Life just went into hyperdrive!

So...on April 5th, we finally got the news that Tom's position of assistant Dean would be made permanent and we would have find a place and move out by June 30th! Yikes!!! Freak out time! That gave us less than 3 months to find a place to live...

I quick emailed the realtor that night who was recommended to me by my Mom and told her we could start actively looking for homes now (I had been corresponding with her since Jan 11 but we were unable to actively look at homes since we didn't know what Tom's new salary would be or even if he was going to be offered the permanent position). THE VERY NEXT DAY (April 6th), she sent me a house that she said would be perfect for us. It had everything we wanted and more, so I showed Tom the house and he agreed that we needed to go see it as soon as possible. On April 16, 11 days after getting the word of Tom's position, we sat in the realtor's office signing our autographs on the contracts for this house!

Thinking about everything that has happened in this short time, I cannot believe how things have unfolded. From January until April, we have been waiting, waiting, waiting! Now, everything is reversed and it is go, go, GO...and at warp speed!

So our settlement is set for May 18th! Please pray, if you think of it, that everything will go well with the inspections (we have the plumber checking out the pipes tomorrow to make sure everything is ok), and the appraisal of the house by our lending bank later this week. Will try to keep you posted as things happen!

Some exciting news!

No, I'm not pregnant! Ha! But I thought I would let all of you out in the blogosphere know that we will be moving out of our place on July 1st! Yup, it's official. This week we found out that Tom is now going to be promoted to Assistant Dean of Student Life...permanently! This means we now have to start looking for a house and we only have 3 months to do it in...YIKES! Exciting but stressful at the same time. Worst case scenario, we might have to live with my folks for a few months if we aren't able to find a place in this amount of time. And if that's the worst that can happen...hey, life is good.

It will be quite a change for us to move out of this place. By June, we will have lived here 6 years! We have become accustomed to all the noise, constant traffic of college kids in and out, and the crazy busy life all that creates, we even enjoy it believe it or not! Moving into a house seems like it will be boring and too quiet compared to what we're used to but we are ready for the change and excited about this new chapter in our lives. These past 6 years have been full of many wonderful experiences that I will never forget. But, as for everything, there is a season, so it seems as if a new season is beginning in our lives and we must look forward, not back. Onward and upward we go!

The Happy Girl!

She brightens my days!!! Got a kick out of her hair this day!

At the office visiting Daddy!
Yes! That is Tom surfing , he went today and had a blast since the rain brought in some nice waves.....

More than just a hobby

When I first began doing this coupon thing a few months ago, I thought, "what a great way to save money for our family!" And it has been. I have seen our grocery bill go down dramatically...but God has been pricking my heart lately concerning this hobby and I wanted to share it with you.

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you that I have always been a scrimper and saver. Maybe it is because I grew up with little possessions, maybe I inherited some of it from my parents, who knows? But I have always looked at those who gave freely of their possessions to others in need with a bit of envy. I wished that I could give so easily and hold my possessions with an open hand. Don't get me wrong, I understand that these are God's possessions and I am simply a steward over them during my lifetime but something always held me back. Thus, embarking on this coupon hobby has been an eye-opener for me because it has helped me realize how much fear (and lack of trust in God's provision) I hold inside me. What if I give "X" to someone and need it later? This is my logical brain working. But God doesn't want me to be logical. He wants me to trust Him.

2 Corinthians 9:6-9 — “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ ” [quoting Psalms 112:9]

Acts 4:32, 34-35 — “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

I remember when I was in grad school taking classes, I was struggling to pay the tuition and commuting 1 hour (one way) because I couldn't afford to pay for an apartment in Princeton. A certain sister decided to give generously to me and gave me enough to room with two other girls in an apartment near the school for the whole last semester I was there. What an amazing example of Acts 4 she was to me at that moment!

Now, when I get an item for cheap or free that I don't necessarily need or I already have enough of, I can think, "who needs this item? Who could I give it to?" This is not to pat myself on the back, but rather to share with you that God is working on my heart in this. I can freely admit, this has been an area of weakness for me for most of my life and it has been such a wonderful blessing that God has been using to teach me that I can and should give to others.

Waiting

I love the old song, "the Lord is good, the Lord is good...and blessed is the man, who puts his trust in Him." What a wonderful promise to rest in! These past few months have been ones of waiting. Mostly waiting on things to happen with Tom's job. But we have also been waiting to look at houses to buy until we find out what will happen. It has been hard to be patient and wait. Especially when life seems like it is on hold. Tom is much better at it than I. I have much to learn from him when it comes to this. Although I am happy with my life and where we live, I want to see what will happen, I'm impatient for the change to happen!

