It’s been a Month…

We have been here a month. 

Sometimes that feels like forever. Sometimes it feels really lonely and far away. I miss my friends and family and my church. I miss the “comfortableness” of knowing where things are and recognizing faces out in the community.  Almost everyone here is a stranger. We know the neighbors, one other couple, and that is about it… well, the ladies at the Amish market are at least familiar faces now, but I wouldn’t say I know them. Other than that… 99% of my face to face time with people is made up of Eric and my children. I love my family… but I need PEOPLE! I’m struggling to make connections. We still don’t have a church, which is hard. Sundays are really hard. I want to find a place to grow, and connect, and thrive… and we just aren’t’ there yet. So some days it is a definite, “we have ONLY been here a month?” kind of day.

Sometimes it feels like time has flown. I look around and I still have boxes to unpack. I don’t have paint on the walls, or décor hung up anywhere.  It kind of feels like a huge hotel room that we are just hanging in for a while, and then we get to go back home. I feel like, ”seriously? I have been here a whole month and this is all that is done?”

And sometimes it just feels like life. :) This is my life, we are chugging along and we are doing it.

 We finished swim lessons

We’re having the neighbors and friends over.

The kids are ready to meet more people, ready for school to start.  It is hard to watch your kids struggle. I don’t know what to do, or how to comfort, because quite honestly I am feeling just like they are. So I pray for them and with them and we are trying to find the things we like here and get involved where we can. They are kind of at their capacity of “sibling time”.  Brayden is banned from Landen’s room (see sign below) and Brayden hides in my closet from the other kids to read (he has read 6 Harry Potter books since we have been here). 

And the practical jokes are in full force (note the large tarantula dangling from string and the dog in a bathrobe).

Allen, Eric’s brother, was working out of Baltimore, so he made the trip down to see the kids. They were so excited to have a familiar face and someone that loved them and gave them lots of attention.  It was a less than 12 hour visit (which consisted of Allen being an awesome uncle and letting everyone sleep with him) and then he was gone. We were thankful for the visit, but sad to see him go.

I have been doing my morning devotional from the book Jesus Today by Sarah Young. Eleni has decided to join me on these. I’m going to be honest and say at first I was a tad frustrated that my “quiet time” was now invaded by a little girl who wanted me to read aloud and then had a million questions. But three days in, I really felt it as a huge blessing that God was sending this eager little girl in every morning, unprompted or provoked, yearning to learn about His promises.  So I went from frustrated to honored in a matter of 3 shorts days (I’m getting better at this patience/teaching me life lessons thing).

So this morning I was reading her the devotional and it was talking about God putting us in humbling circumstance in order to grow and know that He is in control.  “Although this is an uncomfortable position, it is actually a good place to be.” I was explaining to her that even though it is hard not having our friends and family here, God put us here for a reason. It might be hard right now but God has big plans for us… that is why He moved us here.  (Definitely what I needed to hear this morning) So as she looked back at me, I could see her little mind working over time and I was waiting for some thoughtful , sweet response and I got, “Mom, I don’t think so. God didn’t move us here… the President did.” Touché Eleni, touché!  :)

What a crazy month! Thanks for joining me on the journey!

Routine and a Long Weekend

We are trying to establish routine here. Eric went back to work and the kids started swim lessons. This has been an adventure on all accounts.  Eric finding a good route to work and adjusting to the new leave/come home times, and us trying to maneuver around southern Maryland.  Day 1 of swim lessons I forgot my phone. I thought I knew where I was going, but when I drove across the bay to the indoor water complex (or what I thought was the indoor complex), it was indeed the library for that county. :( I was slightly panicked because I don’t know my way around and I didn’t have my phone to guide me, so I went old school and went in and asked for directions. All was good and we arrived on time.

The kids love the huge pools and their teachers. They also love that they are required to wear swim goggles… that makes them feel pretty big. :) Eleni was in tears when she found out she had to wear a swim cap. She thought it was going to be ugly and embarrassing. Thankfully the swim team was practicing and all the girls in swim caps helped the transition. 

