Rollercoaster

Hello friends!

Many of you know me in real life, so you’re aware of where I’ve been the last year. For those of you that don’t, this is the 2017 Recap.

A year ago, today, Joey and I flew to Tampa for a dinner meeting, which was also the final step of the interview process for a job that had showed up, out of the blue, clear sky. When the recruiter called Joey, it sounded like the perfect job for him. The only catch? We would have to move to Florida. Most people would love the idea of this, but I’m a Texas girl, through and through, and I simply could NOT imagine leaving my beloved state. I had always said, “I would only leave Texas if it was THE absolute best thing for our family,” but to be honest, I never actually thought I would have to leave. Well, friends, I’m here to tell you, that when The Lord calls you to go somewhere, you are going to go.

The Bible says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT)

This was a verse that weighed on my heart a lot during our decision making. God makes everything work together for us if we choose to follow and live for Him. That’s definitely easier said than done, but we thought, “what’s the worst that could happen? If it doesn’t work out, then we move back to Texas.” We didn’t want to make a hasty and foolish decision, so we came to the interview and thoroughly explored this opportunity, because as my Uncle John always says, “You gotta risk it to get the biscuit!”

Here are a few pictures from our 36 hour weekend trip:

Nervous and anxious.

We were on our way to the interview dinner.

After growing up with Galveston, Clearwater Beach was a nice change of scene.

Skyline is a Cincinnati staple, so Joey was over the moon excited about having this restaurant here.

This was a fantastic job opportunity for Joey and our family all around; the only downside was leaving Texas.  Joey has been on the road most of his adult life, so this was more of an issue for me; especially since I’m a very proud, born and raised Houstonian. It was so terrifying, exciting, and sad, all at the same time. I was torn because I didn’t want to leave my family, friends, and the only home I’ve ever known, but at the same time, I couldn’t bear the thought of being the one to hold my husband back. What if this was amazing for us? I was constantly reminded of Jonah’s story in the Bible. He didn’t do the scary thing that God asked, and he got swallowed up by a fish, and I was not about to be the reason that we got swallowed up by a fish. God also gave us many, many signs that made it abundantly clear that this was where our path needed to go, so we followed His direction.

This was a text I received from a daily inspirational text service I subscribe to.

This was a photo I received a different day from the same inspirational text subscription service.

This is a photo that was waiting for me in my Facebook News Feed.

Did I mention there were more than a few signs?

Like I said, God made it abundantly clear where He wanted us to be, so off we went! Joey moved to Tampa in March, and I finally finished the moved in May. There was a lot going on between the renovations to get the house ready to sell, putting the house on the market, and being a single puppy mother while working full time. I also had a short stint as a plumber (Shout out to our awesome neighbor, Willfus for helping a girl out)! Needless to say, those were the toughest couple of months I’d experienced in a long time. We weren’t sure where all of this would lead, but I can say now, that despite the fact that it was difficult, and a wild flurry of emotions, God was and is ever so faithful to us.

Texas is, was, and always will be the best, but we had to leave and I’m at peace with that now; though I’ll never pass up the opportunity to say that Texas is the best. 😉 There were several times where I just felt sad and lonely, like a huge piece of my heart was missing. I cried so many times because I missed my family, my best friends, and some good ol’ Tex-Mex, but I’ve also had several moments in the last year, where I look up and think “Lord Jesus, you were right. Sorry I doubted you.” God absolutely DOES make things work together for our good, if only we have the faith to trust Him. I know better than anyone that this is easier said than done, but look at what God can do in just a year.

To give you an idea:

We weren’t necessarily “house-poor”, but we definitely had more house than we needed. We originally planned to grow into this home and eventually fill the rooms with children, but we weren’t financially stable enough to even begin trying to start a family. I had a job, but it made me miserable, and the pay was just okay, definitely NOT worth the damage I was doing to myself. We didn’t have a regular church home, and were sort of stuck in a rut, being complacent, whether we realized it or not.

We felt like we were living a mediocre life, and who wants that? We didn’t know how to change or fix it, so we both resigned to a life like this for the next few years. Thankfully God had bigger and better plans for us.

Here’s where we are currently:

As much as it hurt, we were able to sell our home in Houston in December, which was a long and stressful process, but once it was done, it was such an incredible relief. Joey obviously got a new job, but I did as well! Not only does it pay better than the previous one, but for the most part, it is less stressful. It isn’t necessarily easy, but I’m not miserable like I was before. The difference a great boss can make is incredible. We have also found a church home that we LOVE! We’re getting plugged in, building friendships, growing our faith, and living life alongside some awesome people. We even enrolled in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through the church, which is helping us to use our new income to become 100% debt free ASAP, so we can save up to buy a house the right way. I honestly never thought I’d ever live a life of freedom like that. Our marriage has become so much stronger, and more joyful through this last year as well. Maybe God actually does know what he’s doing after all. 🙂

Honestly, it is mind-blowing to me that even when we weren’t in the best place in life, we weren’t actively pursuing Him, God still came through for us, more than we could ever imagine! His Grace sometimes is too much for me to even understand, but I’m so thankful for it. Outside of the struggles I’ve already mentioned, the last year has been a very tough one for me, but that’s a story for another post. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when I’d give my left arm for some good breakfast tacos and some Whataburger, but all in all, I know that Joey and I are right where He wants us to be, so that we can continue to not only grow, but flourish. I don’t know what The Lord has planned for us next, but I’m eager to see what it is.

If you only get one message from this blog, I hope it is this: God loves you and wants nothing but to know you and have a relationship with you. The one that literally created the entire universe, just wants to know you personally. That’s pretty cool.

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! You’re awesome and I love you!

Brittny