The Only Constant

We're no strangers to change -- a growing family and military career will see to that! Change is almost always in the air for us, and next year will be no exception. We'll be heading out west (way out west, not to be trite) early in the year as my husband starts his next duty tour with the Navy. It was exactly the spot he wanted, and we're thrilled for that and for the new adventures we'll have -- neither of us have ever lived in that area of the country, and we're gloating over the plethora of state and national parks that will be available to us.

We recently explored a park on the banks of the James River -- finding a dead
fish carcass on the shore was a definite highlight for my children...

Once we've moved (almost) all the way across the country, we'll have a few months to settle in before we welcome a new member of our family, Lord willing in late spring! I'm on the brink of the second trimester, which has seemed to take an eternity. I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting for babies, though you'd think by now I'd have learned! Once again, I'm grateful to God for the way He works -- due to some "abnormalities" with my body's timing, I really didn't think I could get pregnant. But, of course, God loves to work past the limits we impose with our human reasoning. Our older children are so excited (about a week ago Little Man told me at bed time to "take care of the baby in your womb"), though they are hoping for a girl so that Rosa will have a sister.

I'm so grateful for good health thus far, and also the easiest pregnancy I've had to date. I've had virtually no nausea and my energy levels have been manageable -- both of which I'm attributing to a quality probiotic and more consistent use of spray-on magnesium oil (magnesium chloride flakes mixed equal parts with boiling distilled water is quite cost effective), since that's the only change I've made since my last pregnancy. Once in a while I'll feel a tinge of nausea, but it's usually short-lived and my stash of Glee gum seems to help. In fact, I often find myself forgetting that I'm pregnant at all. Although my already-visible baby bump quickly reminds me... *wink*

I'm trying to savor these last weeks in Virginia -- we've been exploring some places that we'd put off seeing. One such spot was Bacon's Castle, which is the oldest surviving brick house in the United States (the left side was built in 1665), among other notable things. Interestingly, the house is known as "Bacon's Castle" because it was overtaken by rebels led by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676 -- even though it's likely he never even came to the house! I had no idea that he and his men were responsible for burning down Jamestown, which is why it's now really just a ruin/archaeological site. Bacon died from dysentery just over a month later, and the rebellion fizzled out. And that's your history lesson for today. It's a chapter in America's past that I'd never even heard of!

We were only slightly disappointed that Bacon's Castle is not really a
castle -- and not made out of bacon, either! We checked...

Of course, I'm now wringing my hands as I consider all the places we didn't go -- but I have to remind myself that we may very well end up here again, and in that case our children will be older and better able to enjoy and remember the places we visit. And we still have time for a few more adventures!

It's easy to become overwhelmed with all that has to be done before we move, and the uncertainty of our housing situation once we arrive. But I remind myself that God's mercies are new every morning, and that He will give us the strength to make this transition -- even if it's not as effortless and simple as I'd like it to be.

But until then, there's life to live -- schooling for the littles, sweaters that won't knit themselves, and all the ordinary day-to-day. These are the moments that won't change, regardless of our location on a map. We're holding on to the familiar, but looking forward to what next year has in store!