The More You Plan...

In the world we live in, we all want to make plans for our lives.  We want to plan our careers, our children, our future.  But as a prime example, we have learned the hard way that "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry".  But it is in that "awry" where God is.  Our plans, as miniscule and self serving as they really are, rarely combine with God's plan for our lives.  And every now and then we experience an awry moment that works out better than any person could plan.  This is one of those moments.
For just at a year now, my mom found out her Cargill plant in Decatur was closing.  This was a double blow because she had only been back around 4 months.  She left a different job willingly because of its high stress environment to return to Cargill.  Then with the economy crash in October 2008, Cargill decided to once again close Decatur, just as she was re-settling into her previous role.  So knowing that she could move with the company was a plus, but her and my dad didn't want to leave Decatur. 
Then a joint venture with a company in Louisiana (LSR) looked like a possibility, and she tried to get that job.  It would have put her right next door to her favorite daughter!  But with lending tight, the deal didn't move soon enough, so she ended up taking a role in Memphis in August/September.  She has been living in Memphis each week, trying to sell her house, and find one in Memphis for a few months.  She should have been in Memphis by the beginning of November.  Anything and everything that could have "gone awry" has.  From appraisals being off, to multiple offers falling through, they had yet to have an offer accepted, and are 2 months behind the original schedule.  On November 19, LSR finally closed and will begin construction immediately.  She was called back and asked if she was still interested.  So long story short, she is house hunting today in Prairieville, LA and is moving here with us! 
With all the effort in trying to keep a good job during this economy, and trying unsuccessfully to move down here, it fell into place when we least expected it.  My parents will now be moving in down here when I will be undergoing IVF.  If successful, we will now have family and grandparents when our baby (or maybe 'ies could be a reason for the extra help!) comes in the fall of next year.  With the hard year it has been for our family, both Randy and I and my parents, 2010 should start out wonderfully.
We planned for a pregnancy a year and half ago, with no success.  We are having to go to the extreme fertility end in order to achieve this with January 2010 as the earliest date.  My mom switched to a hopefully happier job and the plant closed, leaving her jobless in Decatur.  After a year of planning with Cargill, she is now moving to Louisiana January 2010.  When our 2008-2009 planning seemed so far off track, so far awry and heartbroken, we sometimes forgot that Christ is in control.  His plan for us, seemingly to converge our tracks in January 2010, is always so much more than we can imagine that His glory can shine through. 
Faith is hard when life is crushing the breath out of you as your hopes and dreams lay shattered at your feet.  But when His plan for our lives reveals itself, it takes your breath away.

It Has Begun!

I called FINO today, and I start my BC prior Tuesday to treatment! I
am tentatively scheduled to go for our scheduling appointment on Jan
8. That is where we will get our schedules, directions, and laying out
our specific gameplan. So around mid January we start our first, and
hopefully last, IVF cycle!