Well, this morning J and I prayed again. We prayed that we would go where He wanted us to go--that we are tired of trying to make a decision, and we just wanted the decision to be made for us. We threw our hands in the air--again. About an hour later J called me and said that the decision had been made. I'm not going into specifics here, because it's definitely not official yet. We won't have orders for awhile, and it's helpful to remember that nothing in the Navy is guaranteed until after it happens, but I feel like a weight has been lifted. My headache is gone. My twitch is gone.
It is not a place I wanted to go, but apparently it's a place where God wants us. That doesn't make it easy, but it makes it worthwhile.
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Here we go again...
J and I have been married for 16 years, and we're gearing up for our 9th military move. NINTH. For the 9th time we have to say goodbye, we have to uproot our family, we have to start all over again. Only one or two of those moves have been happy ones. More often than not we're a sad bunch for several months. Even as I type, I'm fighting my natural instinct to pull away from everyone and everything that I love. It's easier to say goodbye if you're not emotionally attached, right? Only pulling away doesn't help, because I'm already emotionally attached. I jump in head first when we move. I immediately get involved, make friends, dig roots. I'm sure it would be easier to move if I didn't do that, but I'd be miserable the entire time I lived somewhere.
Moving is hard. Deciding where to move to, with what little say-so we have, is harder. There are so many factors involved with this move: What is the environment like for our kids? How are the schools? How is the football program for the high schools? The cost of living? What are the church options? What kind of weather do they have? What will J's deployment schedule be? Will he be able to get shore duty in the same place so we don't have to move again the summer before B's senior year? Will he miss B's graduation because he had to extend on a boat for lack of shore duty in the same place? Then the factors for J--is the job he'd be doing going to further his career or stall it? Is it a job he wants to do? And this time it's a matter of which type of submarine does he want to be on. I want to live near all my friends again, and of course that's not possible! Where my friends are has to be the last of the equation, but I feel like I'm subconsciously picking which friends I like more.
I hate this, I really do.
It makes me a frazzled, crazy woman with a twitch and a headache.
J and I have prayed and prayed over this next set of orders. We feel like this move is the most pivotal of his career, and yet we don't seem to be getting any answers. Mixed signals, yes. Doors slammed in our face when we think we've heard correctly, more than once.
If I seem out of sorts/upset/deep in thought--it's probably because I am.
If it seems like I could use a hug--I could.
Moving is hard. Deciding where to move to, with what little say-so we have, is harder. There are so many factors involved with this move: What is the environment like for our kids? How are the schools? How is the football program for the high schools? The cost of living? What are the church options? What kind of weather do they have? What will J's deployment schedule be? Will he be able to get shore duty in the same place so we don't have to move again the summer before B's senior year? Will he miss B's graduation because he had to extend on a boat for lack of shore duty in the same place? Then the factors for J--is the job he'd be doing going to further his career or stall it? Is it a job he wants to do? And this time it's a matter of which type of submarine does he want to be on. I want to live near all my friends again, and of course that's not possible! Where my friends are has to be the last of the equation, but I feel like I'm subconsciously picking which friends I like more.
I hate this, I really do.
It makes me a frazzled, crazy woman with a twitch and a headache.
J and I have prayed and prayed over this next set of orders. We feel like this move is the most pivotal of his career, and yet we don't seem to be getting any answers. Mixed signals, yes. Doors slammed in our face when we think we've heard correctly, more than once.
If I seem out of sorts/upset/deep in thought--it's probably because I am.
If it seems like I could use a hug--I could.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Something other than funny stuff
I'm feeling just the slightest big overwhelmed with things right now. Ok ok, not things. School! We are beginning our 6th year of homeschooling on Tuesday, and I'm not even close to being prepared. I didn't get everything I wanted to get done this summer--to the school room, the house, things with the kids, my summer reading... I really wish that I could put off the beginning of school for a few more weeks, and technically I CAN, but we're moving again next year and I want to be done with the school year before the move.
The move: another source of mental spaz. I really detest living in limbo. I have spent the better part of my adult life living in limbo. We know we're going, we don't know where, and we probably won't know until the month or 2 before, and in the meantime the possibility of where will change 5 times. That's living in limbo. The older the kids get, the harder it is to move. Saying goodbye is hard. Creating a new life wherever the Navy sends us is hard. Forcing myself to create that new life when I'm only going to be there a couple or a few years is even harder. Why would I want to get close to anybody when I'm just going to have to say goodbye way too soon?
My brain has gotten pretty good at messing with me though. I'm usually in denial until the day before we leave. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm moving and I'm very pragmatic and Type A about the whole thing--but the emotions of it really being REAL don't hit me until the last minute.
