Moving on Down.... To the country

About 10 days ago, my son asked me when would we be able to move out of this school system, this neighborhood, and get somewhere out in the country. I said, "Son, when the time is right, God will put it in front of me, and we'll go." He asked me what I meant by that. "I've always believed that I am where God needs me to be. When we lived in Texas, the opportunity came for us to move back to Tulsa, and that's when NannyMae was so sick. If I hadn't moved back to Tulsa then, I'd wouldn't have had those last few months with her before she died. When we moved from the house next door into this one, it was because God needed to make room for Cristy and Jack to move in and grow their family. Because of that, we became good friends."

I explained to my son all the times that God had provided a better opportunity for us. We've been in this house for 5 years, and in this neighborhood for 9 years. I actually grew up in this neighborhood. We lived about 4 blocks from where I am now, until I was thirteen.

I had no idea God would answer his prayer (and mine!) so quickly. Two days after the above discussion, I was browsing Craigslist, thinking, "Probably won't be anything new, but if I don't look, I'll miss out on something." Sure enough. There it was. I called immediately, made friends with the landlady, and went to look at the property. It wasn't perfect. Perfection would be too much to ask for, and far more than I deserve. The house is only slightly bigger than what we have now, but it has the added bonus of a second bathroom. It's out in the sticks, the toolies, deep in the country. That's a big bonus. It has 10 acres. That's a huge bonus, but it's also the imperfect part.

You know the saying, "God helps those who help themselves?" Man, do we ever have some work to do. Most of the ten acres is grown over with brush and small trees, and the rest is dead wood and tree limbs that will be have to be hauled, stacked, and burned. It's a long skinny piece of property, and naturally, one of the long sides needs fenced. The house has a wide front porch, perfect for sitting in mornings with a cup of coffee. There is the CUTEST little outbuilding, with electricity run to it, and it will be a great workshop for the hubby, or a tackroom, or anything in the world we can figure out to use it for. But it needs a new roof. I don't mean just shingles, I mean the WHOLE ROOF has to be replaced. And the FLOWERS!!! There are day lilies, irises, hyacinths, all kinds of flowers, but no flower beds. There's a perfect spot for a vegetable garden, if we can dig up the sandstone.

So, lots of work. Nevertheless, we call the landlady and tell her we want it, fill out the app and send it back to her. The next day, we're approved. Out of 12 applicants, we were chosen. Just that fast! Oh my daisies!

So then it's boxes, newspapers, packing tape, and stacks of stuff all over the place. Making phone calls, scheduling utilities to be turned off here and turned on there. Breaking the news to my current landlady. And my Mom and Dad. And the kids. And my friends.

And my Zumba peeps. My wonderful, amazing Zumba friends, with whom I have spent the past year, 3 times a week, partying it up, encouraging, building friendships, and just generally having a blast. I had to tell them I was moving away. I was passing their classes on to another instructor. I know they'll be in Good hands, but I miss them already.

The thought of starting new classes in a new town where I don't know anyone is daunting, to say the least. But didn't I do just that with the classes in Pryor? And look what a blessing it was for me! So I think maybe it will be okay.

So, tomorrow is the big move. We'll move most everything to the new place tomorrow, and sleep our first night in our new place. That's so exciting to me! And a little sad, to be leaving behind a best friend, 200+ amazing Zumba participants, and moving on to the unknown. But God brought me to it, and I know he'll bring me through it. And you can't tell me it wasn't Him. It was God. I'm glad I was listening and watching when He put it in front of me.