Going back, moving forward...

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So this will be us (hopefully in a moving van) in a little under a week. Next Friday we are moving to North Carolina!!! This is why I've been a little absent as of late; it's also why I posted that last post. Before we go forward though, we have to go back. Some of this is scary, some is sad but trust that I accept all of it as a part of God's plan for Beau and me which means I wouldn't change a thing.

Beau and I have known for quite awhile that Atlanta was not meant to be our forever home. Several years ago I was the victim of an attempted carjacking/kidnapping (not sure what you call it when they want you and your car) just outside my home in midtown Atlanta. Before that day, I would have told you that Beau and I would raise our family inside that city, but after that I couldn't get far enough away. I honestly haven't been comfortable inside the perimeter ever since (and yes I know crime can happen anywhere, anytime but that's how I feel).

Being the victim of a violent crime affects your life in ways that you could never imagine. I've not been confident alone after dusk since that time. I was so grateful that Beau and I survived that night (he chased the guys off and saved my life). I went to counseling but it didn't change things. I was so happy to be alive. I wasn't depressed or not facing my issues, I was just scared. It's not fun to be so fearful every day of your life. It fades over time but that fear is always there just under the surface and the smallest thing can trigger it so that it feels like it happened only yesterday.

That is no way to live. So we decided not to live like that. We decided to make a move. We had no idea that it would happen so quickly. That's where God comes in, but who am I kidding he's been there all along. What I should say is that that's where we invited God in.

We longed to find the right place to live. We considered other parts of Georgia: Athens maybe?, or Griffin where Beau grew up?, maybe the N. GA mountains? Beau thought about a serious move, thinking of places like Alaska, Missouri, Montana. We considered all of these spots but none of them seemed right until we took one of our random weekend outings to Asheville, NC. We were immediately sure that this was where we were meant to be.

Now we knew where we needed to live, so we prayed that if it was God's will that He would open doors. And open doors He did! A process that we thought would take six months to a year (maybe two) went down in less than two and a half months. Beau got some interviews, and then some more interviews and then a job. We drove up again and found a perfect house. The last piece of the puzzle was a job for me and that fell into place this afternoon.

There's a saying that "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans". Well we didn't tell Him, we prayed to Him and asked Him to guide us. We asked Him to open doors. We asked Him to show us His way. We believed unconditionally in His will for us and a dream came true. Our dream for a better life is less than a week away.

We've spent the last week or so saying goodbye to good friends. It's sad to leave this city and our friends behind but we look forward to what He has in store for us for the future. We know we'll be able to visit often but it will be hard to be away when we've been so close. We will continue to hold strong to our faith and always trust God's plan! There's another saying "We don't know what the future may hold, but we know who hold's our future."

My blogging may be a bit spotty here over the next week or two but know that I'll be back with lots of pictures and stories from the move.

Have a great weekend!