This entry has taken a turn I didn't intend, but since I'm going that direction...
I'm really hoping that our next move is back to somewhere we've already been. Unless of course that place is Connecticut, and then I'll have to politely decline. And if I ran the Navy, that would be acceptable. :-) I just don't want to start all over again, again. I'd like to float back into the life I had before I left. I know things are never the same after you leave, but I'd already have a church, friends, doctors, dentists, hair dressers, I'd know the area, the kids would already have friends, and you know, there's just something to be said for that.
I want to get somewhere and stay, but where would that be? We've had people ask us where we will live when Jerry retires. I don't have a clue! I mean, he may not even retire for 13 more years (that would be retiring at 30), and we've moved so much his entire career that I don't know if we'll ever feel settled in one place. Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
I'm off to work on school. Have a good day!
The move: another source of mental spaz. I really detest living in limbo. I have spent the better part of my adult life living in limbo. We know we're going, we don't know where, and we probably won't know until the month or 2 before, and in the meantime the possibility of where will change 5 times. That's living in limbo. The older the kids get, the harder it is to move. Saying goodbye is hard. Creating a new life wherever the Navy sends us is hard. Forcing myself to create that new life when I'm only going to be there a couple or a few years is even harder. Why would I want to get close to anybody when I'm just going to have to say goodbye way too soon?
My brain has gotten pretty good at messing with me though. I'm usually in denial until the day before we leave. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm moving and I'm very pragmatic and Type A about the whole thing--but the emotions of it really being REAL don't hit me until the last minute.
This entry has taken a turn I didn't intend, but since I'm going that direction...
I'm really hoping that our next move is back to somewhere we've already been. Unless of course that place is Connecticut, and then I'll have to politely decline. And if I ran the Navy, that would be acceptable. :-) I just don't want to start all over again, again. I'd like to float back into the life I had before I left. I know things are never the same after you leave, but I'd already have a church, friends, doctors, dentists, hair dressers, I'd know the area, the kids would already have friends, and you know, there's just something to be said for that.
I want to get somewhere and stay, but where would that be? We've had people ask us where we will live when Jerry retires. I don't have a clue! I mean, he may not even retire for 13 more years (that would be retiring at 30), and we've moved so much his entire career that I don't know if we'll ever feel settled in one place. Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
I'm off to work on school. Have a good day!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Such is Navy life
It's been awhile since I've posted anything, and I hate that.
We are gearing up for another Navy move, and all the emotions I had before and after I left California are rearing their ugly heads again. Moving so much is really starting to take its toll on me. Just about the time I get comfortable and make lasting friendships, it's time to move again. On the flip side, if it weren't for the Navy, I wouldn't have half the friends I do. And thanks to facebook and the telephone I'm able to keep in touch with those wonderful friends that I have all over the US.
I've been having a hard time keeping it all together lately. Trying to be a good mom, a good teacher (both to my kids and the preschoolers at church), and a good friend while trying to keep the house clean, the bills paid, and food on the table all with a smile on my face is becoming harder and harder. I'm much better at all those things when I have my helpmate here with me. Especially being a firstborn, I feel like I need to keep it together and organized and running smoothly ALL THE TIME. I criticize myself and get down on myself when I can't. Like, if I can't hold it together there's OBVIOUSLY something wrong with my schedule or lack thereof. I don't feel like I'm as strong as everyone thinks I am, and most of the time I'm stronger than I ever wanted to be.
Being a perfectionist-planner, living in limbo makes me crazy. I have no idea where we're moving in just a few months and it is definitely a source of frustration for me. Communication has not been going too well with J right now, which is another source of frustration. This part of our lives will be over soon, and I'm looking forward to being able to talk to him every day for 3 years. It sounds like bliss right now to be honest. I haven't talked to him everyday of the year since 2004. I do have wonderful friends that are helping me through this. I just need to teach myself to know my limits and ask for help when I need it. I refer you to the previous paragraph, however. :-)
Switching gears a bit, I want to talk about my recent weight loss. I started taking Zumba classes in mid-July. I love Zumba and it's exactly what I needed to keep me motivated about exercise. I've been a slacker the last week, but I plan to get back into the swing of things today. I've lost 10.5 lbs and at least 9 inches total. From doing a bit of low carbing since J has been gone, I'm starting to realize just exactly what carbs do to my body. I've decided that I'm going to give Atkins a try. I don't know that I will follow it strictly, though; I will do a modified version of it. For example, I'm not going to avoid eating fruit when I'm choosing to eat fruit instead of a bag of chips, kwim? We'll see. I might decide differently.
