Swamp Cooler Problems, 'Goat Heads' and Heat!

                     

  

Friday, June 27

A day with only one thing planned in it turned into a long, crazy day! As I mentioned earlier, our swamp cooler hasn't been working properly. Last night about ten o'clock at night, two guys in their early twenties showed up to look at the swamp cooler. Yes, they came in the dark! Apparently, they decided to remove the pads to the swamp cooler and let them dry overnight. Then they said that they would be back in the morning to cauk something and hopefully it would work. 

We had a reservation to do the Glen Canyon Dam tour at ten, and no one had showed up by then to fix anything. By now the sun was starting to make everything hot, and we had all the fans going in the house. We went to the dam tour (don't say that out loud!) and it was informational and very interesting. The boys received a great history and geography lesson today even though they didn't realize it. :) Did you know that the Glen Canyon Dam is only sixteen feet shorter than the Hoover dam? The Glen Canyon dam creates Lake Powell which is the second largest man-made lake. It also took 4.9 million cubic feet of cement! It's an amazing structure and it was well worth the five dollars to go on the tour. 

                  

    

    

After the tour, everyone was hot and thirsty, so we passed out water bottles. We drove back to our house which was like a five minute ride from the dam to see if anything had been worked on! No, our sauna was functioning just fine! :) It was way too hot to eat lunch at home, so we ended up eating out at a fast food place. At least everyone was able to get a little refreshed. After lunch we visited the library, but the boys were disappointed that we couldn't check out books. I have to have a piece of mail with my name on it in order to get a library card. So, I asked my friend, Jenna, to mail me a piece of mail. Once we have that we can sign up for a card and the summer reading program. 

Once again, we drove back to our house to see if it was any better. Unfortunately, it was not! I'll admit I was a little irritated. In Wisconsin, it's illegal to turn off the heat on tenants in the winter time. In Arizona, it should be illegal to have dysfunctioning air conditioning! Emma had fallen asleep in the car, so we decided to take a ride to see some of the beautiful creation around us. We ended up on a gravel road in Utah that wandered through some back country. (We are only six miles from the Utah border.) While the scenery was beautiful, Chandler and I both ended up with motion sickness which put a damper on the sight seeing tour! 

We arrived back around four, and it was an oven inside. Our thermometer inside maxes out at ninety and it was all the way at ninety. Roger made several phone calls to different people in the company to see who he should contact. No one seemed to be overly helpful, and we were all a little frustrated. It's not like back in Wisconsin where we could go to any number of places for an afternoon. Our options were running out, so Roger called over to the other pilot house to see if we could go there while he tried to figure out what to do about the swamp cooler. It definitely wasn't an ideal situation, but it was way better than cooking in the Arizona sunshine! Myself and the kids stayed at the other pilot house, while Roger and his pilot friend, Jon, went to see about fixing the swamp cooler themselves. It was a long afternoon, but I think it will start to cool off inside now. 

About 9:30 tonight, some one who is supposed to keep an eye on the trailer as a rental property came by. They came back to caulk where it was leaking up on the roof. Roger told them that he thought he had fixed  the problem, but they insisted on climbing up on the roof to caulk something. Whatever...I don't care as long as it stays cooler on the inside than on the outside! 

God also sent a very special couple to encourage us today. I received a Facebook message from some friends of ours in Florida. They said that God had laid it upon their hearts to give us $100.00. That was a special blessing at the end of a long day! 

All things considered,  God protected us, provided for us, and helped us make it though the day. We have some tired, irritated chicken, so I'm off to help put them to bed! 

Saturday, June 28

The heat here can really do a number on you if you aren't used to it! Chandler and I have both been struggling with headaches in spite of the fact that we are drinking lots and lots of water. I think it's just going to take a few weeks for our bodies to adjust to the heat and elevation levels. 

Roger had only two flights today, and he almost wasn't able to do the second flight because of the heat. The company has a policy that they will not fly on days when the temperature is above 106 degrees. The airplanes do not perform well in temperatures above that level. The flight in the morning wasn't so bad, but by the time he arrived home the temperatures were starting to climb. The temperature in our house was also starting to climb. I had tried to do a work out dvd, but the temperature in the trailer was 83 degrees. The air blowing through the vents was warm and not cold, and I thought we were in for another long day! Roger came back from his morning flight, and climbed up on the roof. Roger discovered that the people that had come over to caulk on the roof last night had also turned off the water on the roof! This is a big deal because a swamp cooler runs on water. It takes the warm water and pushes it through these pad things and cools down the water to cool down the house. When they turned off the water, the pads didn't have any water to push through it so the air coming through the vents was just warm air from the outside...no wonder it was getting hotter inside! 

