Fun in Pascagoula!

Last week I decided to take the boys to spend some time in Pascagoula with my family.  Tackling a five hour drive alone with Carver and Walker is sometimes tricky, so we decided to hitch a ride with my sister.  She and my brother-in-law were in Jackson for a tennis tournament, so David took us to meet them on Sunday. 

We always have a ton of things that we plan to do while on the Coast, but we usually end up having to scale back because the kiddos get tired and things just take longer than I plan for them to take.  We had hoped to go to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, and I had wanted to call a few of my friends to get together and catch up; however, both of those agenda items got put off until next time.

Here is a rundown of our week:

On Sunday, we got up super early so that we could get dressed and drive to Jackson to attend church at Trinity.  We miss our old church and love getting to worship there when we have the chance.  I got to see Carrie and many of our church friends, so that was super nice.  After church, we went to lunch at Honey Baked Ham and then ran to Dillard's.  I really wanted a new swim suit, so I thought that I could run in, try a few, and get David's input.  Well, we ended up only having about twenty minutes until I had to meet my sister, so, obviously, I didn't have much success.  Bathing suit shopping is so hard!!!  I bought three to take and try, and we ran out to the parking lot to load our stuff in my sister's car.  The ride to Pascagoula was blissfully uneventful (well, minus Walker receiving a light kick in the face from his older brother).  I was so thankful that we had no crazy potty stops!  Usually, when I am by myself, Carver has to go to the potty a couple of times, and that is somewhat stressful because I have to tote them both inside and get Carver on and off the potty while holding Walker.  If you know me, you probably know that germy places like public bathrooms give me the heebie-jeebies, so suffice it to say that my children are making me a stronger person.  But, I digress.  We made it safely to Pascagoula and had a low-key night with my family.

Monday came bright and early.  Both boys were up before 6:30 ready to start the day, but it was raining.  We stayed inside and visited until around lunch time.  After lunch, I put Walker down for his nap, and Carver and I went shopping in Gulfport with my mom and my nephew Caleb.  My dad was so sweet to keep Walker.  Papa is Walker's favorite person, so they had a good time at home.  We picked up a few things at the Outlet Mall and then went to the Dillard's in Biloxi to try to find a bathing suit for me.  The three from Sunday were no's.  After a ridiculous amount of trying-on, I found one I liked.  Everyone was tired after that excursion, so we went back home. 

The early wake-up time repeated itself on Tuesday.  We had our morning coffee and started getting ready for the day.  Walker took a morning nap while I finished getting dressed and worked with Carver on some of his letter E activities.  I ran and got some Edd's for lunch.  If you aren't from the Coast, Edd's is a legendary Pascagoula hamburger joint that has been there since the 1950's.  They have awesome chili-cheese burgers and milkshakes.  When we finished our lunch, we loaded up and went to The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.  The kids got to see a cockatoo, stingrays, nurse sharks, horseshoe crabs, and dolphins.  Both of my boys loved the dolphin show, and I really enjoyed the touch-pool.  I thought Carver would love touching the sharks and stingrays, but he was very nervous about it.  He liked to watch me do it, though.  At the end of the day, we were all hot and exhausted.  Walker had kept us especially busy chasing after him.  My parents and I took the boys to grab a quick supper, and then we put them to bed early!

At the touch pools with Carver and Alex. 



 Walker, Papa, and Caleb

 

 Sweetness and mischief rolled into one!

 

