Make sure to check out Part 1 to be caught up on our love story!
My heart seized inside my chest as I heard the phone click off. I sat there in shock for a few seconds at what I had just heard from the other side of the phone, but as that faded, I was filled with resolve. I was going to move. I picked up my phone and immediately called my mom. "I'm moving." I told her, to which she replied, "I know, sweetie." I had been talking about moving at the end of summer or beginning of fall and this is what she thought I was talking about. "No, I am moving now." I told her the phone call I had just had and that if I was going to actually meet this guy in person and get to know him face to face, I was going to have to move. My mom didn't even skip a beat, "Well, ok then!" I love my mom! Y'all, I cannot even begin to explain the peace I had in this decision. Looking back, it can seem like a split second decision (and it was!) that didn't have any merit to it, but I knew in the deepest part of my heart this was exactly what my next step was supposed to be for my relationship with Jaymes. I will stop here and tell you all that the deployment never actually followed through. They packed up and waited for a few days, but never got sent out. But even when he called me and told me they weren't going, I still knew moving was my next step. I didn't waste any time. I contacted my sister living in North Carolina near post and asked her about possible job opportunities. She got me connected with a friend of hers who got me connected to a moms group in the area where I was looking to move. I reached out to the group and told them I was moving to the area in July (there were no grounds for this date, I just decided it would be July and moved forward with it) and that I was looking for a full-time nanny position. At the time, I wasn't CPR certified and I knew that if I was going to get a good nanny job, I needed to be certified. So not a week into deciding I was going to move, I prayed that the Lord would show me the fastest way to get CPR certified. The next day after this prayer, I walked into the office at the ranch and our head wrangler was talking to our GM about this CPR course the ranch was hosting the very next week. I couldn't believe it! I piped up and said, "Can more people join or is it full already?" Marce (the head wrangler) said there was still an opening and he'd be happy to have me join! I was so excited! And to top this all off, the ranch paid for it. This was the first tangible sign that I knew God had placed the desire to move in my heart and He was going to guide each step along the way. I didn't want to stress Jaymes out with the news I was moving, so I waited a few days to get my ducks sort of in a row before I told him. He was excited but apprehensive at the news and made sure I was doing this for me and not him. I assured him that I was doing this for me and that I knew that me moving wasn't guarantying we would work out. I told him the only reason I was moving was so that I could actually see him face to face and date him in person. At the time of my moving, I had my sister and her family here and my grandparents as well. If he and I didn't work out, I had family near by. Jaymes knew traveling for him was extremely difficult with being in the army and Covid restrictions and that my moving would allow us to take the next step in our relationship - which was to actually date. Now that Jaymes knew and I was CPR certified, I began to aggressively search for a job. I had a connection with a landlord already through my sister and he and I were already working on a rental property for me, but I couldn't move forward with anything he sent me till had a job secured. The mom group seemed promising at first with the few replies I received, but when those fell through, no more came. I decided to try CARE.com and made a quick profile. It was now about two weeks after deciding to move and my job at the ranch knew I was leaving. I had about three more weeks till I had decided I was going to leave (July 7th) and I had nothing lined up. Why July 7th? I have no idea, it was just the date I gave myself as the finish line so that I would be able to push myself to get everything lined up. Sign number two from Jesus... My mom had recently moved to the ranch to work with me. I loved having her there and I was so excited about working together all summer. I was so sad to only have one month with her, but Jesus knew that her coming was exactly what I needed. I was able to train her and hand over my job title to her when I left. It was such a smooth transition and the ranch was getting someone who I fully believed would take great care of the front desk team. I was also able to give her my cabin on ranch. I had talked to the GM when I decided I was moving and asked her if I could train my mom for my position and with her taking on more responsibility, if she could also have my cabin. She absolutely agreed and it was the peace of mind I needed leaving my mom out in Montana all by herself. I had no idea I would be moving at the beginning of the summer and just a month after she arrived, but Jesus knew and He knew exactly what He was doing bringing her out there! Ok, job on the ranch was taken care of. Landlord was searching for homes for me. And, I was receiving several wonderful messages through CARE.com about families looking for a full-time nanny. Now, at this point in our love story, I haven't talked much about Jaymes. We were still talking every day and face timing when we could, but honestly, I was so focused on getting everything lined up, I don't remember much from our conversations in June of 2020. He stayed supportive and encouraging and as the weeks went by, we both were getting very anxious about finally meeting in person. On June 28th, 2020 I received the email saying the family I had been chatting with and had interviewed with had hired me to be their full-time nanny. I was ecstatic! My landlord had a property on hold for me and all he needed was the contract from the family to seal the deal. I emailed him immediately and we began the process of finalizing my rental. Now, remember my July 7th date? Well, that was literally just a random date I pulled from thin air the day I got the call from Jaymes. It was less than a month from the call to the contract for my job and the rental was finalized within that last week of June. Guys, I have to stop here again and just say, if God has laid something on your heart that you know deep in your soul is your next step, lean into it! I had no answers to everyones questions until a week before I left the ranch. I had no idea if anything with Jaymes would even work out on the other end of this decision. All I knew was that when I got that call from him in the beginning of June, I was supposed to move. That was it. God handled the rest. I ended up leaving the ranch on July 8th, 2020. I had done it. In just five weeks, I had gotten everything with my job and my cabin wrapped up at the ranch. I had gotten a job lined up and contracted in North Carolina, and a house lined up and signed for. I was moving across the United States for a man I had only ever talked to on the phone and who I had only known for four months. Yes, I was crazy, but I was also 1000% sure about my decision. Never once over those five weeks did I ever doubt what I was supposed to do. It took me three days to drive from Montana to North Carolina and I arrived on July 10th, 2020, exactly four months to the day from the day I first messaged Jaymes. I arrived in the late afternoon and my sister helped me move everything into my adorable little round house. I remember pulling up with my little Honda Accord packed to the rim with all of my belongings and thinking, I'm here. I'm actually here. It had been a whirlwind getting here and the journey was only just beginning. Once everything was in my house, my sister went back to her home and I began to up pack the very few belongings I had. Jaymes was to arrive around 7pm and I was getting so anxious. I unpacked what I could with the brain power I had and then I took a cold shower because the South in July is beyond hot and I was already missing the Montana air. I changed into a white tank top and a pair of floral summer pants to try and stay cool and I waited for 7pm. I heard his truck pull up and my heart began to race out of my chest. I walked to the front door as I heard him walk up the deck... To be continued...
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2 Timothy 1:7For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND. Archives
March 2021
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