One Day at a Time!

As summer is coming into full swing, and our lives are crazy right now, it's difficult for me to keep up with the happenings in our lives. However, I do cherish these moments and memories and I want to remember them as our family grows older. 

Where to even start?! Okay, I'll first give an update about the house in Maine. We are going to be unable to close on June first, which is tomorrow. I am very disappointed about that although I know that God has a reason for even this. Because Monday was Memorial Day, we didn't have the three full business days we needed to look over all the paperwork from the bank. So, actually, I don't even know when the closing date will be. We have an extension until next Wednesday. However, we would like to close as soon as possible! The house needs cleaning and painting...preferably before we move in, but our time is running out! I'll be honest and admit that I'm pretty disappointed in this, but this is not in my ball court. It looks like I'll be flying out for the closing, whenever that takes place, and then coming right back the next day. Because of where we will live in Maine, overnight mail is a joke, and since I need to sign a bunch of papers, we are looking at flights daily. And I'm praying for a cheap one! 

Regardless of when we actually close or how much cleaning and painting is left, we are leaving on Monday, June 13. Roger has already secured a plane ticket for Sunday, June 12. We will load the uhaul on Sunday afternoon, and hopefully head out early Monday morning. It still seems like a far off dream, but the calendar reminds me that I need to stay focused and busy with the tasks ahead of me! I've been weeding through the stuff we've collected in seven months of living at my parents house. Wow! And every time I go to our storage shed, I'm amazed to discover all the things that I haven't needed nor do I care about any more. There are also a few things in that storage shed that I am really looking forward to having and enjoying again. After a year of not having our own home, I am ready to put down some roots and find a place to call home again. 

Okay, back to other news and updates! I left last Sunday afternoon, May 22, for a short trip to South Dakota. Jen, my sister, teaches school out there. Her school year is done, and the boys have a tradition of coming out to see her for a week after school is over. I wasn't sure if it would work out this year, but since we are still here, I decided to see if we could make it work again. We made about four hours on Sunday before stopping at a hotel with a swimming pool. The kids were thrilled to swim, and it broke up the trip a little bit for me. We had about eight hours to go on Monday, and we made it to Jen's by late afternoon. It was good to visit with my sister, and she does such a good job taking care of my boys. I stayed until Wednesday, and then Emma and I left to return to Wisconsin. I could've stayed the whole week, but it's much easier to pack and go through stuff with one child versus five! Emma and I got on the road around ten am., so we didn't make it all the way back to Wisconsin in one day. She was missing her brothers and wanted someone to read to her! We arrived home around noon on Thursday. It was a special treat to have one on one time with just Emma, and I did really enjoy that. Meanwhile the boys enjoyed camping, fishing, swimming, campfires, and lots of outdoor activities....did they miss me? Probably not! I am very thankful that Jen took the time to have them out at her place, allowed them to eat her out of house and home, and gave them memories for years to come! 

                                                                  Roger's flying picture

I spent the days packing, throwing away stuff, giving away things we don't need, having dinner with a few dear friends, going on a walk with a friend, and trying to focus on the tasks at hand. It seems a little overwhelming at times, but I want us to be ready to go when Roger comes, so I must stick with it! 

My parents graciously agreed to keep Emma while I made plans to pick up the boys on Sunday. Jen and I agreed to meet halfway, so that neither of us had to drive all the way. I again left on Sunday afternoon, without Emma, and headed west. We met in Sioux Falls at a beautiful hotel that we were able to get a deal on. The first question the boys asked was, "Where is Emma?" They did miss her. We spent the evening at the hotel enjoying each other's company, the pool, and the free bikes that were available to ride. We headed our separate directions on Monday morning around eleven. It's a bit easier to travel with the boys rather than Emma. The boys understand quick stops and long stretches without a break. We arrived home around seven pm, and the boys were quite anxious to see Emma and to share all their stories with Nana and Papa. My dad is trying to free up his schedule some over the next few days so he can have more time to spend with the boys. I know the boys will greatly miss all their excursions with Papa. 

Today, Tuesday, was a crazy day! The neighbor came over to cut down the hay in the field next to my parents house. After about five minutes, he came to the door. Apparently a bike had been left in the hayfield, and it was stuck in the roller of the cutter! Oh dear! The bike was junk, but I really could care less about the bike...I really didn't want to invest in a roller for a John Deere Hay cutter! Thankfully, he took the cutte home, and they were able to get the bike out. Our neighbor felt bad about the bike, but I felt terrible about it being in his field. After some discussion, we discovered that the bike had been left in the field from the previous Saturday when some friends had come over. Because the boys were gone all week to South Dakota, they didn't notice the bike missing. However, it did provide an opportunity for some life lessons, being responsible, and making apologies. Thankfully, the cutter seems to be working fine, the neighbors are on good terms with us, and it's behind us now. We did make cookies, and we took a walk over tonight to apologize again. 

Also today, Chandler had an allergic reaction to something! They went with Papa over to a friend's farm, and then they were going fishing. However, Chandler had a reaction to something. I don't know what it was, but his eyes swelled almost shut, his face broke out in hives, and he was miserable! After a shower and dose of Benadryl, he seems much better. They weren't able to get in the fishing trip though as they needed to come home. Oh well, the day is over....Praise the Lord!

Update: June 2, 2014

I didn't get the blog published the other day, so now my news is getting older! We do have a closing date set on the house! Hooray! We are closing on Monday, June 6, at 9:00 am. Please pray that this will go smoothly and quickly! I am flying out there for the closing, as in a whirlwind trip! I'm leaving Sunday afternoon, and I'll be returning on Wednesday morning. Hopefully, I will get a really, really good start on cleaning the house as we will be moving in the following week! I was hoping to have it all painted before we moved in, but I think my expectations are a little too high on that. We will see. I'll be coming back from that trip, to the crazy race of trying to be ready to go when Roger comes on Sunday. We are renting a uhaul, but I'm still praying that God will provide a discount or deal to go along with that! Moving across the country is expensive but necessary! Roger is planning on loading up the uhaul on Sunday afternoon...so, if anyone wants to help, feel free! 

The boys have been spending much time with my dad. I think both my kids and my dad will be depressed when the day comes to say good by. Travis has become a leach in the sense that he is back to asking me where I'm going every five minutes, and he asks me every day if today is the day we are leaving for Maine. I'm trying to keep them as informed as possible, but wow! This is a big change for everyone! Chandler was sick today, as in a bad headache and he threw up once. However, I think it's his sensitive nature to all that is happening. He's been getting up with my dad around 5:30 every morning to sit with him, and Chandler has been in tears at least once a day in the past few days. This change and move is harder than the move to Arizona simply because this is a long term change. When we left for Arizona, we knew it was a short term job. God has opened doors differently on this job, and Roger is prepared, capable, equipped, and excited about this job. I'll adjust and adapt along with our children. We ar excited about the adventures in Maine, living closer to my sister and her husband, and experiencing life on the east coast. However, I'd love to have some familiar faces come visit us! 

God is good, God is great,  God is merciful. We rejoice in Who He is and all that He will continue to do.