I think I feel a bit more accomplished tonight.  I emptied quite a few boxes earlier today, Skylar at my side to help.  Dell helped me hang some of my primitive things tonight too. The living room is slowly becoming me.  But boy, it seems it’s taken a long time to get here.

But back to where I left off last night.

Before I begin there is one important thing I did in fact leave off and that is my friend Jane.  She was there for me every step of the way, traveling back and forth the 83-miles one way, helping without pay, just glad she could be there. I know for a fact she must have been exhausted, but still, she remained. On Sunday, August 30^th, she went to my old house and cleaned beyond belief before I could even get there to get the final things. She knew the new buyers were coming later that day and for fear they might back out (after all, we all knew how bipolar they were), she wanted to make sure it looked “fabulous!”   And it did.

Our first trip here that Saturday, when we knew the house was now ours and we could begin moving in, she was with me. This was the trip we took my 19-year-old cat. The one I panicked about for so long! How would he take this trip?  I packed him tightly in a cat carrier I borrowed from Susan’s mom, wrapped a piece of carpet foam with an old towel, and carried him to the car.  At first he rode with Dell and Lilly in the Lincoln pulling a trailer, while Jason drove the U-Hall huge truck, of which Pete rode with Jason.  The GMC Jimmy I was driving was packed to the gills!  I didn’t think I had room for any of the animals.  However, shortly after we left for the first trip, Dell had trailer problems and had to stop before we even left town. I went ahead and took the cat in his carrier with me, put him on top of the stuff right behind the driver’s seat, and off we went.  He never cried once. I kept saying to Jane,  “Cat check!” to make sure he was still alive! I did this the whole 1.5 hour trip.  He slept most of the way and seemed completely undisturbed by anything going on around him!  The day before I had actually thought about calling the vet and doing that thing I dreaded doing most, so afraid he wouldn’t adjust to the move. He was dragging his back legs, and seemed to be drifting away so quickly, but I couldn’t. My heart just didn’t allow me to do it. On the drive there, I was so glad I didn’t make that call.  He almost seemed to really enjoy the ride.

When Jane and I pulled up in front of my new house I began to cry. Just for a minute,  “What am I doing Jane?” I said in tears.  She then began to cry saying, “Don’t leave me!”  We pulled ourselves together and in we went.  Jason had beat us, and Amy was already there, even tho it was Skylar’s birthday, they all seemed to be waiting for this day. Finally, mom and dad would be so close.

And that was the first trip to the new house. We unloaded as quickly as we could that Saturday, knowing we were going to have to do two trips.  It was very strenuous and challenging.

I covered in last night’s journal how Sunday went, then Monday, the day of closings, leading off that I was leaving town for the last time to head to the closing in the city of my new house.  I felt as if I was on vacation.

Closing on the new house just absolutely went about as smooth as anyone could want.  There were no emotions as the previous owners had given power of attorney to their realtor to sign all the paper work. They had moved to California a year earlier and were just glad to finally have the place sold.  It was over within an hour and I walked out no longer homeless, family property now gone, a new house that I could call mine, it was now finally a new chapter beginning.

Dell and I both took the week off.  We spent the next few days simply trying to empty boxes, and shopped for new appliances while Pete and Lilly slowly became accumulated with their almost 2 acres in the back, fenced in of which they could run till their hearts were content.

Being in a neighborhood was rather strange for me.  Even tho there are a few acres that separate everyone, our fence in the backyard does line the yard next door. They have a German Shepherd of which I feared he wouldn’t take to kindly to Pete, both being male and he being much older.  I watched as they met the “German” as I so quickly came to call him.  I always forget how friendly my dogs are.  They all seemed to hit if off immediately as I saw Pete run up and down the fence wagging his tail with the German.  2 weeks later, they run out and look for each other.  A new friend to play with I guess. It really is amazing!