After Roger fixed that fiasco, the trailer started to cool down again. Yay! The boys have been a little bummed because it's been so hot that they can't play outside during the day. So we've been playing lots of games together as a family. We've played monopoly junior, sequence, Trouble, and a whole bunch of other games. It's been fun, but the lower level of activity is making the boys antsy. So, we've been going down to the lake in the evenings so that everyone can get a chance to cool off. 

During Rogers afternoon flight, Garett, Wyatt and Travis went along with him to the airport. There is a room that they can stay in while Roger flies and watch airplanes take off and land. Chandler, Emma, and I went grocery shopping. Our budget is tight, but there is a Safeway grocery store here and a Walmart. Safeway can have a few good deals if you shop the sale items, so I made a list, gathered my coupons, and off we went. It was a little challenging navigating through a new grocery store, but we did it and saved 56%. That's  not too shabby for our first time in a new place! 

One thing that is hard to get used to is the amount of people around here! Because of the dam and the canyon, Page hosts over 3 million visitors every year. It makes shopping interesting because at certain times, the stores are crowded with people. I'm used to being the visitor that comes through a place on a visit; I'm not used to trying to be the one who avoids the droves of people! 

The boys have not been able to ride their bikes because we are struggling with flat tires. There are a lot of these super sharp tiny thorns that are called 'goat heads'. They wedge themselves into the bike tires and puncture the tubes. They also get in shoes, in carpet, and in feet if you aren't careful! The boys are learning to keep their shoes on even in the house, which is a change. Somehow we have to figure out how to fix our bike issues and find out what other people do about goat heads.

                          

   

Tomorrow is our first church hunting experience. I'm sure that will be interesting! 

Page, Arizona

                    

   

Life has been a whirlwind since we arrived on Monday night. After working to get the trailer cool enough that we all could get some rest, Roger and I brought in the essential things we needed and climbed into bed. 

On Tuesday morning the kids slept in for a little bit...until 6:30! :) Roger and I woke up around 5:30 to puddles on the floor in the living room where the swamp cooler had leaked through the vents. After cleaning that up, we went on a short walk around the neighborhood and to the airport. When the kids woke up, they all went on an early morning walk to the airport with daddy. All of the boys were very excited about seeing where dad works, and they were even more excited that they didn't have to travel in the vehicle! By the time everyone had been to the airport, everyone was ready to eat breakfast. Roger had a few groceries, but we didn't have any milk. So we decided to feed the kids McDonalds for breakfast and then pick up a few groceries. At breakfast time, I told the kids that this would be our last treat for a while because we were going to need to start watching our money. Wyatt promptly replied, "I can still have a treat, because I still have money in my piggy bank!" :) 

After breakfast, we walked across the street to Wal mart. We bought a few groceries, and then we headed for a drive around Page. Roger took us to see the dam at Lake Powell, and we went to check out a few hiking trails. Roger showed the kids a swimming area at the lake, and we decided that we would come back to go swimming in the evening. 

Once we arrived home, we worked on unloading the trailer..wow! I think I way OVER estimated how much we would need in five months. We will be the cleanest people in Page with as much soap and bathroom products as I brought with us! I brought quite a bit of the items I had gotten free or cheap with coupons, and we will have plenty! We also have enough dry grocery products to last us for over a month, and we should only need to buy fresh groceries and some meat. 

The assistant chief pilot and his wife brought us some lunch. It was very thoughtful of them to make a meal for us. I think they might think we eat more than we do as we will be eating spaghetti for several meals...several meals! However, it was delicious, and we will enjoy it! 

