COOL AS A CUCUMBER (Ugh! I hate Cucumbers!)

Okay, so it's been more like two weeks.  But other than hearing that, "Hooray, the A/C is fixed!", I couldn't bring myself to write much more.  And I didn't much feel like it today, either, but I'm doing it anyway, so I don't feel so guilty otherwise.  Guilt is a great motivator in my life.  Unfortunately.

I'll start off by saying that there's no turning back: we're here to stay.  I got my OK driver's license on Monday.  It had such a final feel to it, especially since they didn't give me my CA license back.  Not even for sentimental reasons.  OK address, OK plates, OK license.  It still feels weird.

I had another one of those "We're not in California any more, Toto" Moments at the Tag Office (OK DMV).  While waiting for my license, a guy came in in cowboy boots (not an unusual site here)...and spurs!  Really! I'm sure he wondered why this lady was looking at him funny.  I had to do a couple of double-takes to make sure.  Wendy would have loved it!

The battle of the bugs races in my house, yet I remain victorious.  It all started a few weeks back when I had this "Circle of Life" tableau being enacted on my living room window.  There are about a bazillion flies around here (I know, I counted!) and they are tenacious about getting into the house.  Well, they'd buzz around that front window and a spider family (mom & at least three smaller ones) was taking advantage of that.  Jonathan was fascinated watching the flies get caught and the spiders going to work.  This was tolerable enough until the undertakers arrived.  The tiniest ants you've ever seen...so small you hardly notice them.  I'd had enough, they could take their show outside, please!  So I called on my trusty, CA-proven Ortho Home Defense (It's not a paid endorsement, but if they wanted me, I'd so do it!) and we ended their off-broadway performance.

Still, those ants are...persistent, if stupid.  Even when my A/C was out and it was 95 degrees in the house (I took a thermometer pic to prove it - at 10 pm!), those little buggers kept trying to infiltrate my laundry room and bathroom.  So it was Ortho Home Defense to the rescue - again!  And again!  And again!  Not like I keep finding live ones...nope.  Just after I keep cleaning up the dead ones, the next day there's a dozen more.  My laundry room is an ant crypt, apparently.  The Ortho stuff works REALLY well, they say it keeps working for 6 months and it does.  However, I am constantly working to keep the remains from piling up.  But as long as they are contained there...I could really not handle it if they moved on to the kitchen.

The weather here is...weird.  A gal from church said I should just make my peace with it and move on. However, the weathermen are shysters because they try to get us to believe one thing and they are never right.  It's a wonder they even bother.  I get rained on for all of thirty seconds (literally, Jonathan will swear it was that short) and that's it.  No sprinkles or mist working up to dribbles and drops, just drop a few and move on.  It's like the clouds can't make up their mind.  People around here watch the radar and the skies themselves.  You have to be your own on-the-spot weatherperson.

You'll want to know about our first 4th of July here.  No biggie, though we want to try and make it better next year.  We missed my parents' annual party on the 3rd, which was probably part of the downer-feeling we had about it.  It just wasn't - couldn't - be the same.  But, Ken had the day off, so he wanted to do something.  We went to Lawton, our 50 miles east neighbor, that has all the big stuff. They are building a Target out there and people are so excited.  It's funny.

Still, it has one of the two Carl's Jr. in the whole state (the other being in OKC).  Since Jonathan had a GC for it and I still had coupons, we went there for lunch (sweet potato fries = heaven!) and then went to Sam's Club afterward.  Now, if I don't mention this, Ken will be insulted, but we got the greatest deal on ground beef that was supposed to be sold by the 4th.  We basically bought 30 lbs. of it for about 25 cents a pound!  And spend the rest of the afternoon cooking & packaging it up for the freezer.  Crazy.

Also, back at home, we decided to try our hand at homemade ice cream.  We'd been given an ice cream maker, so...why not?  A new tradition for the 4th, maybe?  It was okay, we used a cookies & cream ice cream mix from Wal-mart, but it was a little icy and not so smooth.  But it was a first try and there's always a learning curve.

Did we have fireworks?  We didn't buy any from the stand...you're not supposed to use them in town, but Ken & Analiese went out to the reservoir and saw the city show (Jonathan didn't want to and my feet were killing me - but I heard them!).  And at dinner we talked about how we could make it better next year.  

