thankful thursday....

Remember about 48 hours ago when I was wondering if I would have the strength to work this week ... back pain... high blood pressure... tachycardia... I was counting the hours until I could settle back in my nest for the weekend.

You never know what tomorrow holds. One more summer thunderstorm amid the hundreds we've had this year... one more lightning strike... and suddenly there is no more nest.

And just as sure as one lightning strike could change our life in an instant... within the next 48 hours I might be celebrating the discovery of the new nest!

People move all the time. Lives change. I came here because I didn't know where else to go. Life fell apart, I gave the globe a good spin and said, "hmmm... I think I'll go where those red headed girls live... so I can be closer to my girls... I think I'll take my kid out to the country where he can learn about raising hogs and such". I didn't think that far into it really. I just knew I had to go somewhere.

It's thankful thursday and I've already told you a lot of things I'm thankful for this week... for our safety, for the safety of the fur babies, that most of our stuff is salvageable, that it will be packed up, cleaned and delivered with very little effort from me... those are all great things. But as I was comparing this search for a nest to the last one... I have to thank God that it's a much different situation.

1. I have a job - last time I didn't know where I would work or how much I would make. I was flying blind.

2. I know my way around - for the most part. Last time I pulled into a parking place in the town square and determined not to move until someone came to get me. I was that lost. Directions in a small town inevitably contain the phrases, "remember where such and such used to be?" and "there's not a road sign" and "when you come to the end of the paved road". Knowing your way around helps a lot.

3. I know a lot more people... we've made this place our home, our community. We've made friends. And when your real estate search is more word of mouth than internet search, those contacts are worth their weight in gold.

4. Gas is cheaper. I know gas is high now, but we were in the middle of a gas shortage when I moved up here... gas, if you could find it, was $4 a gallon and you had to wait in line for it... and could only get so much of it at a time. When you're driving around basically lost and you keep having to turn around and retrace your steps, that gas goes quickly. It's better now.

5. It's summer. Most people move during the summer because school is out. Three years ago I had a kid who had to get registered in school IMMEDIATELY. I have about six weeks before school starts. I hope our search doesn't take that long... but at least if it does, it will be ok.

So we definitely have some things on our side this time.

I'm also thankful that this has shocked my appetite. Austin and I spent 4th of July weekend pigging out. Yesterday I ate a bagel, a banana and a brown sugar and cinnamon pop tart. (hey... all those things started with b... maybe today I should only eat things that start with c... ) I have lost my appetite. I'm not really queasy... I'm just not hungry. Being upended from my nest has really changed my appetite.

Bubba told me a story last night that just made it all seem worth it... in that "bigger picture" kind of way. They call my six year old niece Jamie "Kramer" as in Seinfeld's Kramer - because she randomly appears with an exited utterance that is completely out of context with anything else going on. Yesterday at lunch she Kramer-ed out, "Aunt Heather says that God has a plan"... and wow... out of all the drama and chaos and weepiness and all the things I had said to her and around her right after the fire, that's the thing that stuck with her: God has a plan. I've just got to keep remembering that.

pray that we find a nest... and in the meantime pray that we make the right decisions about our short term lodging. I love being near the girls but I am struggling with the steps at Jim and Angie's house... they hurt my back something fierce. We may need to move into a hotel for a week or so... however long it takes to find our nest. I'm weighing those options today.

Time to finish up here and glam and hope that the outfit I bought yesterday at Walmart is gonna fit and look appropriate.

Love and hugs, y'all.