When life takes a turn, you gotta learn to lean into it. Better yet, you have to learn to lean into God, because He sees your path from beginning to end. It's best to put all trust in the one holding the map, right? You may not see all the fancy and fun photos at first on this post, simply because we've had some rather drastic life changes. But let me first preface by saying, God is good, and that will never change.
One of the first major changes to our life is that we are no longer buying a home. In the beginning of March, we were continuing the steps to purchase our home, and the closing date was nearing, which would have actually been today. We received some news that caused us to pause and think about if this particular house was a good investment. The appraisal of the home came back significantly lower than our offer. We took a step back and assessed our situation to realize that this home was not a good investment and that it was really more of an emotional investment. In turn, we decided to cancel on the home. We went back to our realtor and started to change our mindset, and instead looked at true investment homes that we could turn around for a profit in the long run. However, our house hunting came to a screeching halt when we found out some other news.
About two weeks ago, Ryan had a meeting with the principal of Northlake Christian School, and was told that they would not be receiving him back next year. It's a bittersweet situation, because originally Ryan took the place of the science teacher that could no longer teach at Northlake because of personal problems. However, those personal problems were worked out and she is able to come back to school. It's a relief knowing that this woman's life with her family is made whole by God's grace and she is able to teach again. Northlake Christian embraced Ryan as a first year teacher and there really wasn't anything he did wrong. Ryan is distraught at the thought of leaving his students because he really connected with them and was honored to teach them something he is so passionate about as well as speak into their lives as a young Christian man.
Ryan and I have prayed about what step should be taken next, and we are seeking God's wisdom to guide and direct our path. We have a general plan of action at the moment and are continuing to submit it to God and see what job opportunities might be a good fit for Ryan this summer. We ask that you join us in this, as God obviously has a plan in putting us into this new season of life. As I said before, God is good and He doesn't change. The amount of faith it takes to trust Him to provide for our every need can be difficult sometimes, but even the leaps of faith still have a place to land and that place is right in His hands.
Amongst all this change and trial, there were some pretty fun things that happened this month. And the highlight of the month was seeing two of my best friends, Ingrid & Sarah! They escaped the Wisconsin cold and landed in a 'chilly' Louisiana for their spring break. Trust me, they were grateful for temperatures that were anything above freezing! With three jam packed days of fun, I took off work to show them New Orleans, Old Covington, and the Lakefront.
New Orleans was a blast and the food as always was the hero of the day! We explored the vast inventory of hot sauce, satisfied our sweet tooth with beignets, and perused the french market for unique items!
We discovered that Old Covington is very comparable to Cedarburg in Wisconsin. It's quaint, cute, and full of unique shops that fulfilled our window shopping endeavors. The closest thing to Perc Place (the coffee shop in which I worked at for about 6 years) is St. John's Coffeehouse, where we took a pit stop to play a good ole game of scrabble. After a little more shopping we found homemade meatballs at the Covington Farmer's Market. The woman who prepared them for us has cooked her way through Italy, so these were legit!
Plus the Lakefront is an iconic hang out place for Ryan and I and we had to bring the girls there. They were adventurous enough to walk out on the wave breaker and pose in front of Lake Pontchartrain with the causeway bridge in the background .
One of the first major changes to our life is that we are no longer buying a home. In the beginning of March, we were continuing the steps to purchase our home, and the closing date was nearing, which would have actually been today. We received some news that caused us to pause and think about if this particular house was a good investment. The appraisal of the home came back significantly lower than our offer. We took a step back and assessed our situation to realize that this home was not a good investment and that it was really more of an emotional investment. In turn, we decided to cancel on the home. We went back to our realtor and started to change our mindset, and instead looked at true investment homes that we could turn around for a profit in the long run. However, our house hunting came to a screeching halt when we found out some other news.
About two weeks ago, Ryan had a meeting with the principal of Northlake Christian School, and was told that they would not be receiving him back next year. It's a bittersweet situation, because originally Ryan took the place of the science teacher that could no longer teach at Northlake because of personal problems. However, those personal problems were worked out and she is able to come back to school. It's a relief knowing that this woman's life with her family is made whole by God's grace and she is able to teach again. Northlake Christian embraced Ryan as a first year teacher and there really wasn't anything he did wrong. Ryan is distraught at the thought of leaving his students because he really connected with them and was honored to teach them something he is so passionate about as well as speak into their lives as a young Christian man.
