me too!"

once again, we fight the blurred vision that we have as fallen people and try to clear up how to know between God's plan and just odd coincidence. how to be wise and a person of faith at the same time.

huh.

God?