After lunch Roger headed into work. He had a flight in the afternoon, and a seat was available for one of the boys. Wyatt was able to fly with his daddy on the flight, and he was thrilled! Garett and Chandler stayed at the airport and watched the planes take off. Garett is in his element! :) 

We headed for the lake as soon as Roger came home from work. Another pilot friend of Rogers came along with us to the lake. The water was so cool and refreshing, and all the kids loved it! Emma had to have a life jacket on because she has no fear of the water. And because the lake is created by the dam, the lake covered the canyons. That being said, the water can drop off abruptly. We had a wonderful time with Roger and the kids can't wait to go again. We had brought water shoes for each of the kids since the lake bed can be a little rough. Travis took off his water shoes shortly after we arrived at the beach. When I asked him why he took off his water shoes he replied, "They don't work, mom. The water keeps on getting in my shoe!" I could only laugh at his logic and just let him be. :) 

                  

Well, for our first supper meal in our home in Arizona, we had company. Anyone who knows me, knows that this makes me happy. I love to feed people, have people in our home, and to cook for others. I didn't cook supper though because we had leftover spaghetti. :) Roger's pilot friend, Jon, came over for supper, and we enjoyed a meal together. 

We still have so much to unpack and put away, but the day is over and it's time for bed. 

Wednesday, June 24

There are certain things that I took for granted in our home in Wisconsin. I should've appreciated our washer and dryer more along with dressers and closets. As I empty out the totes that we brought games, school books, food, and other items in to Arizona, I've been giving each boy a tote for their clothes. Since we have very, very limited storage and no dressers, each person has a tote to put their clothes into. It's definitely not a very homey trailer, and I wish I would've brought less soap and more items to make it homey. :) Oh well, it will be fine. 

It was an interesting morning as the swamp cooler is still having issues, the bathroom sink was leaking,and the toilet was plugged. However, most of the items are now out of the trailer, and I've been working hard a putting everything away. Roger had an early morning flight, so he was at the airport at seven. Garett went along to watch the airplanes land and take off while he waited for Roger. The time zone difference is really making a difference in our kids sleeping habits, and they were all up by the time I got back from my run at six. I can see I'm going to have to make some adjustments to our schedule! 

We had brunch when Roger came home around ten, and then it was an early nap time for everyone. Everyone took a nap except for Wyatt and Chandler, so I'm sure they'll be ready for bed early! We are going over to the other pilots house for supper tonight. When I asked what I should bring, Jon looked surprised. He had planned to have grilled meat for supper...and more meat...:) I suggested that I could bring a few things as sides, and he said that would be great. So, I'm back to cooking in our kitchen in a different state, but it makes me happy. :) 

We went to the other pilots house for dinner, and I realized that I have much to be thankful for in our trailer. The swamp cooler might have issues, and the yard is a jungle, but the other house is not in a great part of town, the yard is worse, the people that are neighbors look like "interesting characters", and I decided to be thankful for what I have in our trailer! 

We are going hiking tonight after it cools off a bit. The boys want to go to the lake to go swimming again, but I think we will do a hike tonight. They are enjoying all the family activities and so am I. We have plans for hiking, swimming, and biking in the next few days and weeks. It's a good time for us to reconnect as a family as these next two months are slow flying months for Roger. July is usually as very slow month since the heat is so extreme. 

Thursday, June 26

Roger had absolutely no flights today, so we spent the entire day as a complete family! I am very thankful that Roger is on salary pay or it would be a little bit worrisome without having any work. It's a good time for us to be together as a family though as the flights are slow.

I love schedules and routines, but this week we are just being flexible and going with the flow. The boys are just starting to realize that Dad is going to be around for a long time and that they don't have to fit everything into one day. :) 

We did laundry today, visited a few thrift stores, went to the lake to swim, took a hike, and walked to the airport. Doing our laundry once a week at the laundromat will be a change, but it will work. The boys weren't very excited about doing laundry, but it's a necessary thing! While we were at the laundromat, Travis had to go to the bathroom. I told Chandler to take him to the bathroom, but they came back just a few minutes later. Travis was holding himself and really needed to go potty. Before I could say anything, Chandler said that they couldn't use the bathroom because they didn't have a costume...say what?! I was completely confused until I realized that Chandler had misread the sign. The sign stated "For customers only" but Chandler took it to mean that he needed a costume to use the potty! After we cleared up that misunderstanding, we were good to go! :) Ahh....I love these kids! 

