The Boxes Are Unpacked

Well, the boxes are unpacked.  I can see the floor in some places.  We're getting there!  I've been busy for sure...lots to do.  So thankful to be in our house.  It doesn't feel like home yet, but it will come.  The kids are so excited to have their rooms, beds, toys, etc.  They are suddenly getting along better - go figure!  They got to meet some kids in the neighborhood this past week too.  The bus ride home is nice for me - I can see the bus stop from our front porch - I am enjoying not driving two hours every afternoon!!

I just have to take a minute and say, I am SO completely thankful for the time that we spent at Tony & Sue's over the past 2 1/2 months.  The kids loved learning different things from them and having the extra attention.  And I really enjoyed getting to know Sue and hanging out with her.  Sue is an extremely encouraging and positive person.  She taught me some good meals and taught me to sew and quilt!!  She offered to include me in everything she did.  She cheered me up when I was down.  They shared their entire space with us and made sacrifices beyond belief.  They thought ahead as to what would make us most comfortable and provided and did that.  Amazing!  I have thought often over the past few months - would I be able to extend the same gift of hospitality to others as they have for us??  It is the kind of gift that you can never express how much it meant - and you can never repay someone for!   What a blessing God provided to us through them!  We will be having our only Carolina relatives over for Thanksgiving this year.

It was absolutely fantastic having my mom and Judy here at the beginning of the week.  They flew home on Thursday.  But they and Sue were a huge help.  They unpacked all the boxes for me and organized the kitchen.  I hated to see them leave.  The week was a blur.  By Thursday when they left I had my bearings enough to make a taco dinner!  When Evan woke up Friday morning he had a sore throat, but no fever or anything else, so off to school he went.  When he got home he had a fever...bad mom!!  Off to the doctor we went.  We had already researched and decided on a doctor that is right up the road - less than 5 minutes.  He, luckily, could get us in on a Friday afternoon.  Positive strep.  Ugh.  But, at least he got started on medicine and was feeling much better by Saturday evening.  Jeff has been great - hanging blinds/curtain rods, hooking things up, hanging light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc.  He has really worked hard. We have been so busy searching for lost items, moving things around, hanging things, organizing that it still does not seem real that we are in a house in North Carolina and are 'doing life' here now.  Although it just makes me smile to take the kids to school in the mornings and be gone for 10 minutes round trip!  Halleluiah! 

This weekend in Evansville we missed the prospective pastor preach at church...and I missed the women's conference with Lysa TerKeurst and Laura Story.  It made me sad to miss out on things...things that were important to us.  I'm sure there will be many more things we miss though and time will heal...

This morning, after enjoying the extra hour of sleep from the time change, we got up and went to church!  We were all so excited!  We have about 5 different churches that we've looked at online and listened to some sermons of their pastors that we'd like to visit.  The one this morning was the closest to our house since we have so much we wanted to get done at home today.  Southbrook Church is 5 minutes away and Emily is going to play basketball through that church soon (Jeff is going to coach too!)  The kids both had a kid church type set up.  Emily was with just 4th grade girls - and one was a girl from her class at school! - and they joined the middle school for worship - it was loud music!  Jeff and I enjoyed the sermon, the pastor, the people, the set up, and most of all - the worship and music.  It was definitely our style.  I was so relieved to be back at church.  It felt good to stand in His presence and sing - and since it was so loud no one heard how off key I was...and since it was dark, no one saw the tears run down my face as we sang one of my favorites - "Oh no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm.  Oh no, You never let go, in every high and every low.  Lord, you never let go of me!"  Jeff and I have never 'church shopped' before.  We've prayed for the right one, but don't really know what to do to choose.  All four of us liked this one enough to stay there!  But, we also want to try the others out too so we know for sure what is out there - I guess that is how you do it?  Pray for us if you think of it!

Like I said, things have been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks.  I really don't think much of anything has sunk in fully.  I know that a lot of stress has been relieved, but I am sure that the journey is only starting.