Getting Caught Up

As the title would suggest, this blog is meant to keep friends and family updated on what's going on in our lives right now.  If this is your primary source for that information, you might think one of two things:  one, we have fallen off the face of the earth, or two, nothing much has happened worth talking about in the last month or so.

Neither of those things are even remotely true.

The fact is that so much has happened in our lives over the last month that I have found it overwhelming to even consider how I would communicate it all.  I'm going to give it my best shot now, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.  At this point its still hard for me to wrap my own brain around the craziness...

So on November 11th I packed half of the belongings that the kids and I had brought out to Colorado back into the van and started driving East.  The goal was to get some of our stuff and our minivan back to Wisconsin to help with the move.  So I drove from Colorado to Wisconsin over two days all by myself.   Another example of how this life is teaching me how to put on my big girl shoes... =)

From Wisconsin I flew to South Carolina for some spouse training and Matt's Chaplain school graduation.  I loved the training.  Let me tell you - if you are looking for a seriously fun, funny, loving, compassionate, caring soul - go find a chaplain's wife.  The ones I've met so far are AMAZING.  We had a blast.

Matt's graduation was fabulous.  It was so awesome to have that time together, celebrating all that we BOTH had accomplished over the previous 3 months.  And while I adore my kiddos, I think it was pretty special that they were back in Colorado getting loved on by my Aunt Kim, Uncle Tim, and their grandparents.  Matt and I had 10 days of talking, connecting, laughing, and remembering what its like to have each other in the same state.

Fabulous.

From South Carolina we drove to Illinois and gathered together some things that we had left there at Matt's parent's house.  Then we headed north to good ole Wisconsin, hung out with some of our dear friends and sweet students, and watched as the movers packed 95% of our life into a semi headed for California.

It still didn't feel real.

We drove back to Colorado and surprised the kids, who weren't expecting us till the next day.  Being back together was such a joy.  Watching my kids reaction to seeing their dad for the first time in 2 months was priceless.  We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with my in-laws and Matt's sister and her family.  We had a fantastic time and enjoyed some moments of quiet in the middle of all of our chaos.

And then the day came when the little Fisher clan climbed into our cars and drove to California.  6 months of planning and waiting and dreaming and we were finally going to BE there.   At this point I feel like you may be wondering just how much time I actually spent in the car last month.  I did the math.

71 hours.  I don't think I need to say anything else about that right now.

So we've been in California for almost 3 weeks now.  I am overjoyed and so incredibly grateful.  Caleb and Alison have blown me away with their adaptability and excitement.  They are so completely on board with this adventure, and honestly I think the continual chaos has actually helped our sweet Caleb come out of his shell and express a little more self-confidence.  They have both made friends and are connecting well at school.  Caleb has continued his martial arts training by joining karate here in 29 Palms, and Ali just had her first tumbling class last week!

Matt is loving his job.  Its so neat to see him walk in the door each night with a big smile on his face and awesome stories about the opportunities he had to connect with marines.  Whether he is planning training sessions, talking with other chaplains, or counseling marines struggling with issues like stress or the challenges of life, I know that Matt is doing EXACTLY what God has called him to do.

I can honestly say that despite the chaos and exhaustion that I have felt for the last month, I have also sensed God's constant presence and provision.  He has worked out details and answered prayers above and beyond our expectations.  How so?  Well for one, when we got here we found out that we would have a short wait for on-base housing.  Knowing that we would be moving again in a month, we decided that getting our things out of storage and unpacking it all was probably not worth the trouble.  We found a furnished rental and decided to live one more month with the few things we had squeezed into our two cars.

The afternoon that we made that decision I was talking to my mom when it suddenly dawned on me that it meant we wouldn't have any of our Christmas things.  No decorations, or ornaments, or stockings...  Suddenly my heart started cracking and the reality felt a little overwhelming.  While I was talking with my mom I got another incoming call.  I didn't answer it, but after hanging up with my mom I listened to the voicemail.

And I cried.

Because it was our new landlord, asking me if I would like for her to have a Christmas tree, ornaments and decorations set up for us when we moved in.  And did we need stockings?  My word, friends.  You know that isn't normal, right?  But this sweet woman is married to a retired Marine, and she knows that sometimes when military families have to move around the holidays they won't have access to their things...

That is just one example of the MANY ways we have felt and seen God's hand, providing in sometimes the most unexpected ways.

Obedience isn't always easy, but I can tell you this with great assurance:  It is worth it.

So we are living in a furnished rental home right now, but we should be able to move on base in early January.  Once that happens I think we will finally feel settled into this new life.

Thank you so much for your continual prayers, encouragement and support.  It means so much to us, and I know that a great portion of the peace and comfort I have felt is because of YOU.

Love from California.