The Feel Good Day

Are you familiar with this book?

When the boys were little it was one of our favorite books to read.  Each page has a different thing that "feels good."  Giving a great, big hug feels good.  Watching your grandparents dance feels good.  And so on.  Super cute.

Here's my own version of The Feel Good Book, based on my day yesterday.  I'm calling it The Feel Good Day:

1.  Having Brayan pray for you feels good.
Yesterday at our staff meeting, Brayan prayed for me.  Brayan is a man of few words, but when he prays, it's one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard.  He prays directly from the center of his kind and deep heart.  During his prayer, he thanked God for me and said that I was "like a mother" to him.  That felt really, really good.  I love him a whole bunch.

2.  Fighting for innocent teens girls in my neighborhood who are being victimized and finding out that the police were able to arrest the perpetrator feels good. 
Yesterday I got this email from the Captain of the Sac PD.   
 I want to thank you for bringing this situation to my attention. I feel certain that his victimization of these youths would have continued and that his behavior would have continued to be more extreme. We will never know what was prevented by this intervention.
 
3.  Watching teens from The GreenHouse present a project that they've been working on for the past 6 months to a packed house at the Library feels good.
They did a tremendous job showcasing some of the photos, video interviews, and essays they've created for the "Preserving our Present" project.  PLEASE, take a minute to check out the blog they've created www.preservingourpresent.org. And then be sure to follow the blog over the coming weeks as it will be updated weekly with more personal essays from the teens and photos that they've taken of our neighborhood.  If you only have time to read one post, read this one http://preservingourpresent.org/day/2012/07/20.  It will move you in a feel-good way. 

4.  Collaborating with an awesome community partner feels good. 
This is the manager of our local library.  Last year, she wrote the grant that allowed our youth to have the unique opportunity to document the history of our neighborhood while voicing their own opinions and feelings about the community.  She worked incredibly hard on the project and stuck with our youth, through thick and thin, to create an incredible finished project.  In the process, she feel in love with our youth and they feel in love with her.  And I gained a new friend.  

5.  Having the Vice Mayor of Sacramento say really nice words about you in public and later having her post more kind words on your facebook wall feels really, really good.  I heart Angelique Ashby.  She's rad. 

Now...if only moving felt good.

Right now, it feels not-good.  I can't tell which is harder - the physical exhaustion or the mental exhaustion involved in moving.  Needless to say, I'm kind of a big stress-ball these days.  But, thankful for the totally excellent day I had at work yesterday.  It was a much-needed reprieve from the craziness at home.
 

Update

Life is moving at the speed of light these days so I haven't had much time to breathe, must less communicate with many others.  If you are confused, here's our updates:

1.  We still don't have medicine for Jonah.  There was scheduled "peer-to-peer review" of Jonah's case on Friday (our doctor was scheduled to talk by phone to Cigna's doctor).  The Cigna doctor never called our doctor during the scheduled time and of course she didn't know which of the thousand 800 numbers at Cigna she was supposed to call to get ahold of them.  So unbelievable.

2.  We still don't have a house to move to.  We've tried and tried and tried.  See post from earlier today for further explanation.   

3.  All three boys got into the school we were hoping they'd get into - Urban Montessori School in Oakland.  It's one big way that I can feel God taking care of us during this big transition.  I could write whole post about it...so I probably will...someday.

4.  We've decided that we will start our kids at Urban Montessori on the first day of school - August 27th no matter what.  We feel a lot of peace about this decision. 

5.  Yes, refer to #2.  We have a school, but not a house.  No, I have no idea where we will be sleeping that night.  But, it's time to move.  So move in 2 weeks, we shall.

6.  We are staycationing (house-sitting) in Oakland right now.  We will be back in Sacramento on Wednesday.  From there, it will be lots of packing.

7.  I will continue on in my role as ED of The GreenHouse through October - or until we find someone to fill the position.  I am thankful that I can move without saying "farewell" just yet.  Feels more like a loosening, than a tearing.  While working in that capacity, I will work remotely (from Oakland) for much of the time and will commute up to Sac once a week. 

There, now you are all up-to-speed!

Really?!

Come on.  Of all the cities in the nation...why do we have to be looking for a home in the fastest-selling-city in the nation, Oakland, California.  My friend Amy sent me this link.  http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2012/08/09/3-top-cities-for-fastest-selling-homes-in-the-nation/

It just confirms what we are already living.  Very little inventory + moderate affordability (compared to SF...not compared to Sac) + low interest rates = bidding wars, multiple offers, and us losing out on every house we've tried to buy. 

Killing me.  Do Steve and I have a magnet on our bodies for "hard?"  

We press on.

Our kids' first day of school at their new school (Urban Montessori in Oakland) is August 27th.  We will be there.  We don't know where we will sleep that night.  But we will be there.  Extended Stay America, here we come?  Still praying we find a rental house or townhouse this week.  We'll keep you posted.

For now, I am on vacation (even though I worked a few hours this morning...the curse of loving your work).  I hadn't taken extended time-off in a loooong time and I really needed to spend some time with my kids before they started school.  And since Day Camp at the GH is over, it's the perfect time to take a little time off.

So, where are we on this vacation?  Oakland!  We are house-sitting for people who we don't even know.  They heard about our situation (Steve working in SF and us needing some family time) and offered to let us stay at their house while they are on vacation.  Their kindness and generosity is so humbling.  May I be that kind and generous to others when they are in need.  (And my friend Susannah totally rocks for setting this up on our behalf).   

While we are here, we are getting a taste of what life will be like here.  We are getting to have dinner with Steve after he gets off work.  We are playing and exploring and house hunting and relaxing.  It's just what we needed.  At the same time, it's been an emotional time for me.  So much change to process all at once.

I have zillions of pictures to post and lots to write about.  Hoping for time and space for that.