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.
