Home Sweet Home

Well. Here she is. One Kijabe Place. No, I'm just kidding about the street address. I think this is technically 501 Waring Duplex better known as HOME! Our outrageously nice new neighbors sent us these wonderful pictures of our new place! We are so excited to see our house and imagine our new life there that will start in just a few weeks. I showed Claire this first picture of our house I thought she was going to hyperventilate she was laughing so hard at the blue roof. She kept laughing and laughing and I kept asking her what was so funny and she finally squeeked out "It's blue" and started laughing even harder. It was quite a moment. At least she can always find her house!

This is the front porch entrance. There are lots of beautiful flowers in this part of Kenya but they are suffering from a SEVERE drought so things aren't as lush as they could be but it is nice to see some things blooming despite the lack of water.




This is our view. Again - this is our view. Wow. I mean seriously. I get to gaze at this sight every day. That is the Great Rift Valley and Mt. Logonot you see there. Claire was a little concerned when I mentioned that Mt. Logonot was a volcano. Apparently the Wonder Pets have recently been on a mission to rescue a baby crane from a volcano so she was a little scared but I assured her it was an old volcano and nothing to worry about.




This is the living room and our source of heat on what I keep being told are cold Kijabe nights. Since this is "short term" housing it is furnished for us and therefore kind of a hodge podge of funiture. I'm excited about getting in there and making it our own. I keep reminding myself that we are moving to Kenya bring the love and compassion of Christ to others NOT to decorate my house. But the nesting Momma in me at least wants our home to be warm and inviting and a welcoming place of ministry for our family so that is my goal.




This is my dining room. Our neighbor described it as a brick red but on my computer it looks more like a coral pink. I guess we will find out when we get there! I love my red dining room here in Alabama so it would be a nice slice of our old house if it is really red. I love that corner cabinet!



This is our bedroom . . .




This is the Ford and Claire's room upstairs. Claire has already claimed her bed and I am bringing a few things that will make this room really cute.



Apparently there was some left over red paint that they decided to use upstairs too in what will be our nursery and guest room (hint, hint!).




Here is another view of the front entrance.


It is so much fun to have these pictures of our new house! I've been reading lots of fun blogs of people who have just moved to Kijabe so I am learning about a lot of their experiences too. It seems like, overwhelmingly, people really enjoy living here and that it is a pretty special place. We are honored that we get to go and be a part of what God is doing here.

Please continue to pray for us - particularly that our house will sell soon. We have had SO many people coming to look at it. Which is wonderful but it is frankly wearing me out trying to keep everything is "showing condition" all of the time and having to leave the hosue for several hours at a time. I almost have a panic attack every time I think about everything that we are doing between now and Nov. 5th - all of the various doctor's appointments, Gus' Dedication, Ford's Birthday party, our Commissioning ceremony at Brook Hills, several of the kids' friends birthday parties, several consignment sales to get stuff ready for, lots of get togethers with friends to say good-bye, not to mention packing up everything we own in a storage unit and 14 suitcases worth of stuff to take with us on the plane. But somehow it will all get done. It is comforting to know that God is in the details of our life too and knows what we need on every level. He will get us there. He is faithful beyond measure.

Rhett is busy studying for his ID boards that he takes on the 6th of Nov. between moonlighting shifts. We are SO thankful that he will NOT be needed hernia surgery as we thought he would before we leave. God had mercy on us. I could not wrap my mind around doing all the moving and lifting and traveling we are going to be doing and having my husband not be able to lift anything over 20 lbs for 2 months after this surgery.

Claire is back in school and loving it. I'm getting to spend a lot of extra one on one time with Ford which is really, really nice (well, Gus is there but he just kind of hangs around so it still feels like one on one). We have gone to the park or just played in the yard together. He is an absolute riot. He sings and dances all day long. He has a wonderful sense of humor and laughs and jokes around all the time.

I have found myself lately not wanting to buy normal (gargantuan) quantities of things because I want to try to use everything up before we go. It feel strange to see things I buy with an expiration date when we will be in Kenya.

Did I mention here that the airlines had split us up and had Ford, Rhett and Gus on one flight and Claire and me on another one? It was very complicated story that I am sure has many chapters left before it is all said and done. After getting hysterical about the fact that my breastfed baby was expected to fly for 19 hours with his FATHER I was told by the Delta ticketing agent that I was being "aggressive". Ha! That conversation got worse before it got better but as it stands we are supposedly all on the same aircraft. Why does travel have to be so difficult - even when you aren't actually travelling?

I'm rambling but enjoying all of these random thoughts. More soon.