Divine Compensation

It's been one of those days...super busy, mostly good, but with a few too many distractions to write both a blog post and a letter to Savannah.  So I just copied and pasted the email I wrote to her this morning because it sums up the things in my head today and I didn't want to have to translate it into generic blog form.  

Hello little Mouse of my heart,

I'll send pictures and house updates in a little while, but holy cow, I needed to jump out of bed and write this down and apparently hurry send it to you because something yelled in my ear this morning, so here it is...weirdness and all...

I've been having these crazy, lucid dreams since we got here...like I always have dreams, but these have been SERIOUSLY CRAZY and not attributed to any late night eating or TV watching.  :)

Daddy woke up at like 5:45 this morning to go fishing out on his little lake.  He's kind of loving this permanent vacation lake house he gets to live in.  And I woke up and thought about getting an early start on the remaining boxes that are left, but they're not the fun ones and the things in them don't have obvious homes, so I was totally irritated and unmotivated by that job.  Instead, I just pulled the covers over my head and went back to sleep.  And then I had the CRAZIEST, super vivid dream, right in the middle of the morning.  So weird!  

I dreamed that we were staying in that Courtyard hotel...the one we just came from, except we were living in one of the conference rooms.  And Daddy came home from work and was irritated about something, but then the doorbell rang (I know, weird huh?  I even asked him in the dream why we had a doorbell when we were living in a conference room?) and it was a pizza delivery guy.  And then Daddy threw this giant pizza on one of the big banquet tables and said, "I just felt like it was time for us to have a decent meal!"  ...what the heck?  But it smelled really good and I was hungry, so I rounded up the kids.  Except by the time we got back to the table where Daddy and the pizza were, all these security guards had come and taken like half the pizza.  :(((  So frustrating...  

Then the doorbell rang again and it was this giant group of people that at first I didn't recognize but then as they all came into the room, they started to look familiar.  It was the RS sisters from the Allen 1st Ward.  And they had all come to decorate the conference room in this HUGE Christmas ice scene (think Gaylord Texas ICE kind of huge...) with all these Christmas presents and treats and little gingerbread houses everywhere.  And it was just for me!  (I could tell because it was all my favorite stuff.)  And then at the end of the whole long line of women decorating, there was Sis King orchestrating the whole thing!  And when I saw her, I just hugged her and cried and cried.  (it totally still makes me cry thinking about seeing her standing there in that conference room in the middle of June in this big giant white parka decorating the whole place for Christmas.)

And then I woke up and thought, "what in the heck?? That was the most random thing ever!"

But then that little voice in my head said, "Nope.  It wasn't random.  It was divine compensation in a way that you could understand it."

So apparently, my mind thinks of sacrifice and reward in terms of pizza and Stephanie King.  Who knew that Sis King surrounded by ice sculptures, Christmas presents and treats was my head's idea of the ultimate reward?  :)))

And this is the song that was playing in my head along with that little voice about divine compensation...it's from Isaiah and also from D&C 121 when Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail...via Rob Gardner.

For a little while

Have I forsaken thee; 

But with great mercies will I gather thee.

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee

For a moment.

But with everlasting kindness will I gather thee,

And with mercy will I take thee 'neath my wings,

For the mountains shall depart,

And the hills shall be removed,

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,

But know, my child,

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Though thine afflictions seem

At times too great to bear,

I know thine every thought and every care.

And though the very jaws

Of hell gape after thee I am with thee.

And with everlasting mercy will I succor thee,

And with healing will I take thee 'neath my wings.

Though the mountains shall depart,

And the hills shall be removed,

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,

Know, my child,

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

How long can rolling water

Remain impure?

What pow'r shall stay the hand of God?

The Son of Man hath descended below all things.

Art thou greater than He?

So hold on thy way,

For I shall be with thee.

And mine angels shall encircle thee.

Doubt not what thou knowest,

Fear not man, for he

Cannot hurt thee.

And with everlasting kindness will I succor thee,

And with mercy will I take thee 'neath my wings

For the mountains shall depart,

And the hills shall be removed,

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,

But know, my child,

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Anyway, the point of all this rambling about dreams is that there has been some pretty heavy sacrificing made by all of us...by you, by me, by the kids, and even by Daddy.  But Heavenly Father has not left us out in the lone and dreary world.  He knows us and He knows what's coming.  And He knows what will best prepare us for that.  He's got this.  He's not going to let us give up all these things we love so much just for the security guards to come eat it all and leave us with half a pizza.  What He ultimately desires for us is better than anything we could dream up on our own.  Better than the best Pinterest wedding, and Jed Thunell-video of you and Alex coming out of the Payson Temple that you've ever dreamed up.  Better than any infinitely happy reunion or retirement plan.  Better than any house on the lake with a baby grand piano.  Better than whatever all of us have imagined in our limited earthly minds.  

