Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. So when I got to college, it was a no brainer on what I wanted to major in. Middle School Math Education. {I know, I'm nuts...now you see why I cuss. lol. jk. kinda...} When Nathan & I decided we were going to get engaged soon, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to move back home {from ACU which was 5 hours away} to go to the University of Houston. The only problem that came up was I had 2 years left at ACU but when I transferred, UofH didn't take all my transfer credit toward my degree so I added a year of school. 

Fast forward 2 years...I am in my {first} senior year of college - married - & my in-laws tell us that my father-in-law has taken a job in small town Alabama as the Senior Pastor of a church there. First, I was shocked. Second, I knew that the pressure would start coming for us to move there. My husband is an only child & very close to his family. Not to mention that he has always wanted to work with his dad. The first Thanksgiving my in-laws lived in AL was a nightmare for me. They kept showing us houses we could live in & all kinds of crazy things. Looking back, I know they were just excited and really hoped that we would live by them again some day. But at the time, all I could think about was I was about to start my FINAL semester in college & the last thing I wanted to do was transfer again. Or worse...not finish. So the thought about us moving there got pushed to the back burner. I kept saying "I will never move there. I will never move there." {HA!}

Fast forward 6 months...I just finished my semester of student teaching & last semester of college. I loved where I did my student teaching, but they did not have any job openings for math. Instead of walking in my graduation ceremony I decided to have a family vacay {minus my brother...sorry James...}. When I got back, I started working for my mom while I tried to figure out where God wanted me to work. & suddenly God opened a door. To Alabama. 

I heard from my father-in-law that they were going to be "rearranging" the current staff into some different roles to be prepared for the college that was moving to our town. Because of that, they were going to need a Youth Pastor. Funny thing? Nathan went to school to be a Youth Pastor & had been feeling like God was calling him back into full time ministry. YIKES! I kept having this thought that if God really wanted us in Alabama then I should probably get out of the way & let His will be done instead of me trying to tell Him where I won't live. I called my father-in-law & told him what I was thinking & feeling. He told me I was crazy because this wasn't a good time. I said that it didn't seem like it, no. But it was God's timing & will & we should see what happens. He talked with the church leadership...and here I sit...in small town AL/GA. {p.s. we really are on the border, so sometimes it's hard to remember what state you're in} 

Is living 700+ miles away from my family hard? Everyday. 

Is not knowing a lot of people & trying to adjust to the culture one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life? Absolutely. 

Would I trade the fact that my husband gets to live his dream of working with his dad? Heck no. 

Is God's timing simply complicated? Yeah, huh!