Oh, one more thing...I met another homeschooler this week.  Jonathan went to robotics 4H this week (glorified legos, really) and the mom of the boy he was teamed up with homeschools her kids.  They are near my kids in age and she is also part of the local group, so now we can get connected.  And guess what?  Her name is Michelle and is has a degree in English like I do.  We were very excited to find each other and swapped lots of info (they just moved to OK from IN).  This was a connection I was very eager to make, so the kids have other outlets.  And a gal at church is going to start homeschooling her kids this fall (they are younger), so she's been picking my brain.  

Believe it or not, even with change, life goes on. There's still much to do, but there are things to look forward to.  And that give spice to our lives.

HOT & STICKY

If there's one thing the people here cannot do without, it's their air conditioning.  The summer can heat up to 115 - 120 degrees and be so humid you can hardly breathe.  The funny (NOT ha-ha) thing is, it stays warm even into the evening.  Ken said once last summer he was driving home at 6:00 p.m. and the bank's digital thermometer billboard still read well over 100.  So it becomes a real crisis when your a/c dies.

Which, of course, is what ours did.  I should have read the signs.  It didn't seem to get all that cool in the house and our bedroom, about the furthest away from the a/c unit, would stay fairly warm.  Sunday evening after dropping Jonathan off at the church to go to Scout Camp, I came home...and it really was a bit too warm.  By Monday, it was obvious.  Our a/c was not functioning.  Well, it was blowing air, it just wasn't cold.

So we had someone come & look at it.  Prognosis: dead.  The compressor was shot.  A new unit?  $1,600.  Gee, if only I had that on hand.  Last week's water line replacement kind of ate into my capital.

While pondering what could be done, we've been pretty warm.  See, some brilliant person painted most of the windows shut.  And not just a little bit that could be easily sliced through.  Nope, they did a thorough job.  And the windows that could open...no screens.  Luckily, Ken found some in the garage that fit three windows in our home.  So, we have three windows in three rooms that provide some air, along with the ceiling fan movement - one in the living room, one in Jonathan's bedroom, and one back in the den.  For the first few nights, Analiese has been sleeping on the floor of the den under the open window.

Because of Jonathan being gone, I'd made lots of plans for stuff for Analiese & I to do, which has kept us out of the house and into air conditioned venues.  She's taken art classes in the library, we've gone to free movies a church (that is housed in an old movie theater) provides for the kids of the community, and she's gone to 4H sewing class.  Wednesday, however, was the day to top it all.

She and I headed out to Lawton for the day.  I needed to go to Sam's Club and start building up my supplies again and the closest one is in Lawton - a larger town than ours and 52 miles away (Ken says 46, but my GPS said 52 and I believe it!).  When you have to go so far for stuff, you plan it out.  Lawton has more and bigger stores - they're even building a Target & Petsmart!   I can't tell you how excited people are around here that a Target is coming.  You'd think with this being Wal-martland they wouldn't care.  It's funny.

We went to Hobby Lobby first, though, since I knew I'd have to drive straight back from Sam's with my perishables.  I needed something to hand my keys on...and I wanted something not just utilitarian, even if I had to make it.  Actually, I didn't, because they had all their metal decor 50% off and I got the cutest key holder that says "Home" on it.  And...we met up with a mom & two of her daughters (her son was off at camp with Jonathan) from our ward at the check out.  They had to go to Sam's, too, so we had lunch together (cheapest meal in town!) and then did our shopping.  

But our day wasn't over, because I'd promised Analiese that in the evening, Ken & I would take her to the city pool, which is just a few blocks away from our home.  They have an indoor and outdoor pool...and the outdoor pool had excited Analiese because they have TWO waterslides there.  Not just wimpy things, either.  Ken counted 53 stairs to climb to get to the top.  One is a straight shot down and Ken liked that one...he shot out of it like a cannon.  The other one was a curly-cue and Analiese must have gone down that thing at least twenty times.  It sure wore her out!  But we all agreed, we have to go back often, because it was too much fun.  I'll be going there 3x/week for the indoor pool's water aerobics class and on Fridays, I'll take the kids with me.  

