It was our first official day in our new house, and Peter’s cousins invited us to a big summer get together in Orange County! We were so thrilled that they went to the expense and effort to hold such a large event, and that we got to see the family somewhere besides a wedding.
We borrowed Tim and Misty’s industrial wagon and moved into their old rental house…right through the orchard. It took me a week with the boy’s help during the day with the loading and unloading, and David’s truck for the heavy stuff. I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know we had so much stuff! Anna came over and moved all of our stuff in the shed to the garage. Misty came and moved my kitchen and china, Tim painted our bedroom, and Noel helped move the bedroom. Peter would come home at night and ask what he could do and there was always too much. But since we were just moving from house to house on the same property and since our landlords are kindhearted, there was no move-by date. We could sleep in the house after the water heater was replaced and the new flooring was down. Once all our stuff was in the house, I felt like we had plenty of breathing and growing room! The square footage of this house is only a couple hundred more, but oh, does it feel roomy! (And it’s a real house. :-))
It was strange to move into Misty’s house. I know in my head it is just a rental, but this has been her home since I’ve known her. They lived here 12 happy years! And now they have an amazingly beautiful new home just a mile down the road. But that mile feels oh, so long after just a skip through the orchard. The children grew up playing (or asking to play) almost every day and it’s been a difficult adjustment for them not being neighbors. I’ve had my share of tears over it as well. Misty and I would often quote to each other “Better a friend who is near than a brother far away” and we became like sisters. I cannot fully put down in words all she is to me. We would rejoice at How only God knew how beautifully we could live so closely, because if we had just run in regular circles our hearts would not have been brought so close. Misty, I miss you more than I can say. Thank you for a wonderful six years of being neighbors, for all the lessons you’ve taught me about marriage, and children, and God. I love you! And I love your old house!
It’s hard for me to believe that second grade, new front teeth, swimming, and his seventh year have all come to our first son already! He is loving his Saxon math 2 and is reading books to me at night now. Jerome is very creative and loves to build things out of anything we let him have around the house and delights in crafty stuff. I often find him in the tree tops or hanging from branches. He’s a wonderful big brother and lets his little brothers tag along and play with him. This summer he lost his daily friend and playmate to a move, so on his birthday we had a little swim party just for them.
Matt was the happiest I had ever seen him. He never stopped smiling on his wedding day and he couldn’t get enough of his stunning bride. He is a man in love! Sarah completes Matt. She matches his smiles with bigger ones. Everything she does is about them, the two of them. Their wedding day was centered around their union in Christ, and their family and friends surrounded them in that commitment. It was a beautiful day and I was honored to be a part of it!
