The last thing you probably expected in today’s post was wedding photos. But hey, I try to keep things interesting.
It’s a long story but due to a few technical glitches along the way, there were no actual photos of Sarah coming down the aisle and we didn’t get the videography from the wedding until just recently. So these are screen grabs from the video–not real crisp quality but we are just so grateful to have them. It’s fun to get to celebrate that beautiful day all over again. (Note: if you were at the wedding and have any shots of the ceremony, please send them our way.)
Speaking of Sage (Sage is made up of Sarah and Gage) they were both down with COVID last week but are making a good recovery. This week will be a little happier as Sarah celebrates her 27th birthday tomorrow. For those of you who have been part of Smithellaneous since she was a young child, it’s probably hard for you to believe she is that old. (Did you know that some of my readers have been around for nineteen years? I know. I can’t believe it either.)
once again from Charlotte. This will most likely be our last trip here before The Big Honkin’ Move which will be around the middle of September. Once again, we rented a U-Haul and turned it into a We-Haul (Lots of Stuff).
Thankfully, we had our youth leader, Chris, and his son, Noah, on hand to help.
Chris is in the Coast Guard with a lot of moves under his belt; he’s a trailer-packing whiz.
We had another friend helping who has also had many moves associated with the military. She and Chris were competing for the most number of moves but as it turned out, he beat her by one. He had eighteen and she “only” had seventeen.
Since our car is not equipped with a tow package, Steve had to be careful with the weight limit. He set up some sort of inscrutable-to-me system where each person was weighed and then they weighed themselves with the item they were carrying and then some mysterious math was done at the end of the process subtracting out their weight and getting the total weight of the load. I am so not a math person because I didn’t understand any of it. But it seemed pretty brilliant to me!
Steve sat down with Noah and they got it all figured out.
Saturday morning, the living room looked like this.
Saturday afternoon, after the loading was done, I moved all the empty boxes that were being stored in the living room over to the dining room because my order-loving soul had to have one space in the house that was relatively tidy. Ahhhh.
I did leave out one box temporarily so that I could have a place to rest my weary feet.
Chris is not just a good packer, he’s also a prankster who put this message on our church sign last week. Counting down the weeks.
I posted a blog about Hannah and Bobby Morrison; here’s a photo from the post. (You can read it here.)
They were in town Saturday and asked if we could get together. I was, of course, being beset by box upon box and knew I wouldn’t have time to fix a meal. But I thought, “Well, what about watermelon? Watermelon’s always good!”
So that’s what we did. We spent an hour having the best time eating watermelon and telling road stories
Since I last posted about them they have had a son named River who has already been in twenty states in his twelve months of life. I have such a soft spot for traveling kids since both of mine grew up on the road.
I’m so glad we took the time out of our day to sit and talk with these dear people whose huge musical gifts are only outmatched by the size of their hearts.
If you have a moment, take a listen to some of their music. I absolutely love it.
This is a photo of the GPS in our car as we left for Charlotte yesterday showing the new way Steve had entered the address of the Charlotte house. (And yes, someone needs to clean our screen!) 🙂
So. This is the New Grandma Smith–signing off.
What about you? Have you moved a lot? Has it been with the military? Or with work?
Do you still keep in touch with many of the people from past places?
And the big question. Is your GPS screen cleaner or dirtier than ours? 🙂
And one last question unrelated to post. We have a room with knotty pain. Has anyone had success in painting over that kind of wood so the knots don’t show? Any good advice?
Dear Becky and family, thank you so much for keeping us updated on the status of your move! As always, I enjoyed the photos – especially the wedding photos. The music video was wonderful, and I look forward to hearing more of their music. The label “New Grandma & Grandpa Smith” on your GPS took a minute for my brain to process – but I finally got it! Some packing advice that takes a little more time, but saves time on your arrival… label boxes on top and all four sides. It will keep you from having to “spin” the boxes to discover the contents. Best wishes, peace and love. Fred & Lucy
Fred and Lucy,
Yes, wholehearted agreement on labeling all four sides of the box. I bought some labels from Amazon that you just peel off and stick on (each label has bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, etc.) Then I read somewhere that if you put a label going around the corner of a box, you only need 2 labels rather than four. All sorts of tricks are out there!
