A Crazy, Busy Week ... and My Friend Susie

Wow!  The last 7 days have been a whirlwind!  I have so many blog posts whirling around in my mind, that I don't know where to start:  fun stuff ... deep stuff ... parenting stuff ... island stuff ... decorating stuff ... kitchen stuff ... adoptive parenting stuff ... adoptions that are in crisis, that I am praying for ...

I think tonight I'll just give a short recap of this past week, and then maybe tomorrow I'll be able to sort through all of the deeper things I've been processing.

Last Sunday afternoon, my sweet friend Susie came to visit from the Island.  It was SUCH a blessing to spend the day with a friend.  (The last month has been VERY lonely.)  Susie was "supposed" to catch the 9:00 am ferry to head this way.  But (as island life so often goes) she didn't get on that ferry.  The car in front of her was the last car to fill the ferry.  So, she sat in line for 2 hours, waiting to catch the next one.  Susie finally arrived at about 1:30 pm, after leaving home before 8:30 am.  We visited.  We took a walk downtown with the kids.  Susie took us all out to dinner.  We took Susie to our favorite mainland beach.  We came home, tucked the kids in bed (after the very scary Night Light Incident), and sat down to chat.  At 11:45, I finally told Susie that I thought she should get a few hours of sleep before heading off to the first early morning ferry (because she had to be at work on the island at 8:30).  It was so fun to have an island friend come visit me at "my house" ... to see how our family lives ... since all of our island friends have only seen us living in the borrowed house all winter.  It was so nice to be able to welcome her into my kitchen, and to make her a mocha at Mama's Coffee Shop.


Monday brought another long day, with a trip to Hosanna's Track Meet.  We must leave here by 1:00, to pick Papa up at the ferry dock at 2:20, to get to Hosanna's Track Meet by 3:00.  After the meet, Papa wanted to go out to dinner and catch the later ferry back to the island, but Mama was just too tired.  (Then, of course, Mama felt guilty because she should want to spend as much time with Papa as possible.)  If Mama had agree to go out to dinner, than Papa would have caught the 8:45 ferry back to the island and Mama and the young ones wouldn't have made it home until after 10:00 pm.  Instead, Mama took Papa too the 6:20 ferry, and actually got her little Shopping Trip to the Bookstore on the way home.


Tuesday brought the excitement of A New Roommate.  Yeah!!!


Wednesday, Mama and the kids packed their bags for a trip to the island.  Woohoo!  We hadn't been back to the island in over a month.  Packing didn't go well, though.  Kids' behavior wasn't good.  Mama 'bout had a stress-induced breakdown.  (Just bein' real here.)  Mama sent all kids back to bed and went back to bed herself (after sending Papa an email saying she didn't know if she could pull it all together).  Mama slept for a little while, and then got up and pulled things together.  Mama and the young ones missed Hosanna's last Track Meet, though.  Sorry, Hosanna!  It was pouring rain anyway, and would not have been the most fun (especially with the bad attitude behaviors going on with a few of the young ones).  We all made it to the island, though, and into the loving arms of sweet friend, Susie and her husband, Tim.  Ahhhh ...  The love of a friend can do wonders for a hurting Mama.  Sweet Tim & Susie let all 8 of us invade their 2 bedroom / 1 bath home for 3 days.  Now, THAT is a true friend.  We had people sleeping on the porch (in a mighty wind storm) ... in a trailer ... and in a tent.  But, it worked!


Thursday, we all had a pretty quiet day.  The boys played in the woods.  Papa worked on his sermon.  The girls read books and colored.  Mama read one of her new books ... took a nap ... read her book ... took a nap ... read her book ... (while Susie was at work).  After dinner, we all headed down to the community center for Ben & Hosanna's performance with their Musical Theater class.  They have enjoyed going to school this semester for just this one class (that meets twice a week, for 2 hours each time).  I was so glad that we could all go out to the island for their performance.  Thanks, Susie!


Papa and I toured 5 homes with our realtor on Friday morning.  It was really good to walk through a wide variety of available homes, and see a variety of types of properties.  We now have a good idea of what we might buy when our house sells (if Papa gets one of the two part-time jobs that he has now applied for).  Please be praying for the job situation with Papa ... pray for wisdom for Papa, and favor with the people doing the hiring.  As I mentioned earlier, while we LOVE Papa's job as a pastor, at this time the church cannot afford to pay enough to fully support us.  Therefore, Papa is pursuing a couple of different part-time positions that would make up the financial difference.  We are still VERY excited about the pastoral position; this would not lesson our ministry there at all; this would just provide enough for us financially so that we can afford to move to the island.


Friday afternoon we hurriedly packed everything up (after returning from our time with the realtor) and raced down to catch the early afternoon ferry.  We made it.  Papa came home with us for the night.  So good to have him home, even if just for 16 hours.


Saturday ...

... we left here at 9:00 am to go to Ben's Tri-District Track Meet in Seattle.  (This will get it's own post.  But ... Ben will be running at the STATE meet next weekend!!!  WooHoo!!!)  Susie came to the track meet, too.  Fun!!!

...  we had a big family dinner after the track meet (Papa, Mama, the Young Ones ... Jeremiah, Lindsey, Ben, Hosanna ... Adopted Big Kid Vicky ... and Sweet Friend Susie) at our favorite Mexican Restaurant.

After dinner ...

... Papa, Ben, & Susie headed North to the ferry.

... the Young Ones headed South with Vicky for Ice Cream & a Movie Night at Vicky's house.

... Jeremiah, Lindsey, Hosanna, and Mama headed South to a surprise 50th birthday party for Mama's dear friend Janie (who has been a friend for about 19 years).

At 9:45 pm ... we picked up the Young Ones at Vicky's and headed North the 150 miles home ... arriving at 12:30 am.

It was a VERY long day ... at the end of a VERY long week ... but it was GOOD.  Very. Very. Good.


Today ... it is Sunday again ... and we rested.