Finally!

I don't know why this picture isn't very clear; probably some setting I've wrecked on my camera.  At least I got a picture of the two of us in the entry of the house.  That's one of Lee's pictures that we hung.  We got a mirror and two more pictures hung today.  I got another grouping hung across from this one where we are standing.  I got the bed made in one of the guest rooms and we unpacked a lot more today.  We warmed meatloaf from the freezer and had some rice and green beans (from a mix Lee had and a can of beans he had) and brought Dorothy home from church with us for lunch.  She loved all we have done so far.  Of course she has macular degeneration so she couldn't see anything too well and she loves Lee and I so we can do no wrong in her eyes!  She's certainly the perfect person to be our first guest when we're still standing on our ears!

I thank God for friends who love us even in our mess.  I thank God for our abundance.  I keep thinking all this stuff is choking me, but I just need to manage it and do like my sister said:  determine what I want to keep and donate or sell or give away the rest because it's time for someone else to enjoy it and benefit from it.  Thank you, Sissy; I keep reminding myself of that.

Tomorrow we have to see our insurance agent and the Direct TV guy is coming to hook up our TV's.  I hate to see that happen because our peace and quiet will be gone, but it seems important to Lee.  I know I'm mal-adjusted when it comes to TV's.  I need to watch some so I will be in the real world with the kids when I'm teaching, too, but I really could live to be 800 and never watch TV and I'd be okay with that.  We'll be packing for our trip to OKC and San Antonio tomorrow, too.  We're both so ready for a break from this move.  We've got the house into a bit of order.  We'll be glad to get away from it, but after a break we'll be ready and eager to get back to settling in even more.

So tired!

This is a picture I took of Lee and Dan putting the storage cabinets into the truck.  Lee was so tired, then, but he wasn't laying down; he was looking to see what was keeping the cabinet from laying level.  We thought we were tired then; we're tired to the bone, now.  We are so ready to take a few days off and head to San Antonio for my Itazuke reunion!  We'll go to OKC for a couple of days for Lee to get a broken tooth fixed and to be there when his son has is gal bladder removed.  As soon as we're satisfied that James is recovering well, we'll head to San Antonio.  We aren't settled here by any means, but we've made a lot of headway.  We've got tomorrow and Monday to work, too.

Dorothy is coming for dinner after church tomorrow.  I'm serving leftover meatloaf out of the freezer with some new rice and green beans, which I'll make in the morning.  I'll make in the morning and we'll finish with sugar free pie.  The pie is all any of us want!  She'll be our first guest, and I'm excited for her to come.  We're still in a mess, but she's ready for a sneak preview.  We did get the pictures up in the entry tonight, so the first look as we come in will be good.

I keep thanking God that we can manage to do all this.  I sure wonder about other old folks who remarry and re-settle.  This is a big job!  I'm sure grateful for this second chance at life.  Lee and I are having so much fun; we laugh as if some comedian were here  . . . I guess we're a couple of comedians, blessed to have found each other after loosing our mates.

I have been corded!

Corded:  that's what happens when I hook up the entertainment system that Lee has. I got this picture  of us toasting grapefruit juice last month a day or two after we married.  I thought the picture was pretty lousy but it has the entertainment center behind me in it, so I posted it tonight.  I have been putting that system together today and, all I can say is that 'Vengeance is the Lord's.'  It's better that I never find the guy whose idea it was to put so many cords behind any equipment.  I think I'll apply for a job with the Chinese Acrobats when we go to Branson this year; I should be able to keep up with them after the contortions I had to get into to connect all this equipment!  I thank God for Lee's son, James, who unhooked all of it and labeled it for me so I'd have a clue where it all went.  I spent about 3 hours watching him undo it the other night, but it took me all day to restore it.  I think I have something not right because we're playing a DVD of Celine Dion and there is no picture on the TV and there should be.  The Direct TV people are coming Monday to hook up the TV, so I'm hoping they'll know what I did wrong.  Otherwise, everything seems to be working right.  Right now I'm listening to a beautiful CD that Ruthie gave me of Alan Jackson's.

Lee registered to vote today, so he's a local, now.  He unpacked a bunch of boxes in the garage today and took all the boxes that the entertainment equipment came in up to the attic.  He's doing a great job getting things put into place.  I can help with that more tomorrow, since I did all the technical stuff today.  At least I can listen to great music as I work.  I took my stereo back to the basement, so I have great music everywhere I go, now.  (Got that connected right, too.)  I hope I never, ever have to hook up anything electronic, again.  I'm way over quota with electronics, but I'll admit that I do love the beautiful music.  When we get all the work done, it will be nice to just relax with the nice music.  This Alan Jackson CD is great religious songs, so it's helping me to get my mind into a better zone for going to bed with thanks for.  Shame on me for complaining; I'm really thankful that I could get down int the floor and get all that connected.  There have been times that I could not have done that.  It was close today, but this 'little engine' thought she could and she did.  I know God helped me and I thank Him!

