Month: June 2021

The new place…

| Stacy

The normal Saturday busy-ness kept us moving all morning long.
Group phone calls with the agent, John and I were happening as I was driving to and fro.

The sellers accepted our offer.  We did not need to escalate our offer and they cancelled their open house for today.

This is a miracle.  There is no other way to explain it.

We got a house without a song and dance.

One house.  One offer. 

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It isn’t what I imagined.
But it is lovely.  So easy on the eyes.  Well decorated and gentle looking.

We will mess it up, for sure…
From the moment I saw it in Seabreeze, it felt like it was ours.
And that, my friends, is good enough for me. ♥

Outings–a Second Seabreeze adventure AND HOUSE HUNT HIT

| Stacy

Our second Seabreeze day arrived.  The four girls and I arrived at park open, and Tab met up with Lauren.  We started with the rides we missed Monday.  The weather was just as hot as Monday and we found time to fit swimming in today, as well.

Many homeschool friends were here today, just like Monday.  What a joy it was to see so many friends.

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I’m not going to lie.  I was VERY distracted, as it is PAST crunch time on finding a house in SC, and I had to review my phone on an incessant basic. 

I joked with my friend Laura, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, but I need a place to live and God knows I’m running out of time.”

While waiting for the girls in the water park, I noted a home that could work.   It was large and flashy, and it could work.  But it felt pretentious and I stood still on it.

Then an hour or so later I saw another house it the market.  While it didn’t look anything like what I would have ordered up, it checked off boxes and was very attractive. It was priced on the lower end of our range and it had a lovely backyard.

I texted John and our agent. They were both IN SC.  I was in line for the Bumper Cars.

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Things fell into place.  John and our agent planned to look at it at 6PM.  I was at home in time to FaceTime my way through.

An offer was written and we went to bed hopeful the search was over.


Outings–to encourage Mama.

| Stacy

When one of your closest friends from work is besties with one of your oldest friends from church worlds COLLIDE in THE best possible way.

My world is reeling with John in SC and us trying to find a house and get other ducks in a row.  All day long the Enemy chided me that I did NOT have time for this gathering.  Being down a car and staying up on all the kids’ schedules and appointments has had me running like Ricochet Rabbit. 

What a JoY to SloW dOWn and enjoy the fellowship.

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And food.  So much amazing food.

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And prayer.  Praise the LORD – \o/ the PRAYER.

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God is so faithful.

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I do not deserve these women.  But God has been so generous.

Outings–with the Nowaks

| Stacy

After the soccer season ends, the plan is always to “get together soon.”
But it doesn’t happen enough.

How special when Lauren and Jocelyn reached out to hang with the girls.
The plan to swim was thwarted by the weather.  Instead they went to FunHouse in Henrietta, and made a quick stop at Lollipop Farm.

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Outings – Seabreeze for the memories.

| Stacy

As the emails for Seabreeze were coming to my email in box, I ignored them.  I erroneously thought they were for the weekend of Johanna’s musical, and we would not be able to go.

Turns out, I was reading too quickly and the Holy Spirit had my back.  I caught it just in time to buy tickets for the 25th with our homeschool group.

So why is this posted for the 21st?

OH!  Turns out another group of homeschoolers were also going on the 21st. 

And if Seabreeze is good enough to squeeze in ONE last time, it is good enough to squeeze in TWO more times.

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Having not been in almost two full years, we were eager to see if Katriel was tall enough to ride everything.

She was.

I’m happy she got to experience Jack Rabbit before we moved.

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We did waterslides and ran into friends and did waterslides some more.

Stewart, Nigel and Gunnar also went for the day, though we ran into them infrequently.

We managed to leave just as it started to rain, and we encountered a storm of Biblical proportions on the way home.

Meanwhile, I had my phone turned on and alerts turned on and had a power cord and earphone JUST IN CASE A HOUSE went for sale in SC that would work for us.

It did not.

But God is good and He will provide.

Goodbye to RGH.

| Stacy

My first day at work was August 1998.
My last day of work was tonight.

We’ve been short staffed since 2017.  My last shift only permitted me to see a few of my “buddies.”  But that didn’t stop them from loving on me.

Donna stopped at Tops at 10PM the night before.  The cake people were gone, so she had to also buy the frosting and she wrote on it herself.  That made this more than “just a cake.”  She put on a cross. ♥

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I brought cookies.

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Kathy brought an amazing pie.  I oriented her in 2004.

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Jamie and Mary were also there that afternoon.

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It was a VERY busy shift.  I barely had time to think.  We were super short staffed and I didn’t stop moving.

And then it was time to go.

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A home away from home. But now home is moving, too.

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I don’t really plan to work when we get to SC. 
Or will I?  I am going to let the LORD lead that one.  He knows if I need to be home, or if I need to take my skills to serve somewhere. 

Glad I don’t have to figure this out on my own.

MUSIC MAN!–one year later!

| Stacy

It was over a year ago Johanna found out she was cast as Eulalie Shinn for the Home School Christian Theater Club production of the Music Man.

Then – blah – blah – blah – Zoom – Mask – toilet paper – time to go back.

Or something like that.

We had fun with the 1920’s hair.

She had fun being the campy mayor’s wife.

We LOVED being around our friends.  Our people.  Our like-minded peers.

(whom we are moving away from? – ouch.)

SO SPECIAL.

She had to wear a mask, but these kids were more than able to emote.
There was MUCH less parental involvement this time, and that kind of worked at this stage of life.

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We also had a FANTASTABULOUS time at the after show party Sunday.

And we cried all the way home.

Graduation Garbage Plates

| Stacy

Nigel is low-key.
Under the radar.
Keeping it quiet.

BUT – HE FINISHED HIS ASSOCIATES DEGREE!  He’s 18.  He did GREAT!

And we asked him how we might be able to celebrate the accomplishment.

He didn’t have any requests, but he was more than happy to share his favorite meal with Mama and Dad. 

We went to Mac’s Philly Cheesesteak for Garbage Plates.

This is mine. It was my first Garbage Plate.

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I ate about 40%, and felt AWFUL for two days.
It was my last Garbage Plate.

I can’t even look at this.