Hey all, I've been super slow in getting updates out here the past week just because we've been incredibly busy. It seems like every day there is more and more to do with preparing for the move to Texas and finding free time to do even simple updates here has been tough. Hopefully it'll settle down sometime here in the near future.
I posted a new video today, which should be showing up on the right-hand side here pretty soon. Temporarily at least, I'm going to insert it here into the body of this note and it should be available immediately. The size will be bigger and quality lower, so viewing it from the menu on the right will yield better quality. Oh, and here is an update on Zac's size. He had his 6-month checkup yesterday and he's now 16 lbs. 1 oz. and 26 inches long. For a 6-month-old, he's in the 25th percentile now. You may recall that a few months ago, he was barely on the charts. Just for fun, if he was a 4-month-old, he'd be in the 75th percentile for weight and 75-80th percentile for height. We like to look at that right now since they said he wouldn't fully catch up for 9 months to a year. :)
As for our trip plans, Katy and I are driving down to Midland tomorrow, Thursday so we can arrive Friday and sign our lease papers for the townhouse we've rented. After much prayer and concern about finding a suitable place to live, God provided an opening at this complex in Midland Monday and we jumped at the opportunity. With just a 7-month lease, it's perfect in terms of giving us the time we need to sell our house here and gives us plenty of time to find the right house to buy down there.
Katy will return to Omaha next Wednesday by plane and then our present plan is to load up the house and move it all down over Labor Day weekend. Hopefully it will have sold by then, but if not it'll just have to be shown empty instead of furnished.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Shopping, Sleeping, Planning
Well this week has been pretty busy and with so much to do yet, it's not slowing down anytime soon. :) Yesterday I began shopping for some additional work clothes. Having worked in a casual environment the previous 3 years, I don't have much that works for "business casual" as a style. So I need to add some items to the wardrobe.This is not easy on Zac, if only because he no longer stays asleep while in his car seat the way he used to. It could be because he's outgrowing it. Take a look at how close he's getting to the top of it in the pic to the left!
When he was younger, he loved the car seat and even preferred it for sleeping. Now, he'll often drift off in the car but shortly after we reach a destination, he's awake. This is problematic if I need to do something outside the house during one of his nap times because he ends up cutting short his nap. Yesterday he never did get more than maybe 45 minutes of continuous sleep, so by the end of the night he was pretty tired. Despite all that, he maintains a pretty good attitude and is still easy to work with. Today I have more shopping to do, as I found very little yesterday, but we'll wait until he's done with lunch before worrying about it. I want him to get a good nap this morning so he's a little more rested for later, when we'll be out most of the time. The pic today is from the other day after we'd returned from running some errands. He has a little toy lion that attaches to things and can be pulled down. He's taken to enjoying it when we're driving and in this pic was resting on it. :)
Planning is in full swing as Katy and I try desperately to figure out what we want to do with regard to moving. We keep going back and forth on things, so I'd ask for your prayers for clarity as we work through all the options. Cost, availability of apartments, waiting on our house to sell and being unsure of when Katy will be offered a job all factor into this. As you can see, it's a lot of variables to be concerned about!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Home Again...For Awhile
Sorry no pic today. I had intended to take a picture of Odessa while we were there this past weekend once I found someplace beautiful or pretty or, well, just anything other than sand and trash...BUT I COULDN'T. :) To say that West Texas is devoid of scenery would probably not be a fair statement, because surely some people find that terrain beautiful, but you sure have to look hard to find the beauty. :)
It's interesting, because we feel very strongly God is sending us to Odessa for a reason, though we don't yet know what that reason is. To me, it was important to follow through on my commitment to God that wherever He leads, we'll go, without throwing my own comfort zone or fears into this. Had we visited the area first and let that be a determining factor, I doubt we'd be making this move. But we're making the move because God said to go, and though I am confident God works with the path we choose, I am even more confident that when that path is His chosen one, the rewards are greater. I firmly believe I could've told God that I really never wanted to leave Nebraska and that if I'd begged Him to provide for us here, He would have. But as strongly as I feel that, I know in my heart that I always need to be open to His bidding, no matter the location.
