what a long, strange trip it's been...

What a strange feeling!  Instead of facing a bank of windows with a view of a tree-edged pond, I'm facing a blank tan wall as I sit at my computer desk.  Borga is chewing noisily in her crate at my right, instead of being on another floor.  Tall stacks of cardboard boxes clutter the room.  Still, I'm glad to be here.  We're finally in Indiana! 

I don't know how to do justice to the move itself, other than to say that nearly everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong.  Movers called in sick, a major underestimation of the amount of stuff we had, a millipede invasion, mysterious power failures, terrible hot and humid weather, daily rain, injuries...ceaseless work, sleepless nights, sleeping on the floor, etc., etc.  After spending an entire week on the garage (where we kept a lot of our business merchandise), THIS is what it looked like...24 hours before the buyer walk-through, and 1.5 days before the actual closing.

But we were given a miraculous reprieve when, because of a bank error, our closing was delayed by 3 days, giving us enough time to finish up.  What a delight it was to see Todd carrying out the very last box!

I was too tired to take more than a cursory last look at our place.

Do you see Clotilde in the driveway? She stayed close to the Uhaul as we packed, sleeping in its shade or rubbing against our ankles.  I'm happy to report that several neighbors volunteered to take over the care and feeding of our little strays.  We'll miss them, though!

The long drive to Indiana!  We were completely exhausted and had to take at least one 30-minute nap, but didn't want to linger too long.  We wanted to make the trip in one day.

Because of road construction, it took about 13 hours to make it home.  But we made it! Todd had a helpful co-pilot...

...and we made sure to take a few silly pictures on the way.

For the first several days in Indiana, we were so exhausted that we spent a lot of time sleeping.  I don't ever remember being so tired after an experience!  But slowly, we're adjusting.  I joined the gym, Todd arranged his office space and made sure that all the trucks and Uhaul were unloaded into our storage units, and we're now looking for a house.   I think it will take a couple of weeks, at least, until we have some semblance of a normal schedule...but we're getting closer every day.  We took our first hike yesterday, too.  There's a nice trail about 5 minutes from the apartment.  What a great feeling to have a camera in hand again!

Looking forward to more hikes, kayaking, farmers markets, new experiences, and new friends!

the season, it is a' changin'

Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday.  I love everything about fall, and Halloween is right in the thick of it.  Black cats, dancing skeletons, and scary movies!  Chilly mornings, stormy nights, and cuddling by the bonfire! 

You only have to look at my craft stash to see where my holiday love lies.  I've got personalized Halloween stationary, post-it notes, countless rubber and acrylic stamps depicting various aspects of the holiday, skeleton candy sprinkles, Halloween cupcake liners, candy molds, treat bags, scrapbook paper, ribbons, stickers, vellum and chipboard shapes, cookie cutters, cake pans, and paper punches.  Now, I can add Halloween stencils to the list.

Now it's easy to use powdered sugar or cocoa to decorate holiday pies.  Way to go, Martha!

Unfortunately, this year all of my holiday paraphernalia is packed away in moving boxes...much like the rest of the house.  Empty bookcases...

...empty cabinets...empty shelves.  Hopefully we'll be closing on our new house one month from now!  And, while I can't enjoy my own Halloween goodies, I can at least try to appreciate what's around me...like this spooky neighborhood cat with positively glowing green eyes.  A perfect Halloween cat, you might say!

Meanwhile, I've been getting into the fall spirit around here with my usual seasonal bouquets.

I love spider mums, and they seem to last so much longer than 'regular' mums.  I've also been buying lilies.  I didn't use to like the smell...but it's been growing on me.

 

I just haven't had time to get outside with my camera, but I couldn't help but notice this small butterfly perched on our back screen door.

 

 Beautiful large, patterned eyes!

He only perched for a moment before taking off again. 

That's like my blog entry today, too...a brief perch, and now back to packing!

Have a great week!

