We made it back to Michigan! Once here, we parked the camper and then headed up to Chris's parents to unload the truck. We are storing our stuff in their garage/basement until we figure life and can get a house!
7 years ago
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Uncle Lee's House!
On our way to Michigan, we stopped at my brother's in Indiana and spent a night with him, his fiance, Bridget and his two kiddos, Logan and Aubrey! We all needed haircuts as well and Uncle Lee was happy to give us all good haircuts!
Broedy's hair was long and he needed a haircut badly!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Game Night!
Tonight friends of ours threw together a potluck/game night. We went and had a blast! It was so much fun to just hang out with some many friends from church. We really have been blessed with great friends out here in AZ and it was nice to have one last get together with most of them.
What not to do....
3 days before you move 2000 miles.
Thursday night while carrying a box down the stairs, I missed the last two steps, rolled my ankle and ended up with a very bruised, black and blue, sprained ankle.
Went to the Medi-center on Friday morning and left with an ace bandage, crutches and instructions to stay off my foot and to keep it elevated and iced....HA, HA! That's so easy to do when moving 2000 miles in 3 days! I tried to keep it iced and elevated but it didn't last long! Chris happened to take pictures of me while I was taking a break from packing.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Moving Day!
Moving Day! 12 days after we found out I got the job and we were moving back to MI! Chris and my Dad picked up the truck at 7:30 in the morning and they started loading it! Our friend and neighbor, John came over to help! He was awesome! I really didn't think they were going to get everything to fit but John put everything in the truck like a giant jigsaw puzzle and it fit! I kept telling his wife, Stephanie she needs to hire him out!
After the truck was loaded it was time to say good-bye to some dear friends of ours.
Garret, Lance, Broedy, Caleb, Raelyn, Jenna, Myles, Adalyn and Briauna!
Chris and I with John and Stephanie! We are going to miss them so much! They were the first friends we had out in Arizona and we have many memories of great times with them.....card games, pool parties, camping trips, day adventures, bike rides, parades, holiday parties, birthday parties and just lots of memories of hanging out and watching our kids play together. We were so blessed to have them in our lives and we will forever be grateful for their friendship and the great memories we have of the 3 years we were in Arizona! Love you guys! Thanks for a great three years!
After our good-byes, it was time to start the 2000 mile trip to MI!
My Dad drove the moving truck with my mom's car behind it. Broedy and Raelyn took turns riding in the truck with Grandpa and Grandma!
The camper ready to go! Chris pulled the camper back with me, the kiddos and the two dogs!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Hello Home, Good-bye Arizona!
We're moving home! As I sit here typing this surrounded by boxes, garage sale stuff and a house that is in a disaster state I'm still amazed that we are truly moving back to Michigan.
3 1/2 years ago when Chris graduated from GVSU with his teaching degree we searched for a teaching job for him. We prayed that God would lead us to the right job. Many opportunities came up at that time and one in particular that we pursued was a job for me as the assistant children's director at Kainay Community Church, the church we attended. My daycare business was coming to a slow down and I was loosing kids left and right and when I applied for the assistant children's director position we had made the decision that if I got it, we would stay in MI and I would work for the church and Chris would keep subbing until he found full time employment. At that time, my good friend Sheree ended up with the assistant job and I was excited for her. I worked with her when Myles was dedicated as a volunteer Mom and knew she was perfect for the job.
As you all know, God did answer our prayers and Chris was given a job that brought us out here to Laveen, Arizona. Through three years of Chris teaching out here we have had a lot of peace. We knew that God wanted us here, we got involved in our church here, The Bridge. We have met friends and have built relationships that have allowed us to grow out here. The last part of this school year Chris and I have both felt like God was calling us back to MI. We didn't know how or why, both we both started getting restless out here. Our hearts just haven't been here, Broedy has been asking to move back to MI and we both just had this feeling that our time here in AZ was coming to an end. We have been praying since December that if God wants us in MI, than doors would open for us and if not, that doors would be closed for us and we would be given peace about being here again.
This year has been the first year since moving out here that we have both actively looked for and applied for jobs back in MI. Chris & I have both applied for many, many full time positions back in Michigan this year. Most of those jobs have resulted in closed doors.
One particular job I came across a few weeks back made me gasp when I saw it. It was a job that I knew I would love but it was a part time position and I just wasn't sure about applying for it not knowing if I would even be able to take it if I was offered it. I sat staring at my computer and rereading the job information over and over again until I finally e-mailed Chris and told him about it. He was in MI at the time for a job interview that fell through and so when he called me back and told me that he thought I should apply for the job, I wasn't sure what to think. In an act of faith, I e-mailed about the job opening, got some more information about it and sent my resume and cover letter in praying that if God wanted me to have this job, he would provide it for me.
