WE'RE HERE!!
We're Here!
We Are Here.
We. Are. Here.
Well...There are so many thoughts going through my head right now that I'm sure there is no way to be able to get everything down.
First of all, let me just say that it is 11:45 AM in Holland, and all three of my babies are STILL asleep! AND, Chris called here this morning at just after 11:00 AM and woke ME up! Now, I'm sure that the kids are exhausted just from everything else that has been going on around them...the move in general and especially jet lag. But,I also know that they are especially exhausted, because I let them stay up until 2:30 in the morning (local time) to watch the "new" episode of "Shake It Up!." I remember several weeks ago when Disney started advertising the new episode. My babies were so disappointed that they weren't going to be able to watch it, because it was to premiere the night we arrived here. Then, I guess they began to do the math with the time difference, and they both were thrilled to discover that they could, in fact, watch it...at 2:00 in the morning. So, I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for the "Mother of the Year" award, right?...not that I needed ANOTHER reason to qualify me. I'm pretty sure I've done a million things to qualify me for that category over the course of the last four months...including watching TV and eating at McDonald's much more than I'd like to admit.
So, anyway, here I sit. In the quiet, quiet living room. By myself. Normally, I would relish any moment like this, but it really is a totally different feeling being utterly alone. After I got up this morning, I looked out our kitchen window, and I saw some sort of "work truck" parked across the street. I have no idea what they are here for, and I intend to "Google" it to find out. I wish I could post a picture , but right now, my phone doesn't work. AND, I'm certain there is a way to do it on this crazy laptop, but I don't know how, yet. Our computer from home is currently packed up and waiting to be placed on a boat that will take approximately two months to arrive here. Good grief.
Last night, Chris had to take the rental car back to the airport. We were all tired, so he waited until around 9:00 to take it. Now, I realize it is at least a half hour's drive to the airport, so that should have accounted for at least an hour. I also allotted him about half an hour to just simply turn the car in. But, last night at 11:15, he still hadn't made it home. It was then that I realized that I don't know a soul here. I didn't even have a phone to contact anyone. I knew we had a phone on the computer desk, but I didn't have the foggiest idea how to use it. And, even if I did, who would I call?! And, what was the number here for 911?! I tried to think about how to get in touch with Chris, but all he had was his American cell phone that was still in "airplane mode," thanks to the outrageous cost of international calling. And, my phone was the same. Chris can take the SIM card out of his cell phone and replace it with one here, but I wasn't sure if he had done that before he left or not. And, even if he had, I didn't know the number to get him, and did I mention that I didn't know how to call anyone, anyway?! Crazy thoughts started going through my head, and I could feel myself begin to panic. Fortunately, I had the kids here, and I didn't want them to be scared, so I pulled myself together and calmed down. I ended up looking for our sweet "tour guide of sorts" Riemke's email. It took me several minutes of searching in my past emails to find it, but I did. I sent her an email, and about five minutes after I had sent it, Chris showed up. Whew!
Needless to say, I got a crash course in how to use our phone, got a tiny list of numbers (including 112, which is the Dutch 911), how to use the oven, the dishwasher and the washer and dryer, and how to turn on the televisions. Good grief, my brain is still hurting.
And, did I mention that the kids wanted pizza last night for dinner just after Chris had left? I thought, "Ok...that sounds easy enough!" Until I realized that not only were the directions to cook a pizza in Dutch, but I also couldn't figure out how to turn on the oven. Now, I'm certain that I could have figured out how long to cook that crazy thing, but with the conversion to celsius for the temperature, I was not even going to try it. So, we had cereal. That's better than McDonald's, right?!
Well, I guess I should go and wake up my snoring babies. After all, it is 12:15 PM now. Poor little guys. I hope the neighbors haven't gotten too used to it being quiet on this side, because that is ALL about to CHANGE.
I'll post more soon!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Blessings...
So, once again, I sit at the computer, and it's late. I'm a night owl, so that is not really that uncommon for me, though. I have SO much stuff that I really NEED to be doing, but I just couldn't resist sitting down and journaling the last three nights I've had and their impact on me.
So for starters, my sweet in-laws offered to keep my children overnight on Monday night, my sister-in-law offered to keep my children overnight on Tuesday night, and then, on Wednesday night, all three of my babies were going overnight in three different directions! Now, I haven't written much over the last couple of weeks, but let me just say that I've had a VERY emotional past several days, so I really needed a few nights away from my beloved babies. The only other time I've had three nights in a row away from my babies was in February when Chris and I went on our "preview" trip to the Netherlands. Having had at least one child with me every single second since Chris has been gone, including sleeping with me, I can't tell you how much I needed a few nights just by myself. Now, of course, once I found out that I was going to be childless, I decided that I would work during the day, and then I'd line up my long overdue Girls' Nights Outs with some of my gals! Here is the how the last three days have played out...