I must end this for now. I must take hold of the joy and peace that only God can provide me. I hope to update my blog more often.
We are gearing up for another Navy move, and all the emotions I had before and after I left California are rearing their ugly heads again. Moving so much is really starting to take its toll on me. Just about the time I get comfortable and make lasting friendships, it's time to move again. On the flip side, if it weren't for the Navy, I wouldn't have half the friends I do. And thanks to facebook and the telephone I'm able to keep in touch with those wonderful friends that I have all over the US.
I've been having a hard time keeping it all together lately. Trying to be a good mom, a good teacher (both to my kids and the preschoolers at church), and a good friend while trying to keep the house clean, the bills paid, and food on the table all with a smile on my face is becoming harder and harder. I'm much better at all those things when I have my helpmate here with me. Especially being a firstborn, I feel like I need to keep it together and organized and running smoothly ALL THE TIME. I criticize myself and get down on myself when I can't. Like, if I can't hold it together there's OBVIOUSLY something wrong with my schedule or lack thereof. I don't feel like I'm as strong as everyone thinks I am, and most of the time I'm stronger than I ever wanted to be.
Being a perfectionist-planner, living in limbo makes me crazy. I have no idea where we're moving in just a few months and it is definitely a source of frustration for me. Communication has not been going too well with J right now, which is another source of frustration. This part of our lives will be over soon, and I'm looking forward to being able to talk to him every day for 3 years. It sounds like bliss right now to be honest. I haven't talked to him everyday of the year since 2004. I do have wonderful friends that are helping me through this. I just need to teach myself to know my limits and ask for help when I need it. I refer you to the previous paragraph, however. :-)
Switching gears a bit, I want to talk about my recent weight loss. I started taking Zumba classes in mid-July. I love Zumba and it's exactly what I needed to keep me motivated about exercise. I've been a slacker the last week, but I plan to get back into the swing of things today. I've lost 10.5 lbs and at least 9 inches total. From doing a bit of low carbing since J has been gone, I'm starting to realize just exactly what carbs do to my body. I've decided that I'm going to give Atkins a try. I don't know that I will follow it strictly, though; I will do a modified version of it. For example, I'm not going to avoid eating fruit when I'm choosing to eat fruit instead of a bag of chips, kwim? We'll see. I might decide differently.
I must end this for now. I must take hold of the joy and peace that only God can provide me. I hope to update my blog more often.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
You wanna tour my house?
Well, this is the best I can do. These are the pictures I took during the chaos of moving in! Well, except for the picture of the outside of the house. I took that this morning.
Please excuse our mess!
This picture is taken with my back to the front door.
That's a screened-in porch back there.
(that's the front door) :-)
Walking in the living room a bit further, you can see the kitchen to the left
(more on that later, of course).
(more on that later, of course).
If you take a right at the front door,
there is a hallway that leads to our "Master Suite".
there is a hallway that leads to our "Master Suite".
We have a double vanity and more cabinet space than we could ever need.
Don't be jealous :-)
There is a separate shower, but I failed to get a picture of that,
or the walk in closet that is to the right of the tub
If you go back out to the living room, and through the kitchen, to your left is a hallway that leads to the stairs and Luke's room...which is also the playroom
This is the school room.
They meant it to be a formal dining room. We don't need one of those :-)
Looking right through it, that's all the crap in front of the front door.
Upstairs and to the left is Olivia and Rebekah's room.
Looking right through it, that's all the crap in front of the front door.
Upstairs and to the left is Olivia and Rebekah's room.
There is a Jack-n-Jill bathroom upstairs. This is the girls' entrance to it.
Froggies!
Well, hello there Blake!
We're not getting out his door!
After kicking my way through the door to Blake's room,
I was able to take a picture of the living room from the "loft" area.
I was able to take a picture of the living room from the "loft" area.
Oh, look!
There's Jerry using my Dyson!
Going back down the stairs
This is the beautiful window glass in the dining room.
There's Jerry using my Dyson!
Going back down the stairs
This is the beautiful window glass in the dining room.
And, my favorite room in the house...the Kitchen!
I don't know what we'll do with all those cabinets, but they sure are nice to have!
I don't know what we'll do with all those cabinets, but they sure are nice to have!
The bar overlooking the dining room
I don't know if you can see it, but on the refrigerator is a San Diego flip flop magnet
I bought a few days before we left California.
