Cheers!

I had a rough weekend and Monday.  Tears come readily and easily now.  But, Robyn said it is ok to cry, so I am going with it!  LOL!  I woke up Tuesday feeling more myself and took my mom, Judy, and Kendra's advice.  I need to find some things to do.  Not having my own house and yard to take care of makes a big difference in my day...not to mention the 5 or 6 activities that I had to resign from before leaving.  This time of year should be SO busy with both kids in sports, Chicken Supper plans, and 2 Bible studies!   Too much time to sit and worry and think right now.  So, I bought some knitting needles yesterday and some yarn and Sue has a book that will supposedly teach me how to knit.  I haven't started yet, but am excited to.  Sue and I are also going to the quilt shop soon so I can pick out a table topper to do.  I asked our builder for a drawing of our house situated on our property to scale so that I can start planning my landscaping and gardens...I so miss my flowers and taking care of them.  Going to get measurements for windows and start shopping for window treatments.  I am thinking about making a shower curtain for the guest bathroom.  I am still working on a Bible study that Kendra and I started this summer.  It is Kay Arthur's "Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible."  It is neat because she is teaching us by using the book of Jonah.  It will be nice going into my other study that starts in a few weeks - which I actually registered for and payed for-so that means I will have to go and not chicken out!  SO, I am getting there...slowly. 

Jeff didn't get home until 7:45 last night.  What a long day for him!  Work is going well for him, but with it being the end of the month he has been working late.  I am looking forward to the long weekend so we can see him more!

I am heading to Emily's classroom today to help with a project.  It is actually a little intimidating to do since I know no one there, but I know I have to jump in in order to meet anyone.  Plus Emily is excited to have me :)
The "Cheers" song just came to mind. Ha ha ha. Does that mean I need to go to a bar?  LOL

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

Ha ha ha!  That was fun :)

Can I just say that facebook is awesome?  And texting!!  Of course phone calls and email too. :)  I have gotten so much encouragement over the past week from my friends through these ways.  With texting I can almost always get someone when I need them/want them.  I am extremely thankful.  But I also know that I need to be careful not to rely too much on instantaneous encouragement from my texting/facebook friends.  I need to remember that my best Friend is ALWAYS there, always available, understands completely, longs for me to come to Him, and bottles and keeps all of my tears.  He is ready and completely available for me...even without electricity, cell signals, or WiFi.   He has sent me encouragement and love through each of you and I am thankful for each one of you...and that you use the technology available to you...lol!

Holding Pattern

The sky today is perfect sky blue with no clouds and no wind.  I can hardly believe that there was a hurricane yesterday 200 miles from us that caused such damage.

This morning we went to the club that Uncle Tony is a part of - he flies radio control airplanes as a hobby.  We got to see him do some neat tricks.  And of course, the wind picked up while we were there.  One plane got stuck in the trees, but was retrieved!   This afternoon Emily and I got to do some shopping together and then I helped her with a project for school.  It was nice to spend some time together just the two of us.

Friday I had the opportunity to talk on the phone to my friend during my commute to pick up the kids.  It was the first time I was able to talk to a friend from home since the week before.  I really was amazed at how this lifted me up yet really made me sad at the same time.  I have been a little 'off' this weekend and I just wonder if it is beginning to sink in a bit.  Bible study in Evansville started up yesterday.  An event I really wanted to take Emily to on Friday took place in Evansville.  I can't ride to Monday Bible study with my neighbor anymore, or eat lunch with my buddies on Tuesdays. It's coming out as shortness with the kids and Jeff...they just can't do anything right right now :(  I am sad and probably need a good cry.

I also have realized that I really don't feel as though we have actually moved.  We are in a holding pattern (just like a plane- a maneuver designed to delay an aircraft already in flight while keeping it within a specified airspace.) And we will not land and reach our destination until we move in in the beginning of November. Holding patterns aren't exactly comfortable and all you want to do is land and get on with life.  So...I hope that I can use this time to it's fullest instead of looking to just pass the time quickly so we can land and go about our life.  This IS my life, even in the holding pattern.  We spend so much time just wanting to get to that next point.  It will come soon enough.  And God probably has something to teach me right now while I am holding.