Monday...I had planned to hook up with my bestie Melissa on Monday evening, so I knew I was going to have to work Monday during the day to get as much stuff done as possible. I did accomplish a lot, but I still had a bunch of "running around" to do, so poor Melissa ended up going along with me on all of my stops that night. We went to Kohl's, Lifeway (where we ended up buying the book "Radical Together" that we intend to use as a Bible study over Skype...can't wait!), Barnes and Noble, World Market, Kirkland's, and of course our personal favorite...Target. Then, we headed back to Melissa's so I could drop her off, and we sat in her driveway talking until almost 1:00 in the morning! It was SO good to catch up! Goodness, it really has been a LONG time since I've been out talking that late! ☺
Tuesday...so, Tuesday was mostly the same way. I worked and worked all day on the upstairs of my my house trying to separate (again!) the kids' stuff, so I could get ready for the movers when they showed up on Monday morning. (I need to be able to just tell them, "Just pack this side of the room." Or, "Pack this whole closet.") Anyway, two of my closest friends from high school were scheduled to come by at 6:30 that evening. Our plan was to gather some of our favorite recipes and swap them out. Now, we'd been planning this for several months, and it didn't look like it was going to happen, but thanks to my unexpected babysitters, our night became reality. So, my sweet friend April donned her pajamas and went to a Chinese restaurant and picked us all up some fantastic Chinese dinner. So, my sweet friends, Kelly, April and I, sat around for hours in our pajamas copying recipes, listening to Kelly's eclectic mix of songs on her iPod, and just reminiscing and laughing. There is something about old childhood friendships, and I'm so thankful that we got to have that night!. Can I just say how much I love these two?! They are definitely going to have to come visit me when we all turn forty! Can't wait!☺
Wednesday...so this morning, I got up and straightened up a bit. I had to leave at 10:15ish to meet my sister-in-law Becky in Joelton at 11:15 to pick up my crew. They had a FANTASTIC time, and they were also looking forward to going in different directions that night! So, I got them, ran home and changed out clothes in their suitcases. We were supposed to be at our cub scout den's "End of the Year" swimming party at 12:30, but I had given Ashlynn and Avery the option of going to the party or going to the house where they were going to stay. Both of them wanted to be dropped off at their destinations. So, I dropped off Ashlynn at Melissa's, and I dropped off Avery at my sister's. Then, Aaron and I jetted out to the swim party. Okay, let me just say that I had NO idea that the "party" was for us. There was a sweet cake with "We Love the Kennedy Family" written on it, and we were serenaded with "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow." Then, I was presented with three precious scrapbooks for each of my babies. I couldn't even look at them today, and I totally wasn't prepared for anything like that. We are planning to join the Cub Scouts of America at our new school overseas, but I can say with all certainty that there will never be another group of boys and Mama's that will ever be able to live up to this one. They are truly irreplaceable, and I love them. THEN...I left there to go change clothes and head out to meet another group of gals. This group is my Bible study gals. We planned to eat at Newk's (LOVE that place!), and again, I wasn't prepared for what they gave, either. They gave me the movie "The Proposal," because during our Gatlinburg trips, that is our choice movie, and I love it! They also gave me two journals...one that is BEAUTIFUL! It is leather, and it has my name embossed on it! I can't wait to write down all of our adventures in it! The other one has my favorite verse (Jer. 29:11) on the front of it -AND- I *almost* bought it on Monday night when I was with Melissa at Barnes and Noble. It immediately caught my eye, but for whatever reason, I put it back. The girls had warned me not to look inside this one while we were out, because they had each written in it. So, tonight after I Skyped Chris, I leaned back in the chair for just a minute, and my eyes fell to this journal. I picked it up and read the entries. How. Blessed. I. Am. Tears streamed down my face as I read the precious words written on the pages that were meant especially (and only!) for me! After I finished reading the entries, I just sat and thought about the unique situation that I'm in. How many people get to really see what their true friends think of them? I've just been OVERWHELMED by ALL of my precious friends and seeing how much they care about me and my precious family.
I am very excited about going, but all of these "Good-byes" are almost too much for me to bear. I'm sure I'll make friends in Holland, but they will NEVER replace my sweet friends here at home. "Blessed" is the only word I can think to describe how I feel right now.
So for starters, my sweet in-laws offered to keep my children overnight on Monday night, my sister-in-law offered to keep my children overnight on Tuesday night, and then, on Wednesday night, all three of my babies were going overnight in three different directions! Now, I haven't written much over the last couple of weeks, but let me just say that I've had a VERY emotional past several days, so I really needed a few nights away from my beloved babies. The only other time I've had three nights in a row away from my babies was in February when Chris and I went on our "preview" trip to the Netherlands. Having had at least one child with me every single second since Chris has been gone, including sleeping with me, I can't tell you how much I needed a few nights just by myself. Now, of course, once I found out that I was going to be childless, I decided that I would work during the day, and then I'd line up my long overdue Girls' Nights Outs with some of my gals! Here is the how the last three days have played out...
