The Looooong Transition

I'm skipping quite a few details for the sake of brevity (you're welcome), but obviously we eventually got to the point of Jared getting the job offer from Middletown Springs Church. Awesome. In our hearts, we were ready to go immediately. But of course, it's never quite that easy. We had a house to sell, a school year to finish, my job which needed a transition plan, etc. To make a long story short, we determined that our best course of action would be to put our house on the market as soon as we could get it "market ready" and then have Jared and the girls move to Vermont in early August in order to get them settled in time for the school year to begin. I stayed behind in Nashville so I could keep my job, because we needed my income to continue to pay for our house in Nashville. This set us up for what became a 9 month separation. It was one of the most difficult times of our entire lives, and yet God used even that in so many special ways.

I can honestly say that I don't regret our decision in any way whatsoever, but it's also very true that I hope I NEVER have to go through a time like that again. To say it was difficult would be an epic understatement. But that doesn't mean it wasn't fruitful. Here are just a few of the things I learned/realized/remembered during my time in Nashville without my family:

--I so much prefer a messy full house to a clean empty one
--A 6" Subway Veggie Delite sandwich is cheaper than buying groceries for one person
--The number of people I'm cooking for times the amount I love them = how much I enjoy cooking. Just me? Not so much. Lots of people I love? Awesome!
--I could easily live without ever watching television again, but I'm pretty sure I'd shrivel up and die without books and music
--Football should never be watched alone (thank God for friends who wouldn't allow me to do so ;-)
--Sleeping late on Saturday is less awesome when there is no one in your house who poses a threat to it happening
--I have some of the most amazing friends in all the universe
--Video Chat is a miracle
--Middletown Springs Community Church is living proof that God can build a family where no blood relation exists
--I knew God was mighty and powerful and gracious and wonderful and a million other amazing things, but I don't think I ever knew how *sweet* He was until I had no one else to snuggle with every day. God is a great snuggler.

Again I will say that I hope I never have to be away from my family for an extended period of time ever, ever, ever, ever again. Ever. But our time together now is every bit as sweet as our time apart was difficult, and God was good to our family through it all. Though He certainly didn't have to, He proved Himself to us over and over again in a million different ways, and there is no question that our entire family grew as individuals and grew closer to each other even though we were geographically challenged for awhile. God is good. All the time.