So hang on, little Mouse.  We seem to live parallel lives for some reason while you're on this mission.  So on those days that are frustrating for you like they are for me, and on the days when you'd rather be done with all this refining and just get to the good part already, just keep going one more hour, one more day, one more transfer.  There will be little joyful things along the way...and they will be enough to make the hard things worth it.  

Love you heaps and heaps!

Mommy

It's just like that CS Lewis quote that I love...

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York: MacMillan Co., 1960, p. 160).

Potential

Hi...sorry about yesterday's gloomy post.  I thought about deleting it, but then changed my mind because I think sometimes I need reminders that days are not always sunny and birds are not always chirpy.  Sometimes I go back and read journal entries or look at IG posts and have the mistaken un-reality that I've only ever loved all the places I've been.  With all those beautiful pictures of Cache Valley hanging all over my walls and posted all over social media, you'd think that I loved that place from the time we drove in there. I didn't.  I hated it for 7 whole years.  It wasn't until we left and went back a few years later that I loved it.  And I think I hated Allen when we first moved there, too.  I'm pretty sure I hated everything in August of 2010.  I think I always assume that just because I've moved so many times that I'm great at it and super adaptable and fine with change, but I'm really not.  I bet I've resisted every change and every new ward and probably every worthwhile person who's ever tried to break through the armadillo exterior I put up around myself when I walk into any new situation.  

I texted a friend on Saturday night and told her I was a little nervous about going to church the next morning, and she said, "Don't worry. Just don't do that thing where you're super unapproachable and aloof, and you'll be fine. They'll love you."  

I tried to be warm and approachable on Sunday, but it was too hard...at least not right out of the gate.  I'm cautious and reserved when things are new...and aloof and unapproachable apparently.  I assume people aren't going to bother to learn to say my name correctly, that they won't be interested in me, and that they'll be too busy to stay for very long, so I don't typically invest anything until they make an effort.  Because sometimes they don't.  Too many people have said, "Oh I'll never remember how to pronounce your name. That's way too hard."  And if that's what they want to invest in me, then that's what I'm usually willing to invest in them.  It's not exactly a generous or Christlike way to live, but holy cow has it worked to weed out the fluffy, superficial friends in my life.  I have none of those.  I only know how to make the lifelong kind, and that's only because THEY persist when I give them every indication that I'm not at all interested.  They keep coming back and keep trying and keep chipping away at the armor, and then somehow all that trying magically transforms me from porcupine into golden retriever and I become theirs for life, whether they want me or not.  It's a goofy, dysfunctional way to make friends, but like I texted back to that really good friend on Saturday night, it worked in Allen so maybe it will work in Birmingham, too. :) 

Anyway, yesterday got better, not because I left the house or made any friends.  Um, heck no, it's waaaay too early for that!  But because there were tiny little glimpses of good things in this place, and things that fit in this house, and evidences of potential joy down the road...

This was the most helpful text I got yesterday...

I found these pretty things outside my front door...it's amazing what you can find when you venture outside.  I didn't go very far, just to get the mail. 

There's now a towel rack hanging from the shower door so I don't have to throw my towels on the floor before I get in the shower.  I'm pretty sure the guy who lived here before us was left handed because EVERYTHING in this house opens left or turns left or is on the left side.  

This is what my jewelry looked like when I unpacked it on Saturday.  It's been sitting in that pile all week and it made me irritated every time I walked past it so I couldn't bring myself to do anything with it, and I just kept walking past it.  But yesterday, Craig hung up that tie rack which is now a jewelry holder in my closet, and Megan and I took turns unraveling the heap.   She is infinitely patient with tedious things like heaps of jewelry and her frustrated mother. 

Now they're all individual necklaces again instead of one giant one.  I also decided to get rid of a bunch of them because I realized after two hours of detangling that I don't even wear half those necklaces anyway.  ugh...

My side of the closet is also officially done. Hallelujah!  And I noticed that there are a LOT of empty spaces in that shoe holder, so I mentioned to Craig that I clearly do not own enough shoes and I may need to do something about that.  

