Heads Carolina - Tails Dallas, Texas

You will see our move in pictures on the left.

Watch as the uhaul fills up.

I can't believe we had so much stuff or such good helpers.

Moving to Texas has been quite the adventure for us.

First off, we rented the biggest truck that Uhaul had. You'll never believe all of the STUFF Danny and I had squeezed into a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment.

My younger, but bigger, brothers, Matthew & Jonathan flew out to South Carolina to help us move. We could not have done it without them. And I stayed a "happy" wife not having to life couches, dressers, tables, etc.

We packed everything up in one day, spent the night at Lynn's house, and then took off early Thursday morning for our cross country road trip.

We split the drive up into two days, and rolled into Dallas around noon on the second day, Friday.

Our plans for this move included a GREAT second interview with an apartment complex for Apartment Life, quick acceptance to be a Cares Teams, and an apartment that would be ready for us to move into with a few days.

However, the Lord definitely had other plans for us.

We interviewed with a beautiful apartment complex in downtown Dallas, and after several conversations and a series of crazy events, we were turned down. Basically, our schedule for this fall semester was not going to be condusive to serving residents as a Cares Team. Danny is working nights, I'm working days, and that equals too busy for anything else.

So, humbled by rejection and a little bit frantic because we didn't have a solid back-up plan we hit the Dallas streets with an Apartment Finder as our guide.

Twelve apartments later, hungry and very tired, we had found an apartment, but it wasn't going to be ready for two weeks. Two weeks was not even in my time frame for moving. In my mind, I should be unpacked and settled in two weeks - not just unloading the uhaul.

And so the Lord shows us that His plans are better than our plans.

And, thankfully He provided for us to stay with my parents. For two weeks I shared a bathroom with three boys. Three boys who work washing windows, laying truck-bed liners, and in a maching shop. Three boys who leave a distugusting film of dirt in the tub every time they shower. I'm just needing some sympathy ya'll.

We also had two weeks of eating my Mom's delicious cooking; two weeks of showing Danny my childhood neighborhood, memories, and hang outs; two weeks of free rent; and two weeks of visiting with my family.

The Lord also provided a great peace that Apartment Life would have been too much for us. We were just too stubborn and prideful to admit that we couldn't "do it all." However, we are glad that we can adjust to seminary, our new jobs, and Dallas in general without the pressure of planning weekly events for our apartment complex.

And so, the move went something like this:

1. Pack everything into a Uhaul in South Carolina.

2. Unpack everything from the Uhaul to a storage unit in Plano, Texas.

3. Pack everything BACK into a uhaul in Plano.

4. Unpack everything into our apartment in Dallas.

My Dad and brothers helped with it all. They will never want to move again. Danny and I have probably single-handedly cured any of my family's desires to move.

Danny and I both started our jobs on August 6th. He is working at UPS and I am working Voice of Hope Ministries. We finally moved into our apartment just east of downtown Dallas on August 11th.

Boxes still have not been unpacked.

We have been to Ikea three times in the last week. Danny went with me all three times. Dad calls that "cruel and unusual punishment." I call that "my husband loves me."

We have sold our washer and dryer, and I will get to experience the apartment's laundry room for the first time tonight.

We had our first guest over with 24 hours of moving in. Danny calls that "being real" with our friends. We had great conversation while sitting amongst the boxes.

And, that is the beginning of Dallas for us. How great that we had to hit the ground running trusting that the Lord would provide a home for us. I am sure it won't be the first time He changes our plans and causes us to trust Him over the next four years.

Stay tuned for the adventure.

Click here for all of the pictures.

The Moving Truck

Can you believe that we had enough stuff squeezed into our two bedroom, 900 sq. ft. apartment that we needed to rent the biggest truck uhaul had to offer?

This is 26 feet of empty space that we were about to fill up. You will never believe the transformation.

Everything we own was boxed up, and two weeks later it is still boxed up. More to come on the stories of the move.

Matthew's fabulous organization and packing ability used every ounce of space avialable.

And this was the final product. Yes, that is a motorcyle. In fact, that is the same motorcycle that Danny bough before we got married that we have totated from Texas to Greenville to Columbia and now back to Texas. And it still doesn't run. Matthew coerced us into bringing back with us so he could have it and work on it. Mom had a nice surprise waiting for her when we opened that uhaul truck up and out rolled Matthew on his very own motorcycle.

