Big News

We're moving to England!  I changed the blog layout to mark the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.  Do you like it?  It's very... worldly (in a good way).

I apologize for the lack of posting this last month.  The month of May was particularly stressful, with many life decisions up in the air, but now our plans are firm (barring an act of God), and Nathan and I are excited about the future.  Okay, I'm very stressed, but I'm excited too.

To make a very long story short, Nathan and I are making the transition to Durham, England, on September 1.  Nathan will be pursuing his PhD at the University of Durham in Historical Theology, and we will be there for three years.

I'm sure you have questions.  I have a million floating around in my head, and I'm not sure where to begin.  There's just so much to tell you!  I'll just write a list of whatever comes to my head first.

- We were hoping to start in January, as Nathan didn't hear back from any of the schools to which he applied until late May, but God closed the doors at both of our jobs.  Therefore, we decided that we probably needed the push out of the nest to get started sooner.

- We're on a wait list for married student housing at the university, so we'll probably have to find a flat when we arrive.  No one will take a reservation without a deposit.  We can't make a deposit unless we have a British bank account.  We can't have a British bank account until we show up in person.

- I will be able to work there with no problem, as I will be an "international student dependent."  I first have to get a number (like an equivalent of a SSN) that will enable me to do so, which I can't get until I have an address and a bank account.  So... I'll have to wait to get a job there.

- We will be keeping both of our houses (our primary residence and a rental property) and renting them out as a means of generating some passive income while we're away.  The tenants at our rental house are AWESOME, and their lease is up in January.  Our house will be available in August or September fully furnished to help save on storage costs.  Plus, we love our house and would like to come back to it, Lord willing.  We're going to try renting them out for a year.  If it works, great.  If not, we'll sell one or both.

Okay, this is getting long.  I will stop here for now.  I have a lot of pictorial updates for you, as Nathan and I returned from a good visit with my family from May 30-June 10, and a Parker family reunion from June 12-16.  I think I'll do that in the near future.  I'm just really overwhelmed now with all of the details that need to be taken care of to prepare for an international move in a matter of 9 weeks.

If you have a burning question, please leave a comment and I'll try my best to answer it ASAP.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Like I said, I'm excited but I'm also extremely stressed!