UK=small, America =BIG

Things in America are regular size, right? I've lived there my entire life, so I wouldn't know any different. The UK does everything on a smaller scale. Or, are things normal here in Scotland, and super-sized in The States?

All I know is it's hard to get used to things being smaller. I still look twice when I see a person's kitchen trashcan that's smaller than most bathroom trashcans I'm used to. All appliances are smaller too. You won't find washing machines like this here.

Our house came with a "normal" size fridge. We tried to live with it, but feeding lots of high school kids means having tons of ready to be cooked frozen food around. This fridge just wouldn't cut it (do you see the white rectangle along the top? that's the freezer).

So we purchased a "large" fridge freezer combo, as they call them here. That's right, livin' the posh life.

And here it sits, in our foyer closet, that's the only place it will fit.

I'm all for free range products...

but this is a little ridiculous. This is what I was greeted by when I opened my first dozen of eggs bought here in Scotland. I removed all the other eggs and let this one sit in the container for a few days; partially because I thought it might be the start of a new baby chick for the Murphy household. Apparently people enjoy seeing things like this because it proves to them just how fresh the egg is. I've been told I might also find feathers in a whole raw chicken.

the new ride

Here's where I told you all about our new car, and now I can show you a picture! It's a Renault Clio. Are you able to notice what side the steering wheel is on? I still go to the wrong side of the car when getting in!

We actually work too. Really.

It might not seem like it from reading this blog, but since we've moved to Scotland for this two year stint, we actually have begun the work we came here to do.

The church we are working with is called the Dornoch Free Church. Free Church refers to the denomination, you can read about it's history here and here. And you can check out their website if you'd like more details. Our main focus is youth work, and there are other areas we will be involved with as well.

A couple of weeks ago we sat down with the DFC pastor, Angus, and outlined what the main areas of our ministry will be.

These items are currently in place:

-Youth Fellowship (YF): Sunday evenings from 7-9 at our house, mostly kids from the church who hope to make it a group that is welcoming to other kids in the community; includes planning monthly events with them, weekend trips, outings, etc.

-Youth Clubs: Event started by the church 2 years ago; meets every Friday during the school year; 6:45-7:45 for ages 5-10, 8:00-9:30 for ages 11+; Games, snack, place to hang out, short message; in the past they've averaged about 70-80 kids a Friday; Youth Club starts up again after the October school holiday on Oct. 26th.

-Scripture Union: lunchtime Bible Study for students who choose to come; Held weekly in schools, one in upper school (ages 11-18) and one in lower school (ages 5-10)

-Assemblies: Also held in each school and weekly; 20 minute assembly for varying ages; pastors, youth workers in the community are invited to speak on a theme that the students are studying; freedom in what we can say, unlike public schools in the States.

--James is involved in an existing adult men's outreach group that meets twice a month. One week is a speaker, the other week is a games night.

--Afternoon Tea: monthly; held in church hall; community-wide tea and desserts for elderly and retired people; also includes a talk on something or some sort of entertainment (singing, guitar playing, etc.)

These are some of the ideas/hopes/dreams we have:

-Begin a Young Adult Fellowship group: hopefully to be held in our home for ages 18-late 20's; possibly twice monthly

-I plan on working with ladies in the church to begin a group to meet monthly; time for ladies to get together, have some tea and dessert and get to know each other; would like for ladies to invite neighbors and friends from work so a network can evolve from many areas of the community

-Look into having a branch of a pregnancy resource center (located in Inverness an hour away) in Dornoch; a phone hot line, local volunteers, a resource for women to have use of or buy discounted/donated baby supplies.

-Work with church to compile a welcome packet for new members of the community (a 200 home development is in the works in Dornoch) outlining various services they offer.

Our unofficial title is "congregational support worker." It changed from "youth worker" since we're here to help out in any way we can, primarily focused on kids, but available for tons of other areas.

Here's some proof that we hang out with kids. These are the pastor's three kids, we took a walk on the beach after we had dinner with them at our house. James was teaching them how to play American football. Then one of the kids threw the ball when he wasn't looking and gave him a swollen, slightly blackened eye.


And here's me trying to injure myself.

Hiking Fun

We went for a short hike one day and had an adventure. On one side of the mountain it was windy, cold, and rainy; I was wishing for a hat and scarf.


The other side was beautiful and sunny, I ended up shedding a couple of layers.


On the way down, we couldn't find the path. We walked/slid down.


Good times.

Exactly how much does it rain in Scotland?

So much so, that my recycling bin comes with a shower cap!

(Are you able to read how they spell curb on the bin? "Kerbside")

Murphy Family Photo

Well, 5/8ths of it anyway. Thanks to my mom, I can share another farewell photo from the airport with you!

an unexpected surprise

A few days after we arrived, a bouquet of flowers was delivered to us from a family in the church. It was a touching reminder that we are supported and loved by the people of the Dornoch Free Church. The family who sent them (James & Coral, and their teenage kids Elisha & John) are one of the families who have played a huge part in helping us feel welcome and assuring us that we have friends here! What a blessing!

First things first...

Continuing with catching you up via pictures...after Angus picked us up from the airport in Edinburgh, he had to make a couple of stops. We were in a daze and would have agreed to just about anything at that point. But it was quite a treat to be able to go to Ikea! Here is the most important purchase we made there, according to James


And wouldn't you know it, Wal-Mart has infiltrated the UK

The inside is very different from it's US counterpart, not nearly the same 'superstore' feel I'm used to.

Our Richmond Send-Off, and Scotland Welcome

Now that we have internet, I can share some photos with you! But, I have some catching up to do, so we'll have to start with the day we left, three weeks ago today.

I think I've stepped into some alternate universe where time passes at a slower rate, and feels 50 bajillion times longer than usual. It's hard to believe we've only been here three weeks. It feels like at least 3 months. But each week passes a little bit faster, so I think time will get back to normal soon.

Here are some of the people that came to bid us farewell at the airport, it was a great time.


This is my parents, my nephew, my dad's dad and his lovely wife Rose. I'm sad we didn't get a Murphy family photo!

I have very fond memories of that day. It could have been a disaster, but all was well. I remember being in line at the security checkpoint and looking back every chance I got to wave to my family and make sure I could get one last look, again and again.

And here's the first photo I took in Scotland. It's hard to tell exactly what it is, but that's James on the left and the window in the background says "Welcome To Scotland." I would've tried for a better shot, but we were more concerned with gathering our luggage and leaving the airport.

I'm so spoiled

Three weeks without home internet access and we were pulling out hair out. Seriously, I have some priority issues. But the problem has been averted...we have internet!!!

Lunch at Luigi's

I enjoyed bacon, avacado, and brie on ciabatta bread for lunch today at a local restaurant in Dornoch today. For desert I savored a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. It was a fairly warm (about 65 degrees) sunny day, so I could justify the ice cream.

One of the employees is from New Jersey. It's so fun to be in Scotland and talk to a man with a New Jersey accent. He moved here 10 years ago and helped open the place with his girlfriend who is from here. Chris says he visited Dornoch and fell in love with the place. He hears people marvel at his story all the time, but he doesn't think it's such a huge deal. He just says he did what everyone else wants to do.

