The Purposed Trek

I know I haven't posted anything in a while here because I was kind of waiting for something worth while to post. And low and behold I have a few things to post on.

In honor of the season we just experienced and entering into a time of honoring Jesus, the reason for the season, I wanted to give a shout out to show how faithful He is to me. It is a long one...

I returned back from my travels to Boston and Colorado on November 5th. I hopped online and did a search to find out what was happening with the housing market in Norfolk since I hadn't been online in a week or so. I noticed that the place I was very interested, but had been previously taken off the market was now back on the market, but for $25,000 less. I immediately emailed my Realtor and wanted to know what was wrong with the property. With that drop in price and being substantially lower than all the others in the building for sale, I was a little doubtful of the place. Keep that in mind, as I share some other things happening at the same time.

The next day I headed into Macfadden (previous employer) for a meeting because they renewed my consulting agreement for another year and they wanted me to meet new staff and get some of my new assignments. I was asked if I wanted to be a consultant or become a full-time employee. I said I would like to become a full-time employee for job security, but I want to live in Norfolk. I was asked to pull together a job description and salary requirements having me work from home in Norfolk.

Back to housing story...got a reply back from my Realtor that night, that the condo I was looking at was purchased by a company because their employee didn't sell it and he had to relocate for work so they had to take it over and they just wanted it off their books. She said when I got to Norfolk the next day that if I was really interested I should go see if and be ready to put an offer on it because it would go fast. So Friday, the 7th I got into Norfolk, went and visited the condo, and put an offer on it. Crazy - buy a condo with no job. So I immediately submitted my proposal for a full-time position with Macfadden.

Now the stories merge...I got a call from my Realtor the following Thursday saying that the seller accepted my offer and my first thought was okay, God now the job needs to come through. Within 5 minutes of hanging up the phone I received a call from Macfadden saying I was hired starting Nov 24th.

Not at all how I thought things would go down, but it is the best scenario I could have ever imagined. Working for a company I loved working at, buying a place in downtown Norfolk and a loft at that, and working from home. Then to top it off when I got to Florida I found a steal of a deal on a car and just purchased that today.

There are so many more details that go in to this story, it would take a lot more words than any reader would care to read. I am so thankful and grateful to God for making a way and providing for me through every step of the way.

Summary:

• Full-Time Job - started Nov 24th
• Bought Car - November 28th
• Buy Loft - Jan 5th.
• Incredibly Grateful - all the time

The Franzen's have been my family away from family. They have been amazing right from the time I landed up until now and until the day I leave. They made my transition to South Africa so easy and as a matter of fact, not once was I home sick because I already had a home upon arrival. They have included me in family events, holidays, birthdays all the way down to many Friday Night Family Nights. They each have played such a huge part of my time here and words can't express how thankful I am for everything. I am going to miss this family so much, but this won't be the last of me. I will be back for visits.

(Skyler, Blake, Rich, Tori, Michelle)

Rich - thanks for making me a part of the team before really knowing me, test driving cars for me since I wasn't confident driving on the other side of the road yet, setting up my bank account, taking me to the DMV and explaining the convoluted process of registering your car, my favorite book in SA - map book, making sure I was always safe, driving me to and from the repair shop, teaching me stick...again, teaching me the ropes so quickly, providing me the opportunity to do what I have done over the past year and some change, making me a part of your family, and most of all thanks for being a friend, a leader, an example, a protector and my family. I am gonna miss interacting with you on a daily basis and you teaching me the funny nuances of South Africa.

Michelle - a friend right from the start, welcoming me into the family with open arms, including me in all the holiday events and birthday parties and letting me help, organizing my big 3-0 with my family, making me laugh all the time, smoothie talks, book reviews, movie nights, Ciao Baby chicken and avo salad, May I?, bringing me food and drink when I was sick, letting me do my wash at your home all the time, rescuing me when my car was stuck in the garage, finding me a place to live, did I mention making me laugh all the time, trusting me with your kids, beating you once at May I, talks I can't mention, hot water bottles, upgrades and downgrades, and some other unmentionable moments :) You rock the house big dude, party nut, happy cat, and fortunately none of those names ever stuck to me. I am gonna miss you a TON!

