Last Post on this Blog

Hello? Is anybody there?

Haha, I have no idea if anyone is still checking this blog for updates about our family but if you are, I'm sorry that I haven't been very good at blogging. I think I took a blogging hiatus and it's been good but I do enjoy writing and I know people like to keep up with our family and what all is going on so I will definitely continue writing. However, since we're not starting again in Texas but rather starting again in North Carolina, this blog address isn't really relevant anymore. Haha. So, I'm just going to go back to our blog, Knit Together, that was originally set up to follow our adoption journey. I'm still using it for that purpose but I'm also planning to blog about our family and my thoughts, etc.
So, if you want to keep following along, just head over to Knit Together.

Brian also wanted me to make the following line the last line of the blog....because he's a nut. Y'all get extra points if you know what that line is from. Haha

"Goodnight Mrs. Ochmonek wherever you are."

Hunt Family FAQ

I know everybody is saying, "It's about time you posted something on here!" So, I am going to attempt to answer everybody's questions about our move...back to North Carolina.

Here is a Hunt Family F.A.Q.

Are you in NC permanently or are you just visiting for the holidays?

We have moved everything back here to NC. We are not planning to go back to Texas after the holidays.

How long will you be in Winston-Salem?

We don't really know. We hope to be here for a while but we really aren't too sure. We know we are going to be in NC for a good while though.

Where are you staying? Do you have a place to stay?

Yes, we have a place to stay. :) We are currently living with Brian's mom. She has an awesome townhome with lots of room upstairs for us. And, she is the best mother-in-law ever...seriously! I know what people say about mother-in-laws...but it's just not true about mine. :)

Why did you move back? Did something bad happen? Did you really dislike Texas?

We actually really loved Texas. We met lots of wonderful people and had a lot of fun there. Nothing bad happened to make us move back. There are several reasons that all kinda came together at one time that brought us to the decision to move back.

Even though we really enjoyed living in Texas, Isabel was very homesick. She enjoyed going to school, soccer, and church but had a difficult time being away from our family and friends. We knew that and we hoped it would get better, but it really didn't. She wasn't really acting like herself.

Brian had started attending Southwestern and knew that it was a Southern Baptist school. He did lots of research prior to applying and we had heard great things about the school. There are some great people, professors, and ministries at Southwestern. However, during Chapel time, it came to Brian's attention that what we believe theologically wasn't really lining up with the beliefs shared by the administration. Over time, Brian could see the influence of those views more and more frequently at the school level.

Brian really began to feel called to full-time ministry and my desire to stay home (and be ready for whenever our adoption comes through) started coming together. He began applying for many jobs in Texas. Nothing was coming up. All of a sudden he found out about a position in NC. At first, we weren't sure if he should apply or not, but then we just decided to go for it. As he went through the process and ultimately an interview, our hearts longed for him to get this job and return to NC. It really was our hearts' desire for him to work full-time in ministry and me to be able to stay home. We just knew that this job would be an opportunity for that and a way for us to be back in NC. Unfortunately, we found out that he did not get the job. He made it to the top 4 but ultimately, they affirmed Brian's gifts for leadership and strong teaching abilities and said they felt he would be more fit for a lead youth pastor position. He had applied for an Associate Youth Pastor position.

Since he didn't get the job, why did you decide to move back anyway?

Prior to Brian applying for the job in NC, we knew we were going to move out of our apartment in Ft. Worth. We had applied for on campus housing because it was MUCH less expensive and a townhome had come available. So, we had turned in a 60 day notice with our apartment that would end in November. We had to make a decision to move....to on campus housing or back to NC.

So even though Brian did not get THAT job, we knew in our hearts it was time to move back to NC. We had not felt so strongly that it was time until all of that happened. I think we just kinda kept it as a hidden hope and figured that wouldn't even be a possibility. Basically, we are trusting God to provide what we know He has called and confirmed Brian to do. He wants to continue in school at Gordon-Conwell. He has applied for two other ministry positions in NC.

We are going to remain hopeful and trust God to provide. He has ALWAYS been faithful to us before and has never failed us. We know He will again.

What about school for Isabel?

Oh, it gets crazier, y'all!! I have decided to homeschool Isabel. Yes, I know...I'm a public school teacher and it just seems nuts! But, God has put it on my heart over and over...even before we decided to move back to NC. I don't know if I'll do it again for 1st grade or not but we're going to try it for now. Yes, I've researched and no, I still have not chosen a curriculum. :) Oh, and Isabel is SO excited about this.

What about our adoption?

We are currently #29 on the waitlist. We never got our homestudy updated in Texas because I didn't get a job until the end of August and we were waiting on some other paperwork and stuff with our agency too. Anyway, since we are back here, we will need to do a new homestudy. God knows the timing of all of this and He knows that Brian needs a job for everything to continue. We are trusting Him to provide for all the details. We are still needing to raise funds for travel expenses and other fees. We're planning to apply for grants too.

