One Week

It is hard for me to believe that it was only one week ago tonight that we left Murfreesboro. How can so much happen in such a short amount of time? Let me catch you up on how everything has gone...

The drive from North Carolina to Illinois is long. I mean really long. The boys really did well all things considered. By the end of it even I was ready to be out of the car. The hotel we stayed in on the way up had a pool. We arrived at around 9:40 and the pool closed at 10:00. You'd better believe that those boys swam for twenty minutes before we all went to bed and then again in the morning before we got on the road. West Virginia was absolutely beautiful in the mountains. It made me excited for when I will be able to visit my parents' little cabin in the woods (mountains) once it is finished later this year.

We had not actually seen the house we are renting before we arrived so getting here was fun. Members of  Western Oaks had stocked up on some essentials for us before we got here which was so thoughtful - the boys were thrilled to find popsicles waiting in the freezer!The more time I spend in it this house the more I like it. We arrived on Wednesday evening and the movers came on Friday. We have pretty much been unpacking ever since. I started straight away with the boys' bedrooms so that they would feel settled and hopefully enjoy playing with all of their toys while we work on the rest of the house. We ate our first home cooked dinner tonight and that really helped make us feel at home. We have unpacked most of the essential boxes and are down to the "What could possibly be in this box? Oh yeah... Now where am I supposed to put that??" boxes. This is the part that I dread. The garage is full and we won't be putting any cars in there any time soon. I am currently trying to locate a box with our bathroom towels and the box with half of my clothes. It's slim pickings in my closet right now.

We did have a chance to go to Western Oaks on Sunday for worship. It was great to see everyone again, to thank them for all of the kindness they have shown us through this transition and of course to introduce Clark and Lance to them. Josh won't start preaching until next week and I am excited to see him step up and lead our new church.

The thing I am probably most grateful for is the way our new friends have welcomed and included us. Moving can be a very lonely experience. Suddenly you do not know anyone and you do not have any plans with anyone to do anything. Since we got here people have opened their doors to us for dinner, swimming, playing games... It has done so much in helping us feel like we belong here in Springfield and I cannot even express how much it has meant to me.

I would be lying if I said I had not felt a little homesick. You know the feeling when you've been on vacation and you just want to get home? It's kind of like that. Continuing to unpack and get our things settled helps, but if I stop to think too much about all of the people we left behind it does make me a little sad. You're all still very much a part of our lives. We think about you, pray for you... Even the boys talk about you still. 
Even though you're out of sight you're definitely not out of mind!