I truly believe that we all have a path to walk on this Earth. Some things come easy and feel like second nature while at other times we question if what we are doing is the right thing. I think I am a pretty intuitive person. I have had many experiences in my life where I just know something is meant to be. For instance, for as long as I can remember I always said that I would be a teacher one day. I have always felt it in my soul and it is something that feels like second nature to me. Another thing is I always knew I wanted 4 kids. In fact my mom and I were just talking about how I always wanted boy baby dolls (it is like my soul knew I would be a boy mama) . As a little girl I would say that I wanted to live on the same street as my mom and well here we are going on year 15 of that very dream. Some things I just feel in my gut and those are the things in life that I trust with my whole heart. I know that God is guiding me and my family on the path that we are meant to be on. I also believe that God will give us slight nudges and hints keeping us on the correct path. If we fight against those gentle nudges that is when God will give us a bigger push in the right direction. I have told Chad from the very beginning of this process that I don’t want to force anything. I want to go with the flow and listen to the signs along the way. I believe that we will know when the timing is right. That being said I have definitely had my doubts and worries about moving. And just when I feel like I need validation God delivers. We have had some pretty big signs along the way and I am so grateful for these gifts. One summer day I was talking about moving to Tennessee with my MIL and SIL. I remember saying that I just wanted a sign to validate that moving to Maryville, Tn is what we are supposed to do. No sooner than that sentence left my lips did my phone start ringing. I looked at the caller ID and it read “Maryville, Tennessee” I looked up in shock and announced “OMG, Maryville Tennessee is calling me!” I went to answer it, but no one was on the other end… a sign? I think so! Another recent sign was early December. I was driving in the car with Weston, my thoughts about moving just swirling in my head. Doubt was creeping in and I remember talking to God and thinking ” I just want to know if we are doing the right thing.” Just then I pulled up to a stoplight. Right in front of me was a car with a license plate that read “Tennessee” Now in California we don’t often see vehicles with a Tennessee license plate. I hit Weston and said, “Look, Wes! It is a sign!” he definitely thought I was crazy, but I believe that God was giving me a gift at that very moment to settle my brain and give me a sense that He has good things coming for our family. These two instances were pretty big signs in my opinion, but there have also been many smaller “nudges” along the way. I don’t think that it was a coincidence that Chad started going to class out in TN 5 years ago. That was the beginning of a much bigger journey for us. Everything from coming across facebook posts, articles, youtube videos, casual conversations about moving, all of these I believe are nudges to keep us on this path that we are on. I used to say that if I ever won the lottery, I would buy a nice house in Napa and live comfortably here for the rest of my life. Now, if I won the lottery, I would still end up in TN. It is where I feel like we are meant to be. I feel it in my gut!
Talkin' Tennessee 