The Pioneer Spirit...Or something like that...

Definitely a new level of adventure for me!

Both settlements went off without a hitch...well, we did witness our attorney "exchange harsh words" with our buyer's attorney over another ridiculous fee that the buyer's bank wanted us to cover.  I do appreciate that he went to bat for us, and we didn't have to pay it.

We did have to wrestle our 600-pound obstinate colt onto the trailer...But, at least the weather was pleasant for travelling once we got south of Binghamton.

I have never been so happy to see this sign...

I literally cried and laughed with relief...And that was about the same moment my sweet puppy vomited!  Geesh!  Tig has always been such a good traveler, right from the day we brought him home.  Unfortunately, every car ride longer than 10 minutes, thus far, Penny gets queasy and subsequently deposits the contents of her stomach on my car floor...this time it was the moving van floor!






My father-in-law and Nate towed the campers up to our property, and our dear friends, the Smoker Family, surprised us with a delicious meal.  What a huge help!  And the Lord provides!

Unfortunately, because of our late arrival and the even later arrival of our 2nd camper, we spent our first night and most of the next day with no heat, no electricity, no running water...Pioneer style.  What the heck was I thinking when I agreed to this whole plan?  


And, ironically, it was the coldest night they've had in south-eastern, PA for weeks...a low of 34 degrees!  Brrr....  Don made an early morning coffee run for us - we all needed something to thaw out our frozen hands, feet and noses!

I've been enjoying the warm PA sunshine, though! Between organizing our belongings in the campers and barn, walking the horses, and grocery shopping, I've been soaking up the rays!

Our showers are working now, but last evening some sweet friends who live less than 10 miles from us, invited us to shower at their home.  The Lord provides again...and again and again! Amen!

Before...

After 2 days of unloading....

This late-1980's camper reminds me so much of my grandparents trailer from my childhood. Such fond memories of that time in my life. I love it!
(Clearly, the previous owners did as well, because it is in terrific condition.)

Rosie did a super job cleaning out the barn - it already looks like a whole new place!

Today, we set up a temporary paddock for the horses (with fencing donated by one of Don's best friends!), until we're ready to have the permanent pasture fencing installed.

There are no two ways about it - we are 100% committed, now!  Committed to make this little farmette the best it can be...committed to make it a warm, inviting home for all.  We have so many people to thank for their help in getting us this far.  Since I'm writing this post at the laundromat, however, I will wrap it up with a few more of my favorite pictures...

"Would somebody please play with me?"

The Westbrook Compound

Watch for another update next week - Hopefully, we'll have internet at the property by then!

My House Echoes

It feels so strange...to be living in it with only our clothes, sleeping bags, and a few odds and ends.


This whole thing is surreal to me...




...4 years, 6 months, and 9 days...





That's how long we've lived in this pretty little valley in central New York.  Not all that long, really.

We had a dream and a plan...I had...expectations...as our little convoy cruised northward from southeastern PA.  A 7 to 10-year plan, actually... 

I was gonna love it up here...make lots of new friends...be part of a new homeschool community where I would teach classes at a co-op...become part of a church family just like the one we had to leave behind...

And, Don was going to be around more for our kids, but we'd be comfortable, financially, based on the verbal promises of the seed company that moved us up here.

Reality began to sink in around month #5...this was a very different place than the one we left behind, and not the situation for which we'd hoped.

But, I kept trying, despite the heartache of loss...those daily and weekly interactions with friends and a church family that I had taken for granted.  And, our family, whom we only visited about every six weeks or so, but we knew they were just a phone call away if we needed anything.

By our first anniversary here, we did have a couple of good friends...those few who we will miss now, but since they have been woven into the fabric of our lives, we are confident we'll continue to fellowship with them periodically.

I recall a day right after Don left his position with the seed company when I pleaded with him and with God to make a way for us to move home asap...nope.

Several months (and two more employers) later, my prayer had changed to "God, please help me connect to this place, help me to make it my home, help me to make some deep meaningful connections here, so I'll stop longing for the community... and the climate ...that I had back in Pennsylvania.



To some degree, He answered that prayer, but He never took away that underlying desire to move back to southeastern PA.  Oh sure, that longing quieted for a couple of months here and there, but it never left me...And, Don admitted to me, he had that longing sometimes, too.  When he prayed about it, God answered him with "Not yet...Run your race right here for now."  So, we surrendered.

So much has happened over the last 4+ years, most folks' heads would spin!  God certainly crammed lots of lessons for all 6 of us into this chapter of our lives!