Monday...I had planned to hook up with my bestie Melissa on Monday evening, so I knew I was going to have to work Monday during the day to get as much stuff done as possible. I did accomplish a lot, but I still had a bunch of "running around" to do, so poor Melissa ended up going along with me on all of my stops that night. We went to Kohl's, Lifeway (where we ended up buying the book "Radical Together" that we intend to use as a Bible study over Skype...can't wait!), Barnes and Noble, World Market, Kirkland's, and of course our personal favorite...Target. Then, we headed back to Melissa's so I could drop her off, and we sat in her driveway talking until almost 1:00 in the morning! It was SO good to catch up! Goodness, it really has been a LONG time since I've been out talking that late! ☺
Tuesday...so, Tuesday was mostly the same way. I worked and worked all day on the upstairs of my my house trying to separate (again!) the kids' stuff, so I could get ready for the movers when they showed up on Monday morning. (I need to be able to just tell them, "Just pack this side of the room." Or, "Pack this whole closet.") Anyway, two of my closest friends from high school were scheduled to come by at 6:30 that evening. Our plan was to gather some of our favorite recipes and swap them out. Now, we'd been planning this for several months, and it didn't look like it was going to happen, but thanks to my unexpected babysitters, our night became reality. So, my sweet friend April donned her pajamas and went to a Chinese restaurant and picked us all up some fantastic Chinese dinner. So, my sweet friends, Kelly, April and I, sat around for hours in our pajamas copying recipes, listening to Kelly's eclectic mix of songs on her iPod, and just reminiscing and laughing. There is something about old childhood friendships, and I'm so thankful that we got to have that night!. Can I just say how much I love these two?! They are definitely going to have to come visit me when we all turn forty! Can't wait!☺
Wednesday...so this morning, I got up and straightened up a bit. I had to leave at 10:15ish to meet my sister-in-law Becky in Joelton at 11:15 to pick up my crew. They had a FANTASTIC time, and they were also looking forward to going in different directions that night! So, I got them, ran home and changed out clothes in their suitcases. We were supposed to be at our cub scout den's "End of the Year" swimming party at 12:30, but I had given Ashlynn and Avery the option of going to the party or going to the house where they were going to stay. Both of them wanted to be dropped off at their destinations. So, I dropped off Ashlynn at Melissa's, and I dropped off Avery at my sister's. Then, Aaron and I jetted out to the swim party. Okay, let me just say that I had NO idea that the "party" was for us. There was a sweet cake with "We Love the Kennedy Family" written on it, and we were serenaded with "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow." Then, I was presented with three precious scrapbooks for each of my babies. I couldn't even look at them today, and I totally wasn't prepared for anything like that. We are planning to join the Cub Scouts of America at our new school overseas, but I can say with all certainty that there will never be another group of boys and Mama's that will ever be able to live up to this one. They are truly irreplaceable, and I love them. THEN...I left there to go change clothes and head out to meet another group of gals. This group is my Bible study gals. We planned to eat at Newk's (LOVE that place!), and again, I wasn't prepared for what they gave, either. They gave me the movie "The Proposal," because during our Gatlinburg trips, that is our choice movie, and I love it! They also gave me two journals...one that is BEAUTIFUL! It is leather, and it has my name embossed on it! I can't wait to write down all of our adventures in it! The other one has my favorite verse (Jer. 29:11) on the front of it -AND- I *almost* bought it on Monday night when I was with Melissa at Barnes and Noble. It immediately caught my eye, but for whatever reason, I put it back. The girls had warned me not to look inside this one while we were out, because they had each written in it. So, tonight after I Skyped Chris, I leaned back in the chair for just a minute, and my eyes fell to this journal. I picked it up and read the entries. How. Blessed. I. Am. Tears streamed down my face as I read the precious words written on the pages that were meant especially (and only!) for me! After I finished reading the entries, I just sat and thought about the unique situation that I'm in. How many people get to really see what their true friends think of them? I've just been OVERWHELMED by ALL of my precious friends and seeing how much they care about me and my precious family.
I am very excited about going, but all of these "Good-byes" are almost too much for me to bear. I'm sure I'll make friends in Holland, but they will NEVER replace my sweet friends here at home. "Blessed" is the only word I can think to describe how I feel right now.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friends
Okay...can I just say that I have the BEST friends a girl could ever ask for?!?! I just got back from a MUCH NEEDED Girl's Night Out with my sweet friend Melissa, because my sweet friend Marian selflessly volunteered to come over and watch my babies tonight. I got to go eat at Newk's and Sweet CeCe's, and then Melissa and I went to pick out books for our babies for our annual Christmas in July. Since it seems that our phone conversations that once lasted for hours have now shrunk to mere minutes, because of babies and husbands being out of town and the like, it was so great to catch up! There were even stories that I thought I had already shared with her that I didn't realize she didn't know the details about. It really had been too long since we had gotten to go out for coffee!
Melissa...I remember the first time we ever met. It was the summer of 1998, and I had just been hired at Stewartsboro Elementary to teach first grade and be the new cheerleading sponsor. It was my first year as a "real" classroom teacher, and I had been hired to teach first grade! My certification was only for first through eighth grade, but my emphasis was on grades six through eight. What in the world was I going to do with all these baby first graders?! I'll never forget going to the school to get my classroom key and Mrs. Belcher, the assistant principal, taking me to see my classroom and then on a tour of the rest of the school. As we were approaching the end of the first grade hall and clearly on the way back to the office, we heard some "child like" noises coming from one of the classrooms. Mrs. Belcher stopped and said, "Oh, one of the first grade teachers is here teaching summer school. Come here and I'll introduce you!" We walked into the classroom, and Melissa quickly stood up and came over to say hello. She was immediately warm and welcoming, and I knew instantly that we would be friends. Before I walked out the door, she had given me her name and number and had told me that if I needed ANYTHING to give her a call. It wasn't until later that I found out that she also had decided to be a co-sponsor for cheerleading. God truly does work in miraculous ways, because I had no idea what I was getting into and how much I needed Melissa in my life...and not just for that one year. Since then, she has been my confidant, my cheerleader, my prayer partner, my problem solver, my babysitter, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime and countless other titles. I can't imagine how I'm going to function on the other side of the world without her being ten minutes away. :-(
