Day 365 - The Final Post

Here we are at the end.

The end of a journey that I was scared to begin.

I didn't know what God had in store for me as I trusted Him fully with my heart, but I knew that I had to find a way to give everything to Him.

My trust, my patience, my love, and my thanksgiving.

I remember thinking that I was being foolish. That opening myself up like this would surely result in "testing" from God.

That He would desire to throw every horrible situation at me, to show me what it meant to truly be thankful every day.

It was terrifying, but He asked me to trust Him.

And I did.

This has been a hard year; a hard, wonderful, painful, exciting, amazing, difficult year...

I've shared things about myself that I had kept long hidden from even those close to me. 

I've seen the healing  of a pain I didn't realize I had.

I've experienced physical and emotional healing. 

I've grown so much in my relationship with Christ and I've finally accepted that it is in His timing that all things come to fruition.

I know that I missed a few (-ahem- more than a few, I know!) days here at the end. Moving and finishing school all at the same time got the better of my time management skills!

With this year under my belt I have gained a lifelong perspective, though it is one that the Bible clearly outlines for us... I guess it just took me awhile to own it for myself... In everything give thanks.

Thank you for coming along with me. I hope that your heart has been forever changed too.

With love,

P.S.

Find out what happens next... Follow my new blog A Modern Homestead!

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Day 354 - New Heart

This whole year has really changed me.

Each moment is a new chance to flex my new heart... My new trust in God.

This whole experience with moving has giving me many opportunities to trust.

Just yesterday, we went up to the apartment to check on things (we have the lease for another 3 weeks)... and the door was unlocked and there was a washer/dryer set just sitting in the living room.

Now, since I am still financially liable for anything that happens in that apartment, I was a little annoyed... to say the least.

But after just a second of frustration, I saw the good.

This was truly something to be thankful for...

Today I went and talked to the apartment manager about closing our lease out early, which she agreed to... and we saved a ton of money!

I am so thrilled!

Thank you God for working in my life so much over the last year. Each time "the world" tries to get me down, I look for your face and see the good that you have waiting for me.

I am thankful that thankfulness is coming so easily now.

I am thankful that my heart is truly changed. 

I am thankful that it's no longer only "special" things that elicit thanksgiving, but rather everything is worthy of thanks to God.

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Day 340 - Tiny Tuesday

 

I don't know how we functioned before the cell phone.

It seemed like we did ok...

My parents always knew where we were. We didn't have any emergencies that needed a Google search to solve...

But those days are gone.

Saturday was our final day of moving... and the skies poured out about 5 inches of rain on us.

So, at about 4:30pm as I pulled into the apartment complex for yet another load of boxes... it started to really come down.

I grabbed my phone and my drink and ran into the apartment.

Soaked to the bone and weary to boot, I got right to work packing up the last of the stuff from around the house.

After about an hour the rain slowed down to a fine mist and The Mister started taking boxes down to the car...

To my complete shock, he didn't come back up empty handed...

He came back with my iPhone and shattered case in hand.

Apparently, my phone had slipped from my pocket as I was frantically trying not to drown... fallen onto the parking lot pavement, and then gotten run over after that!!!

God is so good. My case was shattered into a million pieces, but my phone was in perfect condition.

I am thankful that the OtterBox case really does work as well as advertised.

I am thankful that God saved us from the several hundred dollar cost of replacing my phone.

I am thankful that the skies are blue today :-)

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Day 339 - Finished

I thought we were doing so well.

Unpacking each box as it made its way to the new house had been so easy, until this past Saturday!

Here is my beautiful living room, with that couch that I was almost done ripping...

And the heretofore cleared out dining room...

And the room that I shutter to think about... my craft room.

 

As a frame of reference for the boxes in the craft room, ALL of that stuff was neatly organized into a single closet at our apartment. I'm hoping I can get it sorted away quickly... it's quite overwhelming to look at in this state!

On the plus side, every.single.thing. is out of our old place!! That means we can really get to unpacking and organizing now... no more packing and hauling for us!

I am thankful that we have a beautiful new home that we get to organize and make lovely.

I am thankful that I have a wonderful work-horse husband who will move things around and help me get everything sorted out.

I am thankful that it's summer break and I can focus on getting unpacked!

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Day 335 - Ripping

Victoria - 1
Couch - 0

I went a little crazy today and ended up ripping almost all the fabric off of the couch!

