A recap of this past weekend:
I had a great time with my sister, but I am SO glad that Gregg is home. It was really hard not having him around, tougher than every other time he's gone away. The conference that he went to kept him ridiculously busy every day, so that he barely had time to call me. When he called again later Wednesday night, he was still at one of the workshops or trainings and didn't know when it was going to be over. He had trouble hearing me over the noise going on in the background. On Thursday I came home from work, had a quick dinner, folded laundry and packed for my sister's, then went to watch tv around 8. I ended up falling asleep waiting for Gregg to call and was woken up by the sound of my cell phone ringing at 10:45. I was totally out of it, so we didn't really get to have much of a conversation which was a disappointment.
On Friday I left work a little bit after 1, and ended up getting to Valerie's at 2:30. We hung out for a while at her apartment while we waited for her fiance to get home from work so that we could go out to dinner. We played with her puppy and sat outside on the deck talking. She also showed me pictures from the engagement party Bill's family had for them last month. Shortly after Bill arrived home, we headed out to the Inner Harbor and stopped in Baltimore's Little Italy section to eat. We ordered an appetizer of calamari and two dishes to share (they treated me!)
Bill had free passes to this comedy club downtown, so we made our way there after dinner. I had never actually been to a comedy show before, but since I love watching Bananas and Last Comic Standing I was excited. I have to admit, though, that I was disappointed. The comics were funny but crass, dropping the f-bomb nearly every other word. The place was also really loud and crowded. After it was over, we had dessert at an Italian pastry shop on the way back to the parking garage. By this time it was after 11, and I still had not heard from Gregg all day. I started feeling anxious so I decided to call him when we got back to the car, almost an hour later.
He was still out with the people from King Street who were at the conference with him, but because of the time difference it was only 11pm there. They were having dessert somewhere after being at a praise and worship concert with freaking Avalon and Sonic Flood! Gregg said that he got to meet them personally after the concert. I was like no way, I am so jealous. But mostly, it just made me feel worse that he was so far away and that I missed out on this amazing time of worship with my husband. I missed him even more after we got off the phone.
I was exhausted when we got back to Val and Bill's apartment. It doesn't help that I'm not used to staying up past midnight. After showering and eating breakfast the next morning, I packed my stuff and got ready to leave. Before we headed downstairs Val gave me my birthday present, a really cute short sleeved sweater. They helped me bring my suitcase down to the car so that I could leave right after we took a quick tour of the high school where she works. I was anxious to get home and see Gregg, who called on our way back to say that his plane had landed. I said good-bye to my sister and Bill in the parking lot, jumped in the car and headed home.
I got back to the house a little less than two hours later, and it felt big and empty. I decided to unpack and get something to eat while I waited for Gregg to come home. At 2:30, I called him to ask where he was figuring he had to have been right behind me. He said that they had stopped for lunch somewhere and would be back within the hour. I hung up the phone and lost it. I sat at the kitchen table sobbing and couldn't stop. The stress of being apart from him for the past four days, barely getting to talk and having choppy conversations over our cell phones finally caught up to me.
I started feeling overwhelmed with life- the stress of my job, feeling like I have no friends here in Chambersburg, missing our house in Florida. I cried for the next hour before Gregg finally came home. When I heard the garage door closing, I greeted my husband in the hallway and fell into his arms. We both hugged each other tightly, not wanting to let go. I cried some more.
I told him what an emotionally taxing few days it had been with him away, and confessed some of what I was feeling. We spent the next hour talking it all out, and he told me more about the conference while I shared about the time I spent at my sister's. I told him I never wanted him to go away ever again, which I know is impractical. I just didn't expect it to hit me that hard, though. That time apart made me realize that, as glad as I am we moved here, this transition continues to be difficult for me. We had to literally interrupt the flow of our normal lives back in April to pack up and move. Then I had to adjust to living in a whole new area, get used to a new church, find a new job, make new friends, give up our dog. Those are things you don't just bounce back from right away, but I thought I was handling it pretty well. How many times can I start over in my life??
I look around and everything reminds me that I'm in transition. The myriad of boxes that beg to be unpacked, a house full of pictures of people who aren't in my family, the Florida license plate on my car. I just want to feel settled. I think it will really help once we move out of here into the townhouse, being able to completely unpack our stuff, having Tess back. Then we can start to return to some sense of normalcy.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We're Mooving Again!
At least this time it will only be across town, not 900 miles away. On Monday Gregg called this guy, Rob, who's renting out the townhouse to ask him what the deal-io is. He basically said, "Oh you're the people from Frank's church, right? Yeah, you guys have the place." Apparently we had it from the moment we said we'd take it two weeks ago! Yay! So we can move in at the end of the month- no more living out of boxes, no more dial-up internet connection, no more broken water pipes or clogged drains (yes, this is the latest problem we've encountered; the bathtub won't drain and fills up quickly with water, causing the ceiling below it in the basement to leak. I think the owners are more convinced than ever that they just need to sell this place once and for all).
We're excited! We get to have our doggie back too. The townhouse is in a very nice residential area which will be great for taking her on walks. I'll finally be able to unpack everything and have stuff at my fingertips again instead of saying, "Oh where is that stupid thing? I guess I'll have to go dig around in a box for it." I have to say though, that even with all the mishaps we've had with this house for the past three months I am going to miss it. When we first "moved in" I was so homesick for our house in FL, but then I started feeling comfortable here. I guess if you're anywhere for a certain amount of time, you get used to it.
Gregg left at 5 o'clock this morning to catch his flight. It turns out that he was able to ride with one of the guys from church going to the conference, instead of renting a car to drive to the airport, so I won't be picking him up from BWI after all. His flight home on Saturday is scheduled to land at noon. He called me about an hour ago to tell me he had gotten there okay and would be heading off to the first event in the next few minutes. He promised he would call again later tonight. :)
It's always hard to have him so far away. Thank goodness he only does this about once a year. The first year we were married he went to Chicago for a week, and I remember missing him so much one night that I almost couldn't breathe. I appreciate him every day, but when he's gone for a while and then returns home I realize just how much he is a blessing to me- all the little (and not so little) things he does for me, snuggling beside him on the couch as we watch our favorite shows, having him sleep beside me. Okay, need to stop. I'm getting all teary eyed.
I'm going to go plant myself in front of the tv for a few hours and await his phone call...
We're excited! We get to have our doggie back too. The townhouse is in a very nice residential area which will be great for taking her on walks. I'll finally be able to unpack everything and have stuff at my fingertips again instead of saying, "Oh where is that stupid thing? I guess I'll have to go dig around in a box for it." I have to say though, that even with all the mishaps we've had with this house for the past three months I am going to miss it. When we first "moved in" I was so homesick for our house in FL, but then I started feeling comfortable here. I guess if you're anywhere for a certain amount of time, you get used to it.
Gregg left at 5 o'clock this morning to catch his flight. It turns out that he was able to ride with one of the guys from church going to the conference, instead of renting a car to drive to the airport, so I won't be picking him up from BWI after all. His flight home on Saturday is scheduled to land at noon. He called me about an hour ago to tell me he had gotten there okay and would be heading off to the first event in the next few minutes. He promised he would call again later tonight. :)
It's always hard to have him so far away. Thank goodness he only does this about once a year. The first year we were married he went to Chicago for a week, and I remember missing him so much one night that I almost couldn't breathe. I appreciate him every day, but when he's gone for a while and then returns home I realize just how much he is a blessing to me- all the little (and not so little) things he does for me, snuggling beside him on the couch as we watch our favorite shows, having him sleep beside me. Okay, need to stop. I'm getting all teary eyed.
I'm going to go plant myself in front of the tv for a few hours and await his phone call...
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Another Update
So we might have finally found a place. We went to look at a townhouse a week and a half ago that will allow a dog. It's an end unit about five minutes from where we're staying now with new tile, new carpet, a brand new dishwasher and nice spacious backyard. The man who's renting it out is a friend of someone we know from church who basically lobbied for us, since this guy was reluctant to let us have a dog there. His friend was persistant, and Gregg got a call one day asking if we'd like to come see the rental. We both really liked it and sent back the application a few days later. We're still waiting to hear from the guy whether or not we've been approved, but we're hoping!
This week was really tough for me professionally. We found out that the state put a temporary freeze on funds allocated to our program, so I and my supervisor had to scramble to come up with a plan to reduce spending which included shifting a staff member over to another department. The executive director now also wants me to take on more clients in order to meet budget requirements and manage the program at the same time. I've found in the last few weeks that I'm doing so many administrative tasks that I barely have time to focus on the clients that I do have already, and they require a lot of time and energy. We serve a very difficult population with many different needs.
I'm starting to wonder, again, if I'm really made for social work. I took so many years off from it exactly because it stressed me out so much. I think I needed to know though, if I could go back; if I wasn't just selling out by not using my degree. I'm completely comfortable saying that this is something I am not cut out for and don't want to do long term. That doesn't mean that I'm going to quit tomorrow, but it has become clear to me that this really is not the career path I want to follow- which is a relief in some way.
This Wednesday Gregg is leaving for Nashville to attend a worship arts conference and will be away until Saturday. So I'll have this big house all to myself while he's gone. I hate when he goes away on business because I can't stand to be apart from him. I'm going to spend some time with my sister in the meantime though, which I'm looking forward to. Straight from work on Friday I'm driving down to her place and staying into Saturday. We plan on going into Baltimore that night to have dinner and see the sights. I'll also get to see her new puppy, Sophie, and talk about wedding details! Since Gregg will be flying out of BWI, I'm going to pick him up from the airport on my way back to Pennsylvania and we'll ride home together.
I'm hoping this week will go smoother and that we'll hear something soon about the townhome. It would be nice to move out by the end of the month!
This week was really tough for me professionally. We found out that the state put a temporary freeze on funds allocated to our program, so I and my supervisor had to scramble to come up with a plan to reduce spending which included shifting a staff member over to another department. The executive director now also wants me to take on more clients in order to meet budget requirements and manage the program at the same time. I've found in the last few weeks that I'm doing so many administrative tasks that I barely have time to focus on the clients that I do have already, and they require a lot of time and energy. We serve a very difficult population with many different needs.
I'm starting to wonder, again, if I'm really made for social work. I took so many years off from it exactly because it stressed me out so much. I think I needed to know though, if I could go back; if I wasn't just selling out by not using my degree. I'm completely comfortable saying that this is something I am not cut out for and don't want to do long term. That doesn't mean that I'm going to quit tomorrow, but it has become clear to me that this really is not the career path I want to follow- which is a relief in some way.
This Wednesday Gregg is leaving for Nashville to attend a worship arts conference and will be away until Saturday. So I'll have this big house all to myself while he's gone. I hate when he goes away on business because I can't stand to be apart from him. I'm going to spend some time with my sister in the meantime though, which I'm looking forward to. Straight from work on Friday I'm driving down to her place and staying into Saturday. We plan on going into Baltimore that night to have dinner and see the sights. I'll also get to see her new puppy, Sophie, and talk about wedding details! Since Gregg will be flying out of BWI, I'm going to pick him up from the airport on my way back to Pennsylvania and we'll ride home together.
I'm hoping this week will go smoother and that we'll hear something soon about the townhome. It would be nice to move out by the end of the month!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Finding a Spot
The hunt for another place to live continues. We looked at an apartment last night that would've allowed us to have a dog. The rent was reasonable, cheaper than what we're paying now, and closer to the church. It was your basic, bottom of the line apartment. They had just repainted the walls and shampooed the carpet in the living room, but it was still... not a place either one of us would be very happy living in for the length of a one- year lease. The first floor was essentially just the kitchen, which barely fits our table, and the living room. The second floor was the bathroom (equally as small) and two bedrooms. And they would have charged us an extra security deposit to have the dog! Like Gregg said, "I don't want to commit to crap".
I'm really discouraged. It seems that every place we've found either charges up the wazoo in rent, is yucky, or doesn't allow a dog. We are gathering quite the pile of rental applications. I wondered aloud last night if we'd have to sacrifice one for the other- find someplace else for Tess to live, giving her up altogether, or keep her and live in a crusty place we don't really like. Our options seem bleak. Even though the water is working fine here now, 3/4 of our stuff is still sitting in boxes out in the hot garage and Tess can't stay at Gregg's parents forever, especially with his mom having knee surgery in the middle of July.
And well, the Stouffer's come and go a lot. They never come upstairs, but it's still weird having them downstairs in the basement when you can hear every little thing through the floor. One time they had some of their children and grandchildren over to watch home movies for several hours on a Sunday night. Uncomfortable. They were kind enough though, to invite us to a cookout they're having tomorrow- at this house! Now, I know that they still own it, but they do have another house that they're living in which I'm sure would be just fine for a barbeque. Why can't they have it over there?
Speaking of places to live, Gregg found this website that has a fun quiz you can take to see where your ideal "spot" is. After he had answered all the questions, it gave him a list of twenty different places based on his preferences. The very first spot was Glens Falls, NY which is a stone's throw away from Word of Life where he went to college. He also got matched to several places in Vermont and Alaska. Now when I took the quiz, the first place that came up for me was some town in Colorado. I also got lots of cities in Florida, one being Melbourne, which is right next to Palm Bay! I joked to Gregg, "You see, honey, the only way we'll ever be happy is if we live hundreds of miles apart."
So it looks like my ten year HS reunion is happening on September 15. I just got something in the mail today about it, from a company my alma mater hired to collect all the alumni info. The letter was sent to our house in Florida and forwarded here. I was wondering if they'd know where to send it, since I've now had four different addresses from the time of my high school graduation. Basically, they want to track all of us down so they're asking for our current address, phone number and email. I would put my address, but I don't know where we'll be living come September! Ha ha.
I'm toying with the idea of going. I think it would be fun to learn what all of my former classmates have been up to for the past ten years and see how everyone's changed. At the same time, I barely talk to anyone I went to high school with. But then I guess that's the point of a reunion. Wow, that makes me feel old. I can't believe I'll be turning 28 in four weeks.
Well, I guess it's back to apartment hunting. Yippppeee!
I'm really discouraged. It seems that every place we've found either charges up the wazoo in rent, is yucky, or doesn't allow a dog. We are gathering quite the pile of rental applications. I wondered aloud last night if we'd have to sacrifice one for the other- find someplace else for Tess to live, giving her up altogether, or keep her and live in a crusty place we don't really like. Our options seem bleak. Even though the water is working fine here now, 3/4 of our stuff is still sitting in boxes out in the hot garage and Tess can't stay at Gregg's parents forever, especially with his mom having knee surgery in the middle of July.
