Way Bigger Than Right Now

Today is Good Friday. That name has always been a little puzzling to me because it seems like such a contradiction to call something good that was so horrible. I suppose the reality that Easter came three days later makes the crucifixion "good", but it's something I have a hard time wrapping my head around.

Anyway, I think the reminder I've needed this week is just that - God's plan is way bigger than right now. Can you imagine what the followers of Jesus must have thought and felt as they watched the earth grow dark as He breathed His last breath? They had been with Him for three years believing Him to be God's provision for not only their lives, but of their people and ultimately the world. Yet, here He was dying in agony in one of the worst ways a human being can die. They had to have felt hopeless, abandoned, and lost. Then as they huddled together in fear a couple of days later, the news comes at dawn: "He is risen, just as He said He would!!"

And here we find the truth that we are to encourage one another with as we live out the day to day here on this earth.  This life is not the end. God's story and plan is way bigger than right now. It's bigger than disease, unemployment, divorce, relocation away from family, singleness, empty wombs, and all the other afflictions we experience on our journey. We're just passing through, yet most of us unpack and settle in as if this life is all we'll get.

Way bigger than right now. That's all we really need to know.

(Click here for a video reminder that it's Friday, but Sunday's coming!)

And Then There Was One

Here I am again - Sleepless in Smyrna. I am about to complete the second night in my life of not sleeping when I was actually trying to. Sigh.... Having a couple of tornado warnings throughout the evening/night didn't help matters.

Sorry it's been over a week since the last post but we really haven't stopped since then. Michael and Bekah came into town for a long weekend and we stayed busy. They came so that Michael could go to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta with my nephew last Sunday and they saw a great round of golf as Tiger made a valiant comeback. It wasn't quite enough to win, but it was still impressive.

While they were here we had a family cookout, competed in a parents vs. kids putt-putt game (the parents won by one stroke!!), and watched the boys play softball together for the first time in many years.

They left on Tuesday afternoon and on Thursday our friend Mel and her sweet baby Ffion flew down from Baltimore to visit.

Her husband, Rich, had a work related appointment and will join us tomorrow (today) for the remainder of the visit and they'll leave Monday. We met them through Gallery Church in Baltimore and they're originally from the UK. We love spending time with them and listening to them talk. Besides the language differences we laugh about sometimes, Rich is 6'5" so it makes for a comical site when he and Hamp walk beside each other. I will try to get a picture of that sometime this weekend.

In the middle of all this activity, Hamp has continued to have discussions with the various people he met with last week regarding a new job. As the week progressed, slowly the options began to dwindle until it looks like there's only one left. He's meeting with the guy again next Tuesday for final discussions and unless something unexpected happens, to work out the details necessary to make things "official". As we've learned all too well, anything can happen and often does, so until then, I'm going to try to keep living in denial. However, unofficially it looks like I'm going to have to learn to like country music after all. Maybe that's why Scotty McCreery ended up being on American Idol this year.

And maybe, just maybe, that's why it's almost dawn and I haven't slept all night. Once we have a job and that domino is pushed, they fall rapidly and I know exactly what's in front of me. And I know exactly what I have to leave behind...again. I know God is faithful and He doesn't have a limit on how many times He needs to be for us. I just think I'm ready to reach my quota of excellent adventures for one lifetime.

The Mad Hatter

Oh, my! I have no idea how I can catch you up with all that has been going on in the last week and a half! I've tried to find a chunk of time to update things here for those of you who check, but as you know, that hasn't happened. In trying to bring things down to a manageable size, I decided to go with a hat theme tonight. I feel like I've worn many different ones recently, so I'll see if I can be a little creative in the summarizing. Ready??

First, we are still job searching. Sherlock Holmes has nothing on my hubby as he's made networking an art recently.

Here is the schedule he had this week:

Monday - interview in Winston-Salem, NC
Tuesday - lunch meeting in Acworth, GA
Wednesday - sorting boxed info from work
Thurday - interview in Nashville, TN
Friday - interview in Durham, NC

Unless something totally unexpected turns up, it's looking more and more like we'll be heading to TN or NC. We'll chat about that another day....

I've had a LOT of paperwork to take care of for my Mom recently. Written notifications to everybody from a rental insurance company to a credit card company...or five. Add to that many phone calls switching coverage for something or making doctor's appointments and let's just say that my days of wondering if I was learning anything useful while babysitting high schoolers as I tried to work were answered with a resounding "Yes"!! The only thing missing was a PA system and a two way radio base station.

Adjusting to the latest "new normal" emotionally along with the added stress of finding one's husband unemployed unexpectedly has definitely increased my pondering and questioning. God's faithfulness to us through the years has averted a major crisis of faith thus far, but my need to process internally before I can breathe fully again requires yet another hat.

