So this just happened……again…

 

….which will help to explain this month-long sabbatical I am finishing up!  😀

 

It has been a whirlwind these past few weeks, and as many times as I have wanted to just sit and write and get it all out, there just wasn’t time or breath left in me to do it.  But now that the dust seems to be settling a bit, I thought I would update y’all on what I’ve been up to this summer!

 

We finally sold our house this past February (after having it on the market for 6 months and going through a ridiculous experience with getting into escrow) and we were just so glad to be done with all of that.  Seriously. While we were waiting for the house to sell last summer, we took an apartment with a one-year lease and this July we had to decide what our next step was going to be.

 

While we were based in Northern California, my husband was commuting to work in Southern California – a total of 14+ hours every. single. week.  which, of course, left me as a single parent every. single. week. Needless to say, the distance and time apart put monumental stress on our marriage and our family life.  We knew we had to make some changes, but until the house sold, we were plain stuck.

 

So, after our lease was up this past July, we decided it was finally time….

 

….to have our family all in one place – at the same time.

….to stop co-parenting via Skype.

….to stop saying goodbye every week.

….to not have to watch our little boy cry for his daddy to be home.

 

It was finally time to get back to ‘us’ and start living out our dreams as a family.

 

So, the decision being made was the easy part.  Making the transition happen has been the most challenging part.

 

We left Sacramento last weekend and began our journey to Southern California.  The road has not been smooth these past few weeks, and if I am being completely honest, much of it has brought me to tears and to my knees asking for God’s Mercy.

 

My husband had been called up to an active fire and we had no idea when he would be released from his duties.

 

I had the monumental task of purging, selling, and packing up our home and storage area on my own and in just a few week’s time.

 

We had to make the 9-hour drive down south 3 times in 3 days – once to drive down and pick up my husband (he had to leave his car behind in order to drive the moving truck and didn’t think driving a 24′ truck with a trailer overnight would be much fun!), once to bring him back to Sacramento the next day, and one last time for the move the following day.  And yes, by the 2nd trip, my mind was completely gone (and, of course, this was the month that I got it in me to give up caffeine).  If you live in CA or have ever driven that stretch of I5, you feel me, right?!

 

We almost ran out of gas on a desolate stretch of the freeway – but we prayed hard and loud and made it to the off ramp and to the station!  And learned that 3 “lines” left on the fuel gauge of my new car really means almost empty! Ugh.

 

On the day we moved in, we landed smack in the middle of a horrible heat wave (104° even at bedtime!), I sprained my foot, my hubby came down with a stomach bug, and The Boy had fever of 103° for 3 miserable days!
But there it all was.

 

New city.

New roads.

New stores.

New church.

New climate.

New friends.

New routines.

New goals.

New life.

 

I left behind everything that was familiar and comfortable and safe and ‘home’.  I left the only city I have ever lived in.  I left my father and my brother.  I left my friends.  I left my comfort zone.  And what made it worse, was that The Boy was now old enough to feel all of that change happening to him too.

 

I was pushed back and I was about to fall, but the Lord helped me.  The Lord is my strength, he is my song, he’s become my salvation……I will not die, but I will live. – Psalm 118:13-17

 

Making this transition seem as easy as putting on a well-loved pair of shoes all while rebuilding what we had before…..and not freaking out about any of it?  *sigh*  So, I am still working on the freaking out part.  😉

 

 

 

Now that we are in our second week in our new home, I can see the struggles have all been worth the effort.

 

That first evening?  When I had dinner on the stove and there was a knock on the door and The Boy ran to ask who it was?  Watching the door slowly swing open and hearing the squeals and giggles from him as he saw his daddy standing there in his uniform? The tears just flowed.  Tears of long-awaited joy, relief, and just a sense of “ahhhh”. We are home.  We are all finally home.  ♥

 

 

 

P.S.  For my long-time local readers, this move will not affect the types of events I post.  I still have ties to the Sacramento area and will continue to post any exciting events I come across!  ?

 

 

 

 

(photo credit)