I can very honestly tell all of you that this is not my preference. I'm a home-body, someone who enjoys his home and his state and city in Nebraska very much and has only a desire here and there to travel other places, even outside the country. However, I learned a long time ago that God wants to use me in different ways and teach me in different places so my relationship with Him can grow and He can reach others with me if He so desires. He has repeatedly moved me over the years away from Nebraska to work on different things in my life, to show me new experiences, to help me be an influence to others, or simply to put me in the right place to fulfill His plans. Since graduating from high school in 1985, I've lived in California, Saskatchewan (yes, that's Canada), Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. Of those, Oklahoma was the only place I truly enjoyed other than Nebraska. I'm hopeful this section of Texas proves to be more enjoyable than East Texas was back in 1994. I think it will be. The people are very nice and gosh do they love football.
The key in all those moves, and in being in all those places, was that each time I felt God wanted me to be there. Sometimes He brought great spiritual healing; sometimes He used me to be an influence to others; sometimes He just needed to get me somewhere to set me on a path to something else He had in mind. When I'm up in Heaven one day, I WILL ask Him, assuming I will retain curiosity in Heaven, to show me the map of what He had planned. It's fascinating on the one hand, scary, unsure and unknown on the other.
Saturday we spent the day driving all over Odessa and Midland and some surrounding areas, looking desperately for a house or apartment to live in. No dice. The housing market being what it is, anything that was available was vastly overpriced and that which was affordable was not where we'd be willing to live, especially with a small child in tow. We think we've now found an apartment complex worth moving into. It is brand new and in a nice section of Odessa. It's a bit more than we'd like to pay, but it's temporary anyway so we'll live with that until our house sells here and we can find the right place there. All things considered, we may end up paying more to live there than here, which was not in our plans, but sure looks to be the way it will be. Biggest worry right now is timing and moving and money and... :)
UPDATED/CORRECTED 7/23: We had a very nice time Sunday meeting Curtis and Marilyn Brewer, friends through some relation of Katy's Dad's Mom, I think, from Mississippi. At any rate, Curtis is the music minister at First Baptist Church in Odessa and they've been there 25 years. As he put it, they visited, turned the job down three times, then eventually accepted it. He thought they'd put in maybe 5 years and be out of there, but 25 years later, they love it. Wonderful people and we're so pleased to have good contacts in the area.
It's interesting, because we feel very strongly God is sending us to Odessa for a reason, though we don't yet know what that reason is. To me, it was important to follow through on my commitment to God that wherever He leads, we'll go, without throwing my own comfort zone or fears into this. Had we visited the area first and let that be a determining factor, I doubt we'd be making this move. But we're making the move because God said to go, and though I am confident God works with the path we choose, I am even more confident that when that path is His chosen one, the rewards are greater. I firmly believe I could've told God that I really never wanted to leave Nebraska and that if I'd begged Him to provide for us here, He would have. But as strongly as I feel that, I know in my heart that I always need to be open to His bidding, no matter the location.
I can very honestly tell all of you that this is not my preference. I'm a home-body, someone who enjoys his home and his state and city in Nebraska very much and has only a desire here and there to travel other places, even outside the country. However, I learned a long time ago that God wants to use me in different ways and teach me in different places so my relationship with Him can grow and He can reach others with me if He so desires. He has repeatedly moved me over the years away from Nebraska to work on different things in my life, to show me new experiences, to help me be an influence to others, or simply to put me in the right place to fulfill His plans. Since graduating from high school in 1985, I've lived in California, Saskatchewan (yes, that's Canada), Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. Of those, Oklahoma was the only place I truly enjoyed other than Nebraska. I'm hopeful this section of Texas proves to be more enjoyable than East Texas was back in 1994. I think it will be. The people are very nice and gosh do they love football.
The key in all those moves, and in being in all those places, was that each time I felt God wanted me to be there. Sometimes He brought great spiritual healing; sometimes He used me to be an influence to others; sometimes He just needed to get me somewhere to set me on a path to something else He had in mind. When I'm up in Heaven one day, I WILL ask Him, assuming I will retain curiosity in Heaven, to show me the map of what He had planned. It's fascinating on the one hand, scary, unsure and unknown on the other.
