I love Clark's room

This may seem like a strange title for a post at this time. It would make since if I wrote about the move, the new church, Michael's new job, etc, but the thing that struck me this morning and compelled me to write was Clark's new room. In general I hate moving, but one thing I like about it is it causes me to reorganize in a new space. When things stay the same for too long I get in a rut, clutter builds up and I'm unmotivated to pull it all out and rearrange. Every time we move I get a chance to look at the things we have, purge those we aren't using and get a fresh look at how I want to organize our belongings.

Clark's room is about the same size as his room in St. Augustine except now he has the room completely to himself. I loved our townhouse in St. Augustine, but the one drawback it had was that Clark's room was also the guest room. Whenever we had company (which thankfully we had often) we would have to kick Clark out of his room and put him in the pack-n-play in our room (or if it was Joel, Caroline or my parents we just left him in the crib and they snuck in quietly when they went to bed--he slept better, but it was an inconvenience to them). Now we have three bedrooms, so Clark gets his own room.

Although his room looks virtually the same as it did before there are two main differences.
1. He has more floor space and it's on the first floor so he actually plays in his room now.
2. I put his books on his bookshelf instead of in a basket next to the rocker.
The second difference sounds minor, but it has brought me great joy. You see, now that his books are on the shelf he gets down from the rocker and picks out his own books. Here's our basic routine at bedtime and naptime: I sit in the rocker and Clark goes to the shelf to pick out a book, he comes back to the rocker with the book and turns around backwards for me to pick him up and put him in my lap. I loving seeing which books he picks. He'll stand at the shelf and look at several before he makes his selection and then he runs over to the rocker to show me what he picked. There are certain books he chooses every time. He loves the "5 Silly Monkey's" book and does the motions with me every time we read it. He's also obsessed with the moon so he loves "The Foot Book" by Dr. Seuss because on the page where it says "feet at night" there's a picture of the moon. He turns back to that page at least three times every time we read it.

This move has been hard on all of us. Michael and I have had an overload of emotional stress since there seemed to be complications at every turn. We had more problems than I can list with the moving company, a place to live was like a rollercoaster ride: one day we had a place, the next we didn't, and then maybe we had a place. It was like that every day for the two weeks we were packing. Clark had a rough time too. His schedule was completely interrupted, he slept in a different bed every night and had different people caring for him. His behavior was horrible and Michael and I had both decided he was going to make us prematurely old. Now that he's gotten a little bit more settled (granted it's only been a week) his behavior has improved. He still has quite a few fits and ugly moments, but his sweetness has come back.

We spend a good bit of time in his room because he loves reading his books and I love snuggling with him while we're reading. I can't tell you how happy I am that he loves to read. He sits still longer to read than he does even to eat. So, while it may sound weird to say, I love Clark's room!
The rocker where we read.

Clark playing in his room. Notice the books on the shelf behind him.

Clark showing off his new room.

A view of the whole room from the door.

It was a God thing...

Today marks the 6 year anniversary of Michael and I meeting. I always love a good story and hoped that one day I would have a story of my own to tell. God, in his faithfulness, gave me not just a good story, but a great story to tell over and over again of his providence in our lives in bringing us together.

We met in New Mexico at a Boy Scout camp (Philmont for any Boy Scouts out there who may recognize the name). The first question people always ask is, "What were YOU doing at a Boy Scout camp?" Well, for as long as I can remember my parents have talked about taking a trip "out west." When my mom was in high school her oldest sister lived in Utah so her family drove from Atlanta to Utah and saw all the sights in between. Because of the nostalgia of that trip and wanting us to experience it as well, she had always talked about us taking a trip out west as well. But my dad only had two weeks vacation, so to try to drive from Florida wouldn't be feasible since most of the time would be spent getting there and better back. So when the opportunity came up for my dad to go to Philmont for a Boy Scout training week, he arranged for us to go with him. Ironically, it was just the girls (Alison, Caroline and I) who ended up going as the boys had other things they were doing and pretty much hated family vacations anyway. We had the best time! We flew into Denver, drove through the Rocky Mountain National Park, saw Red Rock Canyon, Buffalo Bill's grave, Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak, and other sites on the way down to Cimmaron, New Mexico. We then spent a week at the camp where we got to go hiking, horseback riding and a ropes course while my dad sat in boring classes. After the camp we went to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and Las Vegas. I hadn't been on family vacation in nearly ten years since i had been in college and teaching in Japan. I actually had a mandatory training at school the week of the trip, but I skipped it to go.

So, that's a lot of background information on why I ended up at the Boy Scout camp. Michael was working for the Boy Scouts at the time and had been to Philmont as a scout and loved it. So when he found out about the opportunity to go to the same training my dad was going to, he jumped at the chance. He took along with him his two top volunteers. One of those volunteers took his family with him as well.