Yes, we know all of this is just craziness. We can't say we have it all figured out or that we have a specific plan. God has just been full of surprises. We know that He is good and we know that He loves us. He has given us so much encouragement through His Word. This is one of the latest:

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

(Psalm 37:3-7 ESV)

Home

I'm still not sure how I got this devotional....but I do know that God wanted me to read it. Here it is:

Where the Heart Is Susan Meissner She Reads Featured Author

"He has planted eternity in the human heart ..." Ecclesiastes 3:11b (NLT)

A while back, my young adult son took a trip to visit friends in the state where we used to live. He stopped by the house that had been ours for all of his childhood. And, he felt compelled to knock on the front door and introduce himself to the strangers who now own it.

When he said he had grown up in that house, the wife didn't hesitate to open the door wide and invite him in. She knew that in our hearts we often feel toward our houses what we might feel for a trusted ally, a kind friend or maybe even a silent witness to our pain.

My latest character Marielle Bishop understands this. In my new novel A Sound Among the Trees, new bride Marielle takes up residence in an old house with a storied past. She just isn't sure that this place can be a safe haven for her heart.

We are wired to feel a tug toward that one special place we feel safe, wanted and cared for. Our hearts are restless when we're far from home, or our home is taken from us, or when discord disrupts the tranquility of that place.

So what's a girl to do when she doesn't feel at home? We need to remember that Christ is at home in her. So in a sense, we take our eternal home with us wherever we go. Wherever we are, we can feel safe, wanted and cared for by Christ who dwells inside every believer.

When the Israelites were waiting for God to lead them to their new home in the Promised Land, He had them build a tabernacle for His presence to dwell right there where they were, wherever that was on their journey.

We don't use the word "tabernacle" much these days but if you were to look at its Hebrew roots you would see that it comes from the same word as "dwell" and "abide" and "settle down." When God brings His presence right to where we are, He is "tabernacling" with us.

The Lord God Almighty settles down inside us. His Spirit lives in us. Our heart becomes His Holy tabernacle and He is at home in us. Isn't that a thrilling, mind-bending concept?

The Bible tells us God has "set eternity in our hearts" which means He has made us hungry for His heavenly embrace. The affection we have for our earthly houses stems from this smoldering ember of our longing for Him as our eternal home.

There's no place like home. It's why we like everyone to be home for the holidays and home before dark and why we just want to go home when we're having a bad day. Home is where our hearts are at rest. And our hearts can always be at rest in Him.

Whether your earthly home is as near as your next breath or too far away to be seen today, know that God has promised to tabernacle with you! He dwells with you. You are His earthly address. And in Him, you are home.

Dear Lord, help me today to find all my joy in knowing You are my forever dwelling place and that I am at home in You because You are at home in me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Big Sky, TX

The sky here is amazing. Seriously. Amazing. It's so different from NC because it's so much flatter and wider here. There aren't super tall trees all around either. Here are some of the pictures I've taken since we've moved here.

This was taken from our apartment. My "meteorologist" husband would probably say that's a front blowing in.

Same day, just a little while later.

I took this picture from the passenger window on the way to Waco. There were cows way out in that field and the sun was soo pretty shining down through the clouds.

This was taken at the Stockyards shortly after we moved here.

This was my view from the stop sign right where I turn to drive to my school. God is constantly reminding me of his presence and love for me.

Sunset at Southwestern.
We were walking to our car after a picnic on campus and I had to take this picture.

Texas State Fair!

Well as soon as we got to the fair we got some tickets and then got a map. Yes, this fair has a booklet with several maps. Now, I'm used to our little Dixie Classic Fair in NC where there are no multi-page booklets or 52 foot Texans! We had a lot of fun at this fair!
The great thing is that Big Tex is an awesome landmark to help you find corny dogs (yes, that's what they're called here)! He also greets you and waves his arm.

The first thing we did was find Big Tex so we could eat! EVERYBODY told us to get a Fletcher's Corny Dog so we knew we had to! They are AMAZING!
They also had yummy lemonade in Big Tex cups. :)

As we started walking to toward the Midway we got closer and closer to the Texas Star. That's the name of the tallest ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere! Crazy huh? It is huge.

Finally we made it to the Kidway where all of the kiddie rides were. At first Isabel was a little nervous but then she warmed up and wanted to ride a lot!

The Fun House! She didn't want to come out!

She said the motorcycle ride was a little too fast for her. :)

Brian rode the "Ladybug" with her and she laughed and smiled the entire time!

Flying Dumbos! I mean "Jumpin' Jumbos"...this isn't Disneyworld after all.

