Wow Lord...

What a week, sleep was irrelevant. Our work was never done. We dumped a ton of junk/not needed things until we ran out of our alloted amount of coupons. Our wonderful neighbor Barbie was gracious enough to offer us her coupons... all of them! (Gotta love good neighbors)

The wood floor refinisher showed up at 8am sharp Saturday morning. We hurried down to the family room with our television, a few laptops and our microwave. This was home... oh yes, all 10 of us...for the next two days. Things were not so bad, we sprawled around on our area rug with blankets and watched netflix shows and movies for hours. I took a few peeks at the floor in the entry way and it was beautiful, it shined like glass and was still a bit sticky to the touch.

 Later that evening we had an appointment to drop off the second to last dog to a new foster home. As I waited for my husband to load up the truck, I could of sworn I heard footsteps or rather pawsteps upstairs. Naw.... couldn't be, there is just no way the dog is running around upstairs on my new floors! (blank stare) I couldn't move, I just stood there. Tony bolted up the stairs hopping over the entryway area onto the carpeted steps. Moments later he was downstairs with Chrystal. I stood there staring at Tony, the dog and my son who was standing in the garage doorway with an empty collar in his hand, bottom jaw practically touching the floor.

Wasn't too certain if I should believe Tony when he swore to me that the floors were fine, but what choice did I have at that point. I said “Ok, lets go” and we headed out of the door. Thank the Lord that when I mustard up enough courage to walk around upstairs the next day I realized that he wasn't just trying to pacify me. The few scratches that were imprinted were minor and the floors were gorgeous.

By Monday morning the house was rent-ready. We headed out on our way to the car rental agency trying to figure out how we could save some of the whopping $350 plus dollars it was going to cost us to rent a one way van to the Boston airport. When I arrived at the ticket counter, I began to explain to the clerk that the amount for the van was pretty pricey. But as I had no choice in the matter I handed him my credit card. Tony walked up behind me and said “Wait...hold on.” and handed me the cellphone he was speaking on. Tonya Adams, one of my wonderful friends exclaimed “Hey, we just bought a 20 passenger van!” I asked “What?” This was unreal, earlier I had asked God to provide a way for us to conserve the amount of money that we had. She answered “Yeah, We just bought it today, we will take you to the airport tomorrow.” Words can't explain... my heart was full. So I promptly asked for my credit card back and we headed home. Not only did they offer to drive us a little over two hours to the airport the next day, but came over later that night with dinner for us. We had an awesome time and God once again proved that he was paving the way. 

A young man that we have loved on and ministered to since he was 14 years old showed up at the house that night also. We had not been in touch with him and he had no idea that we were leaving. We were privileged to meet his 4 day old daughter and pray over her. God has been doing awesome things and has shown his love through his people and his spirit. I reminded myself of his grace and mercy as I noticed that there was an error on our bank account an hour before we left the house, he showed up again and after a few phone calls and some prayer it was fixed. 

I type these words on the plane that will take us to Florida before we head to Costa Rica next week. I am at peace because God shows up on time, every time.

What are you crying about?

In Less than 10 days I will be leaving everyone I know in Maine behind. In less than 10 day I will be trusting the home that I love to the care of a stranger. I have to tell you... I'm a little stressed out....

Yes, I know that the Lord will take care of us. Yes, I know that things will all work out for good for those that love him and are called according to his purpose. But...

We have painted, packed, stored and thrown out and it still looks like I have at least a months worth of work to do. Every room that looks done is quickly demolished by the Jackson Clan. The garage needs a good hose down. The backyard needs a good raking and the wooden window sills and railings needs a good polishing.

So, where did I end up on a Sunday night? In the corner of my bathroom where no one could see me (unless they came all the way in), on the toilette (lid closed), facing the corner.

I just wanted to cry, not because I was sad, angry, panicked or annoyed. I just needed to cry. It felt great, I muffled my sounds and let it out...(sigh).

Unfortunately my loving, caring, compassionate but always looking for a reason to laugh at me husband walked all the way in. He asked “Are you crying?” I cleared my throat and answered in a very nonchalant kind of way... “No...”

“Yes, you are... Why are you crying?”

“I'm not...”

“Marj!”