Marian...our babies (Alex and Ashlynn) were in the same dance class at Dance With Stacey in Smyrna. They were four years old at the time, and I had Aaron who was three years old and into everything, Avery who was a baby, we listed and sold our house because we were building another one, and we were living in an apartment at the time. My life was crazy then, and I didn't socialize much in that class. Then, the following fall, Ashlynn's kindergarten open house was scheduled for one evening in August. I remember walking in and scanning the room filled with several people I already knew. I remember seeing Marian sitting at the table with her husband, and I remember recalling that our kids had been in the same class the previous year. I also remember feeling badly that I had not made an attempt to talk to her at all during the dance year. Right off the bat, Marian and I immediately began to volunteer for Ms. Cockrell, so we began to be around each other quite a bit. It certainly didn't take long for me to see how caring, hard-working, selfless, creative, dependable and all kinds of other labels she was. Everyone needs a friend like Marian. She is that friend that you know you could call at 2:00 in the morning in an emergency, and she would do whatever it took to help you out, and she would not think twice about it! I tell everyone that she would give you the shirt off of her back if you really needed it. Again, what am I going to do without her? :-(
These two precious friends (along with some other friends of mine that I have similar stories about!) are also in the progress of planning a going away party for me. I can't even tell you how incredibly blessed I am to know them and to be able to call them my friends. I know that everyone comes into your life for a reason...some for a short time and some for a lifetime. I know these girls are in it for the long haul! I love you, girls!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
Melissa...I remember the first time we ever met. It was the summer of 1998, and I had just been hired at Stewartsboro Elementary to teach first grade and be the new cheerleading sponsor. It was my first year as a "real" classroom teacher, and I had been hired to teach first grade! My certification was only for first through eighth grade, but my emphasis was on grades six through eight. What in the world was I going to do with all these baby first graders?! I'll never forget going to the school to get my classroom key and Mrs. Belcher, the assistant principal, taking me to see my classroom and then on a tour of the rest of the school. As we were approaching the end of the first grade hall and clearly on the way back to the office, we heard some "child like" noises coming from one of the classrooms. Mrs. Belcher stopped and said, "Oh, one of the first grade teachers is here teaching summer school. Come here and I'll introduce you!" We walked into the classroom, and Melissa quickly stood up and came over to say hello. She was immediately warm and welcoming, and I knew instantly that we would be friends. Before I walked out the door, she had given me her name and number and had told me that if I needed ANYTHING to give her a call. It wasn't until later that I found out that she also had decided to be a co-sponsor for cheerleading. God truly does work in miraculous ways, because I had no idea what I was getting into and how much I needed Melissa in my life...and not just for that one year. Since then, she has been my confidant, my cheerleader, my prayer partner, my problem solver, my babysitter, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime and countless other titles. I can't imagine how I'm going to function on the other side of the world without her being ten minutes away. :-(
Marian...our babies (Alex and Ashlynn) were in the same dance class at Dance With Stacey in Smyrna. They were four years old at the time, and I had Aaron who was three years old and into everything, Avery who was a baby, we listed and sold our house because we were building another one, and we were living in an apartment at the time. My life was crazy then, and I didn't socialize much in that class. Then, the following fall, Ashlynn's kindergarten open house was scheduled for one evening in August. I remember walking in and scanning the room filled with several people I already knew. I remember seeing Marian sitting at the table with her husband, and I remember recalling that our kids had been in the same class the previous year. I also remember feeling badly that I had not made an attempt to talk to her at all during the dance year. Right off the bat, Marian and I immediately began to volunteer for Ms. Cockrell, so we began to be around each other quite a bit. It certainly didn't take long for me to see how caring, hard-working, selfless, creative, dependable and all kinds of other labels she was. Everyone needs a friend like Marian. She is that friend that you know you could call at 2:00 in the morning in an emergency, and she would do whatever it took to help you out, and she would not think twice about it! I tell everyone that she would give you the shirt off of her back if you really needed it. Again, what am I going to do without her? :-(
These two precious friends (along with some other friends of mine that I have similar stories about!) are also in the progress of planning a going away party for me. I can't even tell you how incredibly blessed I am to know them and to be able to call them my friends. I know that everyone comes into your life for a reason...some for a short time and some for a lifetime. I know these girls are in it for the long haul! I love you, girls!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Random Thoughts...
So...I'm sitting here at 11:15 on a Sunday night watching a "Minute to Win It" rerun. I've been trying to catch up on email responding, and I jumped on Facebook for a bit to check out some of my "new friends'" pages. I ran across a friend of mine's sweet blog, and I decided to read a day or two of her posts. Several minutes later, I realized that I had gotten lost in her beautifully eloquent writing! Then, I thought about my blog that I very randomly update. So, with a bit of guilt, I decided to take some time tonight and "catch up" on my currently crazy life.
So...this past week has been crazy, much like the past few months! Chris flew in from Holland on Saturday, and we picked him up from the airport that evening at about 6:30. We then came directly home to attend a sort of neighborhood block party. It was originally planned to celebrate our neighbor's 30th birthday, but it was also to introduce our neighbors' new catering business. The party was complete with a band (who are also our neighbors!), and they were fantastic!! The party was SO fun with great friends, great food and great music! I (again, much like the past few months) had a myriad of emotions that night. I hated to leave the party, because I thought about how this would be our last get together with the neighbors I love in the house that I adore. Yet, I wouldn't have missed spending time with my husband for anything, and my poor honey had to leave less than 24 hours later to head to Indianapolis for training.
We celebrated Father's Day, albeit very quickly, on Sunday morning before church, headed to lunch at Red Robin's with my parents and my sister and her family, and then Chris headed off to Indy at about 3:30 that afternoon. Bless that man! As hard as this has been on us not having him here, I can't imagine how much strength he has had to have to travel back and forth three times from Europe to the States, and then within the States on top of that! I'm so thankful for him!
We had Vacation Bible School this week, and the kids loved it! This is the first year since I was in college that I haven't volunteered all week, and I missed it terribly! My poor babies did have a hard time getting up for this, though, because they stayed up late Tuesday night waiting for Daddy to get home. Then, Ashlynn had date night with Daddy on Wednesday, and the boys and I went to the Lads concert at church. Thursday night was Aaron's date night with Daddy, so another late night, again. Chris took off on Friday, but that day was filled with VBS, cleaning out the garage, having a ton of paperwork notarized for our house, the mover survey guy coming out (for a third time!), Avery's date with Daddy, mowing the yard, cleaning the house for a Saturday showing, and finally MY date with Daddy that night. I decided to mow the yard while Chris and Avery were gone on their date, and the whole time I was out there, I was trying to hurry and figure out how to finish mowing and get showered before Chris got back dropping off the kids. For a brief second, I thought, "I hope Chris likes the smell of goat, because that is what I'm going to have to go on this date smelling like!" Fortunately, I did have enough time to finish the yard and shower before we left.☺ We had a great time, but we were both exhausted from all of the stuff going on!
