First Week in Ohio

The Haps
Current location: Our temporary home at Extended Stay Deluxe Columbus, Polaris. Not sure what makes it "deluxe"...the DVD player? The place isn't that impressive, really, but it's five times the place we were originally going to move into.

Our temporary dwelling.

Listening to: Faceless Sonic Boom, the new, free album by the band girls in the eighties. Lovin' it. They're a noisy pop band playing music similar to the stuff Tara and I did on our album only probably lots better. They sound like a whole choir is singing on a lot of the songs. Very upbeat. Their frontman is my friend on Last.fm, but I would recommend them anyway. Download here. [[Parental Advisory: Explicit Content]]


So many haps in the last two weeks. Our belongings were put on a truck, and we hauled our Pathfinder behind our Expedition all the way to Columbus. Since then Tara has been hard at work finding us a place to live, and we've already signed a contract and starting talking with a mortgage broker! 

The house we hope to get.

We just had the house we want inspected. It's ninety years old, and it has some issues, so there's still a lot to negotiate. I learned a lot about foundations, guttering, mold, furnaces, and lots of other stuff this morning.


Meanwhile, my job is going well so far. I have a tiny office in a huge building. Hundreds of people work at GSW, so there are many opportunities to make friends there. Everyone looks like they're having a good time. It's a really cool and interesting place. I'm spending most of my time learning everything I can about chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer.

"The Eclipse", the "wind kinetic structure"
in front of the building where I work.
There are many such structures by the
same artist in Columbus.

We've also had dinner at a family's house and had a few date nights already. We're getting to know our new surroundings and the community we hope to live in, which is Delaware, Ohio.


Whoa, it's raining like crazy now.


We're spending tomorrow at the hospital where our girls will be born. We'll go to a birthing class for parents of multiples, and we'll get a tour of the delivery area and the neonatal intensive care unit.


Thoughts
Most of my thoughts lately have been about how to make the most of the new opportunities we have here, particularly regarding my new job. When I come home to see Tara, I'm fighting to think about anything besides lung cancer, so I'm definitely engaged. If anyone sees me posting stuff on Facebook, know that those times are the little bit I'm taking during the day to clear my head and think about something else for a minute! When I come home, I'm still reading and learning, or at least thinking about what to do with what I've learned.


I'm the luckiest husband in the world to have a wife who does all the house-thinking for me! She lets me be involved as much as I want, but she's the one who organizes and runs everything. She's more particular about where we live anyway, and I just want her to be happy, so it's really nice that she is leading the way in all the decisions that need to be made.


Today's Scripture
2 Samuel 7 (NKJV)
Key verse: (21) "For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them."


Reflection
No action in this chapter, but I still love it. David and God have a conversation via Nathan the prophet, and it's a very positive talk...unlike one they'll have a little later in the book. Verse 21 resonates with me a lot right now because it's exactly how I've been feeling toward the Lord lately. His recent blessings toward Tara and myself are tremendous, and it's for no reason that we can see except that He wants to. 


Granted, everything He's blessed us with has caused us some amount of difficulty, but it could have been a whole lot worse, and we have so much to look forward to in the months to come that you'll never hear us complain! We usually have to go through a little bit of hardship to get to the best stuff in life, and this time we can see it coming miles away! 


The crazy thing is how little I deserve any of this. Yes, I serve the Lord, but only when it's fun and easy. I'm no great servant by any means, but He treats me like I am...even though I like to listen to music with explicit content. So I'm crazy grateful to my Lord! 


There is a verse I've been reminded of this past week, and it's weird because it's literally a satanic quote! But it's in Job 1, where God is glorifying His servant Job in a conversation with the devil. In verses 9 and 10, Satan responds to the Lord saying, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land."


Prayer
Lord, I do fear you. I know that all you have blessed me with could easily be taken away tomorrow. You give and take away--blessed be the name of the Lord.


Like that old serpent said, you've made a hedge around me, my household and all that I have on every side. You've blessed the work of my hands, and my possessions have increased in the land!


And to quote David, "For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them." I am so thankful. As he said in verse 26, "Let Your name be magnified forever."


If it's Your will, please continue to help us through this process of getting this house. You see how much Tara wants it...but we want Your will.


Thank you, in Jesus' name.


Final Thoughts
Tara and I were just discussing whether we might have to give up on this house and move into a nice three-bedroom apartment. At this point, we're at the sellers' mercy, and timing is a big issue with our pregnancy. I won't bore you with the details, but there's your update. Thanks to all of you who have prayed, and you can keep it up if you want!