The Heart of the Home

I actually feel like I am getting some heart back.

It seems like months (and maybe it has been) since I have REALLY done my job.

You know, the homemaker job.

I have been busy,

but it has been in packing, cleaning, cleaning, unpacking, painting.

Yesterday, I finally got some "fun" baking done.

I made hubby an apple pie on a cool rainy day.

There have also been pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins this week.

I feel like I am getting back to myself.

There are still some "settling" jobs left,

but they are dwindling and that feels good.

And now our tour continues ...

the dining room and kitchen.

The space is much larger and has more storage than any place we have lived.

I do miss being part of the "action" while I am in the kitchen and others are in the living room,

There are always trade-offs.

I think this is the first actual dining room that we have had.

It has always been a corner of the living room or a corner of the kitchen.

This one is a dedicated space.

The short door in the corner is additional storage

currently holding vacuum, tray tables, and folding chairs.

The "odd" seat at the end of the table is also my file cabinet.

view from living room

View from stairs into the kitchen.

A little spoiled with all of the cabinets and a large window!

All the food fits in the pantry to the left of the fridge.

Starting the Tour

Curious about where we have landed?

I showed a little of the mountains to the east of us - our welcome to the Pacific NW.

It won't be too long before hubby has me to the coast - the unique PNW coast.

But where do we call home ... ?

Come in today and take a peek at the living room.

One thing that continues to take me back after over 10 years of trailer life

(including parents on both sides who live in mobile homes)

is the height of the ceiling.

It is not odd to many of you but does open the place up a lot.
The pictures are slow in coming because there was some paint work to be done.
This is not odd for me.
Out of 5 homes we have lived in ... I've had to paint 4 of them!

A first for us is the coat closet in the entryway.

It hasn't been a necessity, but it is a nice addition.

The view as you step into the house (a duplex/townhouse)

The fish tank is awaiting a new Betta.

Hubby's corner awaits the start of a new book!

And looking back at the front door (on left) and closet door (on right)

It finally felt like home when I got some plants hanging in my "office" again.

the view from the dining room - 

a few cards welcomed us when we arrive ...

you all know who you are (E.D., P.C., and J.S.)

And the plant at the window has LAVENDER - yes, this is the region that it grows happily.

Another view from the dining room.

We had to add some floor lamps because there is no overhead lighting and the rainy season will come.

In fact, the rain is moving in this evening.

The only other change is some pillow covers.

Small patio outside the sliding door.

Breaking and Entering

While the move across the country did go smoothly,

it was not without adventure.

On Thursday night, our last night in North Carolina,

after packing the truck and tidying all day,

we had plans to have dinner with friends.

As we left the house for the evening,

hubby looked at me and asked,

"do you have the keys?"

Oh NO!

We had taken extra keys off of our rings to give to the buyers.

We had removed the extra key from the storage shed.

...the keys sat on the counter.

The trailer was locked.

We were headed to dinner.

We enjoyed our evening

with just a tiny cloud over our party.

And when we got home after dark.

We had to break into our own home.

It is actually frightening that it only took us about 5 minutes.

And the trailer looked no worse for wear.

Never let it be said that this blog only paints the picture of a perfect life!

Pressed down, shaken together

A move always involves loss.

Change is never easy.

We were leaving the east coast where we were only a short drive from half of the family.

We were leaving a church we loved.

We were leaving ministries we loved.

We left friends that we loved.

We left a home that we loved.
We left the side of the nation that gets Macintosh apples.

One of the silly things that we "grieved" was the loss of Chick-fil-A.

Sure there is one in Portland, but that is over an hour away.

Chick-fil-A was our little bit of normal.

It was a place where we could get gluten-free fast food.

Before we had the kitchen up and running in Oregon,

we visited a regional fast food establishment about 1 and 1/2 miles from our new home.

BURGERVILLE

They have GOOD gluten-free buns, gluten-free burgers, fries ... the works.

We had again found a place where we could feel like we ate like everyone else.

So where is the pressed down, shaken together?

As we ordered,

I glanced at the milkshake menu.

Yes, this is a no-no for me, but I just wondered at their flavors.

And then I saw it ...

They offered "milk" shakes,

at no extra cost,

made with dairy-free ice cream!

Be still my beating heart.

We haven't had one, yet,

but the option is there.