This was the couch at about 10am this morning...

And then I got to work... and here it is a few hours later!

Only a few more hours of effort and I'll be ready to start putting the new fabric back on!

That is if I can find the staple gun...

I am thankful that the fabric is coming off so easily.

I am thankful that my new living room is large enough to accommodate this project!

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Day 334 - Home Sweet Home

It may be pouring outside... but this little house of mine, I'm gonna make it shine.

Two well loved pieces of furniture are getting a new look this week.

An old couch I got at a thrift shop for a cool hundred bucks, and an Ethan Allen wing back chair that my parents have had since their first year of marriage - 34 year ago!

I was given so many gift cards to fabric shops by my sweet class, that I was able to get all the fabric I needed for very little out of pocket!

I can't wait to share the before and afters with you... hopefully this week.

I am thankful that my class gave me such a perfect set of gifts!

I am thankful that I have a beautiful new home to work on.

I am thankful that summer break is here and I have some real time to work on my projects!

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Day 333 - Sleep

Who knew that two week of sleep deprivation would take it toll on a person!

Yep, moving and ending school all during the same week was rough.

But school is over now and I am well on my way to being rested again!

Though we are not completely done with moving (somehow!) we are getting closer. Everything that has made it to the house is unpacked and put away, but we do have all the books that are still at our apartment...

I promised The Mister that I wouldn't ask him to move those again, so we hired movers for that part! 3500 books is quite a lot to move... I think the money spent on movers is well worth the back pain saved!!

I am so thankful that God has opened up this new chapter in our lives.

I am thankful that everything is new and exciting right now.

I am thankful that His timing is perfect as always and that I have the whole summer to nest!

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Day 327 - Last Full Day

Today is the last full day of school.

Tomorrow is a half day of actual school, and then we will celebrate Kindergarten graduation in the evening.

I can't believe the school year is over!

And on the other hand... I feel like it's been years since I last saw August.

Either way, we are at the end.... And it is definitely bittersweet.

I went to get books for the kids yesterday as an end of year gift. Last year I had been able to get them all the same book, write a personalized message in the front, and I was done.

This year however, I left it to the last minute and couldn't find enough of the same book to just buy them all the same thing!

So there I was, standing in the children's section of Lifeway, reading over each book and trying to pick one for each child.

I decided I wanted to pick a book that would really mean something to the journey that each child was on or had taken this year...

What that also meant was that I had to really think about what they have gone through and how far they have come.

Which in turn meant that I spent about an hour reading books and crying like a baby...

Many heads glanced my way and I smiled and waved as I was thinking about these kids that I have poured my heart into all year long.

I am thankful that I have been blessed with a caring heart. 

I am thankful that I don't turn my emotions off when I leave school and forget about these little people when they are not in my sight.

I am thankful that I have been used by God to help each one of these children grow and learn this year.

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Day 326 - Paint

I am so ridiculously thankful for paint!!

The kitchen of our house was ORANGE when we moved in. Needless to say, it had to go.

Fortuntantly, one gallon of paint and 2 hours later, I have a beautiful milk chocolate brown kitchen! Though it definitely looks more gray in this picture!

I am thankful that we only needed one gallon of paint for the whole kitchen!

I am thankful that my father-in-law was able to paint above the cabinets (and the rest of the kitchen too...). The ceilings in the kitchen are 12 feet up! That's a big ol' wall!

I am thankful that the curtains that were in that horrible orange kitchen actually look stellar with the new paint color! No frantic sewing for me!!

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Day 325 - Bearing the Burdens

This weekend has been full of so many things.

Excitement...

Exhaustion...

Sore muscles from moving and painting...

Joy...

Thankfulness...

Overwhelming emotions...

And shock from actually getting a house! Finally!

Seriously. God has been so good to us.

And this weekend, our families were good to us too.

We had so much help from our parents, especially my in-laws, who definitely bore our burdens this weekend.

They were up shockingly early and to bed ridiculously late! They never stopped moving and doing... and as a result, we are almost completely moved AND unpacked!

I am so thankful to have so many people in our lives who love us and are willing to help us so often.

I am thankful that God gave us so much energy, and enabled us to get through so much in such a short period of time.

I am thankful that we are in the throes of the joy and exhaustion of being in our first house!!

