change of plans {part III} :: my job

 

Over the past couple of months Lance and I have been experiencing some pretty significant changes... First we talked about the house.  Then it was our adoption country.  And now, let's talk about changing jobs.  I'll be honest, I've had a hard time with some of these changes over the last few weeks... and I've pretty much come to realize I'm not a huge fan of change... but you can read more about that here.

Anyhow... back to the job stuff.  About 5 months ago or so, Lance and I made the decision that we were committing to Louisville.  We love this city.  We feel like it is home to us in so many ways.  This is the city we have committed to starting our family in (our adoption and homestudy process)... and therefore, in order to fully be here, I want to work here too.

I have been working for a phenomenal company in Atlanta, GA for the past 5+ years... and for the past 2+ years I have been working from Louisville.  I work from my home office the majority of the time, making monthly trips to Atlanta.  And while this set up was pretty rad (I mean, who doesn't love working in their pajamas?!?), the traveling part was getting a bit old.  Not to mention, that when my company agreed to let me work from Louisville, it was under the impression that eventually we would move back to Georgia.  But yeah... that hasn't happened.  My company and I decided it was time for me to start looking for something a little closer to home.

After a few months of the super fun (insert sarcasm here) job search process, I am happy to report that I have been offered a wonderful position at what sounds to be an amazing company.  And while yes, I'll have to actually put on real clothes and commute to a real office... I have to say, I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm excited for the new.

It's crazy to think this is my last week actually at the Atlanta office.  I'll have a few more weeks to transition and train... but for the most part, this chapter is coming to a close.  And while this next chapter is definitely unknown and new to me... I'm pretty stoked about it.

Stay tuned...

dear diary :: i hate change {or the shoebox theory}

Dear Diary,

Change.  It's been this recurring theme in our lives for quite some time now.  Some big changes... and some small changes.  Some that I've shared about on this blog (here and here)... and some that I have not.  Some exciting changes... and some scary changes.  Some that were expected.... and some, not-so-much.

And just when it seems that the dust is beginning to settle from one change or another, something else... well, changes.

I'm calling it the shoebox theory.  Imagine life in a cute little shoebox... with all of your things just like you want them... everything in its place... all tucked away, safe and sound.  Then someone picks up that shoebox and turns it one way... and then another... shakes it around a bit and then puts it back... upside down.  And just when you thought you had picked up most of the pieces and rearranged your little shoebox back to normal... wouldn't you know it, someone picked up that damn shoebox again.

That's the thing about change... you can never really prepare for it.  Which is probably why I hate it so much.  I prefer to be prepared. 

But it doesn't always work that way.  Our most recent bout with change has left me feeling anything but prepared.  It's as if the entire lid to our shoebox is missing.  Well, shit.  Now what?

And that's when He does it again.  That small gentle reminder.  Trust me.  

Then I hear my sad, pitiful replies... Well, I would if I still had the lid to my shoebox... I would if you would just do ____... I would if you would just give me ____... I would if you just didn't take ____... would, would, would... if, if, if...

Why is my trust so conditional... when God's love is so unconditional?

Welp... maybe God didn't design me to live in a shoebox?  Maybe He was the one that took the lid to my shoebox?  Simply trying to show me that He is offering me so.much.more. than that stupid shoebox will ever be able to provide.  And sure... it will be scary outside the confines of that little shoebox... but the truth is, I am much safer in His hands than I will ever be in that damn shoebox.  But why is it so hard to remember that? 

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  May the name of the Lord be blessed!"
     -Job 1:21

change of plans {part II} :: adoption country

Last week I wrote about the change in plans regarding our house...  Well... that was just part I of our major life changes.  I'm calling this post "part II" of our major life changes...  

After being in the adoption process for about 4 months now, we have decided to change adoption countries.  Originally we were pursuing Haiti... and we were pretty excited about it.  Well, the Haiti government has a law that at least one of the adopting parents must be 35 years old... Only problem?  I am 31 and Lance is 33.... yeah, not 35.

Lance and I knew about this law when we started our adoption process, but we had heard that one of two things would likely happen...  1) Haiti would change their laws so that a parent would need to be at least 30 years of age... or 2) there was a loophole around this law if you could prove infertility.  But after 4 months or so, we really weren't seeing progress on either one of those things.  We discussed this with our agency and decided it would be best to change adoption countries.    

Our adoption agency has recommended that we consider either Uganda or the Congo as our new adoption country.  We have been told that either one of these countries will likely have a faster process than Haiti and the financial cost will be about the same.  

Although we were excited about Haiti, I can honestly say that we haven't been attached to any particular country during this process.  I am very thankful for that.  We are ecstatic to meet the future children that God will entrust to us... regardless of what country they are born in.  We trust that the Lord already has our future family knit together... we are simply just waiting to see it unfold.

change of plans :: the house

Back in October I did an entire month of posts dedicated to my thoughts on "change."  And I guess some crazy, small part of me thought maybe I could lock up "change" and keep it solely in the month of October.  But if I learned anything from that month of change, it's that change waits for no one.

