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?
Saturday, May 12, 2007
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!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Chicken Soup for the Soul
This weekend went by too quickly, as always. Gregg worked all day Friday for Panavid and came home at 6. He said how glad he was that the week was over and how much he does not miss free lancing- moving heaving equipment, the crazy hours, traveling. Yeah, I don’t miss that life either. Since I had no idea what time he would be home that night, I hadn’t started dinner when he arrived. I just threw some chicken tenders and fries in the oven and called it done, promising I’d actually make a real meal the next day.
Saturday we put the bill for Gregg’s week of work in the mail and spent a few hours at the mall window shopping. When we got home, I made my mother’s recipe for chicken soup which takes about four hours to make. It turned out really yummy. It’s been in the fifties here the past week, so I though it would be great to have a hot, hearty meal to eat that night. We left clean up for the next day and went to watch the last episode of The Apprentice online.
Sunday morning I went to my Breaking Free class and attended church right after. Our new interim pastor started his series on Romans which, unfortunately, I found difficult to follow. He was also hard to hear since he mumbles, and his wireless mic made him sound bassy. That afternoon, we went home & heated up some leftover soup for lunch. Gregg turned on the Nascar race and I took a nap on the couch. I was just waking up around 4:30 when he left to go back to church for the Missions Week kick-off. While he was gone, I did laundry and watched tv, and when he came home we had more leftovers for dinner.
Pretty standard weekend for us, just spending time together. We had the chance to talk more concerning stuff going on with the church that we’ve been unsettled about. On Thursday, Gregg met with Jonathan, who in addition to being the Young Adults Pastor is also now fulfilling a lot of duties of both youth pastor and senior pastor, and with Ron, the church administrator. He discussed his growing concerns about the place of the tech ministry, and they both expressed their desire to do whatever they could to help improve the situation. Ron said that he realizes there is no real, cohesive vision amongst staff members and that has led to everyone kind of going off in their own direction. He hopes that when Pastor Dan’s replacement comes on board, he will bring a lot of the vision and stability that our church desperately needs.
He also said that he had a similar conversation with the youth pastor in the months leading up to his termination. The former youth pastor has a lot of vision for the future, like fifty years down the road, and the church is content with maintaining things. They were at an impasse, and Ron told him he saw that he had hit a wall and could now either try to force change, continue to nudge it along, or just accept things the way they are. He chose to force change, and became insubordinate to church leadership. While I certainly don’t agree with the way he handled things, I can now appreciate the position he found himself in. What do you do when you’re going against the grain?
Gregg really appreciated Ron & Jonathan talking with him and hearing him out. Unfortunately, there are no easy fixes here. The church is in a very fragile state, and we’re in survival mode right now which makes maintaining appealing, even necessary. They aren’t interested in introducing even more change, understandably so. And staff hasn’t been working well together because of all the recent upheaval, people taking on more than their fair share of the workload to fill in the gaps for those who have left and whatnot. The ministries within the church aren’t jelling, either. This has made Gregg’s ability to do his job increasingly difficult.
In our conversations together, we both wondered if the new senior pastor they hire will really bring together everything that is needed in order for the church to move forward, or if we will continue to stay in this holding pattern of maintaining what is already here. It’ll be interesting to see what God does with CPC over the next few months.
It’s at times like these that I am so encouraged by the songs I hear on Christian radio. I just let the lyrics soak in and remind me that we are never alone.
Saturday we put the bill for Gregg’s week of work in the mail and spent a few hours at the mall window shopping. When we got home, I made my mother’s recipe for chicken soup which takes about four hours to make. It turned out really yummy. It’s been in the fifties here the past week, so I though it would be great to have a hot, hearty meal to eat that night. We left clean up for the next day and went to watch the last episode of The Apprentice online.
Sunday morning I went to my Breaking Free class and attended church right after. Our new interim pastor started his series on Romans which, unfortunately, I found difficult to follow. He was also hard to hear since he mumbles, and his wireless mic made him sound bassy. That afternoon, we went home & heated up some leftover soup for lunch. Gregg turned on the Nascar race and I took a nap on the couch. I was just waking up around 4:30 when he left to go back to church for the Missions Week kick-off. While he was gone, I did laundry and watched tv, and when he came home we had more leftovers for dinner.