Saturday we spent the day driving all over Odessa and Midland and some surrounding areas, looking desperately for a house or apartment to live in. No dice. The housing market being what it is, anything that was available was vastly overpriced and that which was affordable was not where we'd be willing to live, especially with a small child in tow. We think we've now found an apartment complex worth moving into. It is brand new and in a nice section of Odessa. It's a bit more than we'd like to pay, but it's temporary anyway so we'll live with that until our house sells here and we can find the right place there. All things considered, we may end up paying more to live there than here, which was not in our plans, but sure looks to be the way it will be. Biggest worry right now is timing and moving and money and... :)
UPDATED/CORRECTED 7/23: We had a very nice time Sunday meeting Curtis and Marilyn Brewer, friends through some relation of Katy's Dad's Mom, I think, from Mississippi. At any rate, Curtis is the music minister at First Baptist Church in Odessa and they've been there 25 years. As he put it, they visited, turned the job down three times, then eventually accepted it. He thought they'd put in maybe 5 years and be out of there, but 25 years later, they love it. Wonderful people and we're so pleased to have good contacts in the area.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Visiting Texas
We are in Odessa this weekend, getting a feel for the community and hoping some type of rental property will fall in our laps, if that's what God intends. The real estate market is extremely tough down here due to a big influx of temporary workers for rebuilding a refinery and an oil boom in the area. As such, rentals are very hard to come by, and that includes apartments. For the few homes available, prices are at $1/square foot, which is just ridiculous for this area, but it's simply the law of supply and demand, so we understand it. If you're lucky enough to find an apartment, well, for one it's an apartment which is always tough to live in, but prices are not so great on those, either. At least they aren't quite as high. We have a line on a few of them to check out on Saturday, but have prayed about it tonight and feel that if we don't both feel definite about renting one, we won't waste the money on them.
Please pray with us that God will make it clear to us the direction we are to go. With my job not yet beginning, and Katy searching (though she should hear Monday or Tuesday on an interview she had down here today), we can't exactly state we have a specific income. That could be problematic for renting anything, and so it's quite possible that initially it'll be hotel living. If Katy doesn't have a job right away, or the house doesn't sell right away, she'll very likely stay up in Omaha. That'll make the process a bit smoother for when she does come down, I think we're deciding. We've gone back and forth on how we feel about it, but that does seem to make the most sense...at least today. :)
We figure if we don't find a place to live this weekend, then maybe God has a different plan in mind. Could be something else will come available we wouldn't have been able to know about, or it could be our house will sell quickly so we can begin searching for one here ASAP. This is a good time to get into the market down here, I believe, based on the boom and steady incline in prices. The sooner, the better, and if we were in a position to simply invest for later, I suspect we'd just be spending the weekend looking at tons of houses to buy instead. :) God Bless, everyone!
Please pray with us that God will make it clear to us the direction we are to go. With my job not yet beginning, and Katy searching (though she should hear Monday or Tuesday on an interview she had down here today), we can't exactly state we have a specific income. That could be problematic for renting anything, and so it's quite possible that initially it'll be hotel living. If Katy doesn't have a job right away, or the house doesn't sell right away, she'll very likely stay up in Omaha. That'll make the process a bit smoother for when she does come down, I think we're deciding. We've gone back and forth on how we feel about it, but that does seem to make the most sense...at least today. :)
We figure if we don't find a place to live this weekend, then maybe God has a different plan in mind. Could be something else will come available we wouldn't have been able to know about, or it could be our house will sell quickly so we can begin searching for one here ASAP. This is a good time to get into the market down here, I believe, based on the boom and steady incline in prices. The sooner, the better, and if we were in a position to simply invest for later, I suspect we'd just be spending the weekend looking at tons of houses to buy instead. :) God Bless, everyone!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Some New Pics To Share
Just wanted to pop a few new pics up for everyone today. Several new things lately if you haven't checked it out in awhile! The one of him sleeping is just last night, and he one of him holding the bottle is from yesterday's lunchtime. We're trying to get him to hold it so we can be more lazy. :)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Zac Laughing Video Posted
Zac is getting closer and closer to just letting out a big, huge laugh that goes on for awhile. In the meantime, we can get him to chuckle a bit quite often, so I grabbed some of that tonight while Katy was making him laugh after meal time. He loves when she plays with his mouth with a washcloth. You can find this video on the right-hand side with the others!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Moving to Texas
Most, if not all of you, have now been told either by us or a family member that we are moving to Odessa, TX very soon. I received a job offer Thursday late afternoon and, after much prayer and sleeping on it, we decided Friday morning to accept the offer. The company I will be working for is Telvista, which handles customer support for other companies both in the US and Mexico and, if I'm not mistaken Argentina is a possibility before long.My role will be to manage a group of supervisors, who are responsible for a number of agents, for a specific contract. I believe I'll initially have 8 or 9 direct reports, expected to go up to 11 or 12 here before long. Those supervisors are responsible for about 150 employees at present, going up to 200 or so within the next couple of months. It's a great step up from what I did last and puts me on a path to be running bigger things down the road, which is my goal.