So, really... I shouldn't have been that surprised when all of our so-called plans got all crazy and... well, changed on us.  It's as if someone put all of our "plans" in a massive shoe box and just shook them all up... shook the crap out of that shoe box.

First up... the house.

Remember that house?  And maybe this post?  Well, several months ago (like 6) Lance and I put an offer on the above house.  Then we waited.  Then a counter offer.  Then we waited some more.  Then another counter offer.  And just when we thought we were getting oh-so-close... the renovation portion of the loan fell through.  And just like that, we were at square one again... 4 months later.

We were trying to get a 203k loan, in hopes of being able to do some major (and much-needed) renovations when we moved in.  But once the renovation part wasn't an affordable possibility, we needed to really evaluate how (and if) we should still move forward.

After many discussions with our realtor and lots of praying, we eventually decided to put the brakes on the house altogether.  Initially we were really bummed about not getting the house, but after our decision was made, the burden that was lifted off our shoulders was huge.  I don't think either one of us really realized how much this whole-house-decision was stressing us out.  This house (and potential move) was having a major impact on several other big areas of our life... mainly adoption.

Not knowing with 100% certainty where we were going to live in the next few months put a major standstill on our adoption process.  We couldn't move forward with our homestudy process until we knew for sure where we would be living.  A delay in our housing situation, meant a longer delay in our adoption process.  Ummmm... no thank you.

So... I'm happy to report that we have gotten comfortable and settled in our current rental for at least another year or so.  Or... at least until we can bring our babies home one day:)  We love our rental... have always loved our rental... And maybe eventually we will enjoy the luxuries of two bathrooms and a dishwasher again... one day, maybe.  But in the meantime, we are excited to start our family in this little home.

settle down, it'll all be clear

don't pay no mind to the demons

they fill you with fear

trouble, it might drag you down

if you get lost, you can always be found

just know you're not alone

i'm gonna make this place your home

phil phillips - home

31 days of change :: day 31 {dear change... and october}

{image source}

Dear Change (aka October),

Thank you for your super long visit this month... like, suuuuuperrrr long.  It was so great to spend quality time together every.single.day.  You got all in my personal space this month... talking about overwhelming changes... attitude changes... spending & shopping changes... changing centerpieces... and changing homes.  And although I know you will be back to visit again soon... I am so ready to stop writing about you.

Committing to blog about change for 31 straight days was both incredibly rewarding and incredibly challenging.  I learned a lot about myself during this process and I am extremely proud of myself for sticking it out and posting the entire 31 days of October.  But as for the whole "31-day-series-thing"... I am so ready to quit you.  You have no idea how excited I am to blog about something completely unrelated to change... or heck, not blog at all for a couple of days.  As of right now, I don't see myself participating in a month-long challenge like this again... but who knows... by the time next October rolls around, I'm sure I will have forgotten all about how long and painful this month-long series was.

And while "change" was the main focus for the month of October, there was a lot of other cool stuff going on that didn't quite make it into the blog post line-up.  I'm thinking an October-photo-recap-post is in order soon...

October (and change), thanks for being awesome.  November, I can't wait to see what you have in store...

Love,
Julia

31 days of change :: day 30 {embracing change}

{image source}

Change is going to happen.

That, my friends, is certain.  But through this 31 day series, I've learned it's not really about the actual change itself... but rather how I respond to change.  I can fight it... merely accept it... or embrace it.  I desire to do the latter.

The definition of "embracing" is to take up willingly or eagerly.

Eagerly, people.  What would it look like for me to not only embrace change, but to do it joyfully?!?

Crazy concept, I know.  But if I'm super honest, I know this will be tough for me.  I'm usually pretty good about sucking it up and persevering through challenging change... but not before whining to Lance about it, calling my mom for a pity party, and having a small anxiety attack.  But what if I embraced the changes ahead of me??  Eagerly embraced them??  And (gasp) even got excited about them??

The awesome part is that I truly can get excited about embracing change... because I don't have to face it alone. I have a powerful God that not only brings about change, but also allows me to eagerly face it head on with His strength.

-----------
For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 29 {fighting change}

{image source}

I began this 31 day series on change mainly thinking about the sheer amount of overwhelming change going on in our lives currently...  pursuing adoption... buying a house... renovating said-house... job transitions... new leadership roles... etc, etc.  One thing I didn't really expect to think much about was my own inner-battle with change itself.

I fight change.