Pretty standard weekend for us, just spending time together. We had the chance to talk more concerning stuff going on with the church that we’ve been unsettled about. On Thursday, Gregg met with Jonathan, who in addition to being the Young Adults Pastor is also now fulfilling a lot of duties of both youth pastor and senior pastor, and with Ron, the church administrator. He discussed his growing concerns about the place of the tech ministry, and they both expressed their desire to do whatever they could to help improve the situation. Ron said that he realizes there is no real, cohesive vision amongst staff members and that has led to everyone kind of going off in their own direction. He hopes that when Pastor Dan’s replacement comes on board, he will bring a lot of the vision and stability that our church desperately needs.
He also said that he had a similar conversation with the youth pastor in the months leading up to his termination. The former youth pastor has a lot of vision for the future, like fifty years down the road, and the church is content with maintaining things. They were at an impasse, and Ron told him he saw that he had hit a wall and could now either try to force change, continue to nudge it along, or just accept things the way they are. He chose to force change, and became insubordinate to church leadership. While I certainly don’t agree with the way he handled things, I can now appreciate the position he found himself in. What do you do when you’re going against the grain?
Gregg really appreciated Ron & Jonathan talking with him and hearing him out. Unfortunately, there are no easy fixes here. The church is in a very fragile state, and we’re in survival mode right now which makes maintaining appealing, even necessary. They aren’t interested in introducing even more change, understandably so. And staff hasn’t been working well together because of all the recent upheaval, people taking on more than their fair share of the workload to fill in the gaps for those who have left and whatnot. The ministries within the church aren’t jelling, either. This has made Gregg’s ability to do his job increasingly difficult.
In our conversations together, we both wondered if the new senior pastor they hire will really bring together everything that is needed in order for the church to move forward, or if we will continue to stay in this holding pattern of maintaining what is already here. It’ll be interesting to see what God does with CPC over the next few months.
It’s at times like these that I am so encouraged by the songs I hear on Christian radio. I just let the lyrics soak in and remind me that we are never alone.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #10
In addition to all those sappy love songs I listed last week, my favorite music also happens to be contemporary Christian and worship songs. Over the last nine years of my walk with Christ, they have inspired me and lifted my spirits during some pretty difficult seasons. They are God’s spoken word revealed through melodies, conveying deep thoughts and longings which I find difficult to put into words. They minister to my soul and point me back toward God when I’m lost in my own sorrows and struggles.
I have many of my favorites loaded onto my MP3 player, and whenever I listen to it each song takes me on a journey through different points in my faith. Times when I fully needed to depend on the Lord for every step I took, times of great growth. They are lyrical reminders of what God has brought me through and what He has done for me.
13 Inspiring & Uplifting Songs
1. “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns
2. “I Am” by Mark Schultz
3. “Hiding Place” by Steven Curtis Chapman
4. “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin
5. “God Will Make A Way” by Kathy Troccoli
6. “In Christ Alone” by Brian Litrell
7. “To Know You” by Nichole Nordeman
8. “Worthy of My Praise” by Selah
9. “He Will Carry Me” by Mark Schultz
10. “Jesus, Be the Center”
11. “Walk By Faith” by Jeremy Camp
12. “Better Is One Day” (Passion Worship cd)
13. “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
I have many of my favorites loaded onto my MP3 player, and whenever I listen to it each song takes me on a journey through different points in my faith. Times when I fully needed to depend on the Lord for every step I took, times of great growth. They are lyrical reminders of what God has brought me through and what He has done for me.
13 Inspiring & Uplifting Songs
1. “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns
2. “I Am” by Mark Schultz
3. “Hiding Place” by Steven Curtis Chapman
4. “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin
5. “God Will Make A Way” by Kathy Troccoli
6. “In Christ Alone” by Brian Litrell
7. “To Know You” by Nichole Nordeman
8. “Worthy of My Praise” by Selah
9. “He Will Carry Me” by Mark Schultz
10. “Jesus, Be the Center”
11. “Walk By Faith” by Jeremy Camp
12. “Better Is One Day” (Passion Worship cd)
13. “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day!
Yesterday, we received a Valentine's Day care package in the mail from my mother-in-law. The contents included the usual V-Day sweets- candy hearts, lollipops and chocolate- besides a cd of pictures taken from when Gregg's family was here visiting in December. There were also treats in there for Tess, along with a brand new chew toy which she immediately started playing with. Nearly every time a holiday rolls around, we get spoiled by my MIL, whose love language we've concluded is definitely gift-giving.
