We close on our Manteo house in just 48 hours. Woo-hoo!
Thanks to my friend, Greta, for getting some photos of what the yard looked like after last week’s $8,000 septic tank replacement. There are few greater thrills in life than getting to spend large amounts of cash on improvements no one will ever even see.
Nathan, Meagan, Noah, Madi, Grayson, Andrew, Joy (Meagan’s sister), and Carli (the grand dog) will arrive on our doorstep with a minivan and a smaller moving truck pulling a car trailer. (Joy is coming along to help Meagan with the kids in the minivan.)
(Photo by Meagan’s mom on the other end of this journey.)
They will spend the night with us and then tomorrow we will start the move-in process. (Their bigger moving truck will be driven to the house by the moving company.) Steve is sad to not be able to help when he so badly wants to but he will stay busy providing moral support and entertainment.
Here are some photos of the family finishing up packing up on Saturday. Those kids are good workers!
Nathan gets his packing prowess from his dad.
Steve and I are sending our love to our dear friends and Meagan’s parents, Frank and Sheri, as they said their goodbyes this morning to their six beloved family members. Meagan has never lived away from her family and so this is going to be a big adjustment for everyone.
we had a delectable lunch at Gage and Sarah’s new apartment. So nice to be greeted enthusiastically as we came up the walkway.
They are loving their new place. It’s 50 square feet larger than their Manteo apartment which, in Sarah’s words, makes a big difference!
They especially love the decor in their dining area since it incorporates a picture Gage’s parents gave them as well as the lanterns/flowers that were used in their wedding. And the table and chairs? That’s the set (bought at a consignment store) that we’ve had since Sarah was seven years old.
I love the view out their windows–trees and grass. The complex covers 25 acres and has a swimming pool, tennis court, workout room, and plenty of room for walking.
Sarah made a delicious lunch of pesto mozzarella chicken accompanied by roasted tomatoes, potatoes, and a spinach salad.
They were with Gage’s family for Easter. Sarah has been blessed with an amazing second family.
I enjoyed my temp job last week, keeping all the right buttons pushed and phone lines answered. (Breaking news: they just called and asked me to come in today, unexpectedly. I figured I could do that and get prepped for the family too, so I’m leaving shortly.)
After my last day, there was rain and a very big traffic jam on the road I was headed toward. Quite a change from my 2-minute commute home in Manteo! I just put on an audiobook and settled in for the 50 minutes trip–which usually takes 20 minutes.
We’ve been looking around for a new church to attend for six months and we think we’ve finally found one. It’s probably not one we would have expected to attend but we walked in the first Sunday and felt at home. We’ve been there twice; if we’re still liking it the third time, I’ll fill you in on the details.
I’ll close with a funny story from the morning.
I dropped Steve off near the front door and went to find a parking spot.
Since it was Easter, there was not a parking space to be found except in a designated half-grass/half-dirt field adjacent to the paved lot. (Keep in mind that, although it was sunny on Sunday, we’d just had two days of steady rain.)
The parking attendant politely directed me onto the field asking me to park as far down as possible so other people could get it in behind me. I trepidatiously made my way through the slightly slithery dirt/grass mixture and got ready to park at the end as instructed. But then when I got into place, I decided I didn’t really feel like traipsing across a muddy-ish field in fancy-ish sandals so I decided I would just go back out to the paved lot and drive around until a space opened up. (The earlier service was about to dismiss.)
I had noticed a line of cute little flags planted down the middle of the field between the grass and the dirt but hadn’t given them much thought. I just casually started to steer my way between them (or truthfully, I may have driven over some) until I belatedly realized that the side of the field beyond the flags was quite a bit gushier than the side I had just been on. (Hence, the dividing flags.)
Too late now.
I knew that if I stopped to reconnoiter and ponder the various levels of field gushiness I would probably sink. And so I made a split-second decision to channel the Dukes of Hazard. In the most non-lady-like move you can imagine, I whipped the car around into a U-turn and hit the gas. Flinging dirt and mud in a 20-foot spray behind me, I was still accelerating when I passed the parking attendant. He was just slightly bug-eyed as I left him in my wake.
Can you imagine how things must have looked from his point of view?
A sedate, grandmotherly type woman drives slowly past him down the prescribed rows of cars and rolls to a gentle stop. All is well. No problem.
And then suddenly, for no discernible reason that he can possibly ascertain, said grandma suddenly accelerates, launches herself into a dramatic maneuver, and starts a mad, muddy, vehicular sashay in his direction. It is to his everlasting credit that he didn’t run screaming for the hills.
I was chortling to myself as got back on the paved lot, leaving a huge muddy trail behind me and flinging dirt clods hither and yon. Nothing like making a grand impression on a new church. That poor parking lot attendant will probably give me a wide berth next time he sees me.
and start looking forward to the arrival of the Floridian Smiths. (That’s the last time I will call them that–how poignant.)