Yes, I love that couple’s music too; such a unique sound.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to comment here.
Loved seeing the wedding photos. Beautiful bride and proud daddy.❤️
Happy birthday Sarah!! I hope you had a great day!
We didn’t move around when I was a child and hubby and I have lived in the same house for almost all of our 41 years of marriage. We do plan to move in the next year or so. That will be a tough one.
If you are moving boxes around, your back must feel better. Don’t get too carried away!
LeeAnne,
Thankfully, my back is feeling better although I try to stay aware of it and not push it too hard.
Yes, packing up your house after 41 years will be tough. My only advice? Start purging NOW! You will thank yourself. 🙂
The third wedding picture, Sarah’s profile, looked so much like you! Happy 27th Birthday to Sarah! She was quite young when I started following your CB site. I definitely know it was before you moved to Manteo and I remember you getting Snowy.
Looks like you’re making good progress on the move!
Kari,
I’m always honored if someone says Sarah and I look alike!
If you’ve read the CB site, you have definitely been here a long time.
Happy birthday to Sarah
Time flies . When I started reading she was 10 and had just relapsed with NB!
I was 16 myself and in highschool and now 32 so your blog has been a part of my whole adult life . I have a feeling people do not really blog so much anymore -I see blogs but instead of having a blog people write blog posts on Instagram etc. I am glad you still have your blog .
Love the wedding pictures .
I wonder if you can do a post about your wedding at some point? I have seen some pictures in the past but actually never heard about you and Steve ‘s day. 😇
Katrina,
What an honor to have you following along with us for such a long time! We appreciate you hanging out wit us.
I’ll have to think about a wedding post for Steve and me. It’s been so long that I don’t know how many of the details I can remember. I do know we served crackers and cheese at the wedding reception, which wasn’t very impressive. 🙂
Becky,
Claiming God’s promise in Isaiah 45:2 for you and your family as you transition from Manteo to Charlotte. “I will go before you and make the crooked places straight.”
Thank you and Steve for your ‘true servant’s heart and spirit’ throughout the years at Manteo First Assembly. Trusting that God will send a new pastor to Manteo very soon.
Gloria Smith
Asheville, NC
Gloria,
Thank you for your words of encouragement. We are already praying for that new pastor and his wife–whoever and wherever they are. They will certainly get a wonderful church.
I love that verse from Isaiah. Thanks for reminding me of it again.
You guys are moving right along. I remember your last move was so stressful with the crazy timing so this one has got to be better 🙂
Happy Birthday to Sarah!
We’ve moved a few times in the last 20 years. Labeling boxes is key. Sleep is key. Looking forward to seeing how you make the new home yours.
Lesley,
Labels and sleep. I love the beautiful simplicity of this answer. 🙂
I’m looking forward to seeing how we make the new home ours, too!
Loved the pictures of Steve, Sarah and Gage – those outfits for their wedding are just precious. I thought the music from that couple is fantastic. Thanks for sharing that. As a child we moved 4 times – dad was a pastor. Hated going to new schools. Good to see that you were able to put your feet up and relax a bit. Just keep telling yourself – we will be moved soon and everything in the truck will have place in our new home.- eventually! Blessings!
Sharyn,
I agree. Going to a new school is one of life’s more traumatic experiences. But we all survive and go on and grow up and give thanks we don’t have to do that again!
I was finishing college when I started following Sarah and now I’m 41. So, through this blog your family has been a consistent part of my entire adult life. And no, I absolutely cannot believe that Sarah is 27. Are you sure she is? Maybe you’ve miscounted…. By 10 years or so? 🙂
I’ve only lived in 3 towns/cities since age 4. Not much of a mover, but I dream of packing my son into an RV someday and seeing the country for awhile. I do keep in touch with folks from each of those seasons of life.
