A New Blog

This will be the last post to Smoky Mountain Hoosier. Please join me as I continue my journey at:

http://wheretheriverruns.blogspot.com/

Thank you for being a part of my journey!

Random Thoughts on the Move

Moving is stressful. I must admit, driving around Oak Ridge with my vacuum cleaner in the front passenger seat of my car is a little strange. Also, I don't really enjoy having all of my clothes on display through the hatch-back window. It was a bit irritating to have to go out in the dark last night to my car and try to find a pair of socks to wear. This is a weird time of change and transition for me.
I am so grateful for my friend Joe who is letting me crash on his futon for a couple of nights. We watched Judge Judy and Antique Roadshow last night before turning in. I don't think I've ever seen Judge Judy before. I can't say that I'm a big fan.
Today was my last day of working at Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County. It was a day of good-byes. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people cross my path through the work and ministry of Habitat. I walk away from this position feeling as if I gave my best to help end poverty housing in Anderson County. The work will continue and I know God has wonderful things in store for this vital mission.
I look forward to traveling to Cincinnati tomorrow morning. I hope to beat some of the holiday weekend traffic. I will hopefully be able to set up my new blog when I arrive and I will provide the link for you in my final entry of Smoky Mountain Hoosier.
As always, I am grateful for your presence along my journey!

Transition

Well, I'm officially a gypsy. I turned in my apartment keys a little while ago and now all of my earthly possessions are either in Cincinnati, on their way to Cincinnati, or in my car. I have just enough room in my car to get in and drive. I can't really see much out the back window because stuff is piled almost to the ceiling.
I woke up this morning feeling kind of stiff and thought that I was really getting old. I rolled over and tried to pull the covers over me and it was painful. I wondered what was going on. Then I realized as I woke up a bit more that my air mattress had deflated and I was sleeping right on the floor. That was around 5:30 AM so I have been up for a while.
I am grateful to my friend Joe who is letting me crash at his place for a couple of nights. I have one more day to work tomorrow here in Tennessee. I will be headed to Cincy on Wednesday. I am hoping to get ahead of some of the holiday weekend traffic.
I had fun at my friend Amanda's home last night. We had chili made with venison. It was quite tasty. Amanda's husband Vaughn hunts and so we feasted on the fruits of his labors. I also got to try Wii for the first time. I must say that I think I finally got the hang of the bowling game. It was pretty fun. I did not like tennis. I couldn't figure out how to make my little guy hit the ball. I wasn't much better at baseball. I wonder if they have Wii dodge ball. That would be cool. Of course, I would have flashbacks to gym class when the bully of our class would hit me really hard with the ball as I cowered in the corner of the gym. Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be cool.
It was good to see Harold and Sherry last night. We laughed and caught up a bit. They are such good friends and I will miss them very much after I move. They have been such wonderful gifts from God to me. I am ever grateful that our paths have crossed.
I think I am going to head to my favorite used book store in Knoxville for one last visit for a while. I want to try to find an audio book for the drive to Cincinnati on Wednesday. I may try to take in a movie also. I'm not sure that there is anything that I really want to see playing right now so I may hold off until this weekend because I'm sure there a lot of new movies coming out for Thanksgiving.
I have finally settled on a name for my new blog. I will wait to reveal it with a link to the new blog later this week once I get it set up. It took me a long time to figure out what to call it, but I think the new name will speak to my faith and life. I am excited about sharing this new part of my journey with you.
I hope you have a great day. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

A Full Day Ahead

Today is a pretty full day for me.

• This my last day of dog sitting. I think Schatze and I finally have figured out how to co-exist. We have both enjoyed sleeping and eating a lot this week. I think she will be glad to have things back to normal in her life when Harold and Sherry return home.
• I'm off to church in a few hours. This will be my last Sunday at my church home here in Tennessee. I serving as a greeter. I hope I don't mess up the offering again. It's a lot more complicated than I ever imagined. This will be a worship service that will be bittersweet for me. I want to offer God my best praise and thanksgiving for what has been and what will be in my life.
• I'm having lunch with my family at 5 Guys. Looking forward to a good burger and those wonderful fries.
• I have a little time this afternoon to finish getting my apartment ready for my walk-through on Monday. I might even be able to sneak in a nap. That would really be wonderful.
• After this, I'm off to my friend Amanda's home for dinner and Wii bowling. I got a "C" in bowling at Ball State so I'm not sure that is going to be a pretty sight.
• Tonight will be my last night in my apartment. It will be just me and my air mattress. I told my parents yesterday that I think I have enjoyed this apartment the most out of all of the places that I have lived. It's been a good place for me to live and call home.