“I'm not crying! I'll be out in a minute”

Now that he was pretty sure that no one had died, he came right over and proceeded to struggle with me so that I would let him stare me in the eyes. I fought through laughter to try and get him to leave. Didn't work, I was a ball of mush with red eyes and a runny nose and was now laughing and

play-fighting with DH. He couldn't help but try to “fix” my anxieties. “Don't worry” he says. “I got this, I will handle it, you just relax”

Yeah, well who's going to finish all of the laundry and match all of the socks?!?

Good grief, can a girl just cry for a good hour or two? Sheesh...

I am anxious for this season in the move to be over. I am ready to be living in Costa Rica not worrying if the house will be ready before we leave. I am ready to be done with the transfer of the care of our dogs to their new owners, knowing that they are happy and secure.

Will these things ease all of my worries? Probably not, but they would sure help!

I will cast all of my cares upon the Lord who gives me strength!

Moral of the story... Cry if you want to cry, let the snot run, look in the mirror and laugh at yourself then cry some more.... just lock the door!

More to come...

Can't stop thinking about Costa Rica!

My first trip to Costa Rica was amazing. Here I am in another country with beautiful people speaking absolutely no English! Ok, ok, we met a few Tico's that spoke English but they were travelers. Thank goodness for our wonderful friends who joined us on this trip. They added to the experience.
Our host at the villa was an older German man named Heinz who no doubt enjoyed spending time just hanging out with us. He rode around with us for probably 11 hours one day.
We drove to the beach house in Playa Avellanas that I swore would be the perfect house. Turned out to be... not so great. I was very disappointed, It wasn't a total loss for Heinz who found a particular plant that he managed to convince the owner to let him cut a branch for transporting.  I had hoped that we would reside in Guanacaste, near the Pacific Ocean but God must not of wanted that for us. While walking around that property all I could think of was praying night after night that God would close that door if it was not his will. That he did.
By day 4 we finally decided on the first home we saw with the wonderful view. This home is in Patarra, less than an hour from San Jose. One draw back... it is totally unfurnished... can a sister borrow a mattress?

I left the morning of day 4 and Tony stayed behind to sign the lease. I got on a plane with Catia and made my way back to the US and couldn't shake Costa Rica off of my mind. Is that normal?
I was really sad to leave the country and this was after meeting just a few people. Before we boarded the plane to head to Ft Lauderdale, we were held up in security. Not because of anything in our bags or person. But because the security guards took literally 20 minutes to hold and play with my daughter. They took turns holding her and playing with her. All this with our language barrier. We arrived in Portland at about 4am after our horribly long layover in New York.
On the home front, we were able to find a renter that I believe God has given a divine appt with us and secure a deposit. I truly believe that the Lord is in this and will do exceedingly great things!  We are scheduled to depart Maine on October 19th and move into our new home before November 1st. I can't even imagine what the Lord has in store...
More to come...

Hard to understand friendliness...

So, I sat down certain that I was going to write about mishaps on our way to Costa Rica. Sure that I was going to tell you about missing the bus to the airport, paying an outrageous amount for my luggage... that did not fly free, asking for a glass of water on the plane and being told to pay $3 and getting lost in the airport where no one spoke English. How do you say...."Where's my husband?"

But, Today We were picked up at the airport by the owner of a beautiful little bed and breakfast who spent his day talking to us and giving us all sorts of advice about moving here.

 After relaxing a bit, we were picked up by the owner of the first house on the agenda....stop... I'm from Brooklyn and have lived many years in Miami. This young man drove us clear across town, spent a generous amount of time showing us the property and the neighborhood. Before we left, he asked if we would all like to grab dinner, which sounded wonderful to our hungry bellies. We then drove to an open/patio style restaurant and we ate and laughed for hours. By the time he brought us back to the Bed and Breakfast, we still hadn't told him if we wanted the house or not but it was like we were the best of friends, hugging and kissing cheeks. Kind of weird, but kind of nice. 

Tomorrow we will be driving to Playa Avellanas to see the second home on the agenda. It is 4 hours away and the owner of the bed and breakfast has offered to take us for a very small fee... What can I say? Pura Vida!

More to come... 

And away we go!....Well, not quite yet.

