Big Changes

Today it became official: we are moving! After a few years of struggle, Matt and I found a big, beautiful house down-town that is well within our budget. Last night I went and turned our deposit and signed the lease. I’m so excited, we’ll finally have all the room in the world! Or, it’ll feel like it at least.

For the past year, we’ve been living in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment, way too small for a family. But before that, Matt and I were technically homeless, he slept in the living room of his daughter’s mom’s house, and I slept in the living room of my grandma’s house. We had gotten out of horrible living situations and were trying to recoup our money and budget before moving. I found the apartment, and for less than $500 a month in a pretty great area, we went for it.

Obviously we got it, and we moved in the begining of September. We had some reservations since it was only 1 bedroom, which meant Shanna wouldn’t have a room, but ultimately we decided that since we didn’t have her very often, just on weekends, and we made sure to get an art desk and toy box for her that we wouldn’t mess with, it would be okay for a year. She was 8 when we moved in, and hasn’t started going through the throws of puberty yet, so we agreed as long as she had a room to herself before she was 10, it would be fine.

But now, we’re getting a giant 3 bed, 2 bath house, with a huge backyard and a little shop, and the best part, there’s a living room and a den! When I was a kid, we always did all kinds of celebrations in the den at Grandma’s: Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, 4th of July, New Years, anything. And all of us kids would camp out in sleeping bags in the floor.

I’m so excited to be moving on with our lives, growing together, becoming stronger together. In just this past year, Matt’s gotten a newer car with windows that actually work, and job in a new city, that’s in his preferred field of work and pays more, and lets him travel. And that’s just by March!

And really, that’s all to thanks to one of God’s weird blessings. Matt’s old car’s engine cracked at the end of January, so he took 2 weeks of leave and got a better job somewhere else and we able to get a newer, better car. I remember when his car broke down, all I could think about was how much this was going to hurt us. I was worried about how we were going to make it by without his income and without a car, and that if we had to get his car fixed, it was going to kill us, we wouldn’t be able to afford it. It wasn’t until a couple days later when I was talking to my boss about how I wasn’t going to have a car for a few days so Matt could look for something in town. Richard, my boss, reminded me that if I just let go and let God be God, it would work out, I just needed to relax and not try to micromanage Him.

That night, I went home and got dinner ready and Matt and I talked about it. Then, for the first time since his car broke, we prayed together about finding direction. And a few days later was Sunday, where Matt volunteered to do video production and the live stream for our church. He’d been doing it since right after Christmas, and really enjoyed it. Our worship leader approached Matt during Sunday rehearsals and basically offered him a job at his tech company. He needed a new tech, saw what a great job Matt was doing, and said he’d be more than happy to have him on board with him and his brother.

When Matt told me, I was ecstatic! So, Matt applied, interviewed, and was hired, all in one week, and not a moment too soon. His first day at the new company was his last day of leave, so he called, said he found something better and closer to home, and he wasn’t going back.

I tell this story as a reminder that even the worst situations can bring the biggest blessings. If Matt’s car didn’t break down, he wouldn’t have gotten a better job, and we wouldn’t be able to afford the big beautiful house we’re moving into the 1st of August. We would not be able to grow and prosper as we have this year.

This post has gotten way off track hasn’t it? We’re excited to be moving into a house that we haven’t outgrown before signing the lease, like with our apartment. We’ll be able to grow even more in this new house, and we can make it a home for us.

Another great change that is happening soon is my health. I don’t talk about my weight journey much with anyone, I’ve had struggles and find it hard to share. In junior high and high school, I struggled with an eating disorder. I started my recovery process sophomore year, and was back to a healthy weight and diet my the time I graduated. I was able to maintain that for a few years, but when Matt and I got together, I started to relax and gain weight. We’ve been together for almost 3 years now, and I am about 80 pounds heavier than I was when we met. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big girl, not really. I still look fairly thin, but like I could still lose a few pounds. I’m not fat my any means, but my weight is still an issue for me.

A few weeks ago, I started talking to my therapist about my weight and how I want to lose a little bit, but that I was scared I’d lapse back into my old habits and take it too far. She helped me get in touch with a nutritionist who used to work in rehab centers for eating disorders. She helped me make a plan, that was more focused around walking and moving more, and less about eating less. The meal plan has less fat, but not none, and limits my carbs as well. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, so we didn’t look at my sugars.

I will of course continue talking with my therapist during this journey, it’s going to be important to keep up with my mental health. I won’t talk much about this here, though every once in a while I’ll share my progress. I know for me, hearing or reading about other people’s weight journey makes me a bit anxious.

I guess that’ll be it for now. I don’t want to make these posts too long. Remember to be kind to everyone you meet, and that you are loved more than you know!!