Here is a continuation of what I started in April. As I write this, school is out for the summer. This was truly the hardest school year ever, but I will write more about that later.
After driving for days and sleeping overnight at Tom's apartment, the next day was filled with cleaning the carpets and getting to know the area. No furniture yet, so we just enjoyed being together. Laura stayed in Colorado with Jan. She visited later in October. We got to Charlotte on a Saturday and the next Monday, the movers came. As fate would have it, it poured down rain. Rain like I hadn't seen in a long time. Rain that soaked the movers and wet all of our things. I left to get snacks for the movers and I got lost. I felt so lost in this new city. I missed Laura. My house was in total disarray. I wasn't quite sure where to start. Once the boxes and furniture were in the house, I simply started with the kitchen. I felt like if the kitchen was organized, our lives might be a little better.
I immediately fell in love with the forested area behind our house. The birds were beautiful and the trees so thick and green. The frogs and crickets were so loud at night, it took us a few nights to get used to it. We were home and I tried to embrace all the good things about Charlotte. In my heart, I missed Colorado so much. I already missed my friends.
I was anxious to get to know my school and the team I would be working with. Tom was already attending a church called "The Gathering at Fort Mill". It was a very, very small church. It was tough getting plugged in, but I thought it would be alright. Everything was new, so a new church was expected.
New city, new house, new church, new friends, everything new....... I longed for something that was familiar. I hung on to the fact that Tom and I were back together and a family once more. Well, sort of. I knew that by us leaving, Laura had in effect, left home. Even our family unit had changed. So many changes.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Remembering.....
I am not really sure where to begin. I would like to promise that I will write more, but who knows if time will allow. I write so that years and years from now, I can look back and be grateful for all of the blessings in my life.
In June of 2014, our house didn't sell. It was a really tough time for us as a family. Laura was preparing to leave for Europe, Becca was saying goodbye to friends. I was missing Tom like crazy and so worried about the sale of our home. I started working with our Realtors and we quickly realized that they had not put much effort into selling our home. I asked for the price to be lowered and they wouldn't. With the help of our relocation company, we fired our Realtors and got a new one.
In late June, I got an interview with an elementary school in Charlotte called Lake Wylie Elementary. The team seemed just like my team at Antelope. God was putting things in order, as I got the job. I was to be a Pirate. I had gotten a job in one of the largest school districts in America. Little did I know what that would mean, but I choose to believe that God placed me there for a reason.
On July 16, the packers finished and early in the morning on July 17, Becca and I drove away from the place in the world I loved the most. I was tired that morning. Deb Harnly, Ruth, Judy, Carole, Lisa, Sarvani and her family, and Sue all came to say goodbye that day. I looked at their faces and knew that I would miss them way more than I have ever missed anyone. These ladies were my sisters in life. They were the very souls that kept me sane. As I write this, I know that I may never have friends like that again.I wanted to take a beautiful picture of Pikes Peak in my rear view mirror. It was foggy and Pikes Peak couldn't be seen. I think God knew how hard it would be for me to say goodbye, so he covered her
Becca and I drove all the way to the Colorado/Kansas border, where we stopped for breakfast. Becca wouldn't eat. She slept and listened to her own music most of the day. I listened to an interesting book about pioneer women coming to live in Indian Country. I thought it strange that I was doing the opposite. I was moving back East. I was moving back to where I came from. Why didn't it feel like I was moving back home? I was excited about a new house, a new way of life, and I desperately wanted our family to be intact again. In reality, I knew that it would never be intact again as Laura stayed behind with Jan. She wanted to finish her job at the Hyatt Hotel. I think I needed a huge change for all of us in order to cope with Laura leaving. Becca and I drove about 10 hours that day. We watched at the plains filled with green grass and wind mills, gave way to green trees. Our part of the world was truly changing. I remember thinking about how different this new part of the country looked. It was different now that we were actually going to live here. We finally stopped for the night in Missouri. The cats were with us and to our surprise, they had done just fine.
The next day, we headed towards Memphis. The plan was to see bits of Memphis and make it to Nashville for the night. We were in Blithesville, Arkansas, when I ran over something in the road and we had a flat tire. We pulled over to the side and had to unpack all of our belongings onto the side of the road because we had to get to the spare tire. There we were, half way from home on either side, two cats, and our belongings on the side of the road. A young couple came by and the young man offered to help us. I took him up on his offer. By the time he had put the spare on, Triple A showed up. The job was already done. I tipped the young man with the $50.00 Olive Garden certificate someone had given us. It turned out that the young woman was studying to be a Special Education teacher. We had a nice conversation about her career while her boyfriend was changing the tire. I was so thankful for them. Tom called a tire shop in town and they agreed to fix the tire. It was so finny as we finally got back on the road and Becca said "Mom, I think Mator from the movie Cars, just changed our tire.". I think she was right.
