Word Is Out

(The kids in Utah with the cousins in Utah who will soon be cousins in Maine)

And it's bitter-sweet. I know that there are those who will be very sad to see them go.

I am at liberty to share the news with you now. My Mom and my sister have been made aware of the upcoming changes. And since it wasn't my news to share, I had to wait until they knew (from the source) before I could share it on the blog.

It all started when my younger sister, on a whim, googled "houses for sale in Maine."

A short time later, I received this email:

On Sep 21, 2010, at 6:55 PM, Robyn House wrote:

Hello, Kim.

I have an idea. James may be switching jobs in a few months, (James' work may finally sell, and we may finally get a large chunk of money and be able to switch jobs) and the company that wants to hire him wouldn't require us to stay in Utah. The company is based in San Francisco, and he would travel monthly or bi-monthly to CA, but we could actually live anywhere we wanted. So why not live in Maine?

All I have to do is sell the idea to James. We've talked many times about moving out of state. It would be an adventure, good for the kids, fun to live somewhere different. And I want to live in a small town, in the country. I've always wanted to live in Maine, actually. Sort of a teenage fantasy. Now I've become obsessed with the idea. I've even been looking at houses for sale in Franklin County.

So, if everything happens with James' work (maybe 80% chance) the way we hope, we will be moving. That's the first thing I have to get his agreement on- won't be difficult.

What are the benefits of living in Maine? Why should we relocate our family to Maine, and not Idaho or South Carolina or some other random place? Is it a good place to raise kids? How is the homeschooling community? How cold does it really get? From what I understand, the winters aren't really any longer than Utah, just more intense? How friendly are they to newcomers? (The regular community, not worried about the church community, of course.)

Not that you have to convince me- I'm pretty much sold. But how do I answer these questions for James?

I hope, I hope, I hope, he is able to quit! Pray for us that everything goes well. (Should know for sure within three weeks.)

Have fun on your trip. And, of course, don't speak of this to anyone, Mike excluded.

I love you!I don't usually indulge in fantasies, but I can't help myself. It's not that crazy of an idea, is it?

Robyn

P.S.
I don't usually indulge in fantasies, but I can't help myself. It's not that crazy of an idea, is it? Oh, and being away from family- mixed feelings. And, of course, there's YOU!

I, of course, was ecstatic!! But Mike and I discussed it and decided that there was NO WAY that she would ever be able to convince James to move to Maine. But we hoped and prayed anyway, because we were thrilled with the possibility, no matter how remote it seemed. We really wanted them to move here, but more importantly we wanted them to be guided by the Lord as to what would be best for their family.

Mike and I had a planned vacation/business trip planned (for months) to San Diego. I had tried in vein to find child care for our kids. I mean, I asked everyone that I could think of. A week before we were to leave, I had a spot for Harrison and maybe a spot for Lauren. I kept thinking "maybe I should take this as a sign that I'm not supposed to go. Maybe something bad is going to happen." So as a last resort (because I knew he was busy and was caring for my nephew on a regular bases) I asked my Dad to come from Oklahoma to keep the kids. Another maybe. It depended on what his doctor said about his heart and whether or not he could find care for Jakub. So the Monday before we left he called and said that he couldn't come. I resigned to staying home, and that was fine. He couldn't find anyone to take Jakub and the situation at Jakubs house had gone from bad to totally hostile. There was no way he could/would leave him with his Mom. There was no way that I would ask him to. So I called Robyn that day to ask her to please pray for Dad, Carolina (Jakubs Mom) and Jakub because they needed all the help they could get. She said she would. A short time later (that evening) Robyn called and told me that she could come and keep the kids if we paid half the ticket. I told her that I had decided not to go to California and that it was a stupid idea anyway. Because that meant that the burden of finding childcare would be transferred from me to her. I mean, how much sense did it make for her to find a babysitter for her kids, so she could come to Maine and watch my kids. See, I told you it was a dumb idea. We decided to think, pray and talk about it with our husbands. The next morning (Tuesday) she calls me and says "Kim, I am supposed to come to Maine. I prayed about it and feel very strongly that I should come. I bought my ticket and I'll be there on Wednesday."

What!?!?!?!?! Okay, great. I guess I won't argue with that. "What time does your flight get in?"

So she got here on Wednesday and spent the next two days with Carol Hatch, our good friend and favorite real estate agent. We left for California on Saturday, totally in shock of what had happened, but totally hoping things would continue progressing while we were gone. And they did. It turns out that she extended her stay, James flew out from Utah to look at houses with her and they found their house. (I wanted to post a picture, but the realtor has taken it off the website since they are now UNDER CONTRACT!!!)

Now there have been A LOT of answered prayers and miracles along the way. Not the least of which, James has received his own confirmation that it's right for their family. I'm just glad it's not China, or Montana, or Mississippi. Because the Lord could have called them anywhere. We are so very grateful that we get to benefit and have them close. They will be just twenty minutes from us. We couldn't be more thrilled.

See? Miracles.

KKS