24

When we went to bed on Monday night, Gary and I were seriously considering renting a sweet little (!) place downtown. It was a bit of a stretch with a few safety concerns, but appeared to possibly be the best way to get "settled." It still wasn't looking good on our possible purchase of a home, and we need to get more permanent housing soon because of school starting in two weeks.

Well, Tuesday a.m., after much talk and prayer, we decided that the timing for the rental just wasn't right for where our kids are in life right now, so I made the call to the owner and thanked her for considering us.

A few minutes later our realtor called. The investor who is the seller for our home had finally agreed to the terms we had to have in order to move forward. So, the whirlwind began. We had just received our insurance money the day before, found an insurance agent to go to the home and get home insurance ball rolling, singed the final papers for the title company, and called in a friend to help with the electrical - he needed the work and we needed him fast!

So, today we are praising the Lord and looking at many of the original boxes for dishes etc to start packing (it's more fun to pack than shop...trust me). We should close sometime next week (hopefully early in the week), and then the process of repairs and moving will begin.

Prayers for the days ahead...

• Good, inexpensive ways to get the repairs done. The seller is not doing any of them, and we are now very tight financially. We are praying to get them done early as some are rather serious.
• Smooth moving (it shouldn't be too hard - hee hee) and joyful setting up of our new home.
• Good items at garage sales as we are now working on finding some hobby items and ways to make the home better.
• Transitions for the kids to go well and safely. Pray for friends that love Jesus or will love Jesus through our family.
• Final pieces of school registrations to come through.
• A "Point Person" to run a concert/fund raiser to help our family with the other more costly items on our "list of needs." We aren't even sure how to find this kind of person, but as there is a great band that has offered to help, and others who have said they would really like to see this done for us, we are praying that God will send just the right person.
• Lots of hugs, love, and rejoicing for all of us as we come "home!"
• Lots of friends and teens and new friends to fill our home with laughter!

Love and God bless and big hugs to all of you!

gary & tam

Reminders

This has been a week of reminders... Running into a former neighbor at a garage sale (still trying to find odds and ends - garage sales are good for that!), sorting through laundry and having to look at almost every tag to try to remember which clothes belong to each of us, and big hugs from so many - whether in writing or in the physical.

There are also reminders that kind of catch us off guard. Yesterday we came upon one of those. While living in Wisconsin, Gary and I had saved for quite some time to buy a special kind of mattress that cut down on aches and pains more than many others. You know how it is...as you get a bit older, sleep can sometimes be a bit less easy. We loved (in a very materialistic sense of the word) this mattress. So, yesterday, we set out to see if we could find one similar to our former one. The last few weeks my pain levels have shot up, and we realized I would probably need a special mattress again.

We shopped around for a while and then went to a store where we knew they carried the same kind. When we laid down, it felt so much like "home" we both had tears in our eyes. It wasn't the mattress as much as the reminder of something so familiar. Yes, we are planning to save for a very good mattress again, but we are also reminded of how great God's love is for our family.

He didn't save the small stuff, or even most of the "big" stuff, but we shop for all these things together. We are rebuilding our "home" together, and finding our way through each of these reminders together.

Bea and I looked at what will soon be our new refrigerator at a dear friend's home who is remodeling. Isaac came with us to find some new tools for Gary - for when he needs to take apart some of our furniture to move it. Caleb and I grab a few minutes here and there to enjoy putting together a puzzle from someone who new we would need some quiet distractions. And Tati, my precious organizer, is constantly helping us rethink where things should go, how they should look.

After shopping for mattresses, we all sat down around ten last night and watched an old TV show online (those shows from the 80's are great for the kids). Everyone was laughing at the show, and playing with our new dog and kitten, and one of the kids stopped at some point and mentioned how great it felt to just be "family."

So, yes, there are certainly a thousand reminders everywhere we look of our new "reality," but there are far more reminders of the love of family, friends, and most of all God. He has wrapped us up in a new "blanket" of His love and we simply can't forget that He is sustaining us through all the reminders.

Much love to all of you. Thank you so much for continuing to ask how we are doing, being interested in what is happening, and just cheering us on!

Week 6 - REALLY?!

The dog is barking at the condo-hood dogs. I guess he found his "voice" when he realized how many more dogs there are in the world. It's a sweet bark, so we don't mind. Reggie has become quite a delight to our whole family - yes! even Gary!. Gary has always asked, "Why would anyone want an animal dwelling in the same building with them?" Today, however, he invited our precious little mutt to come cuddle in bed with him! What a miracle!

Tomorrow Reggie will, Lord willing, get a little brother - a feline brother. The girls have continued to miss our Joseph-kitty, and so even though they really love the pup, we're going to become a 2 pet family.

What else? Well, things continue to move forward on the home we are purchasing. Inspection is done. Appraisal came in a little low, so the owner is having to lower the price (yes, I'm serious), and schools are allowing us to register with papers that show we will soon have permanent housing. That is wonderful!

We love our big pink "boat," especially on the highway up to Santa Barbara, where the road is so bumpy, we have a blast enjoying the suspension (or lack thereof?) in this old towncar.

Emotionally? Again, I am realizing that slowing down on the intensity of it all is allowing all of us to realize what we miss. Funny, but very, very little of it has anything to do with "stuff." The kids are really coming to grips with losing their neighborhood playmates, the easy walks to the CVS and post office, and Gary and I are missing neighbors and just the feel of "home," meaning Ventura. We are being as strategic as possible to make sure that all of us stay connected - finally feeling like we are breathing enough to have the energy to do so.

We are comfortable with the fact that most of our immediate needs are now covered...from here we will fill in some of the "wants." Things like boogie boards, a surfboard, a yard swing, and a few more "toys" to give us back the sense of having hobbies. We will soon find some additional chairs for our patio set (1/2 burned), maybe a dresser or two, and a couple of bookshelves. I know Craigslist has gotten quite a reputation, but it's a great place to find a player piano (even though it's green).

The new home is feeling more exciting as we go too. We found out the other day that the two big palms in our backyard are actully BANANA trees! How happy is that?! And there are oranges, lemons, tangerines (or cuties - what's the difference?), and even some sage - or was it thyme? Our "garden" has already been planted, so now we get to care for it and enjoy.

Sounds a bit more normal, doesn't it? We think so too.

Please, when we are settled, come by - even those who are far away! We would so enjoy your company!