TODAY!!

The countdown is over - Kelly comes home today! We are thrilled! Nolan couldn't sleep early this morning due to his exictement. There will be some major adjustments, I know. These past 8 weeks have seen a new routines, schedules, just a new way of doing things overall. Doesn't matter, though. We'll adjust as long as we're together.

More great news: We rented our house! This lets us out of our lease and saves us a tremendous amount of money. We are so thankful and this serves as another confirmation that all things are in God's hands. (Whew! So glad He's got it!)

Time to celebrate!!

Kelly's Heroes Take World Series

Kelly's blog will feature photos & details, but I'm a proud coach's wife, I just can't help it! The NSU Demons capped off fall ball with a World Series scrimmage of their own. Kelly coached one team, Kelly's Heroes and Coach Barbier, another assitant coach, coached the other. The Heroes pulled it off! Read all about it on the Demon Athletics Website.

Perfect Sunday

If you would have asked me at 8am on Sunday if I was expecting a perfect day, I would have said "only if I get a nap". We had been at church for several hours the previous day, and were ready to embark on another 4. It's not that I didn't want to go to church, it's just that the kids have attended 3 services each weekend plus the additional hours I put in before and after services. I was tired and my body was begging for a nap.

We went, I taught and we all made it! Claire & Nolan are super-troopers and waited patiently for an hour after services ended while I wrapped up. We headed to Burger King for a "special" meal and headed home, ready for a nap. I got a call from our dear friend Ms. Heidi, who invited us to her dad's house to ride horses and hang out.

Now, if you didn't already know, Claire's latest interest is horses. She's been begging to ride "a real one" and we had actually planned on riding lessons until our decision to move halted all such plans.

We had a glorious afternoon. The sun was shining, the air was perfectly autumn-crisp. Claire rode, Nolan rode, friends rode. We played games, we ate pizza. No nap, but still, it was decidedly perfect.

Fun Photos!

Claire attended a dress-up birthday party on Friday night. Ariel the Little Mermaid made an appearance!

Nolan posing at one of his favorite places - McDonald's Playland!

Sick & Tired (Literally!)

WARNING: This post contains (too much) information regarding sickness & what's known as 'spilling' in our house. Skip it & I won't be offended!! I've just got to vent!

Where do I begin? ... We enjoyed a lazy MEA break. No school for 4 days and we especially enjoyed our time off. So, we're at church on Saturday evening. I'm teaching our new Sat night format for K-2nd grades. We're excited because we're trying something new with music and puppets and skits - just great stuff. I'm running around the church a bit, placing signs to direct parents to our new location, setting up the room and making last-minute preparations. I told Nolan he could join the class since he'd be attending his 4-year old class for both services on Sunday while I'm "on", and because he was complaining of a tummy ache. Aside from the random complaint, however, he seemed fine, running around with friends. Well, it's 5:25 pm, and kids are arriving. We're playing games and getting ready for a fabulous time. Suddenly, Nolan approaches the group of kids I'm sitting with on the floor. I take one look at his gray little face and know it's coming. "My tummy!", he says... and it's all over. Literally. Nolan 'spilled' right then and there. (When Claire got sick for the first time as a toddler, her first reaction was to say "I spilled, Mommy!", and the term stuck.) Anyway, I scoop him up, but he's not done. Suddenly, I forget where I am, where the bathroom is, where the DOOR is! Someone directs me and we make our way down the hall, Nolan leaving his 'mark' as we go. We made it finally. Yuck.

So Nolan & I head home, Claire stayed with friends. Luckily we have several other teachers in the room, though I was the one teaching the Bible lesson. I put Nolan in the bath and he begged for food, "I promise I won't spill again, Mom!". You already know what happened next, and proceeded to happen for several hours. After along night and much worrying about what I was going to do about work the next morning, I was rescued by my friends & fellow co-workers. A friend came to hang with Nolan while I finally made it to teach during the second service. (I then came home to a house full of strangers, wanting to look at the rental... but that's another story.)

We recovered. We made it - until last night... When Claire got sick. It's never happened that just one is ill without the other catching the bug. Hers wasn't as severe, thankfully, but she didn't go to school today. Instead she hung out in the Children's Ministry office with me this morning, watching DVDs and reading the latest Junie B Jones. We called it a day at lunchtime and we all came home for naps.

So why do I share my (pathetic) story? To get in on the "record", for one, although this weekend wasn't one I'll soon forget. But also to recognize the fact that millions of single parents go through this kind of thing ALL THE TIME. Whew! I'm worn out just typing it. Sorry. Bet you're wishing now you would have skipped it, huh?

