November 6, 2009
We have been here exactly 12 days….not that I am counting. It has been a fast paced adjustment to unpacking, getting settled and the community welcoming us with open arms. Life is sure different here without our friends, our familiar hang outs, and all the people that loved on us and helped up along the way. I have barely had time to think with all that has gone on but we hope in the next few weeks to get a chance to take a deep breath and get back on track to life. Missing all of you!
October 27, 2009
Well, we and all of our stuff made it safely to Savannah. As we sit here amongst all of the boxes, it is hard to believe this is our new home. As I look at sweet Gress trying to figure all of this out, I am brought back to remembering moving throughout my childhood. It was challenging at first, exciting second, and a bit lonely realizing your surroundings are quite unfamiliar. Yes, exploring is fun but being unsettled is just that. As we all sat on the kitchen floor eating one of our favorite meals (meatloaf) last night, Gress asked who was coming over for dinner. We once again explained that our friends were a bit further away and we wouldn’t be able to have dinner with them for a while. It is quiet here. We sat outside staring at the unclean green pool and realized, the pace of things is much slower. It’s a nice change. Looking up at our new back door, a nest of caterpillars is hatching. It reminds me of all the change Rad and I have been through in our last 9 years in Atlanta. Little did I know we were being transformed to grow somewhere else. Who knew. If you would have asked us 9 years ago where we would be, never would I have said here. God has a way of working out the kinks, and revealing things you never expected. Now on to unpack more boxes and start to feel a little more settled.
October 22, 2009
I am so very thankful to be leaving this neighborhood. There is no doubt we were put here for a reason (as seen in the photo below). But our time has come. The light bulbs have slowly started to fail (why do all die at once), the house across the street has finally been renovated (3 years later), and the neighborhood crime has gotten no better if not worse. I KNOW it might have seemed crazy to stay here for so long. But in looking at the photo below, I know why we did. There was impact that happened between Radford and the kids. On both sides of the equation. The kids finally all moved back in with their mom this last weekend. They will still be around on the weekends. They told us yesterday that they are going to miss us. We told them someone better might move in, and they all said, we doubt it! There are so many people in need in this neighborhood. I just found out yesterday that there is a group in our neighborhood that raises money to help families in desperate need of things. One lady living around us has been using bottled water for over a decade for ALL of her water needs because her plumbing was so bad. And she was our neighbor. This group got her help and she now has healthy water. I dare you to look around where you live and reach out. You never know what God will do through you to reach someone else or change you for the better! Living here has definitely changed us.
October 22, 2009
We desperately tried to get Gress to put on his garb for his halloween costume. Because he had no nap and not much sleep the night before (his choice x2), he decided he did not like the cow vest, the hat, the boots, or the horse on a stick. The only part of the costume he would let us put on him is below. Still stinking cute but he looks more like a wanted poster than a cowboy!
October 18, 2009
The time has almost come to go, leave, depart the familiar and enter into a new way of doing things. I have found myself in this same spot many times throughout my life. Every move as a child brought with it excitement for the new and a feeling of not really knowing what to expect next. It is in this moment of crazy adventure that I find myself wanting to make this the best experience for Gressett. He has NO idea what is going on. He knows we are moving (not sure how his brain computes that), and he knows we are going to Savannah (I’m glad he has stopped telling people Havana). I don’t want him to look back and remember (if he even can) that we were stressed and overwhelmed amongst the excitement. I want him to fearlessly take risk. I want him to run in the direction of his dreams. And I want him to know that he was designed to do great things for God. We don’t know where this journey will take us all. We know we are leaving lots of things we love behind. But we know they will still be a part of us as we head out to follow our dreams!
September 27, 2009
We hiked Stone Mountain this last week. Radford and Gressett had never been so what a great thing to see. We hiked it with the Franklin family. SOO fun. Radford thought he wanted to run up it but soon realized it was quite a big mountain. Adventures like this make me realize we only need more of them. THANKS Franklins for asking us to the challenge!
September 25, 2009
I think something is engrained in boys to be LOUD! There is no whisper dial on them. As much as I try to encourage Gressett to be quiet, he just doesn’t get it. When I say you need to be a little more quiet, he asks, “are there people sleeping.” I automatically say no but I might have to just say yes.
He was supposed to count to 20 here then run. He did it 5 times before the camera came on, well and then there is this….
doneSeptember 18, 2009
There is something about being with my sister that brings out all parts of me. I can be silly, I can be sad, I can be annoyed, and I can just be. I don’t have to make excuses and I don’t have to be consistent, and she loves me nonetheless. I wasn’t the nicest big sister to her, and she doesn’t hold it against me. She is an amazing person with one of the biggest hearts I know. I am so thankful to have her around Gress. He just loves her (although he might on some days like Rob more). She has never liked kids. It just hasn’t been her thing. But Gress brings out things in her I love to see. I get to see her silliness, her BIG heart, and her overwhelming love for this little guy. I hope he always gets to enjoy life with her! Love you Karin!
September 12, 2009
My dear friends lost their dads this week. One died 8 years ago this week and the other just this last week. What a huge loss to not have a father. I can’t imagine the void that is left when someone that brought you into this world is gone. I hurt for them and hurt for their children that will no longer experience what it is like to have a “Pop.” It reminds me to cherish the days I have left with my dad. Life is short.
September 9, 2009
I can’t get enough of the ocean, the sand and hanging out with my 2 favorite people. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
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