And well, the Stouffer's come and go a lot. They never come upstairs, but it's still weird having them downstairs in the basement when you can hear every little thing through the floor. One time they had some of their children and grandchildren over to watch home movies for several hours on a Sunday night. Uncomfortable. They were kind enough though, to invite us to a cookout they're having tomorrow- at this house! Now, I know that they still own it, but they do have another house that they're living in which I'm sure would be just fine for a barbeque. Why can't they have it over there?
Speaking of places to live, Gregg found this website that has a fun quiz you can take to see where your ideal "spot" is. After he had answered all the questions, it gave him a list of twenty different places based on his preferences. The very first spot was Glens Falls, NY which is a stone's throw away from Word of Life where he went to college. He also got matched to several places in Vermont and Alaska. Now when I took the quiz, the first place that came up for me was some town in Colorado. I also got lots of cities in Florida, one being Melbourne, which is right next to Palm Bay! I joked to Gregg, "You see, honey, the only way we'll ever be happy is if we live hundreds of miles apart."
So it looks like my ten year HS reunion is happening on September 15. I just got something in the mail today about it, from a company my alma mater hired to collect all the alumni info. The letter was sent to our house in Florida and forwarded here. I was wondering if they'd know where to send it, since I've now had four different addresses from the time of my high school graduation. Basically, they want to track all of us down so they're asking for our current address, phone number and email. I would put my address, but I don't know where we'll be living come September! Ha ha.
I'm toying with the idea of going. I think it would be fun to learn what all of my former classmates have been up to for the past ten years and see how everyone's changed. At the same time, I barely talk to anyone I went to high school with. But then I guess that's the point of a reunion. Wow, that makes me feel old. I can't believe I'll be turning 28 in four weeks.
Well, I guess it's back to apartment hunting. Yippppeee!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Ten Years Later
It's hard to believe that it's been a whole decade since I walked across that platform in the hot June sun and graduated with 300 of my fellow classmates from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. 12 years of "blood, sweat and tears" was over. My friends and I parted ways to go off to different colleges and start new lives, meet new people, enjoy new experiences. We had our whole lives ahead of us. I wondered if in ten years we'd be as close as we were then, which career I would have, who I'd be married to, where I'd be living. The future was one giant question mark.
The past ten years have flown by. I've lost touch with most of those friends; started a career; got married; moved four times; made new friends, lost them, made other ones. As I reflect on where I am now, I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out. It's not the life I would have or could have plotted out back when I graduated from high school. My hopes and dreams, my values and priorities were different in 1997 as opposed to right now. I could not have imagined that I'd be married to a man whose career goal was full time ministry, or that the relationship I had with my family would change so dramatically over time, or that life as an adult could be downright scary and confusing at times. As a starry eyed, naive 17 year old, I didn't think things would change that much from the small world I knew and grew up in.
A few weeks ago as I was looking for my masters diploma, which I needed for work, I came across a loose leaf paper journal filled with memories I had jotted down while still in high school. I thought I had thrown it away years ago. It mostly catalogued my senior year, the fun and crazy times I had with my best friends. The memories came flooding back. As I sat there reading the handwritten pages about younger, carefree days it was like ten years had never happened. I found myself laughing out loud at some entries and wanting to cry at others. I remembered warmly the friendships that I had and how we felt invincible at the time. These memories are encapsulated for all time in a tattered edge sheaf of paper held together with a rusted paper clip. Those were, in many ways, the time of my life.
As my ten year high school reunion approaches, I think back on all my experiences, good bad and ugly as a student: the boyfriends, the trends, notepassing, school trips, teachers, heartbreaks, all the angst that comes with being a teenager. While it's not my intention to live in the past, it can be fun to take a journey back to the nineties and relive a little of that high school nostalgia every now and then.
"All the memories of looking out the back door,
I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor.
It's time to say it, hard to say it: goodbye.
All the memories of walking out my front door,
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for.
It's time to say it, so hard to say it: goodbye.
Goodbye."
- Nickelback
The past ten years have flown by. I've lost touch with most of those friends; started a career; got married; moved four times; made new friends, lost them, made other ones. As I reflect on where I am now, I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out. It's not the life I would have or could have plotted out back when I graduated from high school. My hopes and dreams, my values and priorities were different in 1997 as opposed to right now. I could not have imagined that I'd be married to a man whose career goal was full time ministry, or that the relationship I had with my family would change so dramatically over time, or that life as an adult could be downright scary and confusing at times. As a starry eyed, naive 17 year old, I didn't think things would change that much from the small world I knew and grew up in.
A few weeks ago as I was looking for my masters diploma, which I needed for work, I came across a loose leaf paper journal filled with memories I had jotted down while still in high school. I thought I had thrown it away years ago. It mostly catalogued my senior year, the fun and crazy times I had with my best friends. The memories came flooding back. As I sat there reading the handwritten pages about younger, carefree days it was like ten years had never happened. I found myself laughing out loud at some entries and wanting to cry at others. I remembered warmly the friendships that I had and how we felt invincible at the time. These memories are encapsulated for all time in a tattered edge sheaf of paper held together with a rusted paper clip. Those were, in many ways, the time of my life.
As my ten year high school reunion approaches, I think back on all my experiences, good bad and ugly as a student: the boyfriends, the trends, notepassing, school trips, teachers, heartbreaks, all the angst that comes with being a teenager. While it's not my intention to live in the past, it can be fun to take a journey back to the nineties and relive a little of that high school nostalgia every now and then.
"All the memories of looking out the back door,
I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor.
It's time to say it, hard to say it: goodbye.
All the memories of walking out my front door,
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for.
It's time to say it, so hard to say it: goodbye.
Goodbye."
- Nickelback
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
We Have GOT To Move
Things with the house get more ridiculous every day. Yesterday morning around 5:30 I got up as usual, went potty, flushed and realized... there was no water again. So back to the bedroom I went to wake Gregg up and tell him the situation. He groggily arose and went down in the basement to investigate. In the meantime, I got out the container of water we still had stashed under the sink just in case the water didn't come back on. I washed my face and brushed my teeth as Gregg came back upstairs and told me what I already knew- that I would have to forgo my shower. I resorted to using what little water was left in the container to wash my hair, not getting all the shampoo out. Fabulous, just fabulous.
So here we are without water to bathe, cook or do laundry with and the Stouffer's are... on vacation. And Gregg doesn't have Bob's cell phone number! Well, he did but he misplaced it. When he got to work he called the Stouffer's daughter, Brenda, in her office downstairs and left a message. She didn't call back all day, which is strange because she always gets here soon after we both leave for work and checks her messages. When I arrived at the house around 4:30 and opened the door, I instantly realized we had another problem- no air, since the water controls the air conditioning. And yesterday was in the high 80s with very little breeze.
After Gregg got home shortly after me we decide together that we need to find Bob's cell phone number or someone who can give it to us, because there's no way we're staying in this house with no A/C and no water. We rummaged around downstairs in the basement and found Brenda's home phone number in a rolodex. I volunteered to make the call. The line was busy but after the fourth attempt, I got through. Her husband answered and I explained our situation to him. He said he would call Brenda on her cell phone and see if she could get back over to the house to check things out.
Within half an hour she showed up and after checking the water pressure and the circuit breaker, called her dad and told him what was going on. He said that if we needed to, we could stay the night at their other house. He also said, "Doesn't Gregg have my cell number?" Ugh. She found a bill from the guy who serviced the well pump last time and called him next. He told her about a reset button which she pushed and then cranked the lever nearly fifty times before finally, the water came back on again. She called him again and he graciously offered to come over to take a look at things. After about twenty minutes, he figured out by accident that one of the tanks wasn't working anymore. He hadn't thought to check it last time. He concluded that that was the problem and he would need to replace it. Brenda called her father back and he said "Do whatever it takes". So the well guy came this morning and was still here working when I got home from work. Everything seems fine... for now. I hope this is the permanent fix we keep getting promised.
I really don't mean to crap all over the Stouffer's good nature with them letting us stay here, but this is the third time in less than two months that the water has stopped working. You pretty much expect as you go through your day, to have this basic necessity. Gregg and I were so frustrated that we just wanted to take the first available rental we could find and be done with it. Ironically, just the night before this all happened, I was actually thinking "Hey it wouldn't be so bad if we stayed here a few more months! I'm kinda getting used to this place."
Famous last words.
So here we are without water to bathe, cook or do laundry with and the Stouffer's are... on vacation. And Gregg doesn't have Bob's cell phone number! Well, he did but he misplaced it. When he got to work he called the Stouffer's daughter, Brenda, in her office downstairs and left a message. She didn't call back all day, which is strange because she always gets here soon after we both leave for work and checks her messages. When I arrived at the house around 4:30 and opened the door, I instantly realized we had another problem- no air, since the water controls the air conditioning. And yesterday was in the high 80s with very little breeze.
After Gregg got home shortly after me we decide together that we need to find Bob's cell phone number or someone who can give it to us, because there's no way we're staying in this house with no A/C and no water. We rummaged around downstairs in the basement and found Brenda's home phone number in a rolodex. I volunteered to make the call. The line was busy but after the fourth attempt, I got through. Her husband answered and I explained our situation to him. He said he would call Brenda on her cell phone and see if she could get back over to the house to check things out.
Within half an hour she showed up and after checking the water pressure and the circuit breaker, called her dad and told him what was going on. He said that if we needed to, we could stay the night at their other house. He also said, "Doesn't Gregg have my cell number?" Ugh. She found a bill from the guy who serviced the well pump last time and called him next. He told her about a reset button which she pushed and then cranked the lever nearly fifty times before finally, the water came back on again. She called him again and he graciously offered to come over to take a look at things. After about twenty minutes, he figured out by accident that one of the tanks wasn't working anymore. He hadn't thought to check it last time. He concluded that that was the problem and he would need to replace it. Brenda called her father back and he said "Do whatever it takes". So the well guy came this morning and was still here working when I got home from work. Everything seems fine... for now. I hope this is the permanent fix we keep getting promised.
I really don't mean to crap all over the Stouffer's good nature with them letting us stay here, but this is the third time in less than two months that the water has stopped working. You pretty much expect as you go through your day, to have this basic necessity. Gregg and I were so frustrated that we just wanted to take the first available rental we could find and be done with it. Ironically, just the night before this all happened, I was actually thinking "Hey it wouldn't be so bad if we stayed here a few more months! I'm kinda getting used to this place."
Famous last words.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Update on the House and Other Stuff
What an original title I came up with! That's all the creativity my mind can muster up at 7:30 in the morning. So the water has been fixed (yay), but the pressure is still not quite right. You turn on a faucet and the water sprays everywhere for a while before calming down. It's especially bad in the kitchen for some reason. And the air conditioning doesn't work on one end of the house now. A fine time for that to happen as the temperature reaches about 90 degrees. We're 0 for 2, folks.
On Friday night, Gregg hosted his first Sound & Vision Dinner at the church. He had it catered by the Carousel, which is also an ice cream shop and gift store. They made hot dogs and hamburgers, pulled pork, baked mac & cheese and cherry cobbler for dessert that Gregg just had to pick up and bring to the fellowship room. I showed up around 5:45 after getting off work and helped him set up. More people came than expected, which was great. They all had good questions and input afterwards.
There was enough food left over for a soup kitchen! I wanted to give it to a homeless shelter, but we couldn't reach any of the centers in town to see if they would take it. We ended up bringing most of it home with us because King Street (unlike Covenant) doesn't want you to leave food behind in the refrigerator. Two couples stayed until 9:30 to help us clean up. While we were packaging up food and washing trays & utensils, I got to chat with the women who were very nice. It was the first time since we started going to King Street that I felt like I had made a real connection with people. We were invited to dinner by one woman and the other invited me to go shopping with her one day. Gregg and I were very happy that the dinner had gone so well and we ended up making some new friends.
Yesterday was a rather lazy day. I slept in until 9:15 while Gregg worked on power point slides for service. We finally made it out of the house at 1, and stopped by the church so he could make sure things were set up correctly for an event going on that night. That didn't take too long and then we were off to Walmart for a few things. On the way home, we stopped for ice cream in downtown Chambersburg since it was so stinkin' hot. There was absolutely nothing on tv that afternoon with the whole three channels that we get out here, so we decided to watch one of our dvd's. That, of course, required us to dig through a box in the hot & humid garage. We had to take out the speakers and VCR to get to the DVD collection down at the bottom. Did I mention I hate living out of boxes? After a few minutes, I selected Remember the Titans and we trapsed back into the house to watch it.
Twenty minutes before the movie ended, Gregg got a call from Pastor Ford asking him to do something with Song Show Plus for today's service. We knew there was a possibility he might have to go back to the church that night so it wasn't a big deal. He left at 7:15, and I heated up one of the leftover burgers for dinner and finished watching the movie. I was nearly falling asleep around ten when he called to say he was on his way home.
Well, I better start getting ready for church! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)
PS- Angelarae, do you have a blog?
On Friday night, Gregg hosted his first Sound & Vision Dinner at the church. He had it catered by the Carousel, which is also an ice cream shop and gift store. They made hot dogs and hamburgers, pulled pork, baked mac & cheese and cherry cobbler for dessert that Gregg just had to pick up and bring to the fellowship room. I showed up around 5:45 after getting off work and helped him set up. More people came than expected, which was great. They all had good questions and input afterwards.
There was enough food left over for a soup kitchen! I wanted to give it to a homeless shelter, but we couldn't reach any of the centers in town to see if they would take it. We ended up bringing most of it home with us because King Street (unlike Covenant) doesn't want you to leave food behind in the refrigerator. Two couples stayed until 9:30 to help us clean up. While we were packaging up food and washing trays & utensils, I got to chat with the women who were very nice. It was the first time since we started going to King Street that I felt like I had made a real connection with people. We were invited to dinner by one woman and the other invited me to go shopping with her one day. Gregg and I were very happy that the dinner had gone so well and we ended up making some new friends.
Yesterday was a rather lazy day. I slept in until 9:15 while Gregg worked on power point slides for service. We finally made it out of the house at 1, and stopped by the church so he could make sure things were set up correctly for an event going on that night. That didn't take too long and then we were off to Walmart for a few things. On the way home, we stopped for ice cream in downtown Chambersburg since it was so stinkin' hot. There was absolutely nothing on tv that afternoon with the whole three channels that we get out here, so we decided to watch one of our dvd's. That, of course, required us to dig through a box in the hot & humid garage. We had to take out the speakers and VCR to get to the DVD collection down at the bottom. Did I mention I hate living out of boxes? After a few minutes, I selected Remember the Titans and we trapsed back into the house to watch it.
Twenty minutes before the movie ended, Gregg got a call from Pastor Ford asking him to do something with Song Show Plus for today's service. We knew there was a possibility he might have to go back to the church that night so it wasn't a big deal. He left at 7:15, and I heated up one of the leftover burgers for dinner and finished watching the movie. I was nearly falling asleep around ten when he called to say he was on his way home.