So we had scheduled mornings and lazy afternoons.  Movies, pedi/mani time with the girls, a library trip, and a trip or two to the Amish market. All in all, a good first week getting things back to “normal.”

A long weekend was a good start to the scheduled week. We have… dare I say it, friends!!! We met a fantastic couple from the church we went to and hit it off. They have a couple of kids and they play marvelously with ours.  We hung out on Friday and ended the evening with lovely fireworks over the bay.

They came back on Saturday to help assembly the patio furniture. Already using them as manual labor… must be real friends, right? We had and impromptu campfire and s’mores. It was a good weekend. 

Thanks for all the prayers this week. I did have a couple of really rough, homesick days. I really appreciate all the texts, phone calls, and messages. The weekend gave me hope. It won’t always be lonely and horrible here, it’s just part of this adventure.

 Thanks for joining me on the journey!

5 Things I Like About Living Here...

I’m going to be super real here… the title of this blog was going to be “101 Reasons I Hate Living Here”. I am in week three of this gig, and let me tell ya… I am struggling… hardcore. I have cried every single day since I have left. Some days I get by with a few silent tears, and some day it is the full on ugly cry. When you know ZERO people to the place you move… well… it just stinks. There are so many things that I don’t know or have to figure out. I know it will all be ok some day, I mean people move ALL. THE. TIME. And they survive and eventually even thrive, so I know I can do this… but today was a really hard, weepy, full on ugly cry (multiple times) kind of day. 

So I looked up “thankful” in my Bible’s index. Surprisingly there was only one verse. Hebrews 12:28. I know there are tons of things in the Bible about being thankful, giving thanks, or thanksgiving… (which is what all the tons of verses are actually under)but just the one for Thankful. 

 Hebrews 12:28- Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 

So I guess if Jesus is willing to die a horrific death to ensure that I can “receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken”… I can choose to be thankful.

So on that note…

101… no wait… 25… not there yet… 10… eh… let’s go with…

5 Things I Like About Living Here

1.     There is a super cool Amish market that sells amazing produce, just 5 minutes from my house.

2.    The grocery store chain, Giant, has a money saving program with Shell gas station.  Did just regular grocery shopping and now I get to save 20 cents a gallon on gas. The more groceries I buy… the more I save on gas.

3.    My kids have a big yard and a flat driveway… they have never had that and they are thoroughly enjoying it.

4.    We are close to the beach.

5.    I have a lot less stuff in boxes today than I had a week ago… and that can only get better as time goes on.

I’m sure there are 101 reasons to love this place; I’m just not there yet. I know a lot of this is about attitude… and I don’t always have a good one. Sometimes I just look/think about all the things I miss and don’t have, but I know there are going to be so many wonderful things that come with this move. It is just hard right now. God is faithful, and I know He’s got a plan… and it’s a good one. I’m trusting that He has us here for a great reason… I just don’t know what it is yet. 

Right now it feels like the only reason I am here is because I want to stay married… to the guy that moved here… I am kind of glad he picked me and stuck with me this long, so I guess I’ll stick it out. :) 

This is a hard start to the journey… but a journey none the less.

Thanks for joining me on the journey!

We are here and I have a Computer!

We are here!

So it has been a couple weeks (almost 4) with no computer… just my phone, so I haven’t been writing.  There is good and bad to that. The good: you guys didn’t get and emotional, weepy blogpost everyday for the first week and a half we were here… I was sick, sad… and it was rough. So I guess I spared you all from falling into deep depression along side me… you’re welcome. :) The bad news is: you are about to get a long (yet abbreviated, since it is 2 weeks of “happenings”)blogpost that is flooded with pictures!