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Day 324 - Super Short Sunday

I am thankful that I get to spend the day with my whole family!

I am thankful that we were able go to church and celebrate my youngest brother for "Senior Sunday". 

I am thankful that I got a second wind this afternoon and was able to work through without a nap! 

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Leading up to Day 323

I know many of you have wondered where I have been these past few days weeks...

I have gotten phone calls and emails, which have meant the world to me! Thank you for checking on me!

Unfortunately, until today, things have been one-hundred and fifty percent stagnant. Nothing changed, nothing happened... we just sat here waiting.

You know we have been trying to find a house. That has yielded a ton of drama, worry, and prayer.

But as of FIFTEEN minutes ago... I have the key to our new house IN MY HAND!!!!

Thank You God for Your provision, Your faithfulness, and Your care.

You have seen us through many moments of doubt and frustration regarding this whole house search. 

You have calmed our fears and mapped out every dollar we would need. 

You have allowed us to go through a grueling process to get to this place, and we know that it was all worth it.

I am sorry that I left the site unmanned for so many days... but, truth be told, my mind was seemingly incapable of working for that entire time.

All the documents that were still needed, the hoops that still needed to be jumped through, and the calls that needed to be made were all swirling around in there... and that didn't leave much room to get words down on the page!

Thank you for your prayers and support. 

Thank you for your willingness to listen to me vent my frustrations, my hopes, and my fears on this blog.

Thank you for really caring about our lives! I can never express how much it means to us!

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Day 312 - Countdown

The last few days of school are upon us. I repeat, the last few days of school are upon us!

Twelve last days, to be exact... and my class is counting every moment!

Each morning we cross another day off of our countdown board, and each morning there are hoots and hollers, tears and cheers.

Some are ecstatic to be moving up... others cry and wring their hands because they don't want to leave me.

I can totally understand the mix of emotions here. As much as I love them and have had many good days with them over the course of this year... I am so looking forward to summer!

I am thankful that I have had such a great class this year; that I have gotten to love them and pour my heart and God's love into them for nine months.

I am thankful that the lessons I have taught them will not be forgotten, but continued and reinforced with the other teachers at this school.

I am thankful that God has given me the love and wisdom to guide them. I pray that I have done my best in His sight.

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Day 307 - 311 - Mega Post

Hello all, glad to be back. Sorry for the extended absence, I had a few complications come between me and posting this week.

From my internet being down EVERYWHERE to a pinched nerve that caused my fingers to be so sensitive that I couldn't even type without stabbing pains shooting through my body, this week has not been very conducive to my continued blogging.

However, all seems to be fixed now and I am back with a mega post!

My class made it through their testing with flying colors! I am so proud of the way they performed... I don't think I could be any more proud if they were my actual children!

Our school celebrated Field Day (a mini Olympics style contest) on Friday, which was great fun. Last year I was so burdened with Candida that Field Day was no fun at all. But now that I am 60lbs lighter, it was a blast!

We were the "Rockstars" and had custom made t-shirts, blow up microphones, and a rockin' cheer! The kids loved every second!

Friday night The Husband and I got to attend a concert put on by the local college featuring opera and orchestra students. They performed numbers from many different pieces, varying from The Magic Flute and Die Fledermaus to South Pacific and My Fair Lady.

It was a great time and we got to see a good friend play in the orchestra!

Saturday brought moving plans, and refrigerator and paint chip selections. We are so close to moving I can hardly contain my excitement!

When I look back at everything that God has orchestrated over the last few years to bring us to this point, I really see how much He cares about our every moment. He's not just here for the big moments... He's here and working in every moment.

I am thankful that God truly cares about and works in our lives. 

I am thankful that He has brought us through times that could have destroyed our marriage and our happiness in life... and through those times, He has given us so much more than I ever thought to have. 

I am thankful that we are truly happy and content to simply seek out God's will in our lives... Every moment of every day.

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Day 306 - Tiny Tuesday

Testing continued today and my kids did great!

I did have a mini heart attack in the beginning as I imagined everyone missing every single question... but fortunately that was just a nightmare and didn't really come true!

We have two more days of testing and I know they will continue to do amazingly well.

I am thankful that I have such a great class.

I am thankful that they are handling their tests so well.

I am thankful that "it's only Kindergarten"!

