Arrivals, part 3

Yesterday our furniture arrived. YEAH! John Loos and his collie, Taylor, along with his crew unloaded all our earthly possessions and placed them in the house. Considering the steep stairways to the second floor and basement, we were grateful we did not have to carry the many boxes and furniture up and down.

I’m not sure we will ever get fully unpacked. After all, we have 31+ years of “stuff” we’re carting around. But we have begun the process of settling in.

After spending the afternoon unpacking, I attended my first Deacons’ meeting at First Central Baptist Church in Chicopee. Although I haven’t yet “officially” started, the work has begun.

 

Arrivals, part 2

On Monday, Carol, Mittens, our cat, and I arrived in Chicopee, MA. Yesterday, our Honda joined us. It made the journey perched on top of an auto transport truck. Having worked for a conveyor firm during and after college, I was interested in watching how it was unloaded. I was impressed with the skill of the driver. Not only did he need good driving skills, he had to deal with heights, navigate narrow walkways, operate machinery, and drive backwards on a narrow platform without clear vision.

 

A new chapter

After traveling five days cross-country, we arrived safely yesterday afternoon in Chicopee, MA. Our bodies, cat, and one car are here. Our other car arrives this afternoon, and our furniture in another day or so (hopefully). Thanks be to God for a safe journey. We are tired and road weary and need a few days to decompress, unpack, settle in, and refresh our spirits. That being said, we look forward to what God will do in and through us in this next chapter of our lives.

 

Moving On – OH – MA

Yesterday was the final day of our cross-country travels. We started out with rain in Cleveland, OH. As we drove through town, we passed Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, as well as the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. We drove alongside the shores of Lake Erie. In New York, we passed farmlands and vineyards. We noticed that the leaves are already turning colors in upstate NY and in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. After five days of traveling 3,000 miles, we pulled into our new home in Chicopee, MA. We were road weary, and Mittens, our cat, may need therapy after being cooped up in a cage for that long, but all is well. Thanks be to God for a safe trip.

 

Moving On – IL to OH

The road trip continues ever onward towards our destination. We left Moline, IL, this morning, traversed the heart of central Illinois, across the top of Indiana, and as far into Ohio as the outskirts of Cleveland. Our hotel last night evidently hosted a gathering of classic car enthusiasts. It was fun to view their vehicles on our way out. Much of today’s journeys was through farmland, more farmland, and still more farmland. As we drove through northern Indiana, we passed one car with a sign that read, “Go Irish, 2016!” We surmised that someone dropped off a freshman at Norte Dame in South Bend, IN.

 

Moving On – NE to IL

We inched ever closer to our destination as we traversed Nebraska, Iowa, and crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois. Both NE and IA are farming country, the difference being NE is flat for as far as the eye can see (they don’t call it the Plain States for nothing) while IA has rolling hills. The corn in NE looks dry (part of the Midwestern drought) while the corn in IA looks much greener. You see irrigation on the farms in NE but not in IA. We also noticed the wind farms in IA as well. As you can see, it rained during part of the drive. One of the more interesting pictures is the one of the mud flaps of the semi-truck which indicate which side to pass on.

 

Moving on – CO to NE

Yesterday’s travels took us from Grand Junction, CO, to North Platte, NE. I-70 took us from high desert in western CO through the Rocky Mountains where we saw Vail, through the Eisenhower Tunnel into the front range where Denver is located. We enjoyed lunch at Schlotsky’s in Aurora, CO, before taking I-76 northeast where it turns into I-80 as it heads into NE. Eastern CO and NE are flat farmland with an occasional silo to break the horizon.

 

Moving On – CA to CO

Now that our furniture is on its way to Massachusetts, it’s time for us to hit the road as well. After spending the past two weeks in SoCal visiting family, we left today on our journey eastward. We will take the next five days to travel cross country. Today’s route took us through five states. We left SoCal early this morning, and saw the sun rise over the desert. We journeyed north on I-15 through Las Vegas, NV, where we passed the hotels on the strip and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the spring NASCAR race takes place. Continuing on I-15, we cut through the northwest corner of AZ, continued north into UT, where we transferred to I-70, which then took us east into CO. We will spend the night in Grand Junction. We saw some interesting rock formations as well as some giant tires for earth movers.

Here’s some pics from today’s travels.

 

Long live King Felix!

Congratulations to Felix Hernandez on pitching a perfect game!

 

Closing a chapter

The chapter of our lives titled, “Sammamish, WA,” closed yesterday. I returned briefly from Cerritos, CA, where we have been staying with Carol’s folks to oversee the loading of the moving van and the car transport. I flew in Monday evening, stayed with a good friend, Richard Styles, oversaw the loading yesterday, and flew back to L.A. last night. Tomorrow we start the drive to Chicopee, MA. I have no idea if or when we will return to Seattle.

While waiting for the movers to arrive, I reflected on God’s goodness to us over our 22 years in the Pacific Northwest. I wrote the following in my journal.

We raised our family here and saw our children grow to maturity. We were tested and stretched. We saw fruitful times and ones that taught us to be faithful. We learned success is not always measured by numbers. We endured hardship and criticism. We learned to trust a just judge to settle accounts in his time. We learned to distinguish between acquaintances and friends. We developed a small number of deep, lasting, sustaining, encouraging friendships. We discovered our gifts and learned how and where to use them effectively. We came here broken and God helped us heal. We repeated that cycle many times over, all the while discovering the process was part of God’s plan to grow us up. We experienced his grace and discovered his character in ways we never would have otherwise.

Because of what God did in and through us here, because we believe he has called and led us to Chicopee, MA, we look forward with confidence to what he will do there. He who began a good work will complete it (Philippians 1:6).

Thank you, Lord, for your many good gifts. Continue to shape us and grow us. Help us to learn the new lessons you have for us. May the next phase of our lives be even more fruitful.