In Memphis, we drove by our first house. Becca looked at it and said, "Wow Mom, it was really small.". It was not small to us. To us, it was where we began thinking about children and where we first became homeowners. It was where Pookie put in a flower bed around the tree. I don't like Memphis and not for one minute do we regret moving away, but it was sweet to see the old house again. We drove by Elvis' home and by the Lorraine Hotel where MLK was killed. We then got back on the highway after having dinner in German Town. We made it to Nashville despite all the problems. We were excited about finishing our trip the next day.
The next morning, Becca and I got up a little later. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then got back on the highway. The terrain got much less flat and then we were in the Smoky Mountains. It was raining and quite dreary, but beautifully green. It was awesome to know that such beauty would be close to my new home. We drove all day, and finally made it to our new home at Segundo Lane at about 9pm that night. We were home. The cats were so very happy to be out of the car. We were a family again. This place didn't have my heart like Colorado, but we were together. We spent the night at Tom's apartment and the next day we began the task of unloading and moving in.
Our Colorado life was over. Our North Carolina life had begun.
In June of 2014, our house didn't sell. It was a really tough time for us as a family. Laura was preparing to leave for Europe, Becca was saying goodbye to friends. I was missing Tom like crazy and so worried about the sale of our home. I started working with our Realtors and we quickly realized that they had not put much effort into selling our home. I asked for the price to be lowered and they wouldn't. With the help of our relocation company, we fired our Realtors and got a new one.
In late June, I got an interview with an elementary school in Charlotte called Lake Wylie Elementary. The team seemed just like my team at Antelope. God was putting things in order, as I got the job. I was to be a Pirate. I had gotten a job in one of the largest school districts in America. Little did I know what that would mean, but I choose to believe that God placed me there for a reason.
On July 16, the packers finished and early in the morning on July 17, Becca and I drove away from the place in the world I loved the most. I was tired that morning. Deb Harnly, Ruth, Judy, Carole, Lisa, Sarvani and her family, and Sue all came to say goodbye that day. I looked at their faces and knew that I would miss them way more than I have ever missed anyone. These ladies were my sisters in life. They were the very souls that kept me sane. As I write this, I know that I may never have friends like that again.I wanted to take a beautiful picture of Pikes Peak in my rear view mirror. It was foggy and Pikes Peak couldn't be seen. I think God knew how hard it would be for me to say goodbye, so he covered her
Becca and I drove all the way to the Colorado/Kansas border, where we stopped for breakfast. Becca wouldn't eat. She slept and listened to her own music most of the day. I listened to an interesting book about pioneer women coming to live in Indian Country. I thought it strange that I was doing the opposite. I was moving back East. I was moving back to where I came from. Why didn't it feel like I was moving back home? I was excited about a new house, a new way of life, and I desperately wanted our family to be intact again. In reality, I knew that it would never be intact again as Laura stayed behind with Jan. She wanted to finish her job at the Hyatt Hotel. I think I needed a huge change for all of us in order to cope with Laura leaving. Becca and I drove about 10 hours that day. We watched at the plains filled with green grass and wind mills, gave way to green trees. Our part of the world was truly changing. I remember thinking about how different this new part of the country looked. It was different now that we were actually going to live here. We finally stopped for the night in Missouri. The cats were with us and to our surprise, they had done just fine.
The next day, we headed towards Memphis. The plan was to see bits of Memphis and make it to Nashville for the night. We were in Blithesville, Arkansas, when I ran over something in the road and we had a flat tire. We pulled over to the side and had to unpack all of our belongings onto the side of the road because we had to get to the spare tire. There we were, half way from home on either side, two cats, and our belongings on the side of the road. A young couple came by and the young man offered to help us. I took him up on his offer. By the time he had put the spare on, Triple A showed up. The job was already done. I tipped the young man with the $50.00 Olive Garden certificate someone had given us. It turned out that the young woman was studying to be a Special Education teacher. We had a nice conversation about her career while her boyfriend was changing the tire. I was so thankful for them. Tom called a tire shop in town and they agreed to fix the tire. It was so finny as we finally got back on the road and Becca said "Mom, I think Mator from the movie Cars, just changed our tire.". I think she was right.