Well, I better start getting ready for church! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)
PS- Angelarae, do you have a blog?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
A Hodge Podge From the Last 2 Weeks
Okay since I haven't written in like, forever, this is my attempt to catch up on the goings-on of my life over the past couple of weeks. So what's new and exciting? Well, I started my new job last Tuesday. I'm still not sure what to make of it. There's a ton of stuff to learn and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But the people I work with are pretty nice and have been very helpful so far. My supervisor is great, too.
I get the impression though, that things in our department/program aren't all that organized and there is miscommunication & bad feelings between them and administration. Definitely things I need to work on while I'm essentially the middle man (woman) there. My commute in the mornings is about 40 minutes and almost an hour going home. Could be worse, I suppose. I'm grateful to have a job which pays me fairly. Hopefully I'll be good at it.
Gregg and I are still looking here and there for another place to rent. We've discovered some strange things about the house we're currently living in, which are also pretty amusing. The light switches in most of the rooms seem to be placed illogically- like the one for the kitchen is out in the hallway and the one for the master bathroom is in the bedroom. There is also carpet in all of the bathrooms. Ew, I don't even want to think about what kind of grossities are just hiding and breeding between the fibers. And then there's the air conditioning- the master bedroom has ten vents in it alone, freezing us out every time we go in there, while the rest of the house cooks from the massive amount of floor to ceiling windows. None of the features have been updated since the house was built in 1985, so it is literally like being trapped in time. We have traveled in the Delorean from Back to the Future and are eternally stuck in the 80's. Mauve colored carpet sprawls out in every direction and brass plated fixtures adorn every bathroom.
And the piece de resistance: Monday night as I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the bathroom faucet and no water came out. I checked the faucets in the other bathrooms and kitchen- no water. I told Gregg and he went down into the basement to investigate. Our landlord had "fixed" this problem before we moved in (apparently it is a recurring problem that the water stops flowing to the house) by doing something with the water pressure, but it didn't work. Gregg concluded that it was a clogged pipe, but didn't want to fix it himself since this isn't our house to "mess around with", and said he'd call Mr. Stouffer in the morning. So with no running water to brush our teeth or take showers with, we had to improvise. Gregg went out to his truck and brought in one of the gallon containers of water he used for Tess on our trip up here from Florida. There was still 3/4 left, so I used it the next morning to wash my face and hair in the sink. Forget the 80's- we were now back in the 1800's! Oy.
We are getting an incredible deal though, by staying here. It would be nice to actually unpack, oh I don't know, one entire box and really get settled in our own place. There are still several boxes with our stuff sitting in the garage, some opened, some not. We have a few good leads that we're pursuing and hopefully they'll allow a dog.
On May 21 our niece, Katelyn Elizabeth, was born to Gregg's brother and his wife. She arrived a day early by C-section. So that makes a grand total of 6 family members now, between the two of us, who have birthdays within two weeks of each other. They couldn't spread them out more?
Last weekend, we had a very nice visit with my mom and sister. The last time I saw Valerie was Christmas of 2005. Gregg and I took them on a tour of Chambersburg and showed them around the massive house, we took turns looking at each other's pictures, then went out for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Val left that night to go back home and my mom stayed over and went to church with me the next morning. I made a pot roast in the afternoon for an early dinner and for dessert, we got ice cream. Memorial Day wasn't all that spectacular. In the morning, I did laundry and ironed. That afternoon on their way back from North Carolina, Gregg's parents met us right off of 81 for a late lunch at Red Robin. We caught up and his mom showed off pictures of the new baby. It was a nice time.
So hopefully it won't be another 2+ weeks until I post again. Before I know it another month has just flown by.
I get the impression though, that things in our department/program aren't all that organized and there is miscommunication & bad feelings between them and administration. Definitely things I need to work on while I'm essentially the middle man (woman) there. My commute in the mornings is about 40 minutes and almost an hour going home. Could be worse, I suppose. I'm grateful to have a job which pays me fairly. Hopefully I'll be good at it.
Gregg and I are still looking here and there for another place to rent. We've discovered some strange things about the house we're currently living in, which are also pretty amusing. The light switches in most of the rooms seem to be placed illogically- like the one for the kitchen is out in the hallway and the one for the master bathroom is in the bedroom. There is also carpet in all of the bathrooms. Ew, I don't even want to think about what kind of grossities are just hiding and breeding between the fibers. And then there's the air conditioning- the master bedroom has ten vents in it alone, freezing us out every time we go in there, while the rest of the house cooks from the massive amount of floor to ceiling windows. None of the features have been updated since the house was built in 1985, so it is literally like being trapped in time. We have traveled in the Delorean from Back to the Future and are eternally stuck in the 80's. Mauve colored carpet sprawls out in every direction and brass plated fixtures adorn every bathroom.
And the piece de resistance: Monday night as I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the bathroom faucet and no water came out. I checked the faucets in the other bathrooms and kitchen- no water. I told Gregg and he went down into the basement to investigate. Our landlord had "fixed" this problem before we moved in (apparently it is a recurring problem that the water stops flowing to the house) by doing something with the water pressure, but it didn't work. Gregg concluded that it was a clogged pipe, but didn't want to fix it himself since this isn't our house to "mess around with", and said he'd call Mr. Stouffer in the morning. So with no running water to brush our teeth or take showers with, we had to improvise. Gregg went out to his truck and brought in one of the gallon containers of water he used for Tess on our trip up here from Florida. There was still 3/4 left, so I used it the next morning to wash my face and hair in the sink. Forget the 80's- we were now back in the 1800's! Oy.
We are getting an incredible deal though, by staying here. It would be nice to actually unpack, oh I don't know, one entire box and really get settled in our own place. There are still several boxes with our stuff sitting in the garage, some opened, some not. We have a few good leads that we're pursuing and hopefully they'll allow a dog.
On May 21 our niece, Katelyn Elizabeth, was born to Gregg's brother and his wife. She arrived a day early by C-section. So that makes a grand total of 6 family members now, between the two of us, who have birthdays within two weeks of each other. They couldn't spread them out more?
Last weekend, we had a very nice visit with my mom and sister. The last time I saw Valerie was Christmas of 2005. Gregg and I took them on a tour of Chambersburg and showed them around the massive house, we took turns looking at each other's pictures, then went out for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Val left that night to go back home and my mom stayed over and went to church with me the next morning. I made a pot roast in the afternoon for an early dinner and for dessert, we got ice cream. Memorial Day wasn't all that spectacular. In the morning, I did laundry and ironed. That afternoon on their way back from North Carolina, Gregg's parents met us right off of 81 for a late lunch at Red Robin. We caught up and his mom showed off pictures of the new baby. It was a nice time.
So hopefully it won't be another 2+ weeks until I post again. Before I know it another month has just flown by.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Yes, I am still alive
We made it! I can't believe we've been here for over two weeks already, and I'm just now getting around to blogging. I have a million and one things to write about, too. So I'll just start at the beginning...
The movers showed up at 8:30 am Monday, the 23rd. We still hadn't packed everything, having called it quits around 10 the night before. We thought we would have plenty of time to get that all wrapped up in the morning before the movers came. But as it turned out, we didn't get up until after 7! So while Gregg was out at Dunkin' Donuts getting donuts and coffee for us & the guys, I frantically threw the last minute stuff in boxes. The movers were done loading the truck by about noon and we hung around for another hour cleaning up and doing a final walk through to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. With all of our furniture gone, the house looked completely different and well, weird. We also packed up our cars pretty good with whatever didn't go in the moving truck.
Before we could actually hit the highway, we had to run to the church and pick up Gregg's final paycheck, then go to the bank and the post office. We squeezed lunch in there somewhere, then came back to the house to get my car and swung by Doggie Daycare to get Tess who was there all morning. Finally, by 4:00 we made it onto I-95. Not even fifteen minutes into driving, I was like "are we there yet??", knowing that we still had another fifteen hours to go. We had barely made it out of the county when I had to stop for my first potty break. We were not making good time at all, and our goal was to make it out of Florida by bedtime. The trip was more difficult because we had Tess with us and needed to stop more often so she could be fed and walked.
Once we crossed the state line into Georgia, we stopped for the night at this rather sketchy looking motel- again because we had the dog. After breakfast at-where else?-Waffle House the next morning, we started driving again. Somehow we made really good time that day, even stopping for an extended break in South Carolina. On our way through NC, we stopped at Gregg's sister Lori's for dinner. We had a good time seeing our nieces and nephews, and Tess got to meet & play with her cousin, Rosie. They wanted us to stay over, but we felt we needed to get back on the road so we could make it to Pennsylvania by early evening the next day, figuring the moving truck would show up sometime on Thursday that week. We stopped at a much better, much cleaner Motel 6 for the night and actually got an inside room this time since all the outside ones were already taken.
After a restful sleep, we decided to have another artery clogging breakfast at Waffle House (really, are we gluttons for punishment?) and hit the road once again. The longest stretch of our trip by far was our drive through Virginia, once we got out of NC. It seemed to go on forever. Halfway through I thought I would have a psychotic break. I was just so ready to get to our destination, I nearly forgot to take in the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains which were breathtaking. When I thought I could go on no more, suddenly there appeared signs for West Virginia and we stopped shortly after the state line to gas up one last time. WV and Maryland flew by after the nearly four hour drive through VA, and it was only another 25 minutes after that to get to Chambersburg. We ended up arriving about 5:30.
We had decided before leaving Florida not to take the townhouse after all. Because we were not familiar with the area, we had no idea where it was located and it was a stretch for our budget. We didn't want to be tied down for a year with something we were not completely comfortable with, but that also left us without a place to live. We were just trusting that God would provide us with housing. The night before we left, Gregg got an email from the church administrator with the name and number of a couple who wanted to rent out their 5,000 square foot estate on a farm to us for whatever we could afford. It used to be their primary residence, but they moved out when the farm land was sold. It's still completely furnished though, and the wife and one of their daughters run a business out of the basement. So here was this jaw dropping offer that just literally fell into our laps hours before we moved. God is truly amazing.
When we got to Chambersburg, Gregg called the woman, Nancy, to let her know we were here and even though she had just gotten home from grocery shopping, she said she'd meet us at the house. You couldn't even see the house from the road, it's set that far back. We drove down another half mile driveway and as we neared a turn, we could finally catch a glimpse. Nancy greeted us warmly and gave us a full tour of the house, insisting that we stay there for the night instead of going to a motel. Then she took us out for dinner at one of the local fares. I felt like such a slob in her presence after having driven all day, wearing a t-shirt and ratty jeans that were really too light for the surprising 50 degree weather we were suddenly encountering. She didn't seem to mind at all, and regaled us with questions about ourselves over dinner.
Once we got back to the house, we sort of stumbled around dumbfounded at its largeness. We joke that we need to call each other on our cell phones in order to find one another now. It really is a nice house with an amazing view of farmland and the mountains, but it has a few drawbacks: there is no cable connection anywhere inside so we have to use dial-up which can be painfully slow and one of the reasons I haven't posted until just now. We were shocked that they run a business downstairs and don't have high-speed internet. With no cable, being this far out in the country, we also only get about three channels on our tv using rabbit ears. Oh well, the price we have to pay for living in a mansion with our own private jacuzzi and master suite!
The other downside: we had to give Tess up. Gregg's parents came the first weekend we were in PA to get her so she could live with them. It's a temporary arrangement, until we find a permanent place to live that will accept pets. We both miss her. After my in-laws left, I cried. We are happy she is being taken care of by his parents and grandpa though. I didn't know I could get that attached to a dog, but she became part of our family. Once she was gone, it really hit home even more that we had moved and left our life in Florida behind.
Alright, so Thursday comes and almost goes with no word from the movers and I start to get anxious. I prodded Gregg to call the company and ask when they are expected to arrive. The lady on the phone tells him "tomorrow or the next day". Um, okay. While I'm out at a job interview Friday afternoon, Gregg gets a call from the movers saying they're about an hour away somewhere in Virginia. He thinks he hears them incorrectly because there's no way you can be anywhere in VA and only be an hour away from Chambersburg. He tacks on about another three hours to that time frame, and sits tight. I get home around 4:30 and we get to talking to Bob and Nancy, the owners of the house. After they leave, I put a pot pie in the oven for dinner and we go for a short walk around the property. By this time it's after 7 and still no movers. We clean up from dinner and rest for a while in the sitting area.
8:30. I'm nearly falling asleep on the couch, wondering if these guys will ever show up with our stuff. Around 9:15, Gregg makes the executive decision that they aren't arriving that night because it's so late and will just come the next day so he says we should go in the hot tub. Ten after ten, he gets a call on his cell phone. It's the movers. They have finally arrived and are wondering where the house is. I'm like, are you freaking kidding me?? So we have to get out, dry off, throw on some clothes and go meet them outside. I was NOT a happy camper.
One of the guys gets out of the truck and asks me how I'm doing. I have matted, wet hair and I look sunburned from the hot water I had just been in. I gave him a tight smile and said "fine". All the while, I still can't believe this is actually happening, that it's 10:15 at night and the movers have just shown up. We let him through the garage to the kitchen so we can give him the check from the church for their final payment and to sign some paperwork. He opens the envelope and says "I can't take this. It's not a certified check." Gregg says, "Your company told me cash or check." He insists that my husband heard incorrectly because they never accept anything other than a check issued by the bank. Gregg tells him that the check was written by King Street, the same people who put down the deposit, and if he needs a certified check they'll have to wait until the next day and come back then to unload our stuff. He's informed that we'll be charged some crazy sum of money for having to hold our things for an additional day.
Now here's where it got ridiculous. Gregg tries to keep his cool, but I can see him coming unglued at this point. He says to the guy that it isn't his fault they didn't show up until after ten, four hours after they were scheduled to arrive, and that Saturday shouldn't count as an additional day because they didn't get here on time. He asks to speak to the guy's supervisor so he gets her on the phone for him. She isn't the most friendly or understanding person to deal with either, unfortunately. Gregg tries to work something out with her, explaining that these guys only just showed up at our house and have been rude to us. He understands he misunderstood the thing about the check, but there's nothing he can do about it at that late hour. She suggests he put it on a credit card because they can't release any of our stuff until they get paid somehow. The only credit card that we have just for emergencies won't hold the amount, plus the extra 5% the moving company is charging us to use one.