It was always my intention to begin school as late as possible this year but my overzealous children had other plans. They were up bright and early on Monday morning Aug 30th and sat waiting at the kitchen table. Who are these children?!? Unfortunately for them, I had a final bible study class scheduled that morning and had to leave. Didn't deter them in the least, they were waiting (not patiently I may add) and ready to begin at 2:00 in the afternoon. I still didn't have my act together. Schedules were not made, books not picked up at the library and my laptop charger had died 2 night before hand. Great! Well, Next best thing! We dumped the 4 bags full of school supplies on the kitchen table and divided them up. Passed out the Teaching Textbooks math, Apologia science, Tapestry of Grace (history,geography and literature) and a sprinkling of other grammar and spelling books . We then talked about what our year will look like, traveling through Central America and learning a new language. I ask them to pick the one thing that they were interested in the most and write it down. They would then learn as much as they could about it, along with other subjects and then be ready to present or teach it to their siblings at the end of the year. In the next two weeks we will be picking out a place to call home in Costa Rica. In the next two weeks Tony's job will officially end. In the next two weeks I will be watching and waiting for God to do amazing things!
More to come...

Wrapping up the summer

Well, the inevitable is coming. School! Unlike those who send their kids to public or private school, that word means something totally different to a homeschooling mom. School means; Late night planning, early morning motivations, reading out loud, family bible study,watching the dog chew on math blocks,  math lessons, reading lessons, disciplining the young ones, checking up on the older ones, changing the baby/toddler, stopping for lunch, history lessons, handwriting, grammar, more disciplining, watching the house turn into a forest of scattered papers..... wait, that may all just be my house. I'm certain that your home runs as smooth as a well oiled machine. Your kids sit quietly at the table and complete all of their work in a timely manner. The dog plays happily outside and never steals the toddlers snack and most of all the house is immaculate by the time dad gets home and he raves of how much you've accomplished.  If that's the case, I'll gladly trade mine for yours. (smile) Just kidding. I love these rugrats that the Lord has entrusted to me and it is a joy to teach them.... is what I tell myself daily... (smile) As we prepare to embark on this adventure to Central America I can only imagine what the Lord will teach us. If we did nothing but love on everyone we came into contact with (and a little math on the side) I will feel accomplished. We will be going down for our first visit in a few weeks to find a home, I trust that the Lord will lead us to the exact place he wants us to spend this year. My prayer is that through the difficult times and the wonderful times of homeschooling we can all know that God is in total control. If all else fails, it doesn't matter where you begin, just begin!
More to come...

Benjamin Button

After two whole years of relentless and shameful begging for candy, my 3 year old Benjamin Button had a nicely embedded cavity between two back teeth. (Don't worry, I take full responsibility). If you knew this little boy, you would know why we call him Benjamin Button. He must of been born 83 years old and has been going in reverse ever since.
One afternoon my little ol' man asked to go to the dentist because his tooth hurt, I took him the next day. Unfortunately for both of us the dentist was 83 years old and well after drilling, tears and a faulty filling that fell out a few weeks later...he came back to me and asked to go back and get his teeth fixed.
I found a wonderful 'Just for Kids' dentist and made the appointment and today was the day.
After breakfast, baths and even a smart hair cut, we were off with 5 other children in tow. Benji was confident as he climbed into the dentist's chair and asked for the mini flat screen television to be turned on. I asked the dentist for silver fillings this time and he offered silver caps. I asked Benjamin if I should stay in the room with him and he said "That's ok" in his 'don't worry about me' kind of way.
Forty Five minutes later, he walks out with the nurse and she is all smiles... "He did so great!"
He smiles and shows me his two silver caps which I quickly snap a pic of with my camera and forward to DH. I show him the pic and he narrows his eyebrows and say "OUCH!"

His new nickname... Megatron.
Thanks to my impeccable timing abilities, I chose this day to take a few more passport pictures, including Benjamin's.  We drive for about half an hour and arrive at the photo center. Everyone hops out of the car and and I inspect faces. When I get to Benjamin I notice that he had been chewing on his numb lip and it is red and swollen! Great!
Well, you can imagine how the picture looked, maybe the photo guy thought his lips were naturally like that. Hope the border patrols don't notice... (sigh)
More to come...