Just Really Happy

I'm sitting here listening to Chloe talk to me- she's oblivious to the fact that her constant chatter is distracting. And she reads really well now so I think she's reading over my shoulder. And she thinks it's funny. I'm also waiting on the a/c company to come out and replace our a/c unit. If you've checked facebook you probably already know that the four Button girls haven't been feeling well- flu and other things- and that our a/c died yesterday. The compressor is out and we could have just replaced that but our unit is so old that we won't be able to get any coolant for it next year so we'd be spending a big chunk of cash only to turn around and do it again at some point. Plus since we're planning on selling at some point in the near future a 16 year old a/c unit isn't exactly a selling point. But the nice thing is that we're also getting the ducts cleaned- I don't think that's ever been done- and we're having some UV thing put in that zaps all manner of airborne virus, bacteria, etc. That should be fantastic for me health-wise. Of course, we've done so much to our little house now that I'm not going to want to sell it. I've become attached to the place. Sigh.

And I have to say that in the midst of having the flu and all the other sickness in the house and the a/c and being hot right now I have tremendous peace and joy. God is really so good. I was looking back today at different things that have happened over the years and how we'd stress and flip out and how much at peace we are now and I'm thankful.

I don't think I'm going to do a play by play of vacation this time. We had a fabulous time but it really revolved around spending time with family rather than going to fabulous destinations. It was a great time of bonding with our family- especially the nieces and nephews and I'm just really thankful.

So fantastic was the bonding time that the last night we were there Halle just climbed up on uncle Shane's shoulders. She didn't ask she just did it. You know you're ok with Halle if she does that.

And sweet little Kyleigh *loved* uncle Trav. He was super excited- if you can't tell by his big smile in the picture.

Chloe missed the trash can on our way down and I was really picture happy- so I took a picture of it.

This is what happens when you don't want your picture taken and your wife wants to take your picture. Bahahaha! I love my honey.

On the way down to AL my parents had taken Chloe and Halle with them so the bigger Button peeps had a *really* good time together. We also had a fantastic time with Chris and Christy. Yummy food and great conversation. As soon as we got there miss Emma showed me her fabric stash- she's 8! It was so sweet. And she'd made a purse for Chloe. Like mother like daughter. Those were actually the only non-related people we ended up seeing while we were there. You can find Christy's account here. It was less than two weeks ago but so much has happened it feels like a lifetime already.

We didn't do any of the other Lakeland stuff that we usually do. Probably because of the amount of driving that we'd done, we were just wiped out. Travis took Chloe to the bouncy house place the night before we left (I stayed at Shane and Angie's with Halle who was sick) and I found out that the bouncy thing that Mary sprained her ankle on is no longer there. So Mary actually shut down an attraction. It seems like there should be an award or something for that. Maybe an ice cream sundae?

OK, so I guess that's it. I'm trying to think of something fun to post about later...I think my thinker will work much better once we have the new a/c unit in.

Thoughts...

We made it. Thankfully. I spent the last hour of the drive reading things from Laugh Break to Trav. We were laughing so hard- even Amanda, who was laying in the back seat with a fever. I think my favorite was this one. And I should have expected that the end of this trip would leave me very introspective. I think we have resolved some things though. The first thing is that McDonald's is never, ever an eating option again. I know, life changing, right? And the second thing is that Lakeland is the place we want to be. It's the only place we're looking right now. The job market in Lakeland isn't huge- but we only need 1 job. The location might not seem like much of a revelation but we've been very unsure of where we'd end up. But after spending so much time with my brother and his family and Trav's brother and his family we're certain that it's where we want to be. During the last 6 months I've expected God to just say 'this is where you're going to be' clearly but He hasn't. That's new territory for me. But when we were there I think we both just knew that's where we'd be. I suppose that could change but I'm not really expecting it to.

We drove a lot on this trip- 2,727 miles to be exact. It's less than 800 miles to Lakeland. But we drove to Kissimmee several times (that's actually where Disney and most attractions are, not Orlando) to be with Amanda plus over to the coast a couple of times and to visit grandparents...lotsa driving I tell you. But I had an opportunity to talk to my 16 year old nephew who is going through a lot right now. Things are happening there now that we need to be there for. And our kids had the opportunity to play with their cousins- all of them. It was heartwarming and beautiful and if God called us there for no other reason than for our family I think that's enough.

So where do we go from here? I'm not sure. Travis was able to meet some people that work with his brother and his resume is in there. I think it's always good to have a face with a resume. I ran into an old friend from college (he just moved back to Lakeland that week) and he suggested looking at our alma mater- d'oh, didn't think of that. And we'll just see what happens. There is the little matter of the house. I don't know what to do about that except fix the little things that we can for now. I think I'm going to paint everything very soon. I've tried stripping the varnish off of the kitchen cabinets and it really gunks up the sand paper- we'll see how that goes. And just see what God does. I do feel refreshed and re-energized on that front so maybe I can make some real progress. That would be nice.

I'm also struggling a bit with Chloe going back to school on Thursday. I really don't feel ready to let her go; it's gone by so quickly. But I guess if I have house stuff to work on, it's better for her to be in school than stuck inside the house watching TV while I work. Oh, and the car issue? Travis made a bunch of phone calls and found one place that could work on our car before we left. He and I drove there on Thursday and as we passed by I got a sick feeling in my stomach- and so did he. So we came home, prayed and felt like we should wait. We weren't sure what we were waiting for and we had to leave on Saturday. It didn't make any sense but we did it anyway. That afternoon I went to Target and the check engine light was still on (if you don't remember two different people told us it was a transmission issue) and when I came out it was off. I was a little nervous and expected it to come back on but it never did. We drove the aforementioned 2,727 miles and the car was completely fine. God knows so much more than we do and I'm thankful for that. I'm really looking forward to what He's going to do. And I promise that I'll share a synopsis at least and pictures from the trip soon. But they're all on Facebook if you *really* want to see them all ;-)