exciting stuff in the life of the maurers

Of course by "exciting," I mean not terribly interesting stuff. I'm working really hard at getting over forty diapers sewn and stocked, so finding time to sew is kind of consuming my days right now.

After being in Texas for about ten weeks, I think we're finally feeling like we've settled in. I ventured out with both boys on my own yesterday to find a Joann Fabrics. Naturally, I got terribly lost, but I made it there by myself nonetheless. We're pretty close to a relatively complicated highway system and it makes me want to pee my pants. I really only know the stores that exist between our home and the church, so exploring outside of that (especially in an exploration that ended up with me accidentally getting on said scary highway system) is a big deal. I made it there AND back in time for Cohen's next feeding. Pretty impressive stuff.

I think part of the reason we're starting to feel more settled is because our house is due to close tomorrow. I haven't mentioned it here on the blog because Shawn and I were a little afraid to get our hopes up in case something didn't go through. I think it's still a little surreal to both of us, but it's looking like everything is actually going smoothly. The house was actually only on the market for six weeks (which included Christmas and New Year's) before we were able to put it under contract! Six weeks! Ashley Lay is one incredible realtor, and seeing God taking care of one thing after the other only confirms to us that this is His will.

I made calls on Monday to turn off the electricity and water tomorrow, and felt a sense of finality in doing so. Getting the house sold is the last major stressor of moving on our shoulders. Being able to wash our hands of it makes me feel like I can take a deep breath and just be here. There's no doubt that there are so many ties we still have to Winston-Salem, but it's a nice feeling to know that those ties are people and relationships instead of stress.

Our lease for our house here in Texas is a year long lease that would end next December, so we're not in a rush to start looking to jump into home ownership right away. We love owning a home of course, but after doing so much work to get our house ready for the market, it's nice to take a break from home repair and maintenance. What's that? There's a storm brewing that might cause huge branches to fall down and crush the roof? As long as none of my kids or husband are underneath said branch, I don't have a care in the world. It's nice to not have to remember when the air filters were last changed or find time to take care of the yard work.

Beyond that, the Maurers are all doing well. I ran 3.2 miles the other day (at a painfully slow pace, so please don't be impressed) and will soon sign up for a Dallas 5K in April. I've also lost 10lbs, so I now only have 30 more to go (said with sarcasm, because 30lbs is still daunting). Cohen is still not sleeping through the night, but continues to charm me with that smile. Jude is getting smarter by the day (his teachers were really impressed by how far ahead of the learning curve he is), and seems to only be growing in affection towards Cohen. Shawn is working hard and is excited about good things going on in the ministry here at Compass. The time away at the conference was really a great chance for him to sit with his fellow ministers and talk about vision and plans. Vision in ministry is something that just sets Shawn's heart on fire, so he's looking forward to seeing God's hand in their plans.

I hate to end this abruptly, but sewing calls! I pray your day is a blessed one!