We got to go to Clarksville to see Chris' family on Saturday, and then we went to see Cars 2 that night. Okay, I have to say that I LOVED the beginning of Cars 2!! The very beginning starts off with a reference to the reality show Deadliest Catch, and people who know me well know that I LOVE that show!! We all loved the movie! We are also trying to see lots of movies on the "big screen" before we go. There are movie theaters in Holland, and they are in English; however, Chris informed me last week that he had read something in a book that going to a Dutch movie theater was quite different than going to an American theater. Apparently, Dutch people talk loudly in person and on the phone, throw things and are just plain rude in movie theaters. I wonder why they even go? I'll definitely have to ask around about that!
Anyway, now it is 12:04, and I'm beginning to wind down. (I knew I shouldn't have had that mocha frappe from McDonald's at 7:00!) This week will consist of eye doctor appointments, play dates, more organizing (as we get ready for our sea shipment that will take place in two weeks!), and planning more details for the move.
I can't even begin to describe the emotions I have felt over the past several weeks! Right now, I'm missing my honey, but I still feel incredibly blessed that we have been able to see him for the last week!
Blessings until next time...
So...this past week has been crazy, much like the past few months! Chris flew in from Holland on Saturday, and we picked him up from the airport that evening at about 6:30. We then came directly home to attend a sort of neighborhood block party. It was originally planned to celebrate our neighbor's 30th birthday, but it was also to introduce our neighbors' new catering business. The party was complete with a band (who are also our neighbors!), and they were fantastic!! The party was SO fun with great friends, great food and great music! I (again, much like the past few months) had a myriad of emotions that night. I hated to leave the party, because I thought about how this would be our last get together with the neighbors I love in the house that I adore. Yet, I wouldn't have missed spending time with my husband for anything, and my poor honey had to leave less than 24 hours later to head to Indianapolis for training.
We celebrated Father's Day, albeit very quickly, on Sunday morning before church, headed to lunch at Red Robin's with my parents and my sister and her family, and then Chris headed off to Indy at about 3:30 that afternoon. Bless that man! As hard as this has been on us not having him here, I can't imagine how much strength he has had to have to travel back and forth three times from Europe to the States, and then within the States on top of that! I'm so thankful for him!
We had Vacation Bible School this week, and the kids loved it! This is the first year since I was in college that I haven't volunteered all week, and I missed it terribly! My poor babies did have a hard time getting up for this, though, because they stayed up late Tuesday night waiting for Daddy to get home. Then, Ashlynn had date night with Daddy on Wednesday, and the boys and I went to the Lads concert at church. Thursday night was Aaron's date night with Daddy, so another late night, again. Chris took off on Friday, but that day was filled with VBS, cleaning out the garage, having a ton of paperwork notarized for our house, the mover survey guy coming out (for a third time!), Avery's date with Daddy, mowing the yard, cleaning the house for a Saturday showing, and finally MY date with Daddy that night. I decided to mow the yard while Chris and Avery were gone on their date, and the whole time I was out there, I was trying to hurry and figure out how to finish mowing and get showered before Chris got back dropping off the kids. For a brief second, I thought, "I hope Chris likes the smell of goat, because that is what I'm going to have to go on this date smelling like!" Fortunately, I did have enough time to finish the yard and shower before we left.☺ We had a great time, but we were both exhausted from all of the stuff going on!
We got to go to Clarksville to see Chris' family on Saturday, and then we went to see Cars 2 that night. Okay, I have to say that I LOVED the beginning of Cars 2!! The very beginning starts off with a reference to the reality show Deadliest Catch, and people who know me well know that I LOVE that show!! We all loved the movie! We are also trying to see lots of movies on the "big screen" before we go. There are movie theaters in Holland, and they are in English; however, Chris informed me last week that he had read something in a book that going to a Dutch movie theater was quite different than going to an American theater. Apparently, Dutch people talk loudly in person and on the phone, throw things and are just plain rude in movie theaters. I wonder why they even go? I'll definitely have to ask around about that!
Anyway, now it is 12:04, and I'm beginning to wind down. (I knew I shouldn't have had that mocha frappe from McDonald's at 7:00!) This week will consist of eye doctor appointments, play dates, more organizing (as we get ready for our sea shipment that will take place in two weeks!), and planning more details for the move.
I can't even begin to describe the emotions I have felt over the past several weeks! Right now, I'm missing my honey, but I still feel incredibly blessed that we have been able to see him for the last week!
Blessings until next time...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Continuation...finally.
Okay...so I'm not so good at this blogging thing! I keep thinking in my mind that I want to write everything down so I won't forget it, but let's face it. Writing is not my passion!
Anyway, to pick up where we left off...we began praying that God would either close the door entirely or allow all of the details to fall into place. In the meantime, we began to research. We Googled where it was, what language they spoke, what their houses looked like, their schools, their churches and a bazillion other things. For weeks, when I laid down at night, I just couldn't get my mind to "turn off," because of all of the thoughts. As the days went on, Chris had been talking to lots of guys at work and began to get the impression that this was a REAL possibility. We finally decided that we had to tell the kids. I had already been playing the "What if we got the chance to move somewhere really fun" game with them. I knew we needed to tell them soon...after all, it had taken us six months to get them excited about our trip to Disney!☺ So, on Thanksgiving morning (because we thought it would come up in conversation), right before we left the house to go end enjoy food and family, we sat them down on the end of our bed and gently told them of our possible adventure. Avery really didn't have a clue what we were talking about. Aaron was thrilled!! Ashlynn burst into tears. This wasn't really the reaction I expected. I thought Ashlynn and Aaron would be reversed, so this really threw me. We discussed it all day...on the way to Mimi and Poppaw's, at the dinner table, while we were there, on the way to Grandmama and Granddaddy's, at the dinner table, while we were there, and on the way home. The next several days were an absolute emotional roller coaster. I could totally relate to what they were feeling, though, because I had experienced the same feelings days earlier. We all went from, "Yay!! We can't wait to move!" to "Why are we the ones that may have to go?"