I do.  I didn't really realize it before... but I do.  My natural inclination is to fight what feels different... to fight the unknown... to fight anything outside of my comfort zone.  I like consistency.  I value routine.  I appreciate preparedness.  And when I can't get those things, I kind of freak out.  Like, pure-overwhelming-anxiety-attack-freak-out.  It wasn't really until this 31 day series that I truly realized my desire to fight change.

And it's not that I don't believe that change can be a good thing... because I do.  I mean, honestly... all of our overwhelming changes are good things right now... adoption- duh... new house- yes... renovating said-house- of course...

So, why do I still fight it?  

Because it's unknown.  Because I can't plan for it.  Because it's beyond my control.  And I'm finally beginning to learn, that it's that place of vulnerability that is the very best place to be.

-----------
For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 28 {change challenge}

WEEKLY CHANGE CHALLENGE :: THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS

As I round out the last.three.days. of my 31 day series, I thought it would be a good idea to focus my posts on my thoughts & reflections over my past month of change.  To be honest, I'm pretty shocked that I've made it this far.  Blogging for a full month straight... especially on the same topic... has been a challenge to say the least.  I'm hoping to take some time to myself over the next few days and really reflect on what the past 31 days has been for me... good and bad.

How are you challenging yourself this week?

PS... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!  I love you!

-----------
For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 27 {changing seasons & ingredients}

It was in the 70's on Thursday... then in the 40's yesterday... and then the low tonight is 39*.  Thirty.nine.flippin.degrees people.  That is cold.  I'm not quite mentally prepared for the weather shift... but I am pretty freakin' excited about the holiday seasons around the corner.

So excited, in fact, that I think I'll be making some of these:

Pumpkin spice cookies... aka, the best cookies in the world.

All you need are these 3 ingredients: {1 box of Spice Cake mix :: 1 can of Pure Pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling) :: 1 container of Cream Cheese icing}

Combine the Spice Cake mix with the can of Pure Pumpkin...

Put some elbow grease in it and you should eventually get something that looks like this...

Plop out some big spoonfulls onto a couple of cookie sheets. {I decided to make cookies, but Tales From the Fairy Dust and Chicago Cuisine both did theirs cake-style... whatever suits your fancy.}

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12-15 minutes. {They should feel slightly firm to the touch.}

Let these bad boys cool down for a while, then slather them up in Cream Cheese icing.

If your feeling a little adventurous, go ahead and give them a little cinnamon shake-down.

Then, find a comfy spot at the table (or counter top) and enjoy your not-so-hard labor.

Go ahead... have another. I won't tell.

-----------
 For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 26 {changing homes}

We are in the process of buying a new (old) home... it's barely a half a mile from our current house... right across the train tracks.  I was really hoping that we would be closed by now.  But not so.  We have been in this process for almost 3 months now.  We put the original offer on the house back in August.  Fun times.  But... word on the street is that we just might close in the first week of November.

And that's just when the real fun begins.  This awesome brick home is well over 100 years old and needs a lot of TLC.  The previous owners have been renting it out and the renters haven't exactly taken great care of things.  Not to mention that the house is currently divided into a multi-family house... one apartment upstairs, and one apartment downstairs.  We'll be tearing down walls and rearranging the space back into a single-family home.  This house has great bones, but man-oh man, do we have our work cut out for us...

When you walk in the main front door you are greeted with the gorgeous original staircase.  I love, love, love the banister.  Currently to the right side of the stairs is just a giant wall... and on the other side is the downstairs apartment.  Item #1 on the renovation list is to knock a big open doorway in that wall.

When you walk in the other front door (the one under the front porch), you are greeted with this...

A hot mess.  Hurry, quick... if you are allergic to ugliness, shield your eyes.  Because here is a close up of the kitchen...

I warned you.  Checkered floors... a yellowed drop-ceiling... horrendous green cabinets... and a lot of trash leftover from the last tenant.  But don't worry... we have big plans for this space.

Here is the living room area if you're looking back towards the front door...

Try picturing it with a huge open doorway on the right... open to the entryway and that gorgeous staircase.  It's hard, I know... just trust me.

Then if you head upstairs, you are welcomed by apartment #2 and kitchen #2.  The plan here is to turn this space into another bedroom... but that is way down the list.  The majority of our living space will be downstairs... our living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and laundry room will all be on the first level.  The upstairs is actually in fairly decent shape and can stay as-is for a while... at least until we can afford to continue renovations.

Here is one of the upstairs bedrooms... this is the biggest one, by far.  There are 2 other "bedrooms" upstairs, but one of them is the size of a large closet, and the other one doesn't have a closet... and will probably become my office.  I love this big bedroom though... faux fireplace and all.

So, there you have it.  Consider that the first official "tour" of the new house.  Praying that we actually close on this house soon so we can begin to make it a home!

-----------
 For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 25 {pocket change & piggy banks}

Note: If you're looking for today's Thankful Thursday post... it's right below this one... or you can just click here.