So we've avoided much of the house heat.  We haven't been too hungry and I haven't wanted to cook, so we've eaten light and drank LOTS of water.  Sleeping has been difficult, but Friday night I had Ken put up the tent in the backyard and we've slept out there (he put my mattress in the tent, in case you wondered) and it's been a much cooler, nicer night's sleep.  Poor Jonathan came back from Scout camp only to be told he'll be sleeping more nights in a tent!  Still, when he felt the heat in the house, he didn't complain.

Oh, and at 6:00 a.m. this morning, the flash of lightning and sound of thunder woke us up.  I made them get up and move into the house.  I was really too chicken to endure a thunderstorm in a tent.  Not that the storm came...all bluff and no substance.

BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE..

It's finally ours!  Friday we signed the papers, and now we have our Oklahoma home, our cosy cottage, what have you!  We'll be moving in piecemeal this week, hopefully.  Pictures will be coming, once we get the computers up & running (and get internet going, too), but in the meantime, here's a description of the house:

The house exterior is a very light tan (in Ken's photos it looked light yellow).  It has black vinyl shutters, lots of window, and the cutest front entrance, with fancy metal railing and a curved roof, thus giving it the "cottage" look.  

The living room is fairly spacious, with light brown carpet.  It is rather dark at the moment, having been painted a deep maroon on one side and tan on the other (one thing to be remedied).  It also has some big windows facing front, giving it lots of light (when people open up the blinds!)  I just need to figure out how to place the furniture in there.

Jonathan's room is, admittedly, the smallest.  It faces front toward the street, but has two closets (I told him that one is mine!).  Still, it will be his alone, private, and larger than what he's had before.

Analiese's room is supposed to be the master. It is bigger, but has no windows, which is no bueno to this light- & air-loving woman.  It also has a walk-in closet, but she's only going to use half of it.  The other half is going to hold the 72-hour kit and supplies so we can take refuge there during a storm, if needed.

The main bathroom is pretty-good sized.  It has a shower/tub along with a sink, a cupboard and silver toilet storage (you know, those thingies they put around the back of a toilet).  The funny thing there is a surprise cubby that holds the water heater.  It's a weird spot.

Our bedroom is in the back.  It's actually a little bigger than Analiese's but doesn't enjoy all the closet space.  It does, however, have two big windows, one of which faces the garden.  Score!  Light and air!  I intend to make this room a restful haven where Ken & I can go to relax.

The kitchen is fairly good sized.  There is a big empty space in one corner that eventually I'd like to fill with a banquette. I'd rather the kids ate there, because the floor is tile.  The fridge & stove/oven unit are both pretty old, but if they function, I don't care.  Also, there's one big sink (kind of like a farm sink) with no garbage disposal.  Oh, and no dishwasher.  The spoiling season is over.  The worst thing about the kitchen is that the cupboards are shallow.  We'll see how that works for storage.  The pantry storage is not enough.  I'm going to have to get clever.

You have to go down stairs to get into the den room.  It is an addition to the house, you can tell by the window that lies between the kitchen and it!  It is carpeted which makes me nervous because that's where the dining table is going.  There's another wall where I'm going to set up tables and computers for the kids lessons.  At one end (nearest the kitchen) is a fireplace and the door to the yard and the other leads into the laundry area.

The laundry is long and narrow.  One end holds the washer and dryer and opens to the second bathroom.  The other has a rack for hanging things and some space (I'll put the freezer chest there) and has steps up to our bedroom.

The second bathroom is smaller, with an enclosed shower.  It's not much, but it will be the bathroom Ken & I will utilize.

And the yard, the glorious yard!  Big and ample.  It has two shade trees which I've yet to identify.  I'd like to get some seating under one for outside family dining & entertainment, and eventually get a hammock & stand for the other one.

The previous owners had a pool, which they've removed, leaving a big sandy circle in the middle of the yard, but is right in the sunniest spot, too.  I think it will be fun to try and design the veggie garden to go right there, sectioning it off into four spaces with paths like wheel spokes.  Right now I call it the "crop circle." The long west-side fence is where I'd like to espalier some fruit trees (apple and maybe peach).  The front fence gets enough sunlight that maybe I'll have some berry bushes or grapevines.

