an update

I do a good job of blogging on myspace... it may take me awhile to get used to blogging here!

Ok... since my last post... I found a place to live. It's a "cute little duplex" on a very quiet country road inside the city limits of Cleveland, GA. Cleveland is best known for being the birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kids and our biggest tourist attraction is Babyland General - a "hospital" where Cabbage Patch Kids are born. It's cheesy but cute. Cleveland is also the home of Truett McConnell College, where my sisterinlaw is a teacher (professor? I guess?).

I had looked at a bunch of places and all the directions included the phrase, "when you come to the end of the paved road...." Oy. Most places were super cheap, as the cost of living here is incredibly low (seriously... I looked at places where the rent was only $400 a month for a two bedroom!) but most of them involved some upkeep of home & property and I knew I wasn't up for that. Also, none of them except this one included all appliances including washer and dryer. And it's new... only two years old and spotless... which was important to me. Nice berber carpet throughout... nice big open floor plan. It's just a nice place.

My fear while looking for a place to live was - 1 - my credit sucks and 2 - I was trying to find a place without even having a job! I met the owner of this place and was as honest with her as I could be... that I'm ending a marriage that was unhealthy for me... that I had left my home without anything but my clothes and personal items, no dishes, furniture, etc... that I was receiving some help from my husband and that I expected to have a job soon... but for the time being I was living by the Grace of God. (capital G's for both!). We talked about my son and his cat and my love for theatre and how happy I was to be here in this little town and she just stopped and said, "I don't need to do a credit check. If you want it, the place is yours."

I left there in tears ... of joy... and maybe a little bit of fear... wondering if I was walking in faith or just a real bit fool. The next day I was offered a job. Faith. It was faith. I moved in on Saturday - such as it is - my only furniture so far is the dressing table I've had since I was seven and an end table and chair and lamp that mama and daddy gave me. Austin and I are sleeping on air mattresses on the floor and... to be honest... other than getting UP... it's not so bad! We made a little table out of some rubber maid containers... My friend Amy gave me a whole kitchen full of stuff that had been her mothers - she passed away last summer. And my friend Mary sent me two huge boxes full of kitchen stuff!

Every day I just wake up and pray that God will provide whatever we're supposed to have and every day, new blessings come. We are supposed to be getting a living room suite on Friday from one of the members of our church. Michael is giving me one of the two big tvs we had - I will go to Jacksonville over the weekend to pick it up - and to get Austin's Wii, that Michael originally refused to let me have - and for me to clean out the pantry for the food items I want/need and to clean out the laundry room where most of my bed linens were stored. I wish I could get some furniture from the condo - and Michael will let me have it - but the cost of transport, gas and Uhaul rental - is more than it would cost to buy used furniture here. Plus the stress and logistical issues of me having to actually DRIVE a Uhaul!

My job is going to be at Duane Hartness State Farm in tiny little Demorest, GA. Don't look for it on a map - it's just a wide spot in the road. Duane is an awesome Christian man who offered me the job only after praying about it with his wife and daughter. That gave me an enormous amount of confidence that I am heading in the right direction. The pay is about $5 an hour less than it was in Jacksonville, but again, the cost of living here is less. He also will pay half my cost of my group insurance and offered me a little more money than he did at our initial meeting to help cover the cost of the differnce. I will start work on October 15th

Austin will start school tomorrow at the White County High School Ninth Grade Academy. Basically they just keep the ninth graders at a separate location. It's a small school and there aren't that many kids. The reason we moved here to Cleveland, instead of Clarkesville (the next town over) where Jim and Angie live, is because I wanted him to go to church and school with the same kids. Already I know one of the teachers at his school because she is in my Sunday night bible study.

We have been - and will be - immersed in church. Check out our little church at http://www.helenfbc.org/ . We are going for Sunday school and worship on Sunday mornings.... small group bible study and potluck dinner on Sunday nights.... fellowship dinner and Bible Study on Wednesday nights. It's a lot of going to church but for someone like me who has been so lonely for the past year... it's awesome. I love the sense of community we are building through the church. There are some incredible, loving people there and they have worked hard to make us feel at home. Austin's favorite thing so far is the potluck dinner! What boy wouldn't like that? He is also going to be taught to run the sound equipment so he can do that for youth services and be a back up for Sundays. I think this will really help him feel a sense of belonging since it's so hard for him to sit still.

Ultimately... this fabulous mountain community has provided us with all the things that I have longed for .... for so long. We love it here!

AND... since this is my weight loss journal TOO... I will note that I lost 12 pounds during my first month back at Weight Watchers!

*hugs* love y'all!