Change

I had to laugh because I saw a quote on Facebook that fits our situation so well. And it relates to my previous post titled "transition." The quote is....."People love change, they just don't like transition." That is so true. The transition of moving is what causes the most stress. There are so many unknowns and so many details to iron out. Once those things are in order the actual change isn't bad at all. In fact, I love what we are doing and I love the adventure part of it. If we wouldn't have done this we wouldn't have seen this part of the world. It has been a wonderful experience so far. And I can finally say that I am excited about our move. Change is good...transition can be hard.

Tomorrow, Mya and I are taking a trip to Stockton to deliver a load of stuff to the apartment. We are also going to be there when the furniture arrives. Dan orchestrated the furniture rental and was able to talk them down in price. Today he finalized those details. It will feel good to unload and organize and get things set up. We already have plans to attend our friend's church on Sunday and then have lunch with them. Things all came together. And tomorrow...I get to take Mya to get her ears pierced on our way home from Stockton. She decided on her own so we will see if she will follow through with it. Hopefully I will get pictures of the apartment on the blog soon.

Transition

Good news...we did find an apartment! It is in a nicer area of Stockton and the apartment complex is like a little resort. We have a fitness area, 3 pools, hot tub, tennis courts, and laundry facility. We are hoping for the best! One of the hardest parts of moving to a new area is not really knowing what it will be like until you actually live there. From experience, I did know to get a top floor apartment so we don't have neighbors above us walking across the floor. They sound like elephants in an apartment complex. The other good news is that the location is great for weekend traveling. Stockton has a marina with boat rides, tons of parks, and then we have San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and the bay area with beaches all within an hour of us. Of course I will be joining the MOPS group too. That helps me learn the area faster. Always talk to the locals. Learning the layout of this city will be harder for me because the population is 250,000. But that is where me and the IPad will become best friends. We are excited that Stockton has 3 Targets, Chipotle, Olive Garden and Jamba Juice. Thank goodness!

Here is another cool story..... After Christmas time (early February) we got a package from our tenants in our house back home. In the package was months worth of mail, including our tax stuff. Tucked away in that stack of mail were Christmas cards from friends. One caught my eye from a friend that Dan knew in high school. His family's address was Ripon, California. And he is the associate pastor at a Grace Brethren Church. I put the address in the GPS and saw how close they were to Stockton....... 20 minutes. So now we have a church to attend right away. Isn't God cool?

The only thing we don't have figured out is our rental furniture. We spent about 2 hours in the Rent A Center store after apartment hunting for the morning. We were all tired and hungry and grumpy. We got our application processed and got the final rental estimate. It was way too high! So we walked away from the deal and returned to square one with furniture. After feeling bummed, about a half hour later, the store called us and said they would try to lower the price for us. Dan is getting good at this wheeling and dealing thing. Not me...I just wanted to rent the furniture and check it off my list. So now we are waiting to hear back from the
store. I am learning and trying so hard to give up the desire to want to take the reigns on everything. I tend to get a bit high strung when it comes to the details on things. God is teaching me some tough lessons with this adventure.

Today was our last Sunday at church in Porterville. It was bittersweet. The pastor did a little presentation for us and gave us a framed thank you note. It was very thoughtful. I have such mixed emotions about this move. I made friends here and now we are leaving them. We are moving to a new area and I find myself feeling scared. And of course there is excitement thrown in there too. What a mix! I am praying for contentment with the move so I can enjoy this precious time with my family. I pray for my high strung disposition when stress and little details are involved to fade and turn to pure thankfulness for what I have.

Here We Come Stockton!

I am loving the free WiFi at the hotel tonight.  After Dan got off work today we drove to Stockton to stay the night.  Tomorrow we begin the adventure of finding an apartment and next week we move!  The girls enjoyed the evening of pizza and swimming at the hotel.

Cycling

Funny story first.....I was driving in the car with the three girls the other day. Mya was in her typical thinking mode. You can just see it in her face when she is really thinking about something. Then she will usually say, "Mom...I been thinking something in my mind." So this particular day she was thinking about how the world just might be all pretend. She said, "I was thinking that all of this stuff (meaning our world) is probably pretend." I asked her what she meant. She said she thinks maybe people are out there watching us on their televisions. We have been talking lately about how the movies she watches are pretend. I had to try very hard not to burst out laughing. We concluded this enlightening conversation by talking more about the truths of God and how and why things were made.

