One of our first times watching TV here in Tennessee, something came on about a “Volunteer Newscast.” Jeremy and I couldn’t believe that they would let people volunteer to do newscasts, but thought it would be fun. Then we learned that the University of Tennessee is big here, and their team is The Volunteers. Tennessee is, in fact, “The Volunteer State,” so there are multiple signs and businesses with Volunteer This and Volunteer That. So — I felt a little foolish. But I still think an actual volunteer newscast would be fun. 😀

Last weekend we went back to SC to celebrate my birthday with the kids and then Jim and Jeremy loaded up all Jeremy’s worldly goods onto a U-Haul, and they spent Sunday afternoon through Monday morning driving to RI. They thought they were going around NYC, but found out they were going right into Manhattan when it was too late to do anything about it but keep going. Driving a U-Haul truck which is pulling a trailer with a car on it through Manhattan is harrowing. Actually, I think the word they used was “nightmare.” I was glad that when I was praying for safety that I was praying in ignorance…

One of Jeremy’s neighbors helped them unload everything into a second floor apartment. I imagine that was fun. 🙂 They had to partially take the box springs apart to get it in and then put it back together.

There were several little blessings along the way. Safety was the main one. The fact that the couch he bought from a friend just before leaving SC matched his living room carpet perfectly. The fact that the next door neighbor seems to be a Christian and had just returned from a camp we were familiar with. The fact that the neighbor was there when they were wrestling with the box springs and told them he had had the same problem and how he took his apart to get it in.

I was glad Jim was able to go with him and help him get settled in, rather than just sending him off on his own. He said they had some good talks along the way.

Though Jeremy is excited about his new job and first apartment and starting to live on his own, the reality is setting in about being away from family. I was feeling almost panicky when Jim left him Wednesday morning to come home, feeling like I was leaving my son all alone in a strange city. But he’s not totally alone. He has met his neighbor, he knows the guy he will be working with, and most importantly, the Lord is with him.

One special blessing for me was that as I was driving around Wednesday, I heard part of a message on the radio from a speaker I was familiar with talking about experiences when her first son went away to college and how the Lord brought different people across his path who ministered to him. Isn’t the Lord good to have that message on right when I was in the car on the day my son was being left on his own in a new city? It just reinforced something that has been on my mind concerning my children: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

But we’re all missing each other sorely — Jason and Mittu, too, left behind in SC.

And now that every single member of my immediate family has moved in the last three weeks — hopefully we can all settle into new routines. And we’re planning to get together at Thanksgiving. I am already looking forward to it!

Jesse’s been doing well in school — still a little nervous, but doing okay.

A couple of people asked whether I’d have a craft/sewing room in this house. Yes, the third bedroom will be “my”room. My dear husband is kind enough to let me have that while his office things are in the garage in what will one day be an additional room (the garage has some extra space in front of where the cars will be parked which we want to turn into a room some time in the next year or so). I’m working on it last and getting the living areas taken care of first, so it is just stacked with boxes right now. We want to get a futon to put in it for when we have overnight guests. I probably need to go ahead and get my sewing machine set up, though, as I have a couple of little mending jobs that need attention.

I’ve been rotating between setting up housekeeping, unpacking boxes (after you get the major stuff out, then you can only do so much at one time before your brain feels fried. All those little things that I didn’t know what to do with and tucked into drawers or shelves over the years are now showing up in the boxes requiring decisions about where to put them!), running errands, seeing Grandma, and writing people about our change of address.

Better get back to business now!