Orchard Afternoon

The sun finally made an appearance on Saturday, and so did we. Claire, Nolan & I made a visit to the apple orchard, for what will likely be the last time, for a long time.

Wet Weekend

It's wet. It's been raining for what seems like weeks. I haven't blogged too much about the weather lately. For those of you who have followed the Spann Fam for awhile, you know my obsession on the topic, especially during the months when the temperatures fall.

Well, get ready for a renewed obsession as we head south. The kids and I constantly talk about the fact that it doesn't snow in Louisiana. They're thrilled that we get to ride our bikes outside ALL YEAR, even in winter!

The high in Natchitoches tomorrow is 89 degrees, and as Kelly put it, "you choke on the humidity as you step outside". The weather is just one of the changes we'll experience as we head south.

It's MEA weekend, another unique characteristic of Minnesota. (We will have a week off at Thanksgiving in LA, though!). We're in day 2 of a 4-day weekend. We're laying low and relaxing. Last year at this time we took a family train trip to Wisconsin. Read all about it here. We spent the evening with local friends last night and are looking forward to seeing our wonderful friends, Ruthie & Naomi, for a few hours today. Tomorrow and Sunday bring church, which mean partial workdays for me.

I'm feeling a bit scattered... Not much to talk about, but lots of words to say, if that makes any sense at all. Perhaps I'll revisit the keyboard when I'm feeling a bit more... together. Until then: I Love Long Weekends!

16 Days

Two weeks and two days until Kelly flies back to Minnesota! (I resist saying "home", only because it won't be that for long.) I am literally counting down the days until we're all together again, in case you hadn't noticed...

We've been encouraged recently in our plans to move. We've found a Christian school for the kids to attend, with incredibly reasonable tuition. We'll be paying less for both Claire & Nolan to attend all day, than we currently pay for Nolan to attend preschool. It's a small church school, and we're totally thrilled about it. We were very concerned about school possibilities, as we're moving from the greatest public school system in the nation to... well, just about the worst. Our fears are eased now, however, as we know they'll continue to receive quality education as well as the opportunity to learn in a loving, Christian environment. This also means new uniforms, backpacks, shoes and lunchboxes, but we're hoping this creates excitement for the kids as they attend school together.

We've also found a few different housing opportunities in Natchitotches. Kelly has looked at newly built town homes that are available, and he's also looking at homes for rent. A family is set to look at our home this afternoon, and we pray that they fall in love with it and want to move in! Finding someone to rent before we leave would save us a lot of money and headache.

The time has flown by, and still so many things do to. We rejoice in God's sovereignty as we see His plan unfold before us!

Coming Together

In about a month we'll be 1200 miles away and our lives will be turned upside-down. Things are beginning to come together in preparation of our move, but much still needs to happen. We're looking for a place to live in Natchitoches, need to find a renter for our current home so we can break our lease, exploring education options for our children and oh yeah - I need to start packing. We've moved enough times now, however, that I'm an ol' pro. I can knock it out in a week or so!

I've taken on a bit more responsibility at work, which is continues to be a good thing. I enjoy keeping busy. Nolan & Claire are both enjoying being Star Students in their classes this month, as we prepare to say goodbye to friends, new and old.

So, not a lot new to report. Waiting & trusting that all that needs to happen... will happen. This journey has been one of faith for us, and we're facing the challenge that not everyone understands why we're taking this path. We are excited to see the victory Christ will reveal in His time and be know that we can claim it now. We're in the midst of the adventure that God has created in His perfect wilderness, and we rejoice that we have been chosen to be part.

Ready to Go...

I'm finally feeling ready to go. I haven't felt this way until this weekend. I was excited about the prospect of moving some place new, of Kelly's new job, of what the future holds, but I wasn't so thrilled about the idea of leaving Rochester. We've had a great time here. Kelly was challenged while at Crossroads, but I loved my job, we have a great church and though our social circle isn't huge, we have friends, both old and new, whom we'll miss dearly.

So when Kelly left, I was okay that we were staying for a bit. The idea of a long separation wasn't good, but I wasn't ready to leave what we have here. It's now 3 weeks later - And I'm so ready.

I miss my husband, the kids miss their dad. As of today, this is the longest we've been apart. My job has changed, which has been a positive transition, but I can leave at any time. We had a garage sale this past weekend, sold lots of stuff and made a little money.

We still need to find someone to rent our house, find a place to live in Natchitoches, not to mention the small detail of packing and making the actual move. But I figure those are just details, and we're trusting that God's timing is better than ours. It always is, isn't it?