"We are here, we are here, we are here"

We arrive safely in Georiga this past Wednesday. I’m happy to report that except for some crankiness on behalf of the wife, everyone was pleasant and the trip went very well. On Wednesday we left the hotel a little after 7am and drove until around 10:45 at which time we stopped at a McDonald’s we discovered on a previous trip with a great playland. We didn’t’ stop for long though because it was being hosed down and washed, so we jumped back in the car and kept on going until it was closer to lunch time. We finally stopped for lunch at a rest area and had leftover cold pizza from the dinner the night before. I was quite proud of myself for eatting cold pizza and saving all those pennies. (I hate cold pizza- so somewhere in heaven there must be an extra treasure for that effort right?) Ok, so we ate pizza and then stopped in the late afternoon at a Burger King that had a playground. We each got a shake and the boys played. They had an especially good time because the found a puddle inside the tunnels and decided to wallow in it, so we changed some clothes before we left. That day was also James’ birthday and I continually told him “Happy Birthday” the whole day. Most times he would reply something like, “NO! Don’t say that! It’s NOT my birthday!” And then I would laugh at him.

We arrived at the parsonage around 6 pm to find that we couldn’t get in because some wonderful family members had taken the key, but thankfully we found a way. After that it was all about settling in and the family memebers came and repented of their errors and paid for their transgressions by staying and helping us unpack. Actually, they cleaned out the van, unloaded the last of the stuff, played with the children, fixed dinner, unpacked the kid’s suitcases, and cleaned up from supper. So, I’d say they more than made up for the key issue and all in all it was a pleasant transition into our temporary home.

Thursday, I finished unpacking the suitcases and we also had a small party for James. My sisters made a cute cake with a train going around the edge of the top and balloons and people on top that sort of looked like a circus theme. We had sandwiches and cake and ice cream and then James opened his presents. He got a soccer ball and foot ball, some Kid K’nex, and a huge Buzz Lightyear. Several people were very generous with their gifts and he’s been having a blast with his stuff every since. That day, my sisters were over later in the afternoon and helped me label all the clothes I brought to put into a clothing sale. They were all done really quickly and then they loaded them up and took them, so I didn’t have to think about them anymore. That was marvelous!

Friday, I took the boys to “Grandmother’s” house. That would be my parents house. We planned to go swimming, but when we arrived, the boys were so interested in all the toys they had in the den that we were there for about and hour before we could coax them into getting into their suits to swim. Well, swim we did. Jonathon especially had a good time paddling around in the water. James mostly just wanted to play on the steps and Jeff liked being carried around in the water everywhere. I went under water with Jeff once and was pleased that he didn’t come up screaming. All of my boys seem to be a little timid around the water, but I think that’s just because it’s not familiar.

Today, we are planning to go to the park across the street. They have already been once, but were going again and having lunch there.

Tomorrow should be a pretty busy day, but I’m looking forward to it. Brandon will be preaching, there is a pot luck, then I go with mom to shop at the clothing sale, and I’m sure we’ll come up with something else for the evening- like I think they still have sports in the yard here. So, that’s been our activities thus far. I’m not too overwhelmed yet and so far the children have been pretty well entertained with the newness of things. There are the little learning curves- Jeff isn’t in a crib here, and the boys don’t know what’s off limits, but it’s all coming along nicely.

One nice thing that has made the transition smooth is all the work my family put into making it comfortable for us when we arrived. My Grandmama brought over groceries and other necessities for laundry and kitchen so we wouldn’t have to do a major groceries trip for a while, and my mom sent over toys, books, extra dishes, some kid friendly things like a plastic tablecloth, and plastic cups, a crib for Rachel, and many little misc. things that just make living with a preschool club easier.

Well, that’s about all I have time for right now- but you get the idea. There are some hurdles, but things are going reasonably well and for that I thank many people and give God the glory for smooth sailing thus far.