Until the pollen tried to kill me within the last week, I have been able to enjoy some of the Spring beauty around me. Every time I put on my photographer hat, something inside of me takes a deep breath and is stilled.

Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Finally, the hat that has most recently been dusted off for a new season is this one:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, baseball has begun again! Seriously, how can you not smile as you listen to the following words being sung as your favorite team takes the field?

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin’ it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don’t say "it ain’t so", you know the time is now.

Chorus

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Chorus
Chorus
Yeah!

(Click here to listen to it being sung by John Fogarty)

The Braves opened the 2011 on the road this year against the Washington Nationals, so even though I couldn't be there in person, I still had to document it.

After winning two in DC, the Braves headed to Milwaukee and sadly lost three of the four they played against the Brewers. BUT....finally they come home to real grass, warm weather, and home cooking on Friday night (which is now actually later today). I will be there and am hoping to see a win as we face our division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

When I get home, Hamp will have arrived from Raleigh, returned to the airport to pick up Michael and Bekah and be back home again with our northern children in tow who are visiting for a long weekend. Add Matthew driving back from Orange Beach where he took a few days to relax and our family will be mostly reunited for a much too brief time.

I'm guessing that after tomorrow's interview in Raleigh we'll know if there are any job offers forthcoming. Should there be more than one, then we'll have a decision to make. Stay tuned as we juggle the days ahead!

Reality Check

In one of my former lives not so very long ago, being up at this hour was normal for me. But more persistent than any phone or radio alarm, once again my body is dictating when or if I'll sleep. While sometimes inspirational and presently annoying, this illustration by Mary Engelbreit reminds me that life as I knew it has ended...and apparently it's bothering me more than I realized.

For the past two nights I have awakened somewhere in the 3:00 hour and not been able to go back to sleep.

My brain wakes up much quicker than the rest of me does and within seconds I'm thinking about what life may look like soon. Some of the questions I'm currently wondering about are:

Are we going to have to move out of state again?

How is this going to affect my Mom and her care?

Will we be near an airport so we can get to our kids easily?

How long will I have to drive with a GPS before I don't get lost?

Who will be the people in our lives a year from now?

While not the stuff rocket science is made of, these are some of the things that make up my life. And this list doesn't include things like having to leave friends and family and familiarity all over again.

Yes, it's possible that a job could become available in the Atlanta area and we wouldn't have to move. But initial feedback from Hamp's contacts aren't encouraging and the only interview so far is in North Carolina next Monday.

So we wait. Knowing God is faithful, but also knowing that sometimes we don't get to choose our paths. We've moved away before and can do it again if we have to, but in this pre-dawn moment I don't want to. Thus the conflict inside with the resulting sleeplessness. Too bad I don't look like Meg Ryan as I sigh.

Waiting

Snoopy must have been living in GA last night because the beginning of his famous novel described our weather perfectly! Poor Kit spent most of the night under the bed instead of on it and I'm pretty sure I woke up every time a new storm rolled through. Oh well, such is springtime and we need the rain to remove the pollen from the air.

So...it's been a couple of days now since Hamp found himself unemployed and you might be wondering if there are any options out there for us. Like every other job-seeking person we know, there seem to be some possibilities but whether anything turns into actual employment remains to be seen.

Ironically, two potential places are in North Carolina and were available last year at this time. But the timing for both didn't fit ours and they didn't work out. Contact has been made and I think I'd be surprised if he at least didn't interview with them. Of course, that's not ideal to me because it would require a move...again. While I have come to believe that every person should move from familiarity to someplace completely different at least once in their lifetime, there's something to be said for stability. Add family needs and circumstances and the complications can multiply and this is where we find ourselves. His Baltimore employer could be an option because even though they closed that plant, they are still a large corporation. Should something work out with them, we could probably live anywhere we choose, but it would require travel for Hamp which we've never dealt with before. Then there's always the unknowns that could still arise which makes job searching the stressful process it is.

Sadly, or maybe thankfully, since we just experienced this a year ago we both are calm for now. Neither one of us has the energy to waste on the "what ifs" or "if onlys" but as nebulous possibilities become potential employment I know that I'll struggle with those. Yet at the same time, we both know that God has a plan for us, this has not caught Him off guard, and we can trust that plan knowing it's for our best.

Moving on, I want to wish Michael a very happy birthday today!

He has entered the last year of his second decade and we're all hoping it brings him a job and some stability for him and Bekah as they move into their second year of marriage.

I don't remember if I mentioned that a couple of weeks ago the CD from Passion 2011 was released with the songs that were done there. It's a great CD and one I would recommend highly.

There's a song on it titled, "Waiting Here For You" by Christy Nockels that is one of my favorites and I find the lyrics running through my head a lot especially since Thursday's news. I'll leave you with a link here to a video of her singing with the lyrics below.

