Roll of Thunder

I miss certain things about the South. Hearing "y'all" in casual conversation, how much land one house sits on, and- especially- those afternoon, summer thunder storms. I may have only been here in California for a total of four weeks, but since Scott moved here in March, there have only been two days of rain. Neither since my arrival.
Mom was on the phone one afternoon (in GA- it was still the morning here) with me and "had to get inside, a storm was coming." That's when I missed it the most. I could picture it... darkening sky, low clouds, thick humidity cut by a cool breeze. The cows know it's coming. You see them gather around a tree. The bugs cease to swarm as heavily, and that rolling thunder flows above you, shaking the ground below.
When I miss something about home, I close my eyes and try to think of what I have to do here for the day... I put myself in this moment instead of reminiscing about another. "Sort the laundry, sign the kids up for swim lessons.." these were among my thoughts.
Then, I prayed, asking God for some comfort, "Please let me know this is the right place for us. I mean, there's been NO RAIN and our sprinklers still shoot up every night! How is it? I know you have a purpose for us here, so help me understand."

I took out my Bible and was led to this passage-

Job 36:26- 37:5:
How great is our God- beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?
See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.
This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance.
He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.
His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.
At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place.
Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.
After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding."

I mean, God just straight out told me, I don't need anything, not even a thunderstorm, when I have him. How could I not agree? I'll still struggle and fight my natural desires to control and understand everything, it's part of how I'm built. But this verse was an answer for me, mostly because I have to believe that God knows where I've been and where he's taking me. He knows where my comfort zone is- and he truely knows how to nudge me out of it. I believe "he holds nothing back" and is, right now in our lives, doing "great things beyond our understanding."

Why God moved us 3,000 miles

This is just an excerpt from an email I wrote to a friend back home about life here, job searching, Scott and me... it's a good explaination of who I am and where I am now...

The wild fires are causing lots of smoke in the valley, where we are, and it's pretty nasty outside. Not to mention hot! And, it's a different kind of heat from GA- dry. We get the Delta Breezes, but with all the smoke and fires going on, they're doing more of stirring up than cooling down...
Thanks for putting out feelers for me. We're in Roseville, and there is one FSU about ten minutes from us- we're in Placer County, which reminds me of Fayette in a few ways. Schools are great, people are nice, and there is a mix of city space and country. I need to work some, not sure to what extent, but when I was back in GA I met with my friends from work. We were talking about what we were doing and wanted to do when one mentioned doing something like marketing with Chick-fil-A. I've worked with them for the past several years in ordering for our events, fundraising, etc. Asking around out here, I'm not as sure how "connected" the stores are to the schools and churches like at home- but I've only been here a few weeks! I would love to work for a company that, as cheesy as it sounds, is part of my Southern identity and a business that I LOVE. It's been such a part of me, we naturally make our friends who haven't eaten there drive over with us to eat there! I'm praying for God to show me where he wants me to be. We'd been here about a week, feeling far away from home, and took the kids to the Roseville store for lunch. When Will got out of the car, he said, "Oh... I'm so happy! Chick-a-fil-a!" It was the only time I felt at home those first two weeks here! I feel like I'm creative, personable, and know enough about the company, plus, I've experienced being in a community where Chick-fil-A is really apart of us.
I've applied for teaching positions with a charter school where I wouldn't work a regular day, either teach on-line classes or be a contact teacher for home-schooled students. I also applied at a gym and Starbucks for the EARLY morning shifts. That way I could be out by the time the kids are out of school, three days a week.
I love SLAH, but I am not a sales person for something I don't really think is for everyone. Either you love it or not (and you should see the new catalog coming out next month! It's double hostess month too, so you can get double the half price and double the free money for SLAH items! Did you get my email with the clearance items?...) I like talking about it, but I can't walk up to someone and convince them to buy a $60 vase when they stay at home with their kids. So, if people like it, I'll show it off, but am not built to be pushy about it. I'm waiting for someone want a party instead of me asking them to have it.
So, you can see, I'm trying to "water the fields" so that when God is ready, I'll be ready to respond. The Surrender book has helped! Everyday, I think about how far out of my comfort zone God has placed me, and pray for his direction, to plant me somewhere, to do something for Him.
Scott is loving his job- I can see how the past several, hard years of climbing, falling, and climbing up the mountain got us to this place where something beautiful is. We love this church, We love these people. And, even though It's not "home", these people are already family. It's hard to explain! Our 6 year ann was yesterday, so I've been a little reflective; I've honestly never been more proud of him or happier for him at any point in our marriage. When we said "I do," I never knew I'd love him this much. He is so amazing, talented, level-headed and yet a dreamer. I am so honored God lets me go along with what Scott is doing. In him I see this person I never realized was there and knew was there all along! He is incredible, and we are so blessed to be here, doing this (whatever God wants "this" to be) together. Although I do miss home, I don't want to miss one opportunity here, one moment. Just a fast as we got here, we could be gone! So, Carpe Diem!
I'll pass on the love here- you do so back there! We miss friends like you- that just means you've got to get out here and visit!!
Thanks for your help on this! I don't know what God has in store- and am excited to see where I go!