There's work to be done, I'll admit.  And over time, I'll probably want to repaint most of the rooms (the only one I'm really okay with is the den).  Still, we are eager and excited to sign the paperwork today and get into our new home!

Exploring Altus

Our week started out on an exciting note...tornadoes!  The very thing that made Analiese nervous about our move had come to Oklahoma.  I didn't even know about them until later, which means, obviously, they weren't on top of us!   Instead, they were closer to OKC and some very sad things happened (including elementary schools being hit).  In the meantime, though, everyone not in OK were calling, texting, emailing, etc.  Finally, I had to post on FB..."The Boltons are okay in OK!"

The kids succumbed to allergies this week and Analiese has yet to get over her cough.  Still, we did well enough to begin actually exploring our new town.  What else did we have to do?

Tuesday and Wednesday were highlights for Jonathan, going to the AFB.  A family in our ward is being transferred and they needed help moving and cleaning their base housing.  Ken & Jonathan went Tuesday evening and the kids went with  me Monday.  We had to wait in a visitors area after having my ID checked & double checked and then we had to be escorted by either the brother or sister to their home.  The kids never complained for a moment about having to help (though, really, Analiese just played with the dog - the sister said the dog was feeling neglected and confused, so it was a good thing) and we got to see some cool planes taking off.  At one point, Jonathan cleaning a window in the master bedroom, he called me to look at something.  It was a jackrabbit, hopping around the grass, long ears alertly up.  The AFB is surrounded by a wooded area, so it wasn't surprising to see wildlife.

Thursday was the clincher...this our new home town.  We went to the library!  And a good thing, too!  It is small, not nearly as nice as the big one in Corona, but the librarians were over-the-top friendly & helpful.  They found me a map of the town (I wanted one for the fun of marking things on it), gave me fliers for upcoming events, and were just as nice and chatty as can be.  Now, it may be small, but I did find books by favorite authors that I hadn't read.  They have weekly crafts and activities for kids, even some for teens.  They even have an art class Analiese can take the week Jonathan is at Scout Camp (blessing!).  And while I can't check out books yet (no local utility bill), they said we could reserve them or even just come over and read.

I've been doing my laundry at a laundromat just steps from our new home (the motel laundry is just awful and I've already ruined a favorite shirt there).  While I hate going twice a week (but we only have so many clothes - what we packed), it has become an interested place for people-watching and catching up on gossip.  It is also next door to the United Supermarket, so I've been comparing their prices to the Great Big Blue Monster (aka Walmart).  A little here, a little there.  Oh well.

Here's my hand-drawn map of the area (just the two blocks).  Our home is the red box, United is the big brown U and the laundromat is the small brown L.  Every time I go, I have to drive past the house. 😃 I just want to see it!

We are still attempting to figure out 4-H.  The GPS Saturday was absolutely stumped and couldn't locate the address (somewhere between the college and our credit union??).  I'll have to call them next week.  The kids really want to a) participate and b) have something to do.

Maybe next week I'll describe the tiny apartment we're staying in now.  It's interesting trying to maneuver around each other or cook decent meals in the kitchen with only a small pot and skillet.  But, the pool is open and that makes Analiese happy...at least, when I take her there!

AH-CHOO!

For a remote area with not much to do, we've found plenty...to do!  Saturday afternoon we drove to Lawton, 45 minutes away, to see the Stake Center, go to Sam's Club and have a nice early Mother's Day dinner.

Apparently, it's where people go when they need stuff.  We saw one family from our new ward at Sam's.  And we received a phone call from another while there inviting Jonathan to  a dance that night...in Lawton!  

So we waited, going around town to see things and have dinner, until the dance started.  Jonathan met up with his new quorum members as Ken & I visited with the Young Men's president and his wife, who were to take Jonathan back to Altus for us.  Then we came back to the Friendship Inn.

Mother's Day was rather, uhm, anticlimactic.  We'd already gone to dinner the day before and Ken had purchased me an orchid plant, so Sunday wasn't much to think of, except that I wasn't with MY mother on Mother's Day.