I have been taking spinning classes at the gym in Porterville. In January we had a free month membership and decided to buy the membership for February. I had never taken spinning before. It is fun and very challenging at times. A couple times during the workout session you simulate climbing a hill on your bike. You increase the tension on your bike and work real hard until the song is finished...or in real life the hill would be done. My February has been like bike riding up the hill. It started off easy and fun, the tension was low. But then the tension got cranked up a bit. That tension meaning home sickness set in for me. The climb on that hill started to get harder and harder. I had to work harder at contentment and keeping a positive attitude. I failed a lot. The nasty stomach flu was spreading like crazy around here. It seemed like over half the members of our church caught it. And it was the violent kind...like Dan had at Christmas. So not only was I homesick, but I became terrified of the stomach virus. I worried about it constantly....I am terrified of throwing up. Fear can be such a crippling thing and Satan loves it! It consumed my mind and I had to do lots of praying. Worrying like that made me miss my home even more. I was guilty of having a heart that wasn't thankful for my current circumstances. The girls were sick off and on all month so I had to stay inside a lot more than we typically would. I finally let Dan and God work with me on this so I could get out of my slump. Now that we know where we are moving and the details are falling together I can finally see the top of the hill. I feel like I can catch my breath and finally relax. Can you just imagine that feeling when the work has been done and you can just coast on the bike? Yes, things will be a bit crazy from now until we move, but I am feeling excited for our new adventure. It will be good to move and see a new area.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are leaving for Stockton to find an apartment. We have one picked out so I am hoping it will work out. We are staying in a hotel with a swimming pool which will lift the kids' spirits. They have been wanting to swim so badly with the weather warming up. It will be a fun little trip for all of us. Once we find out where we are living I will post pictures. Our actual moving date is Friday, March 2nd.

Moving On

It is confirmed! Our next move is to Stockton, California. We move in 2 weeks. Dan will start work on March 5 at a skilled nursing facility. Stockton is a very large city so we could use prayers as we start the process of apartment hunting. I am hoping it will be quick and painless. If we have to we will drive to the city next Saturday to check out the area. The location is great for seeing Northern California sights. More posts to come as we begin the moving process and say goodbye to Porterville.

Still Gotta Have Sweets!

Yes, diet changes are good, but I still like the occasional semi healthy sweet treat. My sister gave me this recipe, I made them right away, and they are awesome!

No Bake Energy Bites

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (we have switched to all natural peanut butter)
1/3 cup honey (we use local honey)
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed (I learned that flaxseed should be refrigerated after opening package)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I buy the dark chocolate..just read the ingredients to get the right kind)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a bowl. Let chill in the refrigerator for half hour. Roll into balls and enjoy! Keep in refrigerator in air tight container.

Yesterday I was scrambling to find something to make for lunch so the girls and I decided to make pizza. I let them choose veggies and they decorated the pizza. We put avocado, zucchini, and fresh tomato on it. It was so good!

Diet Update

We keep plugging away on making diet changes. Funny thing...we thought we were eating healthy before but have learned that we have a long way to go. Our whole family only drinks water all day everyday. When we splurge we get smoothies from the local smoothie shop (this is until I get home to Ashland to my blender). And every once in a while we give the kids juice at Starbucks, but we don't buy it to keep at home. That might sound over the top, but I do believe that now is the time to teach the kids about sugar consumption and how it affects their body. We are very factual with them so we make sure to educate rather than just keep things away from them. We want them to understand how these things can hurt their body if consumed on a regular basis. We certainly don't deprive them of having candy and such on occasion. We are increasing our vegetable consumption, lowering our meat consumption, lowering our dairy consumption, and lowering our sugar. I am starting to replace sugar with stevia in some recipes, like my hot chocolate mix and brownies. We have completely eliminated corn syrup from the diet. When we have sweet treats I try to make them all from scratch so I know exactly what is in them. Our kiddie snacks have changed to nuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, goldfish, homemade granola bars, fruits and veggies. We also find ways to incorporate wheat bran and flaxseed in our diet on a daily basis.

Juicing is my next adventure to help with Dan's diet. I just ordered some new books so I can educate myself on this topic. Once I am confident with it, then we have to start shopping around for a good juicer. I am very excited about these new changes and the benefits on our bodies. I love learning about food and the body....maybe I should pursue being a nutritionist! Well, at least I can be the nutritionist for our family...that is what is most important!

Valentine's Day

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. Over the weekend Dan and I were able to go on a date. Our friends graciously took all 3 kids for the evening. We had dinner at Panera, bought the girls a dress at the mall (thanks to the amazing sales at Old Navy), and saw a movie. It was a very nice evening...it has been about 6 months since our last date. We sure do miss having all of our family in the same town. It was much easier to go on dates when we lived at home. Yesterday the girls waited all day for their daddy to come home from work so they could open their gifts. We got Mya and Sara a purse filled with gum, mints, lotion, tape, markers and paper, chap stick, and princess figurines. It is so easy to buy for them at this age. They love all the little things that don't cost much money. Then we took them to dinner and let them order whatever they wanted....of course they chose pizza. Holidays are so fun with kids. Is Valentine's Day even considered a holiday? And who made it up anyway?

