This Crazy Life

What a blur this summer has been. Between family weddings, road trips, vacations, and getting ready for our move to Japan...we haven't exactly stopped. As far as I'm concerned; it's now fall. I am burning the fall candles, running the A/C low enough that our house feels like fall, and listening to Christmas music...why for that last one you ask? Christmas music helps me relax and I've been stressed. Matt isn't thrilled but he at least understands my reasoning.

Our phone appointment with OSS was scheduled for Sep. 12 with us flying out Sep. 15. The phone appointment with OSS is where we find out if the kids and I get to go to Japan with Matt or not. If they say yes, we all fly out together as a family on the 15th for Japan. If they say no, Matt flies out by himself of the 15th and the kids and I stay behind. We would be apart for two years.

Matt got his command involved with trying to move the appointment sooner so we'd have more time before the flight and luckily that worked. We will now find out on Sep. 3 if we go or stay. Pack-out starts the next week. We're very much looking forward to finally find out if we get to stay together as a family or not.

The house is slowly coming together. We have now passed along four years of kids clothes that don't currently fit any sizes (that got rid of a lot of extra stuff), rooms are being organized and purged, toys are disappearing, years of accumulated things are being downsized to what is actually needed and our house is feeling so much better.

We're having friends and family over to spend time with us before we leave (it's easier if you come to us if you'd like to see us). We're eating at restaurants we will miss and visiting places we love.

I'm fighting every urge to pull out the fall decorations since we're packing up, not taking out. We're using up art and craft supplies and we're being intentional with our time.

We've started full-time homeschooling Joshua and Jonathan but not with our actual curriculum yet since I don't want to pull it out of it's nicely packed box to be packed up again not so nicely by movers. We're making do with what I already have for now.

This is a time of changes and anticipation for us. Also some apprehension as we look at all of the unknowns. We know that God is in control and is walking with us no matter what OSS says.