Amy and Chad have been here almost every night helping.  Susan and Jason have been here quite a bit too.  Considering everyone works full time and have little ones, I find this amazing. I know the time is going to come when the newness will wear off, but for now, it’s nice to have the help.  Jane who had NEVER driven out of our hometown for anything actually braved it and drove by herself the 83 miles here.  Poor thing! She had only one anxiety attack when she thought she’d gotten on the wrong road, but she hadn’t and quickly I got her calmed down and she did great!  She helped SO much with organizing my kitchen. Again, how could I ever repay her for what she had done?  As is the same for Chad and Amy, Jason and Susie!

Even tho we weren’t even set up, Joel and Emma and kids came in for Labor Day weekend. They stayed with us for a few days and helped as much as they could. It was so nice to be that much closer to them and to have so much room for them to stay with us now.  I only felt bad because I was so busy trying to organize and get things set up.

Since being here I have very, “VERY” little “me” time.  I am slowly getting caught up on feeling a bit more rested and not being exhausted, but because of the work situation, that leaves me a bit stretched.

I continue to work at the university. I drive it round trip on Mondays, which means I leave home at 6:00am, arrive at work between 7:30 and 8:00, depending on how much traffic I hit. I work the 8 hours, leave around 4:00, and that puts me at home again around 6:00, again, depending on traffic in the city. I find that to be my exhaustion day, and sometimes when I come home Amy and the girls are here. This means it’s usually busy and the TV is blaring. Oh no, I’m not complaining at all, but my idea after those long days would be to come home, turn on my meditative music, light some candles and just be still.  But as I said, I’m not complaining because Skylar is SO excited to always be at mee maw’s house.  And Bree is getting use to it too.  I see Elizabeth more too.  How could I complain?

On Wednesdays, I drive again, leaving at 6:00am.  Only this time when I get off, I spend the night at Jane’s house. She is so gracious and kind to me. She is welcoming as is her husband.  So far we go to dinner on Wednesday nights as her husband is working, and we do something fun, like the first week we went and had a pedicure for her grandson’s wedding that Saturday.  Then I work half a day on Thursday, still have lunch with Jane, then head home.  So far I’ve had business in town I had to attend to so it’s been almost 6 before I get home. That will change tho.

I have given notice to my boss, not really giving her a date as I tell her I will stay until she can find someone to replace me.  But I really don’t want to keep this schedule up, although with jobs as scarce as they are these days, perhaps I should. Still……….I know God has something in mind for me.

I’m slowly adjusting to living in a new area. I guess having my job in my hometown is helping not go cold turkey.  The thing is I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new house!  It feels to me as if God really did open the doors for me to be here and tho there are changes I want to make I can honestly say I love everything about it so far.

Am I homesick?  No, I’m honestly not.  Facebook helps me keep up with my friends and makes them seem closer. Elizabeth, who is in upstate NY now, and I still talk on the phone or text message one another even tho she is so far away.  I love being in a rather rural area and yet only 12 minutes from downtown city!  I honestly feel as if I have the best of both worlds now.

I have to laugh! My new home phone number’s last 4 digits is 2760.  That number that just seems to have special meaning to me is now part of my phone number. I’d love to say it was coincidental, but it wasn’t.  When I tried to get the same numbers from my old phone number, along with several other numbers all were taken, until 276 came up, and it just happened to be available!  Okay, so perhaps it was coincidental in the end, I mean all the other numbers I tried to get were taken. Hmmm? I shall ponder this a bit more.

Now that things are “slowly” beginning to allow me a bit more time I know I need to be focusing more on writing.  In my heart I know that I need to be working on the book and all those things I have seen in my spirit that will one day be.  Yet I know I still have some more stuff that must be accomplished before I dig in full force to accomplishing this.

My 19-year old cat who will turn 20 in November has made the adjustment incredibly well!  As a matter of fact I think he is doing much better physically here than he was at home.  Perhaps all the stress of the move I was going through at home affected him?  He’s still drags his back legs a bit, but he seems so much happier at the moment. Pete and Lilly love the place!  Dell seems to enjoy his new 2-story outbuilding too.  He had TV fiber optics hooked up in his garage, he has a stereo system-surround sound hooked up, he put an extra fridge in too.  He will all but live in his new outbuilding barn/garage.