Ryan and I have prayed about what step should be taken next, and we are seeking God's wisdom to guide and direct our path. We have a general plan of action at the moment and are continuing to submit it to God and see what job opportunities might be a good fit for Ryan this summer. We ask that you join us in this, as God obviously has a plan in putting us into this new season of life. As I said before, God is good and He doesn't change. The amount of faith it takes to trust Him to provide for our every need can be difficult sometimes, but even the leaps of faith still have a place to land and that place is right in His hands.
Amongst all this change and trial, there were some pretty fun things that happened this month. And the highlight of the month was seeing two of my best friends, Ingrid & Sarah! They escaped the Wisconsin cold and landed in a 'chilly' Louisiana for their spring break. Trust me, they were grateful for temperatures that were anything above freezing! With three jam packed days of fun, I took off work to show them New Orleans, Old Covington, and the Lakefront.
New Orleans was a blast and the food as always was the hero of the day! We explored the vast inventory of hot sauce, satisfied our sweet tooth with beignets, and perused the french market for unique items!
We discovered that Old Covington is very comparable to Cedarburg in Wisconsin. It's quaint, cute, and full of unique shops that fulfilled our window shopping endeavors. The closest thing to Perc Place (the coffee shop in which I worked at for about 6 years) is St. John's Coffeehouse, where we took a pit stop to play a good ole game of scrabble. After a little more shopping we found homemade meatballs at the Covington Farmer's Market. The woman who prepared them for us has cooked her way through Italy, so these were legit!
Plus the Lakefront is an iconic hang out place for Ryan and I and we had to bring the girls there. They were adventurous enough to walk out on the wave breaker and pose in front of Lake Pontchartrain with the causeway bridge in the background .
PoBoys, Shrimp & Grits, Red Beans & Rice, and Oysters were all had during the girls visit. We even captured Ingrid's first time having an oyster, and a raw one at that!!
An infamous part of New Orleans are the street performers, and here is a snippit of the Dragon Masters. We watched them as we devoured our cafe au laits and beignets! The perfect ending to our awesome day in New Orleans!
But alas, all good things must come to an end and I had to drive my friends back to the airport and bid them adieu as they headed back to Wisconsin.
We were privileged to watch Northlake's production of the Little Mermaid. Some of Ryan's students were playing major roles on the night that we went and they were fantastic! It was a perfect date night for us!
March Recipes!
-Chipotle Copycat Recipe - All the fixins for a delicious burrito!
-Praline French Toast - Perfect to make the night before...ready to go for breakfast in the morning!
-Japanese Pan Noodles --- tried to copy Noodles & Company recipe.. my version needs some tweaking, but a nice rounded healthy recipe with a kick of spice!
-Chicken Marsala - Super easy, and it is probably one of my top favorite chicken recipes!
-Homemade Challah Bread -- this recipe was given to me by my mom and it was a joy to make as this was a recipe I distinctly remember growing up. Email me for the recipe if you'd like it!
-French Dip Sandwiches -- This juice and delicious sandwich was a hit with Ryan... can't go wrong with roast beef!
-Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken -- My first attempt at trying this technique out and I continued to used the chicken for a delicious homemade Chicken Salad!
-Praline French Toast - Perfect to make the night before...ready to go for breakfast in the morning!
-Japanese Pan Noodles --- tried to copy Noodles & Company recipe.. my version needs some tweaking, but a nice rounded healthy recipe with a kick of spice!
-Chicken Marsala - Super easy, and it is probably one of my top favorite chicken recipes!
-Homemade Challah Bread -- this recipe was given to me by my mom and it was a joy to make as this was a recipe I distinctly remember growing up. Email me for the recipe if you'd like it!
-French Dip Sandwiches -- This juice and delicious sandwich was a hit with Ryan... can't go wrong with roast beef!
-Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken -- My first attempt at trying this technique out and I continued to used the chicken for a delicious homemade Chicken Salad!
There you have it. The ups, the downs, and all the recipes in between. We appreciate everyone who takes the time to read our blog and we love you all very much!
Much love,
Audrey & Ryan
P.S. Enjoy our music video which has become a bit of a tradition for us these days... no matter what comes our way...we're still HAPPY!
Much love,
Audrey & Ryan
P.S. Enjoy our music video which has become a bit of a tradition for us these days... no matter what comes our way...we're still HAPPY!