Church was nice, though.  The ward, though small, is friendly.  The Relief Society President tried very hard to make me feel welcome and included.  And it's a sure thing that I'll be playing the piano during Relief Society.  One gal did a 1 finger-play during the meeting,
but she's moving to Delaware next week (AFB people).  The ward gave the mothers little sunflower seeds in a pot and the Relief Society gave us cookies.

But after church we moved from our little suite to an apartment until the house is ready for us to move into.  It is larger and has a kitchen, but is rather shabby and smells.  I will be grateful when we can be in our own home.

Monday was just a day of getting things done.  Ken went to work, Jonathan went to Seminary.  I did shopping and then took the kids with me as we went to the storage unit to let the movers fill it with our stuff.  That took about 3 1/2 hours and I got a horrid sunburn (I had to stay with the stuff and check off the boxes to make sure we got everything).  Then we went to do laundry.  Since it was Jonathan's 16th birthday (Yeah, Jonathan!), we went to dinner.  It was an anticlimactic day for him, too.  

Tuesday wasn't so great, mainly because I wasn't feeling well.  It wasn't a result of the sunburn, but (I think) of the air conditioning unit in our hotel apartment.

The thing was coated with dust, even the ceiling in front of it had a layer.  When the housekeeping gal came by, I asked her if it could be vacuumed or cleaned.  She had a maintenance guy come and replace the filter (VERY dirty) and clean the front grill.  

Still, the damage was done.  I've had a very sore throat all day.  I managed to take a nap mid-day, but it has only slowed a little.

So we didn't done much and the kids, Jonathan in particular, were very bored.  We had walked to Walmart in the morning, but most of it was spent in the apartment.  TV only entertains so long, they watched a movie on Amazon Instant Video, and played some games on the iPad.  I'd take them out, but I still didn't feel well.

On the bright side, I did cook dinner (well, I cooked the chicken to go in the caesar salad) and Ken got to have a meal his wife had prepared for him for the first time in 11 months.  That in itself was reason for celebration!

The best laid plans...blah, blah, blah.  I got sick with a sinus infection, brought on by that nasty a/c.  It settled in my head and in my chest.  I've been exhausted and hot (fever?) and totally disgusted

Because of it, that means the kids sit around all day while I lay in bed, blowing my nose continually and coughing up gunk.  I tried to go out Wednesday, but in Walmart (getting me some meds), Jonathan said, "You are sick, we should go back."

So we did.  Thankfully, Ken's evening was free and he took them around to see things to do in town.  The sun doesn't set here until nearly 9 o'clock, so that gave them time to be out and about.

The first week's been pretty rough.  Sitting around a smelly hotel room/apartment, sick, tired & (in the case of the kids) really bored.  As Analiese put it today, the adventure is pretty much gone.

The kids have been showing signs of allergy/sinus issues.  Analiese did NOT want to go to church today because her throat hurt so much.  But, with Jonathan being ordained a priest, and Ken doing it, and me playing piano for sacrament meeting or the ward having no music, she was stuck.  She dragged her heels, made her mother find everything (Mom, I can't find _______!), and after a dosing of Tylenol, went to church and was fine.

People have been really nice in the ward and we've found plenty for us to do.  Jonathan & Ken went to help roof someone's house Saturday and are going to help with moving someone else's stuff on Tuesday.  The kids and I are going to help clean up the same moving people Wednesday.  And Jonathan is signed up for Scout Camp in June & Youth Conference in July!  Plus, there's Scouts for him and Activity Days for Analiese this week. It helps quell the boredom.

Which has really been the biggest problem.  The kids are learning that day-long TV is not fun and they hate being cooped up all day.  I'd take them out but with me not feeling well, it's not been as much fun.

Hopefully, this next

week will be better.  Especially hoping the CA house clears completely so those poor people can move in and our paperwork here can be completed.

LIFE IN A SMALL TOWN

(Part 1 of ?)

Yep, it's small.  Yesterday we ran errands all around town.  There are four main streets to deal with: Main (duh), Broadway, Park Lane (Somebody liked Monopoly?), and Tamarack. That's it.  There's lots of little streets, though and the Air Force Base (in the future to be known as AFB), which I have no clue about.