I hope you have a wonderful day. Again, I don't know how much I'll get to blog in the next few days. I will do my best to share with you what's going on in my life. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Another Step Closer

I am another step closer to making my move to Cincinnati. My parents came over to my apartment this morning and we loaded up their truck again. They head out on Monday for Cincinnati. I did some final cleaning at my apartment today and it's just about ready for me to do my walk-through on Monday. I will be a nomad for a few days while I wait to complete my last day of work in Tennessee on Tuesday. All of my earthly possessions in Tennessee will reside in my car until I leave for Cincinnati on Wednesday.
I don't know if it has really all sunk in yet. I feel a real peace in making this move. More than any other time in my life I feel as if this is where God needs me to be and to serve. I don't know why, but it seems clear to me. Now, this is not to say that I completely know what to expect in my new job. I don't. However, I just feel like God will work all of that out and my real job is simply to be ready to go where God needs me.
I still have a hard time figuring out why they would choose me out of all of the other candidates who applied. The thought of this deeply humbles me. While I have the same position now, I know they will have different ways of doing things in Cincinnati. I will have a lot to learn. However, I know that it is more than a coincidence that the exact same position I have now became available in Cincinnati just a few miles from my sister Stacey and my brother-in-law Rob's home. This is a God thing and God is up to something new and good in my life. God's grace floods my life at this moment and I am forever grateful.
I may not be able to blog in the midst of my transition over the next few days. I will do my best to get to a computer to share with you my amazing journey as it unfolds. I spent some time today trying to get some ideas about what to call my new blog. I still haven't settled on a name but I will have one for my first blog entry in Cincinnati. I'm still open to any suggestions you may have. Stay tuned for that announcement.
I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Time Keeps Flying By

This time in my life has been like a whirlwind. I am having a hard time keeping focused with all of the stuff involved in my transition and move to Cincinnati. Tomorrow my parents are coming over to my apartment to load up the last of my stuff and help me clean. I think we will be able to squeeze everything into my parents' truck and my car. On Sunday I am greeting at church for the last time and then having lunch with my family and dinner with friends. On Monday I have my walk through with my apartment manager. On Tuesday I'll work my last day at Habitat in Oak Ridge and am having dinner with more friends. On Wednesday I leave for Cincinnati.
It's hard to believe this all has happened so fast. My head is spinning. I keep thinking about all of the stuff I need to do before I leave and then once I get to Cincinnati: say goodbye to good friends, get a new drivers license, get my car licensed in Ohio, get my insurance switched over, get my new room set up, hit the ground running in my new job, buy some more winter clothes, go to Meijer, eat turkey . . . . The list goes on and on. Some things will be more fun than others.
I ask for your continued prayers as I go through this time of transition. I am grateful for your presence along my journey!

Busy Day

I am taking a vacation day today to try to finish packing up and cleaning my apartment. I'm think I'm at the point of just putting things in boxes without much sense of order or organization. I know it will be fun when I unpack. I'm sure I'll wonder later on why I packed my microwave with my CD's. I also have to finish making some phone calls regarding my utilities and insurance. That should be fun.
While this move has gone relatively smoothly, I am still not a big fan of moving. I'm not sure how nomadic people do it. While I've downsized and gotten rid of a lot of stuff (including a few office supplies), I still feel like I have too much stuff and I need to really do more to purge in the future.
Glee was wonderful last night. I can't decide which I liked best: Endless Love with all the voice-overs, Having My Baby (which I was singing in the shower this morning), or the wonderfully touching finale of Lean on Me. You can check out last night's episode on http://www.hulu.com/ if you missed it.
I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for being a part of my journey!