One year ago... (Part One)

One year ago this week we moved to Colorado. It's hard to believe it's been a year. In some ways it seems like forever ago, and in some ways it feels like we just left. This last year has been a roller coaster for Luke and I. When I think back to last year at this time- and where we are today- WOW! Lots and lots of changes.

Last April we made the decision to move to Colorado. We had been thinking and praying about it for years. When Luke graduated from SJSU in May of 2009, we expected that we would be moving shortly. But God had other plans. We visited Colorado to check things out and to begin the job hunt. Luke had found a job opportunity that he was very excited about- and we were just waiting for the job to become officially available. We waited. We waited more. And still we waited more. Finally, he was able to apply for it- and we just knew that this was it! We waited for the interview process to begin. A few weeks later we found out that Luke had been eliminated from the candidate pool because we lived out of state. We were floored. Everything seemed to be pointing to this job. We never doubted that it would work out. When it didn't work out the way we expected, we were shocked and confused.

Not to sound dramatic, but I was pretty devastated. I had been working full time since before Silas was born. My desire has always been to stay home with our kids. When Luke was in school, that wasn't option. I knew that working full time with small kids was just a season and wouldn't last forever. When Eliana was born, I expected I would return to work for a time, but I didn't expect it would be very long... So when this job didn't work out, it felt like we were starting over in the job hunt. The end was not in sight and I was crushed. Both Luke and I were working full time- basically opposite schedules because we didn't have childcare for Silas and Eliana. It was a crazy, stressful time. Yet it was clear that God had us waiting for a reason. But that reason wasn't clear at that time.

We continued to believe that Colorado was where we end up. Luke continued to look for jobs- and I continued to look for jobs for Luke. Sometimes looking for jobs seemed like a full time job itself! Everywhere we looked, doors were shut. It was beyond discouraging. We were at the end of our rope as far as trying to balance life with full time jobs, taking care of the kids, and just trying to make ends meet living in such an expensive area (Silicon Valley). As spring came last year, we began to sense that God may be calling us to take a leap of faith and move. Even without a job offer. It seemed crazy and unwise. We thought and prayed about it, but didn't act on it. Then we found out that Luke was going to get laid off from his job within a few months. And that was the push we needed to decide it was time to move. We both sensed from God that the next door wasn't going to open until we shut the door where we were. So we set the date to move. We gave notices at our work. And the process of moving our lives began...

(to be continued)

I love this song! It's a great reminder for me...