Here we are, outside Lynn's (Danny's mom's) house the morning we left for Texas.


Could it get any bigger? We are getting rid of stuff as you read this. We are cleaning out. Two people should not be allowed to have this much STUFF!

Why Texas is Best

Only one of fifty million reasons why it's GREAT coming home:

For only $10 the Texas DMV gave me my old driver's license number back.

That's sweetness.

We'll Be Somewhere Down in Texas

To all of our South Carolina Friends:

"Somewhere Down in Texas" by George Strait

We love you, and we'll miss you!

We will always remember experiencing our first years of marriage with you. We will not forget Wednesday night Bible studies, forgetting to bring breakfast for Sunday School, picking apples and camping in the freezing North Carolina weather, riding the bull at Funday Sunday, celebrating Fabio's Green Card, catching up on too many episodes of Prison Break, watching Chris clean out his sinuses as we said goodbye. Ya'll will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Please stop by if you are ever in Texas.

**If you are having trouble playing the music, make sure you have Quick Time downloaded and installed. It also might help to set Quick Time as your default music player.**

Texas Whirlwind

We have landed safely from our whirlwind trip to Texas. Some of the highlights included:

• Worshipping at Prairie Creek on Sunday morning (Laura's childhood church home).


• Taking the DART rail to downtown Dallas and getting a glimpse of an apartment complex that could become our new home.


• Walking from the DART rail to DTS' campus and roaming around the library, getting very exciting about all the resources that will be available to us and all the things Danny is going to learn.


• Interviewing with Apartment Life/Cares Team and praying if this is where the Lord would have us serve for the next few years.


• Laura surviving seven job interviews in two days.

And now begins the waiting period. Now we begin to learn what trusting the Lord is really like.

Our lease ends in 20 days, we are packing a uhaul and trekking across the country in 20 days, and as of today we don't have a clear direction as to where we'll go or where I'll work.

I am not good at this sort of thing. I just finished telling seven possible employers how organized I am, what a good planner and accomplisher of tasks that I am. I told them how I am a self-starter, initiative-taking multi-tasker. And that is probably precisely why the Lord is teaching me that He can and will accomplish His good, pleasing and perfect will in our life, while at the same time refining me with fire.

He is refining my administrative personality and strengths to surrender to His plan and His timing. He is teaching me to not let my flesh and my plans get in His way.

The Lord made the world in six days.

He is more than able to provide us with a home and an income in 20 days.

And so we wait . . . patiently . . . peacefully, trusting that if He cares about the flowers of the field and the sparrows of the sky that He cares about us.

Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him.
- Palsm 37:7 (amplified version)

Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
- Romans 8:24-25 (ESV)

And so we pray, we journal, we listen, we cling to His promises.

We sit and wait for what the Lord is wanting to teach us about trusting in Him.

We sit and wait to see how the Lord is going to grow our faith.

We sit and wait for the Lord to refine the areas in our life that we have not yet surrendered to Him.

We listen for what He is going to tell us about Apartment Life, about the churches we should visit churches, and about the job that is perfect for me (Laura).

We listen for the whisper that is His clear voice.

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him.
- 1 Kings 19:11-13

Moving to Texas - Part 2

Okay, so, you know what's going on in our lives this side of Texas, now here's what we're looking forward to in just a few short weeks.

The Big Move

My brothers, Matthew & Jonathan, will be flying out to help us move and drive back. Yea for more hard workers who are willing to get paid in free food. We will be packing up the Uhaul on July 25th, handing over the keys to our apartment, and pulling out for the 16-18 hour drive on July 26th. We plan on taking two days to get to Dallas, staying somewhere in Alabama/Mississippi for the night.

Our New Home

We are currently applying/interviewing with a ministry called Apartment Life. If we are accepted they would place us in an apartment complex and we would serve as a Cares Team, meaning we would visit new residents, plan monthly events, and get to know our neighbors. We are excited to see where the Lord will put us and what His plans are for our living situation.

Danny's Job

Danny will be working part-time at UPS. He will most likely be putting in his hours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every evening during this fall semester. He will be able to change his schedule after the first or second semester if that schedule does not work out for us. UPS offers part-time employees health benefits and tuition assistance, and they employee quite a few DTS students.