And this was the best thing that happened yesterday...THE OFFICE!  Since Craig no longer works from home, he doesn't need this space. So guess what!  It's mine!!  After the internet guy connected me back to my Beloved Mac, and after Craig left for work, Megan and I spent the afternoon thinking a little creatively.  That rug used to live in my entryway in Allen, but it doesn't work in the entryway here, even though I've tried to force it to live there for a week.  So we moved it into the office.  And that console table used to live in the kitchen in Allen, but this office wall is going to be filled with all those pictures and they needed something to "ground" them, so Megan and I dragged that thing into the office.  Now all those baskets are filled with family history stuff and pictures and crafty things.  There is stuff in this space that didn't used to live in the office at our old house, but with a little "out of the box" thinking and some help from Pinterest, Megan and I repurposed our old stuff into this awesome creative space that I'm SO excited about.  

All this stuff is going to be a collage wall...um, except not the tissue box...

...Oh, and look at the view from my desk!  Those are French doors that go out to a tiny balcony on the front of the house where I think we'll probably put a couple of rocking chairs and a little table.  Now I just need someone to come sit in one of them and play the guitar while I edit pictures and write blog posts...10 more months until my guitar-playing missionary comes home.  Maybe she'll sit out there.   And...that happens to be a birdbath we also discovered out there!  I had McKay fill it with water yesterday and guess what!  Some birds came this morning to take a bath!!  They're super skittish, though, so every time I even move to try and get a picture they fly away.  But just this morning, I've seen three robins and a cardinal!      

This is the view from that side window...

And this is what that pretty lake has looked like nearly every night this week.  The kids said they feel like they're on vacation at a lake house.  

So while it may not have been my dream to live in a vacation lake house in Alabama for the next 20 years, and while I still can't see what the rest of this ride is going to look like, and the potential church callings looming overhead are still keeping me up at night, all the little things yesterday (and this morning) have at least reminded me that this is way more bearable than it's felt in my head for the last five days.  Some days are still going to be frustrating and lonely and sad.  And I might still miss Allen and resist Birmingham for awhile longer, but I can see that there is potential for joy to sneak in.  

"How often in life do we set our own roots into the soil of life and become root bound?  We may treat ourselves too gently and defy anyone to disturb the soil or trim back our root system.  Under these conditions we too must struggle to make progress.  Oh, change is hard!  Change can be rough.  The Lord does not want (us) to become root bound and stagnant.  There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself.  The things we see, touch, and feel are always changing.  There is a tendency to think of change as the enemy.  Many of us are suspect of change and will often fight and resist it before we have even discovered what the actual effects will be.  When change is thought through carefully, it can produce the most rewarding and profound experiences in life."  - Marvin J Ashton

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Existence

It turns out I'm completely OCD when things are in disarray.  I already knew that.  So all of this is making me slightly insane...

Nothing is where it belongs because I have no idea yet where most of it belongs.  

So here's what my days have looked like so far this week...

I wake up at 6:00am because even though we live in Central Time, the sun thinks we're in Eastern Time and it's up by 5:30am.  

I make the bed as soon as I get out of it because that's pretty much the only thing I can do that stays done in a day...until we get back in it at night.  

Usually on the way to or from the bathroom I find something to put away or reorganize or move to a different location, and then I get distracted for awhile in there until I remember that I should probably brush my teeth and change out of my jammies, although honestly, I could wander around this house unpacking for a really long time in jammies before that thought would occur to me.  I think I've gotten dressed most of the days this week, though.  

And now that McKay installed this shower thing...whatever it's called...I've showered more often, too.  For as big and beautiful as this house appears to be, it is frustratingly dysfunctional, for me anyway.  This massive shower has not a shelf or a ledge or any place to put anything.  The door opens the wrong way (not toward the towel rack) so you have to remember to take your towels off the rack ahead of time and throw them on the floor, or drip around to the other side of the bathroom if you forget.  It's mostly just a big, dark, tiled cave with a shower head.  The former owner's wife must have taken baths because this clearly is not a space made for a woman.  

The master closet connects to the laundry room which is convenient, but also distracting because I usually wander in there and start a load of laundry before I'm entirely finished getting ready for the day.  And that space is another source of frustration for me.  The ceilings are 8 or 9 feet high and there is just that one little wire shelf in there and a utility sink on the wall behind me, and no other storage!  How could anyone adequately function in a laundry room with only that little storage space?  Where did she put everything?  And guess what...I can't reach that shelf without a step ladder.  So it wouldn't do any good to add more shelving in there anyway because I would never be able to get to anything up there.  ugh...I'm probably a little bit shorter than average, but this house was obviously built for much taller than average people because every shelf and every cabinet in every room is too high for me to even SEE into let alone reach.  