So, during the week while we (Mom, Alison, Caroline and I) were doing fun stuff I became friends with the wife of one of Michael's volunteers. We ended up signing up for almost the exact same activities and enjoyed the same things. On the last day of camp she sidled up next to me and said, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Now, I was no spring chicken and I had had many well meaning ladies in the past try to hook me up with their sons who were not the least bit interested. So, I thought, "Oh great! Here we go again. Please don't do me any favors." She told me that there was a really nice guy who was about my age who I really needed to meet. In fact, she said her husband was having a little mini birthday party at lunch that day and I should come so that I could meet this guy.

At lunch she came and found me and nearly dragged me across the dining hall to sing happy birthday to her husband. Funny thing is that when I got to the table there were two guys with her family, one was Michael (who I had actually noticed earlier in the week because I thought he was cute) and the other was a guy in his 40's with a thick mustache. The first thought that went through my head was, "Oh crap! She's trying to set me up with the old guy." Thankfully for me, it wasn't him :)

Michael and I didn't really get a chance to talk because it was kinda awkward with everyone staring at us wondering what we thought of each other. Later that evening we had the closing ceremony around a campfire (except it was raining, so we didn't have a fire). Michael and his friends were all sitting on the back row so I went over and sat with them. This was completely out of character for me, but I figured if I didn't take the opportunity to talk to him, I'd never get the chance again. As soon as I sat down they all stood up and rearranged seats so that Michael could sit next to me (They tried to be sly about it saying something about spreading out the tarp so I could have a dry place to sit, but it wasn't too subtle). We hit it off and talked for a little while, but when the program was over several people came over to talk to Michael and I started to leave. Julie (our matchmaker) tracked me down and wanted to know what I thought and if I'd give him my number.

I wasn't sure if he was interested or if she was just being persistent, so I gave her my email address instead. Also, I was moving when I got home, so my phone number was going to be changing. While we were talking Michael came over and talked some more. We ended up talking for three or four hours that night at the pavilion and he met my mom, dad and sisters. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but there was definitely something there that I had never felt before and I knew I wanted to see him again. Strangely enough, even though we met in New Mexico, he lived in Brooksville and I lived in Orlando which was only about an hour and a half away.

When we got home we emailed and talked on the phone. We had our first date at Epcot where we spent over 12 hours together. My friends thought we were crazy to spend so much time together on a first date, but I figured if we weren't sick of each other after that, then that was probably a good sign. Michael drove to Orlando nearly every weekend after that, we fell in love and the rest is history.

Now, that's just my side of the story. Michael will have to chime in with his because I can't speak for him.

Every time I tell the story I have to say it was a God thing. Who would have thought we'd meet hundreds of miles from home at a Boy Scout camp. God, in his providence, was arranging all the details. We are so thankful for his care in our lives and for giving us each other. Michael's my favorite gift! (although Clark is a very close second)

Next rollercoaster stop.....Vicksburg!

So the rollercoaster continues, but this time we like the direction it's going. Michael accepted the job in Vicksburg, Mississippi so we have switched gears from looking for a job to looking for a place to live and packing up all our belongings. We're driving out this weekend to find a place and then leaving our car and flying home. This way we don't have to drive separate cars or pull one of them with the moving truck.

For all of our smaller moves we've just rented a U-haul and gotten friends and family to come help us load and unload the truck. Michael is completely competent to drive the truck, but with this move being so much farther I've been looking into moving companies so that Michael doesn't have to drive the truck. It's pretty exciting to think about moving without having to load and unload all our big heavy furniture. We'll still be packing everything, but it'll be so much easier to just drive out and meet our stuff while someone else unloads it than to have to take it ourselves. All three estimates I've gotten are very reasonable, so we're encouraged.

I'm especially excited about this weekend. Mom and Dad are keeping Clark (so he doesn't have to be in the car so much and so that they can have some time with him before we move). Michael and I are going to be busy the weekend of our 5th anniversary in October, so we're doing a mini early anniversary trip. This Friday is the 6th anniversary of when we met, so we're substituting it for our wedding anniversary. We're driving to Ft Walton Beach and staying a night to just enjoy the beach and eachother's company. Then we'll drive the rest of the way to Vicksburg on Sunday. We haven't taken any trips just for fun anytime that I can remember, so I'm super excited to get some time alone. I haven't left Clark for more than a night before though, so five days is a long time. We're going to miss our little guy!

We're preparing to say our goodbyes to Jacksonville, Orlando and all our friends and family in both locations. We are so thankful for this job and God's provision for us, but the reality of leaving is starting to set in. This year we've been close enough to go to Orlando anytime we wanted. Thankfully Vicksburg is within driving distance and there are reasonable non-stop flights on Southwest, but it's not a weekend trip. We're realizing that we may never live in Florida again, which for this Florida girl is a strange thought.