Then we biked down to one of the markets in town. It's farily small. To give you an idea, it's about a third of the size of Joe's Market on Libby Ave. in Richmond. I met and chatted with Archie for a few minutes. He's the butcher and I got to see him cutting up a huge piece of pork into pork chops. It was pretty interesting.

Just a couple of the people we've met since we've been here. We're adjusting to small town life better than we thought we would!

A New Car!

We recently returned from a trip to Inverness (45 minutes south) with Angus to speak with a friend who is high up in a car dealership about us possibly acquiring a car. So far our bikes have worked well for transport around Dornoch; but it will continue to grow colder, and there are times we need to drive to farther away places.

We've considered various transportation options (buying, leasing, renting, public transportation, which is very limited in Dornoch) which all turned out to be very expensive. Insurance has been another barrier. With our Va licenses, we are allowed to drive for one year, after that we are expected to pass a UK driving test, which we've heard is extremely difficult. But without that, insurance could end up being very costly, making the idea of getting a car way more expensive than our budget allows.

So we went to today's meetings with high hopes, since it was pretty much our last option. Scott is an elder in another Free Church of Scotland and has been very generous to other Mission to the World workers like ourselves. He offered us a deal that made our jaws drop. We would use a brand new car, pay a monthly fee, insurance included, and trade it in every four months for another new car (so they could sell the car as "slightly used"). The fee for the monthly car rental and insurance is so low, we could never expect to even rent a car for a week at that price.

Seriously, we are shocked. But, as Scott said, we shouldn't be surprised at the blessings God provides!

A Glorious Day

I just walked into our friend's home from lying out front on their steps. I was soaking in the sunshine, breathing it deeply, trying to store it up for days when it won't be so fabulous.

The sun is bright, the sky is more blue than cloudy, (the most blue sky I've seen in two weeks!) and it's actually warm while in the sun and shielded from the wind.

I'm loving it.

Animal Woes

I really miss our animal's. Owen (dog) and Naomi (cat) were adopted by my parents and aunt & uncle, respectively.

We tried really hard to bring them with us, but it just didn't work out for various reasons. I'd link to other blog posts describing it in detail, but I still can't figure out how to do that on these UK keyboards.

I know they are in great homes and are well taken care of, which is a HUGE relief. It really cuts down on my level of worry. And we are so extrememly grateful for the sacrifices they have made by adopting them. But I still miss them both very much. And it's sad to think that they are seperated, since they basically grew up together from the time they were about 4 months old.

Most mornings when I wake up, still in the half asleep mode, my first thought is, "I need to go let Owen out." Then I wake up completely and am saddened once again. I'll even walk in our front door sometimes expecting to be greeted with meow's and a wagging tail.

But, we had to make sacrifices to move here, and they were all worth it since we know this is where we're supposed to be. In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't that bad of a thing, just difficult at the moment.

Why the constant state of tiredness?

Jet lag is behind us. They say it takes the same number of days to recover as there are difference in hours. That would be 5 hours difference between Richmond and Dornoch. We're coming up on day #14 in Scotland.

So why are we still tired?

We don't have any trouble falling asleep, and that's pretty remarkable for me, it usually takes me at least half an hour. Not lately. But we wake up so exhausted, not wanting to get out of bed. The bed is pretty comfortable, and even though they don't like to use heat here at night, we stay pretty warm. I don't think it's exhaustion from uncomfortable or cold sleeping conditions.

I have a couple of theories, and so do some Scottish friends of ours.

We're on a totally different schedule. I'm used to working the hours of a regular day job, having a defined schedule that doesn't change too much. Now, we start the day at different times everyday, have varying things to do at different times each day, and have full days or full nights depending on the day. I think this may have something to do with the chronic fatigue (it's not quite that bad, but it's the easiest way to describe it).

Theory number two is, it's much colder here. You know how much you want to pull the covers over your head and hit snooze for an hour when suddenly it's 30 degrees colder outside? That's our life.

Now, some friends here have other ideas. They say it's the air. We've had two people tell us, independently of each other, that the air is so different that it takes a while to get used to it. One person said it's so much cleaner, your lungs don't have to work as hard, so you get tired quicker. mmmmhh, not so sure about that one. Another person said it's just the air of the Highlands in Scotland; to go to the western coast of the country, would make you even sleepier. Could it be the change in latitude (about the same as Juneau, Alaska)?

Another man says that when he moved up here from London years ago, it took him 6 months before he could wake up feeling rested. 6 months?!?

Whatever it is, I hope it hurries up and goes away, I'm tired of being tired!

Mad Gab

Have you ever played this game? It's so much fun. I'd give you a link to the game, but I can't figure out how to do it on this UK keyboard; there are some differences and it's not working for me. You're on your own to look it up. Anyway, things are written a certain way: "Amen Ask Hurt". Your teammate will try to say it outloud until you can figure out that they're actually saying "a mini skirt."

We played it last night at Youth Fellowship with the kids, and didn't realize there would be certain phrases that would mean nothing to Scottish people. Turns out, about a third of the cards are useless here! Just one of the many interesting differences we've noticed.

Yay for bikes!

Our bikes have arrived! We're soooo excited. And the customs tax that was originally going to be almost $400 was dropped, seriously that is so amazing. Who knows why that happened, we don't really care why, we're just glad it happened!

Another amazing thing that happened was our Visa's were approved for two years. Everything you read says only one year at a time, anything more than that, you have to reapply. Doing that would cost around $2,000 which we don't have budgeted. It's incredible the way God works everything out.

The weather is definitely colder than what we're used to. When people here ask us about the climate in Virginia, they almost pass out at the mention of 80F being comfortable, that's a heat wave to them! It's been in the 50's-60's, windy and rainy. But there is a trade-off for the not so great weather. When it's nice, it's absolutely brilliant (to use a common Scottish descriptive.).

We're on our way to getting internet in our house, which will lead to lots of pictures for you to see, a tour of our house, and way more blog posts! I can't wait to share lots more stuff with you. We've signed up, and they say it won't be more than 15 days until it's connected. The countdown is on!

quck post

It's incredible how much we've come to rely on the internet for so many things! Hopefully we will have a local phone by tomorrow, and then we can set up our internet access at our house. I'm typing furiously from the library since I have three minutes until my session ends. Other things such as setting up a checking account, getting cell phones, deciding what to do about a car, are slowly coming together.

The people have been so amazing. We've felt so welcomed and loved already. I know there will be many times (and have been already) when I ache to be with my friends and family in the states, but having people here who are so awesome helps me know that those times won't be completely unbearable.

We've had our first Youth Fellowship meeting with kids grades 7-12, it was so much fun, they're really interested in doing tons of events, which we're stoked about!

I can't wait to share lots of pictures with you as soon as I can.

Post #1 from Dornoch, Scotland

Here we are, it's still very surreal. It's slowly sinking in that we are now living in Scotland. In 3-4 weeks when we're still here and not packing up to go home, it will become even more real!