By the way, Nathan just called and said that the brake lights on his car trailer are not working so he’s at the Penske dealership getting those worked on while Meagan and her crew pulled out about an hour ago.
But at some point this evening, we will all be together at the old home place–with the newly installed Grandma and Grandpa Smith ready to welcome the next generation of travelers.
What about you? What large or small adventures does your week hold?
In public reading this … belly laughing out loud at the vision of sedate Becky becoming Dukes of Hazzard Becky! Can’t stop laughing!
Guerrina,
Thanks; it always makes me happy when I know that something I wrote makes someone smile or laugh.
The person who isn’t smiling? That parking lot attendant. 🙂
Becky,
Lots of changes going on in your family! I can’t imagine the excitement you must be feeling with Nathan’s family being so close after all of these years.
The big change around here is melting snow, finally! There is a bit of a flood in my backyard which will only get worse in the coming days. Good thing I have tall boots to keep my feet and legs dry. Fortunately my friend Dave ferry’s me around in his much taller vehicle. Still I will be so happy once I am confident I am safe to drive my little car. I have doctors appointments I need to make up in the near future. It’s so wonderful to see the sun instead of falling snow! I am anxious to work in the yard, just need to be patient.
Cindy,
Tall boots, sunshine, and a good friend. Sounds like you’ve got good things going on.
I hope you enjoy the coming spring!
Well it seems winter isn’t done with us in St. Cloud since we are expecting another snow storm next week, probably after the last of the current snow on the ground melts. So for now I am enjoying the sunshine and wearing shorts! At least I haven’t put my my winter clothes away for the season. Plus I have lots of food in the house since I went grocery shopping this morning.
Cindy,
It must have been fun to have pulled out your shorts for a few days. Not too much longer and that snow will disappear for good.
Wow….everything is coming together! Closing on the house, Smiths moving, Sarah & Gage settling in to their new apartment and Steve being mobile enough to go to church. Yay! Your escapade through the mud sounds hilarious. Hope you found a good car wash. Lol! Anxious to hear about the new church. 🙂
LeeAnne,
Unfortunately, the mud is still bedecking the car. Fortunately, it is red mud and it’s a red car so it’s all good. 🙂
Yes, it’s definitely been a busy time; lots of stories to tell!
SO much exciting news!!! I hope the Floridian Smiths made to you last night and everything is going great! I hope the closing goes smoothly tomorrow on the Manteo house! It will be such a relief to have that done, I’m sure. Sarah and Gage have such a cute apartment and I know you were thankful for the fellowship and food. Steve is doing great if he navigated all those stairs! I’m impressed.
AND, Becky Duke is amazing! Have you reached out to any of the local NASCAR teams to apply for a position with them? They could probably use someone with your mud-slinging skillz! I loved that story and I laughed out loud. What a blessing to have found a church!
For me this week…we took our baby boy (he’s 22) to the airport last night for him to fly home to Kansas. I thought this would get easier with time but it really hasn’t. I’m so thankful for him (and his brother) and so proud of the wonderful young men they are but I sure do miss them being home.
Have a great week and enjoy your sweet family!
Suzanne,
No, it’s never easy to leave children (adult or not) at an airport and say goodbye. Think about how many goodbyes airplanes have carried with them over the decades!
Glad the car story made you laugh. I think I’ll be in touch with NASCAR tomorrow. 🙂
Very exciting that everything is coming together. Lots of changes! Look forward to hearing all the grandma stories. Very cute apartment for Sarah and Gage, looks like Steve made it up their stairs. I am trying to do exercises now that my doctor gave me to strengthen my leg and they are hard! I am old 🙂
Lesley,
I fully relate to the line, “I am old.” Even though we’re not really, officially old, some days it feels that way. And especially, as you said, when you’re having to do exercises with a leg that probably doesn’t want to do exercises! I hope you are able to get full strength and function back; I know it’s a long haul. Hugs.
Thank you for a very literal LOL moment tonight in bed. I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery of your story. I’m so happy for you all and look forward to posts every Monday!
Angie,
Glad to provide you with some LOL-ing. You just never know what a Sunday morning is going to hold!
How exciting to have the kids (big and little) so close to you. What a darling apartment and just like her mom, Sarah is quite the cook – looked delicious. Had to chuckle a lot reading about your driving trying to find a parking spot. All I could think of – that’s me!!!! Hopefully that parking attendant saw so many cars he won’t remember this grandma who was almost out of control!!!
Sharyn,
I don’t think that attendant will ever forget me; my face is probably burned into his memory. 🙂
Yes, Sarah has turned into an excellent cook and she watches her budget, too. So proud of her!
I know you are excited to have all your kids and grandchildren close by for the first time in a long time. I’m sure the fact that Meagan will be close to you and Steve eases her parents’ minds some.