Sklyer - big hugs, morning greetings, immediate updates as soon as I enter your home, teaching me the life of High School Musical and Hannah Montana, challenging me in rumikube, May I, and Phase 10, sharing your family with me, chatting with my on Skype, all my fun gifts, inviting me to your birthday parties, doing our first mosaic project together, Estcourt roommates and a big thank you for being a part of my life and letting me be a part of yours. Oh and how can I forget Hullabaloo madness - since that seemed to be the game of choice whenever I hung out with you guys. I am gonna miss you Skyler Grace Elizabeth...

Blake - big hugs, teaching me how to play your playstation games - still really bad at it, reading to me, making me laugh, wrestling - even though you loved jumping on my face, telling me I am a great cook when serving chicken nuggets for dinner, doing funky monkey dances, reading your waldo books, trying to convince me Ben Ten is real, hearing more about Starwars than I ever have in my life, teaching you how to skateboard, and sharing your family with me. thank you for being a part of my life and letting me be a part of yours. I am gonna miss you Blake.

Tori - calling me "hey you" for the first month of living here, making me laugh all the time, walking in the door in the morning and greeted casually with a "hey Marc", being yelled at through the gate when leaving "I lub you and I am going to miss you" even though I would be back tomorrow, reading books together, always telling me you liked my hair or I look pretty, calling me "the udder Marci" when dying my hair, screaming "somebody get me my tea" at 8 in the morning, asking me to take you to Disney World to see the princess's, for calling me Cindarella 2 and then Hello Kitty. Thanks for being a part of my life and letting me be a part of yours. I am gonna miss your cute little nose Aurora, Jasmin, Mulan, whichever princess you are when you are reading this.

I got this random urge last week to make homemade pasta, sauce and meatballs for dinner one night at the Franzen's. So today I decided to embark on something that I have always do for Christmas with my cousins and my Mom, with my Uncle Tony standing over critiquing every roll, cut and grate we do. So after "cutting" for many years, that was my job in the assembly line, I thought I needed to expand my abilities and make the dough, learn to roll as well as run the cut pasta on the back of a cheese grater. And now I have pictures to prove I can do it all by myself.

Awesome meal - Priceless!

Things

• Driving on the left side of the road
• Running red lights legally (highly recommended at night to treat it like a stop sign for safety purposes)
• Having someone always pump your gas, clean your windscreen and check your tires and water
• Having people help you look for parking spots and carry your groceries
• Super duper cheap produce
• Cheap movie tickets and theater food
• Amazing filets for less than $10
• Ciao Baby's chicken & avo salad
• South African style Pizza
• The accents and learning the lingo of the country

Places

• Primi restuarants
• Movie theater in Soweto
• Fruit and veg markets
• Having a garage to park my car in
• Rosebank rooftop market
• Ciao Baby

People

• The Franzen Family (they deserve their own post - it will come soon)
• The Hartley Family - I will miss the random game nights, cooking fun meals together, Dan's car and computer advice, using each other as yellowbooks, holding and talking to Miesha, May I, Would You Rather?, Mexian food, finding random missed food products for each other, Survivor Nights, backing out of their driveway when it is raining at night, spending holidays together, movie nights and the list goes on.
• Angela - living 10 minutes from each other in another country, fun weekends together, trying new restaraunts, trying out new recipes, making SA Ice Cream taste good, making pig sounds to annoy craig, hugs, support, friendship, unconditional love, until our next time we can be neighbors.
• Craig - living 10 minutes from each other in another country, trying new restaurants together, picking me up from the airport, movie nights, hanging out at Ange's together, fun IM chats, giving each other advice, friendship and getting to know each other (2nd opporunity taken and cherished).
• Jean - introducing yourself in the squatter camp, including me in activities that allowed me to meet many of your friends, movie nights, coffee talk, Rugby World Cup, teaching me the little Afrikaans I know, Dankie, book reviews, showing me around SA, airport runs, Big Tony, comparing cultures and most of all laughing at our own cultural nuances. Thanks for your amazing friendship.
• Makhotso - including me in your outtings, introducing me to Soweto, taking me to movies in Maponya, a night of 1000 drawings, Survivor Nights, introducing me to many of your friends, hooking IA up with free yoghurt, and most of all for being a friend to me in a new land.
• Thom & Penny - fun movie and dinner nights, dinners at your house, getting stuck in your complex until the huge truck moved out of the driveway, treating me like a daugther, and most importantly being an example of an amazing marriage and showing me that 2 people can like each other after many years of marriage.