Florida catch up

We are finally in Florida and are settling into our apartment. We have had quiet the adventure so far and are looking forward to so much more. We are so blessed to have this time to explore!

But lets go all the way back to the moving part: In the girls words, "it was long and B-word" (we don't use the word boring in our house -- HA) Here they are amusing themselves while Francis and I load the Penske truck from our storage shed.

The packers came on July 27 and packed the whole house. This move was especially chaotic though because of the three way split. Some of our goods were being packed and shipped to storage in Cedar Rapids, a part of our goods were being packed and loaded onto a Penske truck we would drive and part of our "stuff" was being packed and moved professionally to Florida. The packers were a little confused at this 3-way but got the hang of it quickly. So far we have discovered only one item that went to storage (we hope) instead of making it to Florida.

On Tuesday July 28th the trucks were supposed to come. The truck for the local move broke down on the way (yikes!) and eventually arrived at 11ish. The long-haul truck was stuck in Northern Iowa finishing a different move (yikes!) but eventually arrived shortly after lunch. The crew for the local move was FANTASTIC! We can't say enough about them. It was a herd of young men; all Christians and three were homeschool graduates! I have always said God has had his hand on this move and here he was again! With God's help and these great young men, the local move and long haul move was complete by 7ish.

We were staying at the Marriott during this time and the girls were living the "high-life" each night with their favorite babysitters taking them to the pool and then dining on room service. We have been blessed by Eryn and Emily who have cared for our children for over 5 years. Here they are with the girls.

It has been our honor and privilege to watch these two ladies grow. They are no longer "babysitters" for they have become a part of our lives and a part of our family.

On Wed. Francis and I started loading the Penske truck that we were taking to Florida. Since this was a temporary move, weight was an issue on the long-haul truck. To keep the weight down, we moved all the boxed goods, while the long hauler took the furniture. SO we loaded and cleaned the house on Wed. and Thursday. Friday morning the house closed and we were no longer owners.


I don't think the girls really had any issues saying goodbye to the house, but Francis and I were heartbroken. Gone was the house we had brought our babies too, gone was the house we had worked so hard on, and gone was the certainty that that house provided; the "known" was over.

On God we rely.