Not Just for Expats: To Thrive not Just Survive

I have realized, lately, that a lot of my worries about all that is to come is draining my joy and excitement! How do I recognize and prepare for certain difficulties but still look forward to all the good that is in store?

I stumbled upon an expat blog by Ariana with a guest post by Allison called, 10 Ways to Thrive as an Expat. It was really good.

She broke her thoughts down to 10 points, and expat or not ... this is well placed advice for anyone in new and challenging circumstances. Moving to a new city stateside, new church, just married with a new husband and in-laws, having a baby, new job, new school, empty-nesters ...  haven't we all felt out of place and wondered how to thrive (and not just survive)?

A Perfectly American Endeavor

 The girls have been plotting this all week ...

A Straight Way

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, 

and He delivered them from their distress. 

He led them by a straight way 

to a city where they could settle. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord 

for His unfailing love ...

Psalm 107:6-8

Making this my anthem today. Feeling mighty overwhelmed and disoriented on a twisty-turvy path. If I step outside myself, I know this is a season and we will press through. He will make our paths straight and lead us to "a city where we can settle." But today ... I feel weary before I've started.

Know the feeling?

What We Think We Will Miss

Today we were talking about how there are many things we are looking forward to about being in France, but there are bound to be plenty that we miss about the States. It's only natural, no? I anticipate that we won't even know what some of them are until we've actually expatriated ourselves, but we did come up with a few "little things" we are pretty sure we will miss:

• Peanut butter. Why is this such an American thing? It's so good!
• Family and friends. This is super obvious and not "little," but it still made the list.
• Trampoline. No explanation needed.
• Snacking. Love to hate it. Snacking is so fun, but it is mindless. I'm actually excited to try a more French meal-based version of intentional eating ... over grazing.

And the #1 little thing we expect to miss:

Fitting Together

Uzes, France

Can you imagine the kinds of questions I have swirling through my head these days? So, so many. Big things like school for the kids, doctor's visits, how I'll manage phone conversations (??) and what to do in case of an emergency.

But I also have questions like ... which bank should we set up an account with? Do we buy a car, lease a car? How long should we reserve a rental to cover us until we figure this out? What do we do if someone chips a tooth? Are there other English speakers in our area that we can befriend? How about church? How about classes to improve our French? Which market should I go to? Where can I buy socks and underwear? (I don't know why, but this seems important.)

The Becoming of Memories

 Today was an interesting day. A revisiting and packing up of memories in preparation for future. I was hesitant to begin the removal and storage of all of our wall hangings, decorations, books ... the signs that have made this house our house and not that of someone else.

Is it the thing, the place that is so dear ... or just that it is what, where our memories rest upon? How come memories feel so sweet and yet so tender all at once?

It was hard at first to fill the boxes, but now I am finding it somewhat cathartic. With each bare wall exposed and empty bookcase wiped down, I am reminded of what really makes this house special. Our home and yard have been lovely, yes. But what has truly made it special is that it held us and our memories. The us  part ... well, we are still intact. Ready to be held by a new place ... together. Us.

My mama was here for the day, a regular workhorse she is. She packed box upon box with tetris-like precision. Not only was she a massive help, but it was a treasure to talk about future plans and reminisce over the past. After unloading the attic, we came upon the box marked "wedding dress" and I remarked that after sixteen years, I have never once taken it back out, nor tried it on.

So, guess what we did.

Our Kind of Fun

This evening we played croquet. At first glance, we are a menacing group.

Like Nothing Else

One of the marvelous things about this move is how we have been questioning our spending and our acquisitions, as we need to curb both. The result has been a winnowing of possessions (we still have pleeeeenty!) and an adjustment in our gift giving.

For Father's Day this year, Pops received a homemade, from scratch double-layer chocolate cake with chocolate ganache with candied lemons from Lucette (wowzas), a painting of geraniums entitled "You are Always Here for Me" and a plate of cookies from Jane, and from Peter, a hand-whittled letter-opener carved from a laurel wood branch in our backyard.

Doesn't handmade say "I love you" like nothing else?

And this is not your own doing ...

We are in process of finishing the sale of our house. A week on the market, sold for a reasonable price for both parties (we think, at least!), to an adorable young Christian family that is expecting their first baby in October. Praise God. I absolutely despise negotiations, as I find the pull between looking out for our own interests, yet being mindful and kind to other parties involved ... a nerve-wracking tightrope walk. Praying the inspection goes well and the final details are managed smoothly.

In the interim, as we are not quite ready to begin the massive disassembling and packing-up of the house, I've begun research on possible English-speaking churches or general fellowship in area we will be living. This has been a massive prayer of ours, that God would provide some sort of connection/fellowship with other believers ... in English ... while our language skills move past infancy.

Berry Picking Preparation

 In the midst of all of this house-selling hoopla, we hope to break out tomorrow morning for some strawberry picking.

Jane painted her nails in anticipation. It's always lovely to match your manicure to your activity!