We're also excited to get to Vicksburg, start building relationships and jump into youth ministry. It's almost surreal that this actually happening. We've prayed for so long and had so many near opportunities that it doesn't seem like this is actually happening. We praise God for his faithfulness to us over the last year (and our whole lives as well) and for this new opportunity. I'll try to blog when I can as we get settled. We're hoping for a 3 bedroom so we'll be set up for company. There are over a million visitors to the Battlefield Park every year, so come see us and we'll show you around.

Rollercoaster Ride

When I was little I loved rollercoasters. One of my favorite memories with my dad was when we went to Six Flags and he and I went and rode all the rollercoasters we could before the park closed (I think we rode all except one...of course Mom was grateful not to have to ride them with us.) As an adult I'm not a fan of rollercoasters. Somewhere around my 16th birthday I started getting motion sickness. I'm not sure what changed, but I remember numerous times of sleeping in the back of the van because if I was awake I was sick. Yuck! I hate the feeling. Rollercoasters weren't fun anymore when they gave me a headache for the rest of the day.

Since the end of April we feel like we've been riding a rollercoast. Obviously it's not a literal rollercoaster, but life has been CRAZY and filled with so many unexpected twists and turns we're trying to figure out which way is up. I can't elaborate on all the craziness, but it has included three funerals, numerous trips out of town (we have been home without visitors only one weekend since the end of April), a weekend church interview and waiting to hear if we're moving, a week in Ft. Myers keeping my nephews, Michael preaching, and Clark figuring out how to climb out of the crib so naptime and bedtime have been a fight when they used to be simple. The whole moving thing of course has been the biggest question mark. Both of our birthdays are in the summer so I have to renew our license plates. If we're moving out of state I don't want to pay to renew my tag if I'm going to move before my birthday. Our lease is up the end of July. If we're moving we have to give 30 days notice to our landlords, but since we still don't know what we're doing we can't give notice or let the know for sure we'll be around. These are just a few of the relatively minor, yet not completely insignificant things running through my head ad we wait.

We're praying for God to open doors and provide clear direction. We're learning to wait on him and be patient (neither waiting or patience are my strengths). My mom said we're never going to forget this time and I have to agree with her. There are certain times in life I remember vividly. These last few months I won't be forgetting anytime soon. We're ready to be off the rollercoaster, but it's also a good reminder for us that our God doesn't change regardless of the craziness in life and knowing we can depend on him has given us peace.

Clark's list of words

Clark has become more vocal in the past month. Most of his utterances are still unrecognizable, although he has an earnestness on his face when he's talking that leads me to believe he is in fact trying to communicate something particular, I just can't figure out what it is. So far, here's what he says that I can recognize.

mama
da (meaning Daddy, dog and duck--you have to recognize it in context)
moh (more--and he does the sign language for it)
mbawh (which sounds a lot like more, but means ball--he's still working on the b sound)
oh (hello--while holding up anything-straws, water bottles, TV remotes-to his ear)
bru (bird)
ba ba (bye bye--accompanied by vigorous waving)
br br (whenever he sees a big truck or plays with his matchbox cars)
owf owf (barking at Hank, or pictures of dogs or cats or any other animal)
bir (book---accompanied by going to get a book)

Although his word list is still very limited he says these words repeatedly throughout the day. Yesterday he took his ball with him in the car and as we walked through Walgreens he said "mawh!" about 50 times. Thankfully he wasn't crying, he was just excited about his ball. I'm going to try to get some video of him with his ball collection. He gets so excited and wants to pull them all out at the same time.

It's so fun to see him learning new things every day. It also helps that he understands and can communicate more now so that I can figure out what he needs. He doesn't ask for food or drink yet (we've been working on the sign language), but if I say, "Are you hungry, do you want something to eat?" he'll walk toward the kitchen and get really excited when I open the fridge.

Have I mentioned we love being parents? He's so fun! He cracks us up all the time. I thank God for him every day. He brings us so much joy!

No news really

We got back from Vicksburg at 2:30 in the morning today. I don't really have any news to report because we won't know anything for another two weeks. Here's the rundown on the visit though...

Overall it was a great trip! We flew in Friday evening and met Michael's mom's best friend for dinner at McAllister's (Michael's favorite sandwich place--a trip to McAllister's always makes him happy). She is super sweet and always encouraging. She prayed for us and encouraged us not to be nervous about the interview.

Saturday for lunch we met the pastor, Tim Brown, and his wife Le. We had been told we would love them and we did. They were very welcoming and told us all about the church and answered our many questions. We loved seeing their heart and hearing about their vision for the church. They told us the good along with the bad which we appreciated because it gave us a more real since of what it would be like to work at the church.