This is a little nook beside the refrigerator
These are all the pictures we have of the house. I'll take more eventually. Maybe. :-)Monday, November 17, 2008
Oh dear
I have access to the outside world!! My phone turned on today! My internet turned on today! I still don't have cell phone service at my house, but I have internet!!
I would like to make a list of things I like and dislike about this place. Maybe I should just focus on the good, but the bad is so funny that I really think you'd enjoy reading it.
For example, gnats. Why did God create these tiny little good-for-nothing creatures? They swarm in huge blobs, they bite, and you must be careful when walking through your yard, because if you happen to walk through one of the swarms they'll fly in your nose and mouth, YUCK!
In my last couple of posts, I was telling you about how some of our things are missing and how things were packed. Well, it gets better. Our bed broke over the weekend. My 2 year old, nice, sturdy, expensive, first ever new "grown up" bed is broken. Apparently the movers that moved us in last week didn't put it together properly.
I have a (California) King, so there is a center board that goes down the middle and keeps the two twin size box springs up. Attached to this are supposed to be 3 'pedestal' type feet that go to the ground and help support that center beam, the box springs, and the mattress. The feet were not attached to the center beam. Not only that, but the slats they used under the box springs were not the ones that belonged with our bed. They were for Blake's bunkbed. The slats that go on our bed are supposed to be screwed in.
What is amazing to me is how these things just disappeared. There was supposed to be a "hardware" box. A box that all the screws and stuff from the taken apart beds. The packers didn't pack this stuff because our beds were taken apart on the move day by the driver and his crew.
I called the people that moved us in and told him what happened with my bed. He came out this morning to look at the bed and see if he could find the hardware box in the garage. He couldn't find it, either. He said he would call a furniture repair place and see if they could come and fix the bed and the crib (since we're still missing the screws for it as well). I'm sorry, but they already screwed up a lot. I'm not going to give them another shot at it, just to keep me from filing a claim, only to have it break again in a month or so. I'd rather just file the claim and get the reimbursement money then call the manufacturer and get the replacement parts through them and fix it ourselves. I can just see them saying "oh, this screw seems like it'll fit" and using that method to fix Luke's crib. Uh, no.
The good news is, the movers that moved our stuff here are locals. Hopefully this can be resolved before it gets ugly.
I would like to make a list of things I like and dislike about this place. Maybe I should just focus on the good, but the bad is so funny that I really think you'd enjoy reading it.
For example, gnats. Why did God create these tiny little good-for-nothing creatures? They swarm in huge blobs, they bite, and you must be careful when walking through your yard, because if you happen to walk through one of the swarms they'll fly in your nose and mouth, YUCK!
In my last couple of posts, I was telling you about how some of our things are missing and how things were packed. Well, it gets better. Our bed broke over the weekend. My 2 year old, nice, sturdy, expensive, first ever new "grown up" bed is broken. Apparently the movers that moved us in last week didn't put it together properly.
I have a (California) King, so there is a center board that goes down the middle and keeps the two twin size box springs up. Attached to this are supposed to be 3 'pedestal' type feet that go to the ground and help support that center beam, the box springs, and the mattress. The feet were not attached to the center beam. Not only that, but the slats they used under the box springs were not the ones that belonged with our bed. They were for Blake's bunkbed. The slats that go on our bed are supposed to be screwed in.
What is amazing to me is how these things just disappeared. There was supposed to be a "hardware" box. A box that all the screws and stuff from the taken apart beds. The packers didn't pack this stuff because our beds were taken apart on the move day by the driver and his crew.
I called the people that moved us in and told him what happened with my bed. He came out this morning to look at the bed and see if he could find the hardware box in the garage. He couldn't find it, either. He said he would call a furniture repair place and see if they could come and fix the bed and the crib (since we're still missing the screws for it as well). I'm sorry, but they already screwed up a lot. I'm not going to give them another shot at it, just to keep me from filing a claim, only to have it break again in a month or so. I'd rather just file the claim and get the reimbursement money then call the manufacturer and get the replacement parts through them and fix it ourselves. I can just see them saying "oh, this screw seems like it'll fit" and using that method to fix Luke's crib. Uh, no.
The good news is, the movers that moved our stuff here are locals. Hopefully this can be resolved before it gets ugly.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Family Traditions and Life in the Boonies
The very first meal I cooked for Jerry as his new bride was spaghetti. I make my own sauce, which is pretty hard to screw up, so it’s something simple, yet with a tiny level of difficulty to make me think I’m accomplishing something.
When we moved a year later, I made spaghetti that first night. It was something easy and quick, which is what we wanted after spending all day moving. Cause, well you know, it’s hard work moving 600 sq ft worth of stuff.
