Birthdays and Big Decisions...

Well,friends, I turned a year older last week. I promised myself growing up that i would not be one of THOSE people not telling my age and always fretting about getting older, but I must say, i am tempted not to post the number! But, since my momma put up a birthday post and mentioned the year, i guess i am obliged to share before you start counting on your fingers: I am the ripe old age of 2-6!

We have had alot of big decisions on the table lately and birthday kinda took a back seat to it all this year. Joe has been offered a HUGE promotion (more details later when all the "legal" goes through, but so very proud of him!) but the catch: it's in Wisconsin (guess it's time to invest in a good snow-blower!). SO, after much prayer and looooong consideration (ok,so it wasn't THAT long), we are headed north...again! God sent the Children of Israel to the promised land, a land " flowing with milk and honey"...well, we are headed to a land filled with milk and dairy! (Sorry , bad punn, but i had to do it!)


It's a wonderful opportunity and we feel like this is where we are supposed to be at this point in life, but it is still bittersweet. We have not even hit the one year marker here in Pennsylvania and were really starting to settle in and love it here. Trusting that God has great things in store for us and that we will be blessed for our obedience and willingness to be flexible (although i secretly dream of a day when "flexible" does not mean being willing to move at a moment's notice and your skills on the matter are not tested yearly!).

So, as you can imagine, life has been a little bit of a roller coaster the past few weeks. We still don't have all of the answers to the "detail" questions, (things like when we will go, how much he will make, MINOR things, you know!) but we hope to have a better idea soon.

A friend asked me "How do YOU feel about moving?" Well, I love my man, and i knew that this was part of the deal when I married him. At this point in his career, to say "no" to a move like this would mean you would not be asked or offered again. I have to think back to a year ago when we were told we were moving to PA and my sweet friend Christy said, "Katy, you can dig in your heels and pout, or you can embrace it and make the best of it, but either way, YOU'RE GOING!" That wise piece of advice, harsh as it may have sounded at the time, keeps playing in the back of my mind.

I have to admit, I have really had to lean on God and search my heart on this one and not play the poor-little-me card! My job right now is to back my man and be his support system at home...he NEEDS me, and I know that it means the world to him that i am practicing my "flexible" muscles and choosing to have a happy heart. I know that should the tables ever turn, he would do the same for me!

We are a team.... our team just happens to be relocating home base to Wisconsin soon!

So, please pray for us. If you want to know specifically HOW to be praying, here is a list:
-Pray for clear guidance and direction every step of the way.
-Pray that we would have a smooth and easy transition to Wisconsin (and should we have children there, that they would not come out being Packers fans and saying things like "doncha know!").
-Pray that God would go before us and prepare a place for us; that we would find a good church and new, sweet friends as soon as we get there.
-Pray for peace as our lives are uprooted once again, that we would not turn on each other in frustration or anger, but lean and rely on each other and that our bond would be stronger than ever.
-Pray that Joe would continue to find favor and be blessed at his job, that he would learn everything he needs to in order to succeed at this new position.
-Pray that we would find a house with a fireplace and heated floors so we don't freeze our little bums off! ( And I'm only slightly kidding on this one!)
-Pray that God would continue to provide... my last day at Starbucks will be the last day of February in order to get the ball rolling on all the preparations that have to be made for a move like this (which i am becoming surprisingly good at...surely this should count as a marketable skill!)

The song that keeps running through my mind is by Steven Curtis Chapman. It says:

"GOD IS GOD AND I AM NOT,
I CAN ONLY SEE A PART OF THE PICTURE HE'S PAINTING.
GOD IS GOD AND I AM MAN,
SO I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT ALL,
FOR ONLY GOD IS GOD."

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." I love how the Message words it " Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume you know it all. RUN to God!"


Trusting and Leaning,
Joe and Katy