We got stuff ready. We tried to downsize and throw out. We trusted God to move us from Fla. to Ohio He did. We drove safely. We have been adjusting to our Ohio world. Hubby got his job, hurt his back with too much heavy lifting, and is recovering.

You know when you move to another state, you have to tend to driver’s licenses and plates for your cars. I called and inquired. There was an enormous list. My hubby said we’d just go in and find out in person. We did. We went to another building, across town and got our birth certificates, chased down our energy bill, his w-2/tax info from previous year, mailed to Fla. to get info on lien on our truck and so much more. It’s more difficult to move to Ohio than to move to Fla. Praise God we had lived in Ohio before. We had history in the computer of our info. They had seen I was using my married last name years ago, so I didn’t have to bring in my marriage certificate/ and thus my divorce paper work from previous marriage, that proved I could be Lori Church. Now, we’d come to this office yesterday, today and hubby is going back tomorrow. He’s really getting perturbed. They don’t like that his social security card was once laminated 20 years ago. He’s had it ok’d by countless organizations since, but Ohio BMV won’t accept it.

I’ve been known to carefully mail an envelope with a previously used stamp, not post marked. I carefully mailed this one with my stamp glued on. The mail carrier would not take it. The mail carrier wrote a brief “can’t use glue on postage.” I’m almost 60 and have before…..this Ohio is really picky about details.

Details make my hubby more and more frustrated. His attitude is contagious. Agggggg…….let me go eat a gallon of ice cream……Oh! (and talk to God about it all….) lol

Here we are, my hubby and I, just living life and going to visit friends’ churches when we want. We don’t buy lots of groceries at one time. I can go to the garbage, the mail box and more, quite easily. Life is better. We planned to move, downsize, and have a simpler life. We have it….it kind of snuck up on us.

How peaceful!

Smile!

We are to show love, offer love, and be love to all.

My beloved hubby has been going through terrible kidney stone pain. We went to the doctor. He didn’t get much help. He was given pain pills and told to wait it out.

I’m reminded we are to quote the Psalms to one another: Ephesians 5: 19 says: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  Psalms 142: 4 says, “I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.”…………sort of how my hubby feels…..

I pray for his healing…

new Ohio home……………..now the dreaded hubby working nights starts……….agggh

Not 105 degrees with heat index…but see Matthew 6: 26….

I got some good green beans, red potatoes, peaches and fat cucumbers at the farmer’s market. Ohio always did have good fruit and vegetables. We are grateful.

It was a long, full day. He feels he can do the job well.  All eyes are on him….

I was able to climb into tub and bathe today (18th) ….not a feat I usually do………..things are different here.

So, we give all glory to God for our house closing Friday!
We are safe and we are re-establishing ourselves in the city of our youth. The kids have been over alot and have brought some of the “grands” over. We are blessed.

I thought we’d continue to plow through our many boxes, but hubby said we should go to church yesterday. Ummmmm, ok. We have our clothes. I haven’t found my box that says “Lori’s shoes” yet, but, I’ll find it eventually. I asked my hubby which church we’d go to. He said the one we used to go to. Ummmmmm, ok, again. It’s a good church and the pastor preaches amazingly. He hears from God.

We arrived in the parking lot and were recognized immediately. It was as if the last 9 years away, in another state, hadn’t happened. The same happened at the door. The same happened, with hugs, inside. Awesome! Way to make us feel at home.

It was the day our chorus director from High school was being honored for being the minister of music at the church for 40 years straight. We were invited to the celebration/fellowship later that day. We went and visited, chatted, ate, had a great time. We found out upcoming happenings at the church and it’s as if 9 years never happened. Unbelievable!

We’d been in 2 other states, been to colleges, been involved in many, many things culturally and in churches. We’d had weddings, wakes, births and deaths. We’d had my writings and growth. By golly, we had our learning time, then came back to a place that seemed like we’d not been gone for 9 years at all. God has a sense of humor. We love Him so much……..

God answered differently and we are in our new home and were able to unpack the U-haul!! God is so awesome!! We praise Him!!

As we are dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s in this move, my hubby had wanted to sell the lawn business. That fell through. As an added blessing, God had me see a lawn care guy in the post office parking lot. I happen to mention to him, “do you want more customers and maybe some equipment?” He was a total stranger. (angel unawares…) He said to have my hubby call him. My hubby did. God is going to put the icing on the cake and have us close on our house on our mini-anniversary and have someone buy/pay off the equipment and take care of the 45 customers.!!!! God cares about every detail of our lives. He wants to bless us and give us power and so much more……..I love Him so much.

God is gracious! Through it all, He has kept me. Through all the stress and tensions and delays, God has kept my hubby and myself closer than ever. We have learned a lot. Delays, addendums, waiting for closings on a house in some states are worse than others. Florida is bad. They are picky. If a buyer or seller is awaiting a loan of some sort, it can be ridiculous. A person could lose their mind. I grew up with people saying that phrase. I don’t think they really meant it.
2 Timothy 1: 7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound MIND”

house to “close”. We expect to close this coming weekend. It almost doesn’t seem real. I can’t stop smiling. I mean, I caught myself grinning in my sleep last pm. This is almost unheard of. If I can relate the “joy of the Lord” to this…grinning in my sleep, smiling all day, a real underlying joy. I must remember this and dwell more on the joy of the Lord. (See Nehemiah 8: 10)

“Blackout Wars”