School is Out!

I've been teaching Micah for 3 months and the girls for 4 weeks and we are officially closing the 2009-2010 school year. Well, we are taking a field trip to the aquarium in Gatlinburg, but otherwise we are complete. It has been a learning experience all around. It is very enjoyable and such a relief with the move. No more worries about school districts or them having to change schools again (and possibly again). It relieves much stress off of those things for the kids. Our worlds have been turned upside down and it gives them stability and consistency (me too right now). I've had a lot of fun and I think they have too.

This weekend we went to a Veteran's celebration at Jamie's family's church. They had games and things for the kids and they had a lot of fun despite the heat.


As for the rest, we are hanging in there. I'll be glad when my mind can get back to normal thoughts. Some days are worse than others, but we are getting there one step at at time. My kids are in a clueless child world. They are happy, so that makes me smile, if nothing else.

Life Goes On!

This past weekend Jamie spoke at a youth rally at our last church. It was so sweet to be greeted with smiles, hugs, conversation, and worship with our old youth and past church family. It was really neat to see the litte wormy 7th graders growing into these handsome and beautiful young people for Christ. Sunday, we worshippd at Jamie's childhood church (where his whole family goes). It was also nice and since we haven't been to Sunday morning worship in a couple of weeks, much needed. I don't know where we'll end up in this chapter, but it'll be interesting to see where the steps will take us. Interestingly enough, there were points hit on that we have been dealing with in a very personal way lately.

We are finishing up school this week too, which will also be nice. I'm going to spend the summer prereading the material that I'll be teaching in August and just enjoying the down time. Of course, we never stop learning, but the formal stuff will be put away in time for some summer fun.

We are still just praying for the details to be worked out in all this. We are working on moving forward and letting go of some things that have been bogging us down emotionally. God has a plan. What is up his sleeve remains a mystery at this moment. And that is the hard part.

At the top is some pictures I snapped before we moved. Notice the packing pro in the Budget truck. He packed that truck so tight. I think he may have found a new calling.

And, a picture of the kids by the doorstep similar to the one I snapped 2 years ago at our old house.

We are here!

My card reader is in a box, so no pictures, although I did take a few. Maybe it'll turn up in the next couple of days as we get through boxes. Unpacking can be so daunting! By Friday night and Saturday morning, we were just throwing stuff in boxes to push it out the door. Organization kind of went out the window at that point. It was a job and a half and we ended up catching some rain while unpacking, which added to the "fun".

But, we are here and Jamie started his new job yesterday and MCU. He is very excited about it and I just have a little feeling that he has found his "forever" workplace and that is always a really nice place to be in your life. He begins the Master's Program very soon and he will be doubling up on classes for a while, but should be complete in 2 years. Then he can teach! The president expressed interest in Jamie being a full time Professor. Professor Hughes...sort of has a ring to it, don't you think? My kids will be so impressed. I think he'll be great at it!

Otherwise, we are trying to settle in. It is sort of weird and I don't really think it has all hit me yet. I'm here, but we had our "life" in Owensboro for 2 years. Our lives have been in a stressful whirlwind for over a month now and it all happened too quickly to process, I guess. We'll get there, in time. This area has always been my home, and it is weird that living here again will take adjustment, because I lived 32 years here, but it will.

But, it is nice to see familiar faces, be with family, and the kids are happy. We are finishing up homeschool for the year after next week. It has been fun, but we are just "winging" it with review and reading, and I simply cannot wait to devour my curriculum that is sitting on my shelf in August!

I've learned a lot the past few weeks.

• I've learned that when everything else is stripped away, Jamie and I can still laugh in the midst of tears, stress, and heartache. Sometimes having only each other can make you realize even more how much you love someone. He is a protective husband and I appreciate him taking care of us.
  
• My children are so sweet and well-behaved. They left their friends and life behind there.
  But have had a great attitude and have taken it all in stride. They are really great kids and sometimes they teach me more than I could ever teach them. They amaze me.
  
• God is forever faithful. He didn't let us down even when we had our doubts. We are in a valley, but he is holding our hands through it and we cling to him even more. He is going to get us safely to the other side.
  
• There are many things we'll never understand this side of heaven. And when we get to heaven and look at Jesus, we won't even care about these earthly worries any more.
• People ("friends") will often disappoint you, hurt you, and turn their backs on you. In the end, your real friends will remain true, love you, and pray for you. Sometimes you have to find out who your real friends are the hard way.
  
• Ministry is everywhere!
• Homeschooling has been a safe haven for me and the kids. In the process of moving, it has relieved much stress of the kids changing schools too. It has reaffirmed my commitment even more.
  
• Money doesn't matter, because God provides.
  
• People's opinions don't matter, only God's.
• Home isn't about a house, but more about who is within the walls.
• Life is hard. Tears are cleansing. Laughter is therapeutic.
  

It Won't be Long Now!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2010 was different than it has ever been. First of all, we didn't attend a regular church this morning. That was probably the first time I have not gone to church on Mother's Day in my entire life. Jamie let me sleep in, which was nice and then he went and got us some doughnuts. The kids greeted me with handmade cards and things that they had been working on this morning and at school. We then got dressed and had a little Bible story at the kitchen table. The kids made a volcano (it went with the story) and we had fun learning together. Then, it was packing, packing, and more packing. I hate packing! It is so overwhelming! And, to top it all off, somebody is suppose to come by and see the house on Tuesday afternoon. I told them that the house would be a mess, but whatever. That should be good and embarrassing!!!!! Nothing like every closet being inside out and having a strange visitor. Oh boy! At least this time we have a garage to store the boxes and such. 2 years ago, we literally had boxes crammed in every corner of our tiny little house!