Neither Gregg or I are really into Valentine's Day. In fact, Gregg makes a big deal of saying every year how much he is NOT into this holiday. But the first year we were married, he bought me a dozen red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. The second year, he got me (count them) 40 roses of all different shades which he adorned our bedroom with. Last year was much simpler because we were in the process of moving, so he just got me a mushy card and picked up some cupcakes with pink icing at the grocery store. We enjoyed a "romantic" dinner that evening on a blanket in our near-empty living room, using a cardboard box for a table. Not into Valentine's Day, eh?
Last night it was good to stay home for once and relax together. We watched American Idol and House, two of of our favorite programs. We talked more over dinner about the issues he's been having lately working for the church. It was nice to connect. I'm looking forward to more of the same tonight. :)
Neither Gregg or I are really into Valentine's Day. In fact, Gregg makes a big deal of saying every year how much he is NOT into this holiday. But the first year we were married, he bought me a dozen red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. The second year, he got me (count them) 40 roses of all different shades which he adorned our bedroom with. Last year was much simpler because we were in the process of moving, so he just got me a mushy card and picked up some cupcakes with pink icing at the grocery store. We enjoyed a "romantic" dinner that evening on a blanket in our near-empty living room, using a cardboard box for a table. Not into Valentine's Day, eh?
Last night it was good to stay home for once and relax together. We watched American Idol and House, two of of our favorite programs. We talked more over dinner about the issues he's been having lately working for the church. It was nice to connect. I'm looking forward to more of the same tonight. :)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Another Week, Another Dollar
Back to another week in full swing. Gregg has been pretty tired these past few days, for good reason. Staying up late on Friday and Saturday, then working almost non-stop all day Sunday and Monday. He was asked to work for Panavid again on Thursday morning, in addition to this Friday. More money for us, less sleep for Gregg.
Sunday I was feeling lonely without him around, so I helped myself to a heaping portion of blogging therapy and listened to my favorite feel-good songs on my MP3 player. Tess kept jumping up on the couch to look out the window and see if Gregg's truck was pulling into the driveway. Apparently she missed him too. After getting offline, I made myself some dinner and watched Reba & Seventh Heaven. I did have grandiose plans of getting a little house cleaning done, but um... that didn't happen. Oh well. I enjoyed my day of rest and relaxation. Gregg came home at 1:30 in the morning, waking up the dog, which scared me half to death b/c she started barking like crazy and I was in the middle of a dream. It's good to know she'll protect us if someone ever breaks into our house!
My heart is still heavy over what we discussed on Saturday night. We haven't had much time to talk about it again since then, but I've been bringing it the Lord in prayer and it's reminded me of how much I need Him. We aren't in control of our own lives. He's the one who directs our steps and guides our path. It really comforts me to know this.
We're going to take a night off from Bible study/small group tonight because we've just done so much running back and forth lately. We need to make some time for us.
Sunday I was feeling lonely without him around, so I helped myself to a heaping portion of blogging therapy and listened to my favorite feel-good songs on my MP3 player. Tess kept jumping up on the couch to look out the window and see if Gregg's truck was pulling into the driveway. Apparently she missed him too. After getting offline, I made myself some dinner and watched Reba & Seventh Heaven. I did have grandiose plans of getting a little house cleaning done, but um... that didn't happen. Oh well. I enjoyed my day of rest and relaxation. Gregg came home at 1:30 in the morning, waking up the dog, which scared me half to death b/c she started barking like crazy and I was in the middle of a dream. It's good to know she'll protect us if someone ever breaks into our house!
My heart is still heavy over what we discussed on Saturday night. We haven't had much time to talk about it again since then, but I've been bringing it the Lord in prayer and it's reminded me of how much I need Him. We aren't in control of our own lives. He's the one who directs our steps and guides our path. It really comforts me to know this.
We're going to take a night off from Bible study/small group tonight because we've just done so much running back and forth lately. We need to make some time for us.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Trusting In The Lord
We've had an interesting and relaxing weekend so far. Friday night was the Valentine's Comedy Dessert at church, and since Gregg had to run audio & power point for the event, I met up with him there after work and sat with him in the sound loft. The comedian was entertaining and funny, though I thought some of his presentation didn't flow right. During intermission, I snagged a couple pieces of the yummy cheesecake they were serving and brought them upstairs for the two of us. Mmmm, Cheesecake Factory.
