New Beginnings...

     In case there are any readers out there who don't know me, my name is Mandy! My life has been a jumbled up ball off happiness, fear, skepticism, fun, love, and so much more since I married my husband, Joel in 2011. After Joel and I had been married for almost 2 years, he got a job promotion with Kroger, the company he's worked for since he was 16. (Just hit his 10th anniversary with them) I am so proud of him and his hard work to climb the ladder of success. Finding out that Joel was promoting back in 2012, also meant that we would be moving from our home in Missouri and heading north to Bloomington, IL.  I knew this was part of the deal when I said "I Do" on my wedding day. I knew that life would eventually take us to Illinois. I feel that I was a supportive wife in the process, regardless of my desires to hang back where all of our family lived.  We lived 2 years in Illinois and finally, after what seemed like forever, were able to call it "home".

     Our journey in Illinois was rough. It had it's ups and downs. Joel works long hours and weekends, so moving to a place where I didn't know anyone, was tough. Joel did the best he could to keep me happy, but there was a void I just couldn't seem to fill.  Looking back, I wish I would have started a blog.  It would have been a great way for me to journal all the good and bad times, and have an opportunity to look back and see where all God has taken us from, to, and through! I'm kicking myself for not doing that.  The good news, even though a year and half of our Illinois phase was depressing, the last 6 months have been some of the best months in my life! We made a ton of friends, got involved in our church, and we really felt that God had His hand on us and wanted the best for us.  He wanted the best for us all along, but it's hard to see when you are stuck in a "rut" and just can't seem to escape the self-pity.

     Well, here we are, 2 years after moving to Illinois, and loving it, just to find  that my husband's boss wanted to promote Joel again!  Woohoo! Promotions mean more money, but with Kroger, they also mean a relocation... again...  Once Joel officially got the job, I faked a happiness for him. I didn't want my sorrow to rob him of his joy. I tried to be supportive, found a few job options, looked for houses to purchase, googled the town and local attractions... but none of those things gave me peace.  

     On Christmas day 2014, we had packed out cars and we made the official move back to Missouri, but this time, to Rolla, about 2 hours South of where our hometown is.  Years ago, I told Joel I'd follow him anywhere, except Rolla. Isn't God funny?  Haha more like... not funny.  This time around, I have been dragging my feet, picking fights with Joel, getting super upset that the town doesn't even have a mall or Starbucks!  I mean.. really? c'mon! As I sit here in my 1 bedroom furnished apartment, I am writing this blog as a way to help me cope through the hard times, rejoice in the good times, and see God work through all of those.  Honestly, today, I don't see God's hand in this... but I am confident that I will!

     I told my husband that I wanted to start a blog, and he completely encouraged me to. He even came up with the name for my blog, "Simply Mandy".  He and I were discussing the fact that I am a person who doesn't pretend to enjoy things that I don't. I don't give people a false picture of what's going on. I say things before thinking... but hey, at least you get the real deal!  It's become so prevalent in our day to cover up our pain and struggles and put on a smile and just "go with it". God made me different. He made me BOLD in who I am, and made it so that I'm not ashamed to share the good, bad, and the ugly!  My husband gave his permission to share our journey with you so that God may get glory... and in the process I think Joel's hoping that I get a hobby to help diffuse my ill feelings about the move!

*Disclaimer... Although I am a real, non-sugar coated person, any pictures that I post here, will probably not display the actual honest truth!  All selfies that I take require about 20 tries before I get one worth sharing.  My house isn't always clean, and dinner isn't always fabulous! Even if the pictures suggest so.

Seeing God at work...

     So, I am already seeing God at work and seeing His hand on things that just say "Mandy, I love you, Thank you for sticking this out, I've got this."  Exactly a week ago, I was struggling with finding the right job in Rolla. I sold insurance for State Farm in Illinois and I found 3 agents in Rolla, MO to work for.  After several interviews, phonecalls, and video chats, I had to make a decision on which agent to work for.  Many people think, "Wow, God provided three options for you." I do realize that some people aren't fortunate enough to even find a job, but I didn't feel like God was leading me to any of those three. I felt in the dark, I questioned God about His plan, and I decided just to drag my feet longer.  Well, it was last Friday, my last day at work in Illinois, I got home from work after saying my goodbyes and my boss called me. He said that he didn't want to lose me and wanted me to try working for him from my home in Rolla. I cried immediately and accepted his offer!  As soon as I hung up the phone, I felt major conviction. Why do I doubt God? Why can't I just trust everything to work out?  I HATE waiting!!!! That's probably the hardest thing. When you are put on a time table by the world but God says... wait! He had something better in store for me!  Monday starts my new working from home position and I'm so excited to give it a try!  I will miss the personal interaction, but maybe I can volunteer somewhere with my spare time.  Feeling God's presence in that way was amazing and I feel very loved and cared about by my Heavenly Father.  Sometimes I move too quickly in life to really sit and feel it.

     Well, we've only been in this apartment for a little over a day and it's already a mess! I'm going to tidy it up, finish up dinner,  study my Bible, probably watch some Netflix, and eagerly wait for Joel get to home so he can read my first post!!

-Simply Mandy