I feel very honored for God to have chosen me to be the mother of my 4 little bundles of joy. My family is my greatest blessing on earth. They mean everything to me. I know that I can get through anything with them by my side.

My own mother is one of my best friends. She is one of the first people that I pick up the phone and call when something is very wrong or something is going very right in my life. I want her to know right away. She is my #1 cheerleader in life. When I'm happy, she is happy for me. When I'm upset, she is crying right along with me.

So, Happy Mother's day to G-Mama, Nana, Deda, and Granny Dot! We are thinking of Granny Hazel, Grandmother, and Mamaw today as well! We miss them and we hope that they realize how much they influenced us and impacted our lives! We love all of you!

And here are a few pictures from today and the reason that we do what we do!

What will things be like?

I picked up a Shutterfly book here at my in-laws house that was a bound copy of my blog from 2008. It was so sweet to go through the memories and look at how much my kids have grown. It was kind of weird to read my thoughts and feelings about our move and church knowing what I know now. Knowing that our ministry there would be short and end abruptly. I feel like there are many loose ends left in Owensboro that will never be tied up. We didn't get to follow through on some teenager summer commitments. That will be left to others. My girls didn't get to finish the year in public school even though we are having fun homeschooling. Micah went to 4 hours of auditions and 2 play practices for a play that he will never be in. I hate loose ends! I didn't even really get to say "good-bye" to many of the wonderful youth that we have bonded with over the 2 years. It was just all too much to take in and I was much better off emotionally to stay at home.

I can't help, but sit and wonder what the future brings for the Hughes family. I'm not even sure how to go into a church and just be a regular member anymore. My kids won't have to be PK's? We can go to a Bible Study class and just learn and be fed for a while? What will that be like? Do you realize how long it has been since we have attended an adult SS class? A long, long time! It makes me kind of excited that in a couple of years we can help with the youth program as parents. We can minister, but in a different way.

Who knows...maybe even in a more effective way once we get to be out from under the microscope. The microscope can be suffocating and make you look at church, people, and things differently. Life under the microscope is hard sometimes. Sometimes too hard. Sometimes, you begin to believe the things that others think they see. Most of the time they've never really taken the time to get to know you as a person. Ministers are still people that need your unconditional love, friendship, and support. Instead, ministers are seen as a commodity. Somebody that will do something for the church or them. Do you know how many families send us a Christmas card from our past churches? Only one....I actually think we'll make some stronger connections just being a member and being able to share burdens, praises, and be ourselves. They'll actually see us for who we are and we need that right now.

My husband is in Arizona this week ministering to the Native Americans. It is a passion that he holds in his heart that I believe God has lit. God's timing is perfect, and even though we have been emotionally drained the past few weeks, I know that it was good for Jamie to get away from his personal life for a while. I miss him like crazy and have been emotional at times this week, but it has been nice to be with my family and people that truly care about us as people.

He will be back tomorrow night. I think we'll head back "home" Saturday to get busy packing. Things have happened very quickly and it has been a lot to take in. God is never changing! He is not surprised and he is not going to fail us. I know that he will give us everything that we need and then some. I know I'm blessed immensely as I look around at the beautiful faces in my family. People often fail us and disappoint, but God is right there to pick us up and brush us off for the next adventure. We've had our eyes set on youth ministry for so long that God has removed that tunnel vision. I can really see Jamie being a great asset to the university and they are excited to have him on board. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us. And, don't think that we will stop ministering. It will just be in a different way. We will trudge ahead and keep going in this life.

I will continue to homeschool and God has really given me a peace about doing this all the way through graduation. I'll admit, when I first surrendered to homeschooling, I was going to take it "one year at a time". Getting them to graduation seemed like something I wasn't "qualified" for. But, God has given me a peace that I can do it through him. I can't do it on my own, which was my first mistake. It is all about Him and I know that he'll provide the knowledge, resources, etc that we need to make this work. That sounds like a huge undertaking to me right now, but what part of parenting isn't?

So, what will things be like? I really don't know, but I give that over to Him to take care of. I trust in him that things are laid out before us. And maybe that was our mistake and the mistake of many other Christians. We are too busy making plans to see the big picture. This is just a bump in the road.

House sitting, Family, Homeschool

Today is the first day of homeschooling all of my children. It came a bit earlier than expected, but they are excited and so am I. We are getting a bit of a later start, but that is OK. We are house sitting for Jamie's parents and we are a bit out of our routine and not getting the same kind of rest. Actually our "routine" is not to have a routine for the next few weeks while we begin the process of moving.

Did I mention that I hate moving and I get the joy of doing it twice in a very short period of time? Oh joy! So, we get to box it up, haul it back, and put most of it in storage while we get things going here and find a place to live. Then when we find this place, we get to move all the boxes all over again.

It has been nice to go and visit with my family though. I have really missed them the past few weeks especially. Sometimes you just want some family to lean on when things are rough. I've talked to them a lot on the phone, and that helps, but it isn't exactly the same.

I've talked to Jamie a couple of times. He is doing well, I guess. Seems like he is so busy on these trips that time for phone calls are hard to find. I always miss him like mad and my hats go off to single mothers every time as I do all this alone. It is hard to be separated though sometimes and especially now. The timing kind of stunk for personal reasons, but God knew all this ahead of time, so I know that he has a plan.