Laura's Job

As previously stated, I am currently looking for a job. I am hoping to get something in inner-city ministry, community development, at a church etc, but sometimes those jobs are few and far between. I am learning to actively trust that the Lord has a plan for me and that He cares about where I work.

DTS

Danny has already registered for classes and we have been diligently saving each month to pay off his first semester. With the help of scholarships from DTS, UPS' tuition assistance, and savings each month we hope to get through seminary debt-free. Danny's schedule will include the following:

Tuesdays & Thursdays:

Spiritual Life
Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics

Wednesdays & Fridays:

Elements of Greek
Orientation & Research Methods
Intro to World Missions

He will have Monday off of classes this first semester.

We will also be attending Spiritual Formations together on Sunday afternoon, which is basically a couples, mentoring small-group for seminary students. I also have the option to audit classes with Danny for the semester (for something like $25/class), which I hope to take full advantage of depending on my work schedule.

Church

We will be looking for a new church home in Dallas (you can pray for this). We would like to find a place to connect with other young couples, a place to serve, and a place where we can join in a small, home group. We are already scoping out the options, but again, are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us.

It's going to be hard to leave South Carolina, as it has many, many amazing memories of our first years of marriage (the trials and the joys). However, we are excited to be back in Dallas with the familiar traffic, the familiar smells, the familiar brown grass, and the familiar heat waves! If you are in the Dallas area we can't WAIT to hang out with you.

Moving to Texas - Part 1

Life has been flying by lately - hence the lack of exciting posts with interesting pictures.

Our two-year stint here in South Carolina is coming to a close, and many of you have asked what is going on with our move to Texas. So in a two-part post, I'll try to update everyone with what's going on.

Part 1 will be called: "What Life Looks Like for the Stillers Pre-Texas"

Part 2 will be called: "What the Stillers Anticipate Life Looking Like Post-South Carolina"

And, so here's what we've been doing here in Columbia, South Carolina, pre-Texas, pre-moving, pre-all the life changing events that are about to take place.

Danny's Job #1 - City Year

Danny just has one more week of work at City Year Columbia. He just returned from a week-long conference in New Hampshire and will keep very busy this last week with a fun day in Charleston, a banquet, a graduation, and cleaning out his desk.

Danny's Job #2 - Pizza Hut

He has also picked up an evening job delivering pizza for Pizza Hut to save money for moving. This means he works from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at City Year, runs home to eat the dinner I usually have ready, and then leaves to deliver pizzas from 6 p.m. - midnight. It makes for a very long day and a very exhausted Danny, but we have fun counting the tips and watching our savings grow. He's such a hard worker.

Danny's Job #3 - Myers Window Washing

After Danny is done working for City Year on June 30th, he will begin to work for a small, local window washing business. He has already had several opportunities meet with and work with his new boss, who is a Christian using his window-washing business to mentor and train young men. It'll be a great temporary job, as well as great training if Danny ever wants to start his own window-washing business.

And, so, that's superman Danny's schedule: three jobs and somehow he still finds time to spend with me.

Laura's Job #1 - BlueCross BlueShield

I will be working at BlueCross until July 20th. I will be taking off the week of our move to finish packing.


Laura's Job #2 - Bus Driving

Bus driving ended a few weeks ago for me, so I am a free woman in the afternoons.


Laura's Job #3 - Randomness

I have been earning a little extra income scrapbooking for Joe & Lynn, as well as putting my coupon-cutting skills to the test by cutting our grocery budget in half this month to help save money for the move.

Working part-time I also do strenuous things like read by the pool, clean the apartment, and do laundry. While Danny's delivering pizzas in the evenings I am working out/running and job searching.


Shandon Baptist Church

We continue to teach 9th grade Sunday School, as well as attend our Newlywed Sunday School. I will have the opportunity hanging out with some 10th/11th grade girls on Thursdays this month and next.

Packing Up Our Stuff

Most of the stuff we don't use every day (pictures, books, winter clothes, etc.) have been in boxes since we moved apartments here in Columbia back in January. So, the only things left to pack are the kitchen, the office, and the bedroom - all of which include things we use on a daily basis. So, most things will get thrown into boxes the week that we are moving!

Job Searching

Danny has applied for a part-time job (with benefits and tuition assistance) at UPS in Mesquite.