After the laundry, I usually move to the kitchen which is where I most want to be finished, but I just can't make that space come together.  It is HUGE...like seriously HUGE, but I've realized it's mostly just the distance from one end of it to the other that's huge.  The storage space isn't that huge.  I have put things and then re-put them at least two or three times, and then I get frustrated and cry for awhile about it, and then I go back in there and try to tackle another box and realize there's no place for the stuff to go, and then I shift things around again...and three days later, it still just looks like an unorganized, dysfunctional mess.   

And then I spend the rest of the day wandering from room to room trying to find a place that I can find some sense of accomplishment with. So far, I haven't found one.  McKay opens boxes for me.  Megan unpacks them.  I put things in places where I think they should go.  And then Megan breaks down the boxes and drags them out to the porch.  I think all we've really accomplished this week is that we've multiplied the mess.  

I know that most of my problem with this house is that I'm trying to make things fit into the places they used to be in my old house.  And that I'm trying to use only what I have and not buy anything new, mostly because I don't want to leave the house or have to go shopping.  And that I'm trying to have it all finished in a week.  (I did actually think most of this would be done by now...)  I have no patience.  

People keep texting me and asking me how I'm doing and how things are going with the unpacking and the transition.  I really have no idea what to say to that.  Life is uninspiring lately and I feel like I'm just going through the motions.  It is truly beautiful here, but I feel like it's kind of lost on me.  I can see all the rolling hills and the green that covers every inch of space outside, and every now and then something will catch my eye and I think I should probably be more grateful for this place, but I don't really feel anything yet.  I don't love this place yet.  I feel totally guilty for not loving this beautiful house that Craig bought me, but I don't yet.  The kids have been awesome and they love everything.  Craig loves everything.  It's just me.  I just wander through the days and go through the motions of unpacking things and hope they fit into a space, and then get up and do it all over again the next day.  There's honestly not a lot of joy in it, which is weird because normally I love this stuff.   I'm sure I'll get there.   But for now, I'm sort of just existing.  

"We All Have Shoulders"

Once upon a time, just a couple days ago, Sister Thunell and her new companion, Sister Brinkerhoff, went to an appointment with a new investigator named Petra. They read Mosiah 24 (Sister Thunell's favorite Book of Mormon chapter) and talked about how we all have burdens and that through Christ those burdens can be lightened and lifted from us. Well, Sister Thunell didn't know how to say the word "burden" in German, so after scanning the English verse and then checking the context of the same verse in German, she thought she had figured it out. After a little formulating in her head she said calmly, "Wir alle haben Schultern." The investigator looked at her a little strangely, and Sister Thunell quickly realized that she had just said, "We all have shoulders," instead of "we all have burdens." 

Which is 100% true, in my defense!!  So that's the embarrassing German moment of the week :) 

Now on to bigger and better things!  

The first half of the week was a blur getting all of Sister Staack's stuff packed, getting all the information about the *Elders' half of the area, starting the process of moving into the Elders' apartment (because theirs is nicer than ours...haha) and having a lot of goodbye appointments for Sister Staack! 

Tuesday we helped a member and her mom move out of their apartment and into a new one, and because there were no men available to help us that day, I channeled my Hawaiian blood and turned into The Hulk so we could carry couches and cabinets and a lot of other heavy things up and down the stairs all day long.  It was actually pretty empowering...who needs the Elders Quorum? Just call the Sister missionaries! ;) ...just kidding. 

Tuesday night we decided to pull an all-nighter (worst decision of my whole mission so far) and we left our house around 4:30am to catch a train to Salzburg for transfers!  We travelled with all the Elders one last time before all of them ditched me and went to Switzerland, and then later that day I met my new companion, Sister Brinkerhoff!  She is the cutest thing. That was a looonnggggg day in Salzburg, but we met three new Goldens that are coming to the Wien Zone, and I'm looking forward to tausching with them!!  

The second half of the week was also crazy with cleaning the Elders' apartment, and moving in a little more, and a bazillion appointments!  But it was a good week...an emotional one, but a good one in the end. :)

We had 5 investigators come to church on Sunday and there was a multi-stake conference broadcast from Salt Lake City so that was fun to watch!  