We finished up the laundry, went home to eat lunch and have rest time. Rogers pilot friend, Jon, showed up right around nap time, so Emma was the only one who got a nap. It was late afternoon when we decided to take the kids to the lake to swim. It was hot here today and the thermometer read 108 degrees on the way to the lake. The kids had a great time splashing in the water and playing in the sand. Of course, they came home starving! We had a quick meal of tacos before they boys asked if we could go on a hike. We decided that we could do a short hike tonight. We drove out to the Horseshoe Bend hiking trail, and took the trail out to the horseshoe. It's a place where the Colorado River curves around a large piece of the canyon creating a horseshoe look. It's also an 800 foot drop to the Colorado River below and there aren't any guard rails. It's definitely a place for obedient children and watchful parents! I'm not going to lie- being that high up made me nervous with the kids! It's a beautiful hike though and the kids enjoyed it immensely. I'm very thankful for my Ergo baby carrier, as it makes hiking with Emma much easier. And since I've used it since she was very little, she usually doesn't protest about going in it. It was a good hike...and all the kids came back starving! :) 

We are adjusting well, enjoying our time together, and soaking up memories. The boys are loving all the time with daddy, and I'm loving the fact that they love him! It's not been without its struggles though as the kids adjust to two-parent parenting, and the time change, and a new house, and a different climate, and a different schedule, and a new church, and etc. 

Thank you for your continued prayers as we search for a church, adjust to a new routine, and work together as a family. 

                 

Finally...Page, Arizona

                          

  

Yesterday was a long day of traveling. It was longer than either of us anticipated after a 3 hour stop in Grand Junction, Colorado. We had stopped in this town to get a bite to eat and to let the kids out of the truck for a bit. However, Roger noticed that the rear axle on the truck was leaking a bit of oil. Because of the heat, the oil was leaking a little more than he was comfortable with seeing. So, he dropped myself and the kids off at a park while he found an auto care place. The park in Grand Junction was an awesome park so at least we had something to do while we waited! 

Back in the truck again, and down the road we traveled. About an hour or so past Grand Junction is where we switch to the back interstate roads to travel to Page. Here the roads are much narrow so traffic is a bit slower. However, the scenery is amazing! We traveled through Moab, Utah, and stopped at a scenic pull off to get out for a bit. The boys wanted to do some hiking even though it was 103 degrees! I knew that it would bar a short hike! :) Emma wanted to walk on her own, but once the sand was in her shoe, she started pulling on her shoes. She was proclaiming, "yucky" over and over again! Oh dear! (Everything in this southern part is sand!) Chandler spotted his first cactus plant, and he and Garett wanted to chop it open to see if water was inside. They told Wyatt to pick it up, and he did! Or at least he tried before he was unhappy that the plant bit him! 

A bit father down the road, Chandler spotted a convenience store. The sign stated C-Store. Chandler promptly asked if he could visit the candy store. Roger and I were both confused until we realized that he thought the convenience store was a candy store! :) 

A bit farther down the road, Travis asked when we would be there. I said we still had about four hours to which he replied, "why? I feel like I already went around the world!" I'm sure to the mind of a four year old it probably does feel that way! 

Since we had a longer stop than planned at our first stop, we were behind all day. It was after 9:30 when we pulled into Page, Arizona. The road to Page reminded me a lot of the road to Manley, Alaska. Although we passed seventeen cars on the 63 miles stretch to Page, it was similar to Manley in the fact that only cars that were going either to or from Page are on that stretch of road. 

Arriving in the dark after a long day was not the ideal way to see our new home, but it's the way it worked out. The kids were all sleeping  when we arrived, so I had my first tour on my own. Umm...it was about 100 degrees in there! Apparently, the swamp cooler is having issues so it was like an oven. I wasn't sure how any of us were going to get any sleep! We opened the windows and tried to blow out the hot air since it was much cooler outside. The evening temperature yesterday was about 78 degrees, so it was very comfortable. Roger announced that he was going to turn on the swamp cooler and then proceed to set out buckets under the air conditioning vents. I was completely confused until water started  pouring out of the vents into the buckets! It did cool the trailer down, but it was like a rain shower on the inside! You might want to pray that we can get than fixed! :) For now we just announce that we are turning on the swamp cooler and everyone moves out of the way of the vents. :) 

Did you know that Arizona does not do daylight savings time? That was something I learned yesterday on the way here. We are two hours behind Wisconsin time, but when the daylight savings time occurs, we will only be one hour behind them. 

So, that was our final day of traveling. I'll post more about our new home in a few days, but we have lots to do and plenty to unpack! Roger is back to work today. 

