Yes, things are moving right along here in Michigan. We are settling into some routines and really finding our way around. We still miss home, but each day is getting a little easier. Here's a quick update:
We are still working to unpack/store boxes. There is no way all of our stuff is going to fit in this house, so the girls and I have decided to have a yard sale in the spring. Apparently they're very popular up here, and we are in a well-traveled location, so maybe it will go better than our last ones have. :-) Jeff usually usually says that he will just pay me $20 NOT to have one. That would be more than I typically make at a yard sale. Most people we knew had a hard time finding our previous house....how could we expect a total stranger to?
Getting rid of stuff can really be a challenge for me. For whatever reason, I have always found a lot of (false) security in "stuff". I have always wanted to have everything I might need for any occasion. However, I am seeking the Lord for freedom in less "stuff". I am learning that just because something is nice and in good shape, if I don't use it, I don't need to keep it. I am also changing some of my definitions of "sentimental". I have always wanted to hold onto every scrap of anything my girls have ever touched. I am realizing that is my desperate attempt to keep them young and here with me. It all boils down to a trust issue. Do I trust the Lord to meet my every need? Do I trust Him to give me my daily bread, or am I trying to put my future in my own hands? Does He tell us to store up our treasures on earth? NO! Quite the opposite....we are to store up treasures in heaven. He says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I want my heart set on eternal, heavenly goals. Not the temporal things of this earth. Not to mention the practical aspects. The more I think about it, it makes no sense to use up space we could be living in/playing games in/having people over in....to store stuff we never use. It definitely makes no sense to pay for storage for things we never use. We are not paying for a storage building (though we have in the past), and we have not bought a storage shed, however, are we not paying for the space we are living in? I guess all I am saying is that I want to be a good steward of all God has given me, even if that means getting rid of stuff. I am finding great freedom in seeing more and more stuff go, and you know what? I haven't even missed (most of) it. :-)
Okay, well, I digressed a little. The update continues:
We took Clara to her new doctor the other day. He is a sharp man, very smart, and he is a godly man. I am still not real crazy about the office procedures, and Emilie asked me why he didn't talk to her at all on our first visit, so those are concerns. It was a very information filled, intense visit, because he put all of Clara's history in the computer...and that's quite a history! Maybe he just didn't have time on that visit to talk the girls very much?? We are interviewing another one today, so we'll see what happens. Ultimately I have to do what is best for the girls. I am thrilled at how willing our current one is to work with Clara's geneticist, and there are many other positives. We will just have to see. Please pray I will have wisdom in this area. I say "I" because Jeff is not able to visit these doctors with me and he is trusting my judgment.
Jeff is settling into his job and feeling a little more useful. It has been an adjustment for him, learning to do a job that is not so labor intensive and goal oriented. However, he is so gifted for ministry, and he is loving it more and more. For once, I think he knows more people than I do! :-)
We found a children's choir! Alyssa and Emilie were so sad to leave many things in Georgia, but one of the things they grieved the most was leaving the Georgia Children's Chorus. What a fabulous experience they had there, learning to love and appreciate wonderful, quality music, and to learn the proper way to use their voices...and investment into many more years to sing praise to God! When we first moved here, I could find nothing....I mean, nothing like that for them. However, on Monday night we went to the South Bend Chocolate Cafe' to get dessert for my birthday, and hanging on their bulletin board was an announcement for auditions for a children's chorus! It is a brand new chorus, which is a little scary and exciting, but the lady in charge has some impressive credentials, so I am hoping for the best. They have auditions on Saturday morning. Please pray it goes well and their nerves don't get the best of them!
Proof that they do love at each other...at least a little. :-)We are praying about what other activities, if any, to get the girls involved in. The therapeutic ranch still has not returned any of my messages, so I am not sure what to do about that...drive over there?? I don't want to be obnoxious, but I am in the north now. :-) It seems you can get away with a little more of that here. :-) We would like to do something to keep the girls physically active this winter, but again we want to be very good stewards of what the Lord has blessed us with...time, money, and everything else. Please pray we will have wisdom in these decisions.
Alyssa and Emilie went roller skating for the first time on Tuesday. I wish I had my video camera with me! What a hoot! They really did pretty well, but they both had some pretty major falls, and are having some trouble walking around. It's getting better, but I am pretty sure they both bruised their tail bones. OW! And lest I only reveal their embarrassing stories, I ate my own share of humble pie. Back in the "day" (20+ years ago), I was quite the skater. However, 20 years and 100 pounds later, I looked like those people I always laughed at as a kid. I made it around the rink twice and decided that 911 was in my very near future, so I quit...for that day. We're going back, and hopefully soon, the muscle memory will kick in. :-)
I didn't have my camera at the birthday party where Alyssa and Emilie skated, but here are our other little amateur skaters. I found these skates at a consignment shop here, and they have loved them! They wore them as shoes for the first three days they owned them. :-)I guess that's all the big stuff. I will leave you with a funny Clara story. Keep in mind that she was as serious as serious could be when she said this....
Yesterday we were out running errands. Clara had on her "watch"....one of those little plastic deals that kids get at birthday parties. It has a little picture of a dog on the face with two little cut-outs. There are two little balls that roll around in there and you are supposed to get the ball in the holes. You know what I'm talking about... Well, she reached down into her seat to get something, and when she did, she got it caught on something in her seat and the plastic face popped off and the little balls and the picture fell out. She looked down at her watch and said, "Oh great! It broke. Now how am I supposed to know what time it is?"
Have a blessed day!
Jeannie
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