New Beginnings

I've been a bit busy here on the homefront, between starting back up school following the holidays to my husband going TDY temporarily for his military.  But the biggest change is we are in moving mode.  After 11 years in the desert of California, we finally got orders for another base. But not only that, but it's short notice orders.. Typically the military gives you a good 9 months warning as to where you are going.  We have 4 and one of those months is halfway over.  

I wish I could say we were going somewhere exciting.  I would love to have heard we were going to Alaska or someplace overseas like England. Instead, we are leaving one desert to go to another desert in New Mexico. I guess God needs me in the desert, only he's changing the local. Not sure if that's because our growth has become stagnant here and he's changing things up to wake us up, or because he feels we are needed somewhere else.  However, it's closer to family and friends in both Texas and Colorado, so we'll actually be able to visit those we haven't seen in many years.

 It's somewhat bittersweet - for years I hated it here and prayed for orders to somewhere else.  Just in the last couple of years, I accepted this was home and came to terms with it. I started reaching out, making friends and coming out of my comfort zone.  I started going to the chapel on base and eventually I became the Women's Lay Leader and leading the Woman's Bible studies. We joined a small group study for married couples and made great friends there as well.  And then just like that, we find ourselves dreading saying goodbye and starting over somewhere new.  I find myself regretting now getting out and seeing more of this state - either because of time or money - and now with Covid restrictions, I won't have the opportunity to visit those things before we go.

The kids are excited, for the most part.  The idea of a new house, new rooms, and new friends are all enticing to them.  The homeschool laws in New Mexico are pretty similar to what we've already been doing here, so I'm grateful that their education will continue with little change.  We had a small hickup as Garrett was asking about thunderstorms in New Mexico and when we looked up the weather, he saw that they have on average 10 tornadoes a year (for the whole state, not limited to where we are going).  That created a bit of hesitation on his part, until we googled the amount of tornadoes here in California as well as other states.  That seemed to alleviate his fears as it hasn't been brought up again.  

So now, between homeschool, leading Bible study, our small group, my husband's work, writing curriculum reviews and any other normal activities that have to continue here, we have begun the processes of sorting through ten years of accumulated possessions and begin to downsize what we don't need to bring with us.  You don't realize how much you have til you have to move and discard things. It also allows you the opportunity to realize how absolutely blessed you are when you think that some people move everything they own in a trash bag.  I also have to figure out how to move 900 miles with a dog, a cat, two rabbits, two turtles and a frog. Sadly, we will probably have to rehome our two Oscar fish as I don't think they would make the trip safely. 

Needless to say, 2021 is definitely going to be a huge change for us all.  The kids have no memories outside of this house and my husband and I have spent most of our marriage together here. But God willing, we will move and begin to make many other wonderful memories.  Home is truly where the heart is