Seeing San Francisco

Because we flew into San Francisco and Scott had parked there when he flew out, we had a car and an entire afternoon to visit the city. The day didn't end up exactly as we had planned... By planned, I mean I spent three hours on-line the previous week with mapquest and my friend Laura's notes (she lived there for a year and wrote me a small book on what to see and do while we were there- thanks, Laura!). I knew how to get to stop 1: pic opp. with the Golden Gate- kids could run around after flying for five hours, etc. Then, stop 2: Free Wednesday museum visit. Stop 3: Fisherman's Wharf for dinner and sea lions.
We first wanted to take a picture of the kids with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Well, it was cloudy, windy, and the pic op didn't turn out exactly like I'd planned. We walked around the "beach" for five minutes before Will asked to go to the car so daddy could "turn the warm on."
Next, we were going to go to Exploratorium, a hands-on Science Museum. The first Wednesday of each month, the exact day we were there, the museums in the city are free. What a great break for us, huh? Well, us and 3,000 other people who wanted to get in... Skipped that idea, pouting as we drove by...
So, we drove on out to Fisherman's Wharf, where a tourist can be a tourist. By this time, we were all tired, hungry, and broke. We'd had to pay an arm and a leg (almost a first born...) for parking at the airport, so our budget had been infringed upon. The kids shared a sourdough pizza, and Scott and I had warm, clam chowder- YUM!! A little bit encouraged at this point, we decided to press on with out plans. You can still have fun for free, right? Well, we were going to teach our kids that money didn't buy happiness... but this area was not the one to do that in. Between all the little souvenir shops, the pier attractions like a carousel or cotton candy, and the fresh, warm doughnuts, everything Will and Em were interested in would cost us. So, we briskly walked past the money-items and pumped up the sea lions.. cute whiskery faces, flopping around, entertaining us. As you walk out the pier, following the signs that take you to look at the sea lions, you wind around shops, up and down stairs. It's a real excitement booster. We expected to see something awe inspiring with each turn. Finally, we came to the end of the pier.. and a sign. The sign explained how, around May, the sea lions migrate south to breed. On a floating dock, way out, there were six sea lions, sunning themselves. They looked like big, wet bags. They didn't even look back at us. Major disappointment!
So, four hours ahead of time (the second time we've ever been early), we went back to our car, headed out 80 West, and sat in traffic all the way home to Sacramento.
Maybe we'll try that again, one day...