I've got the computer up and running!

This is a picture we got about a month ago, I think.  We both look like we've been in a wreck today, but today has gone great!  I got up at 5:30 to be ready when the movers came at 7.  Then we worked all day cleaning behind the movers as they took stuff out to the truck.  We got finished and left a little before noon.  We stopped on the way and grabbed a quick sandwich and got here and started unloading at 2.  They finished at 6.  Lee's sister-in-law fixed goulash for us for supper last night and sent us home today with some to warm up for supper tonight.  What a life saver and how yummy it was!  After supper I started with the computer connections and I'm online!  There will be more work to get Lee's computer connected in his office, but I'll get to that soon enough.  In the meantime he can use this one.  I didn't have time to take any pictures today; it was hustle, hustle, hustle all day.  I posted this picture so you can see how nice his place looked before we started packing.  Soon you'll see pictures of this house with some of the furniture that you see in this picture from his house.  His house is totally empty, now and ready for the new renter and we are totally in this house.  It's beginning to look like us, so we're tired but excited about the new look.

I thank God for great weather.  It was clear and sunshiny all morning while we loaded.  Just as the guys were pulling the truck out of the driveway it started to rain!  It was raining in Hobart this morning, but by the time we got here to unload it was dry, so we never had to load or unload in the rain and yet we got rain in both Hobart and OKC where we needed it so badly!

Our bed is made and the furniture is pretty much where we want it.  We'll get more and more straight and settled as time passes, but we've met the big crunches.  Ahhhhhh, it feels good to be this far in this process!

In a rush.

I'm rushing to get this posted before James (Lee's son) shuts down our connection.  We got 3 1/2 hours sleep last night, but the house is pretty much ready to get the new 'stuff.'  We're almost done here.  We've got the rest of today and tomorrow to be ready.  The movers come at 7 Thursday morning.

I thank God for James!  Hope I can put it all back together and save him a trip to Hobart.  I'd love for him to come to Hobart, but I'd like for the house to be together when he comes!

See you next time; probably Friday!  God blesses and we give Him praise and glory!

Girls love winning, but the playing is the most fun.

This is a picture I got of Megan the day we played 4 hours of Hand and Foot Canasta.  We won a lot, but it was just fun to be playing!  I'm doing my best to recall those moments, now that Lee and I are working so hard.  We're looking forward to playing at something instead of working so hard at everything.  However, we're getting close.  Tonight is the last we can work here.  In the morning we leave early for the city and we'll work tomorrow and Wednesday to get all his belongings packed and his side of the duplex all spotless to leave for the next renter.  Thursday morning the movers are coming at 7 A.M.   That will be a big day.  We'll get home and get to start putting things together in the form that we want it to start living together, here.  We're both excited about that.  We'll have a week to get into some kind of shape before we leave for my reunion in San Antonio.  Ah . . . we're ready for some rest!  Some things are beginning to take some shape for us.  We have the front two rooms in pretty good shape.  The office is empty and our bedroom is down to the bed, a chair, the treadmill, one chest of drawers a little chest, and the TV which we moved into there from the living room.  Oh, yeah, I moved a book case into there.  It's coming along in there.

Tonight I'm doing the blog early because I'm unhooking all the computers and I'll be offline for a while.  I'm not sure I'll be able to connect in OKC.  I think we turned off the cable, so I'll have to go to MacDonald's and I'm not sure there will be time for that.  So, Don't look for me to blog, again, until Friday.  It may take me until then to get the computers set up here at the house.   I'll do my best to get it done by Thursday night, but don't hold your breath!  There will be a lot to do that day and night.

I am so thankful for wonderful weather to do this.  We've made so many trips to the dumpster and tracking in water would be such a mess.  It was so funny today.  We put the first computer Don and I ever bought out in the alley by the dumpster.  Before we could even get all the parts out there a guy was out there gathering it up to haul off.  I asked him if he wanted a TV and he said, "Sure," so we came back in and brought the one that was in the office out to him.  It was an old one, but it worked, so he got a good thing and we got rid of it.  Most people only want flat screens, anymore, so getting rid of these old TV's is going to be a trip.

I'm also so thankful for the health and strength to do all this moving.  I especially thank God for Lee, who has given me the motivation to get going with cleaning out all this accumulated stuff and who gives me purpose every day.  He's a wonderful help and support.  Bless his heart, we're both wearing fitbits to track our steps and we've both been nearly 5 miles today, just walking around the house!  He's a great partner and he blesses me.

