Monday, October 28, 2013

Hang On...

Permits. Permits. Permits. Pieces of paper that read, "Yes, it's ok for this property to be changed." When we first started this journey with the home renovation, we had high hopes that work could begin mid-October. Here we are, October 28th, and...nadda. Why? Well....it's not time yet. I mean, if it were all up to me I would have just signed the papers and said, "Yes! Proceed!" But....it's not in MY time. It's in God's time. So God has said, "Hang on here. It's not time yet. Patience, Grasshopper." (Well, He may not have said that last part, but you get the idea.) What's the hold up? The Septic. It's old and needs to be up to code before the county will give us permits. Well, that's not entirely true. There needs to be a PLAN to update the septic submitted to the county and then permits will be given. And even then we have to wait 7-10 days in case anyone wants to formally submit an objection of some kind to the county. And then...then we can begin digging. Who is going to do the septic work? Well, my husband of course? Didn't know he was a plumber did you? Well, I didn't either. He will be getting help from his dad and a neighbor who is a "septic guy" so it seems he will be fine with that "little" project. We have some friends here in Fishers who I'm sure would like to submit an objection to the county just to delay our move-in date further. Thanks for that, friends. We are flattered. In the meantime, we are great. Yes, we really are. It's tough though. Chad working 6-7 days a week, 12 hours/day, sometimes more. It's hard on both of us. The boys miss him. Chad has made it a point to get to Mass with us every Sunday, and we are finding that all three of the boys want to sit with me during Mass. Teddy hangs on my left, Christian on my right, and Charlie in my lap resting his head on my shoulder. His favorite phrase is "Mommy, carry you," ("you" meaning "me".) So, I haven't heard the Homilies for the last 5-6 weeks. But, you know what? It's ok. I get frustrated because I just want to listen to what Father is saying. But then, I tell myself, "God doesn't need you to hear this message today. It's ok. Be as present as possible, but take care of your children." And so I do. Sometimes begrudgingly, but I do. I'm finding other ways to take care of "me". I do an Insanity class at the Y at 5:15am every Monday. The time of the class and the actual class are both insane! But, dang it makes me feel good. Wednesdays are PiYo, again at 5:15am, and I try to to a strength class either Tuesday or Thursday. I've just started trying to get in a weekend workout as well. So, that part is good, however, it's 7:45pm on Monday night, my muscles sore from Insanity, and I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open to type this post. And as I sit here and type, Charlie comes by with his trick-o-treat jack-o-lantern, holds it up to me and says, "How about cheeseburger?" Yes, my Little Man. I could go for a cheeseburger.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Holy Crap it's Happening!

