This blog may be a little different than most of my posts. I've had a lot on my mind lately and I'd love to write it here in my online journal!
When we moved to AZ, Marc was offered what we thought was going to be an amazing opportunity for our family... wonderful financially and a great adventure. The adventure part has been incredible but not so much the financial part. Everything that Marc was offered for the new AZ job sounded wonderful as did the salary, but the reality of his working situation was very different. When he went back to his other job, he took a bit of a pay cut. This lifestyle change has had it's ups and downs. It's had me thinking a lot and it's been a HUGE blessing.
First of all, I have to say that if Marc hadn't been offered such a wonderful opportunity, we never would have moved to AZ. God knows us all so well and I feel like our move here is a testement of how the Lord has given me a desire of my heart. I have always wanted to live somewhere other than Texas and experience a culture different than what I've always known. I thought I was going to be a missionary, but the Lord said no to that... how He knows and loves me. Moving to AZ alone has been a huge stretch and taken me out of my comfort zone-- I am definitely glad it wasn't another country.
That being said... there are things that are challenging about being here right now, and sometimes I miss my wonderful community and family back in TX; however, I am so grateful for the lessons the Lord has been teaching me lately. I am thankful for meeting a lot of different kinds of people; I am thankful for experiencing Christianity not in the bible belt; I am thankful for the authenticity of people around here; mostly I am thankful for the ways in which God is growing me as a mother, wife and daughter of the King.
Another huge lesson I've been learning lately is about budgeting even more than we already do and about really striving to live within our means, which has often meant not getting a lot of silly things that I want (not getting sodas weekly, not getting yummy cheeses - brie, gouda, etc, not getting to sign Shiloh up for ballet, not getting Starbucks, not doing swim lessons for all our girls, etc).
Marc and I both feel very strongly about the necessity to save appropriately, to give appropriately and to spend appropriately. This hasn't always affected my daily life as severely as it has lately because we now have three expensive kiddos who all have needs that are more important than my own. I've been learning about sacrificing silly wants to get my girls what is best for them. Sacrificing these little things allows our family to save each month for our girls college and for a house when we decide to settle down somewhere. In the big scheme of things it is DEFINITELY worth it, but I have to remind myself as I go to the grocery store weekly. :) This has also taught me about being resourceful.
I've always admired Marc's mom for her creativity and resourcefulness. She takes the simplest things and turns them into lessons and toys for our kids (empty butter tins, beans and cups, empty jars, popsicle sticks and the list goes on). I've never known that to be a strength of mine, but lately I've been learning to repurpose simple items around our house... something I've always wanted to do but never really cared to or needed to.
It's been a fun personal challenge to find activities on Pinterest and then find objects around our house to make those activities a reality. It's great because it's free fun and Shiloh will never know that I really needed popsicle sticks and closepins rather than cardboard and folded paper to name one example.
The big lesson I've been learning lately is that the Lord knows me and what I need. If I am being honest here, and well I've probably been a little too open, but if I am being honest, I've always wanted to have enough money to get what I want. (I know that sounds bad, but it's true). The Lord is teaching me about how I do not really need $$ to be rich. We are sacrificing some small little things lately (yes, SMALL little things), but our life has been very rich. I've been experiencing a creative side that I didn't know I had, and I am loving it. Not having extra money hasn't inhibited us at all, it's only helped us to think outside the box to do fun, family activities that are free. Again, I mean it with all of my heart... my life lately has been very rich! I thank the Lord for teaching me that I don't need everything I want because He is truly enough.
