The First Week of the Next Chapter

The title of this post says it all. We have again started another chapter in the life of our family. I am not big on starting new chapters, but God must be giving them to me for some reason. So, this week as I have taken part in this next chapter, despite my fears, my sometimes tears, He has given me blessings to be thankful for: My neighbor across the street, who lives in a beautiful home, came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. She brought red velvet cupcakes and dog treats for Reminton and Ranger. She made sure I had her # in case I needed anything. We visited a church 2X and on the Sunday visit, a family took us to lunch and paid for it. We enjoyed their company and they homeschool too!! We had one of Terry's co-workers over for dinner and they brought us a beautiful sign with the local lighthouse on it, carved personally by the husband. I will post a picture of it later. On Sunday, the president of the company and his wife dropped by. They brought a beautiful cake, but we were just thankful they came by to visit. Another one of Terry's co-workers left apple cider,a bag of apples and a bag of candy for the kids. I was so worried about being alone, yet God has graciously filled our lives in the last week with the kindness and thoughtfulness of others. I believe with all my heart these things can only come from a God who knows your very thoughts, hopes and fears and seeks to put them to rest. The pictures below were a day of exploring the area. We started out with breakfast at the beach, then a walk to the lighthouse. It was extremely windy as you can tell from the hair in my face. We can't wait for next summer when we can hit the beach for swimming!!

The local lighthouse. I was bit scared to walk out to it, especially with the winds that were blowing, but the concrete walkway is actually quite large. We were however, very protective of Dalayna and made her walk on the inside.

We decided to take the kids to Bass Pro. This is an ice shanty for ice fishing. I had never seen one before in person.

They already have the Christmas decorations up at Bass Pro, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids picture in front of them, though the short-sleeved shirt on Colby just doesn't seem to fit with the Christmas decor does it? It was a beautiful day.

Just a fun picture of Colby on the deck. Although we have missed having neighbors, my kids and dogs are having a lot of fun just running around everywhere, especially with the dogs. There are lots of birds and chipmunks just outside the kitchen window. At lunch the other day, the bluejays and chipmunks were harassing one another and Colby was giving me the play by play action.

We had the pleasure of meeting the owners of this house the Friday we were moving in. They are such kind people. The wife told me that this house was a happy house when they lived here. We told her we are a happy family, that is the name of our blog and that we would continue to make happy memories in their home. She said they have had weddings, showers and parties in this home. We know it is big enough to do so!! They actually designed this home themselves and then found a piece of ground and had it built. She told me about the deer that live around here, too. One night her son came home around 1 AM and there were 13 deer in the driveway. Another time, she came downstairs for breakfast and turned on the lights. When she did she was face to face with a deer just outside the kitchen window and they startled one another!! It was fun to listen to her tell the stories and I did get her permission to put all this on the blog.

Finally, Dalayna has lost her first tooth!! One of her cousins began losing her teeth and I came to the conclusion that since they are 3 months apart, Dalayna wouldn't be too far behind. It is fun for her, sad for me because it means my baby is growing up!! She received a dollar under her pillow. It was such a tiny tooth and sharp as can be, so we were telling her they were like shark teeth!!

Additional Thanks

I wanted to thank more people. First, my parents for giving up their time to come up for several days and work hard. They knew it was not going to be a fun visit,yet they came anyway. They worked from the time they got up until bedtime helping us pack and unpack. They never complained, but did everything they asked. They even stayed an extra day because I was worried about being lonely, and before they went home made sure we had everything we would possibly need. Thank you to my wonderful parents.

Thanks also to Lauren, Abby and Lindsay, who came to help pack boxes, help their mom vaccuum and keep Dalayna company. I had the joy of working with Abby in Awana and she was a real encouragement to me. She wrote me a note to say thanks for working in Awana and made me a craft that I will hang on my Christmas tree. Abby is in 2nd grade, but she taught me that it doesn't matter how old you are, you can be uplifting and encouraging to anyone.