Of course we had to have one more snack!! These have to be, hands down the best nachos I've ever had!! Oh my word. They all came with a little Mexican flag and Texas shaped tortilla chips! (and yes, my chip is backwards)

Whew, we had a great time but we were soo tired when we left. I guess I should have also included Brian's big pretzel, Isabel's crazy bubble blower gun, the cool handmade Mexican belt I found at Mundo Latino, and the enormous car show that was 350,000 sq.ft. of space filled with lots of new cars (Brian really liked this!). We also saw a crazy conspiracy theorist wandering around and just missed the pig races and dog acrobatics! All in all it was a good day. :)

The Train to the Fair

Last week, Brian's mom came to visit us here! We were SO SO excited to have her here with us! No one wanted her to live. While she was here we thought it would be fun to go to the enormous Texas State Fair together! It was a really fun day.

The fair is actually in Dallas so instead of dealing with INSANE traffic, we decided to take a train! There is a train that you can catch here in Fort Worth that is pretty inexpensive and really nice! It was so fun to ride together and just spend time together relaxing and talking on the way there. The ride takes about 45 minutes to get the station in Dallas. From that station, we got on the DART. The DART is like an above ground subway sorta. It rides you all over Dallas based on several different lines. We got on the green line and it took us through downtown and then right to the front ticket office of the fair. It was super easy because we didn't have to deal with parking lots, tolls, parking fees, or traffic!

This is the entrance to the T&P (Texas & Pacific) train station in downtown Fort Worth. It was originally built in 1931 and has this cool nostalgic look about it.

This is the outside of our train, the TRE (Trinity Railway Express).

Nana and Isabel together on the train!

They were so sweet just talking to each other. I love how Isabel is listening so intently.

Look! We were there too! We quickly switched seats because we realized that we are now officially too old to ride on a train backwards. Oh my word, it messed with my equilibrium. Thankfully there were two seats directly across from Nana and Isabel.

Well, we definitely recommend taking the train! It was so fun. I kinda hoped they would have a little drink and snack car too. They do have a nice clean bathroom though...even though it feels like an airplane bathroom. Alright, my next post will be about the actual fair!

September Prayer Requests

I know that I haven't been great at updating my blog or for that matter even reading blogs. I've just been feeling a little, no wait, a lot overwhelmed. We know that we are in the right place but at this time it feels as though we are under a lot of attack. I say that to ask for your prayers. I do want to also share some ways that God has provided for and taken care of us despite craziness that is going on. To be specific, here are some things that have been going on lately.

* I have been sick for about 2 weeks now. I went to the doctor and was given an antibiotic and some cough medicine. On the weekends, I feel better but as soon as I am back at school I start coughing (a ton) and my throat hurts and my head hurts. I think that I might be allergic to chalk or something since I have a big nasty chalkboard in my room. On a good note, the chalkboard was supposed to be taken down this evening and when I return tomorrow will be replaced with a nice new dry erase board. I'm hoping that this helps. I also found out that the school I work at was built sometime in the 50's and is the oldest one in the system.

* Our car broke down. Like completely. The Honda that we thought would last us longer has finally died. The amazing thing about this is that we were able to turn around and sell it for cash on C.list. So we started looking around and researching cars. We were pretty sure we wanted another Honda so we started there. We didn't really have anything particular in mind, maybe another Accord. Well, when we got there we looked at a few and saw some things we might could afford and some other things we definitely couldn't afford. We decided to check out another dealership too. It was not good and the people were not helpful at all. So we headed back to dealership A because we really like the salesman that we had been talking to. No one was pushy or rude. So when we returned the salesman took us inside to see a car that was on display. Apparently for that weekend they had advertised a CRV at a ridiculously great price to try to get people to come in and buy a car. That was the one they put in the paper to get people to come in. Well, turns out the car was Honda certified, which means we have a warranty for a while, has pretty low mileage, was in our price range, and actually runs (unlike our other Honda)! So, yesterday we got everything finished and we bought it! This car is 3 years old. This is crazy new for us. Our newest car was 8 years old and our other one was 11 years old. Both over 200,000 miles. Yeah, we wanted to drive our cars until we couldn't anymore.
We still have our other car but it's not in great shape either. We are seriously considering selling it too and just using one car. So far we've been trying that out and we like it. All of our schedules are staggered so it works. We'll see though.

* My school. The school that I work at is difficult. The staff/faculty is awesome. I am so thankful that I have people that offer to help me and check in on me. However, in the classroom, I am dealing with more defiance, disrespect, and disruptions than I have ever seen or dealt with before. I'm planning lessons where they aren't in their seats for 90 minutes. I'm planning stuff that is relevant and interesting. I have many students that are truly engaged and want to learn....but I also have several students that do not. Please pray for me. Pray that I would have wisdom to know what to say and how to say it. Pray that I would show love but also be just.

I guess those are the three main things I wanted to share. Brian, of course, would also appreciate prayer. He is studying Greek every night. Pray that he would learn it well and that he would have supernatural ability to understand and process everything.

*Oh, also, please continue to pray for the right job to become available for Brian. He wants to work and is applying for many jobs.

Thank you all! I'm not sure how many of you out there are still reading but I sorta wanted to write an update for my processing too. :)