I'm not really sure how to start this post. There are so many thoughts flying around in my head at the moment on the direction I would like this to take. I should probably just let God have control.
Six months ago our close friends moved to Rushville about 3 hours away. After months of their home here not selling, sitting empty, and beginning to get frustrated they asked us if we would like to move into it and rent from them for as long as God had us here. Anyone who knows our family knows that we needed the extra room. See, 3-1/2 yrs ago we moved into a small 2 bedroom house. That may not seem so odd but we are a family of 6, 2 boys & 2 girls who have had to share one bedroom for the last 3-1/2 years. Now that the 2 oldest are going into 6th grade it really isn't feasible for the kids to all share a room. We loved this little house and really didn't want to move but we needed the extra room. I am so thankful for the opportunity our friends are giving us!
It has been a running joke that when we moved into the smaller house my dear husband only gave me one days notice before having to move. It was the end of January, very cold and I had nothing packed because I didn't have time to pack. We were moving 9 miles into town and 3 of our friends showed up to help us move. Thank goodness because I am not sure Jaret and I would've survived each other alone in that move! It was quite interesting to say the least.
Now, this time I had 3 weeks to pack up our house and move a total of 6 blocks away. Here is the kicker though we weren't telling the kids we were moving! So I was supposed to pack up a little at a time without setting off the kids radar. I had managed to get some items packed up and put into the basement without the kids knowing and the days/evenings they were gone I would take some boxes and other items over to the house and store them. I thought I was doing great till the actually moving day came along. Then I realized I hadn't gotten as much done as I had previously thought especially when I am trying to get a lot of the moving done while my husband was at work. That way he wouldn't have to worry about anything but the big items. Needless to say it was yet another stressful move. By the end of the weekend I was in tears more than once and all I wanted was to be done.
Now that we are all moved into our new house and I am sifting slowly through these boxes I realize that we have a lot of junk we have held onto over the last 3 - 5 years. I didn't realize we could pack so much "stuff" into a small house with 6 people and 3 dogs but somehow it happened. There is a lot I am just leaving in boxes and storing in the attic space as it is either seasonal or we just don't need it right now.
It's interesting moving into your best friends home. I mean think about it these are people we lived life with! We talked to them almost daily, several times a day, they have helped us through some of our toughest times these past few years. All our children played together, we would just pop in to hang out together. So we already have memories made here with them. I can still hear all 8 of the kids running up and down the stairs playing. Still see us sitting in the kitchen with our friends discussing ministry, kids, school, life in general.
As I sit here in the house tonight looking around at what I have already gotten done I can't help but feel as though it's not quite HOME yet. I have managed to get 2 of the 3 bedrooms, living room, 1 bathroom, kitchen, and utility room unpacked and organized. I still feel like I have so much to accomplish. Soon I hope to have our pictures on the walls and I am sure it will then feel like our HOME.
God had given us a great blessing not only with this house but with amazing friends.
