Out of the Fog

I have been lagging again with posting here, part of the reason being that all four of us have been sick in the last three weeks. It started with Chris, then went to Caleb, then I joined the party. And just as the three of us were on the mend, Hannah went down. So that's my excuse for the month of January but I have no defense for not posting in December - other than it's December and that always seems to be a busy month. But now that I am feeling better it's time to update.

So, here's a quick recap of our happenings.

Christmas. Being that this was the first year since having kids where Chris was not committed to working on Christmas Eve, and we now live closer to family, we went big. Between Christmas eve and dinner on Christmas day we managed to see all three sets of our parents, plus lots of extended family. It was wonderful to spend the time with so much family, some we haven't seen in a while, but I don't think we'll be making a habit of doing that much traveling in a 24-hour period.

The new year started uneventfully, we were all asleep. Hannah is in the middle of basketball season and just made her first basket in a game last week! Caleb, is just being Caleb; eating, talking, running, "fixing" things. He has also developed a habit of randomly screaming, which we are trying to curb.

Our highlight so far of the year was celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on the 15th with a four day cruise! We haven't not been away from the kids for that long so I was nervous as to how they would do. But thanks to some wonderful, loving grandparents they did great and were completely spoiled. A cruise was the perfect vacation for us in this season of our lives: getting up when we wanted, taking naps, no cooking, cleaning or laundry. All good things. I read an entire book while on our cruise. Amazing.

We did a lot of this, sitting on a deck drinking coffee and reading.

On the tender to Catalina Island

We played mini golf instead of walking around Ensenada

Sunset in Ensenada

Another sunset from our room. We came home so refreshed.

Grace

Wow, I didn't realize I took such a long break from posting on here. I guess we've been busy.
This post is all about Hannah. We celebrated her 7th birthday in November. Where does the time go? I can't believe she is already 7!

How did she go from this...

To this...

 

 We celebrated her birthday with some friends in Ventura. Hannah was thrilled to spend some time with Ventura friends. We were too! It was such a fun day.

 

 

This girl...she has my heart. I love the way she laughs, just hearing it makes me laugh. She is kind and compassionate. She is adventurous. She loves her friends, and as I think I have said before, can make friends anywhere. The first time we went to a new park here in Atascadero, she made friends with two sisters, and we have since met them at the park again several times. This extroverted girl has been good for this introverted mama.
Grace is her middle name, and she has shown me grace so many times. Unmerited favor. So many times as a parent I have felt like I've failed or not given my kids the best. I can be short with them. I can yell. I can lose my patience. Why is it always so much easier to see our faults instead of our victories?
But then, this beautiful little girl leaves this note for me:

(Translation: I love you Mom so much. I love you every day. I am lucky to have you.)

And that just melts my heart. It makes me think maybe I'm doing a better job as her mama than I think. For all those times I fail, she still loves me and says she's lucky. And isn't this how God loves us? His love for us is not based on our works, not on what we do or don't do. It is unmerited favor. Getting what we don't deserve.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Ephesians 2:8,9

I think I'm the lucky one.

An Overdue Update

Hi! We're here, we're alive and well. I apologize for the silence on the blog, things have been a little chaotic over the last three weeks. It's going to take a few posts to cover everything. So, I'll go back to the move. 

This was no easy thing, let me tell you. For a few months we were looking to purchase a home since there weren't many rental options. In August and September we made several trips to Atascadero to look at different homes, and even put in four different offers but nothing worked out. Finally, it was too close to our moving date to keep trying for a purchase so we switched to rentals. Having a dog really limits your rental options. And since Chris will be building bronco boxes and possibly painting, we needed a garage to store equipment and have a space for him to work.

So, three days before we had to move out of our home in Ventura, Chris went up to Atascadero one more time and signed a lease on a house. It was really the only rental available that fit our needs. God had us wait until the eleventh hour to know where we would be moving, which was very hard for me. I am still growing and learning how to trust. We just had to keep going back to the last word we had from the Lord, which was to move to Atascadero.

We are so thankful for all the wonderful friends who helped us move, we couldn't have done it without you. It means a lot, especially knowing they didn't want us to move but came and helped anyway. Case in point: we had dinner with a few friends a week before the move and asked them to not be too sappy or sad, we just wanted to enjoy their company. They took it to heart and brought a very appropriate cake.

In case you can't read it, it says Just Leave Already

We had a week of transition between moving out of our home and moving in to the rental. So we hung out at the beach house in Cayucos with our packed U-haul. Not a bad place to be stuck for a few days. The second half of the week the kids and I went back to Ventura so Hannah could finish up the first session at Beacon Hill. We were so blessed to be a part of that school even for a short time. They really helped to get us set up for this season of homeschooling (more on that later).

