We have been out to Idaho to look for housing and are now back in Grand Rapids. During that 10-14 day stretch that we were gone, we sold our home in Michigan and are in the process of purchasing a home in Boise. Caleb, Anna, and Seth made the entire trip with us while Nicolas and Lydia opted to stay in Iowa with Grandpa and Grandma and cousins. Here are a few photos of the scenery along the way--most of it in western Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. Almost all were taken in the van, courtesy of Seth. (He must not have found anything photo-worthy in Nebraska?) I can't begin to tell you how many pictures I had to delete from my memory card, but taking pictures did keep him occupied on the trip for awhile.
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| The picture above and below were both taken at the DeJong home near Boise, ID |
On our way back from house shopping in Boise we stayed a few days in Iowa and were able to celebrate Father's Day with my Dad. We are all loving his new table game, Skittles.
The travel, buying and selling of homes, packing and purging has been somewhat overwhelming. Sometimes I feel as if I am living someone else's life, as reality has not set in. But when I stop a moment at let it sink in that this little time of our life is over and we will be saying good-bye to good seminary, school, and church friends; our sweet home; and our routine as we know it, I need to have a good cry (usually when I'm tired). My dear summer Bible study group, however, affirmed that I was "normal" and it would be strange if I didn't shed a few tears. Most of the time, though, I am pretty excited about following the Lord's leading on this new adventure.
When is our actual move date?
We plan to move out of our home on July 25, spend a week at Big Sand in Park Rapids, MN, make a quick trip to Iowa to pick up our pets, and then once more embark on the long trek to Boise. Russ plans to preach his first sermon at Cloverdale URC on Aug 10th.
What are we doing between now and then?
1) Bugging dear Simon in Boise and Teresa in Iowa with housing stuff
2) Packing the house and filling up the Goodwill donation bins
3) Making a trip or two to Lake Michigan
4) Mowing lawns (Caleb and Nicolas)
5) Working for the seminary's library project (Russ, Caleb, and Nicolas)
6) Working some final days at Spectrum Health (me)
7) Travelling to Indianapolis for a fellow seminary student's ordination (Russ)
8) Improving soccer skills at Northpointe's soccer camp (Caleb and Nicolas)
9) Playing with neighbor friends and swimming in their pool (Seth)
10) Reading and racking up minutes for the library program (Anna mostly, but Lydia and Seth are also doing their fair share)
11) Hosting the youth group every other week for Bible study and fellowship
12) Enjoying Behold Your God Bible study series on Mon nights with a few BSF friends (me)
13) Spearheading the FRC's neighborhood Bible school (at least for a few more weeks) on Wed nights (me)
14) Reading to prepare for ordination (Russ)
15) Going bowling, attending a Whitecaps game, watching FIFA soccer in the movie theater, and doing lots of other things with Northpointe friends (Caleb and Nicolas)
16) Practicing cello and violin music for cousin Grant's wedding in Kentucky on July 19 (Caleb and Nicolas)
17) Preparing a message for same wedding (Russ)
18) Dog sitting for the Macleod's for several weeks (Zoe is doing great with this dog!)
19) Finishing up old crochet projects (me) and starting a new one (Lydia)
20) Trying hard to fix meals that will empty out our freezer and refrigerator! (me)
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