Week 1

I've been a resident of Shirley, Indiana for a week now. Here are the things I miss, OUTSIDE of all of my Fishers peeps because you all know that I miss you! (side note- you knew this list was coming!) 1.) My church. Oh, my SLDM community!!! We've only been away for a week and it feels much longer. I mean, really, how can that church building even stand without the presence of the Hanna family? Kidding, of course. We attended a much smaller Catholic church that is about 18 minutes away in Fortville, Indiana. Chad and I have both attended Mass there before. Small = less parishioners = less participation = NOT SLDM. But alas, I stay open. We all do. We may try another church in New Castle, however, the one in Fortville may be where we end up. 2.) SuperTarget. Yes, if you know me, you told me a long time ago that you knew I would miss this. And yes, I do. I made three trips to various stores last week, all 18-20 minutes away. SuperTarget was 3 minutes from my driveway to the parking lot. Oy vey. And they had a Starbucks. Oy vey again. So, I've tried Kroger in New Castle, Walmart in Greenfield (GASP! HOW COULD I???), and Meijer in Anderson. It's looking like Meijer is the clear winner, mainly because their produce is fabulous. But, seriously, you guys, that's my list. Those two things. I don't miss our old house like I thought I would. Sure, it was very sad to leave it. I miss parts of it, at times. But honestly, I'm loving all of this outside space!!! I love that we can walk down to our pond, say "hello" to our friend "Ribbit" the toad, and watch as turtles duck under the water. I love hearing the sounds at night; bullfrogs, crickets, and who knows what else out there. No humming air conditioners. No hum of the Interstate. NO EMERGENCY VEHICLES. Wow, that was a big one. We lived right off of a busy road and it seemed nonstop at times. In the week that we have been here, my two older boys have fallen in love with baseball, and both have learned to ride their bikes without training wheels. They were working on their bikes before we moved, but are finally starting to get the hang of it! But...here's the best part about living here so far: we get to see my hubby so much more. I took the boys outside today, and there he was, on the side of the house with his dad leaning against his pickup truck and chatting about farm business. They got to play and watch their dad work too. And the other day, T and Little C got to spend an hour with their dad in the fields, picking up rocks and sticks so they wouldn't get stuck in the tractor. My hubby comes in for lunch and we all have dinner together, too. Seriously, I kinda feel like I'm being spoiled with this family time, and I kinda feel like I've stepped back in time a bit. I've come across one big challenge though: getting unpacked!!! So, for now, I'm left with a bit of anxiety over this question: What does God want of me here? Because once the packing is done, and the boys are in school...then what? Here's another question: What does He want of us? What are we to do with this farm in the future? Veggies? Meat? Keep it the same? That's where I'm at right now. Will I end up driving the tractor some day? Haha...only the Lord knows. I'm hoping he'll clue me in soon...