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the trip to Colorado (part 1)

the trip to Colorado (part 1)

We had one adventurous trip to Colorado.  I thought I would share it with you, so you will see how God was with us the whole way.  This story is kind of long, so I will be splitting it up into several posts. 

 

Jeremiah 29:11

11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

We have been in Colorado for 2 weeks now and I can tell you that it is only by the grace of God and many prayers that were lifted on our behalf, that we are here.  Our goal was to leave our  home in North Carolina was August 1st.  My husband didn’t have to be at work until August 6th, so that gave us plenty of time to even do a little site seeing on our way west.

August 1st approaches and we find ourselves a little behind schedule.  We still had to take the beds apart, pack a couple of dressers in the PODs, as well as the kitchen.  We had window a/c units and had taken them out.  It was 90+ degrees that day.  My husband, oldest daughter and myself missed breakfast because we were trying to get everything packed.  We figured we could pack quickly and get something to eat in the road.  By the time we got everything packed, it was around 1:00pm.  We were all hot, hungry and a little cranky.    So the first problem was being behind schedule and leaving about 5-6 hours later than we had planned.

Then the second problem happened.  As my husband was turning off the water at the main valve outside the house, the handle broke off in his hand.  Water started pouring out of the ground.  We went to our neighbor to see if we could find the other cut off valve, that was just up the hill.  My husband found it.  Along with a poison ivy plant. (more on that in a few).  My husband got the water cut off and our very gracious neighbor said he would fix the broke valve so we could get on the road.

As were were loading everyone up in the van, we had a dead battery.  Yes, someone {ahem, me} left the ignition on with the lights as we were trying to get the water fixed. So then we had to dig for the jumper cables in the bottom of the loaded van.  Remember, it is 90+ degrees, we have no air (van had dead battery and wouldn’t crank), and the vehicle is loaded down.  We finally (meaning husband and son), get the van cranked and we go to load up again, only for my husband to get extremely sick.  Why?  He got over heated trying to finish up last minute details.  It didn’t help that we hadn’t had breakfast or lunch yet.  He gets very sick.  He finally gets to where he is feeling better and we are able to get on the road.  It is already 2:00pm, by this time.  While everyone was a little discourage, I knew we would be okay.  This move was planned by God and He would continue to take care of us.

Not only did all of that happen, we were also dealing with two sick children.  Both of our daughters were sick with colds.  Our oldest was the worse of the two.  Her cough was horrible.  Our first destination for the evening was a hotel in Indiana, just across the border of Kentucky, where her best friend moved last year.  Our oldest daughter had plans of spending the night with her.   While she enjoyed the very short visit with her friend, she ended up throwing up most of the night.  So our plans of taking it easy the next day and visiting with the family, we decided to hit the road.  After I got some gatorade in her, she fell asleep very quickly.  It was at that time I sent out a prayer request to many friends.  By the many prayers being lifted for her and the grace of God, she woke up about an hour later feeling better.

Yes, we were off to a rough start, but God was with us.  He was watching out for us every step of the way.  He would continue to prove this over the next several days.

 

Join me on Wednesday for part 2.

blessing bags and boxes

blessing bags and boxes

As you know, moving can be rough one the family, especially the children.  There is so much to do, that sometimes the kids can get looked over when you start going through the belongings in the house.  I have 4 children and they are all at different stages on their lives at this moment.  Our oldest son is 19, oldest daughter 14 and then the youngest two are 6 and soon to be 8 in just a couple of weeks.  The oldest two do understand why we are moving and are handling things pretty well, considering.  However, the younger two kids are having a little more difficult time with the move.  They  do not understand why we have to leave our home, their friends and this area.  They have especially become a little clingy to things as we have been trying to purge and lighten the load before packing everything up.  This is how the blessings bags and boxes have come in handy!

So what is a blessings bag or box?  It is just a simple garbage bag or a cardboard box filled with items that we no longer need and want to bless others with.  My youngest daughter is a girly girl and loves her clothes.  However, we just had way too many of them.  Once I explained that we would be giving the clothes to other little girls in need, she had no problem with sharing her clothes.  The same happened with her shoes and toys.  Our youngest son would have given everything of his away if we had let him!

So far, the kids and I have given away 7 boxes of books, 6-7 bags of clothing, a box of shoes and a couple of boxes of toys.  We have felt good unloading the items we no longer need, in hopes of someone else possibly needing them for their children.  This has also been a good way to include the kids in the move.  It is tough to begin with, with so many changes going on, yet when you let them help, it helps them feel good about themselves.