It's almost 11 o'clock by this time and none of our things have been unloaded. Either way, it looks like someone is going to be charged up the wazoo in order for us to be able to get our furniture. The lady just is not sympathetic to the situation we find ourselves in and unwilling to compromise. So Gregg is left with no other option but to call and wake up Jonathan Ford, the pastor of worship arts. He happens to still be awake and tells Gregg he'll call the church administrator about the situation. When he calls back he says that both he and Ken Adams, the administrator, are on their way over to resolve things. I was so relieved and blown away by the fact that they were willing to come here so late at night to help us.
It still takes about another half an hour for them to get everything straightened out. Ken tells the guys that the contract he has says that they have thirty days from the time they unload to pay them. The guy that was giving us problems tells him that that was through a broker and has nothing to do with his company's policy. Rather than arguing the point, Ken just gives the movers his company credit card so that we can finally just get our stuff. It's freaking midnight already and we're still looking at another two hours, at least, for them to unload everything off the truck. And Gregg's parents and grandpa are coming later that same morning. Craptastic.
We had them unload most of the stuff into the three car garage since we really only needed our kitchen table, beds, the tv, and the boxes full of our clothes. Ken and Jonathan hung around to make sure all our things got off the truck and nothing was damaged. They didn't end up leaving until 2:30 am. I was so tired and annoyed at the stupid movers. We only got about four hours of sleep before we were up again to get ready for my in-laws' visit. What a nightmare. I don't think I can ever trust a moving company again.
But, all of our belongings made it here and we have settled in as much as we can in a place that's not really ours. Gregg started his new job on May 1 and loves it. I was offered a job just yesterday, which I'm starting on the 21st. I'll be running a supported employment program at a large social services agency, supervising three other social workers. It sounds very interesting and challenging, as I've never supervised people before. My caseload will be relatively small, made up of 7 or 8 clients who I'll be helping obtain employment in the community. While I'm there, I'm going to go for my social work license, which they strongly encouraged me to get and will also offer me higher pay for.
Things are falling into place little by little. I always take transitions hard, and this is no exception. It's hard to move to whole other place completely unfamiliar, to give up our dog, to live out of boxes, to find a new job, to fit into a church where I don't know anybody. I still struggle with the changes that have to take place in order for us to make our way here.
I think it's safe to say I never, ever want to move again... with the exception of moving into a more permanent house just across town someday. I'm finding it weird that with any move you lose certain things and yet gain others at the same time. Trying to reconcile those things and make sense of it is a complicated, head spinning process. I want to rush right through the awkward beginning stage and just feel settled. Is that too much to ask for?
It's comforting, however, that we are in close proximity to our families. And actually seeing spring again is pretty wonderful- trees budding with apple blossoms and a cool breeze blowing through the windows. I am so looking forward to fall here.
If you're still reading, I congratulate you. I had to write this post over several days and am finally getting around to finishing it today. Did I mention dial-up is painful?
The movers showed up at 8:30 am Monday, the 23rd. We still hadn't packed everything, having called it quits around 10 the night before. We thought we would have plenty of time to get that all wrapped up in the morning before the movers came. But as it turned out, we didn't get up until after 7! So while Gregg was out at Dunkin' Donuts getting donuts and coffee for us & the guys, I frantically threw the last minute stuff in boxes. The movers were done loading the truck by about noon and we hung around for another hour cleaning up and doing a final walk through to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. With all of our furniture gone, the house looked completely different and well, weird. We also packed up our cars pretty good with whatever didn't go in the moving truck.
Before we could actually hit the highway, we had to run to the church and pick up Gregg's final paycheck, then go to the bank and the post office. We squeezed lunch in there somewhere, then came back to the house to get my car and swung by Doggie Daycare to get Tess who was there all morning. Finally, by 4:00 we made it onto I-95. Not even fifteen minutes into driving, I was like "are we there yet??", knowing that we still had another fifteen hours to go. We had barely made it out of the county when I had to stop for my first potty break. We were not making good time at all, and our goal was to make it out of Florida by bedtime. The trip was more difficult because we had Tess with us and needed to stop more often so she could be fed and walked.
Once we crossed the state line into Georgia, we stopped for the night at this rather sketchy looking motel- again because we had the dog. After breakfast at-where else?-Waffle House the next morning, we started driving again. Somehow we made really good time that day, even stopping for an extended break in South Carolina. On our way through NC, we stopped at Gregg's sister Lori's for dinner. We had a good time seeing our nieces and nephews, and Tess got to meet & play with her cousin, Rosie. They wanted us to stay over, but we felt we needed to get back on the road so we could make it to Pennsylvania by early evening the next day, figuring the moving truck would show up sometime on Thursday that week. We stopped at a much better, much cleaner Motel 6 for the night and actually got an inside room this time since all the outside ones were already taken.
After a restful sleep, we decided to have another artery clogging breakfast at Waffle House (really, are we gluttons for punishment?) and hit the road once again. The longest stretch of our trip by far was our drive through Virginia, once we got out of NC. It seemed to go on forever. Halfway through I thought I would have a psychotic break. I was just so ready to get to our destination, I nearly forgot to take in the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains which were breathtaking. When I thought I could go on no more, suddenly there appeared signs for West Virginia and we stopped shortly after the state line to gas up one last time. WV and Maryland flew by after the nearly four hour drive through VA, and it was only another 25 minutes after that to get to Chambersburg. We ended up arriving about 5:30.
We had decided before leaving Florida not to take the townhouse after all. Because we were not familiar with the area, we had no idea where it was located and it was a stretch for our budget. We didn't want to be tied down for a year with something we were not completely comfortable with, but that also left us without a place to live. We were just trusting that God would provide us with housing. The night before we left, Gregg got an email from the church administrator with the name and number of a couple who wanted to rent out their 5,000 square foot estate on a farm to us for whatever we could afford. It used to be their primary residence, but they moved out when the farm land was sold. It's still completely furnished though, and the wife and one of their daughters run a business out of the basement. So here was this jaw dropping offer that just literally fell into our laps hours before we moved. God is truly amazing.
When we got to Chambersburg, Gregg called the woman, Nancy, to let her know we were here and even though she had just gotten home from grocery shopping, she said she'd meet us at the house. You couldn't even see the house from the road, it's set that far back. We drove down another half mile driveway and as we neared a turn, we could finally catch a glimpse. Nancy greeted us warmly and gave us a full tour of the house, insisting that we stay there for the night instead of going to a motel. Then she took us out for dinner at one of the local fares. I felt like such a slob in her presence after having driven all day, wearing a t-shirt and ratty jeans that were really too light for the surprising 50 degree weather we were suddenly encountering. She didn't seem to mind at all, and regaled us with questions about ourselves over dinner.
Once we got back to the house, we sort of stumbled around dumbfounded at its largeness. We joke that we need to call each other on our cell phones in order to find one another now. It really is a nice house with an amazing view of farmland and the mountains, but it has a few drawbacks: there is no cable connection anywhere inside so we have to use dial-up which can be painfully slow and one of the reasons I haven't posted until just now. We were shocked that they run a business downstairs and don't have high-speed internet. With no cable, being this far out in the country, we also only get about three channels on our tv using rabbit ears. Oh well, the price we have to pay for living in a mansion with our own private jacuzzi and master suite!
The other downside: we had to give Tess up. Gregg's parents came the first weekend we were in PA to get her so she could live with them. It's a temporary arrangement, until we find a permanent place to live that will accept pets. We both miss her. After my in-laws left, I cried. We are happy she is being taken care of by his parents and grandpa though. I didn't know I could get that attached to a dog, but she became part of our family. Once she was gone, it really hit home even more that we had moved and left our life in Florida behind.
Alright, so Thursday comes and almost goes with no word from the movers and I start to get anxious. I prodded Gregg to call the company and ask when they are expected to arrive. The lady on the phone tells him "tomorrow or the next day". Um, okay. While I'm out at a job interview Friday afternoon, Gregg gets a call from the movers saying they're about an hour away somewhere in Virginia. He thinks he hears them incorrectly because there's no way you can be anywhere in VA and only be an hour away from Chambersburg. He tacks on about another three hours to that time frame, and sits tight. I get home around 4:30 and we get to talking to Bob and Nancy, the owners of the house. After they leave, I put a pot pie in the oven for dinner and we go for a short walk around the property. By this time it's after 7 and still no movers. We clean up from dinner and rest for a while in the sitting area.
8:30. I'm nearly falling asleep on the couch, wondering if these guys will ever show up with our stuff. Around 9:15, Gregg makes the executive decision that they aren't arriving that night because it's so late and will just come the next day so he says we should go in the hot tub. Ten after ten, he gets a call on his cell phone. It's the movers. They have finally arrived and are wondering where the house is. I'm like, are you freaking kidding me?? So we have to get out, dry off, throw on some clothes and go meet them outside. I was NOT a happy camper.
One of the guys gets out of the truck and asks me how I'm doing. I have matted, wet hair and I look sunburned from the hot water I had just been in. I gave him a tight smile and said "fine". All the while, I still can't believe this is actually happening, that it's 10:15 at night and the movers have just shown up. We let him through the garage to the kitchen so we can give him the check from the church for their final payment and to sign some paperwork. He opens the envelope and says "I can't take this. It's not a certified check." Gregg says, "Your company told me cash or check." He insists that my husband heard incorrectly because they never accept anything other than a check issued by the bank. Gregg tells him that the check was written by King Street, the same people who put down the deposit, and if he needs a certified check they'll have to wait until the next day and come back then to unload our stuff. He's informed that we'll be charged some crazy sum of money for having to hold our things for an additional day.
Now here's where it got ridiculous. Gregg tries to keep his cool, but I can see him coming unglued at this point. He says to the guy that it isn't his fault they didn't show up until after ten, four hours after they were scheduled to arrive, and that Saturday shouldn't count as an additional day because they didn't get here on time. He asks to speak to the guy's supervisor so he gets her on the phone for him. She isn't the most friendly or understanding person to deal with either, unfortunately. Gregg tries to work something out with her, explaining that these guys only just showed up at our house and have been rude to us. He understands he misunderstood the thing about the check, but there's nothing he can do about it at that late hour. She suggests he put it on a credit card because they can't release any of our stuff until they get paid somehow. The only credit card that we have just for emergencies won't hold the amount, plus the extra 5% the moving company is charging us to use one.
It's almost 11 o'clock by this time and none of our things have been unloaded. Either way, it looks like someone is going to be charged up the wazoo in order for us to be able to get our furniture. The lady just is not sympathetic to the situation we find ourselves in and unwilling to compromise. So Gregg is left with no other option but to call and wake up Jonathan Ford, the pastor of worship arts. He happens to still be awake and tells Gregg he'll call the church administrator about the situation. When he calls back he says that both he and Ken Adams, the administrator, are on their way over to resolve things. I was so relieved and blown away by the fact that they were willing to come here so late at night to help us.
It still takes about another half an hour for them to get everything straightened out. Ken tells the guys that the contract he has says that they have thirty days from the time they unload to pay them. The guy that was giving us problems tells him that that was through a broker and has nothing to do with his company's policy. Rather than arguing the point, Ken just gives the movers his company credit card so that we can finally just get our stuff. It's freaking midnight already and we're still looking at another two hours, at least, for them to unload everything off the truck. And Gregg's parents and grandpa are coming later that same morning. Craptastic.
We had them unload most of the stuff into the three car garage since we really only needed our kitchen table, beds, the tv, and the boxes full of our clothes. Ken and Jonathan hung around to make sure all our things got off the truck and nothing was damaged. They didn't end up leaving until 2:30 am. I was so tired and annoyed at the stupid movers. We only got about four hours of sleep before we were up again to get ready for my in-laws' visit. What a nightmare. I don't think I can ever trust a moving company again.
But, all of our belongings made it here and we have settled in as much as we can in a place that's not really ours. Gregg started his new job on May 1 and loves it. I was offered a job just yesterday, which I'm starting on the 21st. I'll be running a supported employment program at a large social services agency, supervising three other social workers. It sounds very interesting and challenging, as I've never supervised people before. My caseload will be relatively small, made up of 7 or 8 clients who I'll be helping obtain employment in the community. While I'm there, I'm going to go for my social work license, which they strongly encouraged me to get and will also offer me higher pay for.
Things are falling into place little by little. I always take transitions hard, and this is no exception. It's hard to move to whole other place completely unfamiliar, to give up our dog, to live out of boxes, to find a new job, to fit into a church where I don't know anybody. I still struggle with the changes that have to take place in order for us to make our way here.
I think it's safe to say I never, ever want to move again... with the exception of moving into a more permanent house just across town someday. I'm finding it weird that with any move you lose certain things and yet gain others at the same time. Trying to reconcile those things and make sense of it is a complicated, head spinning process. I want to rush right through the awkward beginning stage and just feel settled. Is that too much to ask for?
It's comforting, however, that we are in close proximity to our families. And actually seeing spring again is pretty wonderful- trees budding with apple blossoms and a cool breeze blowing through the windows. I am so looking forward to fall here.
If you're still reading, I congratulate you. I had to write this post over several days and am finally getting around to finishing it today. Did I mention dial-up is painful?
Sunday, April 22, 2007
"Just one thing before you leave- don't forget to remember me"
This will probably be the last opportunity I have to blog before we hit the road tomorrow. Our last week in Florida has come and gone quickly. The house looks strange; very much in that same awkward transition-like state as we find ourselves. We're surrounded by packing boxes and random items that we don't exactly know what to do with yet. We confirmed with the movers the time they'll be arriving, had Robby and Andrea over to sign the lease agreement that will change our relationship to that of landlord/tenant, and said most of our final good-byes.
We were on the phone several times yesterday with the Pastor of Worship & Arts at King Street who was trying to finalize arrangements for us to move into a brand new townhouse owned by one of the members at the church up there. At the eleventh hour, he came through for us with a place to live right in Chambersburg. The other places we had found were too far away, or there were agencies and landlords who wouldn't give us any information about the rentals since we weren't there in person. By yesterday afternoon, we were running out of options and had to face the very real possibility that we would need to put our stuff in storage while we searched for a decent place to rent. So at this stage, we are pretty confident we can move right in upon arriving in town towards the end of this week.
On my last day of work, Friday, I finished training the woman who's taking my place and left my keys. My boss took me and Gregg out to lunch at Carrabba's and let me go home after that. He expressed his appreciation for all the things I brought to his business, and for Gregg's work at the church. In the parking lot of the restaurant, it was a little weird saying good-bye for the final time. Because, most likely, it will be the final time.
Last night we went to one of Gregg's volunteer's who was hosting a Saltshaker's Dinner. We were on her list for the month of April so we had known about it for several months. Honestly, I wasn't that excited about going with all the stuff we still had strewn about the house and needed to put in boxes. Well, we showed up and saw two other couples walking up to her house that have been very instrumental in the Sound & Vision Ministry this past year. My mood instantly changed because I was happy to know they would also be at our Saltshakers. Then I saw their kids and thought wait a minute... We walked into the house and were greeted by more of Gregg's volunteers and a handful of church staff members. We were so surprised!
