We are 5 months into 2019 and I never would have imagined our year would be filled with so much already. We found a house, put in an offer and it got accepted sooner than we expected. So we put our house on the market and within a week we had an offer that we accepted. The following month was full of packing, finding out the home we were going to purchase fell through (which left us essentially homeless – yay for family that’s willing to take us in haha), moving, cleaning and projects before we closed on March 29th and officially handed over the keys.
It’s been over a month since then, and we’ve had a lot of people ask us what’s next in our journey. So here’s the post that shares what’s been going on behind the scenes of the Shaver Crew.
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For the first couple weeks of April, Aaron’s and my most popular sentence was, “I don’t know.” At least, it felt that way. No houses in the area we wanted were within our budget. We had no idea if we were supposed to venture outside of our desired area and we had absolutely no clue how long we would be in this predicament. Jobs were also a big question mark as Aaron has been looking for almost a year without any luck of even getting a call back (so not normal) while I had a growing bump and some unforeseen circumstances at work, all that was like a big sign saying, “you better find something because she won’t be working much longer.” In the meantime, we were coping with 2 family deaths that happened within 48 hours of each other AND trying to make some sense of the mess that was all of our belongings. I guess you can say we were (and still are) in a heavy transition period.
Aaron and I both believe that the verses in James 2:14-26, “faith without deeds is dead…” is true and we felt like God was asking us to take a step before He would make His move. This gave us some freedom to brainstorm and listen differently for His direction.
I listened to multiple messages and a reoccurring phrase I heard was, “I wish I would have taken more risks in my life. I wish I would have dreamed bigger dreams because God exceeded my little dream.” I began this thought process of “I wonder if we’re supposed to take a risk.” What would be risky in our world? Quitting my job. Staying with my in-law’s with no specific end date in sight. Building a business.
I decided to talk to Aaron about the idea (4.15.19).
“I’m not trying to get out of my job. I’m really not.” I proceeded to map out our schedule (a week off in May and another week and a half off in June – both of which would be without pay) and our current monthly bills (which had dropped significantly since we didn’t have a mortgage). I broke out how much I would make in my remaining weeks and how long we could pay our bills on that alone.
“It’s a HUGE risk. I get that. And I get that it would completely shift our house plans. But if I’m home with the kids, you have more freedom to explore business opportunities.”
Aaron jumped on board with this pretty quickly. He loved the idea that he could focus on a business, specifically farming. We agreed that this risk, if dedicated to God, would be blessed if we were good stewards.
We shared our thoughts with Rick and Michelle that night and talked over some logistics. The conversation went very well and although it was going to require a sacrifice from everyone in some form, we all believed God would bless it and the biggest emotion was excitement.
Aaron and I decided I would turn in my two-week notice at work on April 29th since our pay period ends on the 15th – which was 2 days before we fly out for Seattle. When I turned in my 2-week notice, I was excited but anxious – a feeling I’ve had every time I’ve ever turned in a 2-week notice. But I was confident that this was right, and that was all I needed.
It didn’t take long for my boss to request a meeting with me for the folllowing afternoon, April 30th. I figured this was to address the letter I left on his desk in addition to a potential list of things they would want accomplished prior to my departure. Or they would just cut me loose then and there. After some conversation, it was agreed upon that they would cut me loose and I packed up my desk and turned in my keycard that afternoon.
Wednesday, May 1st was my first day home – full-time mom, full-time business owner.
So “what’s next?” Let me break it out:
Job :: working Shaver Farms (caring for the animals, selling, marketing, keeping up with online stuff, etc.) & Usborne Books & More.
Housing :: in the same house as Rick & Michelle.
We are in such a unique season right now, and we are excited for what is to come. We’re thankful for the supportive family and friends in our lives that have brought encouragement, met physical needs and all the little (and big) ways God is already blessed us.
Can’t wait to share this journey with you!