Our New Pad

Our days have been spent settling into our home and our new environment. So far we love it. Yes it is a bit different then what we knew, but it is our home. The children are registered for school. It was decided that Parker would go into 2nd grade instead of first. If he went to first, he would be a year older than the other children and would be much taller. The principal sent us home with books for him to practice reading because Parker will be behind the other children in his reading skills. So far, Parker is doing great with these books. Addison will remain in 4th grade. PS 11 (their school) will be a great place for her. It is a school with a focus on writing and arts. If you know Addison……you know that this will be a great fit. The after school program offers anything from soccer to drama to rock-n-roll theater to fencing and much more. Brad and I left feeling great about the school.

Today we hung the curtains in the living/ dining room which put the finishing touches on the room. There is only one small pile to go through and make decisions about where everything goes. Surprisingly enough, this apartment feels larger than I thought it would. I thought that we would be busting out the seams. But everything has managed to fit fine. The people who lived here before us built shelves for storage over bedroom doors and in closets that make it nice. Now we have the bedrooms to paint. I have included pictures for our new place.

So far we have gone on “adventures” through out the city. On Saturday, we went to Time Square and saw the Naked Cowboy (who is now running for the Mayor of NYC!). Then we went to FAO Schwartz where we saw a life sized Lego Batman. Then we began our journey into the true life of the city……Central Park. It began with some incredible break dancers. The deeper we ventured in, the more we realized that you can find your niche in this city. From the dancing roller skaters to the Egyptian playing a violin and singing opera, there is a place for everyone here. Each corner we turned, it just got better. As long as the weather permits, our plan is to go here for the day on the weekend. Such good entertainment!!!!

Besides our adventure to Central Park, we have been to a park on the pier with friends we met from the seminary. Brad and the children went yesterday on a 3 hour walk that took them past 9-11 to Battery Park where they were able to see the Statue of Liberty across the way. The subway system has been an adventure all by itself. The first time we rode it, two men got on and sang gospel to us. I thought that Addison was going to roll over dead by the look on her face. Today, we plan to go north to the aircraft carrier in the Hudson. It matters not where you go, you are going to see something great!

The Flight Up

August 12th, the children and I (Gale) woke up early to prepare for our trip to NYC. Jim Dixon graciously agreed (or was maybe conned) to take us from Rome to the airport which is about an hour and a half drive. Addison and Parker were so excited that there was barely a breathe of air that was wasted. When I uttered the words to Jim that this was going to be a long day, I had no idea of the truth the words held.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. After grabbing a bagle and muffin, we borded the plane right on time…..10:40 AM. The flight seemed to be moving along fine. Addison and Parker were so excited to be on their first plane trip that they would remember. After taking off they took pictures of the clouds and of the “match box” car set below. We should have landed a little after 12:00 PM. But the flight was taking longer than suspected. Then the announcement over the intercom……”La Guadia has a ground hold due to bad weather. Unfortunately, we are low on fuel and will have to be diverted to Dulles airport in D.C. We will land there, refuel, and service the baths. Then we should be on our way.”

So we land. I am guessing that it is now 1:30 to 2:00 PM. They refuel us and service the restrooms. We go to the end of the runway and sit and sit and sit. Again the pilot comes over the intercom and says that La Guadia is not allowing planes to come in or out, so we are going to have to get off the plane so that everyone can grab something to eat. Now, everyone unloads into a people mover which drives us to a gate where we all run to grab a bite to eat. All I know is that the three of us have had pretzels and other snack things since 9:30 this morning. At 4:00 PM, we got our Five Guys burger and fires and run back to the terminal that we had been called to. This entire time, I am trying to figure out how to get Brad by making collect calls which his cell phone can’t accept!!! Thank goodness I had enough change in my purse to make a four minute call (I know….smoke signals would have worked better!!!) to let him know we where fine.

Again, we load onto the people mover and head back to the plane. This was at 5:00 PM. The plane moves to the end of the runway. Again we sit!!!! And sit!!! And sit!!!! The Italian couple behind begin to argue in Italian. I know in English she kept saying that she was about to make a scene if they did not get the plane moving. Up to the flight attendants they both went…..and back…and up…and back. Of course Addison and Parker’s eyes are as big as saucers. All I could think about was the TV show Lost. I was not real sure that I would be able to live with these folks if we did not get to La Guadia soon!!!