Do you ever wonder what other little longtime blog communities are still chugging away, tucked into their own cozy corner of the web? I feel like this kind of decades old little blog “family” has got to be kind of rare, don’t you?
♥️♥️
Ellen,
I love your thoughts about a long-time blog like this being rare. I think I would agree with that. Coming up on two decades with so many long-time readers is such a cool thing. I have been incredibly enriched by all the people I have met along the way–including you!
Hard to believe you started following finishing up college are in your 40’s. Wow, wow, wow!
Let’s see. Aside from moves in college, I moved to KC in 1981, moved to another apartment the same year, moved to my first house in 1985, moved to Bolivar, MO in 1993, to Springfield, MO in 1996, Louisville, KY in 1998, Tampa, FL in 2001 (week of 09/11!), and Overland Park, KS in 2014. I think that’s 8 moves. I think all my moves except the last two in KC were work related. The last three moves were paid for by my company which also paid to have my things packed. I hate to think about moving again and having to pack myself.
I do keep in touch with people from my past – one of my best friends lives in Ormond Beach, FL (Daytona). She and I had the same role in our company on opposite sides of the state. Plus, I have several Facebook friends from prior places I lived.
My parents lived in the same house from 1957 to 2021 – they accumulated a lot of “stuff” in those 64 years.
My GPS screen is cleaner – only because it was pretty dusty yesterday, so I took the rag I keep in my console and wiped it off. If you had asked me yesterday, the answer would have been different.
Love the church sign!
Phyllis,
What a luxury to have someone pack and move your stuff. I’m just slightly jealous.
Glad to know you’ve been able to keep in touch with people from past towns; what a treasure to have friends from your past also be in your present.
Congratulations on such big, brave changes. We’ve moved several times, most recently to Hickory NC. I’m never changing my driver’s license again. Regarding the knotty pine, I’ve redone several houses and tons of furniture. Those pesky knots will make themselves known even after you think you’ve covered them. My advice would be to embrace them and maybe lighten them up with a wash effect in white, cream or gray. You can find some great ideas on Pinterest. Another fix is to cover it with bead board in a tone that suits your decor.
Kristy,
I had done a little reading on the wash effect and it seems like a good option to consider. I know there are different primers and preps to put on a pine wall that is supposed to keep the knots from showing through but who knows? This is a road I have not gone down before. 🙂
“Sage” – I love it! You are correct – it is hard to believe Sarah will be 27 tomorrow. When she was very young, did you post on Caring Bridge about sending her cards (when you were still in Smithfield)? I think that was you and I was following prior to that so I’ve been around for a while. I’m glad Sage are recovering from their bout with covid – and I hope you get none of it. I guess I’ve moved what many would consider a lot, but none of it military. I’ve lived in West Virginia (19 years, 4 moves {including to college}), Virginia (18 months) North Carolina (2 years, 2 moves), Georgia (10 years, 4 moves) and Texas (25 years, 7 moves) but except for going to college all the moves within each state was fairly local, never more than about 20 miles. I hope you have a productive week, but find moments to relax and just be.
Sue Ellen,
Yes, I sure did post about sending her cards. Can’t remember the exact number but she got several hundred! That would have been around 2006 so you have been following a long time
Whew. Reading through your list of moves is making me tired. Even though a move is a short distance, it is still a lot of work. I hope you can settle in where you are now
WOW, I remember Sarah sitting on the table at 3rd Baptist – toddler age? God is good. Though my Dad was career Marines, when I came into the picture he was near the end so my only memory of a move was from VA to CT where both of my parents were from. Regardless of how experienced the mover, it is exhausting (sort, prep & pack, living in chaos, actual move)!
