where?

That seems to be our question for 2011.
We are fairly confident that we are not supposed to be in the house that we loved, seeing as how it is under contract with a different family.  
We fasted and prayed for clarity and guidance.
He answered.
and we are thankful for His answer.  
We want to be where He wants us to be. We want to follow His direction.
We will find out what that is, when He decides it is time.
We will keep praying for patience...and perseverance to follow His will.
Who knows - maybe we will move to Africa, South America or the South Seas...the little one would do well to grow up in a jungle...and the people there need to hear more about Jesus.
For right now, we will hang onto His promises.  {and take our living situation one day at a time...}
On a different, yet similar note...I am in an Educational Philosophy class this spring and it is amazing.  I am having to create my personal Educational Philosophy and the first few weeks are directed at what I believe.  More specifically, what I believe to be truth.  
Perfect timing...participating in this class during a season of life when lots of things are up in the air.  
I may not know a lot of things, but I know that God loves me, cares for me and has plans for me. He knows where we will live and He promises me an amazing life with Him.  Our life here on earth may not always be peaches and sunshine, but it is shaping us into who He wants us to become.  
I love the encouragement from Hebrews 10:23: 
"Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised."  
This is what I want to teach my kiddo...and as I am learning, I need to live it in order to effectively teach it.  
My class involves a lot of reading and studying, but thankfully, I currently travel a lot of work and tend to have some down time in my hotel room at night.  Working away from home might not be my ideal thing, but right now,  I totally see God's hand at work through it.  
Due to all my travel, I am able to study at night from my hotel room. 
Just another example of Ecclesiastes 3 at work.  As a kid, my parents read this passage to us fairly often.  As a child, I did not necessarily like this passage. But, as I have {somewhat} grown up, I have learned to appreciate both the passage and my parents routine reading of it...


There is a time for everything.
And, I am really thankful for that promise.


Gifts from Him today:
~pig snorts from my sleeping little one on the drive to the airport
~sticky hands that grab my fingers
~a loving husband who is frequently a kind chauffeur
~spicy tomato juice. yum.
~Chapter One of One Thousand Gifts...re-reading it with the Bloom Book Club and learning more the 2nd time.
~twinkling lights 30,000 feet below
~cold, brisk air- outside
~warm, crackling fire- inside
~bouncing, playful, loving puppies
~slobbery kisses from my furry creatures
~jealous looks from my little one to my puppies...I know we need to work on the jealousy part, but the little one's look was definitely a *gift*
~warm coats {on sale!}
~the smell of clean laundry
~a little bit more salt than normals on my french fries
~only 3 more nights and I will, once again, be back home...