My brain is frozen!

Maybe i'll think of something half way interesting some time soon! Seriously, I think we're in the boring stage of this thing. We are basically unpacked and moved in, we are still finding things to enjoy - like our bike ride down on the river bike path on saturday morning, walking for ice cream one evening last week, getting to the Y several times a week to exercise, Kim getting behind the wheel again, shopping at the farmers market, visiting churches, and so on. But it all seems a little mundane right now. I am grateful that Kim made the move with us - not only because I like having her around and i think ultimately this will be a good thing for her, but I would REALLY be bored and lonely without her right now! She is in the process of trying to get signed up for a couple of classes at Wichita State - but has to go through the application process and getting transcripts sent and such before she can complete that task. We have met a couple of neighbors and folks were really friendly at church on Sunday. I am trying to decide wether or not to attend a Beth Moore event this Friday night and Saturday, I probably will. So, there you have it. Maybe my brain will unfreeze and I'll think of something worth sharing sometime soon!

Chocolate Pie

It's been a few days, sorry. I have actually been "chewing on" this post for a couple of days. Some of our new neighbors stopped by on Sunday evening with a delectable chocolate pie and a "welcome to the neighborhood". The chocolate pie has been delicious, most assuredly one of my favorite things about Kansas so far, but what is even better is the sentiment that it represents. This sweet couple's stated purpose was to welcome us to the neighborhood and to apologize for the glimpse of the neighborhood we had seen Thursday night at the annual homeowner's association meeting. While the meeting was a little less an opportunity for meeting my neighbors than I had hoped for, I hadn't thought much more about it. But here were some of my neighbors standing in my home, offering the work of their hands - her specialty, a homemade pie, to welcome us to this community. Community. We are now part of the Greenleaf community just by living at this address. We may or may not have any more than that in common with our neighbors. But it was important to these precious people to let us know that we are welcome here, and that because we are neighbors, we are part of the same community. They wanted us to know that this community is really not as cold and unfriendly as it may have appeared at that homeowner's meeting. It was important enough to them to not only take the time to ring our doorbell and introduce themselves, but to also put the time and the personal touch and energy into bringing a homemade chocolate pie with them. It was still warm! We enjoyed the short time we spent together, and we look forward to getting to know them better.

Just an Update

Just an to update my list of things I like so far about Kansas:

Day 8: The Wind. I can hardly believe I'm including this, since I thought it would be one of the things I didn't like about Kansas. However, in the summer it can be a blessing! Air movement on a hot day can most assuredly be a good thing!
Day 9: Day 9 in Kansas just happened to also be my birthday! What started as kind of a dreary day perked up quite rapidly with the traditional telephone rendition of "Happy Birthday" from my Dad and Mom, followed by another phone call from my precious daughter, a nice phone chat with my mother-in-law and then the surprise lunch time arrival of my husband home from work! Steve and Kim had the afternoon and evening all planned out and it was fabulous!! We spent a couple of hours at the Wichita Museum of Art in the afternoon, followed by a yummy dinner at the Mediterranean Grill, on to a stroll in Old Towne, and then the highlight - being treated to a performance of "All Shook Up" by the Music Theatre of Wichita. It was a great day!
So, my list item for day 9 will have to be the Music Theatre of Wichita- we look forward to enjoying it again, soon!
Day 10: Getting around in Wichita. Since the terrain here is flat, the roads are straight. This allows for the city to be set up on a grid. The main north/south roads and the main east/west roads all run in grid fashion 1 mile apart from each other. The east/west roads are Kellogg, Central, 13th, 21st, 29th, 37th, 45th. The north/south roads on my side of town (the east side) are Oliver, Woodlawn, Rock, Webb, Greenwich, 127th, 143rd, etc. This means that as long as I know my neighborhood lies near the intersection of 21st and Webb, I can always find my way home. 21st is an east/west road so even if I am way on the west side of town (we live on the east side), if I get to 21st street (which will ALWAYS be 1 mile north of 13th and 1 mile south of 29th), I can follow it home. Or if I get way to the south or north, I can always find Webb ( which will ALWAYS be 1 mile east of Rock and 1 mile west of Greenwich) and get home. So, I have never gotten lost in Wichita- even when my GPS is turned off! I have made wrong turns and gotten a little turned around ( I know many of you are not at all surprised!), but I am always able to figure out where I am within a mile!

I am excited that so far it has been easy to come up with 10 things I like about my new home! We'll see how it goes from here!

Favorite Things

So, my optomistic, always look on the bright side, find the good (if not the great) in everything daughter has decided that for the first 30 days we live in Kansas we should find 1 thing that we like about this new place. (you can read about her things on her blog: http://www.kimjoyinkansas.blogspot.com/ ) So here's my list so far:

Day 1: a double rainbow (I believe just for me).
Day 2: there are flowers, lots of them, in my new yard! I want to learn what they all are and how to help them grow and thrive.
Day 3: sitting on my patio in the morning with my bible and my cup of coffee, hearing the birds sing and not getting eaten up by mosquitos!
Day 4: seeing how crisp and clear everything looks when you aren't looking through smog. Seriously, I was amazed at how used to seeing the world through less than clear air I had become.
Day 5: sitting out on my patio in the evening, having dinner with my family, enjoying the cool evening breeze (dinner for us occurs between 7:30 and 8 pm ), perhaps taking a dip in the pool, and not getting eaten by mosquitos!!
Day 6: Being able to do my errands without getting stuck in traffic!
Day 7: I discovered an herb garden in my back yard - right by the back door from the laundry room - I don't know how I missed it before! I have basil, rosemary, chives, and oregano (I think). I am really excited!

So, there's my first week in Kansas! I look forward to what discovery today will bring!

P.S. I do now have 1 bug bite of some sort on my back. 1 bite in 1 week - I can live with that for sure!