Painting knotty pine – Putty over knots and sand smooth, prime all with oil based primer (1-2 coats – your call) then paint – paint sprayer easier for coverage to get in grooves. Do thin coats of paint to cover. That’s the basics of what I’ve found!
Now to go listen to the song!
Guerrina,
You’re one of the few blog readers who has actually met the Smiths. Funny you remember sitting on a table as a toddler. And now she’s a grownup!
Thanks for the info on knotty pine. It’s always good to hear from people who actually have real-life experience with something.
Wow, I can’t believe Sarah is going to be 27. I have read this blog since she was in the hospital the first time. It makes my heart happy that she is doing so good. Praying the covid is gone and no lasting effects like so many I know have. I have only moved 7 times in my life… which is way more than I like… moving is no fun! As for the knotty paneling, maybe you can use wood putty over the knots and then sand it really smooth.. Just a suggestion as I don’t know what it looks like. Good luck with the move and the knots!!
Kaye,
The move and the knots. That pretty well sums up our lives right now because moving can create some knotty problems!
How great that you have been following since Sarah was in the hospital the first time. Long, long time ago.
I have only had 2 moves. One across town when I got married, and one when we retired and moved from CA to MI. I do keep in touch with many CA people as it was my home for 53 years. Miss the people but not the heat or traffic in CA.
The neighbors house sold several times and was fixed by each new owner. We laughed at the changes one made and the next put back. One put up paneling (which would be similar in texture maybe for the knotty pine), the next got a special wall paper to put over the paneling so they could paint it, the next put paneling up… I have no idea what the special wall paper was, but I bet it would work on the knotty pine as well.
Patti,
I was just reading about something called paintable wallpaper that is supposed to go over knotty pain. I can’t imagine what would look or feel like but it sounds like your neighbors could have used that.
Funny how each person made their own changes. It’s fun to make a house your own!
I am sooo impressed! You guys are going great guns! It’s amazing how much you’ve gotten done already. And bless your wonderful helpers.
So fun to see some more wedding pictures of the Fabulous Sage! 🙂♥️ Glad they’re recovering ok from the rotten covid.
You two amazing people take care of yourselves and be sure to insert some rest breaks (and some chocolate) in your days. Love you!
Deb
Deb,
Moving is like childbirth. It doesn’t seem so bad looking back at it, but in the middle of it? An entirely different story.
So very grateful for the help we’ve had and the progress we’ve made. Trying to just not look at the whole picture but just do what is in front of me to do each day . . . each moment. Sanity has remained intact so far. 🙂
That song was really good! Thanks for sharing. As for moving…we spent 20 years moving around wherever the Army sent us. We and our kids always loved the adventure of a new home and new things and places to explore. We do keep in touch with many people we have met along the way. My husband retired 18 years ago and we have been in the same town ever since. This was actually the 4th time the Army sent us to Ft. Rucker so we decided that this was as much “home” as anywhere else, and we stayed. We just purchased a new (to us) home in our town a few months ago (after 21 years in the last one!) and did hopefully our last move. The moving part is absolutely exhausting, but worth it in the end. Hang in there! Oh, and our GPS screen is pretty clean since I just wiped it off a couple days ago. 🙂
Gayle,
Nice to hear from someone who actually enjoyed moving through the years; that is a great attitude to have of just enjoying the adventure.
It’s great you got to retire in an area you already knew so swell and especially great that you are settled for good. Hooray for you!
Wow, I just listened to that song, and they are amazing!! I went to Spotify and they are listed, so now I can listen and follow all their music!! Thanks for the plug!! Happy Birthday to Sarah!! Wow, I feel old, since I met her when she was only 6!! Hope that things go well with the upcoming move!! If you need a place to stop in Burlington, you guys are always welcome for any reason!! Take care!!
Tiffany,
So glad you enjoyed the group. Their music is so unusual and definitely uplifting.
Six years old. That just absolutely boggles my mind that you have known us that long. Thanks for being such a wonderful and loyal reader. Appreciate you!