We found out a few days after Chris was initially approached about the job that they had also approached two other guys, but Chris was the definite frontrunner. In fact, he was later told that "it was his to lose."
In November when we first found out, we wanted to just know ALL the details right then. It seemed like the whole process was moving in slow motion...no one really had any details to give us. So, we waited and continued to research.
Then, we got word that Chris' official interview was going to be on Thursday, January 13, in Indianapolis. As God would have it, this coincided with our church's first churchwide fast. So, on Sunday, January 9, we began our fast of television as a family. (God also has a sense of humor as we were out of school for four days due to snow that same week...with no TV!☺) We followed the same outline that our chuch followed for the fasting experience, but our family's main prayer focus was on what God's will for us truly was. We ALL were thrilled, terrified, overjoyed, relieved, happy, sad, etc. when Chris called us at 6:15 that evening on his way home from the interview to say that he had gotten the "official" call and offer. The kids and I knew immediately when I hung up the phone with him that THIS was God's plan for US! I've had several people ask me how the kids feel about it or if they were mad at us for taking them away. I always answer the same way...WE didn't make this decision. We are just being obedient to God, and the kids got to witness and experience a true answer to prayer. What a blessing!!
Once we got "the call," everything changed from slow motion to fast play! Before Chris got off the phone that night, they had told him that I needed to have a passport, because they wanted us to go on a preview trip to make sure we could actually live there. So, I began gathering all my papers to submit for a United States passport. I literally submitted my papers on Tuesday, January 18, and I had it back in my hands on Tuesday, February 25...apparently, that is lightning speed, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap. Anyway, Chris and I left to go over to The Netherlands on Saturday afternoon, January 29, and we returned home on Sunday, March 6. I'll save the next part of this journey for next time...☺
Anyway, to pick up where we left off...we began praying that God would either close the door entirely or allow all of the details to fall into place. In the meantime, we began to research. We Googled where it was, what language they spoke, what their houses looked like, their schools, their churches and a bazillion other things. For weeks, when I laid down at night, I just couldn't get my mind to "turn off," because of all of the thoughts. As the days went on, Chris had been talking to lots of guys at work and began to get the impression that this was a REAL possibility. We finally decided that we had to tell the kids. I had already been playing the "What if we got the chance to move somewhere really fun" game with them. I knew we needed to tell them soon...after all, it had taken us six months to get them excited about our trip to Disney!☺ So, on Thanksgiving morning (because we thought it would come up in conversation), right before we left the house to go end enjoy food and family, we sat them down on the end of our bed and gently told them of our possible adventure. Avery really didn't have a clue what we were talking about. Aaron was thrilled!! Ashlynn burst into tears. This wasn't really the reaction I expected. I thought Ashlynn and Aaron would be reversed, so this really threw me. We discussed it all day...on the way to Mimi and Poppaw's, at the dinner table, while we were there, on the way to Grandmama and Granddaddy's, at the dinner table, while we were there, and on the way home. The next several days were an absolute emotional roller coaster. I could totally relate to what they were feeling, though, because I had experienced the same feelings days earlier. We all went from, "Yay!! We can't wait to move!" to "Why are we the ones that may have to go?"
We found out a few days after Chris was initially approached about the job that they had also approached two other guys, but Chris was the definite frontrunner. In fact, he was later told that "it was his to lose."
In November when we first found out, we wanted to just know ALL the details right then. It seemed like the whole process was moving in slow motion...no one really had any details to give us. So, we waited and continued to research.
Then, we got word that Chris' official interview was going to be on Thursday, January 13, in Indianapolis. As God would have it, this coincided with our church's first churchwide fast. So, on Sunday, January 9, we began our fast of television as a family. (God also has a sense of humor as we were out of school for four days due to snow that same week...with no TV!☺) We followed the same outline that our chuch followed for the fasting experience, but our family's main prayer focus was on what God's will for us truly was. We ALL were thrilled, terrified, overjoyed, relieved, happy, sad, etc. when Chris called us at 6:15 that evening on his way home from the interview to say that he had gotten the "official" call and offer. The kids and I knew immediately when I hung up the phone with him that THIS was God's plan for US! I've had several people ask me how the kids feel about it or if they were mad at us for taking them away. I always answer the same way...WE didn't make this decision. We are just being obedient to God, and the kids got to witness and experience a true answer to prayer. What a blessing!!
Once we got "the call," everything changed from slow motion to fast play! Before Chris got off the phone that night, they had told him that I needed to have a passport, because they wanted us to go on a preview trip to make sure we could actually live there. So, I began gathering all my papers to submit for a United States passport. I literally submitted my papers on Tuesday, January 18, and I had it back in my hands on Tuesday, February 25...apparently, that is lightning speed, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap. Anyway, Chris and I left to go over to The Netherlands on Saturday afternoon, January 29, and we returned home on Sunday, March 6. I'll save the next part of this journey for next time...☺
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Move
Whew!! So tonight is March 26, and the last six weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. Over the course of the last month and a half, I have...gotten a passport for myself, visited the Netherlands for a week long preview trip, researched the Netherland's schools and houses, applied for all three children to get into the American School of the Hague, applied for passports for all three children, received confirmation for all three to be accepted into the school, received all three children's passports, cleaned out all three children's closets, prepared items for consignment sale number 1, have begun preparing items for consignment sale number 2, dealt with two bouts of strep throat, dealt with one round of rash, had one child tested for TB to get into a zoo class for this summer, and just celebrated one child's birthday with a fun old fashioned sleepover last night. I have also managed to deal with the normal "life" with three children with my husband having only been in town for three of the last six weeks. Who wouldn't want to be me right now? Anyway, all that to say...hello, blog friends...hopefully I can begin to update a bit on all these crazy move details that so many people want to know.