The boys decided to sleep in on Wednesday and woke up at 7.  Ha!  They were just too excited to be at Nanny and Papa's.  We had thought about going to Lynn Meadows but decided against it because the boys were tired from the day before.  I didn't want to overwhelm them by cramming their schedules full, so we opted to go to the library for story time.  We explored the kids section, did some coloring, and checked out a few books on tape for our ride home.  The Pascagoula library had a huge section of audio books for kids, and I was so excited to find Winnie-the-Pooh, Farmer Boy, and James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales.  We have particularly enjoyed Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Much of it is above Carver's head, but he likes trying to listen and asks many questions about what he hears.  After the library, we stopped by Edd's again.  This time we got a strawberry milkshake as a special treat.  Dad made BLT's for lunch with tomatoes from his garden.  They were delicious!  After lunch, Walker went down for a nap, and Carver and I got ready to go to the pool with my sister and my nephew Alex.  While we waited for her to get off of work, we went through old pictures.  I always love looking back at those photos because they provide many laughs and fond recollections.  I really think I went through the most awkward stage of anyone in my family.  Some of the pictures are hysterical...think big glasses, high-waters, and a polaroid camera around my neck! We had a good time at the pool.  Carver is really enjoying the water this year, and the Puddle Jumper has been an amazing help.  While we were swimming, Nanny and Papa were spoiling Walker.  He learned quickly where the Vanilla Wafers were kept and figured out how to get as many as he liked. :)  Carver got to spend the night at Aunt Mandy's for the first time on Wednesday and loved it so much that he was sad to come back to my mom's on Thursday!

We met my Aunt Sharon for breakfast on Thursday morning.  It was great to catch up, and afterwards my Dad and I took Carver to the beach to dig in the sand while Walker took a nap.  I was sad that Walker didn't get to go, but it worked out for the best because the sweet baby eats everything; I can't imagine that sand digests well!!!  We built a little castle, but we didn't stay long because it was really hot.  My sister and I had planned a 40th anniversary dinner for my parents that night, so when the kids went down for their afternoon naps, we got busy.  I cut some flowers from my mom's yard, gathered up some old pictures that I had found of my parents through the years, and headed to my sister's to decorate.  I arranged the flowers, and Mandy (my sister) worked on some of the other details.  My parents knew that we were going to have a dinner together and that my sister's friend was catering it, but they didn't know that we had invited a few guests to help us celebrate.  The night was a success, and we had a great time celebrating a wonderful marriage that has lasted 40 years!  My parents have really set a great example for us. 

 The table

 

 Pictures through the years

 

 Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary!

 

We packed up on Friday to head back to the Delta.  Before we left, we stopped by to see my neighbor Kay in a rehabilitation facility.  She fell and broke her leg quite a while back and is making great progress!  She is more like a grandmother to me than a neighbor, and we were so happy to get to visit with her.  The boys provided excellent entertainment!  The ride back was pretty good, but we were happy to be out of the car.  I was so thankful that my parents were more than willing to bring us back home.  They stayed the night on Friday, and we all drove to Kosciusko on Saturday to pick up part of a grass-fed cow that we had ordered together.  From there, we parted ways.  I am always so sad to see my parents go home, but I look forward to our next visit. 

The boys and I were so happy to see David, and it is always nice to get back into a routine.  Both of my boys do really well on a schedule, and so does their mama for that matter!

Moving to the Delta

When David and I got married, I always knew that there was a possibility that we would end up in the Delta.  He is a Delta boy through and through, and for those who might not know what that means, I'll give you the run down of my particular Delta boy:

• He loves to work hard and stay busy.
• It is preferable that the work be outside.
• He loves to hunt, and by hunt, I mean he hunts it all....deer, duck, dove, hogs.  Mostly, he pursues the typical animals for hunting, but if a beaver is causing trouble in a pipe or an armadillo is digging in a flower bed, it better watch out. 
• He likes the country and country music for that matter.
• He loves the place where he grew up and where his family has farmed for generations.

Well, after college, we moved to Jackson, got married, and started our life together.  David worked as an engineer for a great company, and we made great friends.  We loved our life in Jackson, but it was not to be our home forever.

As an engineer David spent most of his time behind a desk.  He loved many aspects of his job, but as evidenced from the description above, it was no surprise when he grew restless. His job in Jackson was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.  At that point, he began to mention the possibility of farming, and I began brainstorming other jobs that he might enjoy doing because moving to the Delta was not what I wanted to do.  In fact, I had a whole list of reason for not wanting to move our family.  We had our church and our friends, and we were located about halfway between our families.  Moving to the Delta meant that I would be five hours away from my parents and sister.  Other problems included schooling and housing.  The issue of where our children would attend school was a huge point of contention for me, and we had just bought a new house that we both loved.  David also shared these and other concerns, so it didn't really seem like a viable option.  My view was that if I was supposed to move to the Delta then God would have to change my heart, and change it he did.