In Memphis, we drove by our first house. Becca looked at it and said, "Wow Mom, it was really small.". It was not small to us. To us, it was where we began thinking about children and where we first became homeowners. It was where Pookie put in a flower bed around the tree. I don't like Memphis and not for one minute do we regret moving away, but it was sweet to see the old house again. We drove by Elvis' home and by the Lorraine Hotel where MLK was killed. We then got back on the highway after having dinner in German Town. We made it to Nashville despite all the problems. We were excited about finishing our trip the next day.
The next morning, Becca and I got up a little later. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then got back on the highway. The terrain got much less flat and then we were in the Smoky Mountains. It was raining and quite dreary, but beautifully green. It was awesome to know that such beauty would be close to my new home. We drove all day, and finally made it to our new home at Segundo Lane at about 9pm that night. We were home. The cats were so very happy to be out of the car. We were a family again. This place didn't have my heart like Colorado, but we were together. We spent the night at Tom's apartment and the next day we began the task of unloading and moving in.
Our Colorado life was over. Our North Carolina life had begun.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Coming Home.
So July 14th-17th the packers and movers come. Our home here in Colorado has still not sold, but we are hopeful that that will happen soon. The lengthy time it has taken to sell our home has actually helped me to slowly settle with the idea of leaving. I am good and I WANT it to sell sooner rather than later. Tom arrives July 10th and it feels as if our world will be just a little bit more settled.
We love our home in Charlotte already. The only problem is that there is a very nice 16 year old male that lives across the street. We must keep an eye on that one. Across from the side of our house, there lives a woman who grows Irises. I lover her already. Tom said the neighbors are wonderful and it is beautiful. Our new back yard faces the woods and there are many deer to be seen. The neighbors also had good things to say about Olympic High School. Whew. Just a few worries off my list.
My mind has been full. My faith has been tested. I know that God is good and working all things out for my good. It is easy to say, but harder to live for sure.
To keep my mind off of the sale of this house, I decided that when I can't sleep at night, most nights, I do genealogical searches on my family. So far I have done the males of both my parents. I have discovered some really interesting things. First, both sides were Quakers who came from England. I knew they left England for religious freedom, but I never knew what that REALLY meant. It meant that they were against slavery, they thought all people, including women, were equals and had a purpose. They thought that you could pray to God directly . They believed that minimal living was best. They believed in these things so deeply, they risked being killed, accused of heresy and witchcraft. It meant that when they arrived in the New World, they had to live in Pennsylvania because the government would leave them alone. When the Pennsylvania areas got too crowded, they ventured to new land. In the case of my forefathers, both sides went to North Carolina. They were threatened and sometimes killed because they were against slavery. They were basically run off. From there, my forefathers went to Alabama and Georgia. During the time they were in North Carolina, they lived not far from where I will be living. Granted, I hope I am not going to be run off, and I would like to think I can live there in peace. Charlotte prides itself on being multicultural. We like that. We believe all people are equal and should be treated as such. We know and believe in a living God that we can speak to. Our new home is definitely not minimal, but we know it is a gift to us from God. I am amazed at how times have changed, yet a lot of the basics are still the same, 300 years later.
The next couple of weeks will be filled with goodbyes and meeting new people. I thought I would never leave my beautiful mountain. Here I am, middle aged, and starting a new adventure. God sure has a sense of humor.
TTFN
We love our home in Charlotte already. The only problem is that there is a very nice 16 year old male that lives across the street. We must keep an eye on that one. Across from the side of our house, there lives a woman who grows Irises. I lover her already. Tom said the neighbors are wonderful and it is beautiful. Our new back yard faces the woods and there are many deer to be seen. The neighbors also had good things to say about Olympic High School. Whew. Just a few worries off my list.
My mind has been full. My faith has been tested. I know that God is good and working all things out for my good. It is easy to say, but harder to live for sure.
To keep my mind off of the sale of this house, I decided that when I can't sleep at night, most nights, I do genealogical searches on my family. So far I have done the males of both my parents. I have discovered some really interesting things. First, both sides were Quakers who came from England. I knew they left England for religious freedom, but I never knew what that REALLY meant. It meant that they were against slavery, they thought all people, including women, were equals and had a purpose. They thought that you could pray to God directly . They believed that minimal living was best. They believed in these things so deeply, they risked being killed, accused of heresy and witchcraft. It meant that when they arrived in the New World, they had to live in Pennsylvania because the government would leave them alone. When the Pennsylvania areas got too crowded, they ventured to new land. In the case of my forefathers, both sides went to North Carolina. They were threatened and sometimes killed because they were against slavery. They were basically run off. From there, my forefathers went to Alabama and Georgia. During the time they were in North Carolina, they lived not far from where I will be living. Granted, I hope I am not going to be run off, and I would like to think I can live there in peace. Charlotte prides itself on being multicultural. We like that. We believe all people are equal and should be treated as such. We know and believe in a living God that we can speak to. Our new home is definitely not minimal, but we know it is a gift to us from God. I am amazed at how times have changed, yet a lot of the basics are still the same, 300 years later.
