moving

13 years ago, my husband wanted to move to Tennessee.

He wasn’t my husband yet…we were still dating.  He had just finished college with a music degree & was ready to head south to sing.

I still had one year left of college before graduating.  His plan was for us to continue our relationship from a distance & then I’d eventually join him.  That part wasn’t so bad.  But, he was also planning on rooming with a girl.  So, I thought about what I wanted to say & the best way to say it.  Eventually it just came out as:

“It’s either Tennessee or me.”

Real classy, right?

I’m not big on ultimatums, in this instance I wouldn’t budge my stance.  I knew myself well enough to know that I’d be paranoid and wonder if anything would happen between him and the other girl.  And I didn’t want to put myself or him in that position.

Adam thought about it.

And thought about it.

And then chose…

Me.

Our plan was for me to finish school, to marry & then move to Tennessee together.  Not long after graduating though, he got the opportunity to manage a restaurant.  From there, he moved to sales.  We lived in the Chicago vicinity before settling down in Plainfield.  The years went by…10 of them.  And in that time we had three children.

About a year and a half ago, I felt God calling me to Nashville.  I can’t explain it exactly.  I have always wanted to write & record my own music.  Now, I could have easily done that here, especially with all Chicago has to offer.  But, I just knew I was supposed to go to Tennessee.  So, I did.  And, I got to meet, work with & be blessed by some wonderful people.  I’ve made a couple trips back since then & ever so slowly, Nashville started becoming a bit of a second home.

But, now it will become our new home.

Adam’s company has promoted him from sales to management.  I am so proud of him!  He’s worked so hard & his skill set & personality is a perfect match for his new role.  However, with this promotion comes a relocation.

This summer we are moving to Nashville!

I have so much to share about our journey so far, but the purpose of this post is to just share our news.

We are very excited to see how God’s plans unfold for our family.  Please keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  While we look forward to this next step, it is so hard knowing we will be leaving family & friends who we dearly love.

So, even though it took us a while, we’ll soon set off on the journey we planned 13 years ago.

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a tale of two lunchboxes

The boys & I were out shopping yesterday.  Ava has one of the main roles in her 2nd grade musical & I have to make her costume.  A lion costume.  I have no idea how to make a lion costume – ugh.  Anyway, I am relying on my theatre background & am drawing inspiration from the musical “Cats.”  Unfortunately, whenever I put a costume together, my husband says it looks too much like a cat as opposed to a lion.  To which I reply, “A lion is a cat…a big cat.”  But I digress…

My quest to find a pair of tan leggings led me to Old Navy.  I had no luck with the leggings, but I did find some slim khaki pants that may do the trick.  We headed over to the check out line & there, to our left, was a display of tin lunchboxes.  I thought they looked pretty cool, and was about to comment on them when Garrett asked, “Mom, can I get one?  I’m almost a first-grader.”  I thought about it:  they were a good price, I liked the design he wanted (okay, and I am a fan of tin lunchboxes…I’m so nostalgic) & hey, it would give me a jumpstart for next year.  So, I surprised him & said, “Yes.”

Grady piped up not a second later and asked for one too.  I told him he still had a few years before he brought his lunch to school, but we’d definitely get one when the time came.  He hung his head, and didn’t say another word.

I paid for our purchase & we made our way toward the door.  Grady silently reached for my hand & I absentmindedly looked down at him.

He still had his gaze directed downward, but I saw them anyway.

Tears.

Rolling down his cheeks & falling to the ground.

He was silently crying.

And I broke.

I suppose if he had thrown a tantrum, whined, exclaimed “it wasn’t fair!” or even stomped his feet, then I’d have had no problem striding out that door.

But, he was doing his best (as only a 4-year-old can do) to put on a brave face.

So, we stopped & I asked, “Grady, would you like a lunchbox too?”

He bolted for the display & reached for the Batman design he’d been eying.  We got back in line & the cashier gave me a knowing smile when I said, “Back again.”

I know I probably broke a few “Mom rules” yesterday, but I did get to enjoy this face…

 

 

…and if given the opportunity, I’d do it again.

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