Finally on Oct. 3 we moved in to our rental. It's a beautiful home and is a good fit for now. We had lots of family help us move in, as well as the pastor and some members of our new home church, Shoreline Calvary Chapel. The neighbors next door are Christians and attend Calvary Chapel Paso Robles. The biggest issue with the house is the lack of yard space. There is almost no yard for the kids to play in. So, we are very quickly learning where the parks are to get the kids outside and active.

Hannah has already made friends with the pastors daughter. She still misses her friends in Ventura very much.

Chris started in his position as part time worship pastor last week. He's enjoying it and everyone at the church has been very welcoming.

I will try to post more soon about our happenings and getting settled. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Thank you to all those who have continued to pray for us. We couldn't have done this without your support!

Dear CCO

Dear Calvary Chapel Oxnard Family,

We do not have words to fully tell you how grateful we are for all of you. Calvary Chapel Oxnard has been our church home for the last nine years. We have grown and learned so much during our time with you. When we were newly married and new to Ventura, we spent a good while "church shopping." We focused our search in Ventura since we wanted to be part of a church close by where we could dig in, get connected and get involved. As we visited various churches, none of them felt like home. During that time, my aunt was attending Wednesday night services at CCO, and really encouraged us to check it out. We were hesitant at first because of our search parameters of Ventura, but went anyway.
[Side Note: The first Sunday we went to CCO, as we walked in the foyer and down the hall, we realized we had been there before! Several years prior, while in college, we were in Oxnard for a Fall Retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ. One evening during the retreat, we met at CCO for our time of worship and teaching.]
The first Sunday we attended, we knew that was to be our home church, and Lance wasn't even teaching that week! What really stood out to us was the time of worship, that people were really engaged. That was something we hadn't seen at the other churches we visited. It was obvious that God's presence was there in His people, through their worship and desire to give Him glory and learn from His word. 
And what I love about the way we were introduced to the church, is that it wasn't the pastor that was the draw (not to knock on Lance, we love his teaching!), but it was the body of Christ being a representation of Jesus. Just like Chris spoke about yesterday, every person at CCO is the church, it's not the building or the staff. 
From that time on we have been welcomed in to CCO. We have spent most of our married life there, dedicated our two kids there in front of you all, laughed, cried, prayed and served with so many of you. We have learned so much from you and grown in our own walks by learning from your examples. You have celebrated in seasons of rejoicing with us, and many of you prayed with us through our struggle to conceive a second child. 
When we bought our first home, the condo we will be moving out of in two weeks, many of our friends from the worship team and our home group showed up early on a Saturday morning to help us move. So many, that a coworker of mine who came to help was floored by amount of people who were there. You were a tangible example of Jesus to him by your service to us. 
We are overwhelmed by your love, your prayers, your generosity, and your support to our family through this journey. As Chris said yesterday, this is the hardest thing we have done, to step out in faith like this. And it feels like the hardest time has been the last few weeks. God is providing and has opened some doors for us, like Chris' new job at Calvary Shoreline. But our future housing still remains a mystery. I have struggled and worried over this, the exact thing I am not to do ("Do not worry," Matt. 6:33). And then Chris found this quote from A.W. Tozer as he was cleaning out his office last week:

How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none.  Eternal years lie in His heart.  For Him time does not pass, it remains; and those who are in Christ share with Him all the riches of limitless time and endless years.  God never hurries.  There are no deadlines against which he must work.  Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.
 
So I am hanging on to the promise that God is faithful, and since He called us in to this journey, He will get us there. Please continue to pray for us, and we look forward to sharing with you how God provides!
To CCO, we love you and will continue to pray for you. God has big, new things in store for you and we are excited to watch them unfold. Thank you for letting us journey with you.