Sometimes I feel a little forgotten in this little-known corner of the Alpine German Speaking Mission, all the way over here in Europe, so far away from the Prophet and Apostles.  But we are never forgotten.  And the Lord never forgets us either.  I have been praying this week to feel God's love for me more in my life.  Missions do crazy things to you!  We are out here teaching people about how God loves them, and how the gospel can help their lives, but I have been struggling myself with feeling loved!  But no one is perfect. We are all struggling a little and climbing up this mountain of life together, and we can all learn from each other and grow towards eternal life together.  

I know without a doubt that we have a Father in Heaven. I know we are His children. We all try our best, we all make mistakes, and we all need to love ourselves a little more, and look for the ways God shows His love to us a little more.  Sometimes we have burdens and struggles!  No one's testimony is perfect, but I know that even with my imperfect testimony I can still help others come closer to Christ.  I love being a missionary, I love my trials, and I love the Atonement and the knowledge I have that I can be helped through my trials.

Love you all!  Thank you so much for all the prayers and support.  Have a great week.  Keep pressing forward!

Liebe Grüße,

Sister Thunell 

* As of this transfer, there are more sisters serving in the AGS Mission than elders, so they have shut down several of the areas to elders and made them sister-only areas, which is why Savannah and her companion have moved into the elders' old apartment and why they are taking over the elders' half of the area.  All of the Graz elders have been transferred to Switzerland which is pretty exciting because previously only the European missionaries have been able to get visas to serve in that part of the mission.  These three American elders from Graz are part of a group of 6 who are the first Americans to serve in this part of Switzerland...ever?  ...in a really long time?  I'm not sure.

First Sunday in Alabama

Craig told us last night that it would probably take 20 minutes to get to church and that we should all be prepared to leave by 9:20 for a 10:00 Sacrament meeting.  I thought he was trying to make sure we got there sufficiently early so we could meet people, which I didn't particularly want to do, so I was ready at 9:30.  That still should have gotten us there 10 minutes early except for the broken gate at the rear entry of the subdivision which required us to go all the way to the front entrance.  It's a BIG subdivision.  And the drive to church is every bit of 30 minutes with that little detour.  So, much to my husband's dismay, we walked into the building at 10:01 on our first Sunday and the only available row was right in the front.  So much for slipping in inconspicuously... :(

There's only one ward that meets in our building so we will forever meet at 10:00.  And after today, I will be forever ready to walk out the door by 9:20.  

It's a much smaller ward than the one we came from.  It's smaller than any ward I've ever been in, I think, except on vacation.  They mentioned something in Sunday School about being able to qualify for a building expansion when attendance reaches a consistent 120 per week.  I think they're at 110 right now.  

The youth meets all together for Sunday School.  There are three deacons including McKay.  Megan and Emma have tripled the Laurel class.  It's pretty different from any of our kids'  previous youth experiences.  

Pretty much everything about this ward is shockingly different than where I've ever been before.  And all I kept thinking the entire time I sat in those meetings today was that I don't think we're in Alabama for us.  This isn't going to be about me finding myself or learning about my strengths and talents.  The 20+ years since I joined the church have been for me to find those things and to secure a solid testimony based on gospel truths.  Every person I've interacted with in the past 6 wards we've lived in has taught me something about some piece of the gospel.  And sitting in that front row today right in the Bishop's line of sight, the thought occurred to me that if he asked, I would have to tell him that I can do whatever he needs me to do in this ward.  I've served in every possible ward-level capacity in the last 20 years.  Holy cow, that's overwhelming, because when you look at this tiny ward with people serving in multiple callings, there are a lot of things that need to be done.  

All day today, I kept hearing this little voice in my head reminding me that I'm stronger than I think I am and that I'm more capable than I give myself credit for.  Most days I would argue with that voice, but today it made me surprisingly calm even though there is so much about this place and this day that was unfamiliar and overwhelming.  

I have absolutely no idea where our family is going to be asked to serve, but I have a feeling this place is going to keep us busy.  And I have a feeling the next 20 years are going to look a whole lot different than the previous 20 have looked.

When we understand the enabling power of the Atonement, we will be changed; we will have access to strength beyond our natural abilities, our weakness can be turned to strength, and we can know that “in the strength of the Lord” we can “do all things.” (Alma 20:4)  - David A Bednar

Grumpy

Crappiest week ever...   

Monday started out really bad and things have just gotten progressively more frustrating as the week has continued.  

And it's only Wednesday...

I woke up this morning grumpy and irritated thinking about that guy who used to own our house and when Craig texted me his usual Good Morning, I responded with a long list of things I wanted him to do...  