Drove past our soon-to-be house.  Still looks cute, though the pathway & sidewalk need redoing.  Eventually.  It's not on my urgent timeline.  Not only is United Grocery across the road from it, a laundromat is next to the store.  So, in the meantime, places to shop & clean clothing.  And our storage unit is just down the road.

From the motel where we're currently staying, the Wal-mart is just a few minutes walk, as is the bank, our mailbox, and other stores.  We're off Main Street (see paragraph One), so everything is here and convenient.

We cruised around the reservoir yesterday.  It is surrounded by grass and parks and I guess is the place to walk and picnic and play.  We didn't do anything of that sort, though, because after the rain of the day before, it was more like swampland than parkland.  Still, we saw some interesting waterbirds and lots of Canadian geese.  Apparently they like it here.

And we've met the ward...some of them...well, probably most of them.  Last night the Young Men had a fundraising luau dinner for Scout Camp (In June...Jonathan made it in time!).  Analiese, true to form, was off like a shot making friends.  A gal in the ward (it is going to take me a while to learn & remember names), said that there are seven girls in Activity Days and they are all nice and friendly.  Good, so is she!

It wasn't a huge group, like we're used to, but those who were there participated well.  Because of the AFB, there are lots of young families, so they have many little children.  They even put up a kiddie table for ward events!  They had plenty of games for the kids, tossing, coconut rolling, limbo, etc. and the Scouts and their leaders put on a condensed modernized version of Johnny Lingo (it was quite funny).  Then they had a pie auction...not to eat, but to throw at the Scouts.  The Scoutmaster earned $45 on himself alone!  

They also partied long and hard.  It started at 6:30 and we finally left after 9:15.  I don't know how much they earned, but they worked hard at it.  They offered dinner, virgin pina coladas, dessert, and pie tossing.  But they seem a friendly lot (the RS president gave me a tour around the building) and, given time, we will fit in.  Because they have so much turnover, they're not unfriendly to strangers.

THE PUSH

Other than one picture of the clouds that the kids took, there will be no other pictures of yesterday.  That's because the day was not about sightseeing, but about getting to Oklahoma...and Ken/Dad.

We left Albuquerque at 8:00 a.m. for a straight shot to Amarillo.  Other than bathroom & stretch breaks, we did not stop. My back had about had it with the days of never-ending driving and I was so tired.  I was looking forward to stopping...permanently!

We had lunch at Taco Bell in Amarillo.  Because we had to wait for Ken to get off work  so he could meet us in Memphis, TX (an hour and half from Amarillo), we spent some time walking around a park with a pond.  I think I burned the top of my head a little (I'm so bad about that!).

By then, the kids were chomping at the bit to get to Dad.  Outside of Amarillo was pretty much...nothing.  Fields and roads and roads and fields.  We kept at a pretty good pace, considering that we had to slow down as we went through towns (smallest population 365, largest 3K).

Finally we slowed to stop at a Travelodge in the itty-bitty burg of Memphis.  Ken was there waiting (I guess he sped from work to get there before us).  I can't say it was a super-emotional reunion, mainly because I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse in his arms.

But the driving wasn't done yet.  There was still another hour to go until Altus.  More of the roads, flatland, small towns.  I looked at my clock when we passed the OK border, 5:06 p.m. (that's 3:06 California time).  The kids abandoned me for Ken, leaving me with the music I wanted (now you know who 

It didn't look much different.  These tiny towns looked pretty dilapidated.  Faded and falling apart, homes and "main street" businesses looked very sad.  I started having misgivings.  What if Altus was like this?

Treelined creeks and signs of wildlife began to emerge.  Why did the turtle and the wild turkey cross the road?  Maybe they had death wishes?  Still, it was fun to see.

Finally, Altus loomed...well, as much as a small town can.  It was larger than the other places we'd been through and, while some of the places on the far end of town looked fairly beat up, eventually we began to see nice neighborhoods and the signs of "normal" civilization.  Not California, to be sure, but at least it was big enough to have what we need.

More to come on the new life in Altus...

Are We There Yet?

The answer for that is...no.