A treat.

It was a real treat to have Nate and his girlfriend, Megan here last week.  Of course we love having all the kids, but when they get older they can't always come; like Gabe had to work last weekend, so he couldn't be here.  Usually Nate and Megan are working, but they got to come last weekend.  Trish had worked Friday night, so she slept and Nate drove.  Then when they got here Trish went to bed and Nate and Megan and Lee and I played Hand and Foot Canasta for 4 hours!  That was a real treat!  Nate  and Megan are 20, so our times with them are few and precious.

We took Dorothy to church this morning and then she bought Subway sandwiches and we ate them at her house.  It was nice not to have to fix any lunch and we enjoyed the time with her.  I sang at the worship service at the nursing home this afternoon, but then we went right back to work.  We took time out for church this evening and nachos for supper, but we've been working and working.  Tomorrow is our last day to clear out, here, so we've got to keep up the frenzy.  We'll get it done!

I thank God for the strength to keep up the work.  I thank Him for purpose in life and for the wealth of friends and family.  Life and loved ones are precious and God is so generous.

Balancing act.

Here's a picture of sunshine we call Raynie.  She, like all the other kids loves these birds that they can balance.  Every time they find them, they light up and begin balancing them everywhere from on the tip of a piece of furniture to their noses.  We've sure gotten a lot of fun out of them over the years.  Of course the birds sitting in the drawer are no fun at all; it takes the kids lighting up over them to make them fun.  I pray that Raynie will be able to balance all the issues in life as well as she does these birds. I've found that balancing work and fun, heartache and joy, etc. is a difficult challenge in life.  It's so easy to go overboard on one thing and neglect another that is equally important.  I pray constantly for me to be able to strike a better balance in all of life.  So, these birds hold a lesson for me.

Speaking of the balancing act.  We are heavy on the working side, right now.  It seems like we really need to get this move/merge done, but we may be going too hard at it.  The good thing is that we are having so much fun, even if it's hard.  Every day we manage to get tickled so hard that we laugh until we bend over in pain from it.  How crazy is that?  It's fun to laugh, again!  I thank God for the opportunity to laugh and feel joy and the ability to heal soreness overnight.  What an awesome God we serve!

Precious Memories!

This is a picture I got last weekend of Raynie and Gracie.  These blocks are always a favorite game when they are here.  I'm so glad they came last weekend.  We needed the break from all the sorting and moving and the memories are joys to us.

Lee and I made a lot of headway in our bedroom today.  What a job, though!  I'm realizing that our last move here was not an organized one and things are really scattered.  I'm afraid it's going to be worse, now!  I hope to get better organized; it's my goal.  We're sure having to stuff and cram a lot; I'll go over it over the next few months and hope to get it all straight.  I'm doing my best to downsize as much as possible; what a breakthrough for me!

The weather was beautiful today.  We're able to enjoy the work in the garage.  This is really a good time of year to be doing this.  It was way hot when we were working in Lee's garage, so this is a blessing.  We thank God for these beautiful days.  We so thank God for the health to do this.  We've got movers coming to bring Lee's belongings next week and I thank God for that!  The work we're doing is enough; I'm so glad there will be young bodies doing the big and heavy work!

The really cool brothers.

I took this picture yesterday when Lee and his brother, Dan, were loading the storage cabinets into the truck.  They put 3 of them into the truck and then we added a bunch of boxes, too.  Dan and Lee are so much alike and both are such neat guys.  Dan's supervisor came by while we were there and even he said, 'This is kind of freaky:  looking at the two of you and you look so much alike.'  They work so well together and they are both a couple of clowns so it's really fun to be with them.

Today has been long, but we got a lot done.  Man, oh, man; this is a big job.  The reward will be worth it, though.  We'll have a house that speaks of us and we'll get to live together in it.  That will be a nice thing and we both look forward to it.

Our friend, Bob Clark, came over this morning and helped us unload the truck in nothing flat.  I sure thank God for great family and friends!  We've got 6 of those big storage cabinets along one side of the garage, now.  They are a huge help in helping us to get organized.  Right now we're storing stuff in them until we get Lee's furniture here.  Then we can bring some in and put it into the drawers.  A lot will stay stored out there, though.

Safely home with good check up results!

This is a picture I took of Mason and Lee chilling out on Saturday night.  Mason had been playing Nerts with us, and he'd had enough and went in to chill out with Lee.  I thought this was a sweet picture of them.