If you don't know, Odessa is in West Texas, along Interstate 20, probably 4 1/2 to 5 hours west of Dallas. Yeah, that's a long ways out west, but I'm told by both my pastor and my worship pastor that it's a nice area with nice people. I spoke to a few of them Saturday afternoon while researching apartment costs and was very pleased with how personable they were.
Please continuing praying for us, everybody, as this is a difficult process. We have quite a bit to do and not a lot of time, including getting our house ready for sale this week, researching everything from places to live to utility costs to moving our things to whatever you can think of. It's a lot, but we are secure in the knowledge that God chose this place for us, so He must have great things in mind. If we hate the town, even, that's OK. He moved me back in 1999 to Jackson, MS and I absolutely hated it, but spiritually that year was a wonderful time of healing and growth. I know God has wonderful things planned regardless, so we're just going to go at it full-speed and have fun!
Zac the Hawai'ian Dude
When Katy's parents were in Hawai'i in the spring, they brought back this cute little outfit for Zac. It didn't fit him at first, and then before we knew it, he was outgrowing it. Today Katy dressed him in this for church in the one and probably only time we'll be able to fit him in the outfit. It's very distressing, knowing something brought so far will only be once, but we wanted to at least get pictures taken to share. This is a good one of him smiling.Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Huh?
Every once in awhile, Zac will give us this "Huh?" look. It seems to happen often at night when Katy wakes him up for his last feeding around 9 or so. Thought we'd try to capture it last night and this isn't perfect, but it's fairly close.Sorry I haven't added much to this lately. I've gotten off schedule the past few weeks with the wisdom teeth, the power outage, then the girls here with us last week. We did put a video up yesterday which is now showing on the right side and it's Katy playing with Zac from about 10 days ago or so.
However, with so much of our family out of state, and with Katy's parents having just moved to D.C. for awhile, I need to be better about getting pictures up so Zac can continue to spread his joy. :)
Not a lot of new news on the job front, though I am supposed to have a second interview with a company named Telvista some time this week. Please be praying with us that God will provide continued guidance and peace throughout this long process. I'm not feeling negative about it as I had been a few months ago, and I know that has everything to do with laying it in His hands. He is preparing something to be a good fit for us, and I know it's not that far in the distance. We can wait it out a little longer. :)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Touching Base
I realize I've been away for about a week, and I apologize for no new updates in that time. Today is the first day since last Monday that I've felt almost 100% normal. I still ache a little bit in my mouth, but it's controllable by Advil now as opposed to my need to take stronger medicine before. First it was Percoset, and then by Saturday they had changed me over to Vicodin, which for me was a much better solution.
We spent the weekend with Katy's parents, as we lost power on Friday afternoon when a storm blew through. We did not have power restored until yesterday (Monday) afternoon around 2:30, and it's always good to sleep in your own bed, though we are very, very thankful for her parents and their willingness to take us in.
This evening we are heading down to watch Claire play her last softball game of the regular season and then to bring the girls back to Omaha with us for a week. It'll be a late night, especially for Katy and Zac, but it's worth it.
We spent the weekend with Katy's parents, as we lost power on Friday afternoon when a storm blew through. We did not have power restored until yesterday (Monday) afternoon around 2:30, and it's always good to sleep in your own bed, though we are very, very thankful for her parents and their willingness to take us in.
This evening we are heading down to watch Claire play her last softball game of the regular season and then to bring the girls back to Omaha with us for a week. It'll be a late night, especially for Katy and Zac, but it's worth it.
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