When Life Doesn't Go the Way I Planned

At the beginning of October, I bought tickets to see excerpts of the Nutcracker Ballet with the booger and hubby on December 1. We also decided what we were going to do for Thanksgiving (go out of town) and for Christmas (stay home). I started to plan and advertise all my Christmas classes and was extremely excited about offering several stamp-a-stacks, a gift card holder class, and lots of Project Life nights.

And then in the middle of October my husband came home once again disgruntled about work. 

After much discussion, we decided that he should try to find another job. I figured nothing would really amount to anything until after the holidays, and I've known for awhile that he was not content at work. He applied for several jobs that weekend and opened a flood gate of changes. At the beginning of November, my husband accepted a job in northern California and then started working there at the beginning of December. 

If you would have told me at the beginning of October that by the end of December I would be living in California, I would have laughed at you thinking you were cray-cray. Now, I'm thinking we are cray-cray for moving 1200 miles away during the holidays. These days I'm constantly thinking of Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

I spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas, NV as we stopped for the night on our first drive up to California. We moved my husband to Nevada City, CA that weekend, and I flew home that Sunday to spend the next few weeks packing up my house, preparing for the biggest move I have ever made.

We hit 100,000 on our car during our trip to Nevada City

Hoover Dam.

The closest we got to the Vagas strip. After 8 hours of driving, we were exhausted. 

Two days before Christmas, with the help of many of our wonderful friends, we packed up a huge trailer, emptied our house, and said goodbye to Albuquerque. We spent Christmas in Alamogordo with my parents and then on December 26th, we said goodbye to New Mexico as we once again made the drive up to northern California with our second car, our daughter, and of course our precious Flower dog.

Had to pack up all the craft supplies. See you in California, DSP. 

Moving day. All our crap went into this truck. 

Flower and Bella saying goodbye to our house.

I'm going to miss my house. 

Amidst all the sadness of leaving Albuquerque, I loved spending Christmas with my parents. 

So now, I'm here in Nevada City, California, trying not to get lost because I don't have the Sandia Mountains to tell me which way is east; trying to find all those things I had figured out in Albuquerque - gym membership, preschool for the booger, where to go to church, where to go grocery shopping; and trying to establish a new normal because everything is new and different now. It's overwhelming at times, but also exciting. I know, that in time, God will provide everything my family needs, including the community I crave right now.

Stamping will resume in a few weeks, after we unload the truck and get our new house in order. I can't wait to start stamping here and hope to find some great stamping buddies.

I'll try to keep you posted as we get settled. It's been an adventure so far!

~Carmelita