How do you help your children with a major change in their life, like moving?  I would love for you to share your ideas with us.

saying goodbye is never easy…

We moved to North Carolina just 7 1/2 short years ago.  In this time we added a 4th child, bought a house, graduated a son from high school and made many wonderful friends.  We helped organize a homeschool support group and joined an amazing church that has become like family to us.  Now it has come time for us to say goodbye and move on to a new season in our life.

Ecclesiastes 3

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

The kids have been busy having play dates and sleepovers.  I have pretty much been a yes mom the whole month of July.  I have just wanted the kids to know that their friends do love them and will miss them.  It isn’t easy saying bye.  However, it is a part of life that we sometimes have to go through.  Change can be good, even if you don’t see it at the time.  The kids are having the biggest problem with this, especially the younger two.  They don’t understand why we have to move.  We just keep being upbeat and positive about all the new adventures that we will be having.

Saying goodbye has been hard for me, too.  I have come to love this area and the people in it.  Yes, I know that God has a plan for us.  It is meant for us to go to Colorado.  We will listen to Him and obey, no matter how hard it is.  God is in control and will take care of us.  In the mean time, I will cry when I give hugs and say goodbye. I will hold my kids, love on them and tell them that it is okay to be sad and okay to cry.

I will also tell the kids that God is holding them.  That it is important to listen to God and not only listen, but to obey Him.  God will send us new friends and new activities to do.  As long as we keep listening, obeying and glorifying Him, He will give us comfort and peace. I know that God has great plans for our family.  We may not know 100% sure what they are just yet, but we have our ears, minds and hearts opened, ready to do His will.

Jeremiah 29:11

11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

In the meantime, I am clinging to His holy words. We still have some purging and packing to do, but will be ready to pull out this next Wednesday morning.   So as our family takes this next step in our journey, please keep us in your prayers.  Prayers for peace, comfort and safe travels.  Blessings.

 

an early birthday party…

an early birthday party…

Our youngest son will be turning 8 in a few weeks.  When he found out we would be moving, he was sad that we wouldn’t be here to celebrate his birthday with his friends.  So what is a mom to do?  We had an early birthday party!

Singing happy birthday to him! He was so shy and was trying to hide his face.

Thrown together in less than a week, we had cake, ice cream, chips and drink at a local park.  Our son had been sick the week before and still wasn’t feeling all that great.  He didn’t even eat any of his cake or even go to the playground to play, but that didn’t stop his wonderful friends from hanging around the pavilion and talking with him.

He will miss this group of friends.  He has grown and been homeschooled with this kids for the past 7 years.  However, we will always have these precious memories of days like this.

Sammy and friends.

a few tips to help you, when you move…(things I am learning)

Since we found out a few weeks ago that we would be moving across country, I have learned a few things since I began packing.  I thought I would share a few of those things with you.  You know, for when God tells you that you need to move. 😉

The first tip I have for all of you is to start purging now.  You know, get rid of those things that you really don’t need.  Like that pile of Christmas wrapping paper sitting in the corner of your bedroom.  {ahem} Or those clothes that you keep thinking you will be fitting back into, one of these days.  If you don’t need it to live, then it isn’t necessary to keep.  Yes, I am figuring this out.

My next tip I have for you, especially if you are homeschoolers, go ahead and box of your curriculum and books.  Be sure to label exactly what is in the box so you will know which ones to grab first when you get to your new home.

The next tip I want to share with you (which I am finally learning to do), is ask for help.  You know when your friends ask if there is anything they can do to help you?  Yes, take them up on it.  If they ask if they can watch your kids for you, do it!  If they ask you if they can bring a meal to you, take it!  It has always been hard for me to ask for help, but I am finally getting the hang of it now.

My last tip for all of you mom’s is to get plenty of rest.  Yes, I said rest.  I know that you have a lot on your plate right now.  You are trying to get estimations on moving companies, locate a rental for you and your family to move in, keep up the basic housework every day.  There is a lot to do and it will still be there tomorrow.  However, if you over do it, you can hurt yourself or even get sick by not getting the proper rest.  So please take a  break every now and then, drink plenty of water and most of all get plenty of sleep at night.  Don’t be up writing posts at midnight, giving tips to help others out.  😉