Still Here!

Well, for the two or three of you who have actually checked out this blog, yes, I am still alive and kicking. It has been an adventurous, and challenging, month. We are now residents of Massachusetts - well, I guess not official because we still have WVA license plates and driver's licenses. But we are living in a house in MA, so I guess we're residents.

I'm not even sure where to begin, so maybe just a quick update will suffice. The girls have started in their new schools - they went to school for one week, and then had a week off for winter break. In New England, the public schools get both a winter break and a spring break - which makes for a longer school year in June. So we really haven't been able to get into a routine yet. That will come. As most of you know, Hannah's first couple of days were not so good. It's just hard being 15 and starting school in the middle of the year. She is a strong girl, though, and she will make it. Her momma on the other hand, wasn't quite so strong! Boy, it's tough to see your kids hurt, isn't it? Rachael had a somewhat easier time. Kids seem to be more accepting in the 6th grade :) On a scale of 1-10, Rachael ranked her first week as: 7, 8, 8, 9, 10. Hannah's...well, let's not go there. Actually, Hannah gave the day before break a 7, which was up from -3 on the first day, so I guess that was pretty good!

We're pretty settled in the house, at least as settled as we want to be for now. We're renting and don't want to unpack everything until we decide if we are actually going to buy this house or not. The girls threaten to take the "For Sale" signs out of the front yard because they want to stay put - they really like the house. It's big - yes, I know I always said I wanted a bigger house, but this may be too much for us. For now, we're enjoying the open space - it's great for entertaining, which we have already done several times.

Peter is really enjoying his work - it's not even work for him. This is who he is and he's loving it! He's meeting with folks, organizing a small group ministry, preparing to teach a new class, and just helping to get a better communication structure going. We're really enjoying having people in for dinner. This is a good group of folks here - very real and loving. They have been wonderful to us! They gave us a "pounding" last week. You know, a pound of flour, sugar, pasta, pasta, pasta, pasta. We have so much pasta and sauce! We got a lot of food and gift cards - it was very overwhelming and humbling.

For now, my role is helping the girls get settled into their new schools and routine. I'm also using this time as an opportunity to meet with some of the young moms and get to know some of the ladies. Once I start working, I won't have the luxury of open days for lunch, or coffee. I'm sending out resumes and calling several places. I'll keep you posted on that. I was offered an adjunct teaching position at Nichols College to teach two sections of their Introduction to Sociology course for the fall. It's about a 45 minute drive. If I could find something else part-time, that would be perfect!

I won't lie - this hasn't been easy for me. This move has actually been more difficult emotionally than I had anticipated. I miss my teaching and my OVU students more than I thought I would. And of course, my friends and family - I can't even go there now. But as this blog is titled - this is a journey, and things will get easier. I know that God is in control - I just have to remember it daily, even hourly, because when I forget that, I try to control and that's not always a good thing. So I covet your prayers - for the girls, for our family, and for the work that we came here to do.

Please plan a visit - we have a big house now! And Boston is an awesome place to visit. I love you guys.