An Update...Complete with Grandpa Norman's Poetry

Well, the last couple weeks have been nothing short of confusing.  So much has happened, and been reversed, then happened again that we have waited to post any updates...for fear of having to retract them.

To reach our goal of traveling the US in an RV, we must do several things.  First and foremost, we have to sell our house.  This enables us to pay off all of our bills and purchase an RV.  It also frees us from the monthly expense of a mortgage and utilities so we can keep monthly expenses to a minimum while on the road.  But, alas, the house has not sold yet.  We had a showing last weekend.  We woke early, made sure the house was perfectly clean and tidy (as "perfectly" as we get, anyway!) and left home for a toddler's birthday party.  We stopped by our home just after the party to make sure our pets hadn't altered things too much before the scheduled showing and discovered that our front door was WIDE OPEN!  I immediately assumed that someone had unlawfully entered our home and Tom immediately ran inside to check things out while we waited in the car.  As it turns out, we locked the door, but didn't fully close the door when we left.  I guess it only took a good gust of wind to open it.  So- no exciting crime investigations to report.  And apparently, we live in a very safe neighborhood because it was wide open for three hours with no incident.  The irony here is the fact that we locked up and left during the showing.  When we came back, we learned that the lock box wouldn't open for the realtor.  So- our home was open to anyone all morning and when a potential buyer showed up, they couldn't get in.  No worries though- they rescheduled and visited our home the next day.  Today, we had an open house but haven't heard any feedback on that yet.
In the meantime, The Music Playhouse - Nashville (where I've worked for the past 6.5 years as the Nashville Director) was offered for sale.  This week, Rob Sayer, owner/director of The Music Class (our long-time curriculum supplier) has entered into a purchase agreement.  The contract has been signed, so the sale is official.  This is a great development for Nashville's program because it allows for more opportunity and guarantees the program can continue offering the same classes, the same beloved music, and keep the same teachers.  This purchase also increases my salary SIGNIFICANTLY.  So while we wait to make our dream a reality, this will make the day-to-day living much easier.  Unfortunately, this means that our adventure can't take place this summer.  I have to stay put during the transition. 

We don't want to get too comfortable with staying put though.  We don't want an increased salary and new work responsibilities to distract us from our dream.  Though, that is highly unlikely.  It's really comical how RVs are always showing up around us.  It's like we're RV magnets.  I'm really not exaggerating.  Last week, the girls in our family drove up to Kentucky to attend a cousin's bridal shower.  We were in the car for about 2 1/2 hours roundtrip.  In that time, we passed 48 RVs.  I'm really not kidding.  They are drawn to us.  We just laugh...and count.

So- the update is that we are definitely not going on an adventure this summer.  I'm committed to my teaching schedule through summer and probably through the fall.  Again- until the house sells, we can't plan anything.  And given the work I do, I have to commit to sessions far in advance.  We will be accepting registrations for a session ending in November sometime in the next few weeks.

All of the pieces of the puzzle need to fit together...somehow.  Waiting for clarity can be difficult.  And, while I want to just trust God to lead us and feel peaceful during the waiting, I find that can be very hard to do.  I'm too much of a planner.  I want to know exactly how everything will play out.  I guess this is a good exercise in faith.  Though, it reminds me of a poem that my grandpa Norman used to recite to me about love:

"Love is such a funny thing.  It's something like a lizard.  It winds its tail around your heart and nibbles at your gizzard."  Here's to hoping that the puzzle will click into place soon and the gizzard nibbling will come to an end as well. :)