Our Crazy Past Few Months

So much has happened in the past few months. SO much. I don't even know where to begin.

Lets start with the fact that Kevin will be graduating in T-minus 3 weeks. Well, technically he's walking in graduation in 3 weeks. He still has one more class to take because of the way his schedule fell, and he'll be taking that for a couple weeks late July/early August. So his diploma will say he graduated in October, but we're celebrating on May 12 when he walks with the rest of the graduating class. In some ways, the past 3 years have dragged on and on. And in others its gone by in the blink of an eye. I think the slow part was when we first got here and then waiting for Elias to arrive. Ever since he came, its been one giant blur. Life is going so fast. And don't get me started on this pregnancy...I cannot believe we're almost 30 weeks already! Gavin will be here before we know it.

So given the fact that Kevin is graduating, we started discussing and looking at what our options were post-graduation. Kevin has been working at our church as the Youth and Music Minister for the past 3 years. When we first moved here, we decided after 3 years we would re-evaluate our situation and go from there. If you would have asked me 3 years ago where we'd be going after seminary, without hesitation I'd say back to Pennsylvania. So when we started the discussion this winter, Kevin shared with me how there might be an opportunity for him to work full-time at our current church. Discussions ensued with different leaders in the church, and it seemed like this was the direction the church was moving in.

Or at least that's what we thought.

In the meantime, it was decided that whether or not Kevin's job was made into a full-time position, we were going to move into the parsonage from April until the end of the summer. Our pastor is moving out of the parsonage and into a home they've been fixing up for the past couple years. It was basically a definite that we were moving in there. I was SO excited. Finally, a place for Elias to run around. A bedroom for family to stay in when Gavin's born. A yard for a dog. Yes, a dog. Kevin promised me when we got married that after seminary, we'd get a dog.

 So since we were moving to a place where we could finally have a dog, I started looking at breeders. We decided we wanted an English Springer Spaniel, and I found a breeder that I was very impressed with. She owns both the mother and the father, has 3 kids that handle the puppies daily, and lots of space for them to run and play. It really appealed to us that she owned both parents. Now that I'll soon have 2 little ones, its just that much more important to know what the puppies will likely turn out like. So we were placed on the waiting list, and then the puppies came mid-February. When we did the math, the puppies were going to be ready mid-April to bring home. Perfect! Just as we would be moving into the parsonage. Everything was working out. We went when the puppies were 2 weeks old and had decided that we wanted a brown and white female. When we got there, there were only 2 of that combo left, and another family had one of them in their arms, so I assumed the one left on the floor was the only one left. Turns out she was one of two (out of a little of 10) that I had my eye on since the breeder was frequently posting pictures of them online. And once we held her, that was it! We decided she was ours! We were thrilled!

Then March came, and it was just hell emotionally. We were still waiting for the church to make a decision as whether or not Kevin's job was going to be made full-time. We needed to know what the heck was going on so that we could in turn, if needed, start looking elsewhere for jobs. Just about every week or two there'd be a meeting, it would be discussed, but then said it had to go to another committee or board. One board was in favor of it, the other was not. No one would give us a clean cut yes or no. And I know churches can't make these decisions overnight. I completely understand these things take time. But unfortunately, it typically takes longer than 2 weeks to find a job and relocate. We couldn't just wait forever for them to decide. We're having another baby. Another baby with health problems, nonetheless. And we just need to make plans for the well being of our children.

I heard a rumor going around church that we just wanted the job so that we'd have health insurance and could stay with the doctors in Boston for our kids and that's the only reason we wanted to stay at our church in MA. Isn't that ridiculous?! Of COURSE we need health insurance for our kids. And yes, our kids doctors are here. But there are fabulous doctors in PA, too! We had decided we would stay in MA because the Lord changed my heart and gave me a peace about living here for another few years, NOT because of health insurance or the doctors. And Kevin absolutely loves his youth group students. Every time we talked about the possibility of being somewhere else, he'd get very emotional about leaving his students. He truly loves them. And anyone who thinks otherwise or that we have alterior motives for staying, you're flat out wrong. I'm sorry. Our motives were pure.

