Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Sometimes we are led on journeys that don’t move us physically but still have great impact in our lives. We have been on one of those journeys these last ten days.

On Monday, Matt had multiple opportunities open up within a matter of hours. On Tuesday, he spent the day interviewing with a local company. On Wednesday, he met with his current boss. Today, we have come full-circle.

The “for sale” sign is gone. The boxes are being unpacked. We are staying right where we’ve been – in our house with Matt continuing to go to the same job each day.

Physically, we never moved; spiritually, God has used these ten days in a mighty way. We have seen Him move in great and mysterious ways. We have been stretched in our faith and humbled by the plans of God.

I continue to pray that through this we bear witness to the faithfulness and provision of our Lord. And today, I rest knowing that “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)

Man, there are a lot of giveaways and contests going on out in blog-land right now! Here are just a few I thought I would direct you toward:

First, 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a giveaway for $300 worth of gift certificates to purchase Horizon Organic dairy products. That is a lot of milk (and cheese, and yogurt, and…well, you get the idea)!

Next up is a CD Giveaway Extravaganza Gala Spectacular hosted by BooMama. 100 bloggers will get Monk & Neagle’s new CD for FREE! She has been raving about these guys for weeks, and I’ve really enjoyed the clips I’ve heard of their music. The link will be posted at BooMama’s site tomorrow (July 19th) at noon central time.

Then, I would like to direct your attention to the lovely little dog button in the right sidebar. Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer will be hosting the “Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway” carnival beginning Monday, July 23rd. Lots of bloggers will be linking up to give away lots of good prizes. Definitely check this one out! (guidelines are here)

And finally (for now) click on the other button in the right sidebar – the one that says “Summer Cupcake Caper” – to check out GiBee’s fun cupcake baking contest. I’m getting my entry ready (more on that in another post); submissions are due July 25th.

That covers us for now. Hopefully I will win something in one of these!

Steph at Adventures in Babywearing tagged me for the “Four Faves” meme. For all of you inquiring minds out there, here are things about me in groups of four.

Four jobs I’ve held:
1. lifeguard
2. administrative assistant (to an engineer, then to 2 salesmen)
3. human resources assistant (including payroll processing)
4. operations coordinator for a computer training company

Four movies I can watch over and over again:
1. About a Boy
2. The Princess Bride
3. Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail
4. Sense and Sensibility

Four places I have lived:
1. my parent’s house
2. a college dorm room
3. a small cottage on Matt’s grandparents farm
4. the house in which I currently dwell

Four tv shows I watch:
1. The Office (of course!)
2. Prison Break
3. Lost
4. Hell’s Kitchen (as my husband rolls his eyes)

Four places I’ve been on vacation:
1. the Cayman Islands
2. Paris, France
3. Navarre Beach, Florida
4. Walt Disney World

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chips with salsa &/or guacamole
2. mashed potatoes
3. fried green tomatoes
4. tuna noodle casserole

Four websites I visit:
1. ESPN
2. reinvigorate (site stats)
3. eBay (sometimes more than I should!)
4. Drudge Report

Four people I’m tagging: (if you would like to play along, of course)
1. Lu
2. Lauren
3. GiBee
4. Barb

Steph at Adventures in Babywearing has another great giveaway going on right now. This time the lucky winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Kangaroodle!

Kangaroodle’s online store is filled with cute clothes and great products for the kiddos and moms, too. Take, for example, this dress that would be just too adorable adorning Little’s body.

For anyone out there (ahem, grandmothers, ahem) who are still looking for a great gift for Little’s upcoming birthday, you should check out the good stuff at Kangaroodle.

Oh, I hope I win!

There is also a great new review site up and running called Mama Speaks. It hosts product reviews done by mamas for mamas, and they are always holding giveaways as well. Check it out sometime.

Since we won’t be moving this week, we have a real menu again instead of “moving food”. Here’s what we are planning to eat:

Monday – meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas

Tuesday – leftovers

Wednesday – taco salads

Thursday – leftovers

Friday – pizza

Saturday – lunch: leftovers / dinner: bratwurst, german potato salad

Sunday – lunch: brats / dinner: Life Group meeting

Hope your week is filled with good eats!