We had a wonderfully uneventful trip. No crazy stories, which is just fine by me. Angus picked us up from the airport in Edinburgh at 9:30 am GMT (4:30 am EST) and we started the 5 hour trip to our new home, Dornoch.

Our first stop along the way...Ikea. Second stop...Asda, a super grocery store owned by Wal-Mart. As you can tell we're having a very familiar experience so far.

And I know you're all waiting to hear the results of my previous post concerning the on-going debate James and I have had about our trunks and whether or not they would fit. Down-sizing to 6 was a great idea, they and the two duffels, and two back-packs all fit in the van. And, much to James' joy, we probably could have fit two more in...James won.

Hope you're all having a great day, we're going to sleep!

Do you think James will fit on the plane?

I definitely think he will have to duck. It's a small one, but the flight's only an hour, so he'll only have to fold himself up like a pretzel for a little bit.

We're sitting at the gate in Richmond, waiting for the go-ahead to board. There's a little bit of a wait. We definitely don't mind having to sit for a while, it's been a few years since we've had the chance to sit and do absolutely nothing for this long.

After the quick jaunt to Newark, NJ, we'll head off to Edinburgh around 10:00 pm to arrive at 10:00 am Thursday Scotland time (5:00 am your time).

Hard to believe we're finally traveling after nearly two years of prep: we're super excited!

Check-in was rediculously easy. No waiting, and we didn't hold anybody else up in line. We downsized our trunk number from 8 to 6, two duffel bags, and two bookbags...so there might be a chance we can fit all our stuff in Angus' car when he picks us up on the other side of the Atlantic!


We had a fun send-off at the airport, thanks so much to everyone who came to see us off. And as I requested, there were no tears! Thanks for holding back, it has made the rest of the day much easier for me. It was a fun party.

The Visa's Have Arrived!

Monday morning I got a call from FedEx asking for directions to the delivery address for our package. What?!?
Since when does FedEx call the recipient of a piece of mail for directions?

You can imagine I wasn't too surprised when by 5:00pm, no package had arrived at my parents house even though a 10:30am arrival was guaranteed.
We were pretty stressed. The FedEx lady had it confirmed in her computer as delivered. We looked everywhere. No Visa's in sight.

Thankfully, my dad thought to check with the pschizophrenic neighbor. Sure enough, it was delivered to him...and he opened it! I'm not being facetious, he's really pschizophrenic, I won't go into details now, just trust me on this one.

So we have them, and I will never use FedEx if I have a choice in it. I'm a UPS girl from now on.

I'm sitting here trying to come to grasps with the fact that we're moving to Scotland...TOMORROW! It's pretty insane actually. I'm very touched by the expressions of love so many of our friends and family have exhibited. They are what help keep us encouraged and excited! You have all helped us make it to this point in the journey, and I'm sure we will be relying on you even more from this point on!

I've been especially touched by my friend Valerie's most recent words of love here and here. I'm so glad you're in my life Val, you are exactly what a friend should be.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This is the last weekend review I'll do from the States for two years *sniff*

Friday
-Did all sorts of preparation stuff to get ready to go. I couldn't even begin to tell you what we did, but it was a ton of stuff.

Saturday
-More of Friday's events
-Welcomed the Murphy family
-Went to a farewell party thrown for us by our incredibly amazing friends. Had SUCH a wonderful time, didn't cry once because I was having so much fun talking to many friends.

Sunday
-Up early to visit my brother and say goodbye. Cried.
-Off to church at Stony Point
*Said goodbye to the 10th & 11th graders in the Sunday School class we've helped teach for 4 years. Cried.
*Went to worship, got commissioned by Pastor Frank with our parents up in the front of the church. Didn't have to say anything thankfully. Cried.
*Went to lunch for my mom's birthday with a bunch of family. Didn't cry!
*Went to Franklin Street Community. Was honored and touched by the kind things Benjamin Ferrell said about us. James and I spoke for a few minutes about our departure on Wednesday and how our hearts are feeling. Cried. Like a Baby. So much so that I couldn't speak for a few moments.
*Back to Stony Point to speak for a few minutes, Cried. But just a little. Made the congregation laugh. Was glad for the laughter.
*Listened to the report from the team who went on a mission trip to Uganda this summer. Had my heart broken again after seeing the joy on the faces of the children who have unfathomable troubles but love the Lord so much. Realized how silly my troubles are
*Enjoyed a fun dessert reception with Stony Point Family. Cried. A bunch of times.
*Bought some jewelry hand-made by Ugandan ladies.
*Home to do a little laundry, relax for a moment, and go to bed.

An Ongoing Debate: What's Your Opinion?

We are packing up 8 trunks to fly with us to Scotland. The dimensions of the trunks are 31x17x13. We will fly into Edinburgh and Angus, the pastor of the church we will be working with, is kindly picking us up to make the 4.5 hour drive up to Dornoch. If you are familiar with European cars, you'll know they are all VERY SMALL. Last time we were in Scotland, we saw one pick-up truck and were astounded: it looked huge compared to the normal vehicle. We even saw a three wheeled car, and it wasn't abnormal to the locals. Europe is not an SUV and mini-van dominated society.

Seven of our Eight trunks, with Owen for size reference.

The debate: I think that there is no way our 8 trunks will fit in the car Angus will be picking us up in. Even though they have purchased a new larger car since we've been there (we don't know the exact size), I still don't think it will work. James is convinced it will.

I envision us renting a second car, not a huge deal, just easier if we are prepared for it.

Let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the results as soon as we get internet access in Scotland.

My "giant-sized" husband

I'm proud to be married to someone who is described as such. I'm also excited to know that my husband has the reflexes of a cheetah when someone is in trouble. You may not realize this, since he's very relaxed and usually moves at a comfortable pace.

Another exciting development of the day is, if anything ever happens to the Catrow's, we get their unborn children.

Here's an example of how children flock to him because of his giant size and teddy bear demeanor. This is a little girl Georgia, a daughter of some friends of ours who are volunteering their medical skills in Ethiopia for two years. These people are pretty amazing.

more endings

We have a very exciting adventure ahead of us. We're actually in the middle of the adventure right now, it just doesn't seem like it since we're still at home. Sometimes when I stop and think about the fact that we're up and leaving the place and people we adore for two years in Scotland, a place we don't really know for people we sorta know, it seems pretty crazy. It is pretty crazy. But we know for sure that this is what we're supposed to do.

Being assured of a calling, and excited for the adventure, doesn't make it easy to leave.

There was a span of about 4 hours that was pretty insane today.

I left work at 3:00, realizing at 2:50 that today is really my last day, I wouldn't be working on Monday as I had previously planned. I walked out and immediately started crying, but better outside alone rather than inside around hordes of people. Then I got the kindest voicemail from Blair, one of my oldest bestest friends. I voicemailed her back and totally lost control while leaving the message. Who knows if she could make any sense of my blubbering.

