Blessings...big and small

Getting to Rexburg was a huge blessing.  I don't know how we did it, but we are here and I am so very grateful!  We planned carefully and saved and saved up money to make this move possible.  And we had enough for all the expenses as well as excess to purchase a washer and dryer when we got here.  Little did I know the things that would happen over the course of the move would eat up our excess funds!  So a washer and dryer were out of the picture.  We made it here and that was the important thing, but we had little money to spare.  We took four loads of clothes to the laudromat last Friday, the hottest day since we got here.  It was 93 I think and not air conditioned!  It only took a couple of hours since we were the only ones there.  Later that night I was trying to think of some way we could get a washer and dryer for the house.  We have our security deposit coming back from the last rental, but if we spend that, there would be nothing left for all the other basic items we need, like a lawnmower and a bed for Jacob when he gets here in a couple weeks. 

That night Richard and I sat out on the back deck in the cool breeze and we talked about finances.  I had been tempted to get a Sears card or something and get what we needed and pay it back over time.  In the long run would this not be the answer to getting what we need right now?  But as we discussed it we both decided that was not the answer.  We have not used credit for several years, but instead have found creative ways to live off the income we have. This is so important to us that none of us will be using student loans for school either.  We promised ourselves that we would not go back to credit cards and monthly payments.   Richard said that we would be blessed for putting this option aside.  I agreed.  It seems that lately, when I decide in my mind that what I have is enough and that I am happy with the bounty the Lord has blessed us with, that is when even more blessings flow.

Take this house for example.  I did not expect to live in a home as nice as this one.  After visiting several homes here over Spring break, I was starting to resign myself to the fact that our family would have to sacrifice and move into something small, but temporary.  We could sacrifice for two or three years in order to get our education.  Isn't that what college is supposed to be all about?  So I started to envision us in a small apartment and reminded myself it would not be forever.  About the time I came to terms with this is when we came across the house we are in.  I know that we are blessed when we learn these small lessons from the Lord.  I also know that if we had ended up in a small apartment, we would have survived just fine.  I know that it is so very important to be grateful for what we have.  Every so often, I like to say a prayer of gratitude and thank the Lord for all he has given me.  This helps me notice the small blessings in every day life!

Back to the clean clothing issue. A couple of nights ago I was looking for cheap washers and dryers on craigslist when I came across an ad for washer dryer rentals.  A small company here in Rexburg rents them for $25 a month, not each, but for BOTH!  That is less than the laundromat.  It seemed to good to be true, but Richard called yesterday morning and by 8pm I had a washer and dryer in my laundry room and have already done my first few loads.  They take care of the upkeep so if we have a problem, they bring a new one!  No expensive repair bills for us!  Yay!

Now when we get our deposit refund, we can get a few other things we really truly need and can put away the rest for a rainy day...or a blustery cold snowy day, since we are living in Rexburg!

One more blessing I want to share...just two days before the big move I woke up sick, like "throwing up, weak and shaky, could hardly stand up" sick.  I could not believe it. I had too much to do to spend the day in the bathroom throwing up!  I lay in bed and prayed and prayed.  Then I asked Richard for a Priesthood blessing. He assured me I was loved by my Heavenly Father and that I would be able to do everything I needed to do that day.  I got up out of bed, got dressed and got to work.  I felt a few small twinges in my stomach the rest of the day, but at lunchtime I was able to eat and I was able to get a lot done.  To me this was no small miracle.  I can't help but feel that I was sick at this crucial time so that I could find the faith to be healed.   

Home Sweet Home

It has been a wild and busy week.  One week ago tonight we were packing up the last of our stuff and getting ready for the big move!  Wednesday we picked up the U-Haul and worked more on getting the garage ready to go.  We had everything down from the top floor so our helpers would not die trying to help us load up!  Around 5PM some men from the ward came and started helping.  Tim was there too and was extremely helpful through the entire process.  I checked the kiddos into a hotel and left them with Adrienne. They were excited to get to swim all evening, but the pool was green and the hot tub was out of commission too!!  I do not recommend the Comfort Inn by the Hillsboro Airport.  It is non-smoking, but years of smoking has permeated the entire place and it doesn't smell so great!  Anyway, Adrienne had worked very hard all day and was pretty tired. She watched movies with the kids while I went back to help load up.  My friend Lisa came over with her husband to help.  She was great at getting the younger guys going on hauling stuff downstairs and I think having her there helped me keep it together emotionally.  But still, it was a crazy and chaotic evening.  The 26 foot truck was full, but there was still lots of stuff to load!  We debated about getting a storage unit and doing another trip, we debated leaving it all there(well, that was never an option for me), and we wondered if our huge truck could handle towing a trailer.  We packed the van up TIGHT and the next morning Richard went and got a 12 foot trailer.  Almost everything fit in.  There was no room to cram anything else and yet here were some things sitting in the garage that were so important to me.  Richard was tired and we were not communicating well.  I felt like crying.  So I did(just a little).  I was exhausted, hot, overwhelmed and emotional!   

