One more thought ...

One last item I want to mention. This Monday I will be starting a new job. Some of you are aware and some of you are not but this is a Very. Big. Deal. This new job is not a contract position, it is not temporary, it is Full Time and Permanent. And THEY are excited to have ME. I don't even know how to process how surreal this is for me.

I was laid off in July of 2008 and have since had a very long list of many different employers in an attempt to make ends meet. I have had what feels like at least 100 interviews, and did I mention that the job I was laid off of was also a "contract" position so even it felt precarious even though I was there for quite awhile and most of us were "contract" (we all lost our jobs together). At one point, I had to move out of my apartment in Chicago and move back home with my parents.

Unless you have been unemployed you can barely imagine the depths of fear, sorrow/despair, self-doubt, desperation, and immense foundation shaking faith questions about what it means when the Lord says He is our Provider, that He Holds us Together (especially hard to believe when you are falling apart), that He is Near, that He cares and deeply loves us, that He is committed to our Good, that He protects us, that He fights for us. I believe in a God who has the Power to do all things, and yet job after job I came in second and they were held just beyond my reach. I still cannot pretend to understand the answers to all my questions (while unpacking yesterday I came across a list of them that I wrote out about a year and a half ago, still baffling) but this I am Deeply aware of Today: God is no LESS powerful today than He was before I unwillingly started on this journey. He has Not Changed and all those things I don't understand about Him are still TRUE, my understanding them or not understanding them does not change them. So yes, even today I will still tell you that I believe My God Provides. He Heals. He Protects. He Loves Unconditionally. He knows what is for my Good better than I do. He is Near, much Nearer than I comprehend or know. He has not and will not abandon His Children. And I will still move forward, klutzy, and learning very slowly (I am not proud of all the ways I handled unemployment) that My Lord is Captivating. and Beautiful. And For my Good. And I will continue to walk the road He has Lovingly laid out for me.

Gone West ... Be Back Soon.

For awhile there I was on a blogging roll and then things changed. I mean really changed. :)

Ironically, I had been working on a post about Hope (and still intend to finish it), but two days after I started it, and after 7 months of job hunting, my husband got a job offer and two hours after that so did I. Then my potential new employer found out about my husband's offer and changed their offer to a location just 5 minutes down the road from his new job. Thus began the insanity, because ... WE ACCEPTED!! That is right we are both Duly Employed and God is SO GOOD!

In a period of two weeks we had to find an apartment, move out of our home in Corona, CA, fly home to Minnesota, pack all our belongings and wedding gifts into a moving truck, "dash" across the country in a truck that gets 7 miles to the gallon, turn a 4-5 day trip into a 2 and a half day trip, staying at whatever hotel happens to be where we decide to stop (and agrees to allow Selah), arriving in LOS ANGELES to spend two long days unpacking so Tim could start his job "rested" and ready to go. Did I mention that we both picked up a cold along the way and our noses became leaky faucets? :) Hilarious! and certainly not a surprise.

Well, that was two weeks ago now that Tim started his job, and Monday is my first day at work (more on that in a moment). In the meantime, I have been unpacking boxes, having internet and cable set up, and attempting to make our two lives into one (which is truly so Funnnn!!! and new!!). I have discovered that we have three of many things (yes three... for ex. 1 iron belonged to me from high school graduation, 1 iron belonged to Tim from who knows when - it was leaky, and 1 iron was given to us for our wedding), I have also been doing many errands, exploring a new neighborhood (ie. sitting in stopped traffic), cleaning, tearing down boxes, helping Selah adjust to life in a new city, having our water heater fixed, organizing closets, cleaning out our desk, interviewing dog walkers, looking for furniture, selling things on Craigslist, attempting to work on our budget, and somehow in there trying to stay in touch with a few friends out there but not really succeeding.

Several HUGE blessings:

1) We found a tiny, 1940's built cottage with a fenced in yard, garden, picket fence, and only 20 minutes from work. And even tho it costs more per month than some of my friends' mortgages, and none of the doors or cupboards really close because the house is so old, and the power flickers Bright. Dim. Bright. Dim., and there is no dishwasher so I am doing more dishes than I have ever done in my life, I am literally in love with this sweet little Los Angeles "gem" because it is ours!

2) My brother has been able to spend a lot of time up here in the city with us and that has been so special (Selah is enamored with him).

3) Tim and I celebrated our first married Valentine's Day which was not exactly what I imagined it would be but for some reason all the boxes and a severely depleted bank account (job does not necessarily equal money, at least not at first) made it all the more romantic to me. Flowers and Thai food and a husband gone at work all day made the day Perfect! No frills just gratitude.

Anyways, just felt like sharing what is going on in our very little world. This post has started to get way toooooo loonnngggg but here is the main thing I wanted to process thru ... All Fall Tim and I spent a lot of time praying over where we should be job hunting. Location was a big question mark to us because we don't necessarily feel in love with living in Southern California forever and would love to be nearer to family at some point. Our hope would be to someday be back in the Midwest, but as you read above it seems like our prayers were very directly answered and it looks like this, Los Angeles, California of all places, is exactly where the Lord wants us right now. I have many, many moments that I experience culture shock (everyone here thinks they are a celebrity... it is so weird) and cannot believe how much my life has changed, but I feel so confidently that this is right for right now! I am surprised by it but praying that the Lord will give Tim and I opportunities to minister to and love on the people in our offices and in our neighborhood and in our new city, and we are also praying that we find a church community to get connected with. Right now Los Angeles couldn't feel less like home, but with every box I unpack and each sunny day it feels a tiny bit better. I must say the one thing I miss the most every day are my girlfriends!! That is a big hole in this whole plan! I am Trusting the Lord to provide new ones as well as the funds to go visit the old ones! :)

So for Now ...

Gone West... Be Back Soon.