And, since I have realized that I don't think it is going to be really real until November when we move in and start establishing our routines, I have decided to wait and look at taking the study on "After the Boxes are Unpacked" in January.  I think it will be so much more applicable then vs. now.  So, I will be starting the Jonah study at the ginormous church starting on September 13.  

I am not sure what else to say.  I need this right now, so I will share:    
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”~Joseph Campbell     Now, a better way to say it:  "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Prov 19:21  "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Bieber Fever?

Emily asked me what I named my blog.  I said, "Never Say Never."  She gave me a weird look and said "the Justin Bieber song??  Eww."  So, yeah, didn't name it after him in case your tween was wondering!

If you'd like to be notified when I post something, I believe you can click in the lower right hand side of where the posts show up - subscribe to posts.  OR type your email address in below the picture of my pretty snowball bush picture.

First Day of School 2011

The kids both had a great day at school!  Emily made a friend, Katie, who reminds her of her friend Noelle.  Evan made a friend, Braden, who reminds him of his friend Andrew.  They are both excited to go back tomorrow.  They told us that they are to use manners at school and answer with no/yes ma'am and sir, walk on the right side of the hallways, and no talking in line at the cafeteria.  Wowsers!  I am glad that they will be learning these type of manners though.  I will be getting to school half an hour earlier to pick up the kids so I can be first in the pick up line...it was ca-ra-zy today and I had to wait quite a bit. 

I was very frustrated today with the lack of interest in our house in Evansville.  I just really want to be in control.  And I am so frustrated that it is not getting sold when I want it to.  I keep trying to just relax and trust.  Why it was easier to move 9 hours away and trust Him than it is to trust Him that the house WILL sell in HIS perfect timing - I am not sure.  I guess I am so used to just controlling my environment and schedule as much as I possibly am physically able to.  Today I found myself trying to count down already - how quickly can we get through these next two months??  Get out of the situation of having a house for sell in Indiana, two hours of driving every day, and no home to call our own in NC...  Not focusing on the blessings nor what God is wanting to do right now.  I found myself doubting what we are doing.

Then He reminded me how a month ago I read "Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl" by Lysa TerKeurst.  She says, "David had to wait.  He didn't wonder or resist why God had put him in this most unlikely place for an anointed king.  He didn't let his mind be carried off by doubt or insecurity.  He just accepted that God had led him where he was supposed to be - the right place for right now.  - I find myself wanting to rush things, to get past the waiting as quickly as possible.  Sometimes I forget that God is doing significant things around me and in me even while I am waiting."

Yup, He wants me to live in today...not tomorrow.  And to leave it all up to Him to work out.  I am needing to pray about this almost constantly  - which is ok.  I will have Jesus Fever instead of Bieber Fever...LOL!

Fuddruckers & 3-Eyed Fish OR Tuesday and Wednesday...whichever...

Tuesday:  Tuesday afternoon the kids and I met up with Jeff at his office.  He introduced me to Phillip, the VP that called him up originally about the job in Matthews.  I resisted the urge to make any comments about him being the man that turned my world upside-down, etc..  ;)  We saw Jeff's office and met a few other people.  Then we walked to a nice area near his office and ate some Subway outside - it was beautiful weather out!  We then went to our home lot to show the kids and went back to the model home to hang out for a minute.  The lady who sold the home to us that works there - Rachelle (yes, that is my middle name and no, I've never known anyone with that name!) - has been awesome to work with and Jeff and I love visiting with her and joking around.  She has to sell 21 more homes in the neighborhood before they put the community pool in, so I have told her I am going to bribe her with cookies!  She's probably our first friend in NC!  LOL. We then went to the Open House at the kid's school - Wesley Chapel Elementary.  What a great first impression of the school!  Everyone is just so dang friendly here in NC! (Except for the chick who stole my parking spot at Walmart the other day!)  Emily's teacher is Mrs. Plyler for fourth grade.  When we walked in and said, 'this is Emily.'  She immediately knew Kissel was our last name and we were coming from Indiana.  She had prepared and made us feel welcome immediately.  I think there are only 22 or so kids in Emily's class.  Evan's teacher is Mrs. Gordan for first grade.  She was just hired this week due to them needing another first grade teacher.  I think Evan's class is even smaller than Emily's.  She is originally from Illinois which is cool and had her room decorated in frogs and had some tadpoles swimming.  We topped off the afternoon with a dinner at Fuddruckers - our favorite hamburger place ever.