We didn't get home until almost 11, and Gregg had been at the church for over twelve hours by that point so he was pretty tired. It's no wonder that we slept in until 9 o'clock the next morning. We reluctantly got up and my husband made us breakfast. It was another beautiful day, so we got ready to get out the door and take advantage of it. We stopped for a while at the Farmer's and Flea Market which they have once a month at the Municipal Building, then wandered across the parking lot to the new Ace Hardware. They were having their grand opening this weekend, so it was jam packed with customers. Gregg was interested in what they had, so we took a look but didn't buy anything since the line was literally "up my butt and around the corner".
After leaving there, we tried the American Pie pizza place that recently opened up for lunch. The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere made me feel like I was in a club. They had music videos blaring from three different plasma tv's so it was really distracting. From there, we went to Walmart so I could get my bc prescription refilled and get Tess a new dog bone. They didn't have the right kind of bone, so we went to another Walmart and they didn't have it either. We decided Petsmart might have it so we came home and put Doggie in the car for a little ride. She was very popular at the pet store. Everyone thought she was so pretty and sweet (ha!) and wanted to pet her. But, she really is getting a lot better. We've actually been able to leave her home alone all week without locking her in the kitchen. She hasn't chewed on anything she isn't supposed to, and I'm really impressed and also quite relieved.
Well, Petsmart didn't have what we were looking for either so on the way home we stopped at yet another Walmart and they finally had it. It seems crazy to run all over town searching for this one doggie bone, but it's the only toy that actually lasts more than a month with the way that she chews. Mission accomplished, we headed home and heated up the last of the lasagna I made last week. Then we just relaxed on the couch and watched this past week's episode of Prison Break online, since Gregg wasn't able to see it because he had to work.
So, right now he is in Orlando setting up for the J&J stockholder's meeting. He left right after church and won't be home until after midnight. I miss him, but it's nice relaxing here at home and also good to have some extra money. This past week has admittedly been hard on both of us regarding his job at the church. He worked well over 40 hours again, putting in three nights. I felt like I hardly saw him. There's just so much that has to be done that only he can do, and whenever there's some event going on either at the church or the school, he's the one they expect to be there because they bascially don't trust the volunteers to do a good enough job. I see it taking a toll on him. He's also frustrated that our church doesn't seem to be moving forward technically and that as a whole, they don't really value the Sound & Vision ministry. The interim pastor they've just hired barely knows how to turn on a computer.
Last night before we went to bed, we had a long talk about this and about all the stuff that's happened since Pastor Dan's resignation. We also talked a lot about God's will and calling on our lives. Gregg feels bad that he can't flourish where he's been planted. Every advancement he's made there since he was hired has pretty much been met with resistance. The hiring of this new pastor only seems like a giant step backward in the progression he would like to see take place. It's hard. We're both praying for God's direction and leaving the matter in His hands. We're trusting Him for what's best.
Oh, I almost forgot. I have some really good news: we got our taxes done and will be getting back all of our money from the government! God is so faithful to us.
We didn't get home until almost 11, and Gregg had been at the church for over twelve hours by that point so he was pretty tired. It's no wonder that we slept in until 9 o'clock the next morning. We reluctantly got up and my husband made us breakfast. It was another beautiful day, so we got ready to get out the door and take advantage of it. We stopped for a while at the Farmer's and Flea Market which they have once a month at the Municipal Building, then wandered across the parking lot to the new Ace Hardware. They were having their grand opening this weekend, so it was jam packed with customers. Gregg was interested in what they had, so we took a look but didn't buy anything since the line was literally "up my butt and around the corner".
After leaving there, we tried the American Pie pizza place that recently opened up for lunch. The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere made me feel like I was in a club. They had music videos blaring from three different plasma tv's so it was really distracting. From there, we went to Walmart so I could get my bc prescription refilled and get Tess a new dog bone. They didn't have the right kind of bone, so we went to another Walmart and they didn't have it either. We decided Petsmart might have it so we came home and put Doggie in the car for a little ride. She was very popular at the pet store. Everyone thought she was so pretty and sweet (ha!) and wanted to pet her. But, she really is getting a lot better. We've actually been able to leave her home alone all week without locking her in the kitchen. She hasn't chewed on anything she isn't supposed to, and I'm really impressed and also quite relieved.
