Tuesday, August 23, 2005

I Quit!

Well, I harvested potatoes again on Monday morning at the organic farm. It's actually pretty fun getting all grimy in the garden. It's kind of like searching for buried treasure when you're digging around trying to find potatoes. Half the time I would come up with a rock in my hand. Hmm. That sounds like I was diving for potatoes. No, it was just my hand that was submerged. It's also an exercise in self-control because I had to stop myself from screaming when a bug would run over my bare foot or hand...because I tell the girls not to scream and fuss when such things happen to them. So I have to practice what I preach. " It's a bug. So get over it." For the most part, the girls did very well and didn't complain.

They were enthralled with the free range chickens and climbed into their large fenced in area in order to commune with them more closely ( the electric fence was turned off, as opposed to last time when one of them got a significant jolt when she reached out to pick some flowers beyond the fence). They gathered and "adopted" some eggs. Two girls were insistent upon the fact that they were going to keep their egg warm for twenty eight days ( the length of time recommended by the farmer) so it could hatch. They named the egg Damien and took it everywhere that day...even to the lake, where it sat on a towel as the girls swam. I haven't seen hide nor shell of it today so I wonder how little Damien is faring.

But the big news is that I gave my notice at work yesterday. Yes, my dears, I am going to resign my position at AGS. It wasn't the digging in the potato field that pushed me over the edge. This is the result of many months of prayers, hopes, questions, and providential circumstances. It looks as if we are moving to Georgia in a couple of months and the commute would just be too much. I mean, I think half an hour is bad...! Try twenty four hours of driving. Too much wear and tear on the car, I think. So, it's been a fairly momentous decision and a lot has been happening in the last few months; things are falling into place in such a way that it looks like God is directing us out of our little nest and out into the great unknown. It's a good thing though; I'm pretty excited and looking forward to it. It's going to be a super busy next month and a half...In two weeks, we're flying out to California w/Nate and Pen to clean out Grandpa's house, which has been sold- hallelujah. And then, two weeks after we come home, I will quit work, start packing, attend the Feast of Harvest, and then drive down to GA to look for a house. Upon finding The House, wherever it may be, we will drive back, pack up, and move down. Back to back round trips from NH to GA...? Yes, we are crazy. I am dreading it like The Great Tribulation. I think maybe I should be sedated the entire way for both road trips. Sedation worked for the wisdom teeth extraction; why not this? Either that or have one of those mini-vans that has a DVD player...so I can pass the time in a happy, distracted, passive state. Ooog.

16 comments:

brilynne said...

Oh, Brad and Claire, we'll miss you!

Anonymous said...

So Georgia will now enjoy Brad & Claire's wholesome goodness. Lucky them. We look forward to reading about the moves and the Big Changes. Love to you both.
Bev J

Booker said...

Well, God bless you both...

Loreo said...

How exciting and nerve-wracking to be moving to Georgia! A bit of stress ahead of you--but exciting!
Any idea what kind of work you'll look for down there? You know, I used to clean Uncle Charlie's house for awhile when I was in high school. Beware the spiders! Do you guys have a laptop you can watch DVDs on?

Mrs. RF said...

House hunting is fun! Especially when you find something you really really really like - in one day.

Kristi said...

Ha ha, I remember those spider stories Lori used to come home with! I think they were usually lurking in curtains and other scary places.

Anyway, I'm excited for you guys and pray that the move goes super smoothly. Fairwood's loss is Georgia's gain!

KW said...

You will be sorely missed in the North.
Goodbye mosquitoes, hello Fire ants!

Anonymous said...

Brad and Claire welcome(or soon to be) to the south... I hope you love the heat....

KJ said...

Blessings on you, friends! I'm going to miss you but being family, I'll see you at important times (like Christmas and the feasts...) I trust God will help you with getting the house and all that, and I'll be glad to help practically with cleaning and packing up as well. I love you guys!

CKS said...

WHAT?!? You're moving to GEORGIA?!?

Do you have any IDEA the horrors of that place? Let me recite them for you:

[in a muttering sort of under-the-breath kind of tone]

"red mud everywhere, gets all over your clothes and your shoes, fire ants, poisonous snakes, heat and disgusting dripping humidity..." hmmm, was there anything else?

I have been trained by one of the the best in Georgia-hating. Hope you're happy in the midst of all that! :-)

redsoxwinthisyear said...

Dread it like the Great Tribulation? Claire, this reminds me of the time you worked to record part of the Great Tribulation (actually, Armageddon, wasn't it?), complete with horses, in bath 3. You seemed to enjoy that, so maybe this experience won't turn out too badly... God bless you in it.

maldrich said...

I'm all for the "happy, distracted, passive state" when riding such a long way. It makes for many less arguments! Glad to hear you're moving right along with God, but we will definately miss you. (It seems weird writing this since I'm IN GA right now) Anyway, don't get too excited about lack of mosquitos, they are here. They and the cockroaches are good friends! But, GA winters are awesome if you don't like being snowed in for 6 mos. and the best is that if this is where God wants you, you'll be happy- I've figured that out in New Hampshire. So, blessings on your trip.

Claire said...

Thanks for all the kind comments.

Mary- I can't even IMAGINE what it must be like to do the GA-NH route with four kids. Oh my WORD.

TripleNine said...

Ditto to all the previous comments. We will really miss you both up here, but I also sort of envy you heading south. Hope everything goes extremely smoothly.

Anonymous said...

Lucky me!

I'll be praying for you and your BIG MOVE, Claire.

Do you still have that Armegeddon tape? That was a scathingly brilliant idea, and a screaming riot to record. (Pun intended!)

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Yes, I still have the tape we recorded of the Battle of Armageddon. I stumbled across it recently and had half forgotten that it was on that tape...and then- WOW- it sounded like a hundred screaming banshees!! But really it was 8 or 10 girls crammed in Bath 3 with some pots and pans...!!