Moving update

I haven't forgotten about this blog at all, but I have felt too overwhelmed to write anything. There has been A LOT going on and to think about what to put on here...well, I don't even know where to start!

Last week our life was crazy. Our plane flies out on Monday, however, it will be leaving us behind. But let me not jump ahead, I'll get to that in a minute. It actually started two weeks ago when Eric kept saying, "Kelly, we should really start packing up the house. We have so much to do." Actually we don't. I mean we have to pack our clothes but we get to leave our furniture and decorations so really there isn't that much and when I put my mind to something I work super hard and super fast so really it's not a big deal and I could probably do it in two days and be done. These were my thoughts...they were nothing but calm, cool, and collected run on sentences. I was not one bit of stressed. We decided that it would be best if my MIL kept AG for a few days so we could focus on cleaning and packing so we could be out by our deadline of Aug 1. So once again, I was a not stressed-totally relaxed- fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. We have so much time and Im really not worried bc your mom is keeping Addie for 3 days so that's plenty of time to do what we need to do so actually we should just play and hangout since we can't really be productive when Addie is here anyways. I am a stupid girl. 

Because I am so optimistic about my ability to work hard and get things done quickly, I decided to make dinner plans with some girlfriends on Wednesday, July 31. I just knew we would be done with our house since we had to be out by the following day. So here we go. We get a little bit done on Satuday, then Carlyne (MIL) gets here on Monday to pick AG up. We still have Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday to pack and clean so this will not be that big of a deal and we still have so so much time, thought the stupid girl. Thanks to Carlyne we get a lot done on Monday. We got to take a nice little break during the middle of the day for our church to snap some pictures of us so they can tell our story, but not such a stressful day. Then Tuesday. Oh Tuesday. Four years of marriage and Eric and I still find ways we are different. Me, I wake up and can go. I can go hard til around 4 or 5 then I am exhausted and burnt out. I'm done. DONE. Leave me alone, kind of done. Eric, well he takes a little longer to fully wake up. He really gets going around lunch time or maybe a little after then can work til 10 at night. Nope, not me at all. So lets just say the tension was running a little high in our household. And the meltdowns begin. It's Tuesday evening, I canNOT go anymore. I just can't. You can't make me. And we still have lots to do. But we still have Wednesday and I have my dinner plans so this will be a great day and we will get everything done. 

Wednesday. I don't even like to think about you anymore. I started working around 8 am.  Scrubbing refrigerator, vacuuming floors and two flights of steps, cleaning out every drawer that exists in our house, finishing packing bags, categorizing what should be checked, carry on, and/or go with us to the beach. Yikes. Our car won't start. Call AAA. Tow it to Toyota dealership. Oh great, works for them. They have no issue with our car. Kind of like being sick and then you finally go to the doctor and you're all better. Stupid car. And cue meltdown. Back to the house to continue cleaning. It's 5 o'clock. My body and brain is telling me IM DONE. I also realize there is no way I'm going to make dinner with my friends so I sadly have to cancel. It's 6 o'clock. Still working. Cue meltdown. 7 o'clock. I SERIOUSLY CAN'T GO ON.  Another meltdown. This process continues til 10 pm when I finally convince my night owl that we can come back in the morning to finish the last touches since we were FINALLY almost done. We were staying with friends and so we didn't want to roll in at midnight. Thursday morning we roll out of our friends' house by 6:30am. We have to be in Greensboro by a certain time so we needed to leave be 9:30am. When I think I am done, Eric says we should vacuum. AGAIN. Meltown. I am so burnt out. I hate our house. I don't think that is necessary. I think we are done. Since I am on the verge of a mental collapse, my sweet husband tells me that I should go ahead and leave for Greensboro. I agree and sprint to my car before he changes his mind and tells me to power wash the house or something.   

FREEEEEEDOM. Those days were the most stressful days of my life, besides having a newborn. I was so on edge, that it took me a couple of days to get back down of the cliff and truly rest. Lesson: start early! We did way too much in too little of time. 

If you are still reading, I'm impressed because this is long, I know. But now we are homeless and jobless and not leaving on Monday. Our friends the Nances have graciously opened up their home to us until we leave.  The government of where we are going has not yet issued our permission for visas. They are in the process of doing so, but taking a long time. Our international school has even had to postpone their start date to school, in order to give us time to get there. So please be prying for this situation. We believe that Gd is in control and are trusting in His sovereignty. 

Pictures of our car after we packed...bags to the ceiling and all the way up to the front two seats.

To come: our beach trip with both families, Addie's 11 month update, and Addie's "birthday" party with both familes. Who knows...we may still be here for Addie's real birthday party! Nothing wrong with having 3 parties, right?!