The host, Linda, had organized a surprise going-away party for us under the guise of a normal dinner. She cooked a fabulous meal and put out an assortment of little desserts. People also brought gifts for us. They were things like candy and technical related things for Gregg, and a few things for our new place. Linda had gotten me a huge basket full of bath salts, lotions, body washes and scented candles. I guess she knew I needed some relaxation therapy! It was such a nice and thoughtful gesture that we were not expecting at all. We didn't think we had made that big of an impact during the course of our year here, but now I know we will be greatly missed.
Leaving this place will be one of the hardest things I ever do. I've had many mixed feelings these past few weeks about moving, but I know God is with us and leading us. As I was lying in bed last night, I thought I'll actually get to wear my winter wardrobe this year and see our families more than once or twice in a 12 month period. I'm excited about those things and what the future holds for us. When I write again, we'll be up in Pennsylvania beginning a new chapter in our lives.
We were on the phone several times yesterday with the Pastor of Worship & Arts at King Street who was trying to finalize arrangements for us to move into a brand new townhouse owned by one of the members at the church up there. At the eleventh hour, he came through for us with a place to live right in Chambersburg. The other places we had found were too far away, or there were agencies and landlords who wouldn't give us any information about the rentals since we weren't there in person. By yesterday afternoon, we were running out of options and had to face the very real possibility that we would need to put our stuff in storage while we searched for a decent place to rent. So at this stage, we are pretty confident we can move right in upon arriving in town towards the end of this week.
On my last day of work, Friday, I finished training the woman who's taking my place and left my keys. My boss took me and Gregg out to lunch at Carrabba's and let me go home after that. He expressed his appreciation for all the things I brought to his business, and for Gregg's work at the church. In the parking lot of the restaurant, it was a little weird saying good-bye for the final time. Because, most likely, it will be the final time.
Last night we went to one of Gregg's volunteer's who was hosting a Saltshaker's Dinner. We were on her list for the month of April so we had known about it for several months. Honestly, I wasn't that excited about going with all the stuff we still had strewn about the house and needed to put in boxes. Well, we showed up and saw two other couples walking up to her house that have been very instrumental in the Sound & Vision Ministry this past year. My mood instantly changed because I was happy to know they would also be at our Saltshakers. Then I saw their kids and thought wait a minute... We walked into the house and were greeted by more of Gregg's volunteers and a handful of church staff members. We were so surprised!
The host, Linda, had organized a surprise going-away party for us under the guise of a normal dinner. She cooked a fabulous meal and put out an assortment of little desserts. People also brought gifts for us. They were things like candy and technical related things for Gregg, and a few things for our new place. Linda had gotten me a huge basket full of bath salts, lotions, body washes and scented candles. I guess she knew I needed some relaxation therapy! It was such a nice and thoughtful gesture that we were not expecting at all. We didn't think we had made that big of an impact during the course of our year here, but now I know we will be greatly missed.
Leaving this place will be one of the hardest things I ever do. I've had many mixed feelings these past few weeks about moving, but I know God is with us and leading us. As I was lying in bed last night, I thought I'll actually get to wear my winter wardrobe this year and see our families more than once or twice in a 12 month period. I'm excited about those things and what the future holds for us. When I write again, we'll be up in Pennsylvania beginning a new chapter in our lives.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Starting Over
It's interesting how life goes in cycles. You end one chapter and begin another. You leave certain people and things behind to start fresh and advance to the next "level". All the people you meet and experiences you live out are carried with you throughout your life, and they're all building blocks.
Funny how you never fully appreciate something until you're about to lose it. You just get comfortable somewhere, and BAM! Things change. With less than two weeks until we move to Pennsylvania, I've been a lot more reflective than usual and pretty emotional about leaving. I know it's very likely I will never see most of the people we've met down here ever again. They were in our lives only for a short while and vice versa. We came into their world, so to speak, a year ago and they accepted us with open arms. All are sad to see us go on our way.
The prospect of moving somewhere completely unfamiliar is somewhat daunting. I've done it plenty of times before though. Going from my safe, small town to a big college campus ten years ago... Moving out of my parents' house to live with my husband when I got married... Leaving a state I lived 95% of my life in where we were a close second to family, to live 1,000 miles away in Florida. Yup, been there, done that.
So why is this so hard??
I guess because I really felt settled here. We had bought a house, made friends, gotten to know our way around- and now there's an interruption to all of that. The whole starting over thing is just hard, no matter what the circumstances. And this will be a very good move for us, I believe. But again, we are leaving our comfort zone and traveling into unfamiliar territory.
It just doesn't seem real that we're moving in only 12 days. Half the house is packed, the moving company has been chosen, people are asking us all kinds of questions about the move to be sure. But it's like Monday, April 23 could come and go and I'd be just fine and dandy to stay here. Most of all, I will miss our house. We had a lot of great times and memories in it. It was ours. And it still will be, but somebody else will be living there now. (Praise God, we found renters! Robby and Andrea were very interested in our house, and are moving in once the lease is up on their apartment).
We still need to find some place to rent up in Chambersburg. It doesn't seem there are a whole lot of renters willing to take pets, so that really limits our options. I hate to think it, but we may end up having to give Tess away. It's very difficult to look for a place to live from down here. We're definitely feeling our way in the dark.
I'm also in the process of looking for jobs online. I really really can't stand the whole job search. Interviewing, selling myself, dragging my butt from place to place just to be told "We're sorry, we've hired someone else". Ugh. I just want to be one of those people who have had the same job for 20 years, or a SAHM. It's frustrating. But. it. must. be. done. I know I could end up landing a really good job that I like- it's the process of getting there that turns me into a basket case.
The center director position at the pregnancy resources place has been filled, I was informed by the executive director there. She wrote me back a very nice email, thanking me for my interest. She also mentioned that they hope to open another center sometime in the beginning of 2008, that they will need a director for. That's great, but unfortunately that doesn't help me right NOW. I do still want to volunteer though, so I'll check out that option once we arrive & get settled. By staying involved, it could increase my chances of getting the future center director position.
Our small group is throwing us a going-away party next Tuesday night, an hour before our usual meeting time. They have all been extremely supportive, asking if they could help us pack or if there was anything we needed. I know that I will miss them all very much. A girl at church I wanted to get to know better is coming over tomorrow evening for tea. She's on the "Traveling Tea" ministry, which caters to people who are in transition. How I wish we could have known one another better. She expressed to me how much she wished that, too. It made me both very happy and sad at the same time.
I'm trying not to get caught up in the frenzy without taking time to appreciate our last few days in Florida. So many things to do and consider and finalize. It's intimidating. God is still on His throne, however. I read this little inspiring verse today: "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path." (Psalm 142:3) Very applicable, wouldn't you say? I may not know how all the pieces are going to fit together, but He has already laid out the path that I will walk and has gone before me. How great is our God! I can have confidence and peace in the midst of uncertain times.
More updates on the moving process to come...
Funny how you never fully appreciate something until you're about to lose it. You just get comfortable somewhere, and BAM! Things change. With less than two weeks until we move to Pennsylvania, I've been a lot more reflective than usual and pretty emotional about leaving. I know it's very likely I will never see most of the people we've met down here ever again. They were in our lives only for a short while and vice versa. We came into their world, so to speak, a year ago and they accepted us with open arms. All are sad to see us go on our way.
The prospect of moving somewhere completely unfamiliar is somewhat daunting. I've done it plenty of times before though. Going from my safe, small town to a big college campus ten years ago... Moving out of my parents' house to live with my husband when I got married... Leaving a state I lived 95% of my life in where we were a close second to family, to live 1,000 miles away in Florida. Yup, been there, done that.
So why is this so hard??
I guess because I really felt settled here. We had bought a house, made friends, gotten to know our way around- and now there's an interruption to all of that. The whole starting over thing is just hard, no matter what the circumstances. And this will be a very good move for us, I believe. But again, we are leaving our comfort zone and traveling into unfamiliar territory.
It just doesn't seem real that we're moving in only 12 days. Half the house is packed, the moving company has been chosen, people are asking us all kinds of questions about the move to be sure. But it's like Monday, April 23 could come and go and I'd be just fine and dandy to stay here. Most of all, I will miss our house. We had a lot of great times and memories in it. It was ours. And it still will be, but somebody else will be living there now. (Praise God, we found renters! Robby and Andrea were very interested in our house, and are moving in once the lease is up on their apartment).
We still need to find some place to rent up in Chambersburg. It doesn't seem there are a whole lot of renters willing to take pets, so that really limits our options. I hate to think it, but we may end up having to give Tess away. It's very difficult to look for a place to live from down here. We're definitely feeling our way in the dark.
I'm also in the process of looking for jobs online. I really really can't stand the whole job search. Interviewing, selling myself, dragging my butt from place to place just to be told "We're sorry, we've hired someone else". Ugh. I just want to be one of those people who have had the same job for 20 years, or a SAHM. It's frustrating. But. it. must. be. done. I know I could end up landing a really good job that I like- it's the process of getting there that turns me into a basket case.
The center director position at the pregnancy resources place has been filled, I was informed by the executive director there. She wrote me back a very nice email, thanking me for my interest. She also mentioned that they hope to open another center sometime in the beginning of 2008, that they will need a director for. That's great, but unfortunately that doesn't help me right NOW. I do still want to volunteer though, so I'll check out that option once we arrive & get settled. By staying involved, it could increase my chances of getting the future center director position.
Our small group is throwing us a going-away party next Tuesday night, an hour before our usual meeting time. They have all been extremely supportive, asking if they could help us pack or if there was anything we needed. I know that I will miss them all very much. A girl at church I wanted to get to know better is coming over tomorrow evening for tea. She's on the "Traveling Tea" ministry, which caters to people who are in transition. How I wish we could have known one another better. She expressed to me how much she wished that, too. It made me both very happy and sad at the same time.
I'm trying not to get caught up in the frenzy without taking time to appreciate our last few days in Florida. So many things to do and consider and finalize. It's intimidating. God is still on His throne, however. I read this little inspiring verse today: "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path." (Psalm 142:3) Very applicable, wouldn't you say? I may not know how all the pieces are going to fit together, but He has already laid out the path that I will walk and has gone before me. How great is our God! I can have confidence and peace in the midst of uncertain times.
More updates on the moving process to come...
Monday, April 02, 2007
Moving Update #1
This weekend: wow. It went by in such a blur. Cleaning, grocery shopping, calling people who have rental listings, narrowing down moving companies, packing boxes. Only 3 weeks to go! Yikes.
It's a bit overwhelming, but I can already see the pieces falling to place. Tonight we're showing our house to a couple from our small group who's interested in renting it. They currently have a one-bedroom apartment and wanted to upgrade when their lease ran out to a two-bedroom. We offered our three bedroom house with a screened in porch and large backyard to them for the same amount that they'd pay for a 2 bedroom apt. We had to come down from our original price to be realistic. After talking with our realtor (who was actually the listing agent for our house last year when we bought it), she confirmed what we already knew: that the market is pretty sucky right now and we should rent out until it turns around. She gave us some ballpark figures of what homes in the area are renting for, and when Gregg told her what this couple wants to pay she immediately said, "Take it!"
I'm kinda bummed we have to settle for less than our original amount, but will be very grateful if Robby and Andrea end up renting our house because we know they'll take good care of it and we'll at least be able to cover our rent and utilities up in PA. I'll be so happy to get that settled this week. After getting several quotes I think we've chosen a moving company, too. King Street Church told us not to pay a cent out-of-pocket for it, either. They are picking up the entire tab and giving us a $500 stipend for any incidentals, such as moving boxes & supplies, gas and hotel stays along our way up there. That is such a huge blessing!
Gregg started packing the "storage room" and the guest bedroom on Saturday, while I cleaned and organized to get ready for the showing tonight. It's amazing how quickly boxes get filled. We went to Sam's Club and bought 30 to get us started. No doubt we'll be going back soon to get more. But, this time we are expert packers! Having done this only a year earlier we pretty much have it down and will (hopefully) be even more efficient.
Tomorrow is my one year anniversary of working here at my job. Yeah, just in time for me to leave. My last day will actually be on the 20th. I'm spending the last two days training the woman who's replacing me, and I've catalogued a lot of the tasks I do on a daily basis so she can reference back to it. I'm hoping and praying to get a really good job where we're going. This one has been okay. I've learned some skills I can take with me. My boss said that I've been a great employee and asset to the company, and he's sad to see me go which was very nice to hear.
Yesterday and Saturday as we were driving around, I took note of how beautiful and green everything is. I will really miss this area; it is so pretty and we were so privileged to live here. I am really looking forward though, to seeing the seasons change. I love autumn and I'm so happy we'll get to experience it again!
It's a bit overwhelming, but I can already see the pieces falling to place. Tonight we're showing our house to a couple from our small group who's interested in renting it. They currently have a one-bedroom apartment and wanted to upgrade when their lease ran out to a two-bedroom. We offered our three bedroom house with a screened in porch and large backyard to them for the same amount that they'd pay for a 2 bedroom apt. We had to come down from our original price to be realistic. After talking with our realtor (who was actually the listing agent for our house last year when we bought it), she confirmed what we already knew: that the market is pretty sucky right now and we should rent out until it turns around. She gave us some ballpark figures of what homes in the area are renting for, and when Gregg told her what this couple wants to pay she immediately said, "Take it!"
I'm kinda bummed we have to settle for less than our original amount, but will be very grateful if Robby and Andrea end up renting our house because we know they'll take good care of it and we'll at least be able to cover our rent and utilities up in PA. I'll be so happy to get that settled this week. After getting several quotes I think we've chosen a moving company, too. King Street Church told us not to pay a cent out-of-pocket for it, either. They are picking up the entire tab and giving us a $500 stipend for any incidentals, such as moving boxes & supplies, gas and hotel stays along our way up there. That is such a huge blessing!
Gregg started packing the "storage room" and the guest bedroom on Saturday, while I cleaned and organized to get ready for the showing tonight. It's amazing how quickly boxes get filled. We went to Sam's Club and bought 30 to get us started. No doubt we'll be going back soon to get more. But, this time we are expert packers! Having done this only a year earlier we pretty much have it down and will (hopefully) be even more efficient.
Tomorrow is my one year anniversary of working here at my job. Yeah, just in time for me to leave. My last day will actually be on the 20th. I'm spending the last two days training the woman who's replacing me, and I've catalogued a lot of the tasks I do on a daily basis so she can reference back to it. I'm hoping and praying to get a really good job where we're going. This one has been okay. I've learned some skills I can take with me. My boss said that I've been a great employee and asset to the company, and he's sad to see me go which was very nice to hear.