                                 

 

Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado...almost to Utah!

After seeing all that there is to see in Iowa and Nebraska which consisted of corn fields, flooded rivers, and more cornfields, we crossed into Colorado about 11:30 this morning. We stayed last night in Lincoln, Nebraska. I'm sure that there are some great hotels in the area, but we can tell you which one was not great! :) The sign stated that they offered an indoor pool which they did, and it was about as big as a hot tub. The boys were disappointed, but Roger and I were probably more disappointed as it meant that the boys weren't able to burn off a lot of their extra energy. The hotel did have beds in the hotel rooms so I guess that's the main thing! 

We wanted to get an early start on the road this morning. Since the boys were disappointed last night, we went ahead a found a hotel about 600 miles down the road. We booked it online last night, we and told the boys that if we were going to make good time we would need to get in the car early. We were on the road before seven, and our first stretch on the road we traveled 235 miles. That was a good start for the day. The boys and Emma actually travel fairly well, in my opinion. However with having boys and the need to pee, I sometimes feel like we are carrying urine samples around! The boys are proficient at peeing in a bottle, and all those liquids stay away from me! 

God created a beautiful America for us to live in and enjoy. We have all enjoyed the changing scenery and the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I also think that we will all be glad to arrive in Arizona tomorrow! 

We are staying in Eagle, Colorado, tonight. This little town is on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, and we can already see the red dirt and sagebrushes are more prevalent than just twenty miles back. 

The hotel tonight was awesome! For the same price as the one in Lincoln, Nebraska, we were able to get a two bedroom suite with two bathrooms and three beds! It was great! God knew that we all needed a little space from each other! 

Today is our final day of traveling! :) 

                   

      

Signing the Papers and Saying Good Bye

    

Today was the big day! We went by our house one last time to make sure that the doors were locked, and everything was in order. It was a bittersweet moment as I remember the three babies we brought home to this house, the hard work we put into making the house a home, the family gatherings, the countless friend get-togethers we've hosted, the endless hours of joy that the sand pit in the front yard brought to our kids and others, the love and laughter that we've shared together...we've been blessed! 

We arrived in Wautoma for the closing about thirty minutes early, so Roger and I took advantage of the opportunity to go on a walk together. It's one of the many things we've missed over the past year, and I want to take advantage of these moments. 

The closing went so smoothly with no surprises or delays. We were in and out in under twenty minutes. We had the advantage of having a great realtor and friend walk us or through the entire process of getting our home ready for lisiting, taking pictures of the house, listing the property, the open houses, the showings, and every other step in the process. Jennifer Fredenhagen of Homestead Realty did an amazing job! She never left us in the dark about how a showing went, she emailed documents promptly, walked us through anything we had questions about and did a fabulous job. I am blessed to call her my friend as well as my realtor. 

After the closing we went back to my parents house to repack the trailer, finish up laundry, eat lunch, take the piano to the landfill, pack up the school books, and  a hundred other little things that needed to be done. My sister, Jenn, offered to watch the boys so that Roger and I could take the piano to the dump. However, it's a three seater truck, and Wyatt wanted to come. I didn't want to say "no" because Wyatt has been clamoring for Rogers attention as well. But then Travis wanted to go with Roger also. So my date with Roger was eliminated so that two little boys could go with daddy to the dump. It's a little challenging to want to want to spend time with the person that everyone else wants to spend time with also! :) 

This evening we went to a get together at church. The kids weren't very excited about going, but Nana and Papa rescued them. They offered to take all the kids for the evening so that Roger and I could say good by to our friends at church. Needless to say, it was a rather emotional evening for me! I am blessed to have so many good friends, and saying good by was hard on me. Roger left me to visit at the church while he went to spend time with his brothers since they invited him. When Roger came back it was time to say our good byes. I didn't imagine it would be as difficult as it was, but these ladies have truly become my closest friends, and those don't exist in Arizona. I'm delighted and thrilled that Roger has a job, but I wish that God would've allowed us to stay where we ar close to family and friends, a church that we can serve and grow in the Lord, and where I'm comfortable and secure. Instead we are traveling 1600 miles away from all that is familiar to a place in the desert. However, it will provide the perfect opportunity to spend time together as a family and to grow together again. That part I am looking forward to! (Although I'd like for God to allow us to move back to this area some day, this is what needs to happen for now.) 