Blessings, Boxes, and Bumble Bees

The first CS Lewis book I ever bought was Surprised by Joy.  I suppose that if I were writing the story of my life, this chapter would be called Surprised by Grace.  For two years, Todd and I wrestled with the uncertainty of our futures.  Should we move to the Pacific Northwest, where his family lives, and hope that God provided a job?  Would that act constitute ‘blind faith’ in God’s providence, or just plain foolishness on our part?  Should he give up the job search and put his energies wholeheartedly into our home business?  In that case, should we stay in Indiana, where the cost of living was much lower than out west?  Or, if he continued to look for work in his field, should we be less choosy about where we were willing to live?  Just how bad could Fresno be, anyway? 

As we struggled to decide, Todd continued to work hard on his dissertation, and we continued to pray for God’s guidance.  He obtained his PhD in November 2011, and we committed to one more year of job searching before reevaluating our options.

Suddenly, surprisingly, everything fell into place.  Originally, the timelines of the two schools that Todd had interviewed with didn’t line up, and in the spirit of A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, we had committed to taking the first offer.  We had a definite preference for Clemson, but I had a sinking feeling when viewing the timeline…if the first school made an offer, there’s no way that Clemson would have had time to interview all the candidates and make a decision.  The first school had some delays in their process, though, giving Clemson the necessary time, and when Todd got both offers, we were able to decide quickly. 

The idea of living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by lakes and forests, with a moderate climate, and the job itself, made the decision to accept an easy one.

We found the perfect house for us, and our offer was accepted.  Todd spent a week at a toy show in Florida, and made the exact amount of money needed for the down payment on the new house.  Five days before his relocation, Todd was able to find a 2-month rental just 3 miles from the university, and yesterday, we accepted an offer on our house in Indianapolis. 

My grandpa used to call me a worrywart when I was growing up, and it’s true that I typically worry about everything I can’t control.  When Todd goes somewhere, I worry about drunks and crazed gunmen and half-asleep semi truck drivers.  I fret about social gatherings and mysterious pains (Todd:  “It’s NOT a tumor!”) and our dog’s obedience…or lack thereof.  Yet, throughout this entire process:  contemplating a long-distance move, being separated from my husband for 6 weeks,  running our business and packing up the entire house by myself, finding a house in Clemson, and selling this one, all in a very brief – and specific – amount of time…I’ve felt entirely calm.  A strange sense of peace has pervaded my life and as I sit here, watching my cats doze in the sunshine, with butterflies flocking to the flower beds just outside the window, I feel as if God is ticking off items on a checklist for us.  Perfect job?  Check.  Clemson house?  Check.  Down payment?  Check.  Selling the Indianapolis house?  Check.  I love this serene feeling, so atypical for me, and I feel completely awed as I contemplate these blessings from God. 

It doesn't happen all the time, but I love the times I can actually see God's hand in my life.  God is good!

Of course, it hasn't been entirely stress-free.  Our weekend looked like this:

Oh, and this:

And a whole lot of this:

But Todd finally got on the road and made it safely to Clemson yesterday.  Meanwhile, I took over his office.  I noticed Bosewichte looking wistfully at the sunny window formerly occupied by Todd's file cabinets, so I set up a little chair for him.

Someone became jealous, so soon the space looked like this:

It gives me great pleasure to type away at my desk while two cats snooze in the sun just over my shoulder.  

I've had just a little time for working in the yard, but I've seen quite a few interesting creatures during that short time.  A few mantises...

...and lots of butterflies.  Yellow ones...

White ones...

  

...and lots of Monarchs.  I love Monarchs, with their cheerful dotted bodies and their indifference to humans.  

If you move slowly, you'll be able to get quite close.  

Speaking of dotted, I've seen a lot of cucumber beetles...

 

And, of course, the usual assortment of bees.

I'm so glad that the drought is over, and that I'm able to spend a little bit of pre-autumn time outside, enjoying the sights!

I hope you can too...have a great week!