Obviously, I’ve changed the colors and theme.  I like it, but am thinking I may change it again.  I am also considering adding some sort of AdSense thing, just to see if it actually works.  Any thoughts?

In the absence of this faith now, we govern by tenderness. It is a tenderness which, long since cut off from the person of Christ, is wrapped in theory. When tenderness is detached from the source of tenderness, its logical outcome is terror. It ends in forced labor camps and in the fumes of the gas chamber.
~Flannery O’Connor~ (From “A Memoir of Mary Ann”)

First, there are stickers here.  Not pieces of paper with sticky backs with which you can advertise your political or social views.  These stickers actually grow in the grass here!  Some folks call them grass burs, but the fact of the matter is, they stick.  They stick to you and in you.  And most importantly, they hurt!  Yeah. . . I didn’t miss those.  Fortunately we’ve not found any in our yard, but one must be ever vigilant.  We did find them in the yard of a friend, in abundance.

Next, there are of course, demon-bugs-from-hell. Er, I mean, scorpions.  Abby’s cat, Stella, found one the other night.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her pursuing something in the kitchen, so I turned around to see what unfortunate bug she might have zeroed in on.  Much to my alarm, I recognized the once-familiar silhouette of a scorpion!  Thankfully, it didn’t sting her, and Gaylon was able to stomp on it before it reached safe harbor underneath the refrigerator.  I really do hate scorpions!  I was stung right on the chest by one when I was a little girl.

What’s next, tarantulas?  Water moccasins?  Children of the Earth?? I shudder to think!!

At the local H.E.B. Grocery Store, I saw a very well dressed, fifty-something gentleman pushing his cart down the dairy aisle, while talking on his cell phone.  I only caught a snippet of his conversation, but it was enough!  He was saying:

“She doesn’t really like the .30-06, but that’s okay.  She’ll get used to it. . . “

For those of you who may not know, a .30-o6 is pronounced “thirty aught six” and is a type of cartridge for a rifle.  Yep.  You gotta love Texas!

Once we pulled into Austin, Joey had two of his friends meet us at the house, and they stayed for two days to help unload.  Our dear friends, Tim and Beth, drove down from the Dallas area to help, and of course, Donna and Dave were here.  They all managed to get the truck unloaded in about 6 hours, and Beth even helped me unpack most of my dining room stuff!

To say that we feel loved doesn’t even begin to cover it!!  We have had so many phone calls and emails from folks all over the country checking on us, it really is humbling.  We are so grateful for such incredible friends and family!!

So now our only big challenge is figuring out how to downsize to a home that is about 2/3 smaller than the one in North Carolina!  We are getting rid of so much stuff!!  I have to say, I feel very blessed to have so much stuff to spare.

Now that we are here, Faith has decided to go by her middle name, ‘Abigail’, or ‘Abby’ for short.  I confess that if I had moved to a new city when I was her age, I’d have done the exact same thing!  It’s just tough for us to get used to calling her ‘Abby’!  We are planning on starting school on Monday, and I think we are both looking forward to getting back into our familiar homeschool groove.  It’s definitely time to start living in ‘real time’ and not in limbo anymore!

Alex has a job interview tomorrow with a place called Sprouts.  It is some sort of organic, local produce grocery store.  I am really hoping he gets the job, and then a discount!

Now that we are somewhat settle, and starting to feel ever so slightly more relaxed, I will be posting much more frequently, so check back!

I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.
~Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind”

We are down to the wire now, and are frantically working to finish packing everything up so we can load it all into a moving van this weekend.  I have been on the phone disconnecting current utilities and services and trying to figure out which ones to connect at the new house. This time next week, we will be in Austin, Texas.  It is all very surreal. 

We have had lots of friends tell us they want to get together with us before we leave, but sadly, that time is past, and we have no choice but to focus all of our time and energy on the task at hand.  I am not happy to be leaving North Carolina.  This is my home. I love it here.  I am leaving behind my dearest friends, my beautiful custom-built house, several beloved pets, and most of all, my oldest son and his new wife.

Am I grieving??  Yes!  But, I must take the Scarlett O’Hara approach if I am to retain any shred of my sanity.  I desperately hope that my friends understand that I am not being cold or unfeeling.  I have no option but to ‘do the next thing’.  I’m sure once we get settled in Austin, and everything starts to sink in on me, I will have many good cries.  But not yet.  I must think about that “tomorrow”.

I don’t have any pictures yet, but as soon as I do, I will post a few.  Lishi’s cousin and one of her brothers both took TONS of pictures, so I’m sure they will share with me.  And speaking of Lishi’s family, we really, really, really liked them!  They were all so friendly and fun!  I honestly couldn’t have asked for better “in-laws” for my son.

