Coffee Anyone?

If I were to set the scene for this conversation, we would be sitting in Starbucks and I would have a mug in front of me with a non-fat Chai Tea Latte....2 pumps.  You might possibly be rolling your eyes because your coffee drinking status has been elevated to new standards and you only buy coffee at trendy cafes where they pick their own beans, roast them, and create a flavor palate customized just for you while a poet hones his craft in the corner.  

Or you have some frothy drink piled up with whip cream and I kinda hate you because you can drink that stuff and not have to immediately take a nap.

Whatever your beverage of choice, I would take a sip of my tea and then sigh deeply before smiling at you and launching into the telling of the latest instalment of the Jenkins Family Adventures.

2014 clearly decided to engage in a fist fight with Scot and me.  It has been ugly......lots of bruises, scrapes and some scars but we are still standing.  Barely.  I promised in my last post to not be depressing....and I could SOOOO wallow right now.....but this is going to be upbeat.

Another sip of my tea.  Oh, how I love thee Chai Tea Latte.

We knew before Christmas that we would be leaving Singapore this summer.  The kicker?  We had no idea where we were going.  Luckily, enough other stuff was being thrown our way that being crazy worried about our next destination wasn't high on my list of stuff to worry about.  I figured God had this and when we needed to know, we would know.

For a while it looked like we might move to Denver.  Then it was Houston.  Neither one felt exactly right for us.  When Scot was offered a job that would move us to Chicago we sat back and contemplated the idea of moving to the Midwest.

Deep dish pizza, all 4 seasons, new adventures.....and it's close to Wisconsin!!  That last one didn't actually factor into anything except we know people in Wisconsin so it's kind of exciting since we don't know a single solitary soul in Chicago.  Well, except our realtor and loan officer but I am pretty sure they didn't intend to sell us a house and be our new besties.

I went with Scot to check out the area and we felt strongly that it was where we were supposed to go.  Soooooo......this family of 4 that has lived in Texas, Florida, and Singapore is now moving to Chicago where it snows.  We will be the only fools on the block running around with our tongues sticking out during the first snowfall and within 3 weeks we'll be sitting under sun lamps rocking back and forth muttering to ourselves about that big round orange thing that used to be in the sky.

I think we're going to be super popular there.

Another sip; although I'm sad that all the frothy milk is gone.

Our boys are thrilled about the move.  We have clearly instilled a healthy sense of adventure into them so something new is right up their alley.  I have one boy that is beside himself that we will have over an acre of land with trees which means he will be outside every possible moment in sun or snow.  The other one will spend as much time as he can in the big city.  They are excited to be going to Chicago but swear they will never be Cubs fans.

Scot would leave tomorrow if he could.  He is anxious to begin a new chapter and I am very proud of him for getting a great job that is going to be challenging and very interesting.  He will be travelling internationally so our frequent flier status is in zero danger of changing anytime soon.

As for me?

Another sip of tea while I figure out how to put my feelings into words.

I am looking forward to moving somewhere new.  I am confident it is the right thing for our family.  But there is going to be a mourning period as I rip up roots here and move somewhere to start all over again.  There are people here in Singapore that I love dearly that won't be a quick plane ride away.  I don't think I could even put into words the ways this place has seeped into the nooks and crannies of my heart and mind.  Asia has changed me in the last four years and for that I will be eternally grateful.

I know that God doesn't move you away from one thing without moving you towards another.  I look forward to finding out what is in store for me on the other side of the sad days.

We are already starting to see some "lasts" and have a good two months to wrap up the bucket list before the boys and I take our one way tickets and step onto the plane bound for Chicago.  It will be good to live in our home country again.  It will be REALLY good to have my own car!  Oh, and Target just happens to be right outside our new neighbourhood.  That is God's special little treat just for me.

I tip back my mug and drain the rest of my tea.

I am rambling....it's what I do when there are excess words floating around in my brain with no purpose.  It's time to get up and let someone else have our table until the next time we meet again.

I raise my empty mug to new adventures and deep dish pizza.  I raise my empty mug to our new hometown of Chicago!