My Brother's Wedding

Rehersal dinner at the Smith House is always a great way to start the weekend.
The wedding was such a beautiful event. A little rain shower threatened us Saturday afternoon, but the sun broke through and it held off until late that night as the reception was underway. Like Em dressing up dolls, Jess and Alex looked like Barbie and Ken. They were so happy and perfect. Jess's sister's photography company (www.doveweddingphotography.com) did the photographs, so I know they will be amazing.
The ceremony was outside, and we did pictures beforehand. Will looked like a mini-Scott, and Em was a mini-me. Before we left CA, Em had a virus, and it got ahold of Will that week. He had a fever all day, so getting him to pose in a hot tux in the sun was not easy. At one point, he just started walking away. We tried every bribe we could come up with, but he was not feeling well at all. He did make it down the aisle, where he sat with Papa. But, by the time he got to the reception, he went to a table, laid his head down, and fell asleep. He sat there, asleep, until Mimi and Paw-paw took him back to the hotel (or home-tel as Em calls it).
Em, on the other hand, danced all night! She was in her element and the life of the party. In her princess dress, she'd dance with anyone who came along. She got to see all her cousins (second cousins), eat cake, and run around. Finally she crashed.
Alex and Jess have some wonderful friends who proved it at the wedding; I am so proud of who my brother has become, the life he's made for himself, and the beautiful, kind woman he's married.

Good Times in Georgia

We packed a lot into two weeks during our trip back home. Because we were only in CA for two weeks before we went back, I told everyone it was our "Trial Run" at living in CA.
Back in GA, we got to spend time with Nana and Papa, Mimi and Paw-paw, Scott's sister and her family, Alex and Jess, my extended family (thanks to the wedding), and our friends.
After spending two day with Mom, dragging the kids through every mall and department store in the Metro-Atlanta area, we finally found Mom a dress she liked for the wedding. And, I must say, it worked well for her. Jess and I looked all over the South Side for flowers and found some that turned out beautifully in the bridesmaids bouquets. By Friday, the kids had to get out and swim with some friends. So we met up at by bff's neighborhood pool with a good group of friends. Will got to see Bryson (and Em- she thinks he's a brother still), Em got to see Ella, and they both got to play with Ariel (their favorite babysitter and one of our closest friends). We were at the pool for six hours...I miss my friends!!
Saturday was a treat, my childhood best friend, Kate, got married. It was so beautiful and perfect for her. As always, she was gorgeous. The only thing that I didn't like was the Rocky Top song at the reception... but, she's always loved to rub in our GA-TN rivalry! Will danced all night long..with everyone, including the groom's mother-slow dancing- he had no idea who she was, but she was willing to dance with him. Em is a dancer, too. Since Scott hadn't come in yet, the three of us danced in a circle all night! I was so looking forward to Will dancing at Alex's wedding the next Saturday.
Sunday morning Will, Em, Mom, and I drove up to TN to visit with Aunt Brenda and Nanny (my grandmother) for a night. The kids love going to Brenda's because they never know what they will get into and they love her dog, Princess. Plus, Nanny makes a good listener, and, you know, my kids love to talk...
Scott's sister, Debbie, and her family came into town that second week. They live in New Hampshire, so our visits aren't as often as we'd all like, but the kids always love seeing their cousins. Debbie and Brian have three kids: Cailyn, Evan, and Ally. What's crazy is they told us it's cheaper for them to fly to CA to visit us than to Atlanta! So, we're holding them to that...
Other things we did while in GA (in no particular order)...
- the kids rode around the yard on the tractor
- we helped Dad dam up the creek so he could build a water pool for his irrigation system (it was more like sloshing around, throwing stones on our part...)
- practiced tossing petals as a flower girl (there are no blooms left on one of Mom's hydrangeas..)
- cleaned, painted, and fixed up our house for our new leasers
- ate fried chicken and casseroles- squash, broccoli and cheese, macaroni... all our favorites!
- Got acquainted with Barbie- Em's new favorite pastime. Mom pulled out some huge box of my old Barbie's and their things. We didn't hear from Em one day from 9 AM until about 4 PM, with one small lunch break in between.