It's been TOO LONG

Oops!  It's been over 2 months since I posted...I guess time flies when you're having fun!  I'll write a condensed version of what's gone on in the past couple of months to update everyone:

• Tony got hired on full time at Sherwin Williams in St Charles and LOVES it there!
• Arahn started power tumbling and is a complete phenom.  He continues to wow his coaches and accomplish moves that no one in the gym has ever done.  He's challenging his teammates and they're accomplishing more than ever!  He loves the gym, his team, and can't wait to start competing!
• Alannah did a volleyball and theatre camp over the summer, and has decided to audition (tomorrrow night) for Legally Blonde Jr, the musical at our local park district!  She is nervous, but very prepared and excited!
• Meredith takes her licensure test for Social Work next Wednesday, and had an excellent interview last week that she should hear back from this week (please pray!)
• Jill's travel agency continues to grow, and she had a great interview last week as well for a full time recruiting position, very close to home.  She would continue to do travel on the side if she takes this position.
• We paid our first large debt as a family on Sept 1...our property taxes for the year!  We are also paying off the 3 smallest credit cards in Sept, and scheduled to pay 4 more in October!  The plan is WORKING!  

The kids started school this morning, and we are finally about to figure out what are real "normal" looks like.  We've had all 8 of us on top of each other in the house for 3 months, which was great in some ways, but it's time for a new normal. =)  ROUTINE is a good thing LOL!

Our Thirty-One wall organizer for mail/schoolwork

Cruise to Bermuda

We had an amazing family trip to Bermuda June 5-12.  The cruise ported out of NYC, so we flew in on June 4, checked into our hotel, and freshened up, before taking the subway from Queens to Manhattan to meet my mom's best friend Marilyn and her daughter Tumi at Times Square.  We took in the surroundings and then grabbed pizza nearby.  It was a great evening and experience.  We got back to our hotel around 10 pm and went straight to bed.  The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then caught an Uber to the NY Port to board the cruise at 12:30 pm.

Our boat, the Norweigan Breakaway, was HUGE!  It is a newer boat, and had lots of amenities, such as 4 water slides, a rock wall, a ropes course, etc.  We had a fairly easy time getting boarded, and I was very impressed with our room size!  We got a balcony, which I'm very thankful for...always nice to step outside for a breeze.  The boat embarked at 4 pm, and we sailed right by the Statue of Liberty!  The kids studied it in school this year, and it was neat to see the awe in their faces when they saw this piece of history in person.

On Mon and Tues we were at sea all day.  We introduced the kids to Splash Academy Kids Club on the first day.  They were in separate groups (Alannah in 6-9 year olds and Arahn 10-12 year olds) and really enjoyed themselves!  Each day, the Kids Club was open from 9-12, then 2-5, and then 7-10:30.  It was great.  Most days, they wanted to go for each session.  We took lots of naps the first 2 days, and then had reservations for the specialty restaurants each night together.  (My sister Jill is a travel agent and got us a GREAT deal, which included all the specialty restaurants!)  It was nice to try something different each night, which included Hibachi, Italian, French, Brazilian, Steakhouse, & Sushi.  The kids enjoyed several soft serve ice cream cones a day...and thought they were in heaven, LOL!  The adults saw 3 shows while we were there...Rock of Ages, an 80's rock band musical; Cirque Dreams, and AMAZING acrobatics show (the kids saw this too); and Burn the Floor, a dance review of several dance styles.  They were all great!  Each night when we picked the kids up from Splash Academy, they wanted to go to the buffet for late night snacks, which included pizza, nachos, chips, etc.  We told them not to get used to it, but spoiled them while were there....hey, it was included, right??!?

On Wed morning when were woke up, we were pulling into port at Bermuda.  The water there was a bright aqua, and just beautiful.  The port is right next to an old fort and museum.  The whole island is very clean, friendly, and beautiful.  Our ship stayed ported all day Wed, Thursday, and didn't leave until 3 pm Friday.  I loved this itinerary, as you could come and go as you please, without being worried about the boat leaving.  On Wed it was raining most of the day.  We got off after lunch and walked around a bit, just seeing what was nearby.  The boys enjoyed looking at all the fish, and we found an place that sold Wi-fi with the purchase of a frozen yogurt, so my sisters bought one so we could all look at our email, etc. We got back on the ship after that for the day.

