April Showers and Lots of Them!

 In just over ten days, April will be gone and May will be here! We have under six weeks of school left, and time is passing by quickly- for the most part. Sometimes the days drag a bit, but it’s not for forever. God has been faithful in the waiting, and I’m learning to trust Him again for grace for every moment. I’m proud of our children for working through some really big challenges this year, and while we haven’t been perfect, God’s faithfulness has been evident. 

I’m still waiting for the April showers to stop and the May flowers to appear! It’s been a cold, rainy April with even a little bit of snow on Resurrection Sunday! We celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with family on Saturday and friends on Sunday. Roger was home for about five days last week (April 9-14) and we savored the moments. Roger came home on Saturday afternoon. We had dinner with the Davis family on Sunday afternoon. Roger and I spent Monday doing errands, laundry and visiting together. Roger needed to take a drug test before he could start his new job in North Carolina on April 18th. However, they said that there weren’t any places in Maine that he could get the drug test done. He was going to have to wait until he got to N.C., take the drug test, wait for the results and then be able to start the job. It wasn’t ideal, but we didn’t see any other options. However, on Monday afternoon someone from the HR department for Roger’s new job called to say that there was a drug place he could go to get tested in Augusta. Roger called immediately and they said that they didn’t take appointments. But if he could get there by 3:30pm, then they could probably get it sent out that day. So Roger hopped in the vehicle and drove down to get that done. The kids and I walked home, but it was a gorgeous day so no one minded. And Roger got the results back on Wednesday, and he was able to be ready to start the new job this Monday! Praising the Lord for that!

Roger spent some time with the boys individually on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He came and had lunch with them at the school, and he worked hard to find a time to do something special with each one of them. He had donuts with Emma one morning. It was good to have him around at the school spending time with the kids on their lunch breaks and making the most of our short time together. This year has been a sacrifice for us and it’s been challenging, but God has orchestrated every move in His perfect timing.  I’m so thankful that we did not uproot our family back in September, buy a house in Michigan, and then be uprooting them again. 

Roger had to be on a bus to Boston at 3:00am on Friday morning. We had off from school on Friday as it was Good Friday. Since it was going to be an extremely early morning, we decided to take a hotel in Portland as that is where Roger was going to get on the three am. Bus. It was a good time as a family as the kids went swimming, Roger and I sat and visited together. It was hard to get up at 2:00am to take Roger to the bus, but it’s nice that I can leave the kids asleep and take Roger to the bus. The days following Roger leaving are always hard, but this was an especially hard time for me. I think it was because it was Easter weekend, and we don’t know when Roger will be able to come back. We are thinking that the next time he comes back to maine, it will be to move us to North Carolina. The kids and I made the most of the day though as we did a little shopping (mostly for groceries) while in Portland. We were home by early afternoon, and it was nice to know we had a long weekend ahead of us. 

On Saturday we were able to spend some time with my sister, Hannah, and her family. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, and my children definitely enjoy spending time with their little ones. Hannah had planned an Easter egg hunt, so that was a lot of fun for the kids. Travis likes about two kinds of candy, so he gave all his candy to Emma. Hannah hid different colors of eggs for different ages of kids. Garett and Chandler hunted for the blue eggs, which were really hard to find, but they had $1.00 in each egg. There were 20 blue eggs, and they eventually found all of them. Chandler found 13 and Garett found seven. One of the eggs was in the chicken coop, and when Garett went in to find it, Chandler locked him in the coop! Garett’s a good sport most of the time, so it was a moment of laughter. I’m thankful for these memories with family. 

Sunday found us on our church lawn at 6:00am, with about 30 people gathered for the sunrise service. I had never been to a sunrise service before coming to Maine, but we’ve been going now for the past six years. There’s something very special about getting up early on Resurrection morning for a worship service. We went back home after the service to get ready for the church breakfast at 9:30am. We had a good turnout of people for the Easter breakfast, and the church building was very full for the 11:00am service. How good it is to worship the Lord and fellowship with other believers! I think that the older I get, the more I appreciate the body of Christ. Each person is unique and created for His glory. Sometimes it’s easy to be frustrated with people, but God’s still working on me and I know that He is at work in the lives of others also. 