"I Think I'll Move to Australia"

Everybody has one of those days ...

you know, like Alexander ...

 the little kid with the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Yes, I had one of those days last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday, I was on cloud 9.

I had ordered my new lawn mower.

My grass was begging to be cut.

I received word that UPS had delivered my mower.

I ran to the door, swung it open, and ...

no mower at the door.

My stomach sank.

Upon a very short research,

I realized that my recent Amazon order

which included my mower, a bed frame, a mattress, and new sheets

were all directed to our former home in North Carolina.

The mower had indeed been delivered,

but to someone else's home.

While this was going on,

I was working on cleaning a bathroom,

and suddenly I was without water.

Huh?

It appears that when I had arranged utilities,

I managed to forget the water.

It was closing time for the water department,

so I would have to wait until morning,

and then I would have to wait another day for reconnection!

It was a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day!

But in the midst of it all,

God provided and met our needs.

There are so many reasons to be THANKFUL!

My former neighbors graciously retrieved the mower.

Our dear friend/daughter/sister graciously took it to UPS for return.

We were able to stop all of the other deliveries and reorder or redirect each item.

We were able to use water from the hot water tank to flush the commodes over night.

I was able to contact the water department first thing in the morning.

The water department had the water on by 9:30 in the morning (and not the next day)!

So, I think, for now, that I will just stick with the move to Oregon!

First Impressions

As I mentioned earlier,

we rented our new home based on internet pictures

and a video walkthrough with the realtor.

So when we arrived,

there were some nerves.

Did we make a wise decision?

We visited our new home on Tuesday night June 4

after a 5 day drive across the country.

It was probably not the best time to view it, but ...

We walked in ... and ... the smell was not so great.

The carpets were still damp from being shampooed (that was good).

The walls were a very dingy beige and though they had been patched,

they had been patched with different color spackle and not repainted.

Our first impression was less than stellar.

While the place had space and potential,

it was showing the wear of many, many renters.

On moving day, we contacted the landlord.

We needed some problems documented that might affect our deposits.

Before she came over,

the previous tenants visited to check for left behind items

and to "assure" us that the walls would not be taken care of by the landlord.

When the landlord arrived,

hubby went to bat for me.

He showed the landlord the diseased walls.

He explained that we would do the work if she would provide the paint.

Her initial response was to suggest that we just cover the spots with artwork.

Hubby kept pushing and I showed up and explained that the speckled walls were not very homey.

And guess what?

She approved it!

They provided paint and threw in a refrigerator that we had agreed to purchase for $200 for my labor.

She also agreed to pay for materials to let hubby buy new screen to fix quite a few holey window screens

and to put a new lock on the door (since there were numerous keys floating around).

"Just cover the patches with artwork"

The beige color in the foreground and dove white behind.

Starting to feel like home.

The living room has now been painted and the change is amazing.

The walls are bright, clean, and the patches no longer show!

While I still have the dining room and kitchen to go ...

we now are encouraged, rather than discouraged, by the rental house.

We are also hoping that there is enough paint left over to freshen up 2 bathrooms!

Moving Days

On May 30,

we packed up the contents of our first little home.

Hubby and I worked for about 4 hours and then some dear friends brought lunch.

The lunch was Taco Salad, Watermelon, and sweet tea ...

perfect for the hot day that we chose to pack on.

After lunch,

our friends helped with the last big items -

washer, dryer, and hide-a-bed sofa.

That left us with just a few cleaning supplies and toiletries to pack that evening and the next morning.

On June 4, we arrived in Albany, OR.

Our move in date was June 5, so we got a room for the night.

When we contacted the landlord, she let us see the place that evening

(since we had signed the lease without physically seeing the place).

Our first impressions are a story for another day.

On June 5, we dropped off the car carrier and took the "beast" to our new home.

(remember it was 26 feet instead of 22 feet)

We started unloading at about 9 am and by noon we were done.

We were so thankful for the large garage that we could just fill with boxes and deal with at our own pace.

God provided a great location and great place for us to start in OR - even if it is only for one lease period.

Our plans as of the middle of May were to move into hubby's mom's 5th wheel trailer and look for a place from there.

That meant unloading the truck into storage,

living in a 5th wheel for 1-3 months,

and then reloading and unloading a truck when we found a place.

We thank God for lessening that burden in the midst of all the stressors of moving.

Just a direct shot into our new home.

We also thank God for the strength and health he gives to load and unload.

