Sweet HOME Alabama

We are HOME... tomorrow will mark one week. And it feels SO good!

Our trip was smooth and uneventful and our transition into our home has been almost effortless! We are about 80% settled. I still have a few things to add here and there and our books have not yet been unpacked but they are stacked neatly in our garage.

The weather has been beautiful! I was giddy when I was able to wear open toed shoes out on Sunday. We met some couples that are teaming up with us for the Freedom House launch for dinner at Los Mexicanos. Yumm-o!

The girls all started school this week and they love it. Kelsea had to take a placement test which scored her so high that the counselor ran out and go the principal to come take a look and say hello. Kaitlyn was immediately enrolled in the AP and Dual Enrollment Graduation track at the high school. Haley and Lexi were also placed in great classrooms with fantastic teachers. They will be assessed after their records arrive but so far they have not missed a beat!~ What a blessing! To top it off they have all been inundated with thrilled friends who are so happy to have them back.

I have been getting in the groove of working from home and I think I hit my niche today. It just clicked! I knocked out a TON of work!

Craig and Isabella ran errands and spent some time at Freedom Park. Craig took the week off so he could help get the girls situated. Next week will be full speed ahead for him as well.

Our newest addition, Lola, our 10 week old Chinese Pug is adjusting with NO problem. She is such a baby. The girls are head over heels in love with her. Craig and I are smitten too... she is a doll.

Well... I DO hope to have so home pictures of the house and the area in the next few days. I have posted one here of our Lola. Enjoy!

And the Countdown Continues...

Getting ready to move and embark on our new journey has LOTS to do with packing, planning and purging. However, it also has a lot to do with spiritual understanding, hearing the voice of God, and being sent. Our weekend was full of all of those things.

On Saturday, after a full day of packing and prepping, we visited with some very dear friends of ours for a last bite of Chicago style pizza and a time of fellowship, encouragement, prayer and some prophetic ministry. It was bittersweet saying goodbye, we will truly miss them!

Sunday morning brought church at Faithworld. As usual, Pastor Daniel and Pastor Jennifer (see photo above) and their team ushered in the presence of God. It was a powerful day! Pastor Daniel has been doing a series on the end times. Craig and I have never heard it broken down like he has broken it down. Incredible!

At the close of the message, the Faithworld Dance Team did "Prophesy." I have seen this drama/dance done many times and I never tire of it. It is a powerful prophetic message. It was originally created by Karen Wheaton & Chosen from Hamilton, AL. My daughter Kaitlyn led a team at Evangel in the same drama/dance. She enjoyed watching Faithworld's interpretation and got some new ideas. It was POWERFUL! One of my favorite parts was when the army of God was literally bodyslamming the demons that were preying on the people.



After that, Craig and I and the girls were asked to come up front. Pastor Daniel and Pastor Jennifer commissioned us and prayer a powerful prayer of blessing over us. He spoke the a propetic prayer over us and the entire Faithworld Pastoral Team stood with us and agreed. Pastors Daniel and Jennifer also charged the congregation to pray for us. It was a powerful and beautiful time. We were "sent out" from Chicago for a new work in Christ! We felt the presence of God and had such confirmation. We are going to miss our friends at Faithworld. We have come to love them and hold a special place in our hearts for them. But we won't be too long in seeing them again. Craig is due to do some ministry here in Chicago in the very near future and I'll come back for business from time to time.

Sunday night I went to the nail salon for a much needed fill, boy was I overdue! I've been stretching them out to be more frugal. My hands definitely look better since I got them done! After that I came home to watch the ballgame with Craig. I am not a big fan but I watched the last bit with Craig while waiting for my favorite show, "The Office."

Today I worked, really trying to tie up loose ends so I am set for a few days out of pocket. Tomorrow will be incredibly busy as it is my last day in the Corporate Office. I have to pack up my office too... but it shouldn't take too long.

I'm going to heas to bed right now, I am sleepy and need the rest for tomorrow! Please keep us in your prayers!

Sloan Update

It is early (for me anyway) on a Saturday morning, and I am up. There is SO much to do before we leave Wednesday, and I am up for it, but oh my... so much to do! Craig spent yesterday getting maintenance done on our vehicle and a myriad of other "have to's" before we head out. And now I sent him to Ikea to pick up a mattress set that we desperately need. They are having a ginormous sale!