Finally, at 7:00 PM we begin moving. Rumor was that we were going to be able to take off. This actually happened!!! When the plane was off the ground, everyone began to clap. It was such a great feeling. We landed in NYC around 7:45. After one more 4 minute call, we were off to get our bag, hail a taxi, and see our new home. We arrived at 175 9th Avenue around 9:00 PM. And even with our stuff every where, it felt good to be home!!!!! WOW!!!! What an adventure!

Brad's Trip

These last few days have been like riding a tornado. As soon as you get to where you’re going, you are picked up and swished away to another location. Once leaving the bubble of Camp Mikell, we have been on the move. We traveled back and forth from Rome to Marietta and back again. It was bitter sweet seeing all our friends and family. People seemed excited for us. I felt almost numb. There is so much going on that it is hard to attach a feeling to it. This is probably because we have all felt like our emotions are so raw. We now move through them as if we were riding a wave.

It will be good to get settled again. Being gypsies for the last couple of months has been exciting and our family would not change a thing. However, knowing that everything is temporary gets a bit unsettling after a while. I know that I can’t wait to call our new apartment home.

Yesterday, I (Brad) drove thirteen hours. It went by fairly fast. I had two books on tape. This really took my mind off how much longer I had to drive and how many more wiles where ahead. I would catch my mind wandering as I drove. It was as if I were in a dream. I woul d think to myself…..is this really happening? Are we actually moving to New York? ARE YOU CRAZY??? Then the same feeling that I have had for some time now would come over me. I seemed to be reassured by the thought of just take the next step. Don’t try to get ahead of yourself. I could almost feel the apprehension subside. This whole process has seemed to work this way. We now call it our family motto “One step at a time”.

As for our family, I believe that we are all excited and anxious at the same time. I wonder how long it will take us to adjust. There are too many what if’s to mention. However, my main concern is how this change will affect my family. It is my hope that this experience will help mold us and through our experiences we will become even closer and more fulfilled. Hopefully, one day our children will look back at this time in New York and appreciate this experience.

What a long, strange trip its been.......

How were we to know that 2007 would hold what it did? After all, it began like most years.....surrounded by good friends having a good time. There were no clues that would prepare us for the events ahead. I have no idea of when, but suddenly, life as we knew it began to crumble. It seemed like there was no sacred ground. Every part of our life was touched by something. Our finances were being turned up side down. Brad and I were learning things about our children that were hard to hear. We were having to make decisions about the children that we felt less than confident about making. Brad's job left him feeling unfulfilled. My job.....what job. I needed to find one but had a hard time finding the courage to seek one. Then came health issues. It all came crashing in......one problem at a time. To be honest, I can remember the feeling of being so overwhelmed.....of asking myself, "Which file folder do I open today?" or "Where should I file this? I don't know if I have a folder made for this issue." But time does play its role......I can't remember all of the issues at hand now. What I do know is that this time forced us to look at the core of every aspect of ourselves and our family.



There is one distinct day I do remember. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2007. Brad's side of the family was coming to our home for the holiday. Brad and I went to the church to borrow some tables and chairs for the big day. After a conversation at the church, Brad got in the car and said, "Have you ever thought about becoming a priest?" He had that look in his eye and that tone in his voice......the one I can't describe. I just know it. With those words and that look, I could feel an end to the chaos in our life.



After some more discussion, Brad applied to the discernment process with the attitude of "one step at a time". This is the motto our family has since taken....."one step at a time". It is too much for us to look out at the future. It all seems so blurry out there......looking the great unknown in the eye. Instead, we do have the ability and the strength to look one step ahead. We may not know where that step is going to land on the path, but God has given us the confidence to take it. And the pieces fall perfectly in line. Not as we would have imagined or thought they should have....but the way in which they were meant to fall. And how beautiful it is.......



.......and thus begins our journey. We are now in July of 2009 with our move 3 weeks away. We are at a calm place along the path knowing that our Creator holds us in the palm of His hand. As the cliche goes......"Let go and let God". This has been a challenge but has brought new definition to our life. This trip began with a major bend in the road but leads us to new uncharted waters.



So yes, as Jerry sings, "What a long, strange trip its been"!! One filled with uncertainty, honesty, chaos, and calm.......one stripping a family to the core of who they were created to be....one filled and lead by the Spirit of God.