We are thankful for the friends who helped in NC and all those who prayed us safely across the country!
I am thankful that hubby had once had a CDL and was a "pro" at maneuvering the "beast" wherever we needed it to go.

From Sea to Shining Sea

Well, on May 31st we started across the county.

This has been our 3rd cross country move.

Yes, we went from the Albany, NY area to the Seattle, WA area.

We moved from Seattle to North Carolina.

Our most recent trek took us from North Carolina to Oregon.

The trek from NY to WA became a sight seeing adventure.

The Navy was covering the move.

The movers would take 2 weeks (which became 3 weeks),

so we mosied across the country seeing ...

Mackinac Island and Tacquamenon falls in the U.P. of Michigan,

the mall of the Americas,

The St. Louis Zoo,

Mount Rushmore,

...

The trip from Washington to North Carolina was a little less lackadaisacal.

We still had time because of separation leave, but we were eager to get settled in a new place.

On this trip, we only stopped to see family.

And on the most recent trip - 

3000 miles

600 per day

Only one planned stop for family.

This trip was rather painful ... literally.

We ordered a 22 foot Penske because hubby wanted the increased power that a diesel would afford over the gas powered 16-foot rental.

On day 2 or 3, we realized that they had 'upgraded' us to a 26 foot in addition to the car trailer.

This translated to being the length of a SEMI!

 We were limited as to where we could stop.

There were no fast restroom breaks (when you have to park a rig like that).

Oh.  And the seats were oh so uncomfortable!

Despite the discomforts,

the hours were also filled with plans,

with edifying sermons,

with thought-provoking books and ebooks,

with special together time.

A DD gift card that had to be used before we got to OR.
No DD's there!

And we made it to Albany, OR about 2 weeks ago.

Our great country is so vast and different in its climates and its topography.

We left the green and mountains of NC.

We crossed the plains,

we crossed the buttes, tumbleweeds and sagebrush,

I found these views so sad - everything looked so lonely.

and finally, we saw the snow-capped mountains of the west coast...

what a welcomed sight!

DeJaVu - 10 years in coming

Well, the winds of change have been blowing since the last post.

God has led and we are heading west again - this time to Oregon.

It was 10 1/2 years ago (October 2008) that we left the Pacific Northwest 

and figured that it wouldn't be long until we were back "home."

In the process of time, "home" has been relocated to NC.

God had us stay in NC 7 years longer than anticipated.

There was so much that we had to learn - 

about ministry, about relationships, about serving ...

But now we will head back ...

in much the same way we came ...

A Penske moving truck pulling a Focus on a car trailer.

There wasn't much to say goodbye to when we left WA so many years ago.

We had struggled to find a good church.

Many of the friends we made had left with or before us.

We had the excitement of no more deployments before us.

This goodbye is much harder.

We bought our first home here and are saying goodbye to it.

We have made friends who have treated us like family when we were far from our own.

We have a church family that has helped us through some tough times and loved us back to health.

But God's grace provides and sustains.

He sold our trailer quickly,

He provided a new job quickly,

As of last Friday, He provided a rental home that meets needs and eases us back into rental life.

And we rest knowing that He would not lead without providing a church and church family,

and so we anticipate finding our new place of ministry.

The trailer is more than half boxed and is looking less and less like home.

By the end of the day, there will be even more boxed up and ready to go.

The truck will be loaded on Thursday.

We head out on Friday morning and hope to be in Oregon in the middle of next week.

So that's the update.

I anticipate that with the move,

the blogs will be a little more regular for a while.

It is always hard to start over and it takes time to find my place of service and ministry

and those things that will keep me busy again.

Yes, He cares!

On this "Thankful Thursday,"

I am thankful for my all-knowing God.

This weekend, we spent time with a converted Muslim from Iran.

He mentioned that Allah was not all-knowing.

Muslims have to pray in Arabic (even if it is not their native tongue).

Allah is not everywhere.

Muslims have to pray facing Mecca.

I am so glad that my God knows my mind and heart.

Last night, my offertory focused on a knowing and caring God.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained

Too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress,

And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain:

Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,

His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when my way is dark

With a nameless dread and fear?

As the daylight fades into deep night shades,

Does He care enough to be near?

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed

To resist some temptation strong;

When for my deep grief there is no relief,

Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”

To the dearest on earth to me,

And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks—

Is it aught to Him? Does He see?