I have had to cut back on my posts because we are having computer issues. I can't post pictures quite as often as I would like to. Maybe at our next place we will get Internet. Speaking of our next place...still no word. Dan is supposed to be getting some interview phone calls this week. We could still end up south or north, we have no idea yet. He did interview with one place last week but that facility went with a different traveling company. It was a skilled nursing facility and Dan doesn't have as much experience in that type of facility. Patience....patience....it is a virtue! The good news is that God knows exactly where we are going.

This Month

Deuteronomy 6:6 

“And these words, which I command thee, this day, shall be in thine heart.”

I have been challenged this month.  I would even say that this has been the most challenging month since we have been here.  It is a transition month and I find myself just waiting.  The days seem longer.  I know that once a moving decision is made things will speed up very fast.  But waiting can be tough.  I find that I am clinging to the word more as we wait.  God’s Word is very important at all times, but when something is challenging it is important to make sure his Word is in your heart.  The above verse is a memory verse for our kids.  But it has become an inspirational verse for me.  I really look forward to my morning bible readings as I prepare for each day that seems long.  Our days aren’t any different than they have been.  Our activities remain the same, but I have never been one who is good at waiting.  It is a wonderful challenge for me and I praise the Lord for refining me any chance He gets.  Dan does have an interview, hopefully today, with a place up North.  We have been and will continue to pray for God’s will with our move.  We have  a lot to pray about for all the details to come together smoothly.

The girls are having trouble waiting…but for a different reason…for Valentine’s Day! They have seen their hidden presents and are so excited.  We are taking the kids to the Black Bear Diner (which they call Dino) for our Valentine’s Day dinner.  It will be so much fun!  I got an early Valentine’s Day present.  My husband knows me well…that I can’t wait to get presents.  He was in Visalia last night handling our taxes and made a surprise stop at the mall to buy me a new sweatshirt.  How sweet!  He walked in the door with the bag and gave it right to me.  I wore it all evening.  He even chose a color that he thought would look good on me…you can’t go wrong with blue.

Last weekend I was able to spend time with a sweet friend as we got manicures and pedicures.  It was so fun and relaxing.  Except the lady who did my friend’s foot scraped her heal up real nice.  If we were assertive people we would have asked for her money back, but we didn’t.  Oh well, at least her nails looked pretty.  Last week I also got my ring fixed and returned.  I mentioned in a previous blog that I had lost the pearl from my ring.  It is a ring that Dan got me for Christmas a couple years ago.  So we had it replaced and now I feel complete again wearing it whole. 

I have to take a moment to share about our oldest, Mya (who is wearing my glasses in the picture).  She is growing and blossoming in so many ways and we are in awe of her often.  I need to start by talking about her level of energy, which is crazy….the child never stops and naps are a thing of the past.  She goes and goes and goes all day long.  It is exhausting to watch and sometimes we do have to remind her to tone it down a bit.  We have to reiterate the importance of doing things slower, practicing patience, putting others first and letting things go if she doesn’t get what she wants right away.  These are tough lessons for her, but she is plugging away.  We have found that it is important to link these lessons to as much scripture as we can. 

Aside from her energy level, we have found Mya to be an extremely creative child.  I just can’t believe sometimes what she comes up with.  Her newest thing is making items out of paper.  She loves using tape and pieces of paper to create.  Nobody taught her this skill!  It started out when I lost my pearl from my ring before Christmas.  She wanted me to have new jewelry so she made me a ring out of paper.  From there, she started making necklaces and earrings too.  One night she used her glue stick to glue the earrings to our ears (me and Dan). It was hysterical and we tried very hard not to burst out laughing while wearing the paper jewelry.  Now she has moved on to bigger and better things like making purses, wallets, money, sunglasses, hats, hair brushes and DVDs to make movies. 

Another new interest for her is dancing.  I know I am her mom, but I have to say that she is quite good.  A bit more graceful then I was at her age (ha ha). Yep, dancing didn’t pan out to be my thing.  But “Go Mya” if that is what she wants to do.  She has been known to put her bathing suit on and prance around the living room while listening to her princess music on the IPad.

And finally, Mya has such a heart for God.  She has anxiety with playing group games.  She experiences this at church on Wednesday nights.  This was a big struggle for her in preschool last year too.  We have tried to encourage her to join the play, but it is not something she wants to do.  So finally we decided to start teaching her to pray for bravery the night of church.  We did this for a couple weeks with her.  Last night, right before we left the door to go to church, she asked me to pray with her about bravery.  I was so proud of her.  I prayed with her and I could tell that she felt better.  I am not sure how much she participates during class, but I do know that her anxiety level before going to church has drastically improved.  She is learning firsthand how much she needs God’s help.  Just this evening our 6 year old neighbor friend was over and Mya initiated playing "church." She was the pastor and she lead the "choir" in songs and then gave us a sermon about the bible.  It was pretty cool!