quick update

OK, so I'm a blogging freak. This is post #3. But, it's been a LONG time, so bear with me.

I couldn't sign off without at least giving a brief update on our life!

We packed up the moving truck on Sunday, June 14...with the assistance of family!!! Thank you! What a gorgeous day we shared.

We pulled out of Memphis, MI on Monday morning at 5am. Made it to our new apartment in about 12 hours. It was a gorgeous sunny day to travel. Then, as soon as we pulled up and thought we'd unload our bodies to check out our new home....the first raindrop fell from the sky! Whoa! THen it started to POUR! It poured rain for a while while we were double parked with a big old moving truck in the street. So, as soon as it let up a little, we went to work. Poor Patrck was the only helper who showed up early, so we put him to WORK and we unloaded that truck in the drizzle, trying not to slip with our wet feet on the wood floors! Slowly but surely, our little apartment was stacked HIGH with our stuff. Reinforcements arrived for the last of the unloading, which was perfect because our arms and legs just growing weary.

The girls, Kate, and I took the three block walk to the local pizza place and ordered some NY pizza to bring back and enjoy with our crew. THankfully this just happens to be Patricks favorite pizza place in Brooklyn, so we were happy to provide him with his payment for all his help! We utilized the patio furniture to sit out on our terrace (thanks mom and dad, and Gerdy's).

OK, I'm going way to slow. This was supposed to be a quick update. Once I get going, I can't stop.

Fast forward...Lots of unpacking and figuring out what will and will not fit. It's funny how our belongings seem like they took steroids on the trip out here. How in the world did our coffee table get so BIG? Trip to IKEA where we succeeded in finding a dinette set (thanks small group for the gift card!). Small group bible study at Alexander's. Trip to the local parks and grocery store by bike. Trip to Target for some more shopping.

So far, we feel very hopeful about being able to continue using our van! That is not something we had thought we'd be able to do. But, parking has not been an issue yet this week, and Timm has driven to work each day. So, that's cool. We used the subway and bus to get to small group, and it took about 50 minutes. BUmmer that teh commute takes that long, but we feel very confident that we are exactly where God wants us to be!

RIght now it's raining and we just threw in a load of laundry. The washer and dryer are HUGE and I am very excited that it's free and right now a couple flights of stairs!!! Our terrace is an absolute gift from God. THank you GOd!!! Not only that, but our storage space above the closets, and in the THIRD bedroom!?!?! What a blessing. Between that and the fact that my awesome father-in-law built our bed UP so that we would have 15 inches of clearance for under bed storage....we are doing well.

THis is a strange week because we are really just getting things organized and checking out the neighborhood. ANd, we will still have a LOT to organize when we come back out in July. We had plans for our third bedroom, but now we aren't sure. We thought we'd do a tv room, but there isn't cable hook up? So, we are rethinking. Also, do we try to use what we have for our living room? Or get rid of it and get stuff that is more narrow and tall?

OK, I'll leave you with this.... I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! THank you God for bringing us to THIS apartment, and not the others that we thought we should have! Once again, God has blessed us BEYOND our wildest imaginations. We are sitting here in awe! Absolute AWE!