When Jerry re-enlisted and we moved to South Carolina, I made spaghetti the first night.
It wasn’t until then that we recognized the pattern, and we adopted it as our Family Tradition. I cook spaghetti for dinner in every new house we move into. We’ve moved a total of 8 times since we’ve been married (12 years). I guess It helps that everyone loves my spaghetti. I think I’ve perfected the recipe over the years.
All that to say…well you know what we had for dinner last Monday
Have I mentioned yet how far away from civilization we live? I’m used to living in a city, where I can get to anywhere I need to go in a matter of minutes. This is culture shock to me. Yes, I’m back in the land where people talk right (that totally doesn’t have the effect I’m looking for since you can’t hear me say it), but I’m out here in the middle of nowhere! We can’t even get cable at our house!! Couple that with it taking a week to get my phone and internet turned on, and absolutely no cell service, I feel cut off from the world! I’m making a list and going in to town this weekend (yeah, this one isn’t the same without hearing it either…) for things we need. Seriously, though, I do have to go to Jacksonville and get a dress. We have a family wedding the week before Thanksgiving (yes, I know I’m waiting until the last minute, don’t remind me!)
We do have a really nice house though. I feel spoiled rotten living here. We enacted the No Shoes On The Carpet Rule. So far, so good. Hopefully it lasts the whole time we’re here. We even went as far as buying everyone in the family “house” shoes. I got fluffy, furry pink flip flops.
I know many of you want pictures, and they’re coming soon.
When we moved a year later, I made spaghetti that first night. It was something easy and quick, which is what we wanted after spending all day moving. Cause, well you know, it’s hard work moving 600 sq ft worth of stuff.
When Jerry re-enlisted and we moved to South Carolina, I made spaghetti the first night.
It wasn’t until then that we recognized the pattern, and we adopted it as our Family Tradition. I cook spaghetti for dinner in every new house we move into. We’ve moved a total of 8 times since we’ve been married (12 years). I guess It helps that everyone loves my spaghetti. I think I’ve perfected the recipe over the years.
All that to say…well you know what we had for dinner last Monday
Have I mentioned yet how far away from civilization we live? I’m used to living in a city, where I can get to anywhere I need to go in a matter of minutes. This is culture shock to me. Yes, I’m back in the land where people talk right (that totally doesn’t have the effect I’m looking for since you can’t hear me say it), but I’m out here in the middle of nowhere! We can’t even get cable at our house!! Couple that with it taking a week to get my phone and internet turned on, and absolutely no cell service, I feel cut off from the world! I’m making a list and going in to town this weekend (yeah, this one isn’t the same without hearing it either…) for things we need. Seriously, though, I do have to go to Jacksonville and get a dress. We have a family wedding the week before Thanksgiving (yes, I know I’m waiting until the last minute, don’t remind me!)
We do have a really nice house though. I feel spoiled rotten living here. We enacted the No Shoes On The Carpet Rule. So far, so good. Hopefully it lasts the whole time we’re here. We even went as far as buying everyone in the family “house” shoes. I got fluffy, furry pink flip flops.
I know many of you want pictures, and they’re coming soon.
We're moved in!
We still don't have internet, and won't until Monday. We're in a wifi hotspot right now. I typed this up yesterday.
We moved into our house this past Monday, and for 5 days we’ve been learning what Grade A Jerks our packers were. I’ve got a few Navy Moves under my belt now, so I’m used to their craptastic way of packing, but nothing could have prepared either one of us for what we’ve been finding since moving in here. I’ll just share some highlights. When we moved to
On Tuesday night, Jerry is opening a box with a High Value label on it, which means the contents are high in value, how ingenious right? We knew that it was one of our computers because of the serial number markings on the outside. What we didn’t expect to find were our pot and pan lids, bottles of vinegar (yes you read that right), cooking oil, and various other liquids along with each component of the computer (printer, monitor, mouse and keyboard, and cpu) all wrapped in paper, individually for safety I should sarcastically add, shoved into one big box. Thankfully, there was no harm to the computer, that we can tell externally anyway; we haven’t hooked it up yet.
The next day I found our canned food! Yeah, they were in a box labeled “Bath Items” along with liquid medicines, the girls’ hair ties, and a container of carpet powder deodorizer (you know what I’m talking about, right? That stuff you sprinkle on your carpet before you vacuum.) Well, wouldn’t you guess, it busted open during the move. Now our pantry smells all nice and linen fresh.