Our story is so incredibly long that it really will take several posts to catch everyone up, so let's just start from the beginning...
Back on Sunday, October 31, 2010, Chris received an email from a "guy at work" at about 9:00 that night. All it said was, "I'd like to talk to you tomorrow after your meeting. Good topic, no worries." Chris knew immediately that something was up. We speculated all kinds of things that night trying to figure out what it was that needed to be discussed. Chris had been telling me over the course of the summer that some things had been said at work that had made him wonder if he was going to be offered a transfer position. Of course, we assumed that the transfer position would be in Bloomington, Illinois, or Des Moines, Iowa...neither of which sounded inviting to me. So, when this strange email popped up, we immediately began to wonder if we were about to be offered a new job opportunity.
So...Chris had a meeting the following day that was to be over around 10:30. I was supposed to start my new seasonal job at Ray Hines and Co. on the square in Murfreesboro the following day, too. But, all I could think about was wondering what in the world Tim needed to talk to Chris about. I emailed and called a few times, but "the meeting" kept geting delayed thoughout the day until they finally had to reschedule it for the next day. Good grief! We had to go another day in suspense!!
So, Tuesday, November 2 came and Chris finally met with Tim that morning. I received an email from Chris giving me the highlights..."transfer offer to the Netherlands." He then tried to put a positive spin on it by including how close it was to Paris, Brussels, and Germany. After I got the email, I immediately called him, of course. He thought I was at work that morning, which is why he sent the email instead of calling. (Just for the record, I still think a move of that magnitude deserves a call instead of an email...I'm just sayin'.) Of course after the initial, "WHAT?!?!," Chris gave me what few details he knew...which were few. I believe all he knew at this point was that it was a temporary move, possibly 3 years, but not certain. Then, he said, "Now, don't tell ANYBODY." WHAT?! You can't possibly give me THAT kind of news and expect me to just hold it in!! So, I immediately got off the phone and called my parents, my sister and my best friends, Melissa and April. After I had gotten off the phone, I eventually got on the computer and googled "The Netherlands." I had no idea even where it was! For the next couple of days, Chris and I were CONSUMED with researching as much of that country as we could. I can't even begin to tell you how many millions and millions of details that went through my mind during those couple of days...Where is this country? What do they speak? How would the children transition? Who will cut my hair? Do they have Target? Do they have peanut butter? Do they have doctors there?...on and on and on. There were several points during those few days that I literally thought I was going to hyperventilate, because I just couldn't handle all the thoughts.
Then, it finally occurred to me. "Christi, there is no reason for you to make this kind of decision by yourself! In fact, why are you even trying to carry this on your own? If this is part of God's plan, HE will work out EVERY single detail of this situation! If this not part of HIS plan, HE will close the door. Give it up, girl!"
And, I did.
And, I had an immediate, unusual peace.
And, in the back of my mind, I thought..."There are SOOOO many details that are going to have to fall into place that this will NEVER happen."
Boy, was I wrong. As I have learned in my BSF class this year...NOTHING can thwart God's plan.
Stay tuned for the DETAILS!!☺
Our story is so incredibly long that it really will take several posts to catch everyone up, so let's just start from the beginning...
Back on Sunday, October 31, 2010, Chris received an email from a "guy at work" at about 9:00 that night. All it said was, "I'd like to talk to you tomorrow after your meeting. Good topic, no worries." Chris knew immediately that something was up. We speculated all kinds of things that night trying to figure out what it was that needed to be discussed. Chris had been telling me over the course of the summer that some things had been said at work that had made him wonder if he was going to be offered a transfer position. Of course, we assumed that the transfer position would be in Bloomington, Illinois, or Des Moines, Iowa...neither of which sounded inviting to me. So, when this strange email popped up, we immediately began to wonder if we were about to be offered a new job opportunity.
So...Chris had a meeting the following day that was to be over around 10:30. I was supposed to start my new seasonal job at Ray Hines and Co. on the square in Murfreesboro the following day, too. But, all I could think about was wondering what in the world Tim needed to talk to Chris about. I emailed and called a few times, but "the meeting" kept geting delayed thoughout the day until they finally had to reschedule it for the next day. Good grief! We had to go another day in suspense!!
So, Tuesday, November 2 came and Chris finally met with Tim that morning. I received an email from Chris giving me the highlights..."transfer offer to the Netherlands." He then tried to put a positive spin on it by including how close it was to Paris, Brussels, and Germany. After I got the email, I immediately called him, of course. He thought I was at work that morning, which is why he sent the email instead of calling. (Just for the record, I still think a move of that magnitude deserves a call instead of an email...I'm just sayin'.) Of course after the initial, "WHAT?!?!," Chris gave me what few details he knew...which were few. I believe all he knew at this point was that it was a temporary move, possibly 3 years, but not certain. Then, he said, "Now, don't tell ANYBODY." WHAT?! You can't possibly give me THAT kind of news and expect me to just hold it in!! So, I immediately got off the phone and called my parents, my sister and my best friends, Melissa and April. After I had gotten off the phone, I eventually got on the computer and googled "The Netherlands." I had no idea even where it was! For the next couple of days, Chris and I were CONSUMED with researching as much of that country as we could. I can't even begin to tell you how many millions and millions of details that went through my mind during those couple of days...Where is this country? What do they speak? How would the children transition? Who will cut my hair? Do they have Target? Do they have peanut butter? Do they have doctors there?...on and on and on. There were several points during those few days that I literally thought I was going to hyperventilate, because I just couldn't handle all the thoughts.