I admit, my struggle with discontentment is on-going and real - something God has really been working on with me for close to a decade...And, particularly, in the last three years!  Yep - I was well into my thirties before I even recognized, or rather admitted,  I had an issue with it, and apparently, I am a painfully slow learner!

Even now, a small part of me is not content with moving to the Reading area because it is not within the circumference of the area I know like the back of my hand, in Lancaster County.  You mean, I have to learn a new area, new roads, new stores, new doctors and vets, another homeschool community...AGAIN?  C'mon!  I'm getting too old for this!   Well, after nearly 5 years of being nearly 5 hours from all that was familiar to me...to only being 1 hour away... I CHOOSE to be very grateful!





And, ya know - It's an easy 3 and a half hour drive for William to come visit...only 45 minutes for Nathaniel... Both sons can have their own lives, but, yet, be close enough to stay connected with us!






We've done so much work on this property, and we love it!  Sure, we had many more ideas for improving it, for making it work for us...if only it were even 200 miles south...within 2 hours of our old stomping grounds, we wouldn't be selling it tomorrow!




About 14 hours from now, we will pass the torch to new owners...I've met them...they will grow to love this property as much as we have, and I'm sure they'll quickly make it their own.  In fact, even today, they came by for their final walk-though, Don and Will helped them store some of their heavy things in the pole barn, and they gave us a delicious loaf of homemade bread!





I wonder if they would mind if we stop by sometime next spring to see how they've improved the place?  Well, we'll do a drive by, at least!

I've rambled long enough...Watch for my first post from our property in PA later this week.

Pray that Don doesn't choke anyone at settlement tomorrow, after the long, difficult road we've had with these so-called professionals, that the weather cooperates for safe travels, that Penny has outgrown her motion sickness, and that our horses load into the trailer without too much shenanigans, ehem, Isaac.

I got one more too long, too hot shower before I'm livin' the camper lifestyle for the next four months!  Hasta Luego, Friends!

Newsflash: I'm not Ms. Sunshine (Thank God, Penny is!)

In my last post, I ended by sharing that we were going to be closing the deal on our New York home between May 1 and May 5, as that is what Don and our buyers were pushing for.  And, our attorney seemed good with that.

We packed up 95% of our belongings and even loaded much of our furniture into a trailer, anticipating that we'd be leaving New York BEFORE the upcoming weekend...

...Then Don got a phone call from our attorney...

...The best he could do... the soonest he could get the buyer's bank and attorney to agree to...

May 8th.






Now, I've been fairly calm throughout this entire dragged-out process, but SERIOUSLY?

Something about the way real estate is regulated and mortgage money is allocated...
 ...Documents...Waiting...More documents...Arbitrary timelines that must be followed.  And, we've been told that the particular lender our buyers chose is especially stringent.

In fact, we've been told by others that the process can take up to 8 months from the time an offer is made on a home to a settlement date.  No way, not happenin' this time!  (It's only been about three since their "official" offer, but Don and I have been living apart for six months, we aren't doin' another five !) 

After some ranting and fretting on Friday evening, I finally accepted it...May 8...

Then, Monday afternoon Don calls me.  There are two outstanding documents, neither of which WE have any control over, needed before settlement can happen, and if the mortgage lender doesn't have those by the end of the day, Tuesday, they are going to postpone closing...again. (Still can't figure out why they need 3 whole business days to read these two very simple documents, but that's beside the point.)




I wanted to cry...and scream.  Don spoke with our buyer directly, and Mrs. C, who is 9 months pregnant now, was on the verge of tears and screams as well.


Don was actually told by our attorney that the banks and attorneys don't really care what else the buyers and sellers have going on in their lives, it is the lender's way or no way.

Yikes!

And, what about the folks that are waiting for us to complete the purchase of the property in PA?  The attorney's response?  They'll just have to wait or put the house back on the market.  It's not our concern.


Knowing my husband, it's a very good thing this exchange didn't take place in person!



At this moment, I am aware that one of those documents was received yesterday afternoon.  And, Don tracked down the person responsible for the other document - he promised to fax it to the trust company before noon today.  I haven't heard anything, yet - hopefully, no news is good news this time.

Living among boxes of your things... with 70% of your belongings and furniture stored 260 miles away or packed tightly in a trailer that's parked God knows where... is taking it's toll on me today. And, I had to "un-cancel" our utilities, changing the date from May 1 to May 8 for everything.

Maybe, because I expected to be leaving here yesterday, I've been feeling kinda disconnected... ...Disjointed...Easily agitated, over the last 24 hours or so.

I mean, come on people - I quit my salon job on April 10th because we were supposed to be leaving this ridiculous state on April 21st!  Now, I have forfeited the salon transfer opportunity, regardless of whether or not I actually wanted to take it, because it's been too long. I would've had to start this weekend. Oh, well. 

