Tag: God

OAIJ x 2 …and other matters

Before I get too far (well, before I get anywhere at all), let me just tell you all how HORRIBLE I feel about not blogging in like, FOREVER.  It’s not that I’m wracked with guilt (except that I am), but I just enjoy blogging, and I miss it.  What can I say?  I’m a writer.  Alas, time is not my friend these days…  I honestly don’t know how Kath does it…three times a day!  I know her posts aren’t long or eloquent, but it still takes time to take, download and upload photos, in addition to writing a snippet here and there.  I find myself saying, “I don’t have time for (fill in the blank), and I don’t even have kids yet!”  Seriously, how does one fit them in?!?!  I suppose children are just like any other top-priority item; you just do.

All that to say, I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile.  No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth (although it sometimes feels like I have) and yes, it’s good to be back.

And, as usual, I have lots to say!

(I’ll use bullet points to avoid the number-conundrum…my OCD tendencies make it hard to end on anything other than 10.)

-Check out my Maple Syrup post for the co-op.  The maple-bacon cupcakes (muffins if you want to sound “healthier”) are the perfect brunch item and will send the eyeballs of everyone to whom you serve them rolling into the backs of their skulls.  Make them this weekend!

-We went to Ohio this weekend to visit our friends, Emily and Dan, and Dave and Jen, and their new baby, Aiden.  I also got to see Susy, another dear friend and running-mate.  We had a fabulous time, although I didn’t take enough pictures (I never do).  I’ll be posting about our trip soon.

-I’m officially on “Easter Break” right now.  Except that I still get up at 0-dark-30 to drink coffee/eat breakfast/workout.  And I have school work to finish.  In fact, I’m going to the chem tutor this morning.  Oh, and I have tests in all my classes when I get back next week.  Not to mention the mile-long list I’ve made of stuff to bake.  So, really, I’m not taking a break at all–I just don’t have to go to class.

-A miraculous thing happened the other day:  I finished off not one, but TWO jars of nut butters!  If you don’t know already, this means I get to enjoy a rare treat TWICE–OIAJ!

-I made oats in the Smucker’s jar (left) yesterday for lunch: oats, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, flax seeds, a splash of strawberry kefir, dehydrated strawberries, cottage cheese and granola on top.  (Thanks for the granola, Susy!)  Of course, all that with a little peanut butter swirled in.  This baby filled me up for hours! Yay for having another one (Crunchy Barney Butter) in the fridge.

-Andrew and I fasted last night while praying for some friends who are going through a rough time.  I’ve never fasted before.  I’ll be honest, food is kind of a big thing for me (as I’m learning through the Made to Crave Bible study–more on that later–I’m doing with Emily), so when Andrew first proposed the fasting idea last week, I was pretty against it.  But, God totally changed my heart and by yesterday morning I was pumped and ready to go!  I had my last snack at about 4:45 (we haven’t been eating until 7:30, so snacking at that time is normal for me) and we prayed together in two sessions.  God totally provided (I thought I would be in agony; my tummy was growling, but I–obviously–made it through) and not only was it a great time of prayer and bonding with Andrew, but it also helped get me off my sugar-kick from this weekend and take one step further in my journey of leaving my food issues behind me.

-Speaking of food:  I made Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodle salad with Beef the other night and it was wonderful!  This is something I saw on her blog ages ago and is included in her new cookbook.  Andrew also really liked it, but I thought it was way too oily, so I’ll be reducing that next time.  I added the beef to make it more of a meal (it’s a variation in her cookbook, not sure if it’s in the online recipe) and bell peppers for more color and nutrition.  Topped with chopped peanuts–yum!