I got some pictures today of Lee and his brother, Dan, loading the truck.  I'm just to tired to upload them.  Maybe I'll post one tomorrow if any are good.  We are pretty exhausted.  We got up at 6 to do some errands here before leaving for OKC.  We loaded the truck, again, and then headed to Lee's check up.  The cardiologist was very pleased with how Lee is doing and told him that it looks like I may be the best thing that has happened to him.  That made me smile, especially when Lee agreed with him!  His heart function is good and all his other tests were good.  He doesn't have to go back for 6 months.

We picked up Dorothy and managed to cram her stuff into the truck, too.  We made it home with all our goods and are ready to fall into bed.  I thank God for a safe trip and for Lee's good health.  I thank God for a precious friend like Dorothy, too.  We are blessed in this life!

Lee finds his place.

This is a picture I got of Lee with Raynie and Grace.  Of course Grace and Raynie are gregarious little sweeties, so they are easy to love.  They've been so sweet to accept Lee right into their lives and love him, too.  He's really good with them; they're irresistible and apparently he is, too!  We had a great weekend with the kids here.

Now, we're back to work, work, work!  We got a lot done today, but there is more to do.  What a job!  

Tomorrow we're going to OKC for Lee's follow up check up with his cardiologist.  Dorothy is there with her cousin and has been for a few days.  We'll bring her home with us tomorrow night.  We'll bring another load in the truck, so tomorrow is a busy day.  I'll be home in time to post, though; hope I have the energy to do it!

We've moved two beds out to the garage, so two of our bedrooms look very bare.  We've taken most of the pictures off the walls so it really looks like someone is either moving in or out . . . a little of both is happening!  I've sold $70 worth of junky sort of furniture so far.  We're taking the beds to Gretta and my granddaughter, Janelle. I'm glad I can pick up a little cash here and there.  Maybe I'll get enough to pay for the U-haul trailer!    Between us we have 27 grandkids, so there is no way we can put pictures of them all over the place.  We're going to put a bunch into a digital frame and keep it moving.  We'll also make an album with lots of the pics that we both had in frames around our houses. I have a room divider type screen that will hold 9 pics of families, so we'll have lots of pics, just different ones and in different places.  So, this house will take on a different look.  It going to be interesting how this ends up looking.  It'll be a fresh, new look and I hope it looks like us.  :)  We'll work with it until we get it right.  It will be so nice to get organized and somewhat settled.  Thanks for walking with me on this journey.

Family is a treasure.

Raynie loves her cousin, Elena!  She was snuggling up to this picture of Elena and her Easter chicks when I came into the room.  She said, "I love Elena; I wish I could see her!  I miss Elena!"  So this picture is dedicated to Elena.  They get to see each other every June when we go to the family reunion and then spend a week in Gatlinburg.  We all look forward to time shared every year.

I taught band today and Lee worked at home all day.  Then I came home and we worked another 5 hours.  Now, we're cleaning up and going to bed to get a good night's sleep and get up and go to it again tomorrow.  I'm not teaching anymore until we're settled.  Lee called today and rescheduled our move of his belongings to the 27th.  That gives us 6 more days.  Whew; we'll need every bit of that.

My baby sister reminded me that this is only STUFF that we're breaking our backs to move.  It's probably not worth it.  It helps me to keep a better mental attitude toward it.  I have the memories; I don't have to keep the STUFF and be choked by it!  Someone else can use it and enjoy it; it's time to share.  My older sister reminded me that there is a time for everything and THIS is the time to enjoy being with Lee and building a strong relationship with him.  I thank God for sisters and their wisdom and love.

Only Nerts can be more fun than H&F Canasta.

Nate and Megan and Lee and I played Hand and Foot Canasta for 4 hours Saturday afternoon while Trish slept and we waited for the rest of the folks to get here.  Gracie and Raynie played around and entertained themselves and snacked with us.  That was all way fun.  But, last night after Rob and Sadie and Mason got here, we started playing Nerts.  Boy, was that ever wild fun!  In this picture we are down to Sadie, Gracie, Megan and I.  Earlier Mason and Tricia were playing with us, too.  Rob was never brave enough to play with us and Lee watched for a bit, but he took a safe distance in the living room.  He said it sure looked like someone could get hurt with that one.  If you've played Nerts, you know how wild it can get with people frantic to get their Nerts pile played first.  It was GREAT fun!

All in all it was an awesome weekend.  Lee and I have decided that there is no way we can get this house ready to receive his belongings by Friday, so we're going to reschedule the move from the 21st to the 28th.  It's still a big order, but that's more reasonable to expect we can do.  We are really to old to be doing this.

We did have a dealer come over today and go through the house with us and go over some of the pieces I have.  He will notify his contacts and see if there are any he can help me to move.  He also bought some coins from Lee, so that was a little bit we were able to unload.