Thanks to Many

I have so many people to thank for their support and active role in our move. We are so thankful for the many people God has put into our lives in the past year and a half. If I forget someone, I am sorry. First, to all the people who provided boxes and newspaper for packing:Kathy and Todd, Gloria and Norm, Steve and Michelle, Damon and Jennifer, Brad and Rachael, my neighbors Julie and Dale, and Dale's sister Angie. I had more than enough boxes and it was a blessing not to have to buy any!! On Saturday as we packed boxes, the ladies in my Bible Study provided muffins, juice and plenty of paper products for eating. It was a great help since almost everything was packed. Thank you to Brad and Rachael for making sure I received those things!! Many people gave of their time on Friday and Saturday to help, even in the rain. I was brought to tears on Saturday morning as I saw car after car pull into our street and our church family heading to the door to help us. I know many of them are busy, they have their own families and worries, but they gave of their time to help. Thank you to Ron, who not only helped pack us up on Friday, but Saturday too, then drove up here with us to help unload. Thank you to Jim, Paul(who was also there Friday and Saturday) Roy, Dan, Gordon, Damon,and Brad. To the teens who came and visited with Colby for the last time:Ben, Jonathan, Debbie, Alexa. To Caitlyn, who helped keep her friend Dalayna busy. Mackenzie, you worked hard too!! Amy, thank you for giving up your time and vacuuming the entire house in FW for me, and for your support and prayers through the whole process. To Gloria, who packed up numerous boxes for me when my brain was frazzled and for your support and prayers. Someone at the church we visited already commented on all the sparkles I wear!! To Angela, who worked at packing boxes, providing furniture blankets and helping to unpack here at the new house. We are blessed beyond measure to have each of you in our lives. We thank God for you. Many people have e-mailed me and mentioned us forgetting about our ABC family, but for those of you who read my blog, that is simply not possible. You will always hold a special place in our hearts!!

Alexa, Mackenzie, and Colby taking a rest after unloading the 2nd round at our rental house. We are here, unpacking and tired so I will post more later. Thank you for your prayers. I think my sanity is somewhat intact, but who knows!!

My precious dad has been such a wonderful help. Even though his softball games were cancelled, he has had plenty of exercise moving boxes and furniture.

This is our back yard. It is not dog-friendly as far as a fence goes, but our dogs have fun sniffing their way through the trees every time they are outside. There are supposed to be deer that live around the house and we are hoping to see one soon.

Here are some views of the back of the house, compliments of my mother. I will take some pictures of the front soon.

The back deck has become my kids favorite place to hang out. As you can see, it has a beautiful view. In order to be with her grandkids, Grandma has to hang out there too!!

These are some fun pictures my mom decided to take of Colby, looking suave in his dad's fedora. He was in the mood to actually allow his picture to be taken. Must be exhaustion from the move!!

Dalayna sitting in the window seat in the kitchen with her favorite toy, her play money. She is destined to be a banker or millionaire the way she loves to count money.

Dalayna Received Her First Book Award in Awana!!

I am so proud of Dalayna. She received her Awana book in September and finished it tonight to receive her 1st book award. She studied her verses constantly, over and over again. Her goal was to finish it by her last night in Awana at our church. She accomplished it!! She has a true hunger for God's Word right now and my prayer is that it will continue even though she reached her goal. Great job, sweetheart!!

Pictures of the rental home

See picture below for information. Here are some pictures of the house we will be leasing. I will take more once we are settled in. This gives you an idea what it looks like. I am packing steadily .

This will be our living room/family room, complete with a mini-fridge. The lady you see is the realty lady who helped us find this house.

The other side of the sitting room. See picture below for the other half.

This is the sitting room, which for now will sit empty.

If you can see it, this is the dining room.

This is the "breakfast nook" with a beautiful view.

This is the rec. room at one end of the house. It will be our schoolroom.

Anniversary Fun Fact

Just thought it would be fun to post that Terry and I went on our very 1st date 18 years ago today. I had a picture of us from "way back then", but I accidentally packed it. So this one will have to do. I am so thankful for my husband and that 1st date, and that 18 years later here we are.