Thirteen Things We Just Had to Have

THURSDAY THIRTEEN EDITION 38

Our container arrived today!! We were excited and relieved to have that part of our move over with. We had nice weather this morning and plenty of guys to help us unload everything into the storage building. I was relieved to discover that my mirrors on my wardrobe and the shelves in the fridge had not broken. The fridge hadn’t molded either. Most everything went into storage but here is a list of 13 things that we brought back to my parents’ house because felt we couldn’t live without them any longer

1. My computer – no more sharing the laptop
2. My monitor – kind of need that to go with the computer
3. 2 desk chairs – because we’ve been using my mom’s kitchen chairs
4. 4 bicycles – for fun
5. A bunch of DVDs – can’t live without those, can we?
6. Hannah’s bean bag chair – just because she wanted it
7. European A-4 sized paper – the kids started notebooks with European supplies and need the paper to finish out the school year.
8. Tennis rackets – for more fun
9. A jump rope – think we might get some exercise!
10. 2 laundry baskets – my mom doesn’t use any. I don’t know how she functions!
11. Rack for drying clothes – my mom has 2 but they are falling apart
12. 3 sleeping bags – we have company coming and some of the kids will sleep on the floor.
13. A wooden puzzle piece to our state map puzzle – it’s the state of Massachusetts. Hannah found it on the ground. I am wondering what happened to the rest of the puzzle.

GET THE THURSDAY THIRTEEN CODE HERE!!

Disappointment and Surprise

We were hoping our container would arrive here in Alabama on Saturday. John had men lined up to help unload. Then on Friday we found out that it won’t be here until Tuesday. I am not sure what we’ll do about help in the middle of the week when just about everyone is working. Most everything will go into the storage building that we have rented. We will pull a few things out like my computer (no more sharing the laptop!!) and the kids’ bicycles. I am anxious to know if my refrigerator is completely molded inside after seven weeks of storage. I am not going to think about what might be broken. OK, I am thinking about it but I am trying to remind myself that it is just stuff.

This morning at church, we had a pleasant surprise. After the congregation sang a few songs, there was a time to shake hands and greet others around us. John exchanged pleasantries with a woman in the seat in front of him. She complimented him on his singing and he said something in return. Then she told him that she didn’t speak English very well. “Oh, where are you from?” he asked. “Romania,” she replied. Well, then John rattled off a couple of sentences in Romanian and the lady’s jaw hit the floor! She and her husband are just visiting their children that live here in the States. We were able to talk with them more after church and we have plans to get together with them this weekend.

Feeling Better

I suppose with all that we have gone through in the past few months, my body demanded a rest. And rest I have done! I woke up this morning when Holly came into the room. John was sitting here at the computer which is in our bedroom. I heard her whisper, “Daddy, can we have lunch now?” Lunch? I looked at the clock. It was 11:30. I still have a cough and become weak by doing the least little thing but I am feeling better. Thank you so much for your prayers and good wishes.

There are so many things that need to be done. Our container should arrive in a US port soon. Then we will have it shipped here. John has rented a storage building and our belongings will stay there until we know our next step. I want to do some organizing of our things that are already here. Some things we brought with us from Romania. We also have boxes of things that my parents have generously stored for many years; things that we did not want to bring to Romania. If I can go through some of those, our living space will be a bit less cluttered. I also need to make a school schedule. I am still not sure what was accomplished before I woke up this morning but the kids treated the rest of the day like a Saturday. We did do one science lesson this week and they read all week. I am looking forward to next week, Holly’s birthday, time with family and hopefully finding routine. What about you?

Moving Day

Our morning was off to an early start. The container was outside our gate promptly at 8 AM. Friends were here to help but we had to wait on the customs agent. He finally arrived and John had to go with him, somewhere, to take care of paper work. The rest of us stood around and waited.

I did not look at my watch when John returned. I think it was somewhere near 10 AM. Everyone quickly began carrying boxes and furniture outside. We worked without a lunch break until sometime around 3:30. I did send the girls to the store for some drinks and chips. Healthy, I know.

Thanks to John’s expert packing skills, everything fit. Praise the Lord! The sun did not shine all day, but neither did it rain. Praise the Lord! The customs agent did not give us any hassle what so ever. If you have ever lived in a foreign country, you know that this is a true miracle. Praise the Lord!

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

Psalm 7:17