I’ll stop complaining, but I will tell you that we still haven’t found the crib screws, and almost all the boxes have been opened. Luke has been sleeping in the pack-n-play. He’s not complaining.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Almost over
We arrived in Georgia, our final destination, this passed Sunday night. The next morning we immediately started looking for houses to rent. We had some print-outs of houses we wanted to look at, as well as a list of ones we found on the internet but were unable to print.
The first day we saw a couple of nice houses and a few 'ehn' houses. One that we were the most excited about was a 5 bdrm 3 bath (can you imagine all that room?!), for a lot less a month than you might expect. We had an appointment at 10 am to see what we thought was an empty house. After all, the listing did say Available Oct 1st. The agent calls us and says that the carpet cleaner is coming that same day so we'd have to take our shoes off. No problem.
We get there and not only is the carpet cleaner there, but so is the family that still lives there! Can you say "awkward?" The family stayed on the porch, though, so it wasn't that bad. The house was nice, but they couldn't be out of it for 2 weeks! We did not like the prospect of living in a hotel for that long, so we passed.
The next day, we had a longer list of houses to look at. We called the agent we were working with early that morning, and we spent the better part of the day looking. As we left each house, we noted key things we liked and disliked about the house, the neighborhood, and our first impressions on the print out the agent gave us for each house. We wrote pros and cons, things we just didn't like for whatever reason, and things we did, etc. All told, we got it narrowed down from 13 houses to 2.
Ya'll that know me know that I was very diplomatic and Type A about the whole thing. :-)
We have been praying since we left San Diego that God had the perfect house set aside for us here and could He direct us to that house. We prayed that prayer several times throughout the two days we spent looking at houses as well. With some of the houses, we knew as soon as we walked in that it wasn't our house. There were several houses, though, that the 'niceness' of the house was clouding our judgment.
At one point, my emotions were clouding my judgment. We went to the park to let the kids play while we could talk and make our decision. One house is everything we've ever wanted in a house. It's a 4 bdrm 3 bath. It's beautiful. It's functional. It's plenty big. It has a HUGE kitchen and a screened in porch, and a JETTED TUB! [oops, did I say that outloud? :-D ] It has a room I can dedicate to be a school room, even! BUT (you knew there was one LOL) it's in a secluded neighborhood and the backyard isn't fenced. There are woods on three sides of the house, and there didn't seem to be kids living anywhere near us.
The other house is really nice, though not nearly as nice as the first house. It's a 4 bdrm 3 bath also, with a huge loft that we could do school in. It has a huge fenced in backyard, and it's in a great neighborhood with kids everywhere!
So you may be asking yourself "so how did your emotions get in the way?" Well, I was having a real tough time choosing which house to get because of the prospect of friends for the kids and myself. We'd been looking for churches the night before and it looked like the places we really wanted to try out are all the way in Jacksonville. Granted that's not that far, but it's not down the street either. We haven't plugged in to any homeschool groups yet, which is another place we could make friends. In my mind I was thinking "take the lesser house in the kid-rich neighborhood just so life can become normal again quickly."
After some tears and talking it through, I realized that in the grand scheme of things, the neighborhood really doesn't matter. Other than The Best Neighbor Ever (Hi Jen!), I don't really talk to my neighbors. I haven't liked the neighborhood kids and their influence on my kids anywhere we've lived (except for TBNE's kids, of course.) Our friends come from church and families from Jerry's command.
I was struggling because I'm just sad. I miss California. I miss our friends there. I miss our church. This is every bit as hard as I thought it would be. It helps that I can still keep in touch via computer (I love my computer, it's where my friends live! LOL), but it's totally not the same thing as walking over to their house, seeing them and chatting at church, going out to eat, or playing 'kid swap'. I'm very thankful that Jerry isn't going out to sea for a while, because then I'd really be lonely!
My heart hurts for the kids, because they don't have anyone to play with and until we find a church, or homeschool group, or meet some families from Jerry's command, they really won't. Honestly, though, I really don't think they're as sad as I think they are. It's probably me just projecting :-)
Anyway, long story short, we chose the first house :-)
We went through several hurdles with the property management company for the house, the criminal background check from CA, and the personal property company that has our household in storage. We were looking at not being able to move into our house until right before or after Thanksgiving. But I believe that God's hand was on the whole situation, and by His grace we're moving in on MONDAY!
We go tomorrow to sign the lease, get the keys, and get all the utilities turned on.
I'll upload some pictures when I get them. I plan on taking some tomorrow while it's still empty.
You know what the best part is? This is our last night in a hotel!!
WE'RE NOT HOMELESS ANYMORE!!