 And me?  I am happy.  Very happy in this house so far.  I have found a spirit of peace I honestly haven’t had in a very long time. I feel very free right now, even tho I am running here and there and burning the candle on both ends, I am in a very good place. I plan to build a master suite on the house in the next couple of months, actually beginning to get quotes on this project next week.  I plan to put hardwood floors in most of the main level of the house.  I will continue working for awhile, until my boss can find someone, and I am going to Florida, leaving 2 weeks from tomorrow!  A trip we had planned with Chad and Amy since last February when they purchased Disney tickets for 5 days that must be used this year.  Actually I think the break will be good for me, not to mention I will be spending some time at the beach!  Oh BOY! Does this girl NEED the beach!

Tonight I am sitting in my breakfast nook. This room is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love the architectural design of the bay window that I have already decorated with shutters, willow tree valances, and of course welcome candles in each window. My new TV service plays meditative music as DirectTV did in my old place so I continue to keep the audio going most of the time.  Skylar begged her mommy and daddy to stay with me again tonight. She is in the room that will one day be my writing room.  I haven’t had the time to get it organized yet, nor painted.  For now I have it set up as her play room with her Princess table and her little TV that plays her DVDs.  It’s quiet time now, after we spent a day of shopping for hardwood flooring and plantation shutters for the living room.  I had to wake her up at 10:00am this morning so we could get going!  We emptied a bunch of boxes before we left. I asked her what her favorite food was (knowing what her answer would be.)  “Shrimp mee maw!”  “Okay Skylar, then I shall take you to Red Lobster for lunch!”  “Just you and me mee maw?”  She said.  I assured her it would be just us.  She ate popcorn shrimp until her heart was content as I realized how special it is that I live close enough to her and the other grandkids that this is probably just the first of many more special days as today to come.

I have a lot more to share, but for now, I think I will head to my hot tub.  I am finding that the one that came with the house is much nicer than the one I had at home. No, this one doesn’t overlook the woods, but it does overlook the pagoda that has some vined plant that has branched out that is awesome, I think Jane said it was wisteria? All I know is it is beautiful and very nature-like to me.  The jets in the hot tub are so strong!  And the light changes colors which is so awesome.   Now that I am talking about it, it makes me want to head there all the more and so, I shall……..

I’m in a new chapter and so far I would have to give this one two-thumbs up!

In closing, one special note;  My mom died today, 8 years ago.  How time flies, and how life changes, and how we change.  But these are deep thoughts of which I shall share more on as time goes on….

As the faith, love, and light lead me on.

Goodnight,

Sunshine

~GNTS:  Since this is the anniversary of my mom’s death, 8 years ago today, I am reminded of how you were brought into my life 7 months before she passed on.  I know it still sounds crazy but meeting you gave me so much strength to face those days. Like some unspoken hope that life goes on here and from where we came, I knew that you were brought into my life as a memory of some other place and time.  It was so confusing and yet it was so reassuring to me.  Perhaps this is why I never was able to let it go completely……….meeting you.  My faith now tells me that it was a gift, no matter what anyone says or thinks, I know in my heart you were a gift and it got me through so many dark days for a very long time. I don’t hold on these days as I once did as I believe you have moved on in your life and you assured me you were now very happy.  Yet, on the other hand, if it is in fact you that comes here and continues to read all these years later, then you know in your heart what I do and we continue to give to one another something that is very special from the eternal.  I’m so glad tho that it never became something of expectation…………from either one of us.  If it is you, then I’m glad I continue to write what my heart feels and I am somehow touching your life as much as you did mine.  I’m off for the hot tub now.  Goodnight ~just me….

Tonight's song is one of my all-time favorites! I can't hardly listen to this song without getting tears in my eyes.  It's about the changes we go through in our lives and how God is always with us......It brings me so much peace these days, enough so it is my ring tone on my cell phone.