Like, I see you God

Sunrise at Belmar Beach, New Jersey

Moments after I texted my mom to let her know I could move down to Florida to help them move back to North Carolina, she texted me back a simple "Yes." 

The ball started rolling right away. My daughter made plans to move in with her boyfriend, and they would take our preggo dog. My partner agreed to go to rehab, which was a minimum two weeks - that was a gift in so many ways, although ultimately he did not end up staying clean. I gave my two weeks' notice to my bosses (who were so very understanding and supportive); and I rented a car to safely drive to Florida. I was adamant about driving (and driving alone) so I could enjoy some much needed peace and serenity. The long drive made my mom nervous and my body was already exhausted from packing up our home and losing all kinds of sleep the previous several weeks up until this moment. I agreed to book an overnight stay in Charlotte NC.

The day I was set to leave, I arrived at the airport car rental service and ran into issue after issue. I was having trouble paying in the methods they accepted and there was no wiggle room. Frustrated and disappointed, I sat in the parking lot with my daughter (who drove me there) and then it hit me! We are in an airport! God wants me to fly. I checked the flights and the next flight was in about an hour and a half - just enough time, and I had just enough money. Amazing.

And just like that, I found myself living in Palm Coast, Florida - with a new job in a retail store waiting for me to start a few days later. That's all the kind of stuff that just makes me smile, like I see you God. 

We celebrated Christmas in Florida by packing up the rest of my parents' home to get ready for the next step on the journey ... a 7-hour ride to New Bern, North Carolina.

The plan was to help them move to NC into their new home that was being built - but as of today, 3 months later, their home still hasn't been completed (8 more weeks, Mom says). So we ended up moving in with my mom's best friend (who was insanely generous with opening her home to us, including my mom's 3 dogs!).  

It wasn't so bad, we actually had a lot of fun there, BUT my mom's friend does have 3 cats and that was really hard. Every morning, and all day long, we'd wake up and deep clean the house, just to be able to breathe somewhat decently (mom and I are both severely allergic to cats). 

When Mom found out her house was going to take much longer than expected, I decided to return home for a visit to see my kids, our dog (who had her 5 puppies by now), and my partner (we were celebrating our 1-year-anniversary).  The day after I returned home for a visit, I got an email back about a job I inquired about and was hired shortly after. So I called Mom, told her I was going to stay in Jersey - I knew this would be the best option for everyone at this point. My parents could stay in the room I was staying in (which was not typically occupied by cats prior to us being there, so better breathing); I could be here for my partner and I could also be here for my daughter's engagement party and my son's next musical show. I told Mom I would move back to NC (or at least visit) when they're ready to move into their new home. 

It's been a month and a half since I've been back home. I love the job I'm at (washing doggos all day, I mean, c'mon!), but unfortunately it's not exactly full time, no medical benefits and the pay barely covers rent. I did go on an interview yesterday - an exciting opportunity, a corporate position with a national franchise, but it fell through as the other candidate had more experience in exactly what they were looking for at this time. Still! It was fun, I was excited about it and it gave me a boost of confidence, as well as renewed commitment to learning new skills that will help me get the type of position I do want (ideally, remotely). 

Being home also allowed me the opportunity to show up for my daughter - she needed to legally get married so they could get housing assistance through his job. "Mom, did you get ordained yet?" I had, because they asked me to perform their wedding ceremony this coming September. So, I took the train (when I moved out of state, I gave the car to my youngest daughter so she could get back and forth to work), in my jeans and baseball cap (because I had just gotten out of work and was rushing to get there), and I performed their ceremony at Tommy's Pond in Metuchen, NJ. It was quick, dark (we used lanterns), drizzly and perfect. <3  What an honor, very cool. I also now have practice under my belt, ready for their wedding in September. :)

My partner and I have been temporarily staying at the Belmar Inn. We are thinking of heading west to Oregon (Eugene, Astoria, Portland) for a while, or Asheville NC, but we are staying open. If something opens up for us here, we're willing to stick around for the summer and maybe into the spring.
I'm applying for jobs here, there and everywhere - I just want to be able to comfortably support my family, and right now it's still "reaching for the change jar".  Let me clarify - I am not unhappy based on my financial status. I have a deep trust in Jesus. It's not my time to have money, but I'm definitely richly blessed in so many other ways.