We were able to have dinner with our friends the Davis’s- they’ve seen a lot of us the past two weeks! Our children really seem to enjoy playing together, and the boys usually bring along their air soft equipment when we go to their house. Jess and I were able to go on a walk together, and I’m savoring these moments of friendship with her. God brought Jess into my life during a year that He knew I was going to need some extra encouragement. We’ve looked at each other and said, “Are you surviving?”, “Should we quit?” “We need a mental health day.” “I don’t think I can keep going.” But through the discouragements, we’ve been able to bear each others burdens, encourage and pray for each other. We’ve laughed with each other and at each other all school year long as well as cried and asked God to intervene in a special way. It’s just been that kind of year. God gave me a unique and special friend in Jess, and I am so thankful for her. I think it’s a friendship that will last long past this year, and I’m excited to see how God continues to use her life. I’m thankful that Jess’s husband, Tim, is willing to spend time with our boys and play airsoft with them and interact with them. We all need good mentors in our lives, and our teen boys are certainly no exception. 

We had off on Monday, but back to school today which is Tuesday. Did I mention that we’ve had a lot of rain this month? Today was another rainy day, and I think four of our children asked if they could just stay home. No. We have less than six weeks, and we need to finish well. It was a long day, but we made it through. These types of days often give me a headache with the changing temperatures, so the day was a challenge. But, we did survive! God is good. A friend sent me the photo below and it was certainly fitting for today! 

Roger started the drive to North Carolina on Saturday morning, and he arrived to Kenansville around 9:30pm. He was able to attend church with a friend on Sunday, and he’s been staying with a friend the past few days. We had a property that we wanted to look at, but it went under contract on Monday morning. Roger started his new job on Monday. As with any new jobs, the first few days can be daunting and overwhelming, but God continues to give mercy and grace. Roger will be staying at a campground for a bit until we can find the right property or place to rent or something. One thing is for sure- God does not operate on my time schedule! Learning to be patient is hard at times, but we know that God has only the very best in mind for us. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we press on for His glory. 

Wyatt will be turning 13 years old tomorrow! Where has time gone?! We will have three teenagers in our house tomorrow as Wyatt will be 13, Chandler 14, and Garett 15. We sure do love these children of ours, and every day with them is a gift. Wyatt has had a difficult school year, and I’ve prayed long and hard for him. He’s a sensitive but strong-willed person. He enjoys sports, photography, and spending time outside. He enjoys working on challenging Lego sets, and he is good with little kids. He finds it challenging to be the middle child, as he doesn’t get the same opportunities as the older boys, but he often doesn’t fit in with what the younger two are doing. I know that God can and will do great things through the life of this boy. I am praying that Wyatt will find his joy to be in Jesus, and that Wyatt will live his live for the glory and honor of God. I’m so glad that he is a part of our family. 

 

Good-by Michigan, Hello ???

 

What a week it has been! Actually, what a year!! Last weekend, I took a whirlwind trip to North Carolina (more about that later). I was gone for less than 72 hours, and thanks to the flexibility and love of two very special families, our children were well taken care of while I was away. 

Roger and I (and our children) have been praying often and fervently for what God has for our family. It’s been a long and challenging year with many unique situations that have altered the path that we thought we were going to go. Last week, one of my fellow teachers told me that she was going to make a meal for my family on Thursday. This was such a blessing to me as Thursday is usually a full day with teaching, music lessons for two boys, and then soccer practice for the older two boys. Jess made our family homemade mac and cheese, fruit salad and chocolate chip cookies. My children all declare that she makes the best chocolate chip cookies, and I’d have to agree! We were so blessed by her thoughtfulness and generosity towards us, and it was perfect timing as I was leaving for North Carolina on Friday afternoon. 