Chris also continued to apply for full time teaching positions that have come up and we have both prayed that if we were to move back to MI, God would make that clear somehow. Last week while on Vacation up in Williams, AZ with my parents I e-mailed about the part time job I had applied for just to see what the status of it was.
I got an e-mail back saying that while they thought I would be a good fit for the job, they were going in another direction for it. While bummed about it, I knew that God would give that job to the person he knew he wanted for it. Chris and I enjoyed the rest of our vacation and came home thinking that we would probably be here in Arizona for at least another school year.
I sat down Monday night and set up a rough budget for the school year. We made plans for the kids to go on a trip with the school to get uniforms and although there were still some teaching jobs out there and some other positions I planned on applying for, we figured that being out of state has been working against Chris & I for getting a job. We talked about it and made a rough decision that if we didn't get a job soon, we would stay out here for one more school year and then in May when he got his last paycheck of the year, we would pack up and move back home with nothing and try to find employment back in MI.
Tuesday morning I got up and applied for a few more full time jobs that I had found and then checked my phone messages. I happened to have a phone message about the part time job that I had been told I wasn't selected for an interview for. I returned the phone call and had a long chat with the person. Two hours later I had a phone/skype interview and about two hours after that I was called and offered the Assistant Children's Director position at Kainay Community Church. The same position that I had applied for 3 1/2 years ago and my good friend, Sheree got! I am now under her supervision as she is the Children's Director and I honestly couldn't be more excited about that!
So yes, we are moving back to Muskegon! I will be working part time as the Assistant Children's Director for Kainay starting the first week of August and Chris will continue to look for full time employment in a local school district. If a job doesn't come up, he will sub again for awhile. We will be living in our camper at the Muskegon KOA where we can stay for free in exchange for Chris working 20 hours a week helping out the owner, Steve and his wife. We plan on living in our camper for at least the full month of August and maybe into October depending on what God has in store for us.
We will be leaving Arizona a week from Monday, August 23rd and will be back in Muskegon the end of that week. Once again we are moving in about a two week time frame!
I know that many people think we are crazy (haven't we proven that many times???) and maybe we are! All I know is this.....This job is a God thing. It just is. I have never been so excited about a job before in my life and I'm amazed when I really sit back and look at all that has happened in the last few years since we first started attending Kainay that God chose now to give me this job. The same job I had applied for 3 1/2 years ago. The job wasn't mine then, it was Sheree's and he used her for wonderful things at Kainay and has chosen now to bring me into that ministry and to learn side by side with her. I'm excited, charged up and ready to see all that God is going to do through the children's ministry and I'm excited that I get to be part of it all. I'm amazed that God lead Chris and I to Kainay when he did 6 years ago and that the friendships and people I met back then have lead me to this place.
I will admit that we are a scared too. To leave a secure job here for Chris and to move back for a part time 20 hour position is a scary thing. Yet I have so much peace in all of this. I'm not worried and as I told Chris, "God would not hand me this job unless he had a plan in place to take care of all our needs" and I believe that whole heartily. I just know God has big plans for us in store and I can't wait to get back to Muskegon and watch it all unfold. As I've said before, sometimes you just have to leap in faith and know that God will catch you.
So next week Monday we leap and we leave our home here in Laveen and we leave behind good friends and a great church community. We leave behind neighbors, co-workers and other people we have learned to love. Although I am sad about leaving those friendships behind, I am at total peace with this move and can't wait to be near family again and to re-connect those friendships and relationships we left in MI when we moved out here.
So that is our big news in a nutshell! Sorry to keep all of you waiting for the details! It had to be announced to all the staff at Kainay before I could shout it from the rooftops!
Hello Home, Good-bye Arizona!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Swimming....
We got back from vacation and have been spending time in the pool with Grandpa and Grandma!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sunset Crater National Park
Today we went to Sunset Crater National Park. We hiked a few trails and got to see a bunch of ruins. It was a fun day!
This was all lava rock. It was pretty interesting to see.
There was on lava hill that you could take four wheelers and dune buggies up. We sat and watched some of them go up and down this hill. Looked like fun!
My Dad did not fit so perfectly! We asked if they were shorter back then and the ranger told us no, that they just made the doors small because it was less area to have to cover when it got cold out.
The kids became junior rangers at the visitor center. One of the rangers going over their booklets with them.
After we hiked the national park, we headed back to the campground and went on a hay ride.
It rained a little bit and after the rain stopped, this beautiful double rainbow showed up in the sky!
We sat around a propane fire ring (due to the fire ban they have up here due to the huge fire they had in williams that is still burning in areas).
Raelyn, Adalyn and Myles
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