Auld Lang Syne

Wow, the past four days have been incredibly busy. David and Mendy have been systematically cleaning, tossing, hauling, and packing while I've been trying to get my work done at the office in the middle of electricians running wiring and cable to the spot the new server will be located; in the vault/storeroom in my office. A lot of the boxes of old files and papers that were in the vault are stacked in my office...

The contractor was supposed to start demo on our master bath to put in a new tub, flooring, tile and countertop on Monday, but just got started this afternoon. What should have been completed and drying by now will probably go through the weekend since tomorrow is New Year's Day. This means we'll be down to one bathroom for 4 adults for the next week to 10 days, and we're supposed to have a house guest for a January short course next week as well.

Our leaving was announced at church the Sunday before last. One of the dearest souls I've ever met, Randy Becton, told me I was one of the lights of his life because he could see Jesus in me. I told him that was exactly how I felt about him. He has the purest heart and is such a kind and gentle man, I will miss him terribly. Our sweet children's minister came in today to work her "shift" during skeletal hours. She told me she had been sad all Christmas break just thinking that I would be leaving in January. She teared up nearly every time she came in my office and that made me tear up, too.

Back in the Saddle Tomorrow

Once we all get together, plans ebb and flow like the tide. Becky was ill when they came and had to go to the clinic in Walgreens yesterday (a very convenient alternative to a physician's office). She's feeling better today, and Chris is as well. Becky and Ryan will be going back home today so Becky can rest tomorrow before starting the work week again. She'll be starting a new job the first of the year much closer to home. Right now she has an hour commute each way. Chris thought about driving back to Atlanta today, but since he's still not back up to speed will stay another night and rest up before his 6 1/2 hour drive.

We'll head back to Abilene tomorrow with a slight detour through Midlothian to drop off gifts from the Memphis/Atlanta/Mississippi crew. Mendy's coming with us to help pack and get the house ready to put on the market. Our neighbors have asked for "first dibs" on the house, so we'll see if that works out. It would really be a blessing to leave Abilene without worrying about if or when our house will sell!

So far we old folks are healthy, but will probably all get sick by the time we get back to Abilene. There's been a lot of coughing and sneezing around us all week.

God Bless Us Everyone

Merry Christmas! It's a beautiful sunny day here in Memphis. This morning it's just us old folks: Matthew spent the night at his cousin Michael's, Chris has gone to Emily's where Becky and her family spent the night in sleeping bags in front of the Christmas tree (they're all having Christmas lunch with their mother and her husband). We will have our own Christmas lunch here and then everyone will be over about 4:00 for waffles and presents. Becky and Ryan and one of the kids will stay here tonight, and Chris and Matthew will stay with Justin and Lesli. Logistics are always challenging with this family, but it's nice that Michael has his own apartment this year; that opens up another option. When we have our vow renewal in April it will help not having to get hotel rooms for everyone, just the Illinois crew and our dear friends Eddie and Annette from Austin (and us, of course). Memphis is the most convenient place taking everyone into consideration, and it's also where all of this got started! Matthew was born here as well, and Chrissy and Jason have come here during Memphis in May a couple of times. Christopher came here to visit us when he was on leave from the Army in the Desert Storm days.

Sarah and Jarrod are splitting the day in Granbury between Jarrod's mom's house and his dad and Debbie's house. With two small kids it's going to be a very chaotic day. Jarrod's sister and her husband are staying with them through the holidays, and Logan just adores them.

Time to help Mendy set the dining room table. Her house looks like the ones you see in Southern Living Magazine. I'm going to have to find a really good job in Murfreesboro to get her to decorate my house (when we buy or build one).

Crazy Weather

When we left Memphis for Murfreesboro Monday morning it was 10 degrees. This morning it was 66 and raining buckets. Emily works downtown and said the wind blew some windows out of the building across the street. Now the sun is trying to come out. I hope Abilene has had some rain since we left.

Today Chris will drive in from Atlanta. He contracted some kind of respiratory illness on his trip to Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila so has been sick since returning to the States Sunday night. He went to a clinic yesterday and got a shot and medication so is feeling well enough to make the drive. He said when he was in Vietnam everyone was wearing hospital masks when they were outdoors. Hopefully it's not bird flu!

Becky, Ryan and the kids will drive up from Forrest, MS when Becky gets home from work. Michael's friend Kate is enroute from Minnesota. Lots of traveling for everyone this Christmas!

Starting next year (Lord willing) we'll be able to spend some time during the holidays with my sons and their families in Illinois: another blessing in moving to Tennessee. Murfreesboro and Nashville offer a lot more entertainment for grandkids than Abilene!

Led by the Spirit (Everything Seems to be Falling in Place)

We found and reserved a first-floor 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment so we can actually arrange for a moving company to move our furniture and have someplace to unload it. It was the only complex we looked at that had a downstairs 3 bedroom available by January 12th. It doesn't have a playground, but it has a nice pool, fitness room, and a beautiful clubhouse. David has pictures on his IPhone. There aren't many pictures on the website, and the kitchen picture has the cabinets and colors right, but the room and configuration is all wrong. We don't have a fireplace, either. Only the upstairs units have fireplaces, and we didn't want to deal with stairs.