After leaving the church, we stopped for a brief visit to some friends of ours. Bob and Juanita have encouraged us both multiple times over the last year, and Mr. Warriner was one of the few people that took the time to personally call Roger and see how he was doing. I know that they pray for us, and we are thankful for their love and support of our family. 

It was after 9:30 when we arrived back at my parents house, and it took a little bit for everyone to wind down on the last night in Wisconsin. My parents love their grandchildren very much so this move is hard  on them as well. I'm thankful that God's grace is always, always sufficient for all of us. We had planned on leaving around six in the morning, but after Bible time, teeth brushing and settling down, Roger and I decided that we would just leave whenever everything was ready in the morning.

June 21, 2015

It was an early morning for everyone even after the late night. Roger and I were up about 5:00 to pack the cooler, shower, make lunches, get the last minute stuff packed and have coffee with my parents. The older boys got up on their own around 6:30, but we did have to wake up the three youngest children. Oh well, there will be plenty of time to sleep in the car! We took some pictures of the family, and my dad prayed for safe travels...or rather he tried to pray. His voice wavered with tears, but God still hears our prayers. I'm thankful that the Lord allowed us to spend nine wonderful years living near my parents. My dad has taken the boys camping, on fishing trips, in the truck with him to work, to pass out tracks, and various other places. The boys will miss Papa as much as he will miss them. 

Our first stretch in the car was a long one...we made it 31 miles before Wyatt needed to go potty! Oh dear! However after that we made it 200 miles before stopping at a rest area in Minnesota. Did I mention that I love the rest stops that have plays grounds?! What a great idea! They played for about thirty minutes and then we dug out more food for everyone. They had eaten their fruit cups, cheese, granola bars, a beef sticks by nine o'clock in the morning, so when we stopped at eleven everyone was starving! :)

The day was a long one but relatively uneventful. Travis and Emma will not be having any more markers until we arrive in Arizona, but they did entertain themselves! We arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska about 8:00 pm. and we traveled about six hundred miles today. Tomorrow will be another long day, but hopefully a little easier for all of us. 

I had tears in my eyes several times during the day as we traveled. Travis asked about going to the Schilders to play tomorrow, and I couldn't even explain to him why we could not. I was choked up thinking about my parents, our wonderful friends, and the home we just sold. However, one thing I am very, very confident about it that God's grace is always, always sufficient. Even when I don't know what I'm trying to say or what I want to pray, God sees my heart...and He knows that it hurts. Thank you for your prayers! 

              

   

An Appraisal, a House Inspection, and a Yard Sale

I feel like I'm being pulled in 100 different directions these days, and sometimes I find it hard to focus! We are just a little over a week from our house closing, just at one week until Roger flies in, and two days away from trying to have the moving sale of the year! :)

My dad was able to purchase a trailer for us on Tuesday. This is a huge answer to prayer for us. We didn't have the capital to buy the trailer we needed until after the sale of our house. However, I'd like to started packing up what we need. My parents purchased the trailer for us, and we will write them a check after we sell our house. Renting a uhaul trailer was not an option simply because a one way trip to Page, Arizona would cost a base price of $592.00!!! Wow!! Anyways, God provided once again and we have a trailer sitting in our yard. The kids have been busy loading up all kinds of things that are important to them, so I'm sure this will be interesting! :) 

                         

Thursday, June 11

The days are picking up speed! I'm trying to get ready for a yard sale this weekend, finish the packing on the house, and coordinate all the last minute things that I need to do before next Friday! My friend, Gretchen, invited some moms to her house for a play date today. We were supposed to go to a park with a sprinkler system, but it was rainy. It was a good time of fellowship, even though I probably should've been working! :) 

                         

   

The appraiser also came out to our house today. He was sent from our buyers bank, and is assessing the property for the loan. I was not impressed! He stepped out of his nice Jeep vehicle and introduced himself. I had my five kids playing in the yard plus one extra boy that came over to play. After the introduction, he said, "well, I was going to ask if you have any animals...but..." And he gestured to the kids in the yard! I was in such shock that I didn't even know what to say! It appeared that he was comparing animals on the property to having children?! Wow! That comment ranks right up there with the lady who told me I breed children like rabbits! I don't consider myself to be someone who is easily offended, but I did stew over the apprasiers comment for a bit. Anyways...moving on! 

