Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The 72-Hour Tally

-Two weeks' worth of baking consumed
-Yards of gift wrap demolished
-Hours of games played
-Stains from cranberry wassail, red wine and a bloody nose (dry air) removed from the carpet
-Three trips to the airport

What a wonderful time celebrating as a family!

We enjoyed a special Christmas together, despite snow and ice, traffic snarls, mishaps and mayhem. Way too short, but decidedly better than wishing people would have left sooner. :)

Can it be Christmas again next week?

Sunday, December 19, 2010

TA-DA!

It's official - we're making progress in the settling process. 

The flattened boxes have been sent away, the old computer desk given away, and yesterday Bruce was able to get both vehicles into the garage.

This is a big accomplishment. It means no scraping windshields in the morning (yes, it does get frosty down here).  We are glad the Camry is small, because this garage is a 2-car garage. Not a 2-van garage, and certainly not a 2-1/2 vehicle garage like we had in Iowa. Bruce is tightening his "space belt" and resigning himself to a smaller collection of stuff. The jury is still out on whether we keep the upright freezer. It may wind up in the laundry room yet.

Yesterday we delivered pizza and Christmas cookies for lunch to a family Bruce knows from work, arriving just as their moving truck was pulling away.  We know the feeling of being surrounded by boxes and strangers. Timing was perfect; we ate, laughed, commiserated, compared war stories and celebrated the hard-earned growth that change brings. It was something akin to church. :)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Oddest Things

OK, complete transparency here. The oddest things can trigger the strongest emotional reactions in me. I almost started to cry when the bored looking county office worker plunked our new Tennessee license plates on the counter today. (I am glad that at least they are attractive.) She had no idea that this was actually a traumatic moment for me - in a somewhat official way, becoming a tax-paying Tennessean instead of the lifelong Iowan I am. It felt very final. And maybe a little like a betrayal.

But I still feel like an Iowan - at least the single-digit weather doesn't bother me, and Bruce was one of the few who actually went to work yesterday with the inch of snow on the ground. Schools had a late start today because of the cold - it was 9 degrees this morning, the likes of which haven't been seen in years. Several people have suggested that we are responsible for bringing the cold weather down here from Iowa.

If we had that kind of influence on the world I'm thinking we'd do something different than bringing snow and frigid temps - we just got boxes hauled away today so we could get one car into the garage, and scraping windows isn't a good time, North or South.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

'snow fair!

Yes, it's snowing here too.

Bruce and I went downtown to take in the "Dickens of a Christmas" festival, which bears some resemblance to the Muscatine Christmas Stroll (without the Symphony), except they expect 50,000 people in Franklin for the 2-day event. The outdoor vendors and folks in period vintage costumes were drenched in a couple of inches of rain yesterday, and when we ventured out in the snow today, we estimated about 200 brave souls on the streets, not including the shivering collection of school children performing on the outdoor stage with their recorders. I'm pretty sure the Muscatine folks would have considered 29 degrees rather balmy and come out 5000 strong, although Miss Louise School of Dance always performs indoors. 

What a difference a few degrees of latitude make! The next door neighbors are outside taking pictures and throwing snowballs (you have to scrape to get enough - we've only had about 3/4" so far).  Apparently, this is a big deal.  The folks in the car next to us downtown were using a fast food drink holder tray to scrape off their car windows. We offered the use of one of our scrapers/brushes, but they thought they were doing OK with their makeshift cardboard.

Neighbors across the street asked us to pick up their newspaper and mail while they are away this weekend - we view that as a reasonable sign that we're starting to settle. We also had the locksmith in to re-key all the locks because we have no idea who has keys (a cleaning service, for sure) to the house. Seemed a responsible thing to do.

Off for a Sunday afternoon nap!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Haven't Found It Yet

The boys once had a B-B pistol that became such a nuisance that I hid it from them. I must have done a really good job, or else one of them found it and then lost it in the woods because it hasn't shown up yet in all the moving boxes. I looked for it before we left Muscatine and couldn't locate it, and I can't think for the life of me where I would have stashed it. I found the ammo for it, but no pistol. (I'll probably find it in a box of sweaters or something.) Oh well!

