Month: December 2016

Adventures in Moving – Day 2

As we left the hotel this morning, Lucy braved the elevator like a pro…ferociously standing behind her mommy, hiding. That was better than yesterday, so I won’t complain. (If you don’t know that story, read yesterday’s post.)

The ride was fairly uneventful today, and I really don’t have much to tell. The temperature variance between states was the most dramatic thing for today. Alabama was a nice temperature. Tennessee was a little cooler but still comfortable. Kentucky was the end of my flip-flop wearing for today. Indiana was freezing, and Michigan had me shivering so hard I could barely form words at times. I now have a coat, gloves and something to cover my ears so I’m in pretty good shape…at least I will be when I figure out where I packed my socks.

I must say I am very happy that drive is over for many reasons, the most important of which are Lucy and Romeo. Nearly 1,100 miles with my two pets is kind of like a trip with two toddlers who are very jealous for mom’s attention. Romeo insisted on riding on my lap again today – all day. Lucy still can’t understand why she can’t do the same. 

A couple of hours into the drive this morning, Romeo was reclined on my left leg facing the door while I was driving. Lucy and I thought he was asleep. She gently laid her head down on my right leg. After a couple of seconds, Romeo looked behind him and saw Lucy’s nose close to him. He turned around with that look in his eye that cats get when they are getting ready to explain the rules to someone. As he stretched out his paw reaching across my right leg with his claws extended, his single meow sounded more like “mine.” I’m not kidding. It really did sound like that. Lucy barely jerked her nose to safety in time. She kept her head off my lap for the rest of the trip. Poor thing. 

Well, I know that wasn’t a very exciting read for you, but that’s my day. Now those of you who have asked me for updates on my trip know how much my fur babies love each other.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. God bless!

Adventures in Moving – Day 1

I have Lucy, my 110 pound great dane, on a leash that is wrapped around my left wrist. Romeo, my siamese cat, is in the pet carrier in my left hand. I have a purse and another bag over my left shoulder and I’m pulling my large duffle bag with my right hand. Thank God that bag has wheels. We’ve stopped rather early but I don’t care. Lucy needs to stretch her legs. Romeo is a cat and thinks he needs to be pampered as all cats think they should be. I just need sleep.

Where is room 337? I know the desk clerk said there was an elevator. Where is it? With my duffle flipping over every few seconds as Lucy jerks me towards yet another interesting smell and poor Romeo getting jostled all over the place, we round a corner and there it is – the elevator. The door opens, I enter, Lucy enters and Lucy quickly exits again just as the doors are beginning to close. She was not going to enter that moving metal box willingly. So here I am with my arms over full, using my foot to try to keep the door from closing on the leash as she’s outside the elevator. I finally drag her on and she hunkers down for the short ride up. 

We exit the elevator, Lucy practically bolting from it, find our room and all three of us are in the beautiful king-sized bed within five minutes of entering the room. I don’t think a bed has ever felt so comfortable as tonight after spending an afternoon with Romeo wandering all over the cab of the moving truck meowing and Lucy trying to figure out how she can sit in my lap while I drive.

Today was a rather uneventful day on the road. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the same. This has not been one of my more entertaining posts, but it’s the update on my trip that people keep asking for. If all goes well, tomorrow will be just as boring. 

Hitting the Reset Button

I received the phone call of a lifetime two days ago – a phone call that allows me to hit the reset button on my life.  My first thoughts after that call consisted of, “Wow! How often does that happen?  How often does someone get to reset their entire life?  It must be a rare occurrence.  I am so blessed to have this amazing opportunity!” 

For two days I have lived with joyful thoughts of making plans for my new life and I decided a few minutes ago that tonight was the night to tell everyone about the upcoming changes in my life.  I picked up my journal and pen and wrote the first sentence.  I had a plan for how this blog was going to go, but halfway through the first paragraph it changed.  As I was writing “How often…” I realized I have had numerous opportunities to reset my life.  I’ve just ignored them.

God has led me to many crossroads that would have been much better paths than the one I wandered on for most of my life.  I’ve struggled on the same path for many, many years.  Sometimes the path was easy to travel; but, more often than not, it was covered in obstacles.  I have stumbled in bare feet over sharp gravel.  I have stubbed my toes on numerous boulders.  I have tripped over pot holes.  I have even crawled over walls of debris to stay on a very painful path while ignoring easy detours that could have helped me avoid the debris pile.  I have stopped to glance down crossroads before – crossroads covered in soft grass with beautiful wildflowers lining the sides.  They often looked inviting; but fear of the unknown kept me moving forward, stumbling down my chosen treacherous path.

Eventually, I did take a crossroad but it wasn’t covered in soft grass in the beginning.  It was rough, just not as rough as the road I traveled for so long.  God never gave up on me.  He knew how stubborn I was.  He even knew how long I was going to stumble along before taking the opportunity He gave.  I finally followed His lead.  He led me on the new path for a while and it’s been a good one.  The crossroad I chose was really scary in the beginning and wasn’t without a little sharp gravel, but that’s only because I chose the one with gravel rather than one of the earlier ones with soft grass.

I thought this second path was the one God intended me to follow for the rest of my life, but another road recently crossed my path.  My first instinct was to stay on the path I was already on but then I realized this crossroad may have been another one of His.  It’s scary to leave one path for another – at least it is for a person who doesn’t like change and has faced a lot of it in the last couple of years, but I’m doing it.

Despite my fear, I am hitting the reset button on Monday, the day after Christmas.  My reset button is big and yellow and says Penske on the side of it.  Once it’s loaded with everything I own, it will take me about 1,000 miles north.  I am moving from Bay County, Florida to Bay County, Michigan to start my new job as an accountant.  I am scared, but I am way more excited than I am scared.  For once in my life I am going on faith and taking the crossroad God has given me without arguing with Him first.  He will take care of any gravel and pot holes.

The reset button is scary but amazing at the same time.