Well, Petsmart didn't have what we were looking for either so on the way home we stopped at yet another Walmart and they finally had it. It seems crazy to run all over town searching for this one doggie bone, but it's the only toy that actually lasts more than a month with the way that she chews. Mission accomplished, we headed home and heated up the last of the lasagna I made last week. Then we just relaxed on the couch and watched this past week's episode of Prison Break online, since Gregg wasn't able to see it because he had to work.
So, right now he is in Orlando setting up for the J&J stockholder's meeting. He left right after church and won't be home until after midnight. I miss him, but it's nice relaxing here at home and also good to have some extra money. This past week has admittedly been hard on both of us regarding his job at the church. He worked well over 40 hours again, putting in three nights. I felt like I hardly saw him. There's just so much that has to be done that only he can do, and whenever there's some event going on either at the church or the school, he's the one they expect to be there because they bascially don't trust the volunteers to do a good enough job. I see it taking a toll on him. He's also frustrated that our church doesn't seem to be moving forward technically and that as a whole, they don't really value the Sound & Vision ministry. The interim pastor they've just hired barely knows how to turn on a computer.
Last night before we went to bed, we had a long talk about this and about all the stuff that's happened since Pastor Dan's resignation. We also talked a lot about God's will and calling on our lives. Gregg feels bad that he can't flourish where he's been planted. Every advancement he's made there since he was hired has pretty much been met with resistance. The hiring of this new pastor only seems like a giant step backward in the progression he would like to see take place. It's hard. We're both praying for God's direction and leaving the matter in His hands. We're trusting Him for what's best.
Oh, I almost forgot. I have some really good news: we got our taxes done and will be getting back all of our money from the government! God is so faithful to us.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #9
Okay, I’ll admit it. I like sappy, romantic love songs. That’s probably why I listen to a lot of Lite FM, which my husband teases me about. My favorite radio program is “Love Songs with Delilah”. I know, I know- so cheesy. I guess I’m just a “hopeless” romantic.
So with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d list some of my favorite romantic tunes. Some are personal to me and Gregg; others I just like listening to.
13 Sappy and Romantic Songs
1. “Melt” by Rascal Flatts
2. “From This Moment” by Shania Twain. We chose this for our first dance together as husband and wife. Whenever I hear it, I think of Gregg.
3. “Love of My Life” by Michael W. Smith
4. “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
5. “Taking You Home” by Don Henley
6. “I’ll Still Be Loving You” by Restless Heart
7. “You Always Be Beautiful (In My Eyes)” by ?
8. “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman. One of our friends sung this song at our wedding as we lit the unity candle, and I think it’s just a beautiful lyrical statement of commitment and faithfulness.
9. “When God Made You He Must Have Been Thinking About Me” by Newsong and Natalie Grant
10. “You Mean the World To Me” by Toni Braxton
11. “I Could Not Ask For More” by Edwin McCain
12. “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by James Taylor
13. “It’s Your Love” By Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
So with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d list some of my favorite romantic tunes. Some are personal to me and Gregg; others I just like listening to.
13 Sappy and Romantic Songs
1. “Melt” by Rascal Flatts
2. “From This Moment” by Shania Twain. We chose this for our first dance together as husband and wife. Whenever I hear it, I think of Gregg.
3. “Love of My Life” by Michael W. Smith
4. “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
5. “Taking You Home” by Don Henley
6. “I’ll Still Be Loving You” by Restless Heart
7. “You Always Be Beautiful (In My Eyes)” by ?
8. “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman. One of our friends sung this song at our wedding as we lit the unity candle, and I think it’s just a beautiful lyrical statement of commitment and faithfulness.
9. “When God Made You He Must Have Been Thinking About Me” by Newsong and Natalie Grant
10. “You Mean the World To Me” by Toni Braxton
11. “I Could Not Ask For More” by Edwin McCain
12. “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by James Taylor
13. “It’s Your Love” By Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Life In General
Nothing that earth-shattering going on lately. This past weekend we didn’t really do much of anything. Friday night we started our grocery shopping at Sam’s Club and grabbed some dinner there. Saturday we went out to Walmart to get the rest of the items on our list. It was cold and rainy, so when we got back Gregg threw a pine log on the fire to warm the house up. I love that we have a fireplace! It’s not a big selling feature for homes down here in Florida, but we have found ourselves using it a number of times since Thanksgiving. It really cozies up the living room. I decided to make lasagna that night because the dreary weather made me want to bake something warm and comforting. Gregg really appreciated a home cooked meal too, after almost a week straight of quick- thrown together dinners.