Thursday was our excursion day.  Mom treated our group to a catamaran cruise.  It left at 9 am and was a 3 hour excursion.  We had SO MUCH FUN!  There were about 25 other people on the boat.  It was a 45 minute drive to the area we went to, at which point we could get out to swim, snorkel, kayak, and stand-up paddle board.  We all snorkeled, then Arahn paddled Jill around in the kayak.  Mom and Alannah got back on the boat to take pictures and hang out.  Arahn tried the stand up paddle board and was an immediate pro.  He ended up doing a back handspring and then a back tuck while on the paddle board!!  The employees were so impressed that they videoed it and put it on their Instagram page!  Meri then tried the stand up paddle board, and so did Tony.  They both did great and stood up!  The rule of the boat was that once you swam and were back on the boat for good, their rum drinks and fresh baked cookies were free!  We had a blast hanging out, drinking, eating, and getting some sun.  It was a great time.

On Friday, we split up.  Mom and Jill went to St. George to do a historical tour on the other side of the island.  Meri, me and the kids went to Horseshoe Bay to see the pink sand beaches, and Tony stayed on the boat to rest and relax.  We all enjoyed our short day, as we had to be back by lunchtime since the boat was leaving at 3 pm.

We were at sea the rest of Friday and all day Saturday, and pulled into port at NYC on Sunday morning at 8 am.  On Friday we went to see the Crew Talent Show, which was really good, and Alannah was in the Sea Superstars Show with her Kids Club friends!  On Saturday, I participated in Karaoke Idol.  I didn't win, but had a great time. =)  The kids did the rock wall, and everyone but me and Mom did the ropes course.  I think we definitely utilized most of what they had available on the cruise, and definitely enjoyed ourselves.  We joked that if we were in the room, and opened the sliding door to the balcony, that it was like being drugged...we almost immediately fell asleep for a nap!

The rest after a BIG week of moving was so needed, and was perfect timing.  What a great start to our new life together!!

Wow!

As I skimmed my last post, I thought, WHY HAVEN'T I POSTED MORE SINCE THEN??  I am going to try to do better about it, as so much is going on there's no way I can remember everything that I'd like to share about the last 2 1/2 weeks.  But I'm going to do my best with high level highlights, lol.

Everything about the move went PERFECT.  When I say perfect, I mean nothing but God could've done the things He did.  Once again, it was clear confirmation that we're on the right track.  The day before we moved, a nice guy from our FB ad purchased Tony's truck for the full asking price.  :)  I would say we're now a one car family, but we have 5 at this house!!  The day before we were supposed to pick up the moving truck, I got a call saying they did not have the truck we reserved.  Fortunately, they gave us the next size bigger, and discounted our rate by $70!  What a blessing.  The next stressor was the new owner doing a final walk through of the house before we moved out.  She came Saturday afternoon, was SUPER sweet, in love with the house, so pleased with all the work Tony had done (new flooring and paint) and even invited us to come stay with her when we come back in town, LOL!  Our goal when we moved into the house 8 months ago was to leave it better than we found it, and we certainly accomplished that!  We are so happy that the entire situation worked out for us, the sellers, and the buyer.  Both my sister Meri and our friend Matt came to help us load the moving truck, which was a BIG help!  Our cousin Tardricka cooked a lasagna dinner the night before we left, and we got to give most of our family a big hug before leaving.  It was perfect (and so yummy!)

The drive to Chicago was uneventful, which is a good thing. Alannah rode with me in our car. Arahn and Tony rode in the moving truck, and Meri drove in her car with her friend LaQuasha.  Quasha was SUCH a big help!  She not only rode with Meri, but worked her tail off once we got here moving stuff.  We decided to go ahead and unload the moving truck on Sunday night, after eating dinner.  It had to be returned Tuesday morning, so we all worked together to get everything in the garage.  On Monday (Memorial Day) spent the ENTIRE day moving the rooms/furniture around.  It was a lot of work, but we accomplished so much!  Tony painted the 2 new bedrooms in the basement (Meri and Alannah's), Arahn's room, which was pink, and our room.  What a change! Everyone except Alannah was able to sleep in their own bed that night!

We brought back the truck Tuesday morning, and headed to meet our new primary care doctor.  He was nice and we're happy with the choice.  Next we brought Arahn and Alannah to their new pediatrician, who we LOVED.  She took about an hour with us, got a big background on the kids, and is a perfect fit for our family.

On Wednesday and Friday, Dad spoiled us with tickets to the Cubs game!!  It was AMAZING to be back at Wrigley after several years.  Alannah got her first experience there, and my boys love it more than anything.  It was a magical time.  Saturday morning we left for our family vacation, which I'll make a separate post about...the week flew by!