Racing home, I met James at the house to get Owen in the car and off to a nice lady's house. This wonderful lady is having a 3 day trial run with Owen and her three dogs to see if it would work out for her to keep Owen while we're in Scotland and then, get this...GIVE HER BACK TO US!!! It would be a dream come true. If you think of it, please say a prayer that Owen will be on her best behavior and not do anything really bad while she's there. If this doesn't work out, well, I don't want to think about that yet because we have no idea what we'll do. So I'm missing Owen terribly right now. It's way too quiet without her.

Before and after the sleepover drop-off, I was making a million phone calls to the Visa people to try and figure out if we had a chance of getting them before our flight leaves on Wednesday (another thing I don't want to think about, because the Visa people have our passports, so if we don't get our Visa's, we don't get our Passports, and we don't fly). Turned out, as usual, that something else was wrong and needed to be changed, info had to be faxed in, our credit card had to be charged again, the mail avenue had to be altered. And of course, my phone died right when it was most important that it didn't. Then followed mad dashing to try and get to a fax machine that works. Fax machines seem so archaic, why can't I just email you?

All this to say I was super emotional. Packing up more stuff, with my mom to help, was a nice mindless way to spend the evening. It's wild being on this roller coaster of emotions. But, the only way I'm able to get through this is by resting in the peace and strength God gives me. I certainly don't have the strength to do it myself.

Seriously though, I have a pretty amazing life. How cool is it that we get to travel to another country, live for two years, and tell other people how much Jesus loves them!

my last day at work...or not

I drove to work fully prepared to hold back the flood of emotion that would inevitably overwhelm me today. I was pleasantly surprised when I only cried twice and was able to pull it together quickly. It was no shocker when I found out both my mom and my mother-in-law had been praying for me all day.

I said my goodbyes to most people, not all since I will be back next Monday to have my teeth cleaned one last time. After everyone was gone, my boss asked me if I would consider coming in tomorrow morning since the schedule was crazy and a few people would be out. It was easy to say yes because a.)I love my job, b.)I still have some things to do to transition other people into doing the things I usually do, and c.)it's hard to say no to his simple request since he's done so much for me over the past two years.

So tomorrow morning I know I'll hear this 25x's: "What are you doing here, I thought yesterday was your last day!?" This whole saying goodbye thing is getting to be anti-climatic.

Weekend in Review

Friday:
-worked late (for a Friday) until 3:00 to get lots of stuff done before my last day
-home to get some stuff done

Saturday:
-Up around 9:30, desperately wanted to sleep later
-Rode with my parents and nephew to a friends house on the Rapidan River for a picnic, fishing, hanging out at the river, fireworks, good conversations, an all around good time

Sunday:
-Sunday School and Worship at Stony Point Church; said goodbye to some folks, shed some tears.
-Home for 3 minutes
-Met my friend Jess at Kitchen 64 for lunch. Was disappointed by the restaurant experience, but had a great time with Jess. If I were a food critic I'd go into detail, but nobody cares about a lay persons opinion.
-Franklin Street at 4:00, lots of great conversations, as usual.
-To my parents for a family farewell party

Monday:
-Took Owen to meet a lady who might adopt her, and then give her back when we return!!! Owen will spend a couple of nights there this week for a trial run. Please say a prayer that it will work out and Owen and the three other dogs will all get along.
-Packed and did some laundry
-Went to Wal-Mart to get different containers to fly our stuff in.
-Exercised
-More laundry and packing
-Will continue to dread my last day of work tomorrow and try to make it through without totally losing it.

My day, summed up.

-My friend came in as a new patient

-My boss, once again, proved his incredible generosity with a shocking offer

-A lady passed out on me...literally, on top of me. She fainted and I caught her, sort of, and then we both fell to the ground. She's about 6 inches taller than me and 50 lbs heavier. It was quite a scene.

-I sent off my new frames to get lenses put in them, I can't wait to get them!

-I learned a lesson from my 9 year old nephew Noah on how to look at a situation from a positive perspective and trust God's plans.

-I realized, once again, how amazing my friends are. They love me enough to make actual invitations for our farewell party. Invitations on REAL PAPER!

-My mom helped me find the one item that will help me enjoy Scotland's gray, rainy, windy, cool, sun-deprived weather: The Happy Light.

-I assisted on tons of surgery's.

-I drank an Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey.

-The Visa application process continues.

finding peace in the chaos

Lately I feel like a huge ball of stress. There's tons of big jobs to do before we leave for Scotland September 12th, and time is dwindling. But sometimes the clouds break and I get a breather: a break from the constant bombardment of experiencing 10 different emotions at once while attempting to get 20 million things done.

Today was no different. I had to retreat to the bathroom at work to have a mini-breakdown and then pull myself together, all in the span of about 4 minutes. But before work I had read something in a little book my friend gave me. It's all about experiencing the joys God intends for us and receiving His strength that comes from being in His presence. This mornings blurb was about letting go of my agenda in the midst of all the stress to rest in His unshakable peace. Even when life is a wreck, I can always rely on the calm that Jesus provides.

On a separate, but somewhat related note, I was getting gas at Wa-Wa on my way home this evening and went inside to buy some Half & Half. The line was super long for Wa-Wa. As I stood there, my mind and body were still for the first time in what seems like a couple of days. I guess I was taking in my surroundings, because the man behind me commented, "You must smile at everything." Startled out of my daze, I replied, "What? Oh, Really? Uh, I guess so." He recounted the people and things he had observed me smiling at while we'd been standing in line. Sounds kinda creepy and stalkerish, but he just seemed like a kind old man. After thinking about it for a second, I replied (since we still had more time to wait in line), "I'm moving out of the country soon, and I guess with all the craziness going on, buying milk at Wa-Wa is something I can handle, and enjoy." The conversation went on for a couple more minutes until it was my turn to pay.

This Peace is going to get me through.

Weekend Review

Friday:
-Worked at my job
-Babysat for my boss' 4 kids
-Home to do something, I don't remember what.

Saturday:
-Gilpin Games: ran around in the heat with tons of kids in Gilpin Court
-Home to try and figure out Visa stuff
-RVa Braves game with a group from our church
-Summary: lots and lots of sweating

Sunday:
-Sunday School and Worship at Stony Point Church
-Lunch with our friend Paul at Hop's, a restaurant off of Midlothian
-Home for 30 minutes
-Franklin Street and hang out time afterward with wonderful friends
-Back to Stony Point for a big picnic
-Home
-Bed

Go Team Sponge Bob!

We bought some bikes recently, so our friend Zach let us cash in on the special his employer, Performance Bikes, is having: "buy a bike, get a jersey." We tried them on and were convinced we need to start our own cycling team. If you'd like to join us, all you have to do is get yourself one of these gems. You too, could look as fabulous as we do.

Fun Birthday Surprise

My birthday was June 28th, and I got a present today! I LOVE getting late birthday presents, it lengthens the celebration for way longer. Today at work I recieved a package from the company who makes my addiction.