The reception was lovely, too, with lots of wonderful food provided by friends and family, as well as dancing and some great speeches by the groomsmen.  Alex was “Best Man”, and he really did a wonderful job.

Kendall and I danced to the song “I Hope You Dance”, which we the suggestion of my nieces, Kristi and Daria. (Thanks, guys!!) Of course I cried during that, too, LOL!

My sister, Deana, came, with all of her kids and grandkids, and that was really awesome, too.  It has been years since we have all been together, and it was just indescribably wonderful to see them all again.  Gaylon’s brother, Chuck, and his wife, Anna, also came, and are staying to help us with packing.  We are so very grateful to them!!

Kendall and Lishi are taking their initial Honeymoon this week on Lake Hartwell, but will be taking their “main” Honeymoon next Spring when Kendall’s Godmother, Emily, is sending them to Ireland.  What a great start!!!

I am just numb, I think.  Mom and Faith and I have been packing, and the entire Living Room, Dining Room and Conservatory are packed.  I can’t believe it!  I made little labels for every box, so hopefully, when we get there, it will be much easier to sort through them all and unpack in some sort of organized manner. (Hey. . . it could happen!!!)

Today we talked to the wonderful folks at Janitzio’s Mexican Restaurant in Hendersonville, and scheduled the Rehearsal Dinner there.  I am beyond relieved that we don’t have to worry about all of the prep, cooking and cleaning that we would have been responsible for had it been at our house.  I think it will be a very relaxed, nice evening.

But tomorrow, I think it’s time to shift from packing to full-scale wedding prep.  We are going to look at the Reception Hall tomorrow morning.  Then, Faith gets her hair cut at 2:00, then we are going to get pedicures and manicures.  Wednesday, the “In-Laws” are coming in!  Yay!  I am so excited to finally get to meet Lishi’s parents. 

Wednesday is going to also be devoted to cleaning the house, and making it look as welcoming as possible, considering all of the boxes.  I am not packing a single thing in the kitchen (except the wine glasses, which I packed tonight) until after the wedding.  I need to scrub toilets and vacuum the stairs.

The best news is that tomorrow morning, a small army is arriving to help get the yard in shape.  Kendall is bringing his buddy, Ryan, and Alex and Eli G. are also going to be helping.  It should be done in record time!  Talk about a HUGE relief.

So, things are taking shape, and working out very well, I think.  Our new landlady in Austin seems absolutely WONDERFUL, so I am indescribably grateful about that.  The only “kink” in our plans is that we have not yet found a home for Gitta.  She is an amazing dog, and we love her very much, but I do not think that she will make the move well.  I am trying, in the midst of all of the packing and planning and all, to contact folks who do German Shepherd rescue and stuff.  I am praying HARD.  We found awesome homes for Morpheus and O’Malley.  Surely the Lord will not let Gitta down!

Now. . . my bed is calling my name. . .

Last week, we signed a lease on a house in Austin, Texas.  Today, Gaylon has rented the moving trucks, and I am reserving a flight home for Kendall’s friend, Joey, who has volunteered to drive one of the trucks for us.  We are packing a little bit more every day. This is really happening!  We are really doing this!

But, now that everything is starting to come together,  it’s just getting tougher and tougher.  Like this morning.  My friend Lisa came to hang out for a bit.  Her son, Eli, walked in and announced that it was really getting depressing, seeing all of the boxes in our house.  Yeah.  I totally agree.  And it makes it harder still that I delivered that child when he was born, almost 15 years ago!

My friends are really starting to press in, and let me know they love me.  I got a text from the Amazing Kathy T.  We are going to have breakfast together tomorrow morning.  Then I got an email from Vicky. She wants me to drop by during her break some day before we leave.  Many more friends have RSVP’d for Kendall’s wedding, and it’s killing me, because I know that it will be the last time I see most of them for a very, very long time.

And it’s not just my friends, but my homeschool support group I’m leaving behind.  I got an email yesterday informing me that it’s time to renew my membership in the Henderson County Homeschool Association.  By the time that membership is due, I will be 1100 miles from here, in a new “galaxy, far, far away”.  I will miss the Fall Family Picnic.

But I think that the most difficult part of saying ‘Goodbye’ is leaving behind all the memories.  This is where my children grew up.  And Faith was born here.  I have such sweet, sweet memories of La Leche League Meetings, Bible Studies, “Friday Classes”, Ice Cream at Piggy’s, the Christmas Lights on Main Street and Little League Baseball games at Jackson Park. Some of my favorite times were with Kendall, as he participated in “My Father’s House” and shared God’s love with others through Sign Language and Music. And I loved watching Alex dance with the Asheville Ballet and act at the Flat Rock Playhouse, and going with Faith to her Girl Scout and 4-H meetings.  I know that I will always carry those precious images in my heart, but there is something about leaving this place that makes me know I will leave a very vital piece of myself behind.