So why was I going to North Carolina? God has directed our family every step of the way from Wisconsin, Alaska, Arizona and Maine.While each state has been beautiful and unique, we really felt that we’d probably live in Maine for a good long time. However, God has/had other plans for our family. Last fall, Roger took a job in Michigan flying near the Upper Peninsula. This job was unique in that Roger was able to get his multi-engine rating, have some job stability and build hours in a multi-engine plane. It was a difficult decision to make, but we decided that it would be best if our family (the kids and I) stayed in Maine for the school year. God made it clear that we should put our house on the market in September, and in five days our house was under contract. Then God provided housing for our family in Maine, while Roger was able to start the job in Michigan in October. It was never necessarily our dream to live in the Upper Peninsula, but God gave us peace about the job situation, and we would be much closer to my parents in Wisconsin. The kids and I drove out to Michigan at Christmas time, and we were able to see the area. But God never opened up the doors for us to be able to purchase a house, and we never got around to finding a realtor either…I don’t know why. It just never happened (it was of God). Over the past couple of weeks, it’s been becoming increasingly clear that this Michigan job was not going to be the best long-term  fit for our family. It’s one thing if it’s just Roger and I, but it’s a whole different matter with five kids! We prayed a lot, and then some more. We really didn’t know what to do, but God had a plan. 

About three weeks ago, Roger called an old friend of his who lives in North Carolina. Roger was just calling to check in and say hi. In the course of the conversation, his friend mentioned that a job was opening up in the area for someone to fly fire patrol. Roger had been checking job sites almost daily, but we both have been praying that God would provide a job that exceeded our expectations. If we were in it for the money, Roger would easily have an awesome paying job by now, but money is not everything. We know (especially after a few months apart) that our children need both of us. I need Roger to balance me out, and the boys (and Emma) need their daddy to be around. After praying about it, Roger decided to apply for the job. He got a call shortly after the application was submitted and the job posting closed (as its a state job, it has to be posted for seven days). Roger had his first phone call with the people in North Carolina, and they set up a second phone interview for the following day. But the following day, it was more about when could Roger come down in person, interview, and fly the plane. Whew! It was all happening so quickly. Roger called me while I was in New Hampshire (March 16-18) to tell me that he would be going to North Carolina the next week (March 25-28) for the interview. I am not a person that makes spontaneous decisions (especially since having children), but I felt like I should try to go meet Roger in North Carolina. 

I mentioned the idea to a few of my closest friends, and my friend, Hannah, immediately replied that she would be happy to watch our kids while I was gone. My friend, Jess Davis, offered as well. God was orchestrating plans right before our eyes. We allow our children to have very few sleepovers with anyone but Hannah and Jess are two families that we would allow our children to stay with while I was away. It was decided that Hannah would have all the boys, and Emma would go to the Davis’s house. Our kids were thrilled with the idea. Hannah has four little ones of her one, and my children love to play outside, build forts, and play legos with her children. Emma is in the same class as Jess’s daughter (and Jess is her teacher) so Emma was thrilled too. Whew- the kids were taken care of, but how much would an on-a-whim airline ticket cost?! Want to know how God works in mysterious ways? The airline ticket cost the exact same amount as our tax refund from the state of Maine! We didn’t receive a whole lot back from the state, but the ticket was covered! 

I made plans to fly out on Friday evening and return bright and early Monday morning. Roger drove to North Carolina as the fire patrol is VFR not IFR, meaning that he has to have visual sight to the ground and not be using  instruments. If the weather wasn’t good on Friday, then the flight test would be moved to Monday. And since I was coming in, it was nice to have a vehicle to drive around the area. It was an awesome weekend with Roger. We haven’t spent two days of uninterrupted time together in a very long time. We talked a lot, drank coffee, and enjoyed exploring the area. We drove around a lot as we checked out the area. Roger had the interview and flight test on Friday, and they offered him the job. He told them that he would call them on Monday (3/28) with his answer. The job is in rural North Carolina in the coastal plains. The area is mostly known for it’s hog, poultry and turkey farms. One huge perk for me was the time we were able to spend walking on the North Carolina beaches. God gave us truly beautiful weather as it was in the mid 60s and sunny. 

So what are the real perks to this job in North Carolina? One of the biggest reasons would be the hours. If it’s not fire season, the job hours are 8am-5pm. Monday thru Friday. This means that Roger will consistently be home every night and on weekends. We can regularly worship together in the local church without wondering if it’s going to be Roger’s weekend to be working or if he will be able to get off in time to come to church. Another big reason is that this job will offer Roger a retirement plan and health insurance. We aren’t getting any younger, and while we’ve been setting aside some for our retirement, having a job that helps with that would be a great perk. Also, this job will give Roger some paid vacation hours and that means more family time. Our children are growing up so, so quickly, and we are doing our best to “redeem the time” with them and that means spending time with them. 

