A Big Move and a "Fresh" Start!

Four months later.....

WOW! Really? Four months already?! OK, so that makes six months since this new chapter began? Crazy. Here's the "Cliffs" notes version:

Our actual physical move at the end of June was chalked full of challenges. What should have taken 3-4 days ended up taking us 10. Ten days of pulling a trailer behind an oldie but good pickup, minus air conditioning (for Stu), through record temperatures. The short list is 6 tires, two belts, a specialty thingy, and one super husband that embodied the Grace of God and perseverance. I won't post all the details but there was a lot of opposition to us getting here, but alas, we made it. June 30th to be exact.

We had a brief yet lengthy stay with my parents (oxymoron intended there) for 3 weeks. Stu had to move everything out of the trailer into the garage for us to get what we needed when we first got there, then we got a storage unit so he had to move it from the garage to storage and THEN found our current rental and got to move everything we own for a third time to where is sits now. A small, magical, suburban land in Southern Arizona called Rancho Sahuarita (actual "neighborhood", in town of Sahuarita www.ranchosahuarita.com). Basically this place was designed and built with our family in mind. It's fantastic! We have a clubhouse with a great gym and fitness classes, childcare for the kids while you utilize anything at the clubhouse, a waterpark at the clubhouse, tons of parks and pool  throughout the entire community and a great, growing, shopping center at the beginning of it all.

The move into our rental was only days before the school year started ; which played a part into a little more of an urgent move because I wanted to stay within whatever school district we started. There are four public and one charter/public elementary schools inside of a couple mile radius. The chances of us finding a house we wanted but not ending up in a different school area gave us better odds at hitting the lottery I think :-)
The boys started school at Anza Trail elementary a K-8 within walking distance of our new place; my goal is to stay here and have all four boys go to the same school at the same time, LOL, but really....that'd be cool right?

We have also found what looks like we will be settling in as our church home; Common Ground Church, it's also within walking distance of our home, it's held at the boys school :-). Did I mention everything is within walking distance of our new home?

Now the first four weeks of school come to an end tomorrow and I feel like maybe the dust has settled a little (only a little) and we are looking forward to all that God has planned for us. This is where I'm going to be picking up this blog shortly (no, really, SHORTLY)....I actually have a focus and a vision to blog all about that new focus. Starting with my next blog I will be introducing you to the Aden Family 2.0....healthier, happier and prospering abundantly in God's Grace.

A sneak peek involves "Holy Yoga" instructor training for Carly; a revamped passion for our families nutrition and eating habits, how a company called "juice plus +" is already changing our lives, and a love of the game turned business called "Agape Golf". I'm including some links at the end of each post so you can find out more about any of the above mentioned things as they interest you (including our great community).

More than a year later? Really Carly?

You are likely sick of the "it's been a ridiculous amount of time since my last blog" intro, but, it can't be ignored. No promises though, I don't know if I'll be better about it or not. I am just doing it as more of a journal for me and my family. So there. On to the good stuff.

It's been two months tomorrow since Stu lost his job of 17+ years at Tumwater Valley Golf Course. His actual unemployment was just this past Sunday though (a technical detail that embodies the grace of God in this process, he's been home with "regular" salary this whole time). It's almost as if I'm mourning a bit as I write that, a big part of our lives (and an even bigger part of his) has been taken, it wasn't our choice. It is a blessing though. I'm not even sure exactly what that blessing is yet, but I know it has to be the work of the Lord, this is big, really big. We are relying on faith, we have no other way to go, or at least that's our viewpoint. If we can listen to the still, quiet voice (that I often ask to be louder, right now especially) we will end up right in the middle of His will for our family. I won't go into all the thoughts and feelings I've had since March 1st, I'm not writing a book (yet). Suffice it to say, it's scary, exciting, nerve wracking, and somehow peaceful all at the same time.

Love our House/ property....

What we did know right away was, we needed to get the house ready for sale and put it on the market. So, we did. I had this great expectation that we would sell it for top dollar in week one. Well, not the case. We are over 30 days in, 2 price reductions, a handful of showings, and no offers into this. The showings feel like they will kill me alone. I bust my bum, to put it lightly, to get things as clean and neat as they can possibly be for a house with 4 very young, active boys, and a mom that continually struggles with just the day to day tasks of "keeping a house". Just to have my hopes and prayers dashed with a phone call to the agent that reveals "not what they are looking for"....for various, stupid (my opinion of course), reasons. "I can't do this anymore" I keep telling God, and anyone else that will listen for that matter. I need to stop saying and believing that. I can and will do this, so I might as well change my attitude and get on with it. It's not helping anyone when I whine and complain that I have to work hard and this isn't happening fast enough for me. This is the Lord's timing, and I'm sure that patience and waiting are part of the work He is doing in both Stu and I through this process. We are both self-proclaimed "bad-waiters".

Dream for sale.....

The plan: Start packing today (yes, literally, today), move forward with a move out date around June 1st-15th (I figure the procrastination factor in both Stu and I so high, that June 1st really means June 15th, at best), and get to Sahuarita, AZ. Just a small little dessert town, South of Tucson approximately 25 miles, and right where my parents live. We'll stay (or dare I say "live") with them until we can count on some regular income and have at least a couple month buffer of such, from Stu teaching. He has already worked out the teaching contract with a "package" of three golf courses, but it's the slow season and we're bound to get off to a slow start.

We're all excited to get to some consistently good weather. The boys are dreaming of the days they will get to swim EVERY day, ALL day. School starts mid July there, so we won't have a very long Summer. The school thing is worthy of a whole post, all its own, with Luke and his opinions of the fact that there are some pretty strict dress codes there. Let's see if I get to a second post "in a row" (aka less than a month) shall we?