There is so much more to do.  Tomorrow I will teach and Lee will be unloading a bunch of chests into boxes and a dealer is coming to get them tomorrow.  Someday I'll put all of what he unloads into who knows what.  I'm trusting God to help me figure out all of this and part with even more things.  I know this is His plan, so I'm aiming to work it the best I can.  After looking at all we have to do, we decided that we need more time to work on this end than on the back end, so the rescheduling is the best plan.  I'm so glad that Lee has a level head.  I would be up 24/7, no lie, if I had to get this done by Wednesday when we have to leave for his check up with his cardiologist.  I know it gets confusing for you who are reading this to keep up with all we are doing.  It's confusing for me and I'm right here doing it!  A day with the kids tomorrow will be a good break for me.  Poor Lee has a lot of work to do while I'm gone.  I'll do my best to give his some relief when I get home tomorrow afternoon.  I am really looking forward to the day that this house will be settled, again.  God will get me to that; He got me this far, so I know He'll get me through it.

How could we not have fun?

How could we not have fun with these two angels here to brighten our day?  They have had us laughing and laughing!  Robert, Sadie and Mason are hunting at some special hunt at Quartz Mountain. They'll come around dinner time, which is any moment.  Tricia worked last night, so Nate and Megan picked her up at 8 and they drove here while she slept.  Raynie and Gracie came with them.  Trish has slept most of the day and the rest of us have played hand and foot canasta.  Gracie and Raynie have been having lots of fun reacquainting themselves with all the old toys around here.  This picture is one of them playing with one of them.

This is a break that Lee and I probably needed.  I don't imagine we'll get any extra sleep but I think we're getting lots of fun out of this and a good break from the sorting and moving we've been doing since I can remember.  We thank God for youth and sunshine!

Working, working, working . . .

This is a picture I got of Lee and Raynie a couple of weeks ago when we went back to OKC to begin sorting out his belongings.  We stopped at Tricia's house and took the hat Raynie is wearing to her.  It was one from her high school; I had found around here and I thought she'd get a kick out of it.  Raynie got a really big kick out of it!  She enjoyed putting it on Lee, too!  They are a good pair.

Lee and I ran numerous errands around her today.  We picked up and went through the mountain of mail that was here.  We're slowly getting things sorted.  I even sold a few little pieces to a guy in town who buys furniture.  There is so much more to go through!

We got the TV programming figured out and ordered; that was a big mountain to climb.  I'm so not a TV person, but this is real life.  If I'm going to teach I need to be somewhat aware of what is happening in the world.  We enjoy watching NBA ball, too; especially since we are both OKC Thunder fans.

We got to see Dorothy and got her hair trimmed.  We delivered a little fridge to her and she was thrilled with it.  It was good to see her since she's going to be gone for a week.

Trish and the kids are coming tomorrow, so we have them on our minds and that's why I chose this picture.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll get some more good family pics. Yesterday was Mason's birthday and tomorrow is Tricia's.  Monday is Davey's.  God is good; while this is a sad time to remember losing Don last year, we have many lasting wonderful memories of him and numerous other reasons to celebrate right through the sadness.  To quote a hero from 9/11, "Let's roll!"

Not to be outdone by the rain.

I got this picture this morning of us standing among all the bins we had packed to bring home today.  We were assured it was going to rain, so we put all the bins we had into plastic bags and then loaded them into the truck.  We brought home 24 bins, a little college type fridge for Dorothy and a huge bag of Lee's shoes and boots.  We tied it all down and only one bag even got a rip in it.  We didn't lose a thing.  We didn't get home until about 9:30, though. We've got it all unloaded into the garage except for the fridge and all the shirts and coats we have hanging in the back seat of the truck.

Lee had a fasting blood test first thing this morning and then a check up with his urologist this afternoon.  It was pouring down rain, so we didn't want to load the truck and leave it sitting in the rain, so we waited until after we finally got done with his appointments and loaded and then headed for home.  One more load done!  In the morning we'll go first thing to Dorothy's to deliver the little fridge and give her a haircut.  She's leaving tomorrow afternoon for a week in OKC with her sister-in-law, so I want to get her off with a good haircut.  We haven't seen her in nearly 2 weeks, so we need hugs, too!  We'll pick up the mail and then get busy clearing out around here so there will be space for us to bring Lee's belongings (the rest of them) a week from tomorrow.  I've got to 'teach' band and music on Monday, and Trish and Rob and the kids are coming this weekend, so we've got to get a lot done tomorrow and Monday and Tuesday.  We'll head back to OKC on Wednesday and then move the rest of Lee's belongings with a mover on Friday.  What a schedule!  Next week I may have to take some days off from the blog because we may not be connected.  I'll post at MacDonald's if I can, but this moving is a pretty hairy deal!

