this makes me sad...

Phil is taking down our playset this afternoon. It makes me so sad. The other night I sorted through a few drawers in the kitchen and noticed I had several sippy cups which we haven't used in over 2 years. I didn't even know they were in there. As I sorted through the drawer, I got all choked up. I'm not just leaving behind friends and a city that I love. It feels like I'm leaving behind something greater--part of my kids' childhood--and it hurts. They were all so small when we moved up here 4 years ago. We had diapers, bottles, sippy cups, high chairs, car seats and training wheels. None of these are coming with us next week.

finding a home

my kitchen table at the moment

We received word this week that the seller of the home we'd like to purchase does not want to fix the items we requested. Some of the things that need to be fixed or updated would require permits, and all of this would come out of our pockets at this point. We thought it best to walk away and look for another home to purchase. This should be interesting, considering the fact that we have to be out of our home in 2 weeks.

This morning as I thought about our current situation, I heard something very familiar running around inside my head. It sounded like something I've read in the book of Exodus, right after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea--after they sang their song of deliverance and then demanded, moaned and complained, uttering these words...

“What are we going to drink?”

“If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt. There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

...and right after crossing the Red Sea, too! I remember reading this thinking, "Come on, you guys! God just parted a SEA for you!"

But oh, that temptation is so strong right now, even though our house sold without putting it on the market--without even having to show it--the equivalent of a Red Sea crossing in my book!

moving update

I didn't mean to leave everyone up in the air with my "now we wait" post. The truth is, we're still waiting! We did buy a house in Oregon. The sellers accepted our offer and we thought it was a done-deal. But then we got the home inspection back. It was 45 pages long! The original owner still lives there, so the home hasn't changed hands in over 55 years, which means the home has never been inspected. It's a good, solid house, but lots of things don't meet code. We're waiting to hear back from our realtor to see how much the seller is willing to fix. So in the meantime, we're looking online for rentals in the area. We have to be out of our house in 3 weeks and we don't have enough time to go back down again to house hunt. I don't know where I'll be unpacking my boxes in 3 weeks. It's kind of unsettling.

But on a brighter note, God worked a miracle on our behalf! Our home in Washington sold 2 days after we "bought" our new home. And the story is simply amazing!

Last month, our neighbor 2 doors down walked up the street and mentioned to my husband that he was thinking about buying our house, and to let him know when we were ready to sell. Phil walked over to his house a couple of weeks ago, talked for a few minutes and our house was sold! Just like that. No showings, no weeding out the flower beds or touching up the trim and baseboards--sold!

So I'm kind of excited to see what God has in store for our family in 3 weeks. He surely hasn't forgotten about us. :)

something to laugh about

In reference to this post on laughing...

I often call my boys "brothers" and my girls "sisters." Today in Costco, I called to my girls and said, "Come on, Sisters." And sure enough, as I turned around there were two nuns right behind me loading bags of chips into their cart.

What are the odds?

do you laugh?

"I am the happiest creature in the world...I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh."

--Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

I'm studying the book of Proverbs right now, and I can't help but notice how many references there are to laughter and cheerfulness. It's no coincidence, I know, because every time I start one of these Bible studies, something always hits home and relates to my present circumstance.

Right now, we're buying and selling a house and moving to a new state--all with 4 children. I'm learning that it's absolutely necessary for me to keep a sense of humor. Otherwise it's so easy to despair when things don't go my way.

My kids need me to be happy right now. And not just a superficial happy with a fake smile. I mean real joy. Joy that can be found only in Jesus. I'll be 37 this month and you know what? He hasn't failed me yet. I wish I would've known this 10 years ago, because I probably would not have worried so much about the things that always work themselves out.

Here are a few verses that keep me going these days...

"A glad heart makes a happy face." Proverbs 15:13


"For the happy heart, life is a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15


"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart." Proverbs 15:30


"When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain." Proverbs 16:15


"A cheerful heart is good medicine." Proverbs 17:22

Oh, and especially this one...

"She laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25