I am thankful that the job is in rural North Carolina, as we are praying for God to provide us with the perfect spot to raise noisy children, some animals, and a garden. We are excited to see what God is going to do. On Sunday afternoon, we found a realtor who was willing to show us some properties in the area. Roger and I spent some time on Sunday driving around and looking at properties. If you know anything about Zillow, almost every time, the property looks better in the pictures! We drove past a few that we knew were instantly off the table as far as what we were looking for in a home. The realtor showed us two properties. The first one was on eleven acres, which would’ve been lovely! However, the house was originally built in 1965. They had remodeled the house, but Roger would’ve still have had to duck every time he went through a door way and that would get old! Low ceilings made the house feel small, and we have five growing kids! The second property was a bigger home, and it would’ve fit our family very well. However, the property was only on about 2.3 acres and it was closer to other homes. With a dirt bike, airsoft guns, children that build forts, and yell at each other, we didn’t feel like it would’ve been a great fit. But, the good news is that we left North Carolina knowing that we didn’t want any of the properties that are currently on the market. We do have a realtor that is working with us, and we will see what God does. North Carolina was the fourth most popular state to move to in 2021, and lots of people are looking for properties with land. But, God will provide exactly what He wants for us in His perfect timing. 

Roger will be wrapping up his job in Michigan (much more could be said about that, but we are going to leave it at this for now). Roger will be coming back to Maine for a week or so before starting his new job in North Carolina. They are in fire season now, so they are looking forward to having Roger get there soon. But we know that our children need to spend some time with Roger before that happens. Roger will be able to have lunch with them at school, spend one-on-one time with them, and create some plans for our future together in North Carolina. The boys and Emma are excited about the move, but I think they are mostly excited about having some space again. Garett told me recently that he did not appreciate the dishwasher enough at our house! None of the boys are a fan of washing dishes, but hey, if you don’t cook the meal, you have to clean up and wash dishes! I know that I will appreciate the children being able to have a little more space to spread out and a place for them to be outside! One thing for sure, being in a smaller space, has made us all a lot more thankful for what we had at our previous house! 

I flew back to Maine on Monday. Roger dropped me off at the airport in Raleigh, and then he began the drive back to Michigan. I was back at the school by 1:30ish, and Emma was so happy to see me. She had a great time at her friends house, but she was missing mom. Apparently, Garett had to come talk to Emma on Monday morning. Our administrator came to get Garett and asked if Garett would talk to Emma as she was a little upset and missing mom. Garett said he took Emma into my classroom and asked her what was the matter. Emma replied that she was missing mom. Garett matter of factly told her that mom would be back in the afternoon, but Emma was still crying. Garett said he asked Emma again what was the matter. Emma told him again that “I miss mom.” Garett replied, “I already told you, she’s coming back this afternoon!” I had to laugh as Garett was telling me this story. Garett is definitely the brother that would be the gentlest and kindest to her, but he was running out of patience with her. He told me, “I told her you were coming back, and she was still crying!” He said “Then I told her that she was going to be okay, and I sent her back to her classroom.” I have to love this boy! He tried to help his sister, but in his mind, he gave her an adequate reason. He simply could not understand why she still needed to cry! But Emma survived the day, and she was happy to see mom in the afternoon. The other boys were happy to see me to, but as Travis said, “I certainly wasn’t crying!” Haha! I’m thankful for dear and precious friends that watch over and love our children. 

It was a long week with rushing back into a full and busy week of school, being a bit more tired than usual, and also the week that report cards were due! But, by the grace of God, everything that had to be done was done. I’m happy that the week is over. We are happy that Roger has a starting date for his new job, and we are excited to see what God continues to do. We are sad that we won’t be as close to my parents as we would’ve been in Michigan. But we are closer than we would be in Maine.  

Through all our adventures, God has been good and faithful. Please continue to pray with us and for us as we move forward on faith and God’s clear direction…one step at a time.