Surprises

After 10 years, my husband still has the ability to surprise me.

My VISA didn't come. After waiting and peeking out the window every time I heard the sound of an engine that could be the UPS truck, it never arrived. I had to call the airline and change my flight to this coming Friday. I'm still hoping and praying that it will come as Friday is the airline's last flight to London for the season.

My husband did come. Thursday night, after my house was spotlessly clean, thanks to my mom and my two aunts, exhausted, I sat down to check my email (again, just in case the consulate sent me an email saying my VISA/passport was on its way). To my surprise there was an email from my husband with a flight itinerary attached and a question asking, "Can you pick me up around 6pm? Want Papa Murphy's for supper?"

WHAT?!!

Since it was a three-day weekend in the UK, he decided to find a cheap, last minute flight and come home for the weekend. What a guy! So the girls and I picked him up from the airport Friday night and drove to Papa Murphy's to get our take-n-bake pizza for supper that evening. We were all so excited to see him and we had a fun weekend together. The picture is of Will and Annie standing next to the giraffes at the zoo on Saturday.
Sadly, we dropped him off at the airport this evening and it absolutely broke my heart when Annie kept crying, "Dada! Dada!" as we drove off :(
If it's meant to be, my passport/visa will arrive this week. If it doesn't, then I guess we'll come up with a new plan for the fall. We're praying for God to lead the way and for us to be attentive to His leading!

Freakin' Out

Can I just be completely honest? Well, yes, I can because this is my blog.

I am freaking out.

Why you ask? Because of this:



and



This is what our closets look like as of yesterday.

And now we have to find somewhere to deposit this:

My husband's flight leaves for England tomorrow at 4pm and he starts his new job in London on Monday. The girls and I will still be here, at our house in MN, awaiting my spouse visa approval and praying in faith that we will get to arrive in the UK on August 27th, a week later than Will. Once Will gets to London, he has appointments and viewings set up so that we can find a place to rent/live.

The only things we have left in our closets is what I'll be transferring into suitcases when the time comes.

The idea of all of the unknown (not knowing when my visa will arrive, having no place to live, not having any friends close by, still needing to register the girls as British, getting Chloe set up for preschool, etc.) and grieving the comfort of the known (house, friends, knowing the family/kid-friendly places in our area) is causing me to freak out a bit. Well, kind of a lot.

Thankfully when it feels as if my world and my head are spinning, I can hold on to the truth found in Philippians 4 verses 4 - 7:

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Just because something is difficult doesn't mean it will not worth the effort. I'm going to keep praying and giving my fears to the Lord and He will bless me by listening and understanding. Moving my family across an ocean and six time zones is not easy [the packing itself is very tiring]. But just because something is not easy doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. So, here we go! England, here we come!