It's blog time again...
I'm up at 4-something-er-other in the morning. Brandon and I both are. We were awake, so we just got up. And, since I've had a blog post floating around in my head for the past week, I decided I'd type it out. We don't have 'net yet, so I'll type this, save it.. and cut 'n paste it later.
Finally, after 13 months of living with family and friends, we are in our very own place!! Whoo hoo!! We have moved to London, Kentucky. We moved closer to Brandon's work, which is keeping him VERY busy, but he is enjoying it very much. I am no longer working at the dentist's office and am looking for employment here in London. I enjoyed assisting the dentist and learning MUCH about dental care (prevention is cheaper than repair!!!). However, commuting to Williamsburg every day, 5 days a week, we have learned, costs over $200 a month in gas and is worth 8 hours of drive time. So, we are trying to keep our travel very close.
We live in a two bedroom duplex, not too far off Exit 38 (off I-75), on 363 or Keavy Road, to be exact. We have not officially met our duplex neighbors, but have met some of our other neighbors (while they were having their yard sale last weekend) and they are very nice, except for their Chihuahua named Rascal, who generally seems pissed-off at our mere presence. Where is Caesar Milan when you need him?
We have a rather large yard, which is a blessing and a curse. Blessing: lotsa space and room, even the posibility of getting a dog, room for kids to play (I'll get to that later...No, I'm not pregnant.) Curse: it's gotta be maintained, that is Brandon's gotta mow it, a chore he has taken on. And, we've gotta get a mower. We have a really nice deck that leads out to the back yard. So, we plan to enjoy that space: cook-outs, enjoying morning coffee, etc.
Yes, we are in our own space. It's glorious. I forgot how much I loved having my/our own place. My domestic gene has kicked into high gear again. I'm enjoying cooking for us and setting up our house, which brings me to our current major issue. Yes, we are in our own space and yes, that space is piled HIGH with plastic containers, boxes... plastic containers, boxes... and more plastic containers and boxes!!! Finally, after 13 months of paying for storage, we finally have all of our stuff out of storage!! Praise God!! Now, we have the gargantuan job of sorting through all of our CRAP.
We have come to a point in our lives where we have made the decision to truly clean out. I know y'all have seen the show Clean Sweep, or something like it, where a crew comes in and helps a family totally clean out, throw out, sell, get rid of all their excess and reorganize into a clean, neat, organized Zen-form of living. Well, that's what we are doing. We call it the Robertson Zen Feel. Let me explain.
We have some very dear friends, Jessica and Tim Robertson, who were our neighbors while we lived in Winona Lake. Tim and Jessica have been missionaries in Cambodia, which thus (I believe) influences their living style: simple, Asian, clean comfy and green (as in house plants), are the adjectives I think of when I think of their living space. As Brandon and I have been cleaning out and setting up house, we will ask ourselves: Does that have the Robertson Zen Feel?? If not, then we clean out more or rearrange.
For us, to achieve the ultimate Robertson Zen Feel, have been and are going through some serious changes. Clutter grows on us. Brandon and I read a few years ago about how our nation has become pack rats and why that has come about. When our country went through the Great Depression in the 1930s, people had the mind set to save everything and reuse it. No waste. Reuse. And when they would get new stuff, they would save. Save the bag/box it came in. If it broke, save it and use the parts for something else. Then our country began to grow and grow. We are the Land of Plenty. But, even as the country grew and grows, the mind-set of “save everything” continues, thus creating excess. How many storage units did you see on your way to work this morning? The excess costs money and time and effort.
Not any more. I will not be slave to the excess and clutter in my home. I am rising up, fighting and winning the Battle of Clutter!!
As we open boxes, first we browse through the box. We look for things that we are not attached to, things that we can easily get rid of and put them in the Goodwill boxes. (No, we are not having a yard sale. Yard sales are too much work. I'd rather give my stuff to Goodwill and be done with it.) We have cleared out much, but have much more to go!
And, for me, of course, there is deeper spiritual meaning in this whole Robertson Zen Feel...
I believe that if I want the Lord to bless me with new things, I must clean out the old. I must prepare a way for His bounty. At this point in my life, I know that we are settling down and slowly preparing and making a way for children. I told Brandon the other day that if I clean out these boxes with the mind set that I am cleaning out and preparing a way for our children, then I will clean out with much fervor and enthusiasm.
Think about it for a moment. How can we expect God to give us more when what we have is piled high, cluttered, messy and thrown aside? Have you ever said to your child something like if you want that, then you need to keep your room clean... or do these chores to show me you want that. So, I am physically showing God that I am ready for my house to overflow with children. I am cleaning out the excess, the unnecessary, the clutter. No, it's not easy sometimes. I like my stuff. But, I like the simple, clean feeling more.
I could go on and on.
Once I unpack the box that has my camera and/or the box that has the USB cord for my camera, then I'll post pics of our progress.
Please keep us in your prayers as I look for work. God has ALWAYS provided for us. Our bills have always been paid. We have NEVER gone hungry. But, I know you all know the feeling... that faith feeling. The feeling that the ends might not meet, but knowing they will because He makes them meet, and then some!
Much love to all of you! Thanks for your words of encouragement, prayers and love!
More soon.
