Adventures in Arkansas!

What a whirl wind month we have had here in the Manning Family. I have been so bad about blogging because for a while there, nothing new was going on. I didn't know what to blog about because life was pretty much all the same things. But then, Ty got the call from Wal-Mart that they wanted to interview him for a position they had available at their corporate head quarters in Bentonville, AR (pretty much Ty's dream job) and within a months time, we went on an amazing trip to Holland with my family, packed up our condo in Mesa and moved out to northwest Arkansas. Life for sure picked up and then I didn't have time to blog about it. But then again, I didn't know what to blog about because I wasn't sure how I was feeling about the move.
On one hand, this job opportunity couldn't have come at a more crucial time. We always knew the Lord was taking care of us and that everything was going to work out just fine in the end, especially since we were trying to live our lives that He would have wanted us to. When Ty got laid off a year ago, it was scary but we had always put money aside in a savings account and knew that we could live off of that for a few months. We changed out budget and lifestyle. And then one of our dear friends offered Ty a job with his company as an office manager. We thanked Heavenly Father every night for bringing the Picketts into our lives and for Danny offering Ty that job. That job and our savings kept our heads above water for a long time. Ty was finishing up school at ASU and getting his MBA. Part of the reason that Ty went back to school was because the leaders of our church encouraged the men to get as much education as possible. Ty always wanted to go back to graduate school but he felt that it was what God wanted him to do as well. So back to school he went. He struggled. I was a single mom for most of those two years. We relied on each other and God throughout it all. But when Ty finally graduated, the job offers weren't coming as quickly as we were imagining. I knew that our savings were getting low and that we were going to have to end our medical insurance in order to make ends meet. Ty never told me so at the time, he never wanted me to worry. But here is the amazing thing. Here is the reason that I know that God was mindful of us and our needs and our situation. After this month, our savings runs out. This job with Wal-mart wasn't just a job that Ty wanted, it was a job that we needed. God knew what He was doing. I'm not all that surprised about it either. This is exactly how He does things. He tests us. He stretches us. He asks us to take a step into the darkness so that He can be there to take us by the hand and lead us to light and safety. And then it starts all over again and hopefully the next time we will be more willing to take that step into the unknown because we know from experience that He will be there waiting for us. And when we do what He asks of us, He will bless us! It may not be immediate blessings (my goodness, I would have loved it if this job offer came 10 months ago) but there will be blessings. I know this. I am living proof of it.
But moving isn't easy and I was going to have to say goodbye to some amazing friends. I couldn't have done this last year without the friends I had in Mesa. I know it sounds dramatic but that's the truth. Even now, its really hard to imagine that these girls aren't going to be a part of daily life. My patriarticle blessing says that there are people that I will associate with in this life that I knew in the pre-mortal life. For the sake of sounding very Saturday Warrior-ish, I am so glad that we found each other. If I had Maren's way with words this would all be way more eloquent and poetic but I hope you get the idea.
With all that being said (and if you are still reading, Bravo! and thank you for sticking with me), Arkansas has been a very nice surprise! We are smack dab in the middle of fall and I am in love! The leaves are changing and I have forgotten how much I love autumn. The reds, golds, greens and browns. Add that to all the old rustic barns and its just unreal. Bentonville is small but very nice. I do have to do all my shopping at Wal-Mart because there aren't any other options but these are the nicest Wal-Marts I have ever been too. They better be since the one I go to is right across the street from the home office. Talk about pressure.
And here is a picture of our new home:

I love that we are in a cul-de-sac and there are tons of kids that play here everyday. Its really fun to watch them play night games and hide in each of our yards. They are a lot older than Elsie but they have been really sweet with her and I don't think she minds that they pay attention to her but then let her do her own thing and just observe from the side. Marley loves the backyard and I love that Elsie and her can go out there while I cook dinner and I don't have to worry. Okay, so I do (have you seen the size of the spiders out here?) but you know what I mean. I'll post more pics of our house once I feel like it is presentable. We are still in boxes and we haven't put up any of our pictures. But we are getting there.
Funny story though. Our first night in the house I was a little scared. You know how it is, new place, new sounds. Well, most of Elsie's life has been spent sharing a room with us. That happens when you are in one bedroom condo. I couldn't wait to get out of that condo so that we both could have our own rooms. But that first night, I had the worst separation anxiety. I hated that she was so far away from me. I was not anticipating that at all. Ty just laughed at me and I pretty much clutched that baby monitor all night. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night. But I'm glad to report that I am doing much better and Elsie wasn't fazed by it one bit.
If you have read through all that, thank you so much! I needed to get much of that off my chest so it was written more for me than anything else. I'll be sure to be much better at blogging and sharing all of our Arkansas Adventures with you all. Or should I say, "y'all?" If I get a southern accent, shoot me!