A Few Thoughts on the Big Move

We’re here in Medina, TN. Whew! Let’s all take a big sigh of relief that the old house is empty, clean and waiting for a buyer and- while the new house might be full of boxes- they’re our boxes, full of our stuff. I survived the 6 1/2 hour drive north with a car filled to maximum capacity with all the stuff the movers wouldn’t put on the truck, 4 kids, 1 dog, and a frazzled mom.

We went to church on Sunday and honestly, by next week I expect we’ll have met everyone there is to meet. The Branch has an average weekly attendance of 60 people, and our arrival doubled the primary. People are very nice and the 1st counselor in the bishopric very frankly told us that they are excited to have us speak this Sunday since they don’t often have new speakers. Everyone has been extremely kind and welcoming and I get that feeling that this small unit of the church functions very much like a family.

A few thoughts on the move:

• I COULD NOT have managed everything in Hattiesburg without all the amazing love and support I got from my dear friends there. The ladies who took my kids, brought meals, and helped me clean. Ernie did not come home for this move, so this move was on me alone and I was not alone.
• Max is the most stressed of all the kids. He has been exceptionally clingy and whiny. It’s been a few days and we’re getting the stuff unpacked and he seems to be adjusting now.
• Bogart, our faithful dog, is also having a really hard time. He’s 8 years old and for the first 2 days in the new house he seemed to be highly stressed. He too is starting to settle down.
• A week of eating out for every meal, coupled with an entire summer of not going to the gym, has really wreaked havoc on my waistline. I am a stress eater. There, I admitted it. I will admit that it’s going to be a month or so before I start to feel settled so there will not be any dieting anytime soon.
• There are more churches here than restaurants.
• Ernie and I have managed to handle the stress of this move pretty well. One or two days of not feeling the love- but that’s it! Not bad, in my opinion. We get better at communicating each time we move. We’re better at anticipating the stressful situations that are common with moving and we now have some coping skills that we didn’t have when we started this nomadic lifestyle of ours.
• I hate trying to figure out the best way to set up a new kitchen. I mean, really. It takes a while to get the cupboards perfect and to have the flow down for cooking and cleaning. Arghh. I just know that half of what I’ve unpacked is going to be moved in the next 3 months to a better, more efficient location. (And I’m already annoyed about it).
• The yard takes the girl next door 3 1/2 hours to mow and we are paying her $120 per mow. And that’s the cheapest price we found! Since it is now being mowed once a week, I am praying that the fall gets here soon so the grass will stop growing. (We will be purchasing a mower of our own in the spring, but can’t spend the $4500 right now needed to buy the commercial mower that our 5 acres requires.)
• Ernie likes his job. That is a big deal.
• We opened a local bank account today inside the bank. It felt so novel, and antiquated. I don’t think I’ve opened a bank account inside of a bank since 1995. Our new bank account is with the Bank of Milan, in case you’re wondering. And yes, when I say it’s a local bank, I mean local as in Milan, TN. Hence the name: Bank of Milan. (pronounced MY-len, not mi-LAHN).

So overall, life is grand. Life is good. We’re in a new place and we’ll root ourselves as best we can and trust in the Lord to take care of the rest.