Wednesday:  The kids and I started off by driving to the school so Emily could take a test to see if she is considered 'High Ability' here like she was in Indiana.  She passed that, so she will be in 'AIG' for reading and math with other 4th graders in the morning.  It is like she will have two teachers/classrooms this year.  Kind of neat cause she will meet so many kids.  I believe there are only 3 4th grade classes anyway!  She was super excited to 'pass' the test and get in.

Emily & Evan on a trail at Lake Norman State Park

We then drove back up to north of Charlotte to Lake Norman State Park.  The kids and I had a picnic lunch, hiked some trails, then went swimming in the lake.  It was fun and very pretty!  Lake Norman was created by Duke Energy to cool their nuclear plants I believe.  Jeff cracked joke after joke about 3-eyed fish and glowing, etc.  So far we are not glowing...good sign.

I have found another women's study at a Catholic church for newcomers to Charlotte area.  It is based on the book, "After the Boxes are Unpacked:  Moving On After Moving In" by Susan Miller - a Focus on the Family book.  How awesome is it that one of my friends who moved to Ohio last year, Summer, mailed this book to me a few weeks ago.  A friend had given it to her to read when they moved and asked that Summer pass it on when it was time.   Anyway, I guess that this church does this study over and over and gets women plugged in in lunches, Girls Nights, bunco groups, etc.  That study is on Wednesdays and the other one - on Jonah - is on Tuesdays.  They both start in September.  I will be praying about which one or whether I should do both!

Day Two

So, I thought I'd create this blog so everyone who wants to stay up on the Kissel family can easily. I've never done this, so bear with me!

So far so good here. We (including the kitties) are somewhat settled at Jeff's aunt and uncle's house. They will have been in this area for a year at the end of October.  The fact that they are so gracious in welcoming the four of us and our cats is something God had worked out for us before we even knew this was a possibility.  Got to love how He has it all done ahead of us....why do we continue to try to march out ahead of Him?  He does it perfectly, where we would only mess it up!  :)

Got groceries yesterday and planned a few meals. I brought my grandmother's old sewing machine because Aunt Sue has offered to help me learn a bit on it - have always had a HATE relationship with that machine!! She has taken up quilting and it looks pretty neat.  Maybe...

I have researched online for Bible studies and found Priscilla Shirer's 'Jonah' study being offered starting in September at a ginormous church called "Calvary" in south Charlotte. It is about what happens when God interrupts your life. LOL. Think that that might be the 'one.'   Although the size of this church intimidates me!

Tonight is Open House for the kids at their new school - Wesley Chapel. Thursday is the first day of school. Might take the kids tomorrow to Lake Norman State Park where there are hiking trails and a beach with swimming before school starts...they are going to have to get up super early for their hour ride to school each morning for the next 2 months until the house is done and ready to move in to.

Jeff's job is going really well - he has been able to step right in and know what he is doing and really hit it off well with his boss and the 14 under him.  The kids and I are going to meet everyone today and see his office.

We have another showing on the house today - we have actually had quite a few.  There is a buyer out there, but as our realtor says, it is a patient market.  I think this is what I have had to have the most faith with...and that I have the most anxiety over.  But, I know that God has this detail worked out like He has everything else.

I was reminded yesterday, again, that our situation is not one to be sad about...  A friend and sister in Christ that Jeff and I went to school with in our class received news about cancer being back...in her bones.  I am thankful today for health and family.  I think He used Evan's scare with his belly problems and tests to show me what indeed is important.  And where you live is minimal compared to so many other things...

I really feel like God is carrying me through all of this. There were minimal tears in front of anyone except for poor Jeff over the weekend and I am calm and at peace. Maybe in a few weeks I will feel differently, but I hope not. I am extremely thankful for email, facebook, and texting so far...and for all of your support and prayers throughout all of this. Your friendships are worth more than you will ever know!