Chad is at the end of his second week as a full-time farmer. I'm not sure where the time has gone. Our time together lately is so limited, and I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. This new way of life is taking some getting used to, and I know that there will be further adjustment once we get moved. Baby steps, I guess. I'm thankful that it's not happening all at once- the move and change in careers. I know that people go through that all of the time, and I'm so glad that there is time between the two transitions. Our conversations are very different now. ME: "How were things today?" HIM: "Good. Got the auger fixed." ME: "That's good!" (Me: thinking to myself, "What the heck is an auger?") I know. I live in Indiana. I should know what an auger is. I don't. Well, NOW I do. Last night, around 9:30, he and I were chatting about my therapy session (yes, I go to therapy), and in mid sentence, I look over, and my man's eyes are closed. He is still nodding his head in agreement with me, but his eyes are closed. Man, he was tired. This farming stuff is exhausting. But, again, not complaining. Knowing that he has given his day to completely glorify the Lord- he should be exhausted. Tuesday of this week we had an inspection on the home we are renovating. This was something we didn't have to do, but decided to do because of peace of mind. I am happy to report that there were no major problems (mold, termites, etc.) There are many little things that need to be fixed, but it's all stuff we can handle. So, we are happy with the report. Today, Chad met with our builder. We have to choose between two floor plans for the addition. After that decision is made, our builder will seek approval from the county, and things will get rolling. Our builder will be done 2.5 months after ground is broken. 2.5 months and his part will be done. In the mean time, we will also be doing some work on the house. Chad is going to do the demo of the kitchen. We will also be doing all of the interior painting and all of the hard flooring ourselves. We will hire someone to install carpet. Even after move-in, the projects will continue. Did I mention that the big parts of the renovation will be done 2.5 months after county approval? 2.5 months. HOLY CRAP IT'S HAPPENING!!! Oh, and we have repairs to make in our current home before putting it on the market. And there's the matter of packing. And Thanksgiving is coming up. Then Christmas. HOLY CRAP IT'S HAPPENING! We have had some people offer to help out with painting and other tasks and we are so appreciative of that! If you would like to help with anything- childcare, packing, help with the remodel...ANYTHING, please email or call me. I'm going to create a "helper" list. This is an easier way to keep track of those offers instead of me saying to Chad later on, "Who was it that offered to help paint again?" I'll bet most who are reading this did not know that Chad and I lived together in our "new" home once before. I moved to Indiana December of 2002. I had just graduated college in Michigan, and I had my teaching license- in Michigan. I did not have a job down here, and my heart (Chad) brought me to Indiana. Chad was living in his grandfather's house at the time, and so I stayed there with him for 4 months, until I had some money saved up. It was very important to us that we had our own places. I moved to Carmel, as I was teaching preschool in Zionsville. And, Chad lived in his grandfather's house until we got married 9/18/04. When I moved out of that house- I NEVER imagined that I would be going back. That WE would be going back. Me in the country? Say Whaaaaaatttt??? Here we are, nearly 11 years later, making plans to move back. God is kinda funny that way.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Last Day as an Engineer and New "Insurance"

My husband's last day as an engineer is today. As of tomorrow, he will be a farmer. Farmer Chad. That's him. As this day has been approaching, I have had time to reflect on what this means. I wonder what he is thinking, since he is not only changing jobs, he is changing careers, and choosing a path that is less traveled. So far, this experience, from my perspective, has been very freeing. We have felt the ups and downs, over the past 11.5 years, of a changing economy, and how it effects the automotive industry. When the tsunami hit Japan in 2011, we felt that too. Of course, as farmers, the economy and the weather will have an effect on us too, but in a different way. I find myself in a place where I am more prayerful and more grateful. I haven't prayed much about Chad's job, except when things have been tough. Now, I'm finding myself in prayer, each day, expressing my gratitude for beautiful weather, gratitude for rain, and hope for a bountiful harvest. I know that many people don't believe that God has anything to do with the weather. I'm not really sure that I believe that either. However, prayer couldn't hurt, right? Anything that puts more prayer into our lives is ultimately strengthening our relationship with God, and pulling us away from things that may distract us from keeping that focus. Matthew 26:41 "Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" Finally, I wish to share about our new "insurance". So many have asked what we are going to do about insurance now that Chad is considered self-employed. We were blessed to find out about a ministry from Farmer Tom, the farmer we buy our meat through in Greencastle. We have not signed up for new insurance. In fact, technically we have no insurance. We have recently become members of Samaritan Ministries. To find out more about this unique ministry click here. This is not insurance, but a ministry. When we have a need over $300, other members of the ministry pay our bills. We do the same for the other members, and we don't pay more than $370/month. When we have a need, our names are posted in the monthly newsletter for all of the members. Our fellow members will then pray for us, and pay for our need. This is very untraditional, but I'm finding it to be freeing. Eliminating the insurance companies all together is a relief. Money goes directly to the members who have a need. In case you were wondering, this ministry, and those similar to it, meet the requirements for the new "Obamacare" laws. If you want to know more about it, visit the website, and ask me about it. Even if you have insurance, you might consider Samaritan. Peace and love everyone. Cheers to new adventures!