The next couple of weeks will be filled with goodbyes and meeting new people. I thought I would never leave my beautiful mountain. Here I am, middle aged, and starting a new adventure. God sure has a sense of humor.
TTFN
Sunday, June 22, 2014
A Little Bit of Hope
Yesterday, we found out that the home we have been hoping for in Charlotte, will soon be ours. We are going to lease it until our house in Colorado sells and then we will purchase it. Our new address will be 9440 Segundo Lane, Charlotte, NC 28278. I am so excited. It is a beautiful home and only minutes from Lake Wylie. Better yet, we will be together again. We are hoping to move the third week in July. In the mean time, we are hoping and praying for a contract on the Colorado home. We have offered incentives for new buyers, so we are hoping it works. God is good and we are trusting him.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
My world is changing.
Life is sure tough right now. So many, many changes. Laura graduated from high school last week. We are so very proud of her. Tom came home for the occasion. Just before graduation ceremonies, we had a terrible hail storm. Now we have to replace windows and a new roof. It feels like God is testing my faith to the very end. As of today, we have dropped the price of the house by $25,000.00. That would have been a nice down payment on a new home. The house remains on the market and it remains so very difficult to remain optimistic. I am bombarded with scripture about faith and that it is trust in the unknown future. That is SUCH a difficult task for me. Some days it feels like God was just kidding us when he called Tom to his new job. I am trying so hard to remember that we are called to Charlotte and that God wants us there. He just doesn't seem to want us there very quickly.
On the other hand, I want to stay here forever. This is home. Someone was hired today to replace me at Antelope Trails. I keep thinking "What in the world am I doing?". I love the people here. I am happy here. Our home seems to love us so much it won't sell. Are we truly meant to leave this place? I feel like I don't know where I belong. This is a hard place to be.
I don't want to end without a picture of our beautiful graduated Senior. Laura started work this week as a hotel housekeeper for Hyatt Place. I can't say she likes it, but in her words "It's a job.". I am so proud of her for doing it. It's another bittersweet spot in my life. So sad to see her so grown. I keep questioning myself about all the things I have done or haven't done as her mother. The last few years have been rocky at best. Above all, I want her to know that I love her. She is off to England in the fall. Off on a big adventure. She will be spreading her wings and flying away. Far away. I hope I have taught her well. I hope her wings are strong enough to carry her. I hope that she wants to come home from time to time. I hope she thinks of home as a place of safety, peace, and love. Wherever our home is.
Monday, April 28, 2014
So many changes.
Tom and Laura went to her graduation luncheon at the Broadmoor on Friday. They both looked to nice. She has prom this weekend. My Laura is grown. She is so beautiful and so smart. I can't believe she is mine. She has all of her paperwork in order for Capernray. She really is leaving home in September.
Still no luck on the sale of our house. It is REALLY getting me down, but God called us to this new adventure. He will get us through it. I am trying my best to be patient, but man is it tough. We had an open house over the weekend. Not one person came on Saturday, but we had five lookers on Sunday. I know it only takes one, but I really wish they would come soon. It is just as well as we are still considering what part of Charlotte to live in. This is getting real too. My position posted last Friday.. It makes me so sad. I really wish I had a home in Charlotte to think about. In time......
TTFN
Still no luck on the sale of our house. It is REALLY getting me down, but God called us to this new adventure. He will get us through it. I am trying my best to be patient, but man is it tough. We had an open house over the weekend. Not one person came on Saturday, but we had five lookers on Sunday. I know it only takes one, but I really wish they would come soon. It is just as well as we are still considering what part of Charlotte to live in. This is getting real too. My position posted last Friday.. It makes me so sad. I really wish I had a home in Charlotte to think about. In time......
TTFN
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Not gonna get me down.
Still no action on our house. This week, I found myself really getting depressed about the lack of showings. We can't buy a new house in North Carolina until we sell our house here in Colorado. It feels like we are never going to sell.
My string students performed for the last time at school this week. I was in tears and so were they, as we all realized that the strings program will stop with my leaving. It felt like I was leaving all of these things that I love and can't even see where I am going in North Carolina. Having faith and not losing hope is hard I tell ya.
The hope is that the market will soon pick up with the new academy instructors getting their orders later this month. Things will get better. God has not brought us this far to not see us through to the end. I miss my beloved. I miss our family being together.
TTFN
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