Things ARE coming together. I have been AMAZED at how God has opened doors at every point. Literally EVERYTHING we have needed has been answered, and it hasn't stopped. Sometimes I just sit back speechless in amazement. Words cannot express His goodness, grace and provision for us. HE IS GOOD!

It has made me think back to five months ago when things were looking not so promising. We were scared and unsure... yeah, I admit it, we were not "feeling the faith" so much. BUT... through some amazing family and friends (old and new), we were encouraged, and they prayed and believed for us when we couldn't, we were able to climb back up, find direction from the Lord, and begin to walk it out. HE WAS GOOD THEN TOO!!!!

Our plan is to pack our moving truck Tuesday afternoon/evening, then head out early Wednesday morning. We're taking our time because Craig is NOT a big fan of driving those trucks long distance. So, we plan to stop in Louisville, KY which is almost half way, about five hours drive from Chicago. We'll stay the night there, rest up, and meet Craig's brother David for dinner.

Then we'll head out Alabama bound the next morning and we should arrive there around 5 pm I think. So, we're in for a LONG couple days! And that is without unpacking! LOL! I'm up for it though!

One huge incentive for the girls is waiting for them in Alabama. Her name is Lola, a sweet 10 week old Chinese Pug. (Her pictures are on this post) The girls are very excited, although I am not sure our cat Bama Belle will be thrilled!

I do hope to get back to my regular blogging after we get settled. It has just been wild as I am sure you can imagine! In addition to packing, I have been frantically knocking out work projects that require my presence here, and also strategizing with Craig about Freedom House.

Once we get moved and settled, I will be able to organize and schedule my time. Lord knows I am looking forward to THAT!

Well, I have to run. We have a crew of guys from the church coming over in a few hours to help us move the big things from downstairs so we can be ready to load the truck.

We truly appreciate ALL of your prayers... what they mean to us you may never really know!

Touching Base....

The last few days have been filled with catching things up with Craig. So much to talk about, so much to share, and so much more to plan!

We now have a firm moving date, the Sloan family will be heading south February 4th. Our Alabama arrival will be February 5th. The house has been finalized, the utilities ordered, and the truck reserved. There is still much to prepare, but we'll take it one day at a time!

As I watch the news tonight, I am hearing that tomorrow will be even colder than today! With wind chill temps registering 47 below, it does not seem possible, but alas, it seems to be! More layers, and limited time outside home... THAT is key to surviving this Arctic blast!

I've been preparing at work for my transition to working remotely from Alabama. It is important that I cross every t and dot every i... I must be organized and proactive in this endeavor. There are some new developments that will enlarge my areas of responsibility as well. We are working diligently on transitioning several more projects onto our web based system which I oversee. I am ready for the challenge!

I wanted to touch base today since it had been a few days... I pray all is well with you! Drop me a shout out and let me know!

He Found Us a House!

We'll get the final word tomorrow via a signed lease but it looks like we have a new house in Alabama! Craig has been there all week working on finding us just the right place. Christy was my eyes since I could not be there, but she knows my taste and gave this house the nod.. and it is only five minutes from their new house! I'll post photos when we get moved in. There are so many added blesses that go along with finding this house and I'll share them later because I am turning in early.

This week has been crazy! My days have started at 5:30 am and had me getting home at 7 whereupon I had to get the girls fed, homework, more work, clean, and prep to do it again the next day! Whew! I am so glad Craig will be home Monday night! And then the marathon of packing and planning our move will shift to full force!

Tomorrow night I have a corporate party for work at Pinstripes, it is a bistro restaurant with high end bowling and bocce ball. I know it sounds weird but it is a really neat place and pretty classy. I'll take some pictures and post them this weekend. It is important for me to go because it will be the last time for a while that I will see some of my co-workers- those from surrounding areas anyway. For those of you who do not know, my employer has graciously offered me the opportunity to remain with the company and work remotely from Alabama! This was a very generous offer which I took of course, and it says much about those I work for and with as well as my own personal work ethic.

Furthermore, the announcement was made this week that my company was acquired by a huge corporation in Europe. I'll tell more about that later but this also presents such awesome opportunities for the company I work for. I am excited and eager to watch and experience the growth!

I think that is it for now... I am beat!

Well folks, this is goodnight...