what I wouldn't give for a little permanence

Change is in the air.  But isn't it always with us?!  We moved twice in 2013.  Twice in six months, to be precise.  I quite enjoy moving, as much as anyone can enjoy moving.  The organizing, de-cluttering, figuring out where everything is going to go in the new house, decorating, etc.  It's kind of fun.  The stress, kids unpacking boxes you packed, kids throwing fits because you packed their stuff and they just don't understand...not fun.  So we moved twice last year, and I foresee at least one move in 2014.  I have no idea when, but we are probably going to move somewhere, sometime this year.  It's kind of a nice thought, because I don't love this house, and when we moved here we knew it would never be permanent.  So the idea of moving again hopefully will bring with it some permanence.  No,  I doubt we'll buy a place -- not so long as we live in this city, anyway.  But hopefully we can find something that fits us better.

And the idea that we will probably move in the next 11 months leaves me feeling a little unsettled here.  It's the let's-just-put-the-Christmas-decorations-back-in-storage-because-we-won't-need-them-again-in-this-house feeling.  The why bother mentality.  The picture that was supposed to get hung on the wall in Halle's room?  It will probably just stay sitting on her dresser waiting to go back into a box instead.  I might not get around to finishing re-decorating post-Christmas. I haven't yet, so why bother now?!

I was reminiscing back to our time in West Africa and just how much has happened in our five years of marriage.  How much has changed, how much we've moved, how much we've changed.  It's been a busy five years.  A crazy five years.  And honestly, I hope the next five are much more...normal.  Sane.  I hope we can settle in somewhere and find a little permanence.  A place, a job, a community (here or elsewhere) where we can settle in and grow.  Grow these kids of ours that we've birthed in the crazy years and keep growing up ourselves.

I'm sure you'll hear more as the fuzziness of what 2014 will bring comes into focus.  For now we're praying, trusting, waiting.