Adventure Awaits! The story of our cross country move and embracing change.

When I was homeschooling my littles, my husband re-purposed a gardening shed into our homeschool room. I've never fancied myself much of a decorator, but for some reason, I got it in my head that I wanted the phrase "Adventure is Out There!" painted over the door. I wanted my kids to understand that our family valued adventure and being willing to do things and try things that may be unconventional (such as homeschooling). I didn't want them to just hole up and read about adventures... I want them to go out and create their own. I want them to have the courage to be do-ers and not just dreamers. I didn't quite trust myself to paint it beautifully, and when I found a decal on Etsy proclaiming "Adventure Awaits," I decided it was the same message and posted it above my door.

As a family, we were given the opportunity to put this value to the test in 2025. Long story short, we found ourselves having a family meeting about potentially uprooting and moving to a completely different part of the country. The idea seemed crazy on paper. We have 3 teenagers. One of them going into his senior year. We owned one small business that was geographically tied to Texas, and my employment was tied to a type of education that was not going to be accessible in the new area. Still, there was just an underlying discontent and feeling of, "Is this what our life is supposed to look like?" (Or in the soundtrack to my life, I could hear Belle singing, "There must be more than this provincial liiiiiiiiiife.") After much prayer and conversations, I asked each one of our kids. "OK. Pretend that we don't move. Nothing changes. We just go on with life per the status quo. Do you feel relief or disappointment?" I was amazed when my soon-to-be senior responded, "Honestly... a little disappointed. It sounds like an adventure." My heart swelled. He got it. Mission accomplished.

We decided to take a step of faith and see what happened. We continuously prayed that the Lord would guide us, and if we were chasing after something nefarious, that He would providentially slam the door shut in our face. At each juncture, God seemed to be opening doors instead of closing them. At one point I told my husband, "I think that God rarely calls us to stay put, to stay comfortable." Along the way, my husband was offered a job that provided a means for us to move, we found a home that we fell in love with, and we addressed each hurdle as it came with God's tender care and provision. So with the final blessing of our children, we started a two-month whirlwind of a massive life change. We started packing up our house of 11 years to move 8 hours away in a little more than 2 weeks. My husband has called it a "reset" of our lives, but more than that, it's the chance to write our own story, to stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zone, and dare I say it? Live an adventure.

So as I sit here in our little corner of Arkansas, reflecting on all that has transpired, I can't help but be thankful for an opportunity to model for our kids what I wanted for them to embrace in those early years. We get one chance at this life (as YOLO loves to remind us), and if we are trusting in God and leaning on each other, we can face anything. Y'all. Those 2 1/2 weeks were brutal. The goodbyes to faithful friends who had no idea all this was cooking up in the background were so hard. There was the deep sadness of saying goodbye to the house that raised my kids. I took pictures of the scribbles behind my daughter's door and on the underside of the island countertop (which just proved that she KNEW she wasn't supposed to be writing on the walls!) Goodness, I start to tear up just thinking about it. I know I couldn't have done a long drawn-out goodbye, but ripping off the bandaid and leaving was rough.

The kids and I had to move with the help of my in-laws while my husband was in training for his new job. We enrolled them in public school. (I'll write another post on that another day). Everything has been turned upside down from the rhythms of our daily lives to the scenery we see on the way into town.

Yet with each season that passes, we are embracing the new. (Some days with more of a cheerful heart than others.) God has been so FAITHFUL in the midst of all the change. I wrote the following words of Ruth Chou Simons on our refrigerator recently, "The hero of your story is the faithfulness of God." Even though life doesn't look the way I imagined it just a year ago, I am so thankful to Him for being the author of our story. With reduced social engagements (since we didn't previously know anyone in the area), we have been given the gift of time together as a family, which has been delightful. Hiking, fishing, kayaking... exploring all of the beautiful areas just a stone's throw from our backdoor.

The good news for you? As the dust settles from this transition, I am back to focusing on Scholé Songs, and new music is coming soon! In fact, for those of you in Cycle 4 right now, I just finished a Scripture song to go along with the Philippians 2 passage that you are currently working on! I've made it a free song, and it's available on my YouTube channel if you'd like to share it!

Philippians 2:1-11 (Imitating Christ's Humility) - NIV Version

I've also posted new math (Liquid Equivalents), history (Monroe Doctrine), and geography (Lines of Latitude and Longitude) songs for our All-Access Members. More to come soon!

Blessings to you and yours in 2026. And may you be bold enough to choose your own adventure this year!