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you

You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You’ve loved us from the start

CHORUS
Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

CHORUS

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, singing alleluia, alleluia

CHORUS

Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
We're singing Alleluia

I'm singing Alleluia
Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
Singing Alleluia

"What Does This Make Possible?"

Enough is enough.....I'm changing the name of my blog.  What began as a creatively named way to keep GA family and friends updated with our move to Baltimore almost three years ago has turned into an ironic new game that I'm tired of playing.  We can't even keep up with us anymore!!

Around 3:30 or so this afternoon, I got a call from Hamp that relayed the latest development in the adventure that is our life with the words, "So, where do you want to move next" followed by, "My job was just terminated".  Really?  Again? 

In defense of my amazing husband, he is not the problem.  The Baltimore job ended because a large corporation was playing monopoly and decided they didn't need the shop he was working in anymore.  The appeal of working for a privately owned company (which moved us back to GA) diminished quickly as the realization that the owner can do whatever he wants whenever he wants as evidenced by today's news.

We were graciously given a small severance that should keep us from having to organize a cyberthon to raise money so we can eat, but a new job must be found soon.  I realized earlier that Hamp started the job he just lost on May 1st last year and could very possibly have the same start date again this year.  That might be funny someday......

So how are we doing?  Right now, I'm starring in the latest installment of "Sleepless in Smyrna" and hopefully Hamp is not.  We're also remembering wise words that friends shared with us recently that are very helpful in keeping our focus where it needs to be.  Those words are, "What does this make possible?"  What, indeed?

Maybe this last job was God's way of getting us to GA so we could be here for a broken engagement and an emergency surgery - events some of our family experienced in which we were able to be a part of the healing process.  Things really aren't in a place where I can leave my mom right now, so it will be interesting to see what God provides.  If nothing else, the last five years of our lives have solidified the foundation God has built our lives on and so in some ways, we really aren't worried.  But I'm a little battle weary right now and could use a break from reality.  In some circles, that could land me in a padded room, but I'm not wanting that much of a break....yet.  :)

I do have pictures to share from our time in Disney but honestly, it's hard to find a chunk of time to devote to this blog because I'm rarely home a whole day.  Hopefully soon I can get to it, but for now I'll leave you with a couple of my favorites to whet your appetite.

This is Joey.  He is wearing a Goofy hat.  There is nothing more to be said.

This is Tiffany and Joey. They are wearing moosehead hats. There is really nothing more to be said.

This is me in the British part of Epcot. I have promised myself that someday I will have my picture taken in a red phone booth in London. This is my reminder, but we probably need a job first.

One more thing - I've recently had people checking out this blog from countries all over the world. That is probably because a key word that someone is searching for might be used in a title and it will direct them to it. For fun, why don't some of you comment and see if we can begin an exchange with each other that maybe leads to new friends in new places. My friend, Pamela, has an excellent blog entitled "From the House of Edward" that you can read if you'll click on the the link. She recently traveled to England and met a couple of new friends from her writings and it was a reminder of how small our world is becoming due to technology. It might be kind of fun to see what happens. Besides, I'm ready to keep up with somebody else for a while. I'm open for suggestions for a new title, but I think "Oh, The Places You'll Go" is already taken.

Sunday Baseball

Greetings!  We're winding down the day and trying to decide what our schedule will look like tomorrow.  Tiffany and Nikki have real life they're living and Joey and I were going to go to the Magic Kingdom.  However, Nikki told us this evening that the projections for attendance tomorrow are that they will fill to capacity and if so, will have to close the park until guests leave later in the day.  That means if you do get in, you'll be shoulder to shoulder dodging strollers and crying children.  Ummm......no please?

So.....I guess we'll just make it up as we go along and see how the day goes.  We had fun today watching the Braves win another Spring Training game, but it was quite toasty just sitting in the stands.  Here's the nephew looking dapper in his Braves gear.

Chipper Jones hit another homerun again today and has had a great spring. As another more "mature" member of society, I personally am pulling for him to have a great year and prove to everyone that he's not quite done yet. If Disney was writing the script, the Braves would win the World Series this fall and he could retire after winning the World Series in his first year playing and his last year playing...all with the same team. We'll see if Walt can still work some magic in October, right?

Somebody else I'm pulling for is Brooks Conrad. If you don't follow the Braves, then you have no idea who he is. If you do, then I think you'll agree with me. When his wife had to leave a game last year late in the season in tears with their two boys because of the boos, well...let's just say no mother or wife or player should ever have to experience that.

I know some will argue that baseball is just a game and we shouldn't care that much about it or any other sport in the light of all that's going on in the world. But what I love about God is that when He invaded planet Earth and her inhabitants, He met us where we lived and He still does that today.