As side story, when I told my Grandpa we were interviewing in Vicksburg he said, "Oh, I know the guy who was the pastor there 20 years ago." His father is a good friend of Grandpa's and he and my dad grew up together. I wasn't sure whether to mention it while we were there since I didn't know what kind of relationship the current pastor might have with the former pastor and didn't want to bring up anything bad. So, at lunch I decided to just ask if he knew my grandpa's friend. When I mentioned his name Tim and Le both looked at each other and laughed. They said, "He married us and he is my mentor in ministry." As they told us more, it turns out that my grandpa's friend had a major role in Tim going into ministry. What a small world!

After lunch we got a tour of the church. The main building was build in 1908 with an addition in the 60's. They have plenty of space and several rooms used for youth. Clark enjoyed playing with the toys in the preschool rooms, playing with a styrofoam cup over the air vent and stomping up and down the wooden wheelchair ramp (The pastor taught him how to do that).

Saturday afternoon/evening we got a tour of the city by two members of the search committee and had dinner at one of their houses. They had sent Michael some interview questions ahead of time so he could prepare. They talked with him after dinner and then just hung out. I was entertaining Clark, so I didn't get to hear his actual interview, but he felt it went well and he was able to explain his vision and philosophy of youth ministry. I did get to visit with the wife and son of one of the search committee members though. They were super nice to Clark and kept him well entertained with plastic containers, lids and a loud monkey toy. We had a good time getting to know the members of the search committee, especially Ridley and Chris who are high schoolers. We would definitely enjoy getting to know the students and being involved in their lives.

Sunday morning we went to church and Sunday School. Steve, a search committee member was our tour guide. He took us around and introduced us to everyone. We met lots of church members, youth team members and parents as well as youth. He took us to the 5th and 6th grade, Jr. high and Sr. high Sunday schools. A number of youth were out of town since it's summer, but at least we got to meet some of the youth and see what they're currently doing in the youth program. We felt very welcome.

After church we had lunch and talked to the search committee again for a short time. They gave Michael more specifics about salary and benefits as well as their time-frame for hiring. They are interviewing another candidate in two weeks and then plan to make their decision quickly after that. We should hear something by the end of June. They're looking get someone there by mid to late July, so if they call and offer the job it'll be a quick transition.

Overall we were encouraged since we felt it was a good fit for us and we could see ourselves working there. But, we're trying not to get too excited since we know they may or may not offer the job. If they call and make an offer then we'll be super excited! Grandpa said to pray the other guy gets another offer. Mississippi would definitely be a big change for me, but I have a better feeling for it now that we've visited. I really liked the people and felt would enjoy making friends. The town is small, but has all your basic necessities. It reminded me a lot of Brooksville which has wonderful memories for us. There's no Target (sad..but there is one I could get in less than an hour if I needed to), but there is Gap outlet and a Children's Place outlet (both very exciting!!) Michael is so ready to be able to get into ministry and we're looking forward to being able to settle in somewhere and plug in.

Now, we're just trying to be patient and not stress (it's easier said than done).

Did you miss me?

I can't believe I haven't written anything in two weeks. For a while there I was writing something nearly every day, but the last few weeks have been really busy. OK, so I know you probably haven't missed me, but I'm going to write something anyway.

This past weekend Michael preached again at St. Nicholas Park Christian Church. He preached about the crucifixion and how the physical pain of the cross was not as painful as the emotional pain of having the father turn his face away from his Son because of the hideousness of our sin that he took on himself. He did really well and several people commented that they were touched by what he said and had never thought of the rejection Christ experienced from his own Father. I'm so glad he's been able to continue preaching even during this time of waiting. We have also enjoyed getting to know some of the church members since we've been able to go back four times now.

Our good friends Kathryn and Chuck came to town for Memorial Day weekend and to hear Michael preach. A mutual friend of ours had an apron that Kathryn loved, but when she went to the store to get it they had discontinued the color she wanted. So, we had the idea of making one since she couldn't buy it. I have just recently discovered Hobby Lobby, which is an awesome store. They have nearly anything home/craft related you could ever need. We ran up there Saturday night right before they closed and sure enough they had a pattern and fabric that were nearly the same as the apron Kathryn wanted. We cut hers out and started assembling it only to realize we hadn't bought enough fabric (oops, I messed up the calculations). So, we went back on Monday. They had so many cute coordinating prints I couldn't resist. It was fun to have a project to work on, especially since it wasn't that complicated and could be completed in one sitting.

This weekend I'm hosting a baby shower for a good friend in Orlando. I've helped with several showers, but I've never planned one on my own. It's been fun researching games and food. I'm a little nervous that I'll forget something or not have enough. Hopefully everyone will have fun and they'll get lots of good stuff for the baby.

That's all for now. We're flying to Vicksburg in a little over a week, so I'll write more about that later.