Moving Update

Our plane tickets have been purchased! We will be leaving Monday, August 12 for a two day journey to our new country. The week before we leave, we will get to spend that time at the beach with my family, come back to Raleigh on Saturday, be commissioned by our church on Sunday, then leave on Monday. It will be a busy time for our family, so please keep us in your prayers!

Today as we began to clean out our house and think about what to bring with us, this thought occurred to me: We need so little to live yet we think we need so much. As we looked through our possessions, I began to think it silly that we have so much. Why am I keeping several posters that I had in my classroom here in the States? Oh, because I will PACK them and take them with me to my new classroom. Really? I get to take TWO bags, and so of course, I immediately think to bring POSTERS. Toss them. And then I see SO MANY TOYS. Why do I think Addie needs two cruisers, 60 books, 150 teethers, 30 lovies, 500 blankets? We should absolutely keep and store them for when we return because she will USE THEM ALL. Seriously. Pick two from each pile. Toss the rest. Now I should choose which pairs of jeans to take. Well, this pair is my fancy pair. These are the ones I wear with boots. Of course I need my skinny ones. This pair I wear with t-shirts. These are my fancier-casual ones. This pair is my grungy-fancier-skinny-causal-tshirt wearing ones. OMG.  And of course I let Eric know that we are going to need to purchase all of the BOB (stroller) accessories before we leave. Well Eric, Addie is going to need a tray that sits in front of her so we can place her cheerios and sippy cup on it while we stroll through the airport and travel around in our country.  And don't forget about the cup holder that attaches at the handle bar. This is a great place to put my latte so I can have a free hand to powder my nose and instagram a picture of said latte. Of course. 

 The more I think about packing and living overseas, the less stressed I am getting. Because I just don't feel the need for a lot at this moment. Really, I just hate unpacking, so I figure if I only take 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants, that will take me 5 minutes, maybe 6 to put in a drawer. Then I'm done. DONE. Also, I really dislike doing laundry, and we have to HANG DRY over there. So logically, the less clothing I take, the less I have to hang. Winning. But in all honesty, what REALLY do I actually need? How much do I really need? Not much I think. Not much at all.

So, here's to trying to squeeze everything of mine (not including Eric's or Addie's) into TWO bags. Not sure if I can do it, but I would like to try. I'm excited to get away from excess for a little while. I'll keep ya updated.

Moving update

Things are still progressing in our move overseas. We will officially be heading out August 12 or 13, which are the two dates we have mentioned to George, who will be purchasing our plane tickets. Once the tickets are purchased, I will confirm the date! The Lord is continuing to provide all of our needs and continues to turn our fears into peace. One way the Lord has provided is that he has allowed for someone to rent our house the first year we are gone...and get this, we can keep our furniture in it! This is such a blessing that we don't have to move all of our furniture out, and I can't imagine packing up all of our belongings and finding storage in just a few short months.

I am trying not to get overwhelmed with all the little details, like cleaning out our clutter and packing for not only me, but a baby. I also try not to think too hard about what we will be leaving behind. I try not to let my mind get consumed in thoughts about missing out on our friends lives, missing out on weddings, and babies. I am so confident that the Lord wants us to go that I don't want to long for something else and cause my heart to be discontent and anxious about leaving. Yes, I will absolutely miss my friends and long to be apart of their lives. BUT I have to trust that God knows my needs, and he will provide. With this being said, after much thought, I have decided to disconnect from Facebook and Twitter when we move. I have thought about disconnecting from Instagram, but some friends have already encouraged me to stay on so they can see pictures of us while we are gone. SO, I may stop following everyone and just post pictures. It is NOT because I don't want to keep up with everyone, but I know that if I allow myself to look at Facebook and Instagram, my heart may become discontent, and I want to be fully present in our new country. I am also confident that those who truly desire to be an encouragement and remain apart of our lives will make the effort, because we absolutely desire to be in your life.

I came across this blog post: How Can I Help My Friend Living Overseas. I encourage you to read it. This post already rings true in my heart.

If I can ask anything of you, it would be for you to pray. We can do nothing aside from God, and we covet your prayers as our family makes this huge transition. If you desire to keep up with us as we live life overseas, our blog is the best way to do so. We will also be periodically sending an email update, so if you would like receive the update, please shoot me an email at kghovis@gmail.com so I know to add you to the list. Also, we have recently discovered that we have to raise a little bit of financial support to cover emergencies, should they arise. If you desire to give financially (nothing is too small), we would greatly be blessed by your gift, and you can also shoot be an email for more information. As much as we need financial support, what we need the most is prayer. We mean that. So if anything, pray. You are loved by us, and if you have any needs and want us to pray, PLEASE let us know! It would be our joy to pray for you.