Friday, June 12,

An incredibly busy day that started out with speed, and the day only picked up speed as time progressed! I woke up early to get started setting up for our yard sale. I did put an ad on Craigslist; but with the weather being rainy and overcast, I wasn't sure how the day would go. At about 7:30 am., I got a text from our realtor asking if I had gotten her voicemail. I hadn't, but my phone does things like that. I listened to the voicemail and realized that the buyers for our property wanted a home inspection done on the house today! Since we close in a week, today was the last possible day to get a home inspection done. I was super annoyed since I can't be here during the home inspection, and I had a yard sale I was trying to run. The inspection was to take place at one pm. That meant I needed to get the yard sale set up, get the boys ready for their camping trip tonight, clean up my house, take down the yard sale by 12:30, and keep my sanity! My friend Gretchen was already planning on coming over this morning to help set up for the sale and to watch the kids while I put out the signs. Thankfully, she came around 9:00 to help out. She is an amazing friend! She helped with the kids, helped clean the house, helped me stay sane, and I am thankful! I took Chandler with me around 9:45 to go put our signs at the end of our road. Then we ran to our storage unit to grab the sleeping bags out of storage for the camping trip tonight. When I arrived back home, I realized that I had made plans to have a young mama and her kids over this morning. I had thought about it last night, but in the craziness of the morning- I forgot! I did have a good visit with Hannah even though it was a little crazy with lots of little children, mud, the yard sale, and trying to sell stuff. However, even in the midst of it all, God is good. Even though the sale was only open for about three hours, we did make $94.00. It's money that I didn't have before I started! :)

My parents are going camping tonight with several families from their church. They asked if the boys could come along, and they also wanted to take Emma! I agreed to let them take all the kids even though it was hard for me to let Emma go on her first camping trip without Roger or I along. I wasn't sure how I was going to get the kids to my parents on time and shut down the yard sale. However, Gretchen took the kids to my parents house while Hannah and I put away the yard sale stuff. I'm praying for a better day of sales tomorrow. I don't have a specific money goal, but I would like all the stuff that remains to fit in the back of the suburban to take to Good will. Everything is priced super cheap because I don't want to put it in storage, and I don't want to take it to Arizona. If we knew where we would be living long term or when I would see the stuff in storage again, I might keep it. But instead, we are trying to sell it!

Since I shut down the yard sale due to the home inspection, I had a couple of free hours this afternoon. I couldn't pack, I don't need to do any shopping, and I forgot the list of people and places I need to call at our house! So I made the one phone call that I had the number for, went to the bank, and then parked myself at my friend's house. I had such a good visit with her. I love my children so very much, but having some uninterrupted adult conversation was the best part of my day. We went for a long walk with her two small children, and then we were able to go out on an adult date with just us! Her husband kept their small chicken, and Jenna and I went to supper together. We laughed, talked about deep subjects, silly things, and how much we are going to miss each other. It's rare....very rare...that we get to have an adult time with just the two of us. I'm thankful that God gave me the opportunity to spend a few extra hours with her....even though I really wanted to have that yard sale! 

Although I'm missing our children tonight, and it's very different to have a night without them, I am soaking up the time with my close friends. God knew what I needed today even though I was upset at the time. He gave me one last free afternoon and said, "Go, my child, and enjoy."

Roger is flying quite a bit these days. We are thankful for each opportunity that God gives him to fly, and Roger is enjoying his job. We are looking forward to adjusting to our life together as one family again. We are under no illusions that it will be a walk in the park, but it's a challenge that we know is worth undertaking. 

Thank you all for your prayers. Please pray that we sell lots of stuff tomorrow!!

Saturday, June 13

I am tired! :) I got up early to get the yard sale set up. Even though I didn't have any children at home last night I still didn't sleep that great. I had everything set up and ready to go by eight am. The only thing was I that I was lacking customers! By 9:30, I had made .75! It was a little disheartening to say the least. However, I continued to work on the house packing. We are getting so close to being done that I feel like throwing everything in one box! 