I want the locks on the house changed.  I don't want that guy to have my phone number or to know my name or any of the kids' names.  I don't want him setting foot in the house.  I don't want to meet him.  We will not be using the boat he has conveniently left parked in the backyard until he makes arrangements for it in the fall since he has no lake at his new house and there is nowhere for him to store it.  I will be happy to put all the food he accidentally left in the basement freezer that he "gifted" us, out in a cooler on the front porch that he can pick up in exchange for the remote control to the subdivision entrance gate that he conveniently did not leave us.  And some kind of date needs to be determined for the removal of his pool table because if he doesn't have someone come and get it soon, I will be happy to arrange for it's departure.  

That's an exact quote.  Nice, huh?  Aren't you so glad you don't have to wake up with me on a grumpy morning?  I don't wake up that way very often.    

Here's how the rest of the day went...   

Thing #1 (...this is actually Thing 7 or 8, but the others happen every day of #hotellife so they've become part of the routine and don't qualify as official Things.)

So a month ago, I called the new schools the kids would be going to in Birmingham and got a list of registration requirements...immunization records, proof of residency, birth certificates, withdrawal records, custody documents...wait, what?  Do you have custody records if you're married, because I don't have those and I'm pretty sure I never have had them.  The lady on the phone clarified that no, if my current husband is the only husband I've ever had and also the kids' actual dad, then custody documents would not be required.  Phew...  

I have all the other stuff, but I wrote a little reminder on my calendar to get an official withdrawal form sometime during the kids' last week of school.  Since tomorrow is their last day of school, I went today to officially withdraw them and collect whatever forms came with that process.  There isn't a form.  Because they don't need to be withdrawn when they complete the whole year which they will after tomorrow.  That must be one of those extra little things the Birmingham lady thought I would need, like the custody documents.  

Thing #2
I went to get gas in the car for the second time this week because driving everyone everywhere from this hotel requires significantly more gas than a typical week living in our house used to.  But Craig changed the address on our bank account today, which I didn't know, so when I swiped my card and put in the Allen zip code I always use, it said SALE TERMINATED.  Twice.  And when I finally realized that the address was the problem, I also realized that I don't even know my new zip code yet.  I have it written down.  Somewhere.  But I was already frustrated and had left the gas station by then.  

Thing #3
Then I went to the post office to pick up the mail I had put on hold two weeks ago when we officially moved out of our other house.  I did it online on USPS.com so I could specifically request to PICK UP the mail that was on hold TODAY before the forwarding date which starts TOMORROW.  So Emma and I waited ten minutes in the parking lot for a parking space to open.  And then we waited another 25 minutes in an extraordinarily long line to ask for our mail...only to be told by the post office lady that there was no mail on hold for us.  When I insisted that there should be, she checked again and came back to happily report that it was on the mail truck and that the carrier would be delivering it to my house shortly.  Unfortunately, since we don't live in that house anymore I was not as elated about that news as she hoped I would be.  She called the mail carrier on the radio and caught him before he delivered our mail and then reported the next best happy news to me...and said that I could come back anytime tomorrow to pick it up.  Great.  I wasn't as happy as she was when I left there.

That's it.  That's the worst of it, anyway.  Any more complaining and I'm going to sound a lot like a spoiled three year old.  Except for all this infernal driving.  ugh...when I get to Birmingham, I'm not going to set foot outside my new house and I will definitely not be getting in a car for at least a week!  

The day got slightly better later in the afternoon when I got a text from my friend saying that she had a couple of gift cards and did I want to meet her for a pedicure.  um...heck yes!

And then it was better still when I realized I had two whole hours before I had to drive anyone anywhere again.  I turned the music up really loud in the hotel room, admired my pedicure and sang the crap out of those songs that have preserved my sanity this week...in between eating a cookie or two.  Oh, what would I do without that music...!?

The kids all had a great last night of mutual.  Craig's entourage of fans young men came running out to the car to give me one more round of gifts they made for him...holy cow!  How does this man not have an ego the size of Nevada?  The girls' YW leaders all cried and hugged them for a really long time before letting them get in the car.  And then they gave them a HUGE card they had all signed. 

There was a movie on late tonight that had an unexpected pelican in it, and I love pelicans so I made everyone watch it with me.  It was worth it.  

So, once again the day ended better than it started and I am not as grumpy writing this as I was blasting out that text to Craig this morning.  Poor Craig.  He endures a lot.  It's a good thing there is an end in sight because I'm not sure I can manage many more days like the last three...nor can he.  

1 day, 20 hours, and 27 minutes until we get to Birmingham.  Hanging on...