Matthew had to fill out an application for MTSU and explain why he bombed his first semester at ACU, then he visited with the academic advisor for the very competitive RIM (recording industry major) program. She told him what they looked for in determining selection for the limited number of spots in the program, so he'll have some pretty specific goals in the next year and an half to apply for RIM at the end of his Sophomore year. We'll see how bad he wants to get in. He's very excited and determined (at least for now) to succeed. All he needs to do is focus on school as much as he does on music, and he should do well.

I'm so glad to have these pieces out of the way. David and I both had really rough nights last night. I even thought I might need to have David take me to the emergency room at 3:30 this morning, but I was able to tough things out. No chest pains or anything, just intense headache and dizzyness and pain in my neck (too many things to think about).

After we made our decision and were on our way to turn in our application, we received a call from an ACU professor in Journalism and Mass Communication. He was checking through classrooms and lab rooms and found Matthew's Macbook Pro that he thought had been stolen out of his car during finals week. What a blessing!

We spent last night with our friends Mike and Connie Boyle at their house. They left this morning to fly to L.A. for a 2 week cruise to Hawaii for Christmas. They gave us a key to their house and have just been so encouraging and helpful. They are just great "salt-of-the-earth" Christian friends, and it will be so much fun living close to them. Mike is David's new boss. Connie thinks she might have a temporary bookkeeping job for me at MTSU if I want it when I get there.

God is good!

Memphis Blues

We arrived in Memphis Saturday about 4:30 p.m. By the time we unloaded the truck at Mendy's, went to Emily's for dinner, and visited for a bit, we were done in for the day. We went to bed by 8:30 and slept until the alarm went off. I will not be nominated for grandmother of the year since I just couldn't make the 3 1/2 hour trip to Forrest, MS to see Shane in his church Christmas play today. David, Emily, and Matthew made the trip and had a good visit with Becky, Ryan and the kids. I went to Highland with Mendy and we finished up some shopping for the Memphis crew and also checked out a couple of wedding venues for our vow renewal next April. Since it was about 19 degrees and windy, it was a little difficult to imagine Spring and budding trees and blooming azaleas. We still have some time to work on that, at least.

Mendy called several apartment complexes in Murfreesboro to check on availabilities, so we'll have several to look at tomorrow. The weather may be a little tricky Tuesday before we head back to Memphis, so we'll see. Emily and Matthew will drive over for the day. Mendy, David, and I will stay with Mike and Connie Monday night and check out some more things Tuesday. I'm sure we'll forget to do something!

The Fun Begins

We made a detour in Granbury to pick up Logan from his Annie's house. We took the back way to Midlothian and it occurred to me that the next time I come this way I'll be leaving Texas for good. There are many goodbyes I need to say, but time is slipping away. A metaphor for life in this world, I guess.

This morning it seemed like everyone was stressing out about something. David was having issues getting Matthew withdrawn from ACU; Matthew was having a meltdown for a variety of reasons; and, Kimmy was frustrated by the lack of cooperation of the elders she was trying to get to say the elder's prayer in the Spanish service next Sunday. No one appreciates all she has done and continues to do to keep things running in the life of the church more than I do. I hope she and her family will be able to visit us when we get settled in M-boro. Elly just woke up from her nap so it's holding time!

Spinning Wheel

The title of this post refers to what my brain feels like. It's now 4:00 a.m. David is out walking since the weather is nice this early morning.

This afternoon we go to Midlothian to stay with Sarah, Jarrod and the kids before we head to Memphis tomorrow, then on to Murfreesboro Sunday. Logan and Ellyse are such sweet grandchildren, and Sarah and Jarrod are such diligent and loving parents to them. I will miss being only 3 hours away from them, but Southwest flies to Nashville so once the dust settles I may just be a frequent flyer (Xanax, I need more Xanax...)

The scope of this move is beginning to hit me. A dear friend from Austin told me yesterday that he was thinking of all that needs to happen in the next month and it's impossible to get it all done. I really think that God has called us to Murfreesboro and with God all things are possible. We are trying our best and leaving the rest up to Him. Please pray for us during this time of transition.

Making A List, or Two, or Ten

So here I am at 4:15 in the morning. David reminds me that we are leaving tomorrow when I get off work at noon for Midlothian on our way to Murfreesboro to find a place to live and do some paperwork for his employment and Matthew's enrollment. SO WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF OUR CHRISTMAS STUFF DONE. Ha! I'm going in early to work to prepare for our Finance Committee meeting at church to come up with a church budget for 2009 so I won't get home tonight until about 7:30 or so. I've been trying to get laundry caught up all week since moving Matthew back from the dorm Saturday, and we'll have to pack for a nine day trip when I get home tonight. We'll try to take some books and pictures to Mendy's just to get them moved that far. The fun is just beginning.....Paxil, I need more Paxil...

An Inconvenient Move

Okay, it's 10 days until Christmas and David and I are moving from our home for the past 10 and a half years in Abilene, TX to Murfreesboro, TN in mid January. David has accepted a position as Director of Academic Outreach and Distance Learning at Middle Tennessee State University . Our youngest son, Matthew, is a freshman transferring from ACU to attend MTSU where he plans to major in music business. In order to keep family and friends informed I'm going to try to keep this blog current while suffering insomnia and avoiding packing like the plague. These are times that try men's souls, and women's anti-anxiety medications!

If you're wondering about the title, not only is this the worst time of year to move, but in spite of AlGore's global warming warnings, this is promising to be a very cold winter. We heard that AlGore is adjunct faculty at MTSU....