But to rest in God's promises is a freeing thing that I must relinquish the desire for control! Scripture encourages us to "trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." (Prov. 3:4,5) God's plan is so much better than mine could ever be!

Thankfully, things have been busy in our home, which keeps my mind off thinking about the "what ifs." Tom returned home from his trip with all kinds of stories of adventures and a promise to take us on his next trip. :) I have been enjoying getting outside and about with Kira. Last week was the first time I took her out to a park and although she can't walk yet, she enjoys being in the baby swing and being outside. We have now been to a park 5 times together and it has been fun for me to start doing things outside the home with her. I also enrolled her in a "mother goose story time" at our local free library. It is specifically for children ages 6-24 months and the woman who runs it not only reads baby books but also sings and has the mothers place their babies in their laps to imitate her while she is singing and acting out the nursery rhymes.

Some more highlights from last week:

Went to visit my sister AMY last week at her place of work, a recreation center. This place was HUGE and I had a great time as always being with my wonderful family. Amy even held Kira in the pool for a little bit which was neat. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay in long b/c her skin is very sensitive to chemicals she started to have a reaction to the chlorine. Mom helped me rinse her off in the shower and she seemed a little better after that.

Have been blessed in addition to all this with the opportunity to rekindle an old friendship recently with a girl my age who has two small children. Had a fun "playdate" with herv on Friday and spent lunch at her house visiting and chatting.

I leave you with one more thought...

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7a Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:

My latest shopping excursion and more baby pics!

So I went to Target and Rite Aid today and boy did I score some deals! I got....drumroll please...2 boxes of cheerios, 2 boxes of ritz crackers, 2 boxes of wheat thins, 2 blocks of cheese, 2 containers of parm cheese, 2 loaves of 100% whole wheat bread, 4 gillette men's body wash, 2 bottles Johnson's baby shampoo and a jumbo pack of huggies for $17! That is 19 items so basically $.89 per item! Yippee Skippee! I wouldn't normally get the men's body wash but it was FREE with coupon so I got it and Tom can use it instead of buying soap for a while.

Kira's first two bottom teeth poked through a couple days ago so we are having better days lately with less fussiness!
Tom's sister Kristina came to visit me on Friday and play with Kira! It was so nice of her, I was feeling particularly down that day, missing Tom and that was just the pick me up I needed.
If you're wondering what that is she is chewing on, it's a piece of spinach. I wanted to see what she would do with it. She grabbed it right out of my hand and started gumming it! Maybe I'll have a health nut on my hands! HA!
I just had to take a picture of the icicles outside our window. They have since all fallen down...so sad!
I like this picture. She looks mischievous!
Funny hat huh?
Going on a bike ride!

Trying to keep busy here

So my man left for Costa Rica on Thursday morning and I have been holding down the fort here. Sniff sniff. I am counting down the days until he gets back next Friday morning, Feb. 26. He was actually very sweet and planned little activities and events for me to do. He organized it all in an excel sheet and he also has cards that he wrote special messages in it for me to read on specific days. Last night I went to MOPS during the day, spent the rest of the day at Mom's, then put Kira to bed at Mom's and went over to a nice restaurant nearby for Tom's grandfather's 80th birthday party. It was a really nice restaurant, I was allowed to order anything I wanted on the menu without thought to the cost of the food. We were all in a private room and there were waiters walking around with little finger foods before we sat down to dinner, and there was unlimited wine. I had one glass of wine and was told that the wine that I chose was $375 per bottle. A bottle a wine yields 4 glasses so my one glass of wine cost $93!

For dinner, everyone got a bread basket, a choice of Caesar or house salad and a pasta bowl. Then for your main course, you got to chose anything you wanted off the menu. I got a filet gorgonzola, an 8 oz. filet wrapped in bacon, drizzled with gorgonzola cheese, sauteed spinach and mashed potato. It was $35 just for my dish and there were probably between 30-40 people at the party so you do the math! But it was melt in your mouth good! There was also a musician playing acoustic guitar during the party who was really good. He had 5 different types of guitars that he kept switching depending on the type of song he played.

I got back from the party late last night so I just let Kira keep sleeping in Mom's pack n' play and spent the night there. I drove back home this morning but had lots of fun hanging out with Kristina, Tom's sister this afternoon. She brought me a pizza and I cut up celery and carrots for us to munch on as well.

We had fun playing with her this afternoon but I think she is getting ready to get a tooth or two. She hasn't been sleeping as well lately and has been a little fussy during the day so I think her mouth is bothering her.