The Trip Here:

Surprisingly… way easier than I thought. The kids did great in the car, and so did Lily. She spent most of her time standing with her head on Eric’s shoulder (which he didn’t seem to mind).  We took 2.5 days to get here… so only about 4,500 “Are we there yet?” phrases were uttered in that time. :) Addi was still sick from a UTI on the first day, but to her normal self by the next day. Landen’s tooth that was fixed before we left got infected on the last day of travel… more to come later on that. But other than that, smooth sailing. I cried a little everyday, but that is just the normal right now, so I won’t put too much emphasis on it. 

Week One:

The kids are doing GREAT! They have taken it on like a new awesome adventure. I am so thankful for that. There have been several times mentioned about people they miss, but thus far, no tears. There are kids next door that they have become instant friends with, which helps. We live in the country now (hard to imagine since we are moving to “D.C.”) which comes with lots of wildlife and bugs. They love that deer come into our yard almost every single day (usually during breakfast or dinner). They have caught, kept for a day, and released 2 turtles now. Blackjack and Little Boxer… turtles really enjoy grapes in case you need a “go to” food for your next turtle. :)

The boxes seem to be multiplying over night. I have been sick, so the unpacking is going rather slowly. Eric is taking care of all the big projects and assembling things. The kids are making things work and trying to make it feel like home, even with minimal boxes unpacked. 

When we got to the box with money jars, the kids were dying to spend some money they hadn’t seen in a month. So while I was grocery shopping, they went with dad to spend their money.  Sending them with Dad to spend money, that was not my wisest decision. Dads sometimes like to encourage things that Moms have to be the enforcer of. So the boys bought sling shots. Lord help me. But they love them and they are keeping them busy. Addi bought a baby and named her Chloe and totes her around everywhere. Eleni is saving for a bike.  The packing paper is getting a lot of good use. We have rabbit targets for the slingshot enthusiasts and an unending amount of paper for the girl that will draw rainbows until her arms fall off.

So when you know zero people in a town you just moved to and you have a kid that has a hurting, infected tooth/teeth… you just start driving around looking for a pediatric dentist, make sure they are in your network, and pray like crazy that they will do a good job. Long story short, we found a place and I super love it. Very kid friendly, and the dentist never once made me feel like a horrible parent… which is a huge plus. They have movies in the ceiling and nitrous oxide… what more could a kid ask for. :)

Week Two:

We went to church. It is really hard to find a new church when you come from somewhere you love. We are having trouble finding a Christian church in our area that doesn’t have some sort of denomination attached to it. So you all can be praying for us to find a good church home, that will be key to us/me feeling at home I think.  We had a couple with kids come say hello to us, and then the next day ran into them at the library. Totally divine intervention…  God knows that we need to make connections, so He so perfectly orchestrates that for us. 

The Calvary arrived on Monday night. Eric’s dad flew in to help with some big projects that I couldn’t do. Well… I could… but I don’t know that I would still be married if I did. We were super blessed to get a playground for free! One of those, you come pick it up and move it and it’s yours. So I helped with the take down/load on the trailer part… that was enough to know I should not help with the rebuilding/restructuring of the new play set.  So Papa was here and helped with all the big projects for the week. It was hard to see him go. Not going to lie… there were tears shed. 

We had a little break (or made a little break time) for the kids to enjoy the “beach” for a bit.  Its not the ocean, it’s the bay. But it has sand and water, and that is all they want. So happy kids is what we wanted… we had them. 

The kids are writing friends and loved ones to tell them about their new adventures and how much they miss them. I am trying to hold it together. :)

Slowly but surely things are getting unpacked and in their new spot. I’m feeling better this week, which really helps.  Back to a morning devotional , not eating out all the time, and exercise routine also helps. It is amazing how God is so great to literally put in words for me to read, exactly what I need to hear at that time. I am struggling. This is way harder than I thought it would be. I have not had a day go by that I have not cried since we pulled out of the driveway. But I know this… God is an amazing God that has an amazing plan. It is my responsibility to embrace it, and make the journey part amazing. 

 Thanks for joining me on the journey!