Then, it finally occurred to me. "Christi, there is no reason for you to make this kind of decision by yourself! In fact, why are you even trying to carry this on your own? If this is part of God's plan, HE will work out EVERY single detail of this situation! If this not part of HIS plan, HE will close the door. Give it up, girl!"
And, I did.
And, I had an immediate, unusual peace.
And, in the back of my mind, I thought..."There are SOOOO many details that are going to have to fall into place that this will NEVER happen."
Boy, was I wrong. As I have learned in my BSF class this year...NOTHING can thwart God's plan.
Stay tuned for the DETAILS!!☺
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Drumroll, please...
Okay, okay, so how long has it been since I've made a post? Who knows? I'm going to TRY to do better about updating and posting...we'll see how long I'll keep up.
Well, for starters, we have had an awesome weekend this weekend!! Friday night, Avery had baseball practice, which he loves! Ashlynn and Aaron did not want to stay and watch him, because the highly anticipated "Camp Rock 2" movie on Disney was supposed to debut that same evening. So, we dropped off little man with Coach Daddy, and we headed home to pop us a huge bowl of popcorn and snuggle up on the couch to watch the movie. And, of course, Disney did not disappoint! It was SO good, and the kids (even Aaron!) loved it!
Then, on Saturday morning, Chris got up super early to go to Clarksville and play golf with some of his high school buddies to celebrate his 25th high school reunion. Yes, I said 25TH!! I admit I am married to an old man, and I also admit that I was a child bride, too.☺ In the meantime, Aaron had a baseball scrimmage that Chris had hooked up, so I was left to take him and the crew to the scrimmage from 11:00 until 1:00. What beautiful weather we had for that scrimmage!! Love, love, love this time of year!!!
Then, as soon as the scrimmage was over, we loaded up in the van and made a bee line to Clarksville for the "formal" part of the reunion. Now, I have to admit that I wasn't particularly thrilled about going to this reunion, because I have only met most of these folks one or two other times, and except for Chris' best friend, it has been five years since I've even seen them! I really don't have a lot in common with these people, so I wasn't nuts about going to the "social" hour before the dinner. But, because I love my honey, I dressed in my new outfit and went on. We got there, and we immediately ran into Chris' buddy Danny and his wife Brenda. Danny is actually a physician in Cool Springs, and they live off of Concord Road in Brentwood. We kept saying five years ago that we were going to get together since we live so close, but here it is five years later, and we still hadn't gotten together. Anyway, we had so much fun with them, and we have promised that we won't let another five years go by without getting together at least a couple of times. I also met several other VERY sweet and interesting people, and I really did have a great time. I really am already looking forward to the next one in 2015.
Well, we spent the night in Clarksville last night, went to church with Chris' parents this morning, and then we left to come home just before lunch. Chris cut the grass, and then we got ready to go to our church for the annual Deacon's dinner. We had SO much fun just eating and hanging out with our church family! We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather, too!! We really had a perfect day today!!
Tomorrow, we are planning to go to Huntsville to the Space and Rocket Center. The kids have never been, so I hope we'll have fun!
So glad to be back...hopefully, it won't be as long between posts next time!☺
Well, for starters, we have had an awesome weekend this weekend!! Friday night, Avery had baseball practice, which he loves! Ashlynn and Aaron did not want to stay and watch him, because the highly anticipated "Camp Rock 2" movie on Disney was supposed to debut that same evening. So, we dropped off little man with Coach Daddy, and we headed home to pop us a huge bowl of popcorn and snuggle up on the couch to watch the movie. And, of course, Disney did not disappoint! It was SO good, and the kids (even Aaron!) loved it!
Then, on Saturday morning, Chris got up super early to go to Clarksville and play golf with some of his high school buddies to celebrate his 25th high school reunion. Yes, I said 25TH!! I admit I am married to an old man, and I also admit that I was a child bride, too.☺ In the meantime, Aaron had a baseball scrimmage that Chris had hooked up, so I was left to take him and the crew to the scrimmage from 11:00 until 1:00. What beautiful weather we had for that scrimmage!! Love, love, love this time of year!!!
Then, as soon as the scrimmage was over, we loaded up in the van and made a bee line to Clarksville for the "formal" part of the reunion. Now, I have to admit that I wasn't particularly thrilled about going to this reunion, because I have only met most of these folks one or two other times, and except for Chris' best friend, it has been five years since I've even seen them! I really don't have a lot in common with these people, so I wasn't nuts about going to the "social" hour before the dinner. But, because I love my honey, I dressed in my new outfit and went on. We got there, and we immediately ran into Chris' buddy Danny and his wife Brenda. Danny is actually a physician in Cool Springs, and they live off of Concord Road in Brentwood. We kept saying five years ago that we were going to get together since we live so close, but here it is five years later, and we still hadn't gotten together. Anyway, we had so much fun with them, and we have promised that we won't let another five years go by without getting together at least a couple of times. I also met several other VERY sweet and interesting people, and I really did have a great time. I really am already looking forward to the next one in 2015.
Well, we spent the night in Clarksville last night, went to church with Chris' parents this morning, and then we left to come home just before lunch. Chris cut the grass, and then we got ready to go to our church for the annual Deacon's dinner. We had SO much fun just eating and hanging out with our church family! We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather, too!! We really had a perfect day today!!
Tomorrow, we are planning to go to Huntsville to the Space and Rocket Center. The kids have never been, so I hope we'll have fun!
So glad to be back...hopefully, it won't be as long between posts next time!☺
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)