Yesterday and Saturday as we were driving around, I took note of how beautiful and green everything is. I will really miss this area; it is so pretty and we were so privileged to live here. I am really looking forward though, to seeing the seasons change. I love autumn and I'm so happy we'll get to experience it again!
Friday, March 30, 2007
News
Okay, I know I've been MIA for quite some time. So be forewarned that this will be the mother of all posts. Now that our families know, I can put this out there in the blogisphere. For those who were wondering, I am not pregnant. Sorry, Brittny. :)
We are moving again! After a lot of discussion and prayer, Gregg decided to resign his position as Minister of Technology at Covenant. He announced that he was resigning on March 15, and almost two weeks later accepted a job at a church in southern Pennsylvania as their Technical Director. They have offered him a nice salary increase from what he was making at CPC, plus medical benefits, a pension and $ for continuing education. We are planning the move for the last week of April, so that Gregg can start on May 1st.
I know, I know, I need to back up and explain how all of this happened.
For those who have been reading this blog over the last several months, you know that we've been experiencing quite a bit of unrest in our church. In the months leading up to and following Pastor Dan's resignation, things began unfolding that made it evident we should think about leaving Covenant Presbyterian Church. Not even one year after moving here, we began coming to grips with the crazy reality that this was not the right place for us spiritually and for Gregg professionally.
As we mulled it over and prayed, it only became more obvious that we needed to move on. We started seeing that people were falling by the wayside and not being ministered to. The program and doctrine/rules of the church had become more important than the people. And the clear message we received from leadership about the problems we saw was that things were "good enough". They also made it clear that whoever would succeed Pastor Dan as Covenant's next senior pastor would just come along and get on board with the "vision" that was already in place- not bring change, not do anything different than the church had done in the last 25 years. Just maintain.
Maintaining was not going to do it for us.
So in February Gregg began sending out his resume to a few churches that he saw advertised on churchstaffing.com. King Street Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (of all places) really stood out to both of us, and they wrote back right away and began corresponding with Gregg. Within a month, we were up there to visit and they had an offer by the end of our trip. The area that we'll be moving to is literally a world away from Florida. The community that we presently live in is less than thirty years old, while Chambersburg dates back to the Civil War. King Street Church has been serving the borough of Chambersburg and its 17,000 residents for the past 129 years. But yet it's growing much faster than Covenant which is located in a very modern, rapidly expanding city with a population of 105,000.
So I am excited and bewildered. And freaking out about all the stuff I need to do! Like packing and renting out our house and finding a place to live up there and packing... Do any of you know somebody wanting to rent a cute, newly renovated three bedroom house in Central Florida? :)
Following are a few entries about some of my thoughts on the recent chain of events, which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully they'll fill in some of the gaps.
Thursday, March 15-
So many changes in such a short amount of time. I've heard it said before, and I believe, that when God moves He moves quickly. We leave a week from today to visit King Street Church in PA. We're both really looking forward to it. It's funny; most people take their vacations down here where we live, but we're taking ours in a colder climate.
We'll spend five days in Chambersburg, getting to know the church and staff and our way around the area. They're putting us up in a fairly new hotel, which we are thrilled about because that means we get to have privacy. It was just so weird staying at the senior pastor's house when we visited Covenant last year, sleeping in a full size bed that creaked every time you moved. Yeah.
So besides the trip itself, we are looking forward to flying! Gregg and I are such little kids about going on an airplane. We love to fly. It's wildly exciting for some reason I can't fully explain.
We are going to go shopping for some new clothes over the weekend, and check out the place we're planning on having Tess stay for the time we'll be away. We've heard rave reviews about this Doggie Daycare. I hope it really is all its cracked up to be, because we're leaving her there for five whole days. I hope she doesn't come back traumatized. She's initially very afraid of people and other dogs. So I'm nervous. I feel like a parent who's sending her kid off to summer camp. Who knew I'd get so attached to our mangy mutt?
I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions since we first talked about leaving Covenant and pursuing another ministry opportunity. At first I was resolved about the whole thing. If it was God's will for us to move on, then I was fully on board. If He wanted us to stay in Florida, I was just fine with that too. But as it appeared that He was moving us in the direction of leaving, I began to freak out. What the crap are we going to do with our house in this kind of market? How will we leave behind all those volunteers that Gregg invested so much into?
And I had to examine our motives for leaving. Were we just jumping ship because things had gotten too complicated at church? Or was this truly something we felt the Lord calling us to do.
I felt somewhat torn. I was stoked about the prospect of moving close to our parents and siblings, and experiencing the change of seasons again. Still, I cried over the possibility of packing up the first house we owned together and made so many memories in. Over leaving a community and area we had grown to know and thought we would spend many, many years in. Saying good-bye to some great people we'd shared with and gotten to know over the past year.
I spent a lot of time in prayer and asking God for wisdom and discernment. Gregg & I had many discussions about the entire situation, looking at it from every different angle. We came to the conclusion that Covenant is not the right place for us, for several reasons. That doesn't negate the impact Gregg has had on his wonderful volunteers, or the growth we experienced in our marriage here. I thought for a while that if we decided to leave, we were in effect saying that this past year was a waste. It wasn't. God used us and allowed us to thrive in a new place.
But increasingly, Gregg felt that he wasn't the right person for Covenant in the role of Technical Director. His vision has far exceeded that of CPC's, and they remain content with maintaining things just as they stand right now. There was really only one path to choose at that point.
We are excited and overwhelmed at the possibilities that lay before us. The desire to make an impact for the Lord has grown stronger for both of us over the past few weeks, and King Street Church looks like it will be a great fit for Gregg's vision & talents. There is an opening for a Center Director at the crisis pregnancy center located in the same town, which Gregg encouraged me to apply for. That would be such an awesome job! I am truly amazed at the fact that God uses and equips us to serve Him in various ways. We come with nothing, but He supplies it all.
Friday, March 16-
Yesterday morning at the church's staff meeting, Gregg announced that he is resigning. No detailed explanation was given, but if people want to know more they were encouraged to come talk to him. An email went out from the church administrator to the elders and deacons, along with Covenant Christian School staff. Gregg then copied and sent it to all of his volunteers and members of our small group. People were sad, some were really shocked. Most of them understood why he made the decision.
It's hard to put into words what I'm feeling about the whole thing. I can't stand making anyone sad, and this effects so many people. I also don't want to be the next subject of controversy, or fodder for gossip among our congregation. When all that stuff went down with Rock (former youth pastor), all kinds of not-so-nice things were said about him by people who knew very little of what actually happened.
We will for sure elaborate further on the reasons at our small group meeting Tuesday night. I don't know if we'll get barragged with questions on Sunday. I'm not quite prepared for that. I know eventually I'll have to sit down with my boss, since he goes to our church, and try to explain. Knowing that that implies my leaving the position I currently have. I'm not planning on telling him anything until we get back from Pennsylvania, and I don't want him finding out before then. However, these things have a way of making it through the grapevine.
In the past, I have always felt like I need to explain everything whenever I make a decision. But the fact is, I don't. It's our life. People don't have the right to have everything laid out on the table. They will say things about you whether they have all the facts or not. Even if you tell them the whole truth, they will go looking for other stuff that isn't even there and not confront you with any of them. The bottom line is that we have a peace about the decision we've made, and no one else has to live with it but us.
Tuesday, March 20-
So things are pretty much set for our trip up north. I’ve been trying to clean a little every day so that when we come back, the house isn’t a total disaster. I would hate coming home to a messy house. I’ve also been staying on top of the laundry. I folded a few piles on Sunday and finished up the rest last night.
We booked Tess for five nights at the doggie daycare place, which is actually called Paradise Luxury Pet Estates. Try not to laugh or balk too much. When we went there on Saturday to check things out, we felt very comfortable with the staff and accommodations. We already knew we did not want her staying in a kennel being cooped up in a tiny cage for most of the day. And kennels are known famously for making dogs sick.
Doggie daycare seemed like the better choice by a mile- it was reasonably priced for all the amenities and nice enough that a human being would want to stay there for a week! They did want Tess to come for a day to see how she’d get along with the other dogs and staff, before we went away. So Gregg took her yesterday for her “trial period". When he went to pick her up, one of the owners said she was skittish at first but soon started playing with the other dogs. She eventually went over to some of the female staff when they called her, but would not come to any of the male workers. No surprise there- we knew she was afraid of men.
They put her in the "easy going room" to socialize and nap with a few other doggies that have a similar temperament. Gregg said that when he went to pick her up that afternoon, they announced him as "Miss Tess's dad". How cute is that? When he got her home, she was wiped out from all that activity and play time. She didn't move from the couch for several hours, and I had to keep checking on her to make sure she was still breathing!
Sunday we weren't asked a whole bunch of questions as I thought we might be. I got some sympathetic, concerned looks from people and "we'll miss you's". I talked briefly with two couples from our small group about what's going on. But that was it. That night as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I thought back to the first few days after we moved here. Now, a little more than a year later, things are so different. What the heck happened??
I know God is closing this chapter in our lives. But, I am just stunned at how differently we see things regarding CPC from last March. There had been stuff going on all along behind the scenes which just bubbled up to the surface once Pastor Dan resigned. So much more than I care to write about here. Our fear is that if the church continues to go down the path it's on, it will only alienate and push away more people- the exact opposite of what Dan Hendley intended when he left.
I feel like I should say something, something more than just "Oh, it didn't work out". I don't want to look like I'm dragging the church through the mud, or leaving on bad terms though. I feel like the members of our small group could benefit from our insight, to understand what it is about the church at its present state that makes people like us uproot their lives and leave. Gregg wants to keep things all very vague and not step on any toes. I understand that, but then it looks like we have something to hide. It's not about getting the last word in or about proving some sort of point. And we don't want to dredge up every little stinkin' thing either. I just think we should expose the truth and then leave it up to people to decide for themselves.
So it is with heavy hearts that we seek to move on. Our flight leaves Thursday morning, and like I said, I think we're pretty well set for the trip. We checked the weather report so we know what to pack, the house is in order, the dog is taken care of. It should be fun and a little nerve-wracking too, as we determine if this is truly the place where God wants us.
I am more convinced than ever that life is not a series of mountain tops and valleys, but rather a railroad track where you simultaneously experience both good things and bad things. You just never know the places God will take you.
We are moving again! After a lot of discussion and prayer, Gregg decided to resign his position as Minister of Technology at Covenant. He announced that he was resigning on March 15, and almost two weeks later accepted a job at a church in southern Pennsylvania as their Technical Director. They have offered him a nice salary increase from what he was making at CPC, plus medical benefits, a pension and $ for continuing education. We are planning the move for the last week of April, so that Gregg can start on May 1st.
I know, I know, I need to back up and explain how all of this happened.
For those who have been reading this blog over the last several months, you know that we've been experiencing quite a bit of unrest in our church. In the months leading up to and following Pastor Dan's resignation, things began unfolding that made it evident we should think about leaving Covenant Presbyterian Church. Not even one year after moving here, we began coming to grips with the crazy reality that this was not the right place for us spiritually and for Gregg professionally.
As we mulled it over and prayed, it only became more obvious that we needed to move on. We started seeing that people were falling by the wayside and not being ministered to. The program and doctrine/rules of the church had become more important than the people. And the clear message we received from leadership about the problems we saw was that things were "good enough". They also made it clear that whoever would succeed Pastor Dan as Covenant's next senior pastor would just come along and get on board with the "vision" that was already in place- not bring change, not do anything different than the church had done in the last 25 years. Just maintain.
Maintaining was not going to do it for us.
So in February Gregg began sending out his resume to a few churches that he saw advertised on churchstaffing.com. King Street Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (of all places) really stood out to both of us, and they wrote back right away and began corresponding with Gregg. Within a month, we were up there to visit and they had an offer by the end of our trip. The area that we'll be moving to is literally a world away from Florida. The community that we presently live in is less than thirty years old, while Chambersburg dates back to the Civil War. King Street Church has been serving the borough of Chambersburg and its 17,000 residents for the past 129 years. But yet it's growing much faster than Covenant which is located in a very modern, rapidly expanding city with a population of 105,000.
So I am excited and bewildered. And freaking out about all the stuff I need to do! Like packing and renting out our house and finding a place to live up there and packing... Do any of you know somebody wanting to rent a cute, newly renovated three bedroom house in Central Florida? :)
Following are a few entries about some of my thoughts on the recent chain of events, which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully they'll fill in some of the gaps.
Thursday, March 15-
So many changes in such a short amount of time. I've heard it said before, and I believe, that when God moves He moves quickly. We leave a week from today to visit King Street Church in PA. We're both really looking forward to it. It's funny; most people take their vacations down here where we live, but we're taking ours in a colder climate.
We'll spend five days in Chambersburg, getting to know the church and staff and our way around the area. They're putting us up in a fairly new hotel, which we are thrilled about because that means we get to have privacy. It was just so weird staying at the senior pastor's house when we visited Covenant last year, sleeping in a full size bed that creaked every time you moved. Yeah.
So besides the trip itself, we are looking forward to flying! Gregg and I are such little kids about going on an airplane. We love to fly. It's wildly exciting for some reason I can't fully explain.
We are going to go shopping for some new clothes over the weekend, and check out the place we're planning on having Tess stay for the time we'll be away. We've heard rave reviews about this Doggie Daycare. I hope it really is all its cracked up to be, because we're leaving her there for five whole days. I hope she doesn't come back traumatized. She's initially very afraid of people and other dogs. So I'm nervous. I feel like a parent who's sending her kid off to summer camp. Who knew I'd get so attached to our mangy mutt?
I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions since we first talked about leaving Covenant and pursuing another ministry opportunity. At first I was resolved about the whole thing. If it was God's will for us to move on, then I was fully on board. If He wanted us to stay in Florida, I was just fine with that too. But as it appeared that He was moving us in the direction of leaving, I began to freak out. What the crap are we going to do with our house in this kind of market? How will we leave behind all those volunteers that Gregg invested so much into?
And I had to examine our motives for leaving. Were we just jumping ship because things had gotten too complicated at church? Or was this truly something we felt the Lord calling us to do.
I felt somewhat torn. I was stoked about the prospect of moving close to our parents and siblings, and experiencing the change of seasons again. Still, I cried over the possibility of packing up the first house we owned together and made so many memories in. Over leaving a community and area we had grown to know and thought we would spend many, many years in. Saying good-bye to some great people we'd shared with and gotten to know over the past year.