-I’ve come to the (sad) conclusion that I need a cup of coffee to get me through my T/Th Statistics class (1-3 p.m. yikes!) without my eyes uncontrollably closing on me.  Guess that’s what happens with a 5 a.m. wake-up time and swim practice.  I’ve done recent “taste tests” and I’m not a huge fan of Tim Horton’s (unfortunate since they are EVERYWHERE around here) or the cute little local place here in the Orchard Park village, Orchard Perk, (although they may have more than one roast…).  I’d make some at home, but at the moment have no good coffee thermos with which to actually transport the coffee.  To-do for this weekend: find one!

-Easter is this weekend and Andrew’s grandma is coming for a visit!  SO EXCITED!  I’m running in the Bunny Hop 5K, which goes right by their house (neat!  I might have a cheering section), and I’m hoping to spend as much time with everyone this weekend as possible = get as much work done as possible before Friday night, and what in the world do we do with Hadrian??

-Did I tell you all I’ve officially gotten into the Dietetics Program at Buffalo State?  Well, I have.  I have one summer class before I start full-time in the fall.  I’m a little anxious about scheduling my fall classes since I schedule last (as a new transfer student) and the classes I need are small with only 1 or 2 sections.  I think the professors will provide an ‘override’ if I can’t get into something I must have, but I’m still nervous.

-I’m making steakhouse mac and cheese today from Cooking Light. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Whew!  I think that’s about it… Or at least a good start getting caught-up!

Alright, sun’s coming up and I have dishes to put away and a hubby to wake up! Happy Wednesday/first day of Easter Break/day I get to bake 🙂

On how this move started and God’s provision

Things have been moving so fast around here, I don’t even know who knows what about where we are in the moving process.  Heck, sometimes I don’t even know what’s going on…  All I know is that I have four VERY long lists out on the kitchen table that just seem to keep growing…

What I really want to begin with is just how much this moving stuff has strengthened my walk with God.  It all started last summer when I got the itch to move.  I was anxious and ready to go!  We’d been here five years already and I wanted a change.  At the urging of one of my friends (probably Jen), I began to pray both for contentment in my present situation (here in Ohio) and that God would change my heart, if it was His will that we stay awhile, or forever.

I did pray these things, and peace did come.  However, I’d already been bitten by the “East Aurora bug,” and so with every visit, my desire to be there grew.  I just loved it there.  I love the climate, the tall trees, the green grass, the fresh air and slower-paced life, the quaint charm of older homes…and, of course, Andrew’s family.  So, when we visited NY on our way up to Quebec in the fall, my interest in EA started right up again.

I started looking online for homes.  (Yes, I realize, really premature.)  I started talking to Andrew about the possibility of us moving there one day.  He was shocked at first that I wanted to go there, and not as excited about it as I was.  He felt like he’d worked so hard and gotten away from his hometown–why would he want to go back?

So, I started praying about it.  Praying that God would bring us there somewhere down the line, and that if He didn’t, again, that He’d give me contentment and change my heart.

We spent our first Christmas in EA this past December and it was then that Andrew really got excited about the possibility of moving back home.  It was the snow and the decorated houses and being with family…  We decided maybe it could be our “five-year plan” to move there.

Little did we know that just a month later God would open a door.

Just a week or so after the New Year, Andrew got a call from his father about Moog hiring.  Like, right then.  As in, send your resume by the end of the month.  Yikes.  I remember standing in the kitchen in absolute shock.  And I distinctly remember not being excited.  Not that moment.  I thought to myself, “OK God, I asked to go to East Aurora, but I didn’t mean NOW!”

(For those who don’t know, Moog is an engineering company based in East Aurora that is smaller than GE, but still quite large and has offices all over the globe.  Andrew’s dad has worked there for the last twenty-plus years and Andrew worked there over the summers during college.  Basically, I had to pray that if God didn’t want us to move, He was going to have to do something huge because there was no way Andrew wouldn’t get a job there if he wanted one.)

So, Andrew and I looked at each other, blinked a couple times, and took a few breaths.  He started working on his resume immediately.  He submitted it by the end of January, had phone interviews in February and an on-site interview in the beginning of March.  By the middle of March he had an offer and started working just after Easter.  (On a side note, Andrew came up with “The Frozen Pineapple” sometime during the very early stage of applying for the job, and I loved the name.  However, because it was kinda tied to the whole “moving to NY” thing, I didn’t start the blog until we knew for sure we were going there.)

