"Change is inevitable... except from a vending machine." As I said in my previous post, July has been an eventful month for Nate and I. We've had some big changes all occurring at one time. On July 20th, we got the keys to our new house in Lake Highlands; Monday I started a new job as the Admission Associate at Good Shepherd Episcopal School; yesterday we started renovations on the house (more details and pictures to follow); and this weekend we'll completely move into the new house. 

Through all of this, I have learned so much about the beauty of change. I believe change is necessary for  growth, and sometimes change means taking a risk. Something that has become abundantly clear to me is that most change, even good change, can be scary because you're leaving the comfortable, the familiar, and the memories. My first week at my new job has been an adventure, and I have such confidence that this will be a great and challenging experience. Even knowing that, there are still moments of sadness when I miss my Hockaday friends; I miss the "usual" way of doing things; I miss knowing everyone; and I miss my desk chair with my perfect back support (it's the little things that really matter). At the same time, as excited as Nate and I are about buying and renovating our first home, there's a definite sadness about leaving our rental house. We love the M-streets; we'll miss our long talks on that porch; we'll miss walking to our favorite places on Greenville; most of all, we'll always remember that as our first house we lived in together.

And that's what I'm learning... that grieving or feeling sadness over change isn't only allowed, it's necessary. So this post is a memorable goodbye to several important parts of my life, and also an exciting welcome to new adventures and challenges that are right around the corner!

Jumpin July

Well after weeks of seeing how things "pan out," I feel like I can talk about all of the changes that are going on in the Kotschi household. Yesterday I turned in my resignation at Hockaday. After four years with a wonderful office in a fantastic environment, I am leaving to do admissions at another private school. I'm excited about the opportunity, and I have full confidence that this is where God's leading me.

While Nate and I were waiting to see about my job opportunity, we put an offer on a house in Lake Highlands. This home is a "fixer-uper," but we're very excited about being able to update the house and make it ours. As of now, we're still under contract, so its not official, but if all goes according to plan, we're set to close on July 20th and start renovation on July 25th. I will also start my new job on the 25th, and five days later, Nate and I will move out of our wonderful first home in the M-streets.

This July is one of those times that I'm so thankful that we have great friends who have been encouraging and praying for us. We'll still be needing lots of prayer - for smooth transitions and mostly that we'll keep our sanity. While these changes are all exciting and such a blessing, it's still bittersweet leaving the familiar and the good memories, and as always challenging as we learn to trust God and rely on him for our strength!