Moving Days

I thought I'd sit down for a minutes and drop a line. We are thrilled to say we got the keys to the house; the movers came Sunday and now the unpacking begins

We're loving the new house. Every.little.thing. Even the creeking of old floors and mysteries that are yet tobe solved, mysteries of a new home. (Does the hot tub work? Where does this door lead to? Was this a laundry chute once upon a time?) The boys are relishing the space, running from their top floor bedrooms to basement and outside. This morning I was getting ready to shower, I peeked into the backyard to see Nate out on his bike jumping a ramp Ralph made on the bb court. At 7:00 a.m. The space is just simply divine.

Of course, my nose has been to the grindstone, emptying boxes as fast as I can and finding places for each thing....everything else goes in the basement for now. A little school here and there but I started early to give grace to these next weeks.

My mom came up to help empty boxes, the boys and I are delighted to have the company (and help!)

I'll be back, posting again sometime soon. Until then...enjoy your almost Autumn! Until then, I found this photo of Eli helping out with our move from VA to OR. He's a little bigger now but man, babies are cute!!...and I wouldn't dare post that one without this sweet photo taken of the boys that same month. Just 4 short years ago. Cutie boys, don't you think?

Counting my blessing and tasting the changes

He has things up His sleeve.

I can never get over God's blessings. The little ones often surprise me more than the big. This week has presented all sorts of surprises.

We've attended a birthday party, several play dates. I had a first big meeting with CC, my husband's first week back to work. Chance meetings with kind, encouraging women that have nudged me along through the channels of finding a new normal and resting in the unknown.

When Ralph interviewed with his now employeer, I shot an email to the director of CC. Wondering if there was room for us to enroll.

She invited me to lunch.

Again, she and her kids invited us to picnic with them, I'm feeling quickly like this could be the friends we've been hoping for, the CC family that will replace the one we've hesitantly left behind.

The day that we moved to this apartment building, I took the boys down to the pool. I stepped right into the welcoming pool of women who are also transitioning. Some coming, some going, from New York to Portland, they're all on the move just like me. They congregate daily with their little ones to cool off their bodies & minds together in the cool of the waters. I was immediately absorbed and part of the ladies-in-waiting-club. What a gift! To have other women that pray and love and hurt and laugh right next door.

This move has been full of gifts. The packing will be done for us, the friends that have blessed us, the great and small provisions, the details have been cared for. God sees us. I am certain of this.

More and more I am convinced.

And I'm not talking about knowing it, but am talking about believing it. For it's one thing to know "God's on my side" and a whole different thing to breathe it. To breathe it so often that when the edge of worry comes into view, I remember Who has my back and just look away to Him because He's so Good.

Now I'm still feeling, oh, more than ever. I've struggled with just feeling in the past, wondering if it was a sign that I wasn't trusting. But feeling is good. It's tasting life, isn't it? Every flavor of the move is present; sad, excited, hopeful. I'm feeling it all.

So now I'm spending my days cruising the classified & the neighborhoods, looking for a home for us. I'm planning for our school year and ramping up to dig in a little next week. Getting my mama-teacher brain back on. I'll check back in soon!

8 days

It's a strange thing, I keep counting how many more nights I'll go to bed in my bed. Wondering how many more times I'll sweep this kitchen floor, if this will please be the last time I will scrub this toilet....

I'm comforted that there will always be another toilet to scrub. At least until my boys have perfected their work of cleaning the bathrooms.

These last days are really, really full. Come to think of it, each day since Ralph got news of the new job has been really full. This week have been days full of seeing a friend just once more for the boys, including two birthday parties. I went out to dinner with a friend, and a few appointments to get things wrapped up before we go. This weekend is the same, a day at the lake with my folks, a day of quiet, and next week we'll have more time with kid friends and packing.

I can't say enough how wonderful it is to have someone else do the packing for us. I have so much time and presence of mind because of it. I have been organizing and making lists for what we'll take to our next short-term residence, next week I'll pack up all of those things.

We did take down all the curtains and wall hangings. That made me cry. Those things were such a personal part of our home. But we get to take them!! This is good.

I'm going to miss my mom & dad being ever-available, I'm going to miss my friends and all my local favorite sweet spots. AND I'm hopeful that this job for my husband will be one that will be a great fit. I'm hopeful for the new Classical Conversations group we'll be part of. I'm hopeful for new community, new church, new local favorites and one day a new home.

In the meantime, I'm still here. If you're here too and you want to grab coffee just hollar. Most likely I want to have coffee with you too.

And thanks to all of you who have offered to help with the kids or whatever needs to be done. Much, much love!!

Amanda

Perko Family News Update

For those of you locals I haven't brushed shoulders with in the last 24 hours, & those who are frequent Thousand Word readers, I thought I'd post our family update. Like brush fire, the news we have is spreading fast.

Ralph got a new job!!! Please note the exclamation marks....this is a good, good thing. First off, Ralph has been tolerating his telecommuting job for the last few years, but he's been ready to make a change for a long time. Second, this is a dream job for Ralph. He'll be working in a top notch all-the-coolest-&-newest Science Lab...right where he belongs. He made it through a rigorous 8 hour interview that included an hour long presentation he was asked to give. And they LOVED him. I couldn't be more proud and thrilled for my sweet, hard working husband. This is a good, good change!

However, this change includes a move. This is a mixed emotion thrilled-again, sad-again thing for all of us. We went to visit the area when Ralph had the interview last week, and I think it's going to be a great place for our family to live. So the boys and I got a taste of where our new life will be...and the biggest blessing: I had contacted the director for Classical Conversations in the area and we were able to meet up on the day of Ralph's interview. So now, the boys and I met some of our fellow school friends also.

We have so enjoyed our time here in our lovely community. I feel a bit weepy when I see familiar faces, when I look at those beautiful mountains. I feel sad to think I'll not get to enjoy another year of watching all of these little people who are such a part of mine and the kids' lives grow up. I love our village, but I have perfect peace that God is carefully orchestrating our future & all that lies ahead. I look forward to this new chapter, new season for us.

So in short, we're moving. The news is out. We told the kids this morning and I was surprised at how beautifully they handled it. I'm expecting more feelings, lots of them from all of us, but am grateful for this day. I have so much more to share...my mind is a bit spinny. I will, but for now I'm going to go to bed.

Good night, good friends. I hope to see you soon!

Details:

• We are moving just hours away, so we can come visit and will! (My folks are here)
• Ralph begins work August 2. We will try and move the week prior into temp housing.
• We will have a brand new Classical Conversations home there, I prayed and prayed about this one. God has been so good to bless us with that for another year.
• I really, really want to see all of my local friends as much as I am able. Please call me if you have a free afternoon or evening!
  
• I will miss you, my little village!