I told you all I would talk to you when I got to the bottom of the roller coaster, so here I am! The ride isn't completely over, but the worst of it is. We survived the twists, turns and bumps and for how crazy the last couple months have been, I cannot believe how smoothly the last two weeks have gone.
Allen and I were constantly busy making phone calls, getting organized and straightening out details and everything (almost) actually worked out! I cannot praise the Lord enough or give Him enough glory for everything He has done for us. Everything worked out so smoothly that I cannot contribute it to anyone else other than my God above.
This was our itinerary for our last week in Grand Forks...
Monday: movers boxed up our entire house
Tuesday: movers shipped our boxes
Wednesday: separate shipping company boxed and shipped our unaccompanied baggage (necessities) and the cleaning lady we paid cleaned the entire house
Thursday: final inspection for our house
Could that have worked out any more perfectly?!
So, once Tuesday evening rolled around, we basically no longer had a bed to sleep on. So, our awesome and extremely gracious friends, Adam & Bethanne, offered for us to stay with them. It was absolutely wonderful! We felt right at home. They were able to provide us with anything we may have needed, Bethanne planned and cooked dinners for us that I did not have the time or energy to do and kept us company for our last couple days there. Deep down we were all hoping that maybe "too much" time spent together would make it easier for us to say goodbye. But, unfortunately, it didn't! We loved every minute spent together and it was just as difficult to say goodbye as we had originally expected.
Adam and Bethanne's son celebrated his 1st birthday party on Saturday. Allen and I wanted to stay in Grand Forks to be able to celebrate this with them. We were so glad we were able to be a part of it! We left directly from his birthday party to drive to PA.
So, once Tuesday evening rolled around, we basically no longer had a bed to sleep on. So, our awesome and extremely gracious friends, Adam & Bethanne, offered for us to stay with them. It was absolutely wonderful! We felt right at home. They were able to provide us with anything we may have needed, Bethanne planned and cooked dinners for us that I did not have the time or energy to do and kept us company for our last couple days there. Deep down we were all hoping that maybe "too much" time spent together would make it easier for us to say goodbye. But, unfortunately, it didn't! We loved every minute spent together and it was just as difficult to say goodbye as we had originally expected.
Adam and Bethanne's son celebrated his 1st birthday party on Saturday. Allen and I wanted to stay in Grand Forks to be able to celebrate this with them. We were so glad we were able to be a part of it! We left directly from his birthday party to drive to PA. 
Leaving from the party was awesome because we share A LOT of the same friends. We were able to say one final goodbye to all of our good friends and most of them actually saw us drive away :'(
So, if you're not aware yet, we are in Pennsylvania! We arrived on Mother's Day around 6pm. We drove straight through the night before and made it to our final destination in about 23 1/2 hours. Not too bad with two kids and two vehicles (one being a '79 bronco)!! The kids were awesome! They slept off and on throughout the entire trip. We stopped a couple times to let them get out and play and wouldn't even cry when we put them back in their car seats. They were amazing! Allen's Dad and Stepmom, Geniene, flew to Minneapolis and met us there to help drive us back. What a relief! Without them we definitely would have had to stop. They made the trip so much easier on us.
If you remember, I mentioned earlier in the blog that "almost" everything was taken care of. We are still trying to finalize plans of selling our Jeep (which is still in ND) and our visas are also still processing. I'm not sure if we'll be able to get into England without them or not... Anyway, prayers would be much appreciated for these two areas.
As for our time in PA, we are hoping to see most family and friends before we head over to England. Our flight leaves in the evening of the 29th. We'll fly out of Pittsburgh and then from Chicago straight to London. So exciting!! If you're a friend of mine in ND, we miss you already!! If you're a family or friend in PA, we hope to see you before we leave! We've already been enjoying our time here, as you can see below...
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| Poppa Jones helping Eva drive the Go Kart |
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| Blakey cuddling with Aunt Lexi at Living Treasures Park |
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| Visiting with a long-time friend, who just happens to be a military wife also! |