I never stopped praying during this whole time, and I have to admit, I’ve never been more at peace about something so uncertain as a move.  Even now, for all the transition and unknowns out there, I’m still resting in God’s provision, because, boy, has He provided!

Everywhere I turn there is something so perfect, so divinely timed, about this move that I have to catch my breath.  I can’t list them all here, but there are little and big things all over the place that have His hand all over them.  Like Heather moving in and keeping me company while Andrew was gone for a month.  Like when we got our house on the market (AFTER I dealt with that stupid, leaky window) and providing an awesome neighbor kid who calls ME to ask if he can mow the yard.  Selling our house.  The fact that Andrew’s parents live in EA, so he’s been able to stay there this whole time, not to mention we’ll have a place to store stuff and forward our mail to once we get there.  I could go on and on…

And so, when I went recently for our house-hunting trip, I knew I had to trust that God would also provide both a house and a place to stay in the meantime.  Because we’ve sold our house already but don’t have another one lined-up, our stuff will have to go into storage until we can close and move into another house.  We’d thought about renting for a year to see what came up on the market, but I really don’t want to move twice.  And I truly believe God will provide the right house for us.  This summer.  I didn’t want to sign a lease and then find “the one” a couple months later.

I didn’t go into the house-hunting trip with any expectations of finding a house, but rather wanted to get our temporary lodging situation worked out.  Andrew’s parents have graciously offered for us to stay at their house, and for a couple weeks that would be fine.  But because we don’t even have a house yet, we’re looking at two-plus months before we could move in anywhere.  And what about the dog???  Who, in their right mind, will rent a furnished place to someone with a Great Dane?  Even the most “pet-friendly” places still have weight limits, and they don’t typically exceed 75 pounds…

Well, God came through just like He always does.  (I did have plans B and C in my back pocket, just in case.)  The Staybridge Suites in West Seneca (about 15-20 minutes away from East Aurora) is welcoming us with open arms.  I met with their manager Monday and walked around and toured some of their suites.  Hadrian is a good 40 pounds over their weight limit, but they’re excited for him to come stay.  We’ll be in a two-bedroom suite, so we get two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two closets (whoo hoo!  storage!) and a kitchenette with a living room.  And get this–they are putting us on the first floor at the end of the hall RIGHT NEXT TO THE DOOR TO GO OUTSIDE.  How cool is that?  No having to take Hadrian in an elevator every time he has to go outside!  The laundry is free (awesome), they have an awesome daily breakfast and light dinner three times a week, all for free.  (It’s all free for us–without saying a ton, Andrew’s relocation package is pretty awesome–just another way God is providing during the move.)

I most exciting part?  I prayed for this.  My specific prayer was that God would make it ABUNDANTLY clear whether we were supposed to bring Hadrian or not.  We had lots of options available (leaving him at “puppy camp” long-term, with a neighbor who offered to watch him, staying with Andrew’s family…), and I was waffling back and forth about whether or not staying in a hotel would be the best thing for him.  I didn’t like the idea of leaving him for months at a time, but I also didn’t like the idea of him living in a crate in a hotel, possibly barking and being a pest.  Well, God made it so clear that by the time I left the Staybridge that day, I didn’t even feel like I needed to check out any other temporary living options.

So, the three of us will move into the Staybridge the night we get in, and it will be the perfect time to start running with Hadrian in the mornings, and when I go to EA to run errands or visit with Andrew’s family, Hadrian will just tag along.  Between being in the hotel with me and hanging out at Andrew’s parents’ house, he’s going to have a blast.

This is already way longer than I’d anticipated…  More updates coming soon: how God is/will be (I hope!) providing a job for me in NY, and, hopefully soon, a house!