There was much anticipation concerning this package because it could not be delivered to our new address (a P.O. Box) so I had to talk to the shipper, and email Burt's Bees a couple of times to get them to ship the mystery package to another address. All the while having no idea what was in the package or who it was from.

My incredible sister-in-law Leah is the thoughtful gift-giver! She's just so fabulous. I miss her very much, she and her husband live in California, but I dream of the day when we both live in Richmond again. It's going to be so glorious.

This and this are my two new luxurious gifts.

Thanks Leah!

Change in Plans

I've been convinced to revoke my declaration of no goodbye's at the airport. I was thinking it would make me too emotional on the flight, which is no fun for anyone, but I'm realizing it would be more work to keep people away from the airport. And I certainly do not need to add more items to my checklist.

Be warned, if you come, you might have to carry a trunk.

pretty much a done deal

Our move to Scotland has been official for a while now, but now it's also non-refundable. We just bought our tickets.

Our departure date: September 12th, 5:05 pm from RIC

I can't believe we actually have a departure date. Do you know how many times I've had to say "I don't know" when asked what that date is? Seriously, at least 500x's. NOW I HAVE AN ANSWER!!!

It's kind of surreal. When we were at Continental's website, one click away from the point of no return, my mind was racing, trying to make sure I had thought of all of the 10,000 things that could prohibit us from leaving that day. But then I realized yet again, if it's God's will it's going to happen.

So now it's time to think about saying goodbye. Well, it's time for you to think about it, because I've been thinking about it for two years. But you have to do it before the airport, no goodbye's at the airport.

We've booked a return flight for April 30th so we can be in town for less than a week for our friend's wedding. Hopefully it's a Potluck Wednesday, we'll be arriving just in time for it!

Perfect Timing on a Sad, Sad Day

My husband just made a special trip to surprise me with flowers. Not just any flowers, 18 yellow roses. My very favorite color of roses. Red roses are trite, in my opinion. I don't prefer flowers on a day of celebration, (birthday's, anniversary's, valentine's day; that also seems trite) but today was perfect timing by James: an unexpected expression of consolation for my hurting heart.


Yesterday, while researching plane tickets to Scotland, we realized It would cost at least $2,000 to get Owen to Scotland.

It was never questioned that we would take Owen with us, we couldn't bear the thought of leaving her behind. We already had to make the difficult decision to have Naomi adopted, knowing it would be too taxing on her health to fly as a result of her natural anxious state.

We've spent the last two years fulfilling the requirements for Owen to be allowed into the UK: all for nothing. There's no way we can afford the $2,000 to take her. We could barely afford it if it cost $200, with only one of us working, and tons of other expenses while we prepare to go.

It's our fault for not researching the travel expenses earlier, maybe we wouldn't have gotten our hopes up so much, just to have them crushed. Now we're faced with the difficult decision of what to do with her. But we don't really have options to choose from, it's more a case of hoping a situation presents itself. When we first realized the reality of this situation, I thought, "we have to be able to get her back." Now I know how unrealistic that it. We couldn't ask someone to take care of her for two years, get attached, just to hand her back over to us.

I guess we'll start with the re-homing section of the SPCA's website. Any other ideas?

It actually happened...

We got our electrical work inspected! The saga ends!

When I made the appointment for the inspection last week, I was told it would happen on Tuesday. James made sure he was there at the crack of dawn, and planned on staying until sunset if that's what it took, to make sure he was there when the inspector came by.

He came, (was very nice according to James) inspected, and approved everything except one detail that would have to be changed by the electrician. Not too much of a problem, since the electrician was such a great guy. We would just have to contact him and ask him to change some wire thingy. But then, we'd have to get a final inspection. Sort of a hassle.

But wait! Very early the next morning, James recieved a call from the inspector saying he misread something, and everything checked out OK, no need to change a thing!

Wow. Seriously, that is so awesome. Praise the Lord, because I don't think I could go through that process again.

Thanks Richmond City Inspector. You rock.

The pictures I promised of me and my pregnant friend Anna

Now that my friend Anna has told everyone about her great news, I can share some pictures of us from back in the day. I was thinking of all the incriminating pictures I could post from our crazy days, but then I realized I've packed most of them away already. Be relieved, Anna. Here are a few I came across, (since I'm old and still own photos from a regular camera, they had to be scanned into my computer; you'll just have to deal with the sub-par quality)


Breakfast before the first day of our senior year of high school (Anna's on the right).


Doing something we weren't supposed to be doing, I'm sure.


William and Mary graduation day. Checkout all those awesome sunglasses.


Anna getting ready to by my bridesmaid. Isn't she beautiful!


Anna in true form. You so wish she was your friend.

Babies out the wazoo

Well, I guess not that many, but it sure seems like it! So just the other day, I got this great news. Yesterday, I got MORE of the same! Another one of my very best friends is preggers. (I hate when people say that word. I only wrote it so I could express how much I hate it. You'll never see me write it ever again.)

I'm super excited. Wow, I can't believe it. I've been friends with Nikki since third grade. She is truly unique. You can always count on her to do something ridiculously silly, or say anything to anyone, doesn't matter if she knows you or not. She's got so many awesome qualities. She's always up for a fun time, makes me laugh a lot, loves to figure out how things work, and is completely honest. She knows how to ask the tough questions, it keeps me accountable. Everyone needs at least one friend like her. She's going to be an awesome mom. I can't wait to walk through this new phase of our lives together!

Two friends who got married after me are now pregnant. Wow. I'm not ready, don't ask.

super stoked

My friend Nikki is on her way from D.C. to pick me up and head down to visit her parents at their house on Lake Gaston. We'll be there from this evening until Sunday evening.

When she called yesterday (because she rolls last minute like that) I turned down the invite, accepting a lunch date in Richmond on her way down. Then after talking to James about it, he helped me realize the value of spending time with her. We've been friends since 3rd grade (Val, you're totally right about the whole time thing.) and since she moved to D.C. after college, we don't get many chances to hang out. I know we won't be able to spend this much time together before we leave for Scotland.

Although we have a crazy list of stuff to do before we leave (hopefully the second week of September), people are more important than the to-do-list. I'm so glad to have a fabulous husband with a great perspective who encourages me to do things that he knows is best for me, even when I can't realize it myself.

Here's to water skiing, fun in the sun, great times with good friends, and my top notch husband!

Electrical Inspection...Still Waiting

Here's an update on our saga with the City of Richmond Department of Permits and Inspections. I shared before about the first step in our attempt to get an inspection on some electrical work we had done in our home. There was a waiting period, followed by the extremely disappointing day when they showed up while we were there and left us a note asking to reschedule.

Two days after that, on Friday, I called the automated system and set up another appointment for the following Monday. In hopes of talking with a real person and getting some pointers on how to actually get this inspection to occur, I called back and waited on hold for 25 minutes. No joke. Never got through.

Since the recording tells me that they are still running three days behind schedule, I assume that they will definitely not be there on the actual day of the appointment, following suit from our prior appointment. Well, I was wrong. They came by, no call, and we weren't there. So they left us another note telling us to reschedule.