The boys arrived home around 11:30 since the camping trip was cut short due to rain. I don't think the rainy weather was helping the yard sale customers to come out either! However, we did have customers on and off throughout the day and we made $98.00. And while that's not fabulous, it's money that I didn't have yesterday! :)

The boys had a good time on their camping trip with Papa and Nana, but they were disappointed by the rain. Emma was worn out from her camping adventure, and she fell asleep as they left the campground. I'm thankful that the boys have had these opportunities to spend with their grandparents.   I know my parents are going to miss them greatly, and that's hard on all of us. 

We had dinner at our neighbors house this evening. It was a delicious grilled meal! Kay and Jay were very thoughtful to invite us all over for dinner. The boys had a good time playing with their little boys, outside, and with someone else's toys! I am thankful for neighbors that are friends as well.

Roger flys into Milwaukee on Wednesday! We are all looking forward to that coming to pass! Next week is also Vacation Bible School at our church. I usually help with that event, and I do miss helping. However, I just don't know how much we will be able to help this year with the house closing on Friday. 

Apparently the house inspection went fairly well. There was one thing that came up and that was the furnace. They would like it to have a filter put and and be cleaned. We are still working thorough all the details, and I just want to be able to sign on the line on Friday! :) 

So, in a nutshell, that is what has been happening around here! 

Housing in Arizona...a tent, a trailer, a house, a mobile home?

Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers! God has heard our prayers, and He has given us an answer! 

As most of you know, we are closing on our house next Friday, but we didn't have a place to live in Arizona. Rent is very high, and we couldn't sign a year lease. Our options were limited to say the least, and both Roger and I have been praying fervently. We have a tent in storage, but I really don't want to camp for weeks on end in the Arizona sunshine! 

However, Roger spoke again with the company and explained our difficulties finding housing. At first they didn't seem that eager to help us out, but when Roger hinted that if his family wasn't able to find housing then he would be submitting his two week notice, they seemed to pay attention! Since they are already short on pilots, they agreed to discuss again if we could stay in the single wide trailer with Roger for the summer. Guess what? They came back to Roger and said, "yes"! We are ecstatic about this answer to prayer! Our continued prayer request is that they would allow us to stay there thru the end of the tourist season in November. They did agree to let us stay there, but only if they don't have pilots that need the housing. So, I'm praying that no one needs it until November. :) 

Yesterday was a busy day for us with church, Vacation Bible School training, evening church, and I even squeezed in a quick visit to see a friend in the hospital. After evening church, one of our teen girls, Harmony, agreed to watch our kids for a bit so I could run up to the hospital to visit my friend, Autumn. It was a quick visit, but we did manage to cover a wide variety of subjects in forty minutes! I'm glad that God is helping her get well, and she was released to come home today. God is good! 

This morning the kids and I went to visit our friend, Jenna. I managed to fit four bikes in the back of the suburban, and we took the kids on a walk to the park. Jenna and I could talk for hours, and God has blessed me with a great friendship. 

This afternoon, we had friends from out of town visit us. The Longsine family is in town for a few days, so Rebekah and the kids came over to play. Of course, the kids played in the water, created a fort, rode bikes, and managed to keep the injuries to a minimum. :) 

The house packing is coming along! I am down to the place where you just start to throw whatever is left into boxes. However, with this short term move to Arizona, we have to think thru everything we bring. So we have the rummage sale pile, the trash pile, the storage pile, and the Arizona pile! 

I packed up the rest of the kitchen today. We only have a silverware drawer and the pantry left to pack.  It was a bittersweet moment as I thought about the thousands of meals I have prepared for my family there, and the hundreds of meals that I have cooked either for company or to take to someone. Those days are behind me, and I won't cook another meal in this home again. We are down to sandwiches, cereal, oatmeal, and other such easy meals. Sometimes someone will invite us to their house for a meal or bring supper out to our house. Rebekah picked up the stuff for sub sandwiches tonight, so that was sweet of her. All the kids open the cabinets out of habit, and then  they ask where did everything go?! :) I hope that no matter where we go or where we end up that I can still bless someone by either taking them a meal or cooking for them in our home. I'm not the greatest cook in the world and my meals are simple and healthy, but I do enjoy those opportunities to serve. 

We are down to ten more nights before Roger flys home! The kids are counting down the days, and we are working hard at getting ready to go! We are looking into purchasing a trailer to take to Arizona. We need a trailer that we can put behind the truck to haul the bikes, extra household stuff, and the necessities of living. My dad has been doing some researching and looking for us, and I greatly appreciate that. 

Thank you for your continued prayers.