change

so, we've made a few big decisions recently...  that's actually a bit of an understatement.  we've made some huge life altering decisions lately.  there, that sounds more accurate.
we have been living in south bend with diana's mom and david for almost a year and a half now.  it has been really great, they have been so welcoming and generous, changing their life to include us.  it has been a lifesaver for diana, getting some much needed help with ledger and getting the chance to be close to friends and family again.  it has been great.  except that it hasn't.  though there has been some fantastic benefits to living here, there have also been some major challenges.  the biggest being that even though we live in south bend, i still work in highland.  this means that i drive an hour and a half each way to work everyday.  that commute has been very draining- draining on me, on the car, and on our bank account!  there were other things as well, but i'm not going to go into too much detail about everything.  i'll just say that we found ourselves in a situation where we both felt that we needed a change.  diana doubled her efforts in trying to figure out what God's will was for us, and with the help and council of friends and family, we saw some different options that were being presented to us.  God was opening some very different doors for us.  we made some options, talked them over, and decided to make some big changes.  the biggest one for me was the decision to leave my job.  to leave teaching.  it was a tough choice, but to be honest, it was the part of my life i was the least happy with.  i loved my family life, my marriage was as strong as ever, but i was restless and unhappy at work.  i would arrive in the morning exhausted and i would leave each day even more exhausted.  i was drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  i was frustrated and unfulfilled.  it was time to be done.  it was a hard choice, but i feel it was the right one.
the other big change for us was the decision to move to grand rapids.  we loved our time in south bend, but it just felt like it wasn't where we were supposed to be.  it felt like our time there was filled with challenges, with God closing door after door for us.  it really felt like God was telling us that we were not supposed to stay there!  this decision was especially hard because diana's mom and david had been so welcoming and supportive of us living with them and making our life there.  but i know it's not where God wanted us to end up.
so, with a new job and a new city to call home, we start over once again.  we're not entirely sure what will happen, but we do know that there's a plan for us and we are following where God is taking us!