Some of us just pick up and go. Others have a journey first through time, but not space. And we are the latter, for reasons unknown to us at this time.

Our journey started way back in the spring. Here's my journal entry around that time:

"We are still waiting on pins and needles here to see if Ken is a) going to get a 2nd interview for the Oklahoma job - they say so, we just haven't been given a date/time yet, b) going to get an offer for the Oklahoma job and c) going to accept the Oklahoma job - yikes! The wait is making him slightly distractedly irritable.

I have yet to feel (Spirit-wise) whether or not the move is a good idea. Personally, I don't want to go - my resources and support group are here. But if it is where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do...I will follow. But the waiting is a killer."

At one point we figured it wasn't going to happen:

"No news is good news as far as I'm concerned. We should have heard, but haven't, about OK a long time ago, so I figure they don't want us and have forgotten to tell us."

Talk about yo-yo's:

"Life is CRAZY! This week Ken had two second interviews with two companies - and one was the OK job! Plus, he got an email inquiry about a third one - in Houston!"

And then...the news came:

"So it appears to be Oklahoma. They have sent us an offer and Ken appears to want to take it. I FEEL (in calmer moments) that this is the right thing to do. But right now I need to list my qualms...in order to calm them? Or just to bring them to light.

We are going to rural Oklahoma, earning less than we could live on in California. Ken says we'll be able to make it there. But, as my friend Michele says, we won't make it back easily. It has to work and we'll have to stick out there, like it or not.

I worry about the kids and their opportunities. Things as they are, my kids have still had so many experiences and chances here for growth. Will Oklahoma be able to offer them still more? Will they be able to homeschool there and still succeed? Will they need to go to school, just to be with people? Or just to have the resources they may need to acquire their dreams and goals?

And will we be able to progress and save and plan for our future there? Is there a future there? Ken says there is mobility in the company, but with his Aspergers, will he be able to do it? And if it meant another move, would we be able to move? Would there be enough $?

Also, I am very leery about the housing situation. Will there be places for us to rent or will we be able to get a home right off? Rural areas aren't well known for their apartment complexes. Plus, I don't know how well our mobile home here is going to sell, or if we'll end up giving it away.

And, of course, nearly everyone I know and love are here in California. Mom & Dad aren't getting younger and with so many health issues, I won't be around to help them.

I know there are positive things about taking the job and moving. I've heard them and been rehearsing them. Still, tonight - at nearly midnight - my fears seem very real - and very overwhelming. I will be fasting through the night into tomorrow and will ask Ken to give me a blessing in the morning. It will be as much for him as it is for myself. We need the Lord's consecrating hand on our family if this venture is to succeed."

Obviously, I was uneasy at first about the move:

"I asked Ken for a blessing this morning. I came to it fasting and he readily agreed, looking at yesterday's journal entry so he knew of my concerns. But when he started, he paused for a long time. Then he said he wasn't ready yet and needed to pray and ponder some more.

I went to the livingroom to do some studying and pondering of my own while I waited. Analiese was awake and kept me company. Ken was in our bedroom, behind closed doors. He said there was nothing for the longest time...and then Jonathan got up. The Spirit flooded into him and he knew what to say. He mentioned that the blessing could not be given without the whole family.

We're to go to Oklahoma. There is much growth and service and blessings awaiting us there. My worries were from Satan - to try and stop us. We are going to be blessed beyond measure due to our faith - faithfulness in tithing in particular - and our worthiness. What a blessing to have from the Lord that he thinks us worthy!

Of course, I am an emotional mess right now, full of gratitude that the Lord is right beside us. Even Ken wept some as he felt the Lord's love and blessings.

Things will work out. We just need to keep remembering that!"

So our journey begins with a step of faith:

"Ken leaves tomorrow, so he gave us all husband/father's blessings. Mine was mainly of comfort & safety, but also to know by the Spirit who would be purchasing the home, so that I could greet them warmly and they could feel by the Spirit that this was their new home. No timeline, though, bummer.

Still, it was good to have the peace of knowing things will go according to the Father's plan. Also, I can use this time remaining to comfort my mother and spend time with my friends."

My journals certainly reflected the times and concerns. And, of course, the adventure was only just beginning!