It still feels like an extended vacation at this point.  I am tired, but making it through.  I've been napping most afternoons and usually go to bed early to reserve my energy.  God is good, and providing what we need through it all!

Our family before the Cubs game

The beautiful Wrigley Field

Our FULL moving truck

New prayer space

5 More Days!

I decided to fit in another blog post before the move as I'm watching the Cubs game.  I'm pretty much OBSESSED with the Cubs this season.  We watch every single game, and our whole family is totally into it.  I cannot wait to be in Chicago to experience the rest of the season starting next week!  We already have tickets to the game on July 31st at Wrigley!

What an awesome week the last week has been. We've had an amazing fish fry hosted by Momma Doris, our going away party (dinner and karaoke) that about 85 friends and family came to, a fabulous farewell party that Grandma Elouise and Aunt Evelyn hosted, and dinner hosted by two different friends. We feel so loved! We also had family pictures taken that turned out great! (See below)

Last but NOT least, our son Arahn gave his life to Christ and was baptized in Sunday, May 15...which happened to also be my parents 40th wedding anniversary! What an amazing thing to see your child be saved!

In other news...moving week is finally here!  We pick up the moving truck Friday morning, pack our house all day Friday, bring it to Meri (my sister here in Nashville) Saturday morning so she can pack all her stuff on Saturday, then she will bring it back to us Saturday evening.  On Sunday morning, Tony will load our mattresses and suitcases and we will hit the road!

Remember how God spoke to me in a dream, telling us to sell Tony's truck?  Well today we met with a nice young man who wants to buy it.  He is meeting us Friday at 10 am to purchase it.  Tony is working 10 hour shifts M-Th this week, as Thursday is his last day, and his boss offered him to still get 40 hours this week.  This allows him to get to work back and forth all week with his truck, and then sell it on his first day off.  I really feel like God just worked this out.  He's giving us what we asked, without negotiating, and as long as he doesn't flake out on Friday, this is the perfect situation!  GOD initiated this plan, so I trust it will go smoothly! Please join us in praying it all works out perfect!

I still haven't sold our kitchen table and chairs, and really need to by Saturday.  I've lowered it twice, and now have it listed at $100, so hopefully someone will jump on it!  Other than that, I've packed each of us into a suitcase for the rest of the week, sold the washer & dryer, and packed all the rest of the clothes.  Today I packed the kitchen, hall closet, and the rest of the kids rooms.

The only thing that is being held up in Roselle is the driveway expansion.  The Village approved the permit, but it hasn't come in the mail yet, and the paving company won't schedule the work until we have it in hand.  Now they're telling us that their first availability is the second week in June.  We wanted it complete before we moved in.  Oh well.  The Village of Roselle doesn't allow parking on the street or in grass, and we'll have 5 vehicles plus a moving truck on Sunday and Monday.  I guess we might just have to be ticketed. =(  I can't expect everything to go perfect, so we aren't letting it stress us.

More good news! Tony accepted a position with Sherwin Williams in Hanover Park, IL...about 5 minutes from the house!  They were only able to offer him part-time, which is not what we hoped for, but we are trusting that once he gets in the branch and shows his work ethic, they will move him up to full-time ASAP.  The manager seems great, and is really focused on promoting her employees, so it seems promising.  We thought we were going to lose our health coverage, which would've been a big bummer...but we found out on Friday that as long as HR puts it in as a transfer, and not a termination/rehire, that full health benefits are offered through the end of the calendar year!  Tony will find out tomorrow if that can be done..but his boss said it shouldn't be a problem.  That is a HUGE unexpected blessing!  Thank you Jesus!!

God is SO in the blessing business when you truly take the time to hear from Him, and then follow His plan.  This ride has been amazing so far, and I can't wait to see what's in our future!

Full of boxes

Grandma Elouise

Momma Wanda and family

At going away party...Tasha and us

Ready to be baptized!

The 8 of us will be living together starting next week!

Almost Moving Day!

Well, it's happening. The big day is almost here!  18 days to be exact.  The renovations in the basement are almost fully completed.  (I've included some pics below!) Trim/baseboards went in this week, as well as all the bathroom fixtures.  Tony will paint both new bedrooms and Arahn's room upstairs the morning after we move, before we put any furniture in.  The basement rooms are quite small, so this just makes sense...and Arahn's room is currently pink, so we want to change that over so he can make himself at home right away. =)

We are finally making progress on the driveway expansion too! I'm praying it gets done before we arrive.  We got the plat of survey last week, but then everyone was here in Nashville to celebrate my sister Meri's graduations with her Master's of Social Work for the rest of the week.  (Congrats Meri!)  So Mom and Dad met with the blacktop company to finalize the estimate on Monday, and we will turn in the permit application to the village, with the estimate and plat of survey this week. Hopefully they will approve us within a week, and then the paving can be done the next week.  They are aware of our timeline and can work with us as long as we get the permit approved fairly quickly.