I made another appointment today. I then talked to Pam. Pam is wonderful. I got the address to her supervisor, I'm sending a letter in to recommend her for a raise. Her job must suck, she has to listen to people like me complain about the cities inefficient way of handling things when she has nothing to do with it and doesn't get payed nearly enough. She says she gets tons of calls just like mine every day. She was very patient and even let me give her my idea of how to better run the process.

Maybe the work will never get inspected, but at least Pam might get a raise.

Missing Fairmont

I mentioned before that James was out of town for most of last week. I didn't talk about where he was for fear of another flood of tears, and I tried to keep it to a minimum.

For the past 7 years, James and I have been involved in a mission trip with our church, Stony Point. We travel with a team to Fairmont, Wv and are paired up with a host family. This family is usually a widowed lady, and may include her children, grandchildren, or other family members. We do either minor repairs on her home, construction projects, or aesthetic improvements to make her life a little easier and manageable.

The construction isn't the "main thing," as we always say. The main thing is the people. The people of Fairmont, the other teams who have traveled from all over the country to be paired with other families, the people on our own team. But mainly the people of Fairmont. The work we do is really just the avenue we use to allow us to spend time with these people, love them, and restore some hope to their lives.

Living in poverty in the hills of West Virginia is a hard life. You see the despondency and lifelessness in the eyes of the people. By the end of our week, it's worth all the work to see a faint glimmer of hope begin to return to their eyes.

The team from Stony Point has varied from 30-50 people. The third year of the trip was mine and James' second year attending, but first year attending together. I won't go into detail now about how we first started dating and all that stuff, maybe some other time. There are all kind of crazy happenings and "coincedences" that make up our story, and it all began that year in Fairmont, building a roof on a widow's home. We've been every year since then, and were the leaders of the trip the past 2 years.

When the planning began for this year's trip, we knew we couldn't sign up to go, and definitely couldn't lead again, with all the planning it's taking to get to Scotland. But we both wanted to be there.

Time came for the trip, and I couldn't get off of work. James quit his job a month ago to do the hundreds of jobs that need to get done, and be supported by his sugar momma. Just because I couldn't go, I couldn't hold James back from having a great time. But it didn't make it easier to see him go, knowing I would still be here. I cried a bunch. Especially when I talked to people on the trip and heard the amazing stories about what was happening. It was hard. Fairmont holds a big place in my heart.

But! There's a reason for everything. I don't know why I couldn't be there, but at least it was only because we're planning a much longer trip to a far-away place.

Weekend Review

Friday:
-Worked 'till 12
-Visited my friend & co-worker who just had a baby: the first boy after 4 girls. He's rediculously cute. But it's not a surprise, because the whole family's so cute you just want to hug them.
-Drove from way west on Staples Mill to Chester. Was so tired; fought to keep my eyes open the entire 47 minute drive
-Sat out in the sun for a little bit
-Did some laundry/wrote some thank you notes/played with Owen/cleaned up/talked on the phone/read some blogs/did some reading from actual books/ate a bunch of fruit and vegetables in hopes of staving off my ice cream craving.
-It didn't work. Ate some ice cream.
-Got excited that James was coming home the next day.
-Went to Bed

Saturday:
-Bike Ride
-Post Office
-Relaxed outside
-Welcomed James home
-Left for wedding in Bethesda, MD
-Sat in traffic, missed the first half of the ceremony
-Had a good time at the wedding; took my favorite type of photos: self-taken

-Enjoyed an easy ride home, no traffic, good conversation with my friend Lynn while James caught up on his sleep

Sunday:
-Church at Stony Point
-Lunch w/ parents at Panera
-Hung out around metro Richmond, no time to drive to our temporary home
-Church at Franklin Street
-Enjoyed a delicious Rainbow Donut after the service
-Evening church service at Stony Point to talk about vision and mission of church for next 5 years
-Had an intense conversation about intense things
-Dinner with friends at El Cap-something (tiny place next to 7-11 by Regency Mall)
-Had another intense conversation about the same intense things
-Home, mentally exhausted from thinking about intense things all weekend
-To bed.

My Inexperienced Jewelry Store Rating

Today my boss asked me to do him a favor during work. He often asks these favors of me. I truly don't mind doing them. For one thing, I get to get outside into the fresh air for a little bit. A lot of times the errand is picking up bagels or fruit, of which I get to partake. And he usually hands over the keys to his car, and it's a fun car to drive.

Today's errand was getting the batteries in two of his watches replaced. First I tried Jack Kreuter's, then Carrera's, then Schwarzschild's. They all said they needed to be sent of to the "watch guy" to have it done. Not a successful trip, he wanted it done today.

But it was pretty interesting to go into these places that I typically would not go. Typically, I'm not much of a jewelry person. I love my wedding rings and like to wear simple silver earrings, but other than that, it doesn't do much for me.

The first wasn't anything special. I actually had been to JK's before to get my grandmother's pearl's restrung. Carrera's had a separate viewing room that was by appointment only, and a friendly funny lady with really flashy glasses greeted me. Schwarzschild's was the most impressive of them all. The people were extremely nice, even to little ol' me in my scrubs. They also had a little snack area with coffe/tea, chocolate, and those cute mini soda cans. One of the employees was even polishing the china that you would drink the coffee out of. The security guard was SUPER nice. I'd like to be his friend. I even saw something I wanted to buy for a baby, no baby in particular, just a baby.

If I every have to buy a nice piece of jewelry, I'd be tempted to go to Schwarzschild's. But I'd have to return to the place we got our wedding ring's from: Adolph's. I'm slightly emotionally attached, plus they have good billboards on 64 by the Staples Mill exit. Ask for Eric, he's the best.

By the way, none of these places have websites, that I could find. What's up with that?

My Dinner Tonight

Instant mashed potatoes, slices of a cucumber, a couple spoonfuls of Bunny Tracks, and a *Champagne of Beers*.

I never used to cook when I lived by myself, and since James is out of town, dinner was whatever was easiest and quick. When it's just one person, it seems like more work than it's worth to actually cook something.

I've realized that I only enjoy cooking (more like preparing a meal...I'm no chef) because it's a way I can care for people. James is easy to cook for because he'll eat anything (except for most vegetables) and be satisfied with it.

Upon my request, James' grandmother mailed me a couple of recipes she'd used last time we visited. She included a note that summed up how rewarding it can be to feed your loved ones, "It's always nice to see a smile on the face of the one you've cooked for."

Grossness to the Max

I like gross stuff. As odd as that sounds, it's true. It helps since I work inside people's mouths all day. And let me tell you, there are some gross mouths out there.

I love to hear gross stories from friends who work in the health field. I have a pretty strong stomach, I don't really get queasy at the sight or sound of things. Sometimes I'm a little bothered by gross smells, but it has to be really bad. Today I encountered the really bad kind.

Sometimes, bad breath is an indicator of a problem much larger than just not brushing your teeth after eating Funyuns. Periodontal Disease (aka gum disease) is one cause of bad breath. If a person's bad breath is caused by gum disease, it is a very distinct smell. Unfortunately, I can smell that odor and know the problem without even looking in a person's mouth.

