First things first … Mike’s health is looking good …  minus the fact he’s in the other room, sounding like he’s hacking up a lung. This the gift of a cold “shared” by his kids from school … round three for each of us this year.  Ugh! The good thing is that colds and such don’t freak me out like they did a few months ago. Mike seems to weather such things well now.

More good news … Mike ended 2017 visiting all of his specialists; endocrinologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, and cardiologist.  There have been no incidents involving the defibrillator/ pacemaker and the pituitary tumor is spongy and poses no concerns.  Heart looks good.  Seizures are under control. “We’ll see you in a year or more,” all said.

So, here we are … almost exactly three years out from Mike’s hospital release date after the first collapse and incident, and we’re celebrating much grace in the way the Lord chose to answer prayers.  We are grateful to so many whose prayers carried us (and still do) through this crazy time of ambulances, emergency room visits, “code blues,” surgery, followup visits, hiccups along the way, and the return to “normal”.

I don’t think we will ever fully grasp all that the Lord has done and continues to do through all of this.  It has been an exhilarating, bumpy, and even painful, road since.

And while we still grasp at meaning, a new scenario has come our way, uprooting us once more … literally this time.

We are moving … headed “home”.

Barn in Winter
Our “blueberry barn” in winter. We’ll be living a lot closer to it.

My mom’s health has been deteriorating the last few years, but drastically so in the last year, six months even.  We’ve been praying for many years about moving to the Eastside of the state, near where I grew up so that we can help her.  In February, with a clear diagnosis for Mom (which I will write about at another time), we both clearly knew … this is it.

So … surreal as it feels, after nearly 40 years of Westside and urban living, we’re headed to the rural life.  The interesting thing is that the first phase will find us living just 12 miles from our blueberry “garden”.  Beats a 600 mile round trip, doesn’t it?

Good thing I’m committed to living life six minutes at a time. There are a lot of unknowns in front of us … like jobs … and getting our stuff across the state … juggling the end of our school year … and saying, “See you later” to four decades worth of friendships … leaving one of the girls on Westside with the other one in another state all together.

We do have a place to stay, so a major piece is in place.  We will be renting near my mom.  God has a sense of humor as those who know us well will see from this picture.

Wazoo House

Those who don’t know, we are Washington Husky fans.  The house we’re moving into clearly celebrates our rivals, the WSU Cougars.  (At least the license plate on our car reps the Huskies and wait till you see the other decor we have planned!)

As for jobs, Mike has started the search for a teaching position in Spokane. This will mean commuting everyday … but a commute on country roads with an occasional car or two versus the mess called the I-5 Corridor is a fine swap for us.

It’s our plan for me to not find a teaching job right away until we can settle in and fully see Mom’s needs.

There is a lot of deep stuff happening in our hearts during all of this … yet we move forward with anticipation and thankfulness that God loves to give us adventures that make us trust Him more.  It’s a rich life.

Thanks for stopping by to read.  Your “likes,” “comments,” and “follows” help me to grow my readership and community.  Thanks for using links and giving credit when you share. I appreciate you and am thrilled to have you along!  – Shelly

Note: I use a free blogging site, so the advertisements are part of the territory.  I don’t see the ads you do, so just know that they are not necessarily things I endorse.  =] 
ABOUT THE PHOTOS ON MY SITE:  ALL PHOTOS ON RASHELLBUD, UNLESS NOTED, ARE MY OWN. THE HEADING WAS TAKEN WITH A CELL PHONE … IT’S THE ROAD INTO THE LITTLE TOWN WHERE I GREW UP.  DEFINITELY STRANGE TO BE HEADED BACK TO THESE PARTS AFTER SO MANY YEARS.

 

 

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