Villagers?

The church voted yesterday, and extended to him a call as pastor. (I don't know why ministry terminology is so cryptic.) He accepted, and we are now in the village that we now consider home. Well, Edwin isn't. He's trekking to Alabama for all of our earthly belongings.

(Hey, wait a minute! Did she say village?) Yes, that's right. Small towns in this neck of the woods are called villages. I, of course, find this utterly adorable. I would like to see the scale for what's a village, what's a town, and what's a city. The villages here would be towns in Alabama, and the towns would be relatively major metropolitan areas. I guess that in comparison to New York City, it's hard to consider anything a city.

Well, DeLaynie starts school for the third time in 2009. I have to admit, though, this new beginning is a little more anxious for me. It's a public school, which is a new experience for the Attaway fam. I can accept that, though. It's the sheer amount of time that she'll be away from me. She will attend a special education program from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. That's 30 hours+ every week! I'm not so sure I'm going to breeze through this transition, though I am absolutely positive she is going to adore her new schedule. It's a very good program, and I know that it will enable her to make lots of developmental strides. But I'm still going to miss my baby.

I hope to get some pics posted this week. Things have been pretty crazy, so I just haven't thought about it too much, but I have every intention of snapping plenty of shots of my girls this week.

Allow me to say how grateful I am for this new adventure! We love the people here, and we are extremely excited about the work God is planning for the area. Keep praying for us and the lost of North Country.

The Biggest Difference

We are currently hunkered down in New York... State, not City. We've been visiting with the members of one of the Baptist churches here, and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The people are friendly and warm. The towns are close-knit. So what's the biggest difference?

Well, it's currently 67 degrees. Yes. That's right. The low for tonight, get this, is 44 degrees. We may actually have to turn on the heat... in August. That isn't even normal for where we are. When we left the temperature was close to 90 in the heat of the day here, but just like Mobile, Al is known for bizarre stretches of heat in the winter, upstate New York is no stranger to cool breaks in the summer. It's a brave new world, my friends.

Now, if you think that the weather is just a detail, I should tell you that almost every conversation has included the forecast for this winter: frigid. It seems that the locals are a bit concerned for those of us who are native to the warm state of Alabama.

We'll find out on Sunday what happens next, and I'll be sure to share the next step of God's plan as soon as we are made aware. Until then, make sure to check the weather report before you travel.

Guess What We're Doing!

Packing! We're going to talk to a church in upper New York State this weekend, and it's possible that the girls and I won't be coming back to Alabama. So, we're packing up all of our earthly possessions (a much smaller collection than it was a year ago; it makes for simpler packing), and heading to North Country (as New Yorkers refer to the area), beginning tomorrow.

We're looking at a twenty-one hour car ride, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Even with two kids, this is an exciting trip. The Lord has been merciful by allowing this experience to come in an age with portable dvd players. We're spreading it out over three nights, and hope that makes things easier on the girls.

Pray that all goes well, and that my children will handle this adjustment well. (They handled transition very well when we first left Kentucky, but I think they're about done being patient with moving.)

Let's just see where this path leads, shall we?

Dieting vs. Healthy Choices

I'm back to the old world of counting calories, walking in endless loops, and crunches. You see, the stress of our current situation has caused me to gain a few pounds. Okay, that's not accurate. My lack of self-control and complete inability to say, "No, thank you," in reference to anything chocolate has caused me to gain a few pounds, though I did use the stress as an excuse in my own mind.

To some, the idea of constantly counting calories seems unhealthy. These are generally the same people who really enjoy exercising and have a hard time understanding that someone who doesn't isn't necessarily a lazy bum. They are those annoying people who intuitively make healthy choices. Some say that this is a practiced skill. I tend to think that there must be a genetic component. I know that it sounds like I am insulting this particular group, but that's just a cover-up for the fact that I wish I were one of them.

I don't just make healthy choices. I either count every calorie, or I gain weight. It's my estimation that my life is bound to be an endless cycle of these two phases: Counting calories- chocolate insanity- counting calories- chocolate insanity. I am trying to improve my chances of going from the Dark Side of enslaved to diets to The Force of healthy choices by using Sunday as my day to practice. I don't count calories on Sunday because that is the day that we eat with family and hang out with people. It's on these days that I try to make better choices, but not diet.

Rabbit Chase: Hardee's salads are not salads. They taste good, but are not healthy, and cannot be considered a healthy choice. I thought that I had chosen a good option until the darn thing came out in a fried shell, covered in cheese, and dripping with a mayo-based dressing. I've learned my lesson, but it really did taste good. (What? We'd already paid for it!)

For now, Sunday will be the only day that I don't plan my meals hours in advance. I have a plan in place for increasing the number of calories I get per day as I lose weight, but I hope to eventually become one of "them", those obnoxious people who just make better choices.

Different House, Same Town

We moved yesterday. The deal with the old house was that we could stay until that church found a pastor. They found one, so we moved about ten minutes down the road to a different house that belongs to the local Baptist association. The arrangements were a little complicated because it's a two bedroom. Ella is a terrible sleeper, so we decided to put her the master bedroom, and we're sleeping on a mattress in the floor of the den for now. There are times to push your kids, but this ain't it. This isn't even our last move, so transition is the name of the game for a while longer.

DeLaynie was a little unhappy to realize we're staying here. She keeps telling us that she wants to go home, no matter where we are. I wish she'd tell us where in the world home is, because we have no clue. There's an up side in all of this: we are gaining a biblical understanding of "home," along with our girls. (Anyone else hear "We Are Not Home Yet" by the great Stephen Curtis Chapman? I think that's our theme song for the moment.)

We're doing well, though. We're still debating on what our plan is. Hopefully, that will be made clear in the coming weeks. That's our prayer: clarity. It's been a bit lacking the last few months. Everything has a purpose, and we know that. We're clinging to it, actually.

The good news is that this house is able to feed off of the Internet at the association. We now have high-speed! Maybe that'll help in feeling a bit more connected to the outside world.