Today I had the pleasure of assisting a man with a huge amount of oral challenges, to put it nicely. I won't bore you with all the details, especially since you might not like gross stuff as much as I do, but essentially his mouth is in horrible shape because of extreme neglect and smoking.

I was recementing this man's permanent bridge over two implants with temporary cement. His bridge needed to be cleaned. Cleaning something like this bridge that is covered in plaque, calculus, and bacteria usually releases the smell. Blowing air in the patients mouth also gives you a good whiff. I had to do both of these things for this man.

I had to leave the room quite a few times just to get some fresh air. I literally gagged a couple of times. The rest of the morning I was ready to run to the bathroom at a moments notice, expecting to see my Kashi cereal for a second time today.

It was really that bad.

Ugh. I have to stop thinking about it, I'm getting nauseated again.

this is what we do with our free time

We used to be consumed with a ridiculous number of house construction projects. We've moved out of our house, so we have another whole list of non-construction things to do. But it's easy to procrastinate these things since we don't have a definite deadline yet.

Wondering how we spend our free time? Well, take family photos with our ibook, of course:

we have the best friends ever. period.

It's a wonderful thing to be loved. When I read Val's recent post, I wasn't halfway through the second paragraph before my vision was so blurred from a flood of tears, I couldn't read a word.

The process of raising support and preparing to move to Scotland has been a long one, and I'm very thankful for the length of it. If I had to move 20 months ago, intense emotional damage would've been done. I've had 20 months to prepare myself, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I've also had 20 months to get used to the idea of saying goodbye.

Val's right, there are certain events and triggers that bring on a rush of emotion and a vivid realization of our imminent departure for Scotland. The first one for me was the night we finished packing and left our home. I realized we had to leave our cat, our home, and begin the transition period were we don't really have a home. I had a 10 minute breakdown, and then pulled it together out of necessity to get things done.

Breakdown #2 came while reading Val's blog post. We have so many amazing friends here. It's hard to explain the joy that comes with having friends who love us for who we are, support us unconditionally, and are so much fun! It's comforting to know how easy it is to keep in touch; but nothing can replace being here, face to face. If I wasn't so sure that this is what God's calling us to do, I'd have some serious misgivings about leaving. True friendships, like the ones we have with Ross & Val, aren't hindered by time or distance. Actually, many times these friendships are strengthened by challenges like these.

I'm going to miss all of my friends and family more than I'll know how to express; I'll never stop thinking about you guy's and wishing I was here with you. Please know I always want to know what's going on in your lives, keep me updated!

I'm looking forward to coming back and picking up right where we left off. There's so much more of our lives to share...we're gonna have kids to raise together!

Great News!!!

I just spoke with a wonderful friend and learned some exciting news...she's pregnant! I won't tell you who she is, in case you know her and she hasn't told you yet; I mean it his her news and her body and her baby, so that pretty much means she has a right to tell you, not me. So when everyone who could know does know, I'll post some pictures of us from back in the day so you can have a taste of just how much fun we've had together. We go way back.

It's hard to explain the excitement I felt when she told me. I don't have kids myself, so I have no idea how it feels personally. And I have friends who have had babies, and know plenty of older women, and family members who have had babies, but this was different. My friends that have had babies thus far have all been surprises that they weren't necesarily hoping for. That in no way diminishes the beauty and wonder of pregnancy and babies and all that stuff, or their love for their children; it's just that the initial excitement is different when it's someone who's been trying and hoping for a child. And the bond I have with this friend is one that will last for our lifetime, and then some, so when something wonderful happens to her, I'm able to share in her joy at a much deeper level.

Congratulations _________ and ____________! I'm so excited to be an "aunt"!

The Continuing Saga of City Inspections

You may have read here and here about our adventures with the city in our attempts to have some electrical work done on out home inspected. Here's the latest update:

Tuesday (one day after the proposed inspection date) we did not hear anything from anyone about the inspection.

Wednesday, James was at the house all day, working on projects on the exterior. In the afternoon, he found a notice on the front door. It stated the time the inspector came by to inspect and that he found no one at home. The notice instructed us to call and make an appointment for the inspector to come by again. Funny thing is, JAMES WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME! If the inspector, or any other city employee had given us a call and said, "Hey, you might be receiving a visit from the inspector today, you should keep an eye out for him," I would be writing much happier news.

So tomorrow, I will call the city, the nice lady will make an appointment for the following day, (even though they are running 3 days behind schedule) they will call a couple of times to say they're NOT coming, but then they'll show up unannounced, unbeknownst to us, leave a message for us to call them to reschedule, and the cycle will begin again.

God grant me the patience I most certainly do not have.

short drives to work rule

Living in our temporary housing is wonderful. It's a nice, big house, we can have our dog here, we still get to live by ourselves (some friends of ours preparing to move overseas choose to live with family or friends during the transition times). We really couldn't have planned it better than it was planned for us. And it's cool to know that our friend's whose home we're living in feel that we are helping them out by house sitting while they're traveling. A win-win situation!

So, you see, I have no reason to complain. I'm simply observing some differences. I knew that I loved living 12 minutes from work, and being able to bike there. But I didn't realize how many people must suffer everyday not knowing how wonderful it is to travel a short, traffic free distance to their place of work. My commute is now 30 minutes at best. There are at least 5 routes I can take, but none are direct, and they're all about the same time-wise.

I've talked to people who like the distance to decompress, get a moment of alone time before ariving at home to a whole nother set of responsibilities of family stuff. I guess I can see that perspective, but really, why spend such a large portion of your time in the car.

Just another reason why living and working in a city is such a great idea.

Waiting For a City Inspection Update

Today was the the third day from the day we made our appointment with the city to have our new electrical work inspected.

Guess what...no inspection.

We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if we get a call telling us the inspector won't make it that day either.

Maybe if they actually let us set an appointment that they could commit to being at, they wouldn't be so far behind. But that would make too much sense.

The City of Richmond: A Model of Inefficiency Yet Again

My husband and I had some electrical work done on our home in Churchill before we moved into our temporary housing, and our renters moved in. We acquired our permit, like good renovators, had the work done, and called for an inspection. I have to admit, the calling for the inspection bit wasn't the most enjoyable way to spend my lunch hour. I'll share this experience with you, in hopes that you will know what to expect shall you every find yourself in the same position.

I called the number of our inspector that is listed on our permit, Eugene. After leaving Eugene a message and not receiving a call back, 5 days later I called him again. His voicemail box was now full. I called again the next day. Still full. Silly me, why would I think it would be a good idea to call the inspector himself.

I then called the general number for the department of public works. After following the prompts, I reached a city employee. I was unaware that there is an automatic system to schedule an inspection, the employee is unable to help me. She transferred me to the system. Said system informed me that I needed a 3 digit code that is not on my permit which states the type of work done. I requested that the system transfer me to a real person. The same employee gave me the three digit code, told me there was nothing else she could do for me and then transferred me back to the automated system. After listening to the prompts and getting to the end, almost ready to set an appointment, the automatic man told me the system was disabled, and transferred me to the same employee. Now, she could help me, but only because she had to.