I am currently applying for jobs in the Dallas metroplex. My goal is to send out one resume/cover letter a day - just to keep me from getting overwhelmed. I have targeted quite a few churches/non-profit organizations/inner-city ministries about positions ranging from special event manger, administrative assistant, case worker, program director, etc. So far nothing has panned out, so if you know of anyone who's hiring - let me know.

Dallas Theological Seminary

Danny has registered for classes for the fall semester. He will be taking a whopping 15 hours!

That's what our life will look like for the last six weeks here in South Carolina.

Disclaimer . . .

Just a disclaimer that my brain flew out the window while writing the last post. That is our living room pictured, with a fireplace. Our bedroom will actually look something more like this:



Sorry for the confusion!

Welcome Home

Some of you may not know that Danny and I will be moving to a new apartment at the end of January.

"Wait a minute . . . I thought you were moving to Dallas in June/July. Why would you move in January?" I can hear you asking.

Very good question. Our lease is up in January at our current apartment, and that's not all. Our rent is going up as well. So, in order to help save for seminary, we are moving to a cheaper apartment.

Last Saturday we spent eight hours scouring Columbia, visiting over 17 apartment complexes, searching for our new home. We could have stopped at the second apartment we looked at.

Gable Hill. It's closer to the BlueCross building where we work out at the gym - or where we WILL work out more, because we're closer. It's close to the library (which is almost a daily trek for me). It's closer to bus driving. It's a straight shot to downtown Columbia, where Danny works. And, it's a little longer jog for me to get to BlueCross, but it's doable. All the more time for me to sing my little heart out in the car.

The best part - the rent is considerably lower. So, for six months we will call Gable Hill home. Anyone want to help us move? ;-)

We will let you know our new address and give you all the fun moving pictures when we get to the end of January. But for now, here's pictures of the model apartment. Our kitchen's on the left and our bedroom (complete with a little sitting area) is on the right.

A Texas Countdown

Slowly, but surely, South Carolina has grown on us. It's developed from a bitter-why-did-we-move-here to a wow-this-place-is-kinda-cool.

We finally have friends. I mean real friends. Friends that I can call to borrow a cup of sugar, two eggs, or a stick of butter. Friends that call us to take them to the airport. Friends that want to go camping or cook all day with us. Friends that pray for us.

I've finally started finding my way around town. I don't get lost trying to get to the grocery store. I don't use up a whole tank of gas just trying to get to the gas station. And I know which freeways go north/south and which ones goes east/west.

We've also discovered the plethora of outdoor activities this place has to offer. Let me tell you. We live two hours from the beach, two hours from the mountains, and right around the corner from canoeable rivers! It's like having a great, big backyard. Growing up in Texas I didn't even know these things existed, except in books and when we drove for days upon days upon days.

So, in light of the fact that we're actually adjusting, socializing, and enjoying God's wonderful creation . . . we've decided to MOVE BACK TO TEXAS!

Yes, you read that right. We're coming home. And this is not a fluke. It's not a false alarm, like the whole "we're moving to Houston to work at a church" fiasco. This is real. Tried and true. Down on paper. A cat in the bag.

We even have an acceptance letter to prove it.

We prayed about where the Lord would have us go, to serve Him, to use our lives up for His purpose, after we paid off our debt. He told us to go right back where we started . . . Dallas, TX.

Danny and I both have a passionate desire to serve the Lord in ministry, wherever that may be and whatever that may look like. And we believe that a great start to that would be for Danny to go to seminary.

So, in January Danny will start internet classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. In June/July we will make the move. We will once again stuff all of our earthly possessions into a Uhaul and my brother's truck and drive across the country. Thank goodness we on the first floor this time.

So, mark your calendars. Come help us unpack. We're going to be so busy hugging that good ole Texas soil that's not within two hours of anything cool, but we love it, that we won't be able to unload our stuff. Either that, or we'll be so tired from moving three times in two years that we've collapsed in exhaustion.

For those of you that have been holding in this fabulous news for so long - you're now free to shout it from the rooftops. While you're at it, you could also pass along the word that we'll be looking for a very low-rent apartment/house to live in come next summer.

Anyone need new tenants?