Here we were getting ready to leave Oregon, my home that I have loved the majority of my life! I love the rain, I love the wind, I love the clouds, I love the greenery that is Oregon!  I would be leaving family and friends, my father who may or may not know who I am when I come back next.  My daughter Adrienne would be staying behind until November and Jacob would be staying a few extra weeks.  It did not feel right to be leaving them behind, even though I already knew this was the answer for us.  Megan came by to pick up Jacob, who had been helping us all morning and Adrienne arrived about the same time, having just finished up her classes for the term.  Between the two of them, they hauled the last of the things we wanted to keep with them, so we can get them when we are next in town.  The rest we left at the curb and called for a donation pick up.  I felt so much better.  I spent a lot of time thinking of the pioneers who had to leave entire houses full of furniture behind.  And many who left family behind not knowing if they would ever see them again.  I thought of what it would be like to walk the entire way to Rexburg.  I know that moving is not even comparable to what the early pioneers went through, but this experience gave me time to reflect on them and their many sacrifices.

Although we had planned to leave at noon, we did not finish up at the house until 3PM. I hugged Adrienne and Megan goodbye and tried so hard not to cry.  Annalina rode with me and she was very quiet as we left.  We hit really bad traffic leaving Portland. It took us about an hour to get 15 miles!!  The drive was fine until about 8:30 when a tire blew out on the U-Haul truck.  It made a huge bang and then bits were flying everywhere!  It was scary.  We followed Richard to the side of the freeway and he called for help.  It took three hours for someone to come and get the tire changed.  The kids watched Samurai Jack on my laptop in the front seat of the van.  They were so tired, but so good!  Finally at close to midnight we got back on the road.  I was sleepy and even though we had reservations in Meridian, I thought we should stop for the night.  Long drives make me sleepy, and in the dark after days of packing and prepping to move, I was soooo very sleepy!  But Richard wanted to push on.  We were back on the road for fifteen minutes when I noticed stuff bouncing off the hood of the van.  Shortly after that sparks were flying from the trailer and once I got Richard's attention, we both pulled over to find a tire on the trailer had blown.  Again we pulled off the freeway and called for help.  This time it took two hours for the same guy to come back and get the tire changed.  In the process he got his truck stuck, poor guy!   The kids were finally asleep, and my body and mind desperately wanted to be too.  I was not sure how I was going to make it for a few more hours, but on we went.  We pulled in to our hotel around 6am, 14 hours after leaving Beaverton!  They were just starting to serve breakfast, so we had some waffles and went to bed.  They offered us an extra hour before we had to check out and said they could not do anything more since they were booked up that night due to a baseball tournament going on in the area.  I don't know how he did it, but Richard talked to the manager and got us an extra night.  We went right to bed in our room. Joseph assured us he would not be able to sleep and yet we all slept until after 1pm.  We took it easy the rest of the day, swam in the pool, soaked in the hot tub and got another good night of sleep.  We left at 5am, thinking it would be an 8 hour drive.  I was still sleepy, but having the sun come up was very helpful. Annalina slept almost the whole ride.  She does not travel well and takes Dramamine. That and the long night before put her completely out!  I was amazed to see the sign that showed Pocatello only and hour and a half away!  We made wonderful time and arrived in Rexburg at about 10:30.  There was a free airshow going on, so we waited in a small bit of traffic.

We pulled up to the house and the kids were so excited to look around!  They had seen some pictures but did not know where anything was, and they did not want a tour, they wanted to explore!  So we opened up and let them in!  They ran from room to room and Joseph immediately declared that we needed to buy this house!  I had told myself that my memories were making the house seem bigger than it really was, but I was wrong, it was bigger than I remembered.  Huge wide hallways, large bedrooms and bathrooms, a fabulous kitchen and a BATHTUB for me!!  Yay!  We learned that the owners of this home had built it to sell, but the market fell and so they turned it into a rental.  Everything is top notch quality, not what you'd expect to see in a rental!

Neighbors started heading over around noon and we got the trailer and truck unloaded in just a couple of hours.  Such friendly people, many of the men brought sons with them!!  We found out that not only does the Bishop live next door, but the Elders Quorum President lives across the street and the Primary President lives behind us!  This is going to be an awesome neighborhood!


I miss my older kids so much!  Our family does not feel complete without them, but I know we will have everything in its place for when they arrive!  I feel so blessed to have had this path placed before me and my family.  I am so grateful that the Lord has provided for us through some very difficult times. Although I miss Oregon so much, I feel at home here and I see very good things for us in the future!

Sunrise, after a very, very, very long night of driving!

Glad we had a blanket crammed in the back of the van!  She needed it!