Update on the trailer

The unloved trailer is almost home. All of the rooms have been painted except for the master bathroom and they are almost all decorated. The guest room and the storage room still need a little arranging, but things are well on their way. Things are feeling like home and we were able to entertain our friends from NY last week and plan to have some other neighbors over tomorrow and then some church attenders on Sunday. As Dorothy says, "there's no place like home."

Residents of NC

Well, after a busy day in town, we are now official NC residents. Yes, we received our driver's licenses and registered and inspected the car. It was quite an ordeal and we are still getting used to the laid back methods of the south.

We arrived early at DMV knowing that it is sometimes a place to be feared. When we arrived with our stacks of ID and paperwork, the lady sent us home because we did not have our birth certificates. Despite the fact that the paperwork asked for one form of ID with a birth date (we had WA licences and passports), we could not convince her to let us through. So we went home and got the birth certificates. The second time through everything went well and we left with new licenses.

The journey was not over. Next we went to register the car. As of 11/1 they changed their rules and now an inspection needed to be completed first before registration rather than in 10 days after registration! ARGH! SOOO, we went and had it inspected and then registered the car.

So the simple acts of the morning filled the morning and a little of the afternoon.

Since I had been home for about 2 weeks straight, we went to Hickory, NC for a little "city" life. We went for some weights, a cross stitch kit, and a meal at Olive Garden. It was a nice little getaway and the end of leaf peeping season here in NC.

So now I reckon I should be fixin' to get to my exercise before facing this purdy day before me. Y'all come back and read now, ya hear!

How about being a dairy farmer?

Well, on Wednesday night at midnight, Chris said good bye to military life. He has been so relaxed since finishing up. His life was always clouded by the fear and dread of what would await on the ship, or when they would fast cruise (stay on the ship, tied to the pier for days on end), or when the next deployment would be. It is so nice to have that freedom again.

So now was the time to turn anxious, right? No, there has been such a peace in this process, that we still rested on God. There is a lot of talk about the poor economy and lack of jobs (which is true), but God had a plan in bringing us here. Chris had applications into Chick-fil-A (the southern fast food), a hardware store, Sears, and a manufacturing plant, when our neighbor came over with another option ... the dairy farm where he works. Chris pursued it and was hired on the spot. So 3 days after leaving the Navy, he was employed again.

So what is the lactose intolerant, hay fever prone man doing on the farm? :) Well, he was primarily hired to fix the diesel machinery, repair stalls and fences, and drive truck as necessary ... but everyone does a little of everything, so he also chases cows and scrapes manure.

We are so excited about this job. Chris is an outdoorsman - and this definitely fits the bill. He is on the go all the time so the days do not seem long at all. He can work 40 - 60 hours until school starts as he wants. He can cut back to 20 hours when the school year begins. He is active which cuts down the time he needs to exercise after work and will balance the time that he sits in classes.

So ... 3 cheers for milk!

A whirlwind trip to the Northeast

As if the trip across the country was not enough, we decided to take a whirlwind trip up to NY to see family and friends before work and school began. So after fixing up the major rooms in the trailer, we headed the nearly 600 miles to western NY to see the Hadley folks. It was the peak of leaf peeping as we headed through WV. Chris exclaimed on every turn, "Isn't that beautiful." We had a good visit with mom and dad. We celebrated dad's birthday, met their new pastor, visited a museum in Jamestown, and enjoyed roaming through the remainder of the fall colors on the property. I enjoyed playing a real piano and Chris enjoyed shooting his muzzleloader for the first time in about 8 months.

After the trip to Cherry Creek, we headed to Vestal to see my brother Jeff and his family. Their youngest referred to us as the people on the refrigerator so we needed to fix that. We had a nice visit with all of them. They too let us get out for some much needed walks - to see their new church and a nature walk at the local park. We did puzzles, played legos, and sampled the local Pat Mitchells ice cream (it was REALLY good).

Next we were on to Cobleskill for church with our friends from Albany - Matt and Kelly. Their little church was going to meet in their home because they lacked a furnace at the church, but they braved 55 degree temps in the sanctuary so that I could play for the service (they are pretty tough). That night we did meet in their home and Chris preached. We had a good time catching up with them and being encouraged at God's faithfulness despite our lack of faith. We also enjoyed meeting their children and their church family.

Our last stop was Elizabethtown, PA to visit our friends from WA. On our way, we stopped in Clarks Summit, PA for some Friendly's. I had a tremendous grilled chicken salad and amazingly left the Vienna mocha fudge in the freezer. We arrived to see our friend in PA and had an awesome visit. We met their newest member, Josiah and Chris was able to visit Hershey, PA for the first time. Our friends took us on a tour trolley that stuffed us full of all kinds of Hershey products - YUM! We also enjoyed meeting all their church family that we had heard so much about in WA and seeing their new home.

We enjoyed our visit, but it sure was nice to get home and back into things again. Time to finish the trailer!