I'm feeling so unproductive this week, thus far - it's too soon to pack up the rest of the kitchen and bathrooms, but everything else I can physically do is done.  So, besides watching "The Voice" and "Master Chef Junior" on Hulu, old seasons of "NCIS" on Netflix, scanning Facebook a few times a day, and writing this blog post, what else can I do?

The girls don't really need me much for school anymore, but their assignments keep them busy for a few hours...

Well, I'm reviewing for the PA cosmetology license exam....for which I still don't have a date and time.  (Oh, do I have a story to tell about THAT whole process!) Though, I'm finding it hard to stay focused.


And, I've done a bunch of weeding for the new owners.  I'd do more in the gardens, but all of my gardening equipment is gone already.


The best parts of my day?  So long as this crazy bi-polar weather is cooperating...it's playing with the dogs outside!

And, I'm finding some peace and serenity by taking a couple of walks in the woods each day.  Man, I am gonna miss these woods! 




I'd love to do some "retail therapy" but I don't think I could resist the temptation to throw caution to the wind, and buy things I really shouldn't right now!

A while back, I told ya'll I'd share the good stuff AND the ugly stuff....well, feelin' kinda ugly today.

And, I love ya'll dearly, but if one more well-meaning person says, "In God's perfect timing..." or "God is in control..." to me, well I might just go crazy!  I'm allowed to have a grumpy day.

The good news is that tomorrow is a new day!  Hallelujah!

I did have a delightful walk in the woods between thunder showers and some amusing time just "hangin' out" with the critters today...

This guy will be 1 yr. old in 1 month!

Lexie says, "Groom me...So I can go roll in mud again!"

Super cuteness!

I had NO IDEA that this is how it would play out when we decided to move back to PA, and it's probably best that way!  Not sure what the road ahead entails, especially once we start on the house rehab...I stayed home with the babies while Don helped his family completely refurbish their "home away from home" in Upstate Pennsylvania...but, I'll be sure to keep sharing as I live out this crazy life!

Expect the Unexpected

I know.  It's totally cliche.  But, ask anyone who has known us for any length of time, with Don and I, you can always expect the unexpected!

Right from the start of our relationship, in fact.  Many of those who knew us back in our late-teens believed our relationship to be a passing infatuation.  Very few suspected the deep friendship and affection that was developing under the surface.

Just one year into our marriage, much to everyone's surprise, including ours, we discovered that I was carrying twins! An unexpected blessing!

On and on it has gone...the unexpected choices we've made...the unexpected happenings in our lives.

Don has always kinda reveled in this.  I, on the other hand, needed some time to learn how to take it all in stride.

The latest unexpected thing, besides our settlement being delayed yet again (maybe 3rd time's a charm?), is our newest family member, Penny.

Just like other individuals in our family, ehem, Isaac,  she has a bit of a story behind her...

Tig at about 10 weeks old

Our friend, Brianne, is Tig's breeder.  Tig and his litter-mates are purebred Australian shepherds. Brianne kept a female from Tig's litter, Reagan.  

Although each dog is an individual, Reagan is similar in stature, temperament, coat texture, etc. to Tig, who is a wonderful dog and fits our family perfectly.  It has never mattered to us that Tig has rather atypical coloring for an Aussie, as it was the Aussie temperament that we wanted.  

So, of course, Don and I were expecting that Reagan's pups would be very similar as well, prompting Don to call and request a female right away, as Brianne's pups tend to be sold very quickly because she breeds such pretty pups and is exceptional at starting them on the right path - healthy, curious, engaging and primed for training!

I had the pleasure of visiting Brianne and Reagan's seven puppies twice before they were ready to leave Mama.  And, on the second occasion I noticed that two of the pups, not Penny, looked quite a bit different in coat color and texture, and their pricked ears. 

Brianne explained... Turns out that while Reagan was in heat, not only was she bred to an Aussie male, selected by Brianne, but Reagan also paid a visit to the neighbor down the road, unbeknownst to Brianne until after the pups were born...who have an un-neutered male husky.  WHAT?!

Female dogs release a few eggs a day for several days during their heat cycle, therefore it is possible for more than one male to father a litter of pups.  How interesting!

So it seemed that only these two pups were a result of this second breeding, as the others, including Penny, all have coats that appear distinctly Australian Shepherd and their ears were still folded.

But, as we've been watching Penny develop and mature during these last four weeks, we've noticed some things that just don't fit a typical Aussie.  The most obvious being her ears, which now stand straight up, and her longer muzzle.  

