odds and ends

My life should be titled, "Odds and Ends" as it seems so damn appropriate for the craziness of our chaotic life.  We seem to have our fair share of 'odd' and a lot of loose "ends" right now.

The loose ends revolve around the distinct possibility of Marc being transferred.  We've been in North Dakota for 8 years now and are in our second house here.  When we moved here in 2003 we bought a house on 3 acres just north of town with a gorgeous view of the river.  I loved the layout of that house and reveled in it's bright interior and southern exposure.  Sadly, on only 3 acres, our growing menagerie needed more space to stretch their legs. 

We bought 40 acres of beautiful rolling grassland and planned to build a house, but before that happened, this house came up for sale and was on 40 acres.  It's plenty big and has a nice layout, but I wasn't wild about it at first.  We've been in this house since 2006 and slowly over time, we've claimed it and made it not just another house, but H.O.M.E.  We finished the basement, added counter tops, flooring, barns, arena's, fencing and I now feel at home in this house.  We have 2 of the worst, lousiest neighbors alive, but I can overlook them, ignore them and find joy in our home and it's setting.

There are 3 very possible transfers in the wind right now.  Each of those transfers hinge on a multitude of other factors far outside our control.  We understand that moving is a possibility again for our family, but this time, we aren't finding much joy in it.  We've made good, life-long friends here and have become members of a church our whole family enjoys and feels connected too.  Going to church on Sunday isn't just about worshipping God, it's about connecting, visiting and giving to friends and a community.  I'm not sure that kind of church family will be easy to replicate somewhere else.

We've moved before and will probably move yet again.  I just wish that the government would give us some clues as to the directions things are heading.  Until then, we sit and wait for Marc to get that infamous email telling him he has 90 days to report to the new office.  Of course during those 90 days, there's a mad dash of a house hunting trip, getting the house ready for sale and appraisals, organizing for movers, closings, kids' schooling, finding new doctors, friends, church, veterinarians, etc, etc, etc.  If I had to lay money on this, with our luck, we'll move sometime in the next 8 months and inevitably it will be during a blizzard. 

My ability to move spur of the moment has waned over the years.  C'mon gov.  Give us a clue!