Paradise - a little bit closer

WOW! What a week! We didn't get nearly as much done in Idaho as we'd hoped. We did get my dad ready for winter - mostly. We got the moving van. 26 feet is a LOT bigger than I thought it would be. We got the main storage unit empty and most of the stuff from my dad's house that we needed to take; 4 wheeler, dirt bikes, Darren's tools, the kids' bicycles and so forth. We ended up having to leave a couple of things that I'd hoped we would have room for - the air hockey table & Foosball table, to be more specific :^) No biggie - we can get them next time.

The hardest part of all was leaving my dad. The kids have been such a big part of his life, and he a huge part of theirs. I really wish he would come here, with us, but so far he says he prefers to stay in Idaho. It's going to be really difficult not being near him, especially with his health. I miss him very much, already. The kids do, too. Patrick even said he wanted to just stay in Idaho and live with "Grampa" because he knows he is going to "miss him too much"...

We left early Sunday morning. As for pets, we ended up only bringing 1 dog. The cats ran away from the my girlfriend's home and we couldn't bring the turtle and guppy in the moving van - there just wasn't room in the cab it was SOOO small. Jenny, we found out, had bone cancer and it was more painful than she (and we) could bear, so we had to put her down. It was very, very, very sad...

Darren drove the truck from Pocatello to Baker. Then he and Patrick took the car and went on to hunting camp. Emi, Aaron and I then took over the moving truck and drove the rest of the way "home". It wasn't too bad until we got past The Dalles. Then it got dark and began to rain pretty hard. By the time I got to Portland it was a torrential downpour and the traffic was so heavy! I'd have never thought the traffic would be so bad on a Sunday night. The kids and I finally made it to Salem around 9:30, went and got some dinner and called it a day.

Monday morning we began unloading the moving van into the shop. Darren's cousins helped out (thank goodness!!) and we got it empty in just a couple of hours. So, we are that much closer to making our new home. We still can't move into the house for about another week but our clothes and things are here and there is truly a light at the end of the tunnel.

The kids are all signed up for school and we have their bus information. We will all leave and get home at about the same time each day, which is really nice. I also think, for the most part, we'll even have all the same days off.

I'm really happy with the way everything is falling into place. Very clearly, God is taking care of us. I have been blessed.

things that make you say "hhhmmmm"

I have an "e-friend" that I have been receiving newsletters from for about 5 or 6 years. He is trying to build a youth ranch and youth "support center" type thing in the Boise area. The scope of his efforts revolve around a youth ranch and shelter for foster children, troubled youth, a shelter for unwed mothers and other young people in need of spiritual guidance and help - along with a prayer center for church retreats, individuals and groups in need of a place to have solitude and prayer with our Saviour.

Anyway - as I was reading his latest newsletter something in it really hit home with me regarding current life situations -- I will paste the entire quote below:

"When God gives us something we like/want, what should our response be? In thinking about the new house that we want to buy, I had to think about how we could use that house for ministry. God simply doesn't give us material possessions so that we can be selfish with them. He expects us to share, and to use them to minister to others, especially those in need. So first I had to consider whether or not we have been ministering to the people around us, right here, right now, in spite of how cramped this house is. And I had to learn to be thankful for it too. In fact, we didn't find the new house until after I finally told God that I would stay in this house for however long He wanted, if that meant He had a ministry here for us to do."

Like the title of this blog...... "things that make you say "hhhmmmm....""

....If anyone is interested in information about this wonderful program - let me know and I can send you ranch information and/or have you put on the newsletter mailing list....

God's blessings to you all.....

This will be "short and sweet". We don't have our own internet access yet and I am borrowing a computer. Thought I'd give a brief update....

First our living situation -- I was told it was my fault that a trip to Oregon was cancelled - because I had mentioned that my husband and I were staying in Portland...Well, we are no longer living in Portland - we have a nice place to live....in Salem. There is lots of room for the kids to play, it is close to my job and it is easy access to the freeway for Darren to get to work without having to fight driving through town :^)

We are leaving this weekend to pick up the kids and our stuff from Pocatello. We'll be there for about a week, getting my dad all set up for winter and taking care of some last minute details. Then I'll come back to Salem while Darren and Patrick stop off in - gosh I don't know where - to hunt with Darren's dad and brothers for a week. Patrick is terribly excited about it! He hasn't talked about much else for months!

Next, employment -- I got a job right away, here in Salem -- guess it was "meant to be" - as I'd been looking for work for over a month in Portland and hadn't really found much of anything. Guess God knew the way things would turn out there.

There really isn't a lot else to talk about. We have all the things we need; food, shelter, clothing, jobs....and of course, eachother. God has blessed us with that.

Well, like I said, I'm borrowing a computer so I'd best end here. I doubt I'll be updating anything here from now on. If anyone would like my other contact info, just post a note here and I'll check back every once in a while and get that to you.

Happy end of summer :)