Kindling

kin•dling ˈkɪnd lɪŋ - [kind-ling]
–noun
1. material that can be readily ignited, used in starting a fire.
2. the act of one who kindles.


“For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:6,7

Last Thursday morning God gave me the gift of a double rainbow. The first time God kissed me in this special way was when Steve and I were in Italy celebrating our 25th anniversary. We were staying in a great hotel overlooking Lake Garda and the mountains beyond. The only problem was that by Tuesday afternoon my 4 days in Italy had been cloudy, sometimes drizzly, and kind of grey. I knew the mountains were there across the lake because I could see their silhouettes behind the clouds and haze, but I had yet to really see them. I was feeling a little guilty for being disappointed – after all, here I was in Italy, celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary – it was the trip of a lifetime. So Tuesday evening before going to bed, I confessed my disappointment to God and asked if he might show me just a glimpse of the view I knew was there. Wednesday morning my heart sank a little as we awoke to another cloudy day, but on Wednesday evening a glorious thunderstorm rolled through. It poured. Then as the clouds were clearing away, I looked across the lake and saw this:







Somehow I knew God was telling me, “Wait until you see what I have in store for you!!”

The next day we were to travel up into those mountains I had yet to see from my window. Waking up expectantly for what the day would bring, I opened my curtains and saw the most breathtaking view! The storm that had poured on us the evening before had left a fresh coat of snow on the distant mountain peaks! Just in time! Lord, You are so generous and Your timing is always perfect!So, back to Kansas. Last Thursday morning when we were getting ready to come over to our new house to meet the moving truck, Steve opened the curtains to look out the window and said “Look, a rainbow!” I thought “that’s nice”, but I didn’t run to look. Then I heard Steve say, “No, there are two of them!”. That’s when I knew it was for me, and I ran to look and to say “Thank You, God”. The most amazing thing was that it hadn’t rained, nor did it that morning!
I believe God was confirming to me, to us, that we are in His plan, that He has a purpose for us here. So for the past week, whenever I have been tempted to get discouraged, when the hard parts of this move feel like a heavy load, I remember my double rainbow, my gift from God. And my hope and confidence in my new home is kindled afresh.

BOXES!

Overwhelming: All my worldly goods packed into boxes and trying to decide where their place will be in my new home. Frustrating: Trying to find a cup for my coffee. Tedious: Trying to type a blog entry on my phone. More tomorrow when we get our internet service hooked up!

Arriving

ar·rive
Pronunciation:
\ə-ˈrīv\
Function:
intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
ar·rived; ar·riv·ing
Etymology:
Middle English ariven, from Anglo-French ariver, from Vulgar Latin *arripare to come to shore, from Latin ad- + ripa shore — more at rive
Date:
13th century
1 a: to reach a destination b: to make an appearance


So today, after traveling across the vast openness that is Northeastern Oklahoma and Southeastern Kansas, we arrived in Wichita. Two days ago I watched as the last of our worldly possessions were loaded onto a truck and my home in Marietta was left empty. Today, we bought an empty house in Wichita. Tomorrow, the stuff we loaded onto the truck in Marietta will be unloaded into the empty house in Wichita. Will this transfer of our stuff turn this empty house into a home? It may help a little, but stuff does not make a house a home. Yes, the wicker furniture from my front porch and the brown recliner from my family room and the pool table from the basement will all be there. But it’s the falling in love that took place on that porch furniture and the cell group conversation (and fighting for the best seat) that took place in that recliner and the laughter that happened around that pool table that made 455 Chatfield Pointe in Marietta our home – not the stuff. It's the living out of life, the relationships built, the people inside that make a house a home. So, we have yet to experience the things that will make 2440 N. Greenleaf Ct. in Wichita our home. I am looking forward to that.

My New Attempt at Blogging

Change. Little changes happen in our life every day, so subtly that we barely notice them until we turn around one day and say “When did that happen?”

But when Big Changes happen we are forced to look them in the eye and respond. Such has been the story of my life for the last several months. Starting with the death of my dear Father-in-law in November, to the marriage of my firstborn in april, to now – a relocation due to a great opportunity for Steve, to the heartland of our country – Kansas. Wichita to be exact.

I have been through this process before. We have relocated other times. But somehow this time it is vastly different, more poignant due to the stage of life we are in. In the past, we have found a “good” house in a “good” neighborhood in the “good” school district. And the pattern of our lives has been determined in great measure by the activities and interests of our children. This time we have no children in school. Our children either already have lives of their own, or are transitioning into that, so our lives are no longer patterned by our children. This is good. Not because it was bad having our children at home, but because our job is being completed, and we are satisfied. The Lord has been gracious to us as parents – He has been the guiding hand in our children’s lives. Now we are continuing to trust Him to be the guiding hand in our lives as we begin our new life in Wichita.

I am struck by these weeks of relative anonymity. My responsibilities and commitments in Marietta have come to an end. No one in Wichita knows me. No one (outside of my family) in Wichita cares about me. I will be forced to step outside of my comfort zone and “make myself known” or live in relative loneliness and isolation. This too, is good. For the time being I am content to know and be known by my God and by my sweet husband and daughter. I look forward to this time of being utterly dependant on God to guide my steps – to lead us to a church home, to lead me in the decisions about how I will spend my time, to lead me to my new friends, to shape my new life in Wichita. In the past when we have moved, I have looked forward to the “mulligans” that a move can bring – the opportunities to “do over” the things you have messed up on in the past. I’m not really feeling that this time. I was content in Marietta – perhaps too content.

So now I am looking forward (although I must admit – begrudgingly) to what God has for us in the heartland of the country. Although I don’t really want to be making this move, I am trusting God to show us how He desires us to live this new life. I’ll keep you posted.