The first day we saw a couple of nice houses and a few 'ehn' houses. One that we were the most excited about was a 5 bdrm 3 bath (can you imagine all that room?!), for a lot less a month than you might expect. We had an appointment at 10 am to see what we thought was an empty house. After all, the listing did say Available Oct 1st. The agent calls us and says that the carpet cleaner is coming that same day so we'd have to take our shoes off. No problem.
We get there and not only is the carpet cleaner there, but so is the family that still lives there! Can you say "awkward?" The family stayed on the porch, though, so it wasn't that bad. The house was nice, but they couldn't be out of it for 2 weeks! We did not like the prospect of living in a hotel for that long, so we passed.
The next day, we had a longer list of houses to look at. We called the agent we were working with early that morning, and we spent the better part of the day looking. As we left each house, we noted key things we liked and disliked about the house, the neighborhood, and our first impressions on the print out the agent gave us for each house. We wrote pros and cons, things we just didn't like for whatever reason, and things we did, etc. All told, we got it narrowed down from 13 houses to 2.
Ya'll that know me know that I was very diplomatic and Type A about the whole thing. :-)
We have been praying since we left San Diego that God had the perfect house set aside for us here and could He direct us to that house. We prayed that prayer several times throughout the two days we spent looking at houses as well. With some of the houses, we knew as soon as we walked in that it wasn't our house. There were several houses, though, that the 'niceness' of the house was clouding our judgment.
At one point, my emotions were clouding my judgment. We went to the park to let the kids play while we could talk and make our decision. One house is everything we've ever wanted in a house. It's a 4 bdrm 3 bath. It's beautiful. It's functional. It's plenty big. It has a HUGE kitchen and a screened in porch, and a JETTED TUB! [oops, did I say that outloud? :-D ] It has a room I can dedicate to be a school room, even! BUT (you knew there was one LOL) it's in a secluded neighborhood and the backyard isn't fenced. There are woods on three sides of the house, and there didn't seem to be kids living anywhere near us.
The other house is really nice, though not nearly as nice as the first house. It's a 4 bdrm 3 bath also, with a huge loft that we could do school in. It has a huge fenced in backyard, and it's in a great neighborhood with kids everywhere!
So you may be asking yourself "so how did your emotions get in the way?" Well, I was having a real tough time choosing which house to get because of the prospect of friends for the kids and myself. We'd been looking for churches the night before and it looked like the places we really wanted to try out are all the way in Jacksonville. Granted that's not that far, but it's not down the street either. We haven't plugged in to any homeschool groups yet, which is another place we could make friends. In my mind I was thinking "take the lesser house in the kid-rich neighborhood just so life can become normal again quickly."
After some tears and talking it through, I realized that in the grand scheme of things, the neighborhood really doesn't matter. Other than The Best Neighbor Ever (Hi Jen!), I don't really talk to my neighbors. I haven't liked the neighborhood kids and their influence on my kids anywhere we've lived (except for TBNE's kids, of course.) Our friends come from church and families from Jerry's command.
I was struggling because I'm just sad. I miss California. I miss our friends there. I miss our church. This is every bit as hard as I thought it would be. It helps that I can still keep in touch via computer (I love my computer, it's where my friends live! LOL), but it's totally not the same thing as walking over to their house, seeing them and chatting at church, going out to eat, or playing 'kid swap'. I'm very thankful that Jerry isn't going out to sea for a while, because then I'd really be lonely!
My heart hurts for the kids, because they don't have anyone to play with and until we find a church, or homeschool group, or meet some families from Jerry's command, they really won't. Honestly, though, I really don't think they're as sad as I think they are. It's probably me just projecting :-)
Anyway, long story short, we chose the first house :-)
We went through several hurdles with the property management company for the house, the criminal background check from CA, and the personal property company that has our household in storage. We were looking at not being able to move into our house until right before or after Thanksgiving. But I believe that God's hand was on the whole situation, and by His grace we're moving in on MONDAY!
We go tomorrow to sign the lease, get the keys, and get all the utilities turned on.
I'll upload some pictures when I get them. I plan on taking some tomorrow while it's still empty.
You know what the best part is? This is our last night in a hotel!!
WE'RE NOT HOMELESS ANYMORE!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fun filled weekend...
Today I get to meet my new nephew! He is 6 months younger than Luke (so almost 9 months old now, wow!). I hear he's sweet and cuddly. I'll be sure to upload some pictures soon. :-)
Tomorrow, Jerry gets here! YAY! He graduates school in CT at some point tomorrow and he has a friend driving him to Providence, RI to catch a plane here. Hopefully he will be able to get an earlier flight than the one he has now. He had to get the latest flight out of there, because he didn't know what time he would graduate.
