Needing Peace

I'm sure that you all are thinking that with two young kids I would need peace and quiet. However, as I write this post I have two young kids asleep and Ernie is gone to a movie with a friend. No, the kind of peace I need is peace of mind.

We have had the house on the market for nearly five months now, with not a single offer. Heck, we haven't even had a hint of an offer. To say I am getting discouraged is an understatement.

No matter when we sell the house, I go back to work in the Tacoma office on September 1st. For those who are unfamiliar with the geography of western Washington, Ferndale (where our house is) is too far from Tacoma (where my job is) to commute. It is a two-hour drive one-way, on a good day with no traffic.

We are lucky that Ernie's parents live relatively close to my job in Tacoma, and have offered us the opportunity to move in with them until our house sells. We are extremely grateful for their hospitality so that we do not have to worry about paying rent in addition to our mortgage. (Of course, it's not all selfless on their part - they get to have their granddaughters move in with them too.)

And while Ernie's parents have a big house, it is not big enough to absorb all of our belongings. I am working on packing up everything so that it can be moved into a storage unit, until our house sells and we find a new home in the Olympia area to move to. Good thing I like an organizational challenge, since some of our things are going into storage, some of our things are going to Ernie's parents' house, and the rest of our things are being thrown out or donated to charity. I just hope that I don't get things confused and sent to the wrong place!

In addition to packing, we have other things related to the move to figure out. Foremost in my mind is what to do with our cat, Milo. Ernie's parents already have three cats at their house, and while they graciously offered to let us bring Milo with us, I don't think that's a good idea for Milo or their cats. And while Ernie and I love Milo, I think Sophia would be most devastated if we have to get rid of him. And if we do leave him behind, who do we leave him with? Permanently or just until we settle into a new home in Olympia?

And as if moving wasn't enough stress with more questions than answers, Ernie still has not found a permanent teaching job. On one hand, that could be a good thing. He can substitute teach and figure out which districts he would want to work for, and possibly which he doesn't want to work for. On the other hand, it sure would be a whole lot easier, financially, if he brought home a consistent paycheck.

The super-difficult part for me is that I am starting to doubt if moving to the Olympia area was a good decision. Ernie and I felt that God was pushing us in that direction, but as we get closer to the reality of it, with so many big issues (let alone details) left to iron out, I wonder if we misunderstood God's message to us. I have been having a really tough time with it lately. I have been having trouble sleeping. Which has left me in a bad mood and feeling like a bit of a basket case. Please pray for me as I deal with my doubt and impatience, please pray for Ernie as he is left to deal with a cranky and crazy wife, please pray for Sophia as she has to deal with an abundance of changes in her life (she was worried when she saw me put the waffle iron in a box - I am SO not looking forward to packing up her stuff), and please pray for our situation and for all of the pieces of the puzzle to come together.