What's in a Name?

(artwork provided by my personal shopper/very talented bestest Mrs. Ashley Miskel)

I think one of the first things a couple starts to do when they find out a child is on the way is begin the "name game". For Michael and me this began WAY before we were expecting. We had decided on a name for a girl about a year ago (she would/and hopefully will be one day named after Michael's favorite Jimi Hendrix song), but that's a whole other story! Naming the boy wasn't such an easy task. I knew when I married Michael that our first born son would have the middle name that all first born sons in his family have: Joseph. I love this name. Especially the way it fits so well with DeAngelis. So now to pick a first name.

REWIND TO 2006: In the summer of 2006 Michael and I found out that we would be moving 800 miles from home to a smaller town in Florida called Lakeland. I could not believe that we were going to be so far from everything we knew. Neither of us had ever lived more than 30 minutes from our parents. Now we would be living 12 hours from them and all of our closest friends and family. WOW! How would we handle this? Would it cause problems in our marriage or bring us closer together? WOuld we ever move back home or would we be that far away forever? Who is going to help us and comfort us? Will we ever make friends? The questions went on and on!

On October 1, 2006 we packed up our remaining belongings and our dog Runkle, said a few tearful goodbyes and started our new journey. There are so many things I remember about the drive down. Excitement, anxiety, sadness, hope.....but mostly I remember having an overwhelming sense of calmness and something telling me "it's going to be just fine". We got moved in and spent our first week together in FL setting up our little piece of the world. My mom came down on the second week when Michael started his new job. Everything was smooth operation until the dreaded day MY MOM LEFT! I watched the garage door close behind her and squatted lower and lower to see her pull out. Then I ran in to the house and watched her drive down the street in a puddle of tears. Once I could no longer see her I flung myself into bed and cried for HOURS! YES HOURS! Poor Michael! He was so great though. He just sat there with me and held on letting me know that it was going to be ok.

We truly began to live the Florida Lifestyle. We hit up the beach almost every weekend, took a trip to SeaWorld and spent countless hours in our new pool in the middle of November. Life was grand! But, I needed a job! Begin JOB SEARCH! Finding a teaching position mid-year is not an easy task. I went for many interviews but always came up empty handed. Little did I know that God was waiting for my perfect match! Life was treating us well but we felt a little tug in our hearts saying..."ok you two, you are settled in and it's been 2 months. Time to get to church." So in the process of the job hunt we began the church hunt. We visited some churches but nothing really made us feel at home. We settled on a BIG church on one of the lakes and hoped for the best. The Sunday morning services were just fine. I remember sitting in church one Sunday after communion and praying that I would find a job. Money was really getting tight and I was getting bored. A week later my prayers were answered. I went in for an interview and within 1 hour the principal called and offered me the job. I was ELATED!!! I began my new teaching adventure in February 2007.

INTRODUCE CHERI LEGG: Cheri was the kindergarten grade chair and my saving grace with the class I walked in to! She was outgoing, energetic, positive, supportive and all around a good Christian lady. She also sat in on my interview! Cheri and I became quick friends. I have learned so much about teaching and attitude from her but I never imagined what a huge influence she would have on our walk with God. We struggled through the remainder of that year together. When I would have a break down she would let me walk in the closet and lose my marbles and pick them back up all while she watched over my "cherubs". The following year I was hired permanently and ready to make a fresh start. It was a great year. Cheri's oldest daughter was in my class and we had lots of fun that year. Cheri and I worked together and planned together. Sharing so many ideas all the while getting closer. I told her about the church we were attending and how we really wanted to get involved more. She told me that her husband was a minister right down the road from our house and we should come check out their church. I guess we just let life get in the way. Always going and doing. Meeting new people. Taking short weekend trips. All the while still praying but not really seeking His glory. We attended church when we had time. Cheri didn't give up though. She wasn't annoying about it, to be honest I joke with her about "why it took her so long to finally invite us to her church". She was very graceful in the ways she mentioned it. FINALLY by the fall of 2009 Michael and I decided to give TBA a shot. TBA...who doesn't know what to name a church? That was my first thought. The first service was a bit overwhelming for me as I grew up traditional Methodist and was not quite ready for the rockin' out that would take place on stage. However now I LOVE IT! We attended church for about a month and after a moving message about seeking God decided nothing was going to fall in our laps. We had to begin seeking. So we started asking about small groups. We could not have been placed in a better small group at that time.

Our small group is the bright spot in some rough times. There are nights I don't feel like going but once I am there I feel so loved and supported. I always leave with a new outlook on things and another challenge for myself. Thank you Bryan, Jen, Mary, Brandon, Stephanie, Mike, Megan and Mike for welcoming us and making us feel like we belong.

Finding a small group and church home would have been amazing enough but God had more in store for us. In February, unknown to us yet, a little boy was beginning to grow in my belly. Around this time we were invited (or maybe invited ourselves) to attend a Tres Dias walk (this is similar to Emmaus and Christio walks...sorry if spelling is wrong). It is a fourth day movement. A very close encounter with God and an intense time to really look inside yourself and turn a lot over to God. Everyone's experience is unique and different. All I will say about it is that if you have a relationship with God and are looking to seek His kingdom further find a sponsor. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. I am sure you have guessed who our sponsors were...YUP, Bryan and Cheri Legg (remember the K teacher).

Micahel went on the men's walk the weekend before the women's walk. When he came home we couldn't really talk about anything as he and I both knew I needed to be open minded and have my own experience. At the end of my weekend I received the most perfect letter from my hubby. Here is a very small part of the letter, but a very profound statement that will lead us to the baby's name:
"Over my three day journey I realized something amazing. I saw how God has carried us in part of His ultimate plan. When we moved to Florida 3 1/2 years ago it never had anything to do with my career. It had everything to do with God. It was you who was placed in a job where you met Cheri. Cheri brought us to TBA which has led us to our walk of faith. God brought us 800 miles from home just to bring us back HOME."
I still cry everytime I read it. I am so blessed to have this man as my husband. What does all this mean? It means GOD SAVES! He has been so good to us and continued to seek us even when we weren't seeking Him.

So back to the name search: we tossed around 100's of names. Never really agreeing. One day I sat down to revisit my letter from Michael (as I really like to make myself cry HA) and I kept hearing "God Saves". Obviously I would not name my child that but it was the words I kept hearing in my heart. Michael came home from work that night and was talking about something he had read. I had not told him what was on my heart. He said "I was looking up Biblical names today and found Isaiah. Did you know that means God saves?" I just looked at him and said "that's the one!"

So there you have it. A 3 1/2 year journey with God led us to our baby boy's name.
I can't wait for you all to meet ISAIAH JOSEPH DEANGELIS!


~side note: you may now be asking "what does TBA mean?" When we began it literally meant "To Be Announced". There had been a merging of two churches and we are now preparing to move in to our new building. TBA now stands for "Trusting Believing Acting" . How perfect is that? Isn't that what ALL churches are about?