Besides just being a tough moving day, today was emotional.  I had stuck these pants and shirt in my suitcase in case it turned cool.  Sure enough it turned cool and it's all I had besides shorts.  It's also what I wore at the hospital a year ago when we learned that Don would not survive; I think I wore it for at least 48 horrible hours.  So, here I was today going to two different hospitals with Lee and his appointments in this outfit. It was too close to very sensitive memories.   I thank God that Lee understood the tears I couldn't hold; he's 4 years away from losing his wife and he still has tears, too.  I guess some pains never quit, but I thank God for Lee to help me through the tough times and to share and create good times.  I also thank God for good appointments for Lee today; he doesn't have to see his urologist for another year and the fasting blood test was for his check up with his cardiologist next week.  He's all set for a good report next week.  The electro-cardiogram earlier in the week looked good, they said.

Reunion Friday night pic.

A sweet lady from Lee's reunion took this picture of us at his reunion and was so kind to send a couple of copies to us!  How sweet is that?  I took pictures of the picture and managed to get this copy.  So, for you Itazuke folks, this is how I'll look on the Friday night of our reunion; this is my dress up Friday (red) shirt.  I doubt if Lee will wear his Capitol Hill shirt, but maybe he will if he's in reunion mode, since that's his high school.

We've packed more and more today, but we're about out of boxes.  I'll empty the load of boxes we take this week and bring them back to pack the rest. when we return next week.

I thought since I skipped posting Monday I'd better get on the ball and post before I get so tired today.  I took a couple of hours out to lay in the sun today, since it's turning cooler.  I may not get another chance to collect any Vit. D for a while, so I was grateful to get some today.  There has been absolutely no time for Vit. D since I can remember, so it was good to get some.  I thank God for sunshine and a great breeze today!

Took a lazy day.

We were lazy today.  We didn't have a train to catch, so we didn't set the alarm and we slept until after 10!  We got up and got ready to go do some errands.  We took our garage sale money to the bank and made a deposit, then we went to the grocery store and the Dollar Tree.  There is no Dollar Tree in Hobart, so I have to take advantage of it when I'm here.  We came home and packed a few boxes of things going to Hobart.  I'm going to give Lee a haircut in a few minutes and then we're going to bed early.  We are both still really tired from the last 4 weeks, really.  I'm amazed that we've been able to keep up this pace, and I thank God for giving us the energy to do it.  He's given us the time to rest, so we're taking it.  We really have a lot to do, so we'd better not take another lazy day!  Thank you for keeping up with us.

Well, holy cow!  That was really a lazy day!  I sat down to do tonight's post and noticed that last night's post wasn't there.  I fished around and found it in the drafts!  Do you suppose I'm tired or what?  They called me to teach BAND (??!!), again, next Monday.  No doubt they are really hard up for subs!  I was going to fish out another picture and post something, but this will do for tonight.  The news today is that we've packed a ton of stuff.  Lee has his truck in his garage for the first time ever, and the door will shut!  We went for his electro-cardogram, which is a follow up to his open heart surgery last October and it looked great, the technician said.  He'll do more tests for his heart doctor on Thursday, then see the heart doctor next Wednesday.  He's survived heart surgery; now, if he survives this move we'll be extra grateful.  Sorry if I worried anyone by not posting this last night!  Just know that I'm fine; just rattled!

Moving in the right direction.

This picture we took this morning on our way to church.  After church we worked in the garage all day getting things packed.  Lee cleaned out 2 file cabinets while I did most of the packing.  I have just one more table of things to pack; I think I can get it into one more big box.  We'll sell what we can in Hobart and what we don't sell I'll be glad to use, I think.  Lee has really nice things, like the flower arrangement you see in this picture.  I just have to find places for it all at the house.  It feels good to be moving on in the right direction.

I am fully exhausted, though, and so is Lee.  We'll be so ready for some off time as soon as we can get some.

I thank God for the strength to get through all this moving.  I thank God for bringing me a partner to share my life.  I was really no good at the widow position.  I'm a much better wife than widow and I'm blessed to have found the man who agrees with me.  We laugh all the time and I know that's good for both of us.  I was a year behind on laughing and he was about 4 years behind, so it's a welcome activity for both of us.  PTL!

It's done! Now, the clean up!