I spent a lot of time in prayer and asking God for wisdom and discernment. Gregg & I had many discussions about the entire situation, looking at it from every different angle. We came to the conclusion that Covenant is not the right place for us, for several reasons. That doesn't negate the impact Gregg has had on his wonderful volunteers, or the growth we experienced in our marriage here. I thought for a while that if we decided to leave, we were in effect saying that this past year was a waste. It wasn't. God used us and allowed us to thrive in a new place.
But increasingly, Gregg felt that he wasn't the right person for Covenant in the role of Technical Director. His vision has far exceeded that of CPC's, and they remain content with maintaining things just as they stand right now. There was really only one path to choose at that point.
We are excited and overwhelmed at the possibilities that lay before us. The desire to make an impact for the Lord has grown stronger for both of us over the past few weeks, and King Street Church looks like it will be a great fit for Gregg's vision & talents. There is an opening for a Center Director at the crisis pregnancy center located in the same town, which Gregg encouraged me to apply for. That would be such an awesome job! I am truly amazed at the fact that God uses and equips us to serve Him in various ways. We come with nothing, but He supplies it all.
Friday, March 16-
Yesterday morning at the church's staff meeting, Gregg announced that he is resigning. No detailed explanation was given, but if people want to know more they were encouraged to come talk to him. An email went out from the church administrator to the elders and deacons, along with Covenant Christian School staff. Gregg then copied and sent it to all of his volunteers and members of our small group. People were sad, some were really shocked. Most of them understood why he made the decision.
It's hard to put into words what I'm feeling about the whole thing. I can't stand making anyone sad, and this effects so many people. I also don't want to be the next subject of controversy, or fodder for gossip among our congregation. When all that stuff went down with Rock (former youth pastor), all kinds of not-so-nice things were said about him by people who knew very little of what actually happened.
We will for sure elaborate further on the reasons at our small group meeting Tuesday night. I don't know if we'll get barragged with questions on Sunday. I'm not quite prepared for that. I know eventually I'll have to sit down with my boss, since he goes to our church, and try to explain. Knowing that that implies my leaving the position I currently have. I'm not planning on telling him anything until we get back from Pennsylvania, and I don't want him finding out before then. However, these things have a way of making it through the grapevine.
In the past, I have always felt like I need to explain everything whenever I make a decision. But the fact is, I don't. It's our life. People don't have the right to have everything laid out on the table. They will say things about you whether they have all the facts or not. Even if you tell them the whole truth, they will go looking for other stuff that isn't even there and not confront you with any of them. The bottom line is that we have a peace about the decision we've made, and no one else has to live with it but us.
Tuesday, March 20-
So things are pretty much set for our trip up north. I’ve been trying to clean a little every day so that when we come back, the house isn’t a total disaster. I would hate coming home to a messy house. I’ve also been staying on top of the laundry. I folded a few piles on Sunday and finished up the rest last night.
We booked Tess for five nights at the doggie daycare place, which is actually called Paradise Luxury Pet Estates. Try not to laugh or balk too much. When we went there on Saturday to check things out, we felt very comfortable with the staff and accommodations. We already knew we did not want her staying in a kennel being cooped up in a tiny cage for most of the day. And kennels are known famously for making dogs sick.
Doggie daycare seemed like the better choice by a mile- it was reasonably priced for all the amenities and nice enough that a human being would want to stay there for a week! They did want Tess to come for a day to see how she’d get along with the other dogs and staff, before we went away. So Gregg took her yesterday for her “trial period". When he went to pick her up, one of the owners said she was skittish at first but soon started playing with the other dogs. She eventually went over to some of the female staff when they called her, but would not come to any of the male workers. No surprise there- we knew she was afraid of men.
They put her in the "easy going room" to socialize and nap with a few other doggies that have a similar temperament. Gregg said that when he went to pick her up that afternoon, they announced him as "Miss Tess's dad". How cute is that? When he got her home, she was wiped out from all that activity and play time. She didn't move from the couch for several hours, and I had to keep checking on her to make sure she was still breathing!
Sunday we weren't asked a whole bunch of questions as I thought we might be. I got some sympathetic, concerned looks from people and "we'll miss you's". I talked briefly with two couples from our small group about what's going on. But that was it. That night as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I thought back to the first few days after we moved here. Now, a little more than a year later, things are so different. What the heck happened??
I know God is closing this chapter in our lives. But, I am just stunned at how differently we see things regarding CPC from last March. There had been stuff going on all along behind the scenes which just bubbled up to the surface once Pastor Dan resigned. So much more than I care to write about here. Our fear is that if the church continues to go down the path it's on, it will only alienate and push away more people- the exact opposite of what Dan Hendley intended when he left.
I feel like I should say something, something more than just "Oh, it didn't work out". I don't want to look like I'm dragging the church through the mud, or leaving on bad terms though. I feel like the members of our small group could benefit from our insight, to understand what it is about the church at its present state that makes people like us uproot their lives and leave. Gregg wants to keep things all very vague and not step on any toes. I understand that, but then it looks like we have something to hide. It's not about getting the last word in or about proving some sort of point. And we don't want to dredge up every little stinkin' thing either. I just think we should expose the truth and then leave it up to people to decide for themselves.
So it is with heavy hearts that we seek to move on. Our flight leaves Thursday morning, and like I said, I think we're pretty well set for the trip. We checked the weather report so we know what to pack, the house is in order, the dog is taken care of. It should be fun and a little nerve-wracking too, as we determine if this is truly the place where God wants us.
I am more convinced than ever that life is not a series of mountain tops and valleys, but rather a railroad track where you simultaneously experience both good things and bad things. You just never know the places God will take you.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Just Another Day in Paradise
Okay, so I’d be lying if I said I had nothing to talk about. There actually is a lot of stuff going on right now, but I can’t quite get into all of it… yet. Definitely mostly good stuff though.
So instead I will simply write another ho-hum post about my weekend and what interesting things the dog did. Saturday I woke up to find that Gregg had gotten up way before me and started breakfast. He had cooked bacon, eggs and pancakes for us and set the table too. I stumbled into the kitchen wiping the sleep out of my eyes as he poured the last of the batter onto the frying pan. It was such a nice surprise to wake up to!
After we had eaten and cleaned up, we got ready to take advantage of another beautiful, sunny day. We drove around enjoying the weather and stopped at a quaint outdoor shopping plaza. Over lunch we had a nice, long talk about recent events that have taken place in our lives and did some more analyzing of the situation our church is in. I love just getting out of the house and spending time together undistracted. Sigh.
When we came home, I checked email and caught up on some of my favorite blogs before starting dinner. About four hours before going to bed, I remembered we needed to set all our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. We try to get to sleep early on Saturday nights because Gregg has to be up between 5 and 6am on Sundays, so after dinner we squeezed in an episode of The Apprentice and reset the time on all the appliances and the alarm clock before calling it a night.
The next day was a typical Sunday: church, leftovers at home afterwards, lounging around. While I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher after lunch, Gregg decided to whip up a batch of brownies which were a nice treat. He went to watch the Nascar race while they baked, and I used that time to fold the pile of laundry that was threatening to take over our bedroom. I had finished with the laundry and we had sampled a couple of the brownies when Gregg’s parents gave their weekly phone call. His mom is going down to North Carolina this weekend to visit my SIL and her kids since it’s her birthday on Friday, and then she’s going down again two weekends later because Grandparents’ Day is on the 30th at Sam and Alana’s school. We think that’s excessive, but she never needs an excuse to see the grandkids! I told Gregg that his dad probably had to build a shed in the backyard to hold all the stuff she’s bought for the baby Jeff & Liz are expecting.
So that brings me to Monday. With one less hour of sleep the day before and it being, you know, Monday, I struggled through my work day. I was so glad when the clock read 4:30 and I could go home. I’m doing a lot better today thanks to the great prayer time on my ride to work this morning. I’ve been having to leave a few minutes earlier than usual to get to work on time because there’s so much stinkin’ traffic on the roads- I think the city’s population has nearly doubled since we moved here last spring. I made the most of the extra time to pour my heart out to God. I feel I’m not nearly as anxious during the day when I do this.
I also listened to my Jeremy Camp worship album, and was struck by the words in this one song: “Holy Father, burn away my desire for anything that is not of you, and is of me. I want more of you and less of me”. I mean, wow. I prayed that that would become the cry of my heart. I know that God is the only thing that satisfies me and that His ways are best, but so often I get caught up in my dreams, my plans, my desires. Instead of letting Him direct my steps, I take the reigns and try to steer my life in the way I think it should go. Sometimes I need a reminder that God is in control, not me. :)
So instead I will simply write another ho-hum post about my weekend and what interesting things the dog did. Saturday I woke up to find that Gregg had gotten up way before me and started breakfast. He had cooked bacon, eggs and pancakes for us and set the table too. I stumbled into the kitchen wiping the sleep out of my eyes as he poured the last of the batter onto the frying pan. It was such a nice surprise to wake up to!
After we had eaten and cleaned up, we got ready to take advantage of another beautiful, sunny day. We drove around enjoying the weather and stopped at a quaint outdoor shopping plaza. Over lunch we had a nice, long talk about recent events that have taken place in our lives and did some more analyzing of the situation our church is in. I love just getting out of the house and spending time together undistracted. Sigh.
When we came home, I checked email and caught up on some of my favorite blogs before starting dinner. About four hours before going to bed, I remembered we needed to set all our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. We try to get to sleep early on Saturday nights because Gregg has to be up between 5 and 6am on Sundays, so after dinner we squeezed in an episode of The Apprentice and reset the time on all the appliances and the alarm clock before calling it a night.
The next day was a typical Sunday: church, leftovers at home afterwards, lounging around. While I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher after lunch, Gregg decided to whip up a batch of brownies which were a nice treat. He went to watch the Nascar race while they baked, and I used that time to fold the pile of laundry that was threatening to take over our bedroom. I had finished with the laundry and we had sampled a couple of the brownies when Gregg’s parents gave their weekly phone call. His mom is going down to North Carolina this weekend to visit my SIL and her kids since it’s her birthday on Friday, and then she’s going down again two weekends later because Grandparents’ Day is on the 30th at Sam and Alana’s school. We think that’s excessive, but she never needs an excuse to see the grandkids! I told Gregg that his dad probably had to build a shed in the backyard to hold all the stuff she’s bought for the baby Jeff & Liz are expecting.
So that brings me to Monday. With one less hour of sleep the day before and it being, you know, Monday, I struggled through my work day. I was so glad when the clock read 4:30 and I could go home. I’m doing a lot better today thanks to the great prayer time on my ride to work this morning. I’ve been having to leave a few minutes earlier than usual to get to work on time because there’s so much stinkin’ traffic on the roads- I think the city’s population has nearly doubled since we moved here last spring. I made the most of the extra time to pour my heart out to God. I feel I’m not nearly as anxious during the day when I do this.
I also listened to my Jeremy Camp worship album, and was struck by the words in this one song: “Holy Father, burn away my desire for anything that is not of you, and is of me. I want more of you and less of me”. I mean, wow. I prayed that that would become the cry of my heart. I know that God is the only thing that satisfies me and that His ways are best, but so often I get caught up in my dreams, my plans, my desires. Instead of letting Him direct my steps, I take the reigns and try to steer my life in the way I think it should go. Sometimes I need a reminder that God is in control, not me. :)
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Can't think of a title...
Things have slowed down considerably at work from last week. It seems like it's either crazy busy or super slooow, never anything in between. My boss also took today off to go fishing, so that makes it extra dead around here.
I feel like I haven't posted in a while (other than the Thursday Thirteen). Even more drama is going on within our church (gosh, is that all I talk about anymore?) Now the ex youth pastor has filed formal charges with the Presbytery against our former senior pastor for his supposed role in the firing, and wrote an 800 page supporting document outlining his complaints. 800 pages??? Is he serious? Because Gregg is on staff, we are privy to this information before the congregation officially hears of it through a letter.
And it was announced Sunday that the session is going ahead with plans for a new building, construction designed to address the serious lack of meeting & office space. On the surface it looks like a great idea. But it isn't all that well thought out. It still fails to put all the staff together in one space so they'll be less fragmented and provide a dedicated sanctuary. Right now the sanctuary is really a gym, which the school uses quite frequently for gym classes and sporting events, making set up for church services and concerts difficult. Gregg needs to spend two hours every Thursday just setting up the stage for Sunday morning. It's yet another case of leadership missing the boat.
Tess has been very good all this time, having free range of the house. But now she's getting into this routine of puking nearly every morning right before Gregg lets her outside to go potty. She'll do it right on our bedroom rug, too. We don't know what she gets so worked up about, or what she's been eating that would cause her to have to heave at exactly 7 am.
In other news, I think we may have finally figured out what type of dog she is. We saw this children's book at Sam's Club on Saturday about dogs and there was one that looked just like her, called a Vizsla (which is Hungarian for... oh, I forget). The shelter originally told us she was a Boxer, but we just weren't buying it because she doesn't have a Boxer face. When we got home, we looked the up the Vizsla breed online and all the characteristics fit Tess perfectly. Sunday we took her to the marsh five minutes from our house and let her run around without a leash. She loved it. We had to give her a bath out in the backyard after that. She stayed still for the entire time, even though she was shivering from the cold water, and passed out on the couch once we had dried her off. It was pretty cute.
Yup, so that's my life- work, church and the dog. Can't get much more exciting than that.
I feel like I haven't posted in a while (other than the Thursday Thirteen). Even more drama is going on within our church (gosh, is that all I talk about anymore?) Now the ex youth pastor has filed formal charges with the Presbytery against our former senior pastor for his supposed role in the firing, and wrote an 800 page supporting document outlining his complaints. 800 pages??? Is he serious? Because Gregg is on staff, we are privy to this information before the congregation officially hears of it through a letter.
And it was announced Sunday that the session is going ahead with plans for a new building, construction designed to address the serious lack of meeting & office space. On the surface it looks like a great idea. But it isn't all that well thought out. It still fails to put all the staff together in one space so they'll be less fragmented and provide a dedicated sanctuary. Right now the sanctuary is really a gym, which the school uses quite frequently for gym classes and sporting events, making set up for church services and concerts difficult. Gregg needs to spend two hours every Thursday just setting up the stage for Sunday morning. It's yet another case of leadership missing the boat.
Tess has been very good all this time, having free range of the house. But now she's getting into this routine of puking nearly every morning right before Gregg lets her outside to go potty. She'll do it right on our bedroom rug, too. We don't know what she gets so worked up about, or what she's been eating that would cause her to have to heave at exactly 7 am.