Employee: "When would you like to set up an appointment, the inspectors are running three days behind."
Me: "Well, I'd like to set it up for Friday, but does that mean they won't be there until Wednesday?"
E: "Yes it does. I can set it up for tomorrow for you, and they might make it by Monday."
M: "Alrighty, tomorrow it is."
E: "The inspector will call you in the morning if he's not able to make it that day."
M: "OK. So will he set up another appointment with us when he calls?"
E: "No."
M: "Well, should I call you and set up another appointment through you?"
E: "No."
M: "So I guess he'll just call us on the day he will be able to make it?"
E: "Nope, he sure won't."
M: "Well what if we're not there when he comes by?"
E: "He'll leave a note for you to call in and set another appointment."
M: "Wow. Really? I mean, I know this isn't your decision to make, but don't you think that's a pretty inefficient way for them to go about this process?"
E: "Yeah, I guess so."
(Had a chuckle with the employee.)
M: "Would you mind taking my husbands phone number and asking the inspector to call his number instead of mine, he's able to take phone calls during the day and I'm not."
E: "I'll write it down for you, but I can't promise that I'll be able to remember to do it."
M: "Well, I appreciate your honesty. What's your name? I'm sure I'll be talking to you again soon!"
E: "I'm Charlotte. Have a nice day."
M: "You too, thanks for your help!"

A city employee did call my husband the next day and told him he wouldn't be coming by. Tomorrow is Monday, I'll be waiting with abated breathe to see if the inspector makes it!

How can you say no to this adorable cat?

I've needed to write this post for a while, but have put it off because I hate the thought of being separated from my precious Naomi


As you may know, my husband James and I are preparing to move to Scotland for two years.
I've hoped and prayed that taking Naomi with us would work out, but alas, my dreams have been shattered. I've realized that flying her across the Atlantic might cause her irreparable mental health issues so now we are faced with the the dilemma of finding a new home for her. If we can't find the perfect match for Naomi, we will take her with us and hope she arrives with some of her sanity still intact. Take a look and fall in love:









If you're interested in learning more about Naomi, or know someone who might be, let me know!

Weekend Review

Friday
-Worked on many of the millions of projects going on at our house with my parents and James' parents from early in the morning until late at night.

Saturday
-Ditto of Friday

Sunday
-Rested

House Projects

With our move out date, July 13th we have a to-do-list that is half a mile long. When we bought our lovely home less than two years ago, we had a 5 year renovation schedule. Deciding to move to Scotland shortened our time line by 3 years. Below is a list of what we've done in the last week. The same amount of items have yet to be checked off the list.
It's a TON of work, but exciting to know that it's all part of getting us to Scotland.

If it weren't for our parents, 95% of these items wouldn't have been accomplished. Seriously. My parents live right outside of Richmond and are here helping all the time. My dad knows how to do EVERYTHING. Really, everything. The hours he's used his skills to beautify our home are easily in the hundreds. My mom comes to work also, but more importantly, always brings food. My husbands parents live in Indiana, but visit often and always do so much work when they're here. My mother-in-law has been here a week, my father-in-law since yesterday. They haven't stopped working since they've been here.

We'll soon be able to come out of hiding and be social again.


Drywall and Mud:
Foyer
Bathroom

Hung Trim:
Foyer
Bathroom

Hung New Doors:
Foyer Closet
Back Exterior Door

Hung New Ceiling Fan:
Kitchen

Primed and Painted:
Foyer-Walls, Ceiling, and Trim, Closet Door
Bathroom-Walls, Ceiling, Trim, Door
Kitchen Ceiling

Touch up paint:
Kitchen
Stairwell
Living Room

Removed existing floor in Foyer

New Floor:
Foyer
Ante-Room of Upstairs Bathroom

Hung New Chandelier in Foyer

Built Closet in Bathroom

Replaced Electrical Outlets:
3

Plus lots of other little projects I've already forgotten about

The Goodbye's Begin

While our projected date of departure for Scotland isn't until Septemberish, our renters will be moving in soon, which means we'll be leaving our home, our neighborhood, and our beloved Churchill. Below is a letter I wrote to our immediate neighbors, but the same sentiments go out to all of our Churchill neighbors. Thanks to all of you for making this a great place to live!

Dear Neighbor and Friend,

It’s with joy and sadness we write this farewell letter. After a year and a half of planning and preparation, we are getting very close to the time we will move to Scotland for 2 years. In case you don’t know the details, we’ve been raising funds to live and work in Dornoch, Scotland. We’ll be working for a church that is in a partnership with the church we attend here in the metro Richmond area. Mainly we’ll be assisting with the church’s service to the children, youth, and young adults of the town. We’re hoping for an early September departure date, but the exact date has not been set.

We’re very excited about this opportunity, but we are heartbroken to have to leave our home in Churchill. This is the first home we’ve bought, and we didn’t know what to expect of Churchill or of our immediate neighborhood. I can assure you, our expectations have been exceeded far beyond what we could ever imagine. You have all had a huge impact on our lives here. From the simple hello’s from across the street, to the quick catch-up conversation in passing during dog walks, to talking about the significant aspects of each others lives: being a part of your lives has been a huge blessing in ours.

When we first moved in, we were one of three occupied homes on our block. You can imagine our excitement when, in the first month, we saw a moving truck bringing us another neighbor. Now, after 2.5 years, there are only 3 vacant houses left, with two of those under renovation! I think that’s pretty significant. But the changes we’ve witnessed don’t end with the houses. We’ve seen a new litter of puppies, a couple of marriages, and 3 new babies (with one on the way!), all within a three-block area.

The sense of community here is amazing. I’ve bragged, countless times, about my “awesome neighbors,” and the way everyone looks out for one another. That was one of the first things that I noticed, and have not once been disappointed. We've learned how much better living in a community like this one is, compared to the suburbs. Now, after living here, and with neighbors like you, we know that the city is where our hearts are.

We will be back in a couple of years, and we can’t wait to see how much the neighborhood will have changed, as well as see all of you again! Please feel free to contact us and keep us updated on the happenings of Churchill, and our little corner of the neighborhood!
-James and Jennifer

The Weekend of Work

Friday:
-Worked until 12:00
-Treated to Lunch at Stuffy's by Mr. Boss Man
-Packed
-Packed
-Packed

Saturday:
-Bought Rainbow Donuts for the fabulous friends who helped us move
-Moved everything into a big truck
-Drove it to my parents house
-Unloaded almost all of our belongings into their new resting place for the next two years
-Made a second trip with the rest of the stuff
-Dinner at Akida for my Birthday celebration!

Sunday:
-Church at Stony Point
-Lunch, cheap gas, and iced coffee from Sheetz
-Home to sit outside with my mother-in-law and chat with my neighbors
-Church at Franklin Street
-To my parents house to have the family birthday celebration for me (27) and my nephew (9)
-Home to our house with limited belongings in it