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Day 305 - Testing

The Bible verse above always gives me great pause... but this week I think it may come in handy... 

My kiddos get to take their very first standardized tests this week!

I'm so excited for them! I remember, as a homeschooler, how much fun this time of year was for me.

I wouldn't trade being homeschooled for anything, but I did really like the testing season. It meant that we got to go sit in desks and pack our little lunches with sandwiches and juice boxes.

All those feelings of excitement came rushing back to me this week and I'm so glad I get to be here with my class through their first testing experience!

Hopefully my joy and excitement for the process will help them to relax... Though none of them seems even the slightest bit concerned!

I am thankful that I have such great memories from my own childhood... and that I am getting to somewhat relive them this week.

I am thankful that my class is well prepared for the test and that no one seems anxious at all.

I am thankful that God has placed me here this year.

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Day 304 - Super Short Sunday

 

 I am thankful that we are soon moving to house much closer to our church.

I am thankful that I am fully prepared for the week of school (and life in general) that is now upon me!

I am thankful that we only have 3 weeks left in school ;-)

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Day 303 - Time With Family

I'm getting to spend some time with my Grandfather today. He is 94 and still kicking!

Recently, he did have a bad stint in the hospital and is now pretty much confined to his bed. Though he is regaining some of his strength and ability to walk, he needs a lot of help to get the things that he needs.

My parents, who are his current caretakers, had the opportunity to go see a play tonight and asked me to take over for the day.

I am so glad that I'm getting to spend time with him and give them a break too!

A few days back I mentioned that I felt burdened to share the gospel again with someone who just seemed lost, even though they had all the right answers... I was talking about my grandfather.

But yesterday I had the chance to speak with him one more time and this time I walked away with an complete sense of peace.

I am thankful that God has blessed me with a heart that is sensitive to His promptings.

I am thankful that He didn't let me sit idly by with my doubts.

I am thankful that, for whatever reason, I finally have a peace about the state of my grandfather's eternal fate.

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Day 302 - Half Day

Today was the Walk A Thon celebration for my school. The kids raised money for the school, walked laps, and then got to have a water gun fight!

It was all good fun, which was increased exponentially by the fact that they got to eat Chick-Fil-A- for lunch and skip nap time to go home early :-)

While the kids may not have realized it... teachers were excited about the half day too!

I am thankful for another great year at a wonderful school.

I am thankful that this wonderful year is almost over.

I am thankful that today is a half day to relax and gear up for standardized tests that start next week!

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Day 301 - Distracted

I keep skipping days for posting on this blog.

It's not because I don't care, or I'm not committed, but MAN have we been busy!

Getting ready to move into our first house, and finishing up the end of the year with my Kindergarten class, PLUS starting a business on the side have got me all turned around.

I feel like I've skipped so many days (really it's only been about 8 days in the last 301, that's not bad)!

But I want you to know that even if I skip a few more (which, let's be honest, that's likely to happen), I have so enjoyed sharing with you my journey of growing into a full Thankful Heart-ed person.

I am thankful that I have been held accountable for my heart attitude this year.

I am thankful that I have had such support from friends, family, and people I've never met!

I am thankful that I have a wonderful (and busy) life, even if it does distract me on occasion.

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Day 300 - Where Has the Time Gone?

Wow, Day 300.

Where has all the time gone? And I only have 22 more school days left until the end of the year too... I can hardly believe it!

This year has been so full of blessings. 

I'm finally beating candida. 

We're closing on our first house in 3 weeks.

Our jobs are amazing.

Our families are amazing...

God is amazing! 

I am so unbelievably thankful for His guiding hand in our lives.

I am thankful that He has so grown us this year.

I am thankful that my thankful heart is bursting with thanksgiving!

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Day 299 - Happy Easter

In honor of Super Short Sunday, I'll keep it brief on this Easter Sunday.

He was born. 

He lived a sinless life.

He died.

He was buried.

He was resurrected.

And He did it all for us. 

Have you accepted this gift? Christ died that you may have eternal life... Maybe today is the day you accept that gift and ask Him into your life.

 I am thankful that Jesus loved us enough to die a terrible death, that we may be saved.  

I am thankful that I believe in a risen Savior.

I am thankful that I am not forgotten by the perfect Lamb of God, but rather, He died that I might have eternal life with Him in heaven.

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