A True-to-Lovelock Style Adventure

Well we are moved. The piles of boxes surrounding me proves it.

Last week was truly a wild week, I still look back at it and think no way all that happened in eight days. So let me go back to the beginning. . . .

Hubs had scheduled a huge outreach event for church on June 20th and we were moving on June 22nd, I was about to lose my mind. We split our time, he worked at the church on the Chinese village (made out of cardboard for the Open Grill) and I packed and packed and packed. On Friday June 19, Hubs was heading out early that morning to finish up the village and start putting it together outside. He hadn't been gone 15 minutes when he called and said that he had been in a car accident. My heart lurched and he quickly added (knowing how I am and knowing that frantic was nearing) that he was fine and that he had been rear-ended and the bumper was "dented". Breathing in a sigh of relief and thinking the car was just slightly dented, I went back to the task of packing and he went onto the church. He worked all day and all night at the church. I called the insurance (other guy's) and took care of that. A friend picked me up Saturday morning and took me to the church so I could decorate and grab the car. I walked up and saw the car and inwardly cried out "Thank ya Jesus he wasn't hurt", because that car was more than just "dented". The trunk wouldn't even shut, it was completely crushed in, the lock broken. Hubs should have been hurt, but he wasn't. The rest of Open Grill was a blur and tiring, but we got through and now the complete focus could be PACKING!

On Father's Day we headed home from church to change clothes and then we were heading to a friends house for a cook out. Friends house is way out in the country about 40 minutes from where we live, but that was fine and we were looking forward to it. We got almost home and the car began to sputter, shake and quake and died. I started it again. It died again. We all got out and I called my parents. Linton, my dad and another guy rolled her into a parking spot and we left her. Monday morning she got towed to a shop. I needed a car people, it was moving week!! I had to have a vehicle. Well, they got us a rental car while they were figuring out the details of my car. The rental was nice and had a huge trunk which I knew would come in handy. Monday was spent running around with my dad or in the rental with breaks of packing in between. Monday evening our Pastor and a young guy from our church came and took a load of boxes to the new place. I filled the rental and they filled a pick-up truck and off we went. Linton had to work that evening.

Tuesday morning the UHAUL arrived and Hubs started filling it. Then some help arrived and they took over the two man heavy stuff and then the help left and it was back to Hubs. Finally got that thing loaded and we headed to the new place. Help came and we unloaded. For the most part we were moved. We still had some other things in the other place, but nothing we'd need a truck for, so we considered ourselves done for that day.

Thursday, I picked up my new to me minivan, because they TOTALED my "dented" car. More than $8,000 in damage and that didn't included the mechanical problem, which was why the car just died on Sunday. But Hubs wasn't totaled and that's the important part. I LOVE my mini van!!! We also spent Wednesday through Saturday finishing up at the old place and cleaning. Ugh! So glad that's over.

Now the work of unpacking, organizing, pricing yard sale items and decorating begins and I am actually excited for it. It was a wild week and I don't think I could properly put it's true craziness into words, but I tried. Bottom line, we are moved and we are blessed. I have several posts floating around in my head and I hope to get them typed and saved for your reading pleasure this week.

A Decade

Ten years ago today I walked down the aisle to join my wonderful man. My joy knew no bounds. We had no idea what the next 10 years would hold, but we didn't care, we were in love and nothing could conquer that.

When I met him he was tall and skinny, but strong. He had a love for knowledge, but his bluntness was usually too much for most. He was young, unrefined, unpolished, but he loved God with a fervency I had never seen. Blunt to a fault. Faithful to the core. Looking back now I see how young he was and all that youth had with it.

Now, he is still tall, skinny and strong. He is still blunt (Bro. Blunt is his nick name). His capacity for knowledge still amazes me, he studies more than anyone I have ever known. Now he is older, wiser and more refined. He even has some gray flecking his coal black hair--I like it. His love for God has never, ever wavered. Fervency bursts from him, because it can't be contained. I often liken his preaching to a can of soda that someone shook up and then popped the tab. He is anointed for a mighty work. Faithful and patient are the fruit weighing down this tree of a man, along with many others. I should know, I am usually the recipient of said patience. Above all over the last ten years I have learned that he hears and follows God. I never doubt if he prays. I never fear that he will be afraid to carry out what God asks of him, ever. Lacking a backbone is not a problem. He amazes me with his child-like faith and his make-the-devil-tremble prayers. My Hubs is real, human, but to me he is amazing.

Babe, I love you more today than I did ten years ago. I can't say it's always been easy, because it hasn't. I can't say we have never met pain face to face. I can say that through it all we stood strong together. I am thankful that I get to be your help mate. It's an honor to stand beside you.


Hubs and Daniel at the hotel in St. Louis two weeks ago. Please pardon the stuff cluttering the bedside table. Thanks much!

Jump Aboard Scallywags!!

Well, Open Grill was a great success with an amazing ship as the centerpiece decoration. It was huge. It ended up being 18 feet long, at it's lowest point it was 6 feet tall and at it's tallest point it was 14 feet tall. It even had an Urban Angel on the bow (no mermaids here). Unfortunately it was already getting dark when I took pics, but you can still see most of it.

Here's the creation from my very talented Husband.


Here is our angel. He is an Urban Angel. Linton has been drawing/painting "Urban Angels" for years and just about nothing is complete without one. The Angel was 4 and a half feet tall.


Here's a pic of the hull, it stood right at 6 feet.


Every good pirate has to have a banister to stand behind.


This is the back of the ship. Both sides had the little fish.


The back of the ship was the most awesome to me (I'm just slightly biased). He actually drew the profile of the Lions Heads and then cut them out. In the center is a round window.


Here's the artist, sorry for the glare on the glasses.

We had several people come that had never been to our church before. We had great food and fellowship.