I got this shot of Lee at the beginning of the garage sale on Thursday.  Now, it's done!  One of his daughters came just as we were finishing, so we visited with her for a long time tonight.  We'll clean up from the sale tomorrow after church.  That was our plan, anyway.  We were not up for packing all that was left tonight!  We had told a few people that if they wanted to come buy something tomorrow, they could come while we pack and still buy.  I doubt if any of them will come, though.  Anyway, for all practical purposes we're done and we feel good about the money we collected.  Besides the garage sale we had some items sell on Craig's list, so the deposit on Monday will feel good!  Now, we get to do this, again, in Hobart.  We won't collect nearly as much money in Hobart, but we'll collect something.  We'll take a lot of what we didn't sell here to the Hobart sale.  A lot we will donated to a charity here and not have to take it all to Hobart.

The last 3 days were easier than the days of getting ready for it.  Plus, God blessed us with a cool day today.  It was only in the 80's today!  In fact, I started the day wearing a jacket of Lee's that he had on the sale rack!  I thank God for helping us through this week.  The emotional aspect of getting rid of things that had meaning was difficult at times, but knowing that we do this to move forward helped.  Having each other helped.  It's been a hard thing, physically, but God gave us the strength.  Otherwise, it's been really a lot of fun and having each other sure made that possible.  If either of us had to do this on our own it would have been sheer drudgery.  We feel so blessed.  I could feel moral support coming from you all; thanks!

$urviving!

We have worked long hours and slept precious few, but we are surviving!  We have one more day of garage sale to go.  So far in the last two days we've collected $850 for probably $8,000 worth of things we no longer have room to keep nor need.  We are happy to see it leaving the garage.  This picture was taken this morning in the garage.  The tree behind me is for sale, but it may have to go home with me since it hasn't sold in 2 days.  We'll see, and if it goes home with me, we'll love it.

I thank God for the opportunity to study people a little more today.  People are so cool!  It was fun to share the study with Lee, too.  Sometimes it's not so easy to smile at folks, but mostly it is.  I had one lady who took a $4 price tag off an item today and exchanged it with the $8 tag that was on the item she bought.  How  bizarre that someone would do that!  She has to live with the knowledge of having done that all the rest of her life, as well as eternity.  I can't imagine that it would be worth $4 to her.  Other than that woman we didn't have anyone who 'misbehaved.'  We met lots of fun people and we were enriched besides collecting the money and freeing up space around here!  One more day!  Woo hoo!  Then we have to get busy packing what is left and get back to work!

People are so interesting!

Please excuse the quality of this picture.  I took it this morning as we were eating our breakfast before the garage sale.  We gave Lee's table to his daughter, so we're eating on TV trays.  I had to take the picture from across the room, so it's pretty blurry.  At least you can tell that we started the day with a smile even if it was at 6 a.m.!

We had people here by 7:15 and we didn't start the sale until 8.  They came in all day and we sold a bunch.  We have plenty left to sell tomorrow and Saturday.  We weren't over run by people at any time, so we really enjoyed it.  People are so interesting!  It was a lot easier to sit and enjoy the people today than it has been for the last several days of getting ready for all this!  I'm not really looking forward to doing it, again, in Hobart, but I am looking forward to getting rid of a lot.  Starting over would be exciting if I weren't so tired.  I think I'll get into it more and more as we progress.  I will like it more and more when our place begins to take on the feeling of 'us.'

I thank God for a beautiful day today and all good experiences with people.  I really love studying people, so  this was a great opportunity.  Lee's brother and his wife fixed dinner for us, so we didn't even have to worry about that.  We're going to miss them being right next door when we get moved to Hobart!  I thank God for the blessings they are in our lives, too.  Lee and Dan are so much alike; it's really fun to be around the two of them.  They are individuals, but they really function like two wheels on a bike.

Left over power nap; no time for one today!

This is the rest of our nap from the other day . . . whenever that was.  There was no time for any nap today.  We're all done and ready for the crowds tomorrow.  I sure hope they show up with money!  It'll be great to get the garage cleared!  I was just finishing up the blog last night when Lee went by the door and said, "The weather man said we're about to get a storm, so I'm moving in all the stuff from outside."  Holy cow!  We had been putting all the things we plan to take on our next trip to Hobart outside in the fenced in back yard.  Some was in cardboard boxes and some had no cover!  There was a college size fridge out there for Dorothy!  So, I jumped up and we hauled all that stuff inside!  Where we got that energy can only be from God because we were fully exhausted.  Then, it didn't rain!  Around 3:30 a.m. we were awakened by thunder and lightning and the wonderful sound of rain.  We got 3/4 of an inch, so we didn't bring all that in for nothing!

We're all set for tomorrow and we've already sold over $100 worth with just curious folks happening in on us.  We're braced for a busy Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  We thank God for the energy He has provided.  Please pardon the near repeat of pics, but I didn't have time to take pics of us today.  I took pics of our stuff for Craig's List and forgot all about people pics!

From Sunday because we look awful today.