Two lovely surprises - received a call and had coffee yesterday afternoon with a couple we know from Muscatine who are relocating to the area, and then discovered that a couple from Ames - the woman who served as our wedding coordinator (and her husband was on Bruce's PhD committee) live about 2 miles up the road from us!  Amazing! Made for a day with lots of smiles.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Measuring Life

I have one of those (please don't call it cheesy) pieces of wall art proclaiming, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." I'm still trying to find the nails so I can hang it up.

I suppose many people read "moments that take our breath away" and think of wonderful moments, or thrilling moments, or those that cause awe, gratitude or joy. But I think there are defining moments in life of equal or greater importance which take our breath away like a sucker punch, knocking us off dead center, looking for all the world like there is nothing good that could result. And those moments probably have a greater and more lasting impact on us than the ones that make us smile.

In part, that's because it's where I see God show up more clearly.

In good times, it's easy enough to bask in the fun of the moment, but it is in those hard places, those moments when it's tough to catch my breath, that God shows Himself in His compassion and adequacy. I've physically had the wind knocked out of me a couple of times in my life, and for the most part, all I could do was lie on the ground waiting for my breath to come back.

When events or circumstances knock me to the ground and leave me sucking wind, it's gratifying to know that no pain is wasted, no experience is squandered by the One Who redeems my "breath-taking" moments.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Small World

The book club was marvelous.

Envision a tiny 100-year-old cottage with uneven brick floors covered with wool rugs, kitschy decor and ingenious use of every imaginable space. The living room is a collection of eclectic furniture, art pieces and book shelves. Now, infuse the scene with a roaring fireplace, innumerable candles, and 18 gabbing women balancing Christmas china, sitting on rickety chairs, cushions, the wooden staircase and you're there. Our hostess was an energetic sprite in leggings, a wool tunic and Keen sandals, fiercely belying her almost 80 years. Did I say loud? Yes, she was loud. And loving. And great fun.

And in my conversations with Lou, another guest, I discovered that she is well acquainted with a couple from Muscatine who happened to be the parents of Emily's closest high school chum. We were amazed by the connection.  And I was relieved that several women played "Dirty Santa" and stole from each other the book I had brought for the gift exchange, conferring honor on it as a desirable offering. Gratifying. (Evidence Not Seen, by Darlene Deibler Rose)

The next night I attended the Nutro Christmas party where I struck up a conversation with a woman who had moved to Tennessee from Mattoon, IL.  I know one person, Jan, who lives there - we worked together at the Ames Tribune about 30 years ago. And again, I was flabbergasted to learn that the woman I was chatting with knew Jan well. In some small way, these little connections are weaving threads that reattach me to my moorings, relinking me to "known-ness." Wonderful.

And this weekend Bruce and I visited 3 churches. The good news is that we were effectively able to rule one out. I'm pretty sure my ears are still bleeding from the volume of the music from last one we visited. Fine teaching, but way loud. One down, 299 to go.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Getting in the Groove

So my kids think I'm busier than they are - well, maybe this week I am.

We had house guests Sunday night through yesterday, which was lovely. Tonight Bruce and I went to a Christmas concert, "Behold the Lamb" by Andrew Peterson (http://andrew-peterson.com/index.php). Wonderful musicianship, poetic lyrics and powerful tunes, altogether enjoyable.

I contacted a woman who hosts a monthly book discussion/potluck group in her cottage. The next gathering is tomorrow night, so I'm on for that.  Made some cranberry salsa today (thanks, Em) so the flavors will be melded by tomorrow night. The January book is actually one I borrowed from our Muscatine neighbor the day before we left (Three Cups of Tea) so I won't have to scrounge up a copy. I asked the hostess if the group was just a front for an excuse to eat out - she howled with laughter. Busted!

And Friday night is the Nutro Christmas party somewhere in downtown Nashville, so this will be my first foray into the city. Hope our ideas of "dress up" match!  If not, I'll be more comfortable than they will. :) For sure, it will be an event for the Garmin.  The Nashville Christmas parade starts at the same time as the party, in close proximity. Detours are guaranteed.

I have been exercising my first and foremost right - that of choosing what I dwell on, one of the few things in life over which I have a bit of control. I am pushing through melancholy and home sickness with the realization that what I rehearse in my mind impacts my day. It has been a marvelous comfort to remember God's faithfulness and goodness.  Couple those truths with a mug of Earl Grey tea and it's almost grounds for a celebration!