Now that that's cleared up...

So it was finally decided that making Kevin's position full time was not a direction they feel like they want to go in. We were very disappointed. However, and I have to say, going through the whole back and forth process with the church while they were deciding what to do really made us question whether this truly was where the Lord is calling us to be. There were some very hurtful things said and done toward Kevin, and being the protective kind of wife I am, I was not okay with that. I'm going to stop myself before I divulge too much, which I probably already have. But I think its important for people to know what really happened. At least from our perspective. We're very confused as to why God would open our hearts up to staying here, only to shut the door. But we trust there's a reason for it, and maybe in time he'll reveal to us why we went through that. And if He never does reveal any of that to us, that's okay too.

In the meantime, we were still lined up to move into the parsonage. Since no one under 6 has lived there in years, they had to have someone come out and inspect it. To everyone's complete shock, the house was FULL of lead. It would take a lot of work to bring it up to code, and that's just not something the church has in its plans to do right now.

Great. We told the seminary we'd be out by the end of April, and now are set up to get this puppy, and have no place to go. I totally jumped the gun with this puppy thing, but at the same time, the parsonage in everyone's mind was a done deal. No one saw this coming. I just simply trusted things were going to work out the way everyone seemed to think they would.

So Easter weekend comes, and we had to pick up our puppy because the breeders were going on vacation the following week.  We named her Callie. I wanted Lily, but Kevin really pushed for Callie. So we compromised, and her AKC registered name will be Calla Lily Grace. Callie for short :)

I had to take the puppy and Elias back to PA since we're not allowed any pets in the apartments. Every day I scoured the internet for rentals close by to school and/or church. I sent out countless emails responding to craigslist postings. The biggest hurdle I kept coming to was that no one wanted a short-term leaser. Since Kevin's job will not go full time, we cannot stay here. We simply can't afford it on a part-time salary. But we just need 4 months to get us through the summer and for Kevin to hopefully (please Lord!) find a job for us to move to in August after his class is over.

How is that comfortable?! On our way to PA...

The day we left for PA, we looked at a little house down the road that would be perfect, and they would allow a short term lease and a dog. So she said she'd send us the application and get back to us. Kevin filled it out, returned it, and then we waited for what seemed like forever (probably only a week). But I figured she had chosen someone else since she said we'd heard from her soon and hadn't heard a thing. After almost 2 weeks in PA, we decided it would be best for us as a family for Elias and I to come back up to MA. Elias was so thrown off without his daddy. And every time I left the room, he thought I was leaving him and would have a conniption. Friday came, and I told Kevin I'd be coming back the next day and we'd have to look at some apartment complex's in the area that allowed short term leases. My biggest hesitation with these places was that they're much more expensive than all the private owner-owned places I had been trying to find, and we really can't afford to pay much more than we're paying now. I was so discouraged. I had totally given things up to the Lord that morning, and said "God I am so done trying to control this. Please lead us to where we're suppose to be". After a nap with Elias, my phone rang. It was the lady who owns the little house we looked at 2 weeks prior. She said they would love for us to be their renters. I was speechless. Its like God was saying "see what happens when you let go? I always provide, don't I?" Thank you, Lord!

Our humble abode for the next few months

The next day (Saturday) Elias and I were headed back to MA. We decided to leave Callie back in PA with my parents for the next couple weeks while we move and get settled.  Kevin's whole family is coming up for graduation in 3 weeks, and they'll bring her with them. Kevin's work is all due this Friday, so after that we can start the whole moving process. I've been packing for weeks now knowing that we're at least moving somewhere, and its still a very slow moving process. I have to stop frequently because of Gavin freaking out when I bend and try putting things in the boxes.

But praise the Lord, we will have a place for ALL of us for the summer. Amen and amen!



And now for your viewing pleasure...

Callie likes to push the stroller with me when we go on walks. Such a helper :)

Elias loves his Aunt Brielle. I just love his belly laugh!

Our little dummer boy.