We're very clean. Or we try to be. We own a vaccuum cleaner - does that count? We're good at sharing and quite accomodating. We share our apartment with the roach under the bathroom sink that is nano-seconds faster than us, as well as the cobwebs that appeared just out of our reach. But other than that, I wash the floors and Danny picks up his clothes. We've even been known to dust occasionally.

Welcome Home Texas. We've missed you.

A Post for Posterity

A year ago today Danny and I started our trek across the country to moved to Greenville, SC. We were still blissfull honeymooners, so we had no idea what we were in for.

This is our 101st post since our start last September 21, 2005.

Takin' Care of Business

**DON'T FORGET! The Cereal Contest is over TONIGHT at midnight. Get your vote in for a shot at a dandy prize.**

I cooked my first turkey two weeks ago - and it didn't turn out half bad. Danny and I had a mini Thanksgiving dinner with Lynn and Joe, complete with side dishes. Free Christmas turkey from Starbucks = one large meal and many leftovers! WHOOP for eating free.
And, at risk of being disowned by my brother Matthew, I thought I'd let you know we've gone over to the dark side. We have been forced to change our license plates to SC, getting rid of any evidence that we were ever Texans, except for my little "Texas A&M Association of Former Students" sticker on my back window. It was a sad day in Columbia.

Our New Home in Columbia

Well, after two weeks we are settling in to our new home in Columbia, SC. Pictures are up on Shutterfly. You can see every room in our apartment in every stage of move-in, almost in flip-book style: empty, with boxes, and finally, decorated! thestillers.shutterfly.com
Go and see how ENORMOUS my kitchen is - three sides of counters/workspace!

We visited Shandon Baptist Church this Sunday and were very warmly greated by the young marrieds Sunday School Class. Danny was invited to play softball with the guys, I was invited to paint pottery with the gals, we were both invited to a cook-out this Saturday, and we even met up with an old aquaintence of Danny's from the Corp. We are very excited about making new friends and getting involved.

Here's your witness to a transformation!

The Eating Area/Living Room filled with BOXES

The Eating Area/Living Room as it looks TODAY!

Columbia, South Carolina

(Columbia Skyline)

Let us introduce you to our new home. Yes, we are relocating to Columbia, South Carolina. Danny has taken a new job with Blue Cross Blue Shield. He is excited at the potential for learning and growing with the company. It will also be a more secure job during the lockout. I will be transferring to Starbucks in Columbia, and then look for a full-time job.

Look for pictures of our new apartment to come soon!

(Columbia Skyline at Night)

Remember Me

Missing home this week. Clinging to Truth and the Lord's promises.

Letting go of all that I grasp tightly and value in this world. " Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped," (Phil. 2:5-6) Learning that empty hands spread wide holding nothing allows me to be filled with His Spirit and that, is better than holding all the treasures, friendships, titles that the world has to offer.

"Remember Me" by Mark Schultz

Remember me
In a Bible cracked and faded by the years
Remember me
In a sanctuary filled with silent prayer

And age to age and heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder
Child of God
I've remembered you
Remember me

Remember me
When the color of a sunset fills the sky
Remember me
When you pray and tears of joy fall from your eyes

Remember me
When the children leave their Sunday school with smiles
Remember me
When they're old enough to teach
Old enough to preach
Old enough to leave

Age to age and heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder child of God
I remember you
Remember me

"Think of Me" by Mark Schultz

Packing my bag this morning was the hardest thing to do,
But packing my bag was so easy
Compared to standing outside your door right now to say goodbye,

Think of me...
I know you've never seen me cry,
Think of me...
But it's so hard to say goodbye,
Think of me...
What can I say to show you,
I'll never give up on you

I will be waiting for you
I will be there when you call
I will see you through it all
And even in your darkest hour,
I pray that the Lord we found
Will set you on solid ground

I know that it feels like leaving is a part of letting go
But I'm praying with hope and believing
That I'll see you once again down this road
I hope that it won't be long

Think of me...
I know God brought you as a friend,
Think of me...
I know he'll bring you back again,
Think of me...
What can I say to show you,
I'll never give up on you

I will be waiting for you
I will be there when you call
I will see you through it all
And even in your darkest hour,
I pray that the Lord we found
Will set you on solid ground

Think of me...
I know you've never seen me cry
Think of me...
But it's so hard to say goodbye
Think of me...