In the midst of the job drama this week I posted my 100th post! It wasn’t exactly the type of post I would choose for number 100, but well, it was a bloggy milestone none the less.

And in Little news, her impetigo is clearing up nicely since we started the antibiotics. In fact, her face is looking so good that last night Matt said to her, “Your nose is almost normal looking again!”

She has also started to make the first tentative moves toward walking. A few times over the last couple of days she has let go of one piece of furniture and taken a real step toward another stable object. I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s running around the house.

So, that is all the excitement in our house today, and, boy, are we glad for a reprieve!

The job has officially been declined and a less than gracious reply received. The utility transfers have been cancelled. The post office change-of-address has been stopped. The moving truck has been cancelled. The apartment has been released.

Matt will meet with his boss on Wednesday (his boss is out of town until then) to discuss the possibility of his staying on in his current position. Until then, we will see what comes of the resumes that have already been sent.

The house listing has been put on “hold” pending the outcome of the next week’s events. A “for sale” sign will stay in our yard for now, but there will be no showings.

And we are at peace with the decision.

As I mentioned in my last post, things are not turning out as we had envisioned in regard to our upcoming move.

We were slated to move on Friday, the 20th (a week from tomorrow) and for Matt to begin his new job on Monday, the 23rd. We have a truck reserved, utilities transfers ordered, boxes packed, and are set to sign a lease on an apartment in Nashville on Monday, the 16th.

But now, everything is changing.

The information Matt came across indicated various levels of personality conflict, mismanagement, and incompetence. There also appears to be a huge amount of employee turnover considering the size of the company. In total these factors are significant enough that we began to doubt that things were as good as they originally appeared.

Through much prayer and conversation, we have decided that this isn’t the right position and situation for our family. If the job didn’t require a long-distance move, selling our house, etc, it might be a risk we felt comfortable taking. With things the way they are, it isn’t worth the uncertainty.

Over the last few days we have come to several realizations about God’s work through out this process. From the beginning we have prayed for wisdom, discernment, and that all we did would be about the righteousness of God. I believe this information has come to light in answer of our prayers for wisdom. As my friend Diane said yesterday, it seems like this is protection from the Holy Spirit.

And now, we walk by faith and not by sight. Matt is scheduled to leave his current position as of Thursday, July 19th.

I anticipate the things that are to come. I recognize God’s sovereignty now more than ever. I sit in trust of His faithfulness, of His provision, of His love.

The God I serve has a sense of humor; and if this isn’t proof of that, what comes next will be an even greater adventure!

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

This week has been one filled with drama, stress, disease, and broken phones.

It all began early Monday morning. As I walked out the door headed for the grocery store, Little dropped my cell phone on the driveway. The top portion of my flip phone is now only attached to the bottom portion on one side. It still functions, although, it is a kind of touchy to open and close. My first thought, was “wow, it’s going to be a Monday.” Little did I know.

Next came the doctor visit and the diagnosis of impetigo. Nothing dramatic here except that we had to wait an hour past our appointment time to see the doc. I’m just thankful she was able to fit us in on Monday morning!

I left the doctor’s office headed for the pharmacy and got a call from Matt. He called to tell me that some dear friends of ours are divorcing. The news shocked me and broke my heart.

And the drama culminated on Tuesday afternoon when Matt called with some negative information about the company he is supposed to start work for on the 23rd. The information is significant enough to make us rethink the job and our move.

As I type, he is on a phone interview with another company. Please pray for us – for wisdom, discernment, and most of all that God’s will be done in all of this.

I’ll be back later with more on the job/move situation, but right now Little is waking up from her nap.

I hope you are all having a happy and uneventful week!

We just got a call for a second showing of the house this evening.

I have a friend coming over in about an hour.

My house is a wreck.

Hopefully I’ll be back later with more!

~ Little’s face is looking much better after 2 doses of antibiotic; I think we’re on the mend.
~I’ve walked 9 of the last 10 days.