Sarah and Gage’s apartment looks very nice! I agree, their view is great. My niece and her husband were married just a couple months after Sarah and Gage and they have been living in a one-bedroom apartment in Houston since they got married while she completes her masters. They are both ready to get out of Houston. He has an opportunity at a church in Tennessee, he majored in church music and she will look for a teaching job if he gets this position. Hopefully they can get a little bigger place to live then.
I don’t have a lot on my calendar this week. This afternoon I volunteered in the church office getting a scanner up and running so we can scan checks prior to taking to the bank. Then I found a mistake on a spreadsheet that one of the other counters had made in early February. Long story short, there are three numbers on two tabs of a spreadsheet that need to match – only two matched!
Congratulations on being asked to come back to that place of business again today.
Hope the church works out for you. I know that finding a new church can take some time. My friend that moved to the Dallas area in December is working on that herself. She and her sister need to agree on a church also which makes it doubly hard!
Phyllis,
I’m very impressed that you know how to set up scanners and found a mistake on a spreadsheet from February. I know you are a real blessing and asset to your church. Good for you for volunteering and contributing your wonderful talents.
Hope your niece’s husband gets the opportunity in Tennessee; sounds like there is a lot of change ahead for them!
How exciting that Nathan and crew are moving today! I can’t imagine your anticipation! Our week started out big with a wedding–ours! Unfortunately I’m headed to India today for several weeks, not for a honeymoon but for a work trip. I suppose my husband and I have a lifetime of each other ahead, so a few weeks apart won’t kill us. Still, I’m a bit bummed.
Robin,
Well! I think you take the prize for having the most exciting week. Getting married and leaving for India pretty much tops the list.
Many congratulations from the Smithellaneous family to you and your new hubby. That is wonderful!
I’m excited that you’re getting all of your chickies nearby for the first time in a long time! And I can NOT stop laughing at the mental image of you “muddin'” through the church field. We’re going to have to pool our resources and get you an off road vehicle if you keep it up! Praying for Meagan’s heart as she adjusts to being away from family. If anyone can help her deal with the homesickness, it’s your awesome clan!
Pam,
I didn’t realize there was an official title for actions on Sunday. I like to think that I was “muddin’!”
And yes, having the four chickies nearby is so wonderful. There were so many times during the past 41 years when we lived many hours away from any family members. This is fabulous.
Hugs to you and Chuck.
I’m trying to wrap my head around TWO moving trucks AND a rental truck, but then I’m an only child and I only had one child, so we never had many “rooms” to move! I’m so excited for you (and the formerFloridianSmiths) and also feel much empathy for Meagan’s parents.
Nothing big in store for this week. We are adjusting to a new “normal” in our house as we’ve just had our cat put to sleep. She lived to be 20! But now we are truly TRULY empty nesters and we’re not quite sure what to do with ourselves.
Sarah and Gage’s new apartment is so cool! I love their balcony!
Stefanie,
I realized I had misheard the moving truck info; they only had one additional moving truck instead of two. 🙂
Oh, my. Putting a cat to sleep after twenty years is such a tough thing. Two decades of love and purrs . . . and those memories will last you forever. Hugs.
So glad the Smiths are moving close to you but I feel for Meagan. I remember when we left NJ and headed for Kansas, I cried all the way to Pittsburgh, I had never lived further than 45 minutes away from my family. My week is good and bad…first of all a two hour dental appointment today…yuck…but then on Thursday we head up to NJ for a reunion with my husband’s college friends, our old crowd and then a baby shower for my best friend’s daughter and my daughter and I will visit my mom’s grave on Friday, her 90th birthday and my 39th wedding anniversary.
Dale,
My brain is spinning just looking at the all visiting you’re going to be doing over the next few days. Sounds like many, many happy moments ahead.
And thankfully, you’ve gotten the dental appointment done before the trip so you can relax and not have to dread that. Enjoy the smiles, the memory-making, and the memory-reliving.
Hi – I am so excited for you to have your son and family so close!! I may have missed this, but why are they moving to Charlotte?
Shannon,
Thanks–we are beyond happy to have the clan all together.
As for the move, several things went into Nathan and Meagan’s decision. They were ready for a new season in life and after doing a lot of praying, felt like Charlotte was the area they were supposed to be in. They have some good relationships already formed here which was frosting on the cake but not the prime reason. They made the decision to come even before Steve and I, and Sarah and Gage ended up here so it’s extra amazing all of us wound up here.
Shortly after making the decision, Nathan was offered an amazing remote job with Duke Energy as an independent contractor so that has certainly made the transition easier since he didn’t have to juggle finding a job along with the move.
A big day for you all! The kids on the way, and your house is sold! So glad! All happy news!
As an old song says….
” Its a new day to serve Him, a new day to live!” Ruth
Ruth,
It’s funny to see a song I wrote quoted as an “old song.” I am honored to be among the old song writers! 🙂
Becky, enjoy being Grandma.
Rachel,
That is definitely the plan! 🙂