Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere!

Well for months we have been prepping and getting ready for a move back East. It really came up fast! We are so thankful that things have gone (for the most part) very smoothly. Now another step in this moving process is done. I sat in the house yesterday afternoon surrounded by boxes. It is always amazing to me that they can come in and pack so quickly and your house is immediately transformed. We have made some amazing memories at our house on Betty Street. When we moved West three years ago we really thought that we would be waiting for ten months to get into a house. Little did we know that God had much bigger plans. We found an amazing church and our pastor spoke of prayer and being specific. I specifically prayed (by address) for our home...and a few weeks later Bill pulled up to the RV and told me we got the house. Now three years later we sit back in the same RV park waiting to move. Bitter Sweet is the only way I can describe everything! We have been blessed beyond belief to be here and I find comfort in knowing that our journey here has been amazing and the next step will be Stafford, VA. Ministry in California has been so different than out East where everyone knows of church and knows someone that goes to church and will be happy to sit and listen to you talk about God. Out here, not so much! Relationships have been built and we have no idea when or if God will use what we have done here to soften hearts...only time will tell. I do know that being out here has totally changed how I view ministry...God has changed my heart and the fire I have had for the past three years will be burning even as we move away. I can't wait to see what God has in store for myself and our family...We are thrilled to be closer to family and tons of friends that are also our family. We are thrilled to move into our new home and make more memories...and no doubt, three years from now we will be packing up and moving forward onto another journey...But for now we all intend to sit back, relax and enjoy all Stafford and Washington D.C. has to offer... we plan to enjoy visits with family...and we definitely plan to enjoy God's bigger plan for our lives unfold!

We have two weeks left in San Diego and we plan to have some fun. Sure, Bill is still working but we will enjoy the nights and the relaxing camping lifestyle that we ALL love...and of course Bill will continue telling me that this isn't camping...and I say YES it is...the only kind he will ever get me to do :)

Moving is Never Easy...

You know, you would think after being married to the Coast Guard for almost 12 years and 4 moves I would be used to the whole move thing. It does not get any easier as time goes on...no matter what anyone may tell you!

Yesterday was our pre-move inspection. Basically they come and look at what you have to try and figure out how many boxes to bring and how much paper they need to wrap everything. I don't really think it does anything because they always leave with tons of boxes and paper anyways. But, whatever makes them feel better. Tybee was not so happy with the scary man that came to the door to check out everything. He barked the entire time and would not let the man near me...I knew he would be protective if he felt the need but have never seen him behave like he did yesterday.

So now we press on and get things sorted, organized and labeled, of course, with my fun labeler. Many things are going onto the RV so trying to separate what goes and what stays for the packers can be tricky. I got the spices organized this morning...who knew I needed so many bay leaves...The final count was three jars...I am wondering when I actually used bay leaves!

So, I press on through the house...trying to make sure that everything is ready for the movers on the 29th!

Here we go Again...

I have had many people (well really just two, one who doesn't like Facebook, and prefers the blog layout :) have asked if we would blog as we travel like I did when we moved to San Diego...Initially I said no, and while I won't promise to blog everyday, I thought it would be a fun way to keep in touch without having to check email. Plus, the kids will be journaling each day in their school journals so I can use that time to keep track of our fun Journey!

So, here we go again...This time back to the East Coast! We are less than three weeks away from being packed out of military housing. We will then move over to Admiral Baker Campground for two weeks. It is kind of funny because that is where we started when we moved here to San Diego three years ago. We are looking forward to having lots of pool days, biking, scootering, and exploring. It is always an adventure when you pack five people (three of those under the age of 7) and two dogs onto an RV.

Right now we are in the process of prepping everything for the movers. I got a labeler yesterday and my oh my am I having some fun! Everything is getting labeled...It should be very easy for the packers to get everything where it belongs and pack it up without too much trouble. The question really should be can they survive me and my labeling and very anal expectations when it comes to packing up...