We got this picture before church on Sunday.  It's a good thing because we look like death warmed over today.  It was 102 today and it must have been hotter in the garage.  We have a fan going out there, but we still had to take lots of breaks.  There's been no point in wearing make up; it would just run into my eyes with the sweat and get wiped and smeared.  I'm so sick of looking at me with my hair all gummed down with sweat and no make up.  Lee looks great, but he's as tired as I am!

Orange juice is a great lifter!  It will feel so good to see all this stuff leave and clear out the garage.  It will feel good to have the same freedom in Hobart, but we'll have to go through all this sorting, again, first.  Ugh.  I am thankful that we have abundance instead of abundant need.  We do have abundant needs and God has blessed us with way more than we need.  We even have energy to spare.  I'm hoping there is enough energy left to get me through a bath and to bed.

We are tired, but we are having so much fun.  Today I told Lee that someone should be making a slap stick movie about this part of our journey.  I could be something like "Airplane" was.  We go around quoting from that movie all the time and when we aren't quoting from it we are making up lines that sound like they are from it.  Probably nobody else would think we are funny, but we laugh and laugh.  It's good for both of us!  Maybe our movie could be called, "The Golden Years" or "The Merry Widows."  I thank God that it would be side splitting.  Lee keeps saying, "Don't make me laugh anymore!"  Those smiles are real and I thank God for them and the spirit that brings them.

Time out for a power nap!

We re nearly finished unpacking all the boxes in the garage.  We've got tables out there and we're setting up as we go.  Man, what a job!  This picture is one I got of us getting a power nap after lunch.

I am grateful for the strength to get through this.  I'm grateful for Dan, Lee's brother who keeps an eye on stuff while we run errands;  he also helps move heavy things.  He sold the fridge/freezer for us last week.  What a huge help he and his wife, Sandy, are!  I thank God for them!

Making progress.

This picture I got when we got back here on Saturday afternoon.  We had to unload those two chairs here; we thought they'd sell better here than in Hobart and I'm giving them up to make space for a couple Lee is bringing to Hobart.  After we unloaded those chairs and a couple of other things we took my freezer to Krissy, Lee's youngest daughter.  Then we took a bunch of stuff to Trish to use in her quilting.  Then last night we took Don's golf clubs to Garrett.  He thinks he will enjoy using some of those clubs and they'll be special to him.  That freed up some more space at home.  Whew!

Today, after church, we spent the whole day working to sort out things in Lee's garage.  We pulled out a bunch of stuff that we'll take to the house in Hobart.  We pulled out a bunch that will go in the garage sale starting on Thursday.  We've got a lot to sell, so I hope it goes well!  There are a bunch of dishes that I have to photograph and list on Craig's list.  There is a lot of work to do before Thursday, but that's why we're here this week.  If we can get this end cleared out a lot, then we'll go back to Hobart and do the same thing. We're thinking we'll make the final move of things from here to Hobart on the 22nd of this month, but that's tentative.  We're going to my high school reunion in San Antonio on the 5th of October and we hope to be all settled by then . . . as much as possible, anyway.  I'm sure there will be some wrinkles to iron, but we should be pretty much done by then.  If we can just stay healthy!

We're hoping to get to bed early tonight so we can get up early to work in the garage while it's cooler in the morning.  I thank God for cool mornings!  I know the farmers need rain, but it's sure helping us that there is little hope for rain, so we have a lot of things we've sorted to go home in the back yard to make room in the garage for us to work and have the sale!  I sure thank God for our ability to withstand this heat and the lifting we're doing.  Man, my body thinks I've gone completely crazy!  It's a happy crazy and that's sure a good thing.

Pirate Raynie.

We stopped at Tricia's house today to deliver some old clothes of mine and Don's that she will use for quilts.  We got to see Sadie, Gracie, Nate and Raynie, so that was a bonus.  Raynie has to wear a patch on her 'strong' eye for an hour or two each day, so for those two hours she's a 'pirate.'  She modeled her patch for Lee and I.   It's pretty obvious in the picture that the two of them have some pretty good chemistry!

We got the freezer delivered to Krissy, Lee's daughter and Don's gold clubs delivered to Garrett.  Garrett looks like a million dollars!  I haven't seen him since the 5th of July, so it was sure good to see him.  I also delivered a shirt of his that he'd left at my house.

Tomorrow after church we'll start going through boxes in Lee's garage and deciding what we'll keep and what we'll sell.  Man, this sorting is probably way overdue!  I know I never want to buy anything else.  I feel smothered by 'stuff!'  I'm blessed with abundance and thank God that I don't do without anything I need.  I hope I never take what I have for granted and always praise God for His generosity.  I know my best blessings are family and friends.  Just look at this picture and it tells a sweet story of love and abundance.