God's Faithfulness

To keep you all up to speed on the happenings with our move and this crazy adventure...
We closed escrow on August 8! We are currently renting back our home until the end of September. I am packing up what I can, but it can be challenging when you have a toddler who wants to "help."
In August, Chris was encouraged by a pastor friend to contact the local Calvary Chapel pastors in the  Central Coast area to touch base and share our story of God's call to move. So Chris contacted both Bryan Stupar (Calvary Chapel SLO) and Jack Arnold (Shoreline Calvary Chapel in Morro Bay).
Chris emailed Jack on a Wednesday evening. That same evening, Jack was meeting with the elders of his church and they collectively decided they needed to actively start looking for a Worship Pastor. When Jack got in to his office on Thursday morning, there was Chris' email. Chris and Jack talked on the phone that Friday and Chris led worship at Shoreline the following Sunday when we were in the area to attend a family wedding and look for a place to live.
After some more conversations and prayer, Chris accepted a part-time position as worship pastor at Shoreline beginning mid October! We are excited to have some more direction and to join the Shoreline fellowship. Funny side note, Shoreline is the church we both attended in college. 
We are still frantically searching for a new home. With the help of some family, we are looking to purchase instead of rent because it will be significantly less expensive. Rental prices in the area are very high, and there are not a lot of rental options. Twice we have driven up to Atascadero to look at homes, and have put in two offers that did not pan out. Last week we thought we had an awesome, inexpensive short term rental option, but found out yesterday that it is not going to happen. So, tomorrow we make the 2 1/2 hour drive again to look at some more homes. 
I look at the calendar and to me it seems that time is running out. We are moving at the end of the month and don't know where we are moving too. But, we are holding fast to what we know - that God has called us to Atascadero - and He will make a way. 
This morning I read Galatians 6:9 as part of my Bible study, and then received it in an email from a friend later in the morning:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Sometimes I feel so weary. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by all the unknowns. It is hard when it seems like God is silent when you think He should be speaking. But the more impossible it seems to me, the more of a miracle it will be when He does provide.

So please continue to pray for us, that God would show us a place to live and that we will not be shaken through this continued faith journey. God is faithful, and He will provide!

Summertime Fun

We have had such a full summer! It was so fun, but the end came so quick.
A highlight was a trip to the bay area and Lake Tahoe. While in Concord during the first part of our trip, we were able to attend the annual Switzer Family Cream Can party. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool at Mimi and Papa's house.

Caleb tried some lemonade...

And the next day it was off to Lake Tahoe. Mom and Mike spoiled us by renting a house to stay in along with my sister Megan and my brother David and his family.

The kids loved playing with Aunt Megan

Caleb and his cousin Kolton enjoyed lots of play time together, with the occasional parent intervention to encourage sharing.

We ate ice cream, because that is what Vanoli's do

 We also did some exploring around Lake Tahoe on foot,

By horseback,

 

And by bike

We also went by raft and floated down the Truckee River. I don't have any pictures of that since I opted not to bring my nice camera in a boat with my toddler, bad combination. It was such a relaxing ride that Caleb slept on a pile of life jackets for about half of it.

Even though it will still be a long drive to get there, I am looking forward to being a little closer to Lake Tahoe once we move. It is a special place that holds so many special memories for me, from childhood ski trips and sledding, to our honeymoon. I love being able to share that beauty with our kids. 

Moving Update

I realized I haven't written anything about our upcoming move since first announcing it in June. So in case you haven't heard yet, here's what has been happening.

At the end of June we put our house on the market. We listed on a Thursday, and by the following Tuesday we had two very good offers of the same price (just below our listing price), and one was cash. After some back and forth over the terms, we accepted the cash offer. We are in escrow now and it is set to close next week! Part of our agreement is that we will rent back from the buyers through the end of September. Chris' last day working at the church is September 15, so that will give us time to move without feeling rushed (at least I hope!).

Escrow has not been without it's hoops and hurdles to jump through and over, as I'm sure anyone who has bought or sold can attest to. A word of advice, do not stay at your house when your home inspection is done, have your realtor be there instead. It's way too stressful to listen to someone pick apart your house, down to the location of carpet tack strips. It's especially awkward if the buyers are at your house during the entire 2 1/2 hour inspection, hanging out at your kitchen table. 

One of the hoops: Chris had to cut a hole in our ceiling to prove there was no water damage, in a location that is not even close to any plumbing fixtures.

Just this last Wednesday we had an issue come up over the termite inspection and repair estimate, a week before the close of escrow. To complicate things our realtor was out of town and out of contact on a backpacking trip. When he came back into cell phone range on Thursday afternoon I think he was hit with a barrage of emails, voicemails, and text messages. By Friday afternoon he was able to have things straightened out we are still waiting to hear that everything is ok on the buyer's end.

Another word of advice, make sure you have a highly skilled, amazing realtor. Our realtor Tim Hughes has been so helpful through the process, keeping us informed and really being our advocate. I would highly recommend him if anyone in the area is looking for a realtor. 

Looking forward, we are on the search for a place to live in Atascadero. So if anyone knows of a 3 bedroom house for rent in the area please let us know! The rental prices seem a little high right now, so we are praying and trusting God to bring us the right place at the right time.

Chris is seriously considering opening up a painting business again, but hoping to mostly do the faux plaster like he did in our house. He has sold several Bronco Boxes over the last few months and we are hoping that will continue as well. I have been putting together a resume and am looking for part time architectural work. 

Please keep us in your prayers. Our big prayer requests right now are for the close of escrow this week and a place to live in Atascadero. Thank you for following along with us on the journey!