I've already packed up about 15 boxes, and have taken a little break, because you get to a point where you're packing things you'll actually need over the next month, LOL!  My goal is to pack everyone a suitcase with clothes/tolietries by the weekend of May 22, that we will each live out of for the last week in Nashville.  During that week, we will pack EVERYTHING else in boxes. That way when we get the moving truck on May 27, we can just load it up and everything will be ready!

Something awesome happened a couple weeks ago.  God gave me a family verse for us to focus on while we live together as a bigger family.  It is Romans 15:5-6.  The whole family loved it, so we had a canvas wall hanging made for Mom for Mother's Day to hang at the house.  Here's the finished product!  My friend Shannon did SUCH a good job hand painting the verse onto canvas!!

I'll keep you posted as to any new happenings between now and move day!

Meri's room on right, Alannah's door on left

Alannah's room looking in

Alannah's room looking towards door

Our Family Verse

Renovations

My mom visited Nashville last week for our spring break, and we had a blast!  We all went to the Belmont vs. Vanderbilt baseball game at First Tennessee Park, which we hadn't yet been to.  It was so fun!  We also took the kids to the Adventure Science Center.  Mom was super helpful in preparing with me for a big yard sale last weekend.  We sold quite a bit, and were able to donate to both Goodwill and our church's clothing pantry as well.  I think we wore Mom out after 5 days!

We made some decisions about closet space, etc this week, and the framing went up in the basement for both bedrooms.  Both bedrooms will be 9x9...pretty small, but it's what we have to work with.  Meri (my sister) will have a large walk-in closet, so that'll help. Alannah is used to a small bedroom, so I think it'll be fine.  We also realized that our couches will not fit down the basement stairs, as the doorway is only 30.'  Since we have reclining leather sofas that are the newest, we will put those in the living room, which is the room with a TV on the main floor.  Since the basement will also have a "living room," Mom wants to remove the TV from the main floor "family room," and leave that as a room for gathering without TV...for board games, puzzles, talking, etc. We will probably sell the 2 couches in that room and replace them with the current living room furniture, as none of the current furniture will fit through the basement stairway, and try to purchase something smaller and inexpensive either used online or from IKEA or somewhere.

We are also making progress on the driveway.  Mom is completing the work request form to have a surveyor do a plat of survey.  After that is completed, we can turn it in with an application to the village for the driveway expansion.

God also spoke to me in an awesome way this week!  I had a dream on Monday night, and shared it with my kids as I was driving them to school Tuesday morning.  My dream was that we were traveling somewhere far away, but not moving yet.  Tony was driving his truck, and I was following behind him driving my car.  His truck kept running hot, and we pulled over several times to let it cool down.  Finally, we stopped at a mechanic to find out what the problem was.  He came to us in the lobby after about an hour, and told us that the total would be $7800 to fix!  OMG.  We quickly decided that the vehicle wasn't even worth that much, and decided not to keep the truck.  After that decision, it solved several issues that we've been contemplating about the move:
1) finding an extra driver for the day we move, as we have our vehicles PLUS a moving truck
2) lack of driveway space...5 cars would be easier than 6
3) cost of getting license plate stickers when we move is $196 PER vehicle...so it cuts that cost in half
4) one less vehicle to insure and pay for repairs on

Although Tony will need a vehicle daily for work, and I still need to drive the kids to/from school and extra-curricular activities, I believe we can make it work, as my mom will be retired, and Jill's schedule is flexible.  I mentioned it to Meri and she agreed, then Mom, who totally agreed.  That evening I spoke with Tony about it and he agreed as well.  Mom called me the next morning and said Jill and Dad were on the same page.  It will not be convenient all the time, and will require a daily transportation discussion each evening, (about the next day) but I believe we will all grow spiritually, as it requires FAITH to make this work!  Thank you Lord for suggesting this thought that I had never considered, in a dream!  So in the next few weeks, once Tony is able to clean out and organize his truck, we'll put it up for sale.  If anyone's looking for a good work truck, let me know!  It's in great mechanical condition!

