A good week gets better

Today I turn 37.  

That means I'm officially in my "late 30's."  I'm not bemoaning that fact; I'm simply stating it as it is.  I've become pretty comfy picking the 35-44 age category in the online surveys.  What's changed is that my son turns one (1) today.  As in, "I have a one-year-old boy."  And, my, isn't he all play-in-the-dirt, bowl-you-over, plain-and-simple boy.  So, it's a good day to celebrate on those facts alone.

But, my day gets better.  This morning I received a callback regarding an interview I had this week.  As of Monday morning, I'll assume the role of Director of Institutional Development and Alumni Services at Moberly Area Community College.  It's a very long title that means I spread a lot of love to the Alumni and represent the College to potential donors and grant organizations.  I spent a few years in MACC classrooms in the 90s before moving on to MU. And I have to say, I'm pretty excited to be back on campus in a role that lets me talk about the great work that's going on across the entire MACC system.

And to put some fondant on this celebration, Suz & I signed a contract on a house in Moberly this week.  

Reading that you may think our lives have taken a new direction.  You're right.

It seems in the past two weeks, I've told our story from a few different viewpoints, but it always ends the same.  At some point earlier this year, we realized it was time to go home.  Now, in the 13 years we've been married, this is the way it usually works:  

1) Separately we begin to feel like a change is coming in our direction.

2) We pray about it.

3) One of us says to the other, "I've been feeling like (insert earth-shattering revelation here)."

4) The other responds: "Wow... that's amazing, I'm feeling the same way."

When we started out 2011, I would not have expected to be moving into a house in Moberly and starting a new job right now.  I know a lot of others didn't expect that either.  I fully expected for Cooper to grow up as a gypsy child, wandering from one totally cool experience in some exotic locale to another.  But the longer we were out of the country this time, the more we knew our time overseas had come to a close.  There have been periods when I questioned the direction we were headed, but this time it was adamant and peaceful.  I tried to articulate that in our last newsletter to our sponsors.  There's a lot of work to be done overseas, but there's also a lot to be done here.  And our focus has shifted.  I don't know that I can pinpoint any one single answer to why we're back in Moberly, but I can tell you I'm very happy to be home and very hopeful about the future.