---------------

{image}

I think I've spent all of my pocket change this month.  Every.single.penny.  

Okay that's not entirely true... actually, the real story is that it's 11:34 pm and I don't know where to go to spend my pocket change this week.  I tried to convince Lance to go to the grocery store with a bunch of quarters to buy me a Dr. Pepper for the morning... but based on the content of this post, we can all guess how that turned out.

So, since I've basically spent all of my pocket change in one month, I thought I would scour Pinterest to get some ideas for where I can start saving my pocket change again... aka, a piggy bank.  Man, piggy banks have come a long way since I was 8.  Dang... I need some of these...

 {image} 

{image}

{image}

{image}

Yep... I'm pretty sure I'll be making that last one:)  Happy Thursday friends.

-----------
 For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 24 {changing centerpieces}

Sometimes the best changes are the simplest changes.  

Take my mossy-little-tray, for instance... I bought the little tray and moss at Hobby Lobby over a year ago... I knew it would make the perfect centerpiece for the white pumpkins I purchased for my fall decor.  And it did.  

But then fall was over, and I wasn't quite ready to give up the mossy-little-tray... so I didn't.  I kept it around for my Christmas decor... and then my spring flowers... and then my Christmas in July party... and then this year's fall decor... and you get the picture.

Basically that mossy-little-tray hasn't moved an inch since last year.  But the contents nestled inside the mossy-little-tray change in the blink of an eye... and I love it.

{october 2011 :: last year's fall decor}

{december 2011 :: favorite santa}

 {april 2012 :: welcome home tulips}

 {may 2012 :: front yard roses}

 {july 2012 :: christmas in july decor}

 {september 2012 :: whole foods pumpkin}

{october 2012 :: right now}

What simple changes have you made in your own house that have the biggest impact?

-----------

For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.

31 days of change :: day 23 {changing someone else's home}

When all else fails and you can't decorate your own house... decorate someone else's!!

If you read my post from yesterday you know that I've been struggling to find the motivation to do much in my own house lately.  So thankfully my friend Jill volunteered hers.  Jill let me have free reign... and her entire decorating budget... an envelope with $88 and change in it:)  

I headed over to her adorable 1 bedroom apartment on Saturday afternoon to see what we were working with.  Then Sunday I took her envelope and $88 with me to do some quick shopping at TJ Maxx.  I knew I wanted to find some large wall art for over her couch, and I figured that would probably eat up the majority of my budget... and it did.  I only purchased 3 things at TJ Maxx... a cool vintage-looking framed world map for $50... a small colorful canvas print for $10... and a cute burlap pillow for $17.  Total... about $82, after tax.  So after TJ Maxx, I thought I would take a peek inside my own garage and see if I could find anything... sure enough, I did:)  My old coffee table... an old lamp shade... some sofa pillows... and these awesome pillows... All of which would sooner or later find its way to a yard sale or goodwill, so I decided I would way rather gift it all to my friend Jill!  Well, except for the purple pillows... totally indian giving those to Jill... until I want them back.  So yesterday after work, Jill bravely handed over the keys to her apartment and left me to my own devices.

Okay, okay... enough chit-chat.  Let's see some before-and-after pictures, shall we??  Here's Jill's living room before...

And... drumroll please... here's Jill's living room after...

Pay no attention to the cardboard corners on the map art work... I wanted to make sure Jill liked everything before I took price tags off.  Also... sorry for the dark "after" pictures... I started at about 6:00pm and finished at 8:00pm.  The trusty iPhone's not always the best for taking nighttime photos... sorry about that.  Never-the-less, you get the picture.  Hands down, the biggest statement piece in this room is the coffee table.  It's amazing what a simple hand-me-down coffee table can do for a living room.  I also really like how Jill's desk looks next to her sofa.  And Jill has an awesome rug that you couldn't even see before.  Overall, I'm quite pleased with how the living room turned out.

But wait!  There's more... I did a quick switch-a-roo in Jill's bedroom too!  Here's what we were working with before... (Jill apologizes in advance for the mess... please disregard...)

And here's the after...

I love, love, love that awesome vintage dresser.  Jill had just recently bought that piece at one of my own favorite antique consignment spots (Yesternook)... and I simply re-attached the mirror and moved it over to the side of the bed.  I love it there.  My purple pillows add some height and color to the bed.  The bowl-futon-ey-chair thing (technical, I know) was moved in from the living room... and that cute little turquoise chair came from the kitchen.  All simple changes, with big impact.

There you have it.  See, $88 dollars can go a long way.  The majority of the changes I made at Jill's apartment were free... rearranging furniture and shopping from around the house.  Go ahead... try it.  Happy changing!!  And thanks Jill for letting me play at your house!!
-----------
For the month of October I'm doing a 31-day series on "change."  Go here to see the full line-up of "change" posts.