Sunday morning, I woke up feeling kind of crappy. My head hurt and I felt nauseous so after Gregg left for church around 6:30, I went back to sleep until 9. Tess came and slept by my side. When I finally pulled myself out of bed, I had to quick take a shower and eat breakfast so I could get to church on time. I walked into the sanctuary just as the announcements were being read. Before the close of service the chairman of the board of elders announced our new interim pastor, who will fill in for the next six months while they look for Pastor Dan’s permanent replacement. He’s retired from another PCA somewhere in Central Florida, which has a lot of similarities to Covenant. This should hopefully give our church some more stability in light of recent events.
When Gregg and I got home, we heated up some lasagna for lunch and then he took a nap on the couch while I checked and wrote email. We tried to watch the Superbowl, but CBS wasn’t coming in very well on our tv, so we ended up watching some really terrible movie from the nineties since there was nothing else on and fell asleep in the middle of it! We woke up at 11:50 and dragged ourselves off to bed.
So, that was our very exciting weekend. I know you all must be jealous. But seriously, sometimes it is nice to just be at home and do nothing after you’ve been running around all week. In other news, Gregg was asked yesterday to do a job in Orlando for the company who sent him to Miami last February. They need an A/V tech at a Johnson & Johnson stockholder’s meeting or something for two days next week, and he said he’d be willing to do it. So there’s an extra $500 this month- cha ching! What a blessing.
Tonight we’re having “game night” at Small Group and it’s my turn to bring a dessert, which I have to quick whoop up as soon as I get home. It looks like another rushed, re-heated dinner kind of night.
Sunday morning, I woke up feeling kind of crappy. My head hurt and I felt nauseous so after Gregg left for church around 6:30, I went back to sleep until 9. Tess came and slept by my side. When I finally pulled myself out of bed, I had to quick take a shower and eat breakfast so I could get to church on time. I walked into the sanctuary just as the announcements were being read. Before the close of service the chairman of the board of elders announced our new interim pastor, who will fill in for the next six months while they look for Pastor Dan’s permanent replacement. He’s retired from another PCA somewhere in Central Florida, which has a lot of similarities to Covenant. This should hopefully give our church some more stability in light of recent events.
When Gregg and I got home, we heated up some lasagna for lunch and then he took a nap on the couch while I checked and wrote email. We tried to watch the Superbowl, but CBS wasn’t coming in very well on our tv, so we ended up watching some really terrible movie from the nineties since there was nothing else on and fell asleep in the middle of it! We woke up at 11:50 and dragged ourselves off to bed.
So, that was our very exciting weekend. I know you all must be jealous. But seriously, sometimes it is nice to just be at home and do nothing after you’ve been running around all week. In other news, Gregg was asked yesterday to do a job in Orlando for the company who sent him to Miami last February. They need an A/V tech at a Johnson & Johnson stockholder’s meeting or something for two days next week, and he said he’d be willing to do it. So there’s an extra $500 this month- cha ching! What a blessing.
Tonight we’re having “game night” at Small Group and it’s my turn to bring a dessert, which I have to quick whoop up as soon as I get home. It looks like another rushed, re-heated dinner kind of night.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #8
Wow, February already. When I was younger, it was exceedingly difficult for me to spell this word. I’m sure I added “berry” onto the end on more than one occasion.
This month last year involved a lot of change for us. We were arranging for a moving truck, nailing down the details about buying a house and spending time with people we wouldn’t see for a long while. I began tying up all the loose ends at my job to make it a smooth transition for the person who would take my place. In the middle of all this, Gregg left for Miami on a week-long job for a previous employer. It could have been seen as the worst timing possible, but it promised to bring in a lot of money which we needed for the move and on his way down, he was able to meet with our realtor and check out the house we were buying.