In other news, I think we may have finally figured out what type of dog she is. We saw this children's book at Sam's Club on Saturday about dogs and there was one that looked just like her, called a Vizsla (which is Hungarian for... oh, I forget). The shelter originally told us she was a Boxer, but we just weren't buying it because she doesn't have a Boxer face. When we got home, we looked the up the Vizsla breed online and all the characteristics fit Tess perfectly. Sunday we took her to the marsh five minutes from our house and let her run around without a leash. She loved it. We had to give her a bath out in the backyard after that. She stayed still for the entire time, even though she was shivering from the cold water, and passed out on the couch once we had dried her off. It was pretty cute.
Yup, so that's my life- work, church and the dog. Can't get much more exciting than that.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens: Thursday Thirteen #12
So apparently the fabulous T13 is not gone forever- Carol and Beth have taken over for Leanne, much to all of us bloggers' delight. I missed last Thursday due to the insanely busy week I had, but I'm resuming today listing a bunch of my favorite things. I really kinda need a "pick me up" post.
1. God. He's the only thing that remains unchanged and sure in this ever changing, crazy world. He is my peace and joy, even in the midst of some very difficult times.
2. My husband, who is my best friend and loves everything about me.
3. All the sights and smells of Fall (which I don't get to experience living here in Florida, considering it stays pretty green throughout the year and the heat & humidity stick around through the middle of October).
4. Coffee. And all the yummy creamers that you can put in it.
5. Worship music- it can snap me out of any funk that I'm in. My current favorite is "Atmosphere" by Andy Chrisman.
6. Sunflowers. They're so bright and cheery.
7. Time spent with friends over dinner and dessert.
8. Leaving the windows open in the house to let fresh air into all the rooms.
9. Sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
10. Clothes that have just come out of the dryer.
11. Soft, snuggly blankets.
12. Going out to dinner with Gregg.
13. Receiving emails and comments on my blog from friends.
"I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad".
1. God. He's the only thing that remains unchanged and sure in this ever changing, crazy world. He is my peace and joy, even in the midst of some very difficult times.
2. My husband, who is my best friend and loves everything about me.
3. All the sights and smells of Fall (which I don't get to experience living here in Florida, considering it stays pretty green throughout the year and the heat & humidity stick around through the middle of October).
4. Coffee. And all the yummy creamers that you can put in it.
5. Worship music- it can snap me out of any funk that I'm in. My current favorite is "Atmosphere" by Andy Chrisman.
6. Sunflowers. They're so bright and cheery.
7. Time spent with friends over dinner and dessert.
8. Leaving the windows open in the house to let fresh air into all the rooms.
9. Sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
10. Clothes that have just come out of the dryer.
11. Soft, snuggly blankets.
12. Going out to dinner with Gregg.
13. Receiving emails and comments on my blog from friends.
"I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad".
Friday, March 02, 2007
Even Through the Valleys
Since my doctor's appointment on Tuesday, I am feeling much better. The antibiotics seem to be working their magic. Things at work have finally settled down to the point of being manageable. I am so ready for the weekend, though.
All the turmoil going on with our church has prompted Gregg and I to have a lot of deep conversations lately. We've looked at everything from all different angles and peeled back the layers of the onion. One thing that has been really bothering both of us is the apathy we see. When Pastor Dan resigned back in October, he cited stagnant growth as one of the reasons he was leaving. The church had not grown numerically under his leadership for the past ten years, though we are located in one of the fastest growing communities in Florida. People's responses to that were kind of like, so what? They'd rather have him back as their pastor and experience no growth, than lose him and have growth.
We were certainly sad to see him go, but anticipated that it would give the church the breath of life and vision it needed. However, even with Pastor Dan gone there is very little desire to grow or go deeper. It makes sense though- he practically founded and then pastored the church for 25 years. Old habits die hard. Having him absent these past four months has really given us an accurate gage of the spiritual climate that exists among the congregation, and it's disturbing. We've talked with some other members who are seeing the same thing and are heartbroken over it. They're weary and losing faith in the leadership.
There is a great new song on my favorite Christian radio station by Third Day called "Mountaintop" (I think). It reminds me that, as the song goes, "I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God". I know that God is here with me through this and will bring about His good purpose.
All the turmoil going on with our church has prompted Gregg and I to have a lot of deep conversations lately. We've looked at everything from all different angles and peeled back the layers of the onion. One thing that has been really bothering both of us is the apathy we see. When Pastor Dan resigned back in October, he cited stagnant growth as one of the reasons he was leaving. The church had not grown numerically under his leadership for the past ten years, though we are located in one of the fastest growing communities in Florida. People's responses to that were kind of like, so what? They'd rather have him back as their pastor and experience no growth, than lose him and have growth.
We were certainly sad to see him go, but anticipated that it would give the church the breath of life and vision it needed. However, even with Pastor Dan gone there is very little desire to grow or go deeper. It makes sense though- he practically founded and then pastored the church for 25 years. Old habits die hard. Having him absent these past four months has really given us an accurate gage of the spiritual climate that exists among the congregation, and it's disturbing. We've talked with some other members who are seeing the same thing and are heartbroken over it. They're weary and losing faith in the leadership.
There is a great new song on my favorite Christian radio station by Third Day called "Mountaintop" (I think). It reminds me that, as the song goes, "I must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God". I know that God is here with me through this and will bring about His good purpose.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
What the ...?
One word to sum up my life lately: BUSY. Work has been insanely busy, with getting all my books and paperwork in order for an audit and corporate tax filing and also taking on HR duties to hire more employees since our company suddenly got slammed with business. Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment right in the middle of my work day (more about that later), and last night we attended small group.
So while the Northeast is buried under a pile of snow, we’re having a heat wave here in Central Florida. Whatever little bit of “winter” we had has disappeared. It’s been in the 80s for the past couple of days and muggy. Ick. We succumbed last night to turning on the air in the house and felt much better.
Yesterday was the first time since we moved that I’ve needed to see a doctor, besides my Ob/Gyn. For the past two weeks, I’ve been having symptoms that made me suspect I have another UTI (urinary tract infection). I’ve had them on and off for the past ten years, with varying degrees of severity. Anyway, my appointment was at 12pm with Dr. Grover. If you’re imagining a lovable fuzzy, blue muppet think again. It was a small petite, youngish looking Indian woman who made me wait half an hour to see her. Gripe: why do doctors always make you wait forever and waste your time??
Okay, so she finally comes into the examination room and I explain my symptoms to her. Upon hearing that I have tenderness and pressure in my back, she asks if my job involves sitting at a computer for most of the day. I said yes. She does a half-hearted examination of my back, asking me where I feel the pain. Then she orders a urinalysis and a pregnancy test. The results come back: negative on the pregnancy, positive on the UTI. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed that the pregnancy test was negative. But it’s not like we were trying or anything, and I really didn’t think it would be positive considering I started my period on the 15th.
So, I am prescribed some antibiotics and medication for the back pain. Huh? The antibiotics I get, but any back pain I’ve ever experienced has always coincided with a UTI. The pressure I feel there comes from my kidneys, I was told the first time I was diagnosed with this wonderful infection. I give my paperwork to the receptionist who schedules me for a follow-up appointment in two weeks and for lab work. They want to draw my blood and check my cholesterol, which seems a little excessive but whatever. It means taking more time off from work, which I’m not crazy about and I know my boss won’t be thrilled either. I feel like they just cranked me through their patient factory. Once again, I’m underwhelmed by the medical profession.
I went straight from the doctor’s office to Walmart to have my prescriptions filled and indulged in a McDonald’s value meal at the food court while I waited. I finally made it back to work around 2:30. The silver lining to all of this is that at my appointment I discovered I am at my ideal weight. Yay! So that was awesome. And my prescriptions only cost me a whopping $4, thanks to our insurance.
Things at church are still… Frustrating. Discouraging. Unsettling. I feel like we’re on a sinking ship. Morale amongst staff is at an all-time low and the interim pastor just doesn’t seem to grasp the enormity of the problems that have surfaced in recent months. We’re not really sure what he’s doing. He’s just sort of there. Gregg said that while staff is running around all over campus, feeling overwhelmed, he’s walking the halls shaking people’s hands like a politician. He actually told Gregg that email has destroyed society’s communication because nobody writes letters anymore. Um yeah, that’s a great boost for the tech ministry.
We’re both so disappointed with the session’s choice to appoint him as interim pastor. There are some real deep-seated issues going on here that are much bigger than just the whole youth pastor firing drama. And they’re not going to be fixed with a band-aid.
So while the Northeast is buried under a pile of snow, we’re having a heat wave here in Central Florida. Whatever little bit of “winter” we had has disappeared. It’s been in the 80s for the past couple of days and muggy. Ick. We succumbed last night to turning on the air in the house and felt much better.
Yesterday was the first time since we moved that I’ve needed to see a doctor, besides my Ob/Gyn. For the past two weeks, I’ve been having symptoms that made me suspect I have another UTI (urinary tract infection). I’ve had them on and off for the past ten years, with varying degrees of severity. Anyway, my appointment was at 12pm with Dr. Grover. If you’re imagining a lovable fuzzy, blue muppet think again. It was a small petite, youngish looking Indian woman who made me wait half an hour to see her. Gripe: why do doctors always make you wait forever and waste your time??
Okay, so she finally comes into the examination room and I explain my symptoms to her. Upon hearing that I have tenderness and pressure in my back, she asks if my job involves sitting at a computer for most of the day. I said yes. She does a half-hearted examination of my back, asking me where I feel the pain. Then she orders a urinalysis and a pregnancy test. The results come back: negative on the pregnancy, positive on the UTI. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed that the pregnancy test was negative. But it’s not like we were trying or anything, and I really didn’t think it would be positive considering I started my period on the 15th.
So, I am prescribed some antibiotics and medication for the back pain. Huh? The antibiotics I get, but any back pain I’ve ever experienced has always coincided with a UTI. The pressure I feel there comes from my kidneys, I was told the first time I was diagnosed with this wonderful infection. I give my paperwork to the receptionist who schedules me for a follow-up appointment in two weeks and for lab work. They want to draw my blood and check my cholesterol, which seems a little excessive but whatever. It means taking more time off from work, which I’m not crazy about and I know my boss won’t be thrilled either. I feel like they just cranked me through their patient factory. Once again, I’m underwhelmed by the medical profession.
I went straight from the doctor’s office to Walmart to have my prescriptions filled and indulged in a McDonald’s value meal at the food court while I waited. I finally made it back to work around 2:30. The silver lining to all of this is that at my appointment I discovered I am at my ideal weight. Yay! So that was awesome. And my prescriptions only cost me a whopping $4, thanks to our insurance.
Things at church are still… Frustrating. Discouraging. Unsettling. I feel like we’re on a sinking ship. Morale amongst staff is at an all-time low and the interim pastor just doesn’t seem to grasp the enormity of the problems that have surfaced in recent months. We’re not really sure what he’s doing. He’s just sort of there. Gregg said that while staff is running around all over campus, feeling overwhelmed, he’s walking the halls shaking people’s hands like a politician. He actually told Gregg that email has destroyed society’s communication because nobody writes letters anymore. Um yeah, that’s a great boost for the tech ministry.
We’re both so disappointed with the session’s choice to appoint him as interim pastor. There are some real deep-seated issues going on here that are much bigger than just the whole youth pastor firing drama. And they’re not going to be fixed with a band-aid.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #11 Final Edition
This is the final edition of Thursday Thirteen because for reasons I’m still not fully aware of, hostess Leanne has decided to retire it. I’ve enjoyed participating in this fun meme on and off since the end of November, and I will be sad to see it go. So… here is my last official T13!
13 Goals for the Future (not neccessarily in this order)
1. Make beautiful babies with my husband.
2. Be completely debt free!
3. Get back involved with a pregnancy resources ministry.
4. Take a tour of Europe, especially Italy. I’ve longed to go back there since my high school Italian class trip 11 years ago.
5. Raise my children with a heart for God and teach them His ways.
6. Minister to women younger than me in our church.
7. Work on having a better relationship with my mother.
8. Learn how to sew and knit. It’s about time I put that sewing machine to use!
9. Become a better cook.
10. Learn how to manage my time more effectively so chores and tasks don’t get overwhelming (i.e. take better care of my house).
11. Continue to be a good helpmate to my husband.
12. Lead a women’s Bible study.
13. Have a better understanding of God’s Word and develop a closer walk with Him.
13 Goals for the Future (not neccessarily in this order)
1. Make beautiful babies with my husband.
2. Be completely debt free!
3. Get back involved with a pregnancy resources ministry.
4. Take a tour of Europe, especially Italy. I’ve longed to go back there since my high school Italian class trip 11 years ago.
5. Raise my children with a heart for God and teach them His ways.
6. Minister to women younger than me in our church.
7. Work on having a better relationship with my mother.
8. Learn how to sew and knit. It’s about time I put that sewing machine to use!
9. Become a better cook.
10. Learn how to manage my time more effectively so chores and tasks don’t get overwhelming (i.e. take better care of my house).
11. Continue to be a good helpmate to my husband.
12. Lead a women’s Bible study.
13. Have a better understanding of God’s Word and develop a closer walk with Him.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Taking A Look Back
It was one year ago today that we moved into our house. We spent the day meeting with the seller who gave us the keys, trekking in stuff that we had driven down from NJ with and going to Walmart to buy necessary items. Our first dinner was provided by a wonderful young couple who had us over to their apartment and made us feel extremely welcome. That night we slept on an air mattress in the guest room, since the truck with all of our furniture wasn't due to arrive in Florida until a few days later. We didn't officially take ownership until April 7. The seller was gracious enough to let us move in and pay him rent for five weeks before the mortgage was finalized.
It's hard to believe it's been one whole year since then. It really flew by, with us having to make some adjustments here and there. Me finding a job. Deciding which colors to paint the house. Making new friends. Finding our way around a new city. Being 1,000 miles away from family. Grappling with the many changes that happened to our church within such a small amount of time.
Yes, this year has been quite different but also amazing. When we moved, I didn't fully appreciate the things we were giving up or that I would miss- like my job at the pregnancy center or being so close to both of our families. But we knew we had to let some things go in order to have a better quality of life, and so Gregg could fulfill his calling. In that time though, we've found our way and taken up root here. And it's been very exciting and rewarding.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." How great is our God!
It's hard to believe it's been one whole year since then. It really flew by, with us having to make some adjustments here and there. Me finding a job. Deciding which colors to paint the house. Making new friends. Finding our way around a new city. Being 1,000 miles away from family. Grappling with the many changes that happened to our church within such a small amount of time.
Yes, this year has been quite different but also amazing. When we moved, I didn't fully appreciate the things we were giving up or that I would miss- like my job at the pregnancy center or being so close to both of our families. But we knew we had to let some things go in order to have a better quality of life, and so Gregg could fulfill his calling. In that time though, we've found our way and taken up root here. And it's been very exciting and rewarding.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." How great is our God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)