Big Changes A'Comin'

This past week has been pretty mundane..... on the outside at least. We did our small group.  We did work.  We played.  We got our pictures taken by a professional which didn't go as smoothly as the "dress rehearsal" but was ok. We did school. I guess Lyla is liking that I take pictures of their work from time to time because when I looked at my pics on my phone I found about 15 pictures of her magnet words that were all off-center and fuzzy.  This is the one good one.
We also got to eat Oreos because we scraped off the cream carefully to make an edible moon phases chart. 



Then Gwyn was able to have a birthday playdate on Saturday.  I purposefully called it a playdate instead of a party because originally we had said that her trip to California was her present and we weren't having a party or anything else that required additional funds on top of the trip.  Then she was a little sad that she's not at school with her Bottenfield friends and wouldn't get to celebrate with them at all.  So I compromised.  "Ok - you can have a playdate for 5-6 friends.  I will not be organizing any activities, crafts, or anything like that.  And no goodie bags.  I will make cupcakes, but that's it."  So that's what we did and I must say it was the easiest birthday "party" we've ever had.  She invited a few friends from Bottenfield and two homeschool friends and they just played and giggled and had a good time.  It was nice to not be stressed out and worried about it too.  Jason and I were busy cleaning out the garage for most of the time people were here.  Every now and then I'd come in and take pictures or get them something, but really all they did was play. 

Mundane aside, Jason and I were crazy anxious pretty much all week.  Jason recently was approached and went to interview for a game studio in Maryland called Firaxis.  We were told he was most probably going to get offered a job there, but we didn't want to count our chicks before they hatched and were trying not to make "plans" until we had it in writing.  So we had to wait for that, and wait, and wait.  We were worrying and fretting while trying not to think too hard about it all.  Then Wed. he got it in writing and accepted.  So we are heading off to Maryland in the near future.  Jason has to be there to start work Oct. 1st, but the girls and I are less certain when we'll be going.  Now we have a house to sell.  Not to mention going out there to find an apartment to live in.  I also have a lot of loose ends to tie up.  We just started doing a marriage curriculum with our small group.  I think this is actually another time that God just had wonderful timing.  What better time for Jason and I to be focused on our marriage than a time when we can anticipate it will be stressful and have periods of time apart.  So I hope I get to finish that material with the group.  Then we were in the process of planning out our girl scout year.  What will happen with that I do not know.  I just keep telling myself that if things are important to people that they will step up.  And if they're not important enough, then let it go.  Another cool God-timing thing is the homeschooling.  Even though the homeschooling laws in Maryland (and Pennsylvania) require more oversight than here, I still think this is best for the girls.  We didn't know we were going to move, but now I don't have to take the girls out of a school here, into and out of a school wherever we rent, and then into wherever we buy (Lord willing and the creek don't rise).  So we can re-adjust and find a community that we feel like we can be a apart of and then worry about a school down the road.  So big changes are a'comin' for us.  It is an exciting time, but a bitter sweet one too.  We'll be even farther away from all our family than we are here.  We've made some really good friends here that we all will hate to be far away from.  We love our house and our yard.(If you're looking for a house right now you might love it too!)   We're in a groove.  We're comfortable here.  But life isn't promised to be comfortable.  And how can we really grow and pursue God's will if we settle for comfortable?  I'm certainly not advocating discomfort for discomfort's sake.  I'm just looking forward to what God is going to do with us in Maryland.  We are certainly going to be purging and downsizing to live in a 2 bedroom apt. for a while.  But after reading David Platt's Radical, we finally get to do something radical!  We get to let God show us what is important instead of the fog of "stuff" that we accumulate and the busy-ness that clouds our judgement at times.  So if you pray - Pray for us please.  That God would use this to sharpen us and use us in Maryland and in the meantime her as we get ready to go.  That our girls would be safe and protected.  That Jason and I would meet each other's needs and build each other up.  That we would trust God, who is so faithful.  And that we would be faithful and not let fear cause us strife.  Moving is hard, even when it's exciting.  We've done it before, but we've been in C-U for longer than anywhere else as a family and roots do form.  And a peripheral question - Which state do we vote in?  :)