This left me to continue the arduous process of packing up all of our earthly belongings. I sifted through years worth of stuff buried in closets and stuffed under the bed, and decided what came with us and what got chucked. Our living room gradually got filled with box upon box until there was no more space and the other rooms were equally as full, littered with all kinds of junk awaiting their designated carton.
The day before we loaded the moving truck, we got 2 feet of snow, a record snowfall for New York & New Jersey. It was quite the send off. That was also the day Gregg arrived back home. I worked through that Wednesday and the next day we cleaned the apartment like we had never cleaned before. That night we had our “last supper” with Gregg’s family. The next morning bright and early, we woke up, crammed the last of our things in the back of both cars and headed out, leaving behind everything we had known for the past 25 years.
As the anniversary of the “big move” approaches, I look back fondly on that time in which many life changes took place. It was the best decision we could have made. So without further ado, here's my
13 Things I Like About Living in Florida
1. The warm weather year ‘round. No more bitterly cold winters for me!
2. No state income tax. Thanks to tourist attractions like Disney World and Universal Studios, I get to keep more of my paycheck.
3. Super Walmart. Where else can you buy groceries, have the oil in your car changed, get a haircut and refill a prescription all at the same place? It makes life so much easier to do one-stop shopping.
4. Our close proximity to Disney World. We’re only an hour away from the greatest place on earth.
5. Affordable housing. When we left NJ the most affordable, half-way decent home was priced at $350,000. We bought ours here-fully renovated inside and out- for $169,000.
6. The particular city that we live in, which is a fairly new community. It’s very active and growing, and there’s always something to do.
7. The beach is a mere twenty minute drive from our house.
8. Lower cost of living.
9. We can actually see the stars at night. And my, how they're pretty.
10. Simpler lifestyle. People are more laid back here than they are up North.
11. All the moisture in the air, believe it or not. Not so great for my hair, but it keeps my skin from drying out like it did every fall and winter growing up.
12. The bright sunshine. They don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing!
13. It’s not New Jersey.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
This month last year involved a lot of change for us. We were arranging for a moving truck, nailing down the details about buying a house and spending time with people we wouldn’t see for a long while. I began tying up all the loose ends at my job to make it a smooth transition for the person who would take my place. In the middle of all this, Gregg left for Miami on a week-long job for a previous employer. It could have been seen as the worst timing possible, but it promised to bring in a lot of money which we needed for the move and on his way down, he was able to meet with our realtor and check out the house we were buying.
This left me to continue the arduous process of packing up all of our earthly belongings. I sifted through years worth of stuff buried in closets and stuffed under the bed, and decided what came with us and what got chucked. Our living room gradually got filled with box upon box until there was no more space and the other rooms were equally as full, littered with all kinds of junk awaiting their designated carton.
The day before we loaded the moving truck, we got 2 feet of snow, a record snowfall for New York & New Jersey. It was quite the send off. That was also the day Gregg arrived back home. I worked through that Wednesday and the next day we cleaned the apartment like we had never cleaned before. That night we had our “last supper” with Gregg’s family. The next morning bright and early, we woke up, crammed the last of our things in the back of both cars and headed out, leaving behind everything we had known for the past 25 years.
As the anniversary of the “big move” approaches, I look back fondly on that time in which many life changes took place. It was the best decision we could have made. So without further ado, here's my
13 Things I Like About Living in Florida
1. The warm weather year ‘round. No more bitterly cold winters for me!
2. No state income tax. Thanks to tourist attractions like Disney World and Universal Studios, I get to keep more of my paycheck.
3. Super Walmart. Where else can you buy groceries, have the oil in your car changed, get a haircut and refill a prescription all at the same place? It makes life so much easier to do one-stop shopping.
4. Our close proximity to Disney World. We’re only an hour away from the greatest place on earth.
5. Affordable housing. When we left NJ the most affordable, half-way decent home was priced at $350,000. We bought ours here-fully renovated inside and out- for $169,000.
6. The particular city that we live in, which is a fairly new community. It’s very active and growing, and there’s always something to do.
7. The beach is a mere twenty minute drive from our house.
8. Lower cost of living.
9. We can actually see the stars at night. And my, how they're pretty.
10. Simpler lifestyle. People are more laid back here than they are up North.
11. All the moisture in the air, believe it or not. Not so great for my hair, but it keeps my skin from drying out like it did every fall and winter growing up.
12. The bright sunshine. They don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing!
13. It’s not New Jersey.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
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