I think that's all the updates for now.  I'm including a pic of Mom and the kids after they built an arch at the science center, and a picture of Alannah's bedroom being framed out!

Making Progress

We've been making progress on the move lately!
Construction is underway in the basement.  The plumber has jackhammered the concrete and dug out the new plumbing to connect to the ground level plumbing.  Contractor is now working on the bathroom and will start the main living area/bedrooms in the basement next week.  Kudos to Jill and Mom for getting that area cleaned out!
I made some calls this week to find a land surveyor to do a new plat of survey, as the Village of Roselle requires this in order to obtain a permit to widen the driveway.  We can't find a prior one, so unfortunately we will have to get a new one.  So we're pricing that out this week.  We've found a paver, so once we get the survey and permit, we can have that work done as well.
I am going to have a yard sale this Fri/Sat to get rid of lots of stuff we won't be bringing to IL with us.  When we moved from the apartment in October, I boxed up a lot of things and just labeled "yard sale," if I knew they weren't coming with us to IL.  We couldn't have a yard sale at the apartments, but I knew when the weather improved, I could have one here...so now's the time!
Mom is coming in town for our spring breaks next week, from Mon-Sat so it should be a fun, productive week!  We plan to take the kids to Adventure Science Center in Nashville, and hit up a state park for a picnic and light hiking!  We'll also organize and price the yard sale stuff to prepare for that.  The kids don't have cheer, so it should be nice to rest and relax for the week as well!
I think that's it for now!  Have a great week!

Renovations

Today is the 90 day mark from our move date!

We are finally starting to make decisions for the renovations!  The contractor will likely start in about 2 weeks, and has us choosing the shower and door this week.  We only have space for a stand up shower, which is fine...and have decided on a sliding door as well...for the sake of space.  Decisions, decisions!
I also enrolled the kids in school last week, and reserved a moving truck.  Things are really becoming real...a little scary to be honest.  But we are still excited!

Tony started a new job on Feb 2 with Sherwin Williams, and has already been asked to make a position change.  He was hired as a delivery driver, but when the district and city manger met him and his amazing personality, they told the store manager that "this guy needs to be in the store helping customers!"  So they created a posting for him to apply, and that just happened late last week...so it's in process.  God is so good in providing our every need.  This location is the commercial store, so they are closed on Sundays, and only have abbreviated hours on Saturdays.  Working weekends was the main downfall of working in the store, but he felt like he'd honestly like the work a lot better.  Hopefully, he will be able to make a transfer to a Sherwin Williams near our new home in Roselle, IL.  He has regular hours and great insurance...and much less stress!

Please continue to pray for us as we make this transition.  My health has continued to be decent, so that's a good thing!

New Year!

Wow, it's been SO long since I've written! We are moving right along with plans for the big move.  It keeps getting closer and closer...only 3 1/2 more months!

We've chosen an official move date of May 29.  The kids last day of school is Friday, May 27, and it's only to pick up their report cards, not a "real" school day.  We will take that day and the next to pack and load our U-Haul, and then leave out Sunday morning.  My sister Meri will be sharing the U-Haul with us, so we'll coordinate getting her things packed on Saturday as well.

It's kind of overwhelming to think of all that will happen between now and then!  First, the home improvements/renovations.  We were officially approved in late December for a line of credit that will cover the cost of upgrading the basement to add 2 bedrooms and a bathroom.  Yay!  We will also start the process of widening the driveway, as well as purchase a larger, tankless water heater to accomodate the number of people living in one home.  Mom is calling this week to get the ball rolling on those things.
In approximately 90 days, Meri will graduate with her Masters in Social Work on May 6!!  We are SO proud of her!  Her internship is proving to be an incredible resource, and the company that owns the hospital she's working for also owns hospitals in the Chicagoland area.  Her supervisor has already contacted the HR rep there and will be giving a great reference so that she may land a position before we even move!!  Wouldn't that be awesome??  Tony officially closed his business, Cann-Do Interior Painting, after 3 successful years, on 12/31/15.  It just made sense to do then rather that adding that to our to-do list before we move.  He easily landed a full-time job as a delivery driver for Sherwin Williams, delivering paint.  That gives him consistent income with benefits for our family, which is a good thing right now.  He doesn't love the job, and this probably won't be what he continues once we move, but it's for a season, and has a purpose right now.  Please keep him in your prayers, and anyone who may have connections for job opportunities in the Roselle area, let us know!  Lastly, Mom will retire officially at the beginning of June when school ends!  Exciting stuff.

We are all looking forward to the next few months, and can't wait to celebrate all these positive changes!