We are taking the kids to my old church here in Nashville for Halloween (it's my parent's church). The Fall Fest at Cornerstone Church is so much fun. Olivia is dressing up as a hippie. It wasn't her first, or even her second choice, but Party City was out of the other things she wanted to be. Rebekah is going to be Dora. I must remember to get her and Olivia both some sweats or long underwear to wear under their costumes. Dora wears shorts and a tshirt! Little Lukie will be a pirate. We're trying to teach him to say "aarrg", to no avail. Blake has decided that he's too old to dress up anymore. It's just as well. I paid $70 just for three of them, and I REFUSE to ever do that again. I told the girls that I'd make something, I'd piece something together, I'd wrap them in paper bags, but I was NOT going to pay $70 on costumes again!
Then on Saturday, we're leaving for Georgia.
I pray that this time next week we are moving into our new home!
Tomorrow, Jerry gets here! YAY! He graduates school in CT at some point tomorrow and he has a friend driving him to Providence, RI to catch a plane here. Hopefully he will be able to get an earlier flight than the one he has now. He had to get the latest flight out of there, because he didn't know what time he would graduate.
We are taking the kids to my old church here in Nashville for Halloween (it's my parent's church). The Fall Fest at Cornerstone Church is so much fun. Olivia is dressing up as a hippie. It wasn't her first, or even her second choice, but Party City was out of the other things she wanted to be. Rebekah is going to be Dora. I must remember to get her and Olivia both some sweats or long underwear to wear under their costumes. Dora wears shorts and a tshirt! Little Lukie will be a pirate. We're trying to teach him to say "aarrg", to no avail. Blake has decided that he's too old to dress up anymore. It's just as well. I paid $70 just for three of them, and I REFUSE to ever do that again. I told the girls that I'd make something, I'd piece something together, I'd wrap them in paper bags, but I was NOT going to pay $70 on costumes again!
Then on Saturday, we're leaving for Georgia.
I pray that this time next week we are moving into our new home!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
One Month Ago
One month ago, packers came to our house in San Diego to start packing up our house. It's been one month and we're still homeless :-).
We left California on October 4th and started our Movacation (that's a vacation during our move, by the way).
We saw the Grand Canyon which was just breathtaking. I will totally go back there when I'm not afraid of kids falling in it!
Rebekah is there, she's hidden in the shadow of the person taking the picture for us.
I love this picture, because it looks like Jerry was Photoshopped in!
Next we went to The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. It wasn't nearly as exciting as it could have been. If I'd scheduled us as a Field Trip, or we came during one of the night tours, we would have gotten to look through some of the telescopes. The kids enjoyed it, though.
After that, we were just making our way east for a few days. We ate lunch at Blake's Lotaburger in Tucumcari, NM (great burger, really!) which was fun.
Then the part the boys, big and little, were waiting for for weeks: The Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. They were in heaven, I tell ya.
The picture of the ring is a hologram. We had fun trying to put our finger in it. It looked real, and as if we could :-)
We left there and made our way to Hershey, PA, and all its chocolately goodness!
It was so hard to leave :-(
Before we got all the way to Connecticut, we stopped in NJ to visit our friend Leslie. She was in town from San Diego visiting family. It was so great to see her again, even if it had only been a few days since I'd seen her last. :-).
All told, we drove 3500 miles and it took us 9 days.
We left California on October 4th and started our Movacation (that's a vacation during our move, by the way).
We saw the Grand Canyon which was just breathtaking. I will totally go back there when I'm not afraid of kids falling in it!
Rebekah is there, she's hidden in the shadow of the person taking the picture for us.
I love this picture, because it looks like Jerry was Photoshopped in!
Next we went to The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. It wasn't nearly as exciting as it could have been. If I'd scheduled us as a Field Trip, or we came during one of the night tours, we would have gotten to look through some of the telescopes. The kids enjoyed it, though.
After that, we were just making our way east for a few days. We ate lunch at Blake's Lotaburger in Tucumcari, NM (great burger, really!) which was fun.
Then the part the boys, big and little, were waiting for for weeks: The Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. They were in heaven, I tell ya.
The picture of the ring is a hologram. We had fun trying to put our finger in it. It looked real, and as if we could :-)
We left there and made our way to Hershey, PA, and all its chocolately goodness!
It was so hard to leave :-(
Before we got all the way to Connecticut, we stopped in NJ to visit our friend Leslie. She was in town from San Diego visiting family. It was so great to see her again, even if it had only been a few days since I'd seen her last. :-).
All told, we drove 3500 miles and it took us 9 days.
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