Packing Tip #4

TIP #4  - Don't be afraid to ask for help.

The very idea of packing up my whole house and moving was overwhelming to me.  After talking to my family, my sister offered to fly down and help.  In ONE WEEK we were able to pack up the whole house (not including everyday stuff, like clothes, toiletries and food).

Just having someone at my side, encouraging me to go through junk, throw away stuff, organize and pack the rest of it was a HUGE help.   She really saved the day in all of this and I'm super grateful for her. 

There have also been others who have helped us.  My parents had a friend from their church who flew down and drove the moving truck up for us so we could drive our cars. We had people who volunteered to help clean, and even a dear friend who replaced a broken window so that we could sell our house.

Don't try to do it all yourself.  

Offer some pizza and ask your friends to come help!  #movingparty

I hope you enjoyed the packing tips. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them below in the comments. - Rejoicing in the Present

Packing Tip #3

TIP #3 - DON'T BUY YