My thought for today is that it sure has been nice that Matt hasn't gone to work yet. In my head, I was alone these last two days, figuring it all out. But he stayed home and that has been very nice. Tomorrow he starts in on a schedule which will be different for all of us. Youth Pastors don't really have set schedules.... unless you just say nights and weekends. Now he has office hours and specifics. It will take some getting used to I am sure. And, I'm to a place that its ok for him to be gone, the house is liveable, the kids know how school works, and we all have a place to sleep at night. Added bonus - we have internet from our living room, wasn't expecting that!
Maria had a rough time letting go today. She clung to my leg, cried, and just didn't want to go. I hear her bff in MN had a similar day at preschool. Matt watched it all, and admitted that was no fun to see. I finally sat down on the rug, with about 8 preschoolers and put an ABC puzzle together. After that, she let me leave and according to her teacher, she did wonderfully. She was quite happy when I picked her up, and she even let me take her picture. But I don't know how soon I will forget the terrified look in her eyes from the morning.
The kids aren't themselves yet, but they are going to school and trying, so that is good. Time change and school start and end times are a big adjustment, so I think sleep has lots to do with it as well. They are used to getting on the bus at 8:30. We have to leave at 7:30 - and they are dead sound asleep yet at 7. We'll get there.
Today we got light bulbs, but forgot to get milk and tin foil. Its good to have a goal for the next day. I also had to cut French bread with a straight edge knife. Where or where is the serrated one? And we are still missing on of the boxes from the bathroom. I am not going digging through the pile to find it!
We had brunch with a friend (another youth pastor) that lives in Holland. We hadn't seen him in years, but it was great to just sit and talk again. Then Matt and I met the inspector at the house we are hoping to purchase. We made a HUGE 'to do' list. It is more of a fixer upper than we remembered, but we think it is still a good house for us. I remember making the 'to do' list before we moved into our MN house! Crazy! Good news of the day - someone from church had an extra microwave, so now, we can warm up water much more quickly, and the kids can have microwave popcorn and we can make hot cereal, and ..... oh the simple pleasures in life! In case you are wondering, this house had no microwave and we didn't realize it until Anika went to pop popcorn Sunday night! Someday we may need to invest in one of those cool electric poppers that turn and melt the butter and such - but for now, we are set! Movie night can live on!
My Aunt Kathy and Aunt Mary brought supper, fun and love tonight. It was so good to see them, and so crazy that they are less than an hour away now! We are making fun plans for the future! THANKS for supper and for coming to visit! She brought a ColdStone Creamery cake, which none of us had ever tried before. It was Reese's Peanut Butter. Now for those of you who know me, you know that was an EXCELLENT choice. Drooling while cutting, putting it on plates, etc. Anika takes a bite and informs us it is not peanut butter, but COFFEE ice cream. I laugh and tell her she is wrong, there are Reese's cut in half on top of the cake for crying out loud! We even look at the label, nope chocolate, peanut butter, devil's cake etc. DELICIOUS. First bite..... definitely COFFEE ice cream, definitely miss labeled. I can name at least three people that are laughing out loud right now reading this, maybe more. Anyway, it wasn't that bad, I even ate my whole piece. I told her she should bring it back - we ate almost half of it - and get the real one. She didn't and needless to say, Matt is happier than a clam. He has half a cake to eat and he knows no one else will touch it. Coffee is Matt's FAVORITE ice cream.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
one more thought
We've been dealing with this move for over a year. This is something Matt definitely felt called to do, and God has provided all along the way.
Its hard to look in the kids' eyes when they ask why, and I tire of the answer - because we feel this is what God wants us to do. I don't want to look God in the eye someday and tell him I didn't like being sent, although I may feel that way now. I take great comfort in the fact that David out right yelled at God in some of his Psalms - I haven't gotten to that point - yet.
This summer we listened to the same sermon in three different churches by three different pastors. All had to do with Christ didn't die so we could be comfortable. The last one we heard was at our friends cabin (one of the most beautiful places on earth mind you) and the preacher was from New Orleans. He was very animated, that's the word Matt likes to use. Anyway, my friend told me after the service that I better start listening because God was sending people to yell at me now! =) Even she could tell the message was to us, and she hadn't heard it the other two times.
So, here we are, on an adventure. I may not be ready to lose MN yet, and I don't plan on ever fully letting go of it; but I am trying to make the best of what is before me.
Please come visit, anytime!
Its hard to look in the kids' eyes when they ask why, and I tire of the answer - because we feel this is what God wants us to do. I don't want to look God in the eye someday and tell him I didn't like being sent, although I may feel that way now. I take great comfort in the fact that David out right yelled at God in some of his Psalms - I haven't gotten to that point - yet.
This summer we listened to the same sermon in three different churches by three different pastors. All had to do with Christ didn't die so we could be comfortable. The last one we heard was at our friends cabin (one of the most beautiful places on earth mind you) and the preacher was from New Orleans. He was very animated, that's the word Matt likes to use. Anyway, my friend told me after the service that I better start listening because God was sending people to yell at me now! =) Even she could tell the message was to us, and she hadn't heard it the other two times.
So, here we are, on an adventure. I may not be ready to lose MN yet, and I don't plan on ever fully letting go of it; but I am trying to make the best of what is before me.
Please come visit, anytime!
First Day
Ok, I said I wasn't going to do this every night, and I'm sure I won't, but right now its good to journal - sort of therapeutic.
I woke everyone up at 7 am - then put my watch on and had to change it from 6 AM to 7 AM - way too early for school - it took a long time to get them all moving. We should have left by 7:30, but in true Carla fashion, it was 7:45. We got there before the bell rang and I took a picture by the sign so all was well. In my dreams of today, we said a prayer together before going out the door, that didn't happen in real life. maybe we'll try for that tomorrow.
I got the kids set up for their hot lunch - EVERY DAY! And its free - Count your many blessings!
Then we dropped off the truck and went to church to dig through boxes. We got the things we were looking for. Next stop was Langlois to pay for our freezer - they told us they would bill us when they were ready! Definitely a small town mentality there! So we shopped for furniture. We hope to redecorate at some point, so we were just looking. Then had to go to Meijers (similar to super Target, but I haven't decided if its as nice or not) to get peanut butter, salt and pepper and ibuprofen. These things are all in a box, somewhere. We came home to unpack and make this space more liveable - including organize the refrigerator. Then back to Meijers for more lost items - I already have a list for tomorrow, too! =) Pick up the kiddos and back to Grand Haven.
The kids had a good day. They wondered about what the day was like for everyone in CCS. I stayed busy enough that I didn't cry, until I started reading emails from all of you tonight, but that is good for the soul, too.
After supper (made by someone from the church) we played Clue as a family, then read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Now they are in bed!
Some of you were asking about our living situation. We have put an offer in on a house, it has been accepted, the bank has accepted (it is a short sale), the inspection is completed, we are waiting for our loan to be processed. We should know more in about 3 weeks. This house is in Muskegon, MI where the church (Celebration Community Church) and the school are. Technically the house is in a suburb called Norton Shores.
Currently we are living in one of the parsonage of Second CRC in Grand Haven, MI. We have been told Grand Haven is a special place on earth and we will never want to leave. But we have also been told its really only special during the summer! Great.
Some of you have been asking for an address. If you really want to mail something now, you can mail it to church. I can give you this address, but I have no idea if I can even get mail here!
Thanks for your notes. My heart is still heavy, and I assume it will be for quite a time. I was telling someone that I waiver between wanting that feeling to end, and hoping it never does. Because if it stops hurting, then somehow time has healed the MN size hole in my heart, and I'm not sure I want that to happen.
From MN to MI
Yes, we are here.
Yes we are alive.
Yes we are fine
Yes we are sad.
The drive was long. The truck drove rough - lots of swerving - very scary to follow and wonder if we were going to make it. It rained the whole way, but the temps stayed warm, so there was no snow, no ice. The kids did ok. They were tired and short tempered but we all made it. They watched 4 movies - bad mothering, but it gave me lots of time to cry.
We got here sometime between 11 and 12. I have how many miles it was in the van, but I forgot to check - somewhere in the vicinity of 630. We did not get out our clothes or bedding when we got here. The kids all collapsed in their sleeping bags on the floor and there was a mattress in our room so we fell onto that with the lawn blankets we had in our vehicles. My first thought was maybe some day I'll look back on this and laugh. Soon I was sobbing, but sleep always wins out, which is a good thing. We did not go to church - we played drop the hanky and unpacked the van and car. The church folk showed up around noon with pizza, salad, etc, then we unloaded a few boxes - including the fridge and freezer boxes. Someone filled up my fridge for me. Its a mess, but its full. Someone actually bought groceries for us and put them in the fridge - but forgot to turn the fridge on. That made me chuckle. All I threw out was the lunch meat. Everything else still smelled normal. Everyone was trying to figure out how to get my freezer stuff in a freezer - they were all going to take a box home - crazy. But I told them I hoped we could just buy a freezer today and get it all done. SO, someone from the church that was at our house works at a place that sells freezers - go figure. I love how God works out little details. So, we all left for church and unloaded everything there, then reloaded it at church with the stuff we need here at the house. When we left church, I got in a van with people I had never seen before - from church- and drove to some store somewhere in Muskegon - Landlois (Stacie, I know you'll google it, they have a clearance section and they sell furniture and washers/dryers) - and I was in the store a total of 10 minutes, told them which one I wanted, and we walked back out the door! WITHOUT PAYING - so we have to go back and do that tomorrow. I did pick out a scratch and dent one! The guy walked up to his boss and said, 'this is our new pastor's wife, she needs a freezer, we'll be back in tomorrow to pay for it.' crazy! Then we got back to our house as we've come to call it, I don't think it will ever be home - and all the stuff in the boxes I packed were still pretty frozen - wahoo! Now they are snug in my new freezer.
Its weird to see your whole life in boxes in a warehouse, and to have everything hauled around by people you don't know. We have way too much crap!
We also met a couple whose friends live across the street from the house we have purchased. They both own pools and have invited us to join them whenever it works out - come summer of course.
Tomorrow I send the kids off to school. School starts here at 8:10 - a bit of a rude awakening for all of us. We are going back to church to rearrange the boxes and hopefully find Anika's bedding. Poor girl has to sleep in her sleeping bag again tonight, while we all get sheets, but she does have her mattress.
I expect it is going to be hard to leave the kids at school - pray for them and for me.
TV, phone and internet are iffy around here. I am using the church's internet, it seems to be good. TV - two channels, no Sunday night football for me, very sad. No land line - won't be hooking one up here, in a few weeks at the other house.
That's my last 24 hours in an nut shell.
I don't plan on doing this every night! =)
Love and miss you all!
Carla
Yes we are alive.
Yes we are fine
Yes we are sad.
The drive was long. The truck drove rough - lots of swerving - very scary to follow and wonder if we were going to make it. It rained the whole way, but the temps stayed warm, so there was no snow, no ice. The kids did ok. They were tired and short tempered but we all made it. They watched 4 movies - bad mothering, but it gave me lots of time to cry.
We got here sometime between 11 and 12. I have how many miles it was in the van, but I forgot to check - somewhere in the vicinity of 630. We did not get out our clothes or bedding when we got here. The kids all collapsed in their sleeping bags on the floor and there was a mattress in our room so we fell onto that with the lawn blankets we had in our vehicles. My first thought was maybe some day I'll look back on this and laugh. Soon I was sobbing, but sleep always wins out, which is a good thing. We did not go to church - we played drop the hanky and unpacked the van and car. The church folk showed up around noon with pizza, salad, etc, then we unloaded a few boxes - including the fridge and freezer boxes. Someone filled up my fridge for me. Its a mess, but its full. Someone actually bought groceries for us and put them in the fridge - but forgot to turn the fridge on. That made me chuckle. All I threw out was the lunch meat. Everything else still smelled normal. Everyone was trying to figure out how to get my freezer stuff in a freezer - they were all going to take a box home - crazy. But I told them I hoped we could just buy a freezer today and get it all done. SO, someone from the church that was at our house works at a place that sells freezers - go figure. I love how God works out little details. So, we all left for church and unloaded everything there, then reloaded it at church with the stuff we need here at the house. When we left church, I got in a van with people I had never seen before - from church- and drove to some store somewhere in Muskegon - Landlois (Stacie, I know you'll google it, they have a clearance section and they sell furniture and washers/dryers) - and I was in the store a total of 10 minutes, told them which one I wanted, and we walked back out the door! WITHOUT PAYING - so we have to go back and do that tomorrow. I did pick out a scratch and dent one! The guy walked up to his boss and said, 'this is our new pastor's wife, she needs a freezer, we'll be back in tomorrow to pay for it.' crazy! Then we got back to our house as we've come to call it, I don't think it will ever be home - and all the stuff in the boxes I packed were still pretty frozen - wahoo! Now they are snug in my new freezer.
Its weird to see your whole life in boxes in a warehouse, and to have everything hauled around by people you don't know. We have way too much crap!
We also met a couple whose friends live across the street from the house we have purchased. They both own pools and have invited us to join them whenever it works out - come summer of course.
Tomorrow I send the kids off to school. School starts here at 8:10 - a bit of a rude awakening for all of us. We are going back to church to rearrange the boxes and hopefully find Anika's bedding. Poor girl has to sleep in her sleeping bag again tonight, while we all get sheets, but she does have her mattress.
I expect it is going to be hard to leave the kids at school - pray for them and for me.
TV, phone and internet are iffy around here. I am using the church's internet, it seems to be good. TV - two channels, no Sunday night football for me, very sad. No land line - won't be hooking one up here, in a few weeks at the other house.
That's my last 24 hours in an nut shell.
I don't plan on doing this every night! =)
Love and miss you all!
Carla
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