8 weeks

10 weeks

12 weeks

Then, there's her rather short, though beautiful coat.  I dismissed these things at first, assuming genetic traits of the Australian cattle dog had to be in her background somewhere...But, then we discovered that her toes are partially webbed - a husky characteristic.  Also, her docked tail stands straight up, while Tig's has always been down. 

And, her temperament?  After doing some research, yep, she does have a couple of very typical "husky" traits, though the Aussie temperament seems to dominate at this point.  Both breeds are very trainable and tend to be good canine partners for humans who can put the time and effort into building a solid bond and giving them plenty of exercise, which Don and I plan to do, with the help of our girls, as well.  Lots of hiking in our future!

Not what I expected when we chose to bring another dog into the family, but wonderful nonetheless!

And, I've been doing interesting research into dog genetics - cool stuff!

So, each dog is a unique individual....Both dogs are precious members of this family!  After all, we are a family chock-full of unique individuals. 😉

Tig @ 9 weeks

Penny @ 12 weeks

Update:  As of this writing, we know for sure that our settlement will be between May 1st and May 5th.  Hoping for something more concrete by tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath just yet!  One way or another, the girls, the critters and I will be in PA by next Friday.  😁

Take One Step at a Time...

And, if you grow weary, I will carry you for awhile.

This is how I train and provide for my new hiking buddy...this is how God trains and provides for His children.

Truly, this is how the last several months have been for us...

And, there is such peace in trusting God this way!

Now, it hasn't been easy, especially for this woman whose struggle with "control" is very real. But, it's so worth it...to surrender control to His capable hands.

I recently saw an anonymous quote that really spoke to me:

"Write your plans in pencil...and give God the eraser."  Yes, indeed!

At this point, our moving date has been pushed back twice from the initial plan.  Not even our initial plans, but our buyers'.  It was the young family buying our farmette that originally proposed an April 14th settlement, as they are expecting a baby in mid-May. Obviously, that date came and went! Apparently, between our contract on the new property running out on May 1st, as well as the mortgage rate locked into by our buyers expiring on May 1st, everyone involved has gotten the message loud and clear, from both parties: This thing needs to be settled and complete by May 1!  That said, as of this moment, we STILL do not have a specific date or time for settlement.

Best buddies!  Tig watches out for his new little friend - they are adorable together!

But, we are proceeding "as planned" for an April 28th moving day.

We've been doing lots of cleaning and packing...a good friend of mine came over and helped out on Friday, which was a huge relief.  I was suffering from paralysis thru analysis - how to tackle the kitchen, not knowing how many more meals I may need to prepare here, and feeling unsure about what I may want to have handy in our trailer for next few months versus what can live in storage until the fall.  Julianne got me through it - And, she made us a delicious meal to boot!  God provides!

As of yesterday, I have given up on maintaining a sense of normalcy in our lives - what with stacks of boxes in every room.  And, several more to pack, yet!

Penny's need for training and attention keeps me focused and in a somewhat regular routine each day. To most folks, our timing was terrible - What kind of crazy do you have to be to adopt a puppy 4 weeks before you move?  Once again, not our plan, but God's...and, she is such a blessing!

The girls have been doing their school work "as usual", but we decided this coming week can be half days, alternating subjects.

While Don was home this weekend, we removed any scrap metal from the property and rented a dumpster to dispose of any junk lying around.






When the weather cleared up Saturday evening, we decided to brave the chilly air and have one last campfire at this home...

When we down-sized to our 2-horse trailer in 2015, we thought that was all we'd ever need, not having a clue at the time that 15 months later we'd be the owners of a spunky colt, thanks to Sassy Anna!  Don and Rose were concerned about moving the horses. Knowing our situation, our sweet friend, Brianne, came forward and offered us the use of her 3-horse trailer. God provides, again!

Sunday morning, as the girls and I headed to church, Don headed back to Pennsylvania with a truck and trailer full of boxes for our storage unit...

Not sure what this week will hold for us...other than we're going to be busily organizing what's left in our current home in anticipation of our exodus next weekend.  Right now, we're praying that we have a specific date and time by the end of the workday tomorrow, and that we can coordinate a couple of friends or family members to help us transport the last of our belongings.

I'm sure many tears will be involved, as this is a bittersweet event in my life.  I experienced such a cocktail of emotions when we moved up here, nearly five years ago...it's a different mixture this time, but just as strong....

This is our 7th move in our 21 years together....wow.




Hopefully, my next blog post will be from our new home in PA!

I'll be sure to update you as soon as I can, Friends...

...Might have to find a coffee shop with free WiFi next week, but I'll keep you in the loop!