Preparing to Move

This past weekend, Jason and I had the chance to get away to Seattle for a few days to prepare for the move.

We had a list of what we felt like we needed to accomplish and set out to get some things done! Our adventure started out a little shaky thanks to Southwest Airlines. We received a text saying our flight was delayed about 50 minutes, so we set out a few minutes later than originally planned. Then, as we are in route we get another text saying it was on time…which was 20 minutes later! AWESOME.

We pulled in on two wheels, parked in short term parking (first row for $24 a day), got a short lecture from the lady at the counter about arriving on time and were told there was little chance we would make it. She was full of encouragement.

We did the classic RUN through the airport, only to arrive at the FARTHEST GATE and boarding HAD NOT EVEN STARTED. At least I got some exercise in before a six hour flight.

Thankfully, our sweet friends, Kristi and Sully, came and picked up our van, and we didn’t have to pay outrageously for parking!

We had lunch the next day with Dale and Tina Braswell, our campus pastor and his wife at our Lynnwood campus, on Thursday and then started our weekend search for a place to lay our heads for the year. Which for a family of six…quite the challenge! We drove all over the area and scouted out houses, so it felt really great to lay eyes on the area and begin to get our bearings. Jason and I actually went to a movie that evening, which was the first in a long time, so it was very nice!

Friday we were able to go to downtown Seattle and play tourist. We did Pike Place, which I just love. When you come and see us, it will be the place we take you. We had some great conversations with the locals and found out about Green Lake, which has a large park around it, so we headed there for dinner and ate at a local restaurant, Spud’s Fish and Chips. We just took it all in, imagining what our life will look like over the next year.

Saturday could have been an episode of House Hunters we looked at SOOO many places. We are debating homeschool versus sending the kids to school, but school still factors into our decision making. We also looked at old and new, yard and no yard, closer in and farther out….you name it, we looked at it! We narrowed it down to a couple.

Sunday we went to LifePoint Lynnwood! We were able to have lunch with a sweet couple who attended our Smyrna Campus for years and have moved to Seattle to be with their grandkids. Then that afternoon, we spent time with some leaders at the Lynnwood Campus. It was such a great, relaxing afternoon. They are all so very welcoming and encouraging of us. They are willing to help us in any way, which makes this much less daunting. I am so thankful that my kids will have built in friends! Such a frequent prayer is that our kids will be SALT and LIGHT and that they will build good friendships quickly.

Sunday night we went to dinner with the Braswells at a very cool restaurant in Edmonds which was on the water. I ate Salmon, of course! I am just overwhelmed with the beauty of God’s creation that we get to explore and see everyday!

We saw a few more houses before we left and still did not have a complete peace about which one, but felt confident that we had some options. Literally, on our way to the airport, we drove by one last house that had JUST come back up on craigslist. We looked in the window, talked to a neighbor and later in the week, Dale gave us a Skype tour of it! That house, is less than a mile from their home, is zoned for the same school the Braswell girls attend and has a fenced yard.

And, the Landlord is a Christ follower.

God has provided and opened door after door, confirming and revealing that He is for us, He is with us and all we are to do is walk one step at a time in obedience.

To answer a few questions:

We are not selling our home. We LOVE our home and plan to be back in it next Summer.

We are DRIVING across this great nation.

Knox needs a home for a year…still figuring the 12 year old Yellow Lab out.

Our kids spoke into this decision and are on board.

More to come…