A Time To Rest

We have been on a dead run since the middle of May.  We put our house on the market and started the mad scramble and dance.  We rode the roller-coaster for months as we had good days and not so good days.  We watched offers come and go.  Sometimes we spent whole weekends dodging realtors and other weeks we saw no activity at all.  All during that time we toured new housing developments (17 in all) as well as existing homes (at least 50).  We put in offers on short sales; went down to the contracting stage with 3 different builders; fell in love with homes we could not buy; dealt with frustration, elation, despair and exhaustion.

Then came the day that we accepted (after negotiation) an offer on OUR house.  The intensity got ratcheted up by 200% over night.  We started packing, searching for a place to live, searching for a place to BUY, repairing flaws (at the insistence of the buyers) and scrambling to figure out what school Noah would attend.

We finally found a rental, started the process of buying a house 3 days prior to school starting.  This allowed us to get him enrolled (transfer out of Roseville, transfer IN to Rocklin, enroll in the new school less than 24 hours prior to starting).  The house we are buying was at a critical stage of construction and we have barely been able to keep up with choosing options in time to get them installed.  Tomorrow night we have to spend 3-4 hours and select all the tile, counter tops and flooring for the house.

Last weekend we filled a  24-foot truck TWICE with our belongings as we moved out (and cleaned) the house that has been our home for the last 11 years.

We need some time off very badly.  Hopefully this week is the last of the choices for the new house and we can spend some time just resting.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, my love :o)

Closed

We signed the papers Monday night.  A bittersweet experience to say the least.  It is exciting to be watching our new home be built.  It is great being able to choose the options and upgrades that are most important to us.  Noah loves his new school.  At the same time we said good bye to the house where Noah was born and were Emma and I built a family.

It is a reminder that nothing lasts forever except the grace of God.  All things have a season and the seasons change.  I know that this new house is a place that God has prepared for us and that we will thrive, grow and develop now relationships.

blessings on your day

Saying Good-bye

And So It Starts

I am picking up the truck this afternoon.  I reserved a 24-foot Budget truck so we should be able to get everything in one load.  We took another set of boxes over last night which transferred most of the kitchen.  Only a few items left to go.   I still have to box up my personal stuff in the bedroom and we have a bit more clothes left in the closet.  Emm took the equipment back to Surewest this morning and Comcast will be out to the rental tomorrow.

The really depressing thing is that we have to do this all over again at the end of October.

Sarah's bridal shower is tomorrow from 11 to 1, Emma will head over there while the rest of us eat some lunch.  It makes me a little sad that I can't pop in and say hi.  Hopefully her and Dale will stop by the house on their way home...

Almost There

Spent the weekend finishing up boxing the house.  We are %95 done with what needs to be packed up.  The bulk of the reminder is stuff that we will move "by hand" in the back of the car.  My buddy Lee came over and helped me do up the garage and start the process of tearing down some of the unused bedroom furniture.  Friday afternoon I pick up the moving truck and we start shifting all the boxes we have spent the last 2 weeks filling.

The chaos will continue for a while.  We will be in the rental house for 8-10 weeks (best guess) and then we move again.  Hopefully after November, we won't be moving for another 10-15 years.

blessings on your day

August at The Oakes

(From Clare)

Hello and welcome to this report from the Jungle.....

Hmmm ... don't worry I haven't gone crazy, it's just that the Oakes, in some areas, is resembling something more South American rainforest than Gerogian listed building. It's amazing what can be achieved with a little paper, glue, white tac & copious amounts of imagination. 'Rumble in the Jungle' the summer theme is in earnest.

Yesterday we said goodbye to forty plus 11-15 year olds, and tomorrow we welcome in forty plus 10-14 year olds! Quick turnovers are necessary for the rest of August to fit in with the strange Sheffiels school holiday dates. It means that we are able to keep the traditonal six camps, three, 4 day and three, 6 day versions. One of the 6 day camps would have had to have been axed which would have been a real shame as having the children here for longer enables better relationships to be built, more time for them to think, and team to come alongisde and be there for the questions. Of which there has been many, praise God!

Huge praises are necessary as we have had the priviledge of watching God open camper's eyes and have that moment of realisation (and salvation) as they come to see for the first time their heavenly Father and their relationship with Him. It has also been tough knowing what some of the young people on holiday will be going back to in their home situations and trying to bring God's light into those places.

Praise God for:
*The summer camps have been going really well - many children hearing and responding to the gospel.
*The children on summer 1 who committed their lives to God
*New & past team members coming to help on camp (sometimes in the kitchen!) - lots of new energy & enthusiam
*Current team and all they have done during this last year and how their faith has matured.
*The new guest rooms in the extension have been full every camp! Very timely provision.
*The lovely new office upstairs for Luke, Tom, Erica, Mez, Andy and me - again very timely in it's provision!

Pray for:
*The next 3 summer camps, quite intense with one day off between each one
*More males for next year's team - a repeated summer prayer theme every year ...
*Wisdom in where I move to out of The Oakes during the Autumn.
*Better health & energy for me - so that I can complete my job well both practically cooking & on the paperwork
*Productive & efficient time to complete menu's & training prep for the new year, whilst also concentrating on the summer camp cooking/ordering combo.
*A restful time during the 'closed' period.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, they have been quietly sustaining me and a real encouragement!

Your sister in Christ,
Clarey

Housing Update

A picture of the house we bought.  We filled out the survey from the builder and came up with 17 different new-home developments we visited not counting the 40-50 pre-built homes we toured.   This was the 4th time we got to the point of contracting.   So it was a pretty big deal that after 90 days of searching we actually signed a contract. 

This is what our house will look like (sans the design studio which replaced the garage on the model) in a couple of years once the trees grow up.

AB Pangburn :)

His first town pass.  He is in Biloxi now for his 1st round of training.