In the summer of 2011, my Bible study group read Francis Chan's Crazy Love.  While reading this book, God began to change my stubborn will.  My heart started softening toward the idea of moving to somewhere that didn't suit my selfish fancy.  Here are a couple of quotes from the book that really struck home at the time:

• “But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”  ― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

• “It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.”   ― Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

It was around this time that David and I decided that we would start praying about the possibility of moving to the Delta.  We also sought advice from our parents and friends, and we asked God to show us clearly what He would have us to do.  After much prayer and discussion, we both felt led to put our house on the market and to begin the process of looking for possible housing in the Delta.  I had come to see that while my concerns were valid, they were areas of my life that I was seeking to control instead of first seeking God's will for our family.  He showed me that no obstacles were too big for Him.  I also found a real peace in knowing that it is much better to obey God and go where he leads, even if it is not my "ideal" situation, than it is to stay in a place where he has not called me, even if it has the convenience of a Target and multiple good schools and a spacious home.  He graciously reminded me that I had a loving husband who worked extremely hard for me to be able to fulfill my dream of staying at home and raising our children and that I could live this dream out anywhere in the world; my husband's dream job, for which God uniquely gifted him, could only be done in Ruleville, MS. 

Once we listed our house, God continued to give us amazing confirmation that this move was what He intended for our family.  Our house sold to the one and only couple who looked at it.  It had been on the market (for sale by owner) for less than two weeks when we got the contract.  In a slow housing market, this was a miracle!  At the same time, we found a house to rent in Ruleville.  God's timing and provisions were perfect! 

Leaving was still hard.  Really hard.  We were incredibly sad to leave our friends and our church family.  Our last church services as members of Trinity were so heartbreaking.  I cried and cried at the thought of saying goodbye.  When we left Jackson, it really felt like we were leaving a little of our hearts behind, but God was faithful even in the hard times.  Through it all, we felt His peace and knew that he was guiding us all the way. 

At a farewell party that our Sunday School class gave us, our friends prayed for us and for our transition.  It was such a touching time of prayer, and it really strengthened us.  One of the prayers in particular has remained with me and has been a good reminder when things are less than ideal.  It went something like this (I can't remember it all because I was crying like a baby):  "God the Delta is a place full of brokenness, and we know that this is not how You created the world to be.  When David and Rebekkah look out and see the brokenness all around them, remind them that You came to fix all of the brokenness.  We pray that they would reflect Your image to those around them and that they would show Your love to those they meet.  Even though it is sad to say goodbye, we know that one day there will be no goodbyes and that we will all worship you together in Heaven." This prayer reminds me that God has us in the Delta for a purpose, and I am so thankful for his many provisions.  I am thankful that He is a God who reveals His will to us and who walks with us every step of the way.  We are still in some ways transitioning and are still looking for ways to serve in the community, but we know that he will be faithful to lead us in these areas too.

In some ways this post has been hard to write because it is difficult to capture all of the details and emotions that were involved in making this decision, but I hope that I have given some insight into our big move.  We  are so happy where we are now and know that we have made the best choice for our family.  I look forward to sharing some of the details of our life on the farm!

Hello, Blog! Long Time No See!

So, about three years ago, I decided to start a blog. I wrote a whopping seven posts and abandoned my poor blog. So many things have changed in those three years; to name a few, we have added sweet Walker to our family, moved to the Delta, and lost Kimber, one of our beloved dogs.

 

 

 

 

I have decided to blog again because I think writing will be a good outlet for me and a nice way to document our new life on the farm. Also, I want our old friends to be able to keep up with us. I find myself feeling like I keep up with my best friend Carrie because I read her blog and know what is going on in her life, but it occurred to me recently that she probably doesn't get that kind of detail about my life through our texts. I hope this will be another way to keep up with friendships. We also love having visitors on the farm, so all you Jackson folks need to plan a little day trip.

Hopefully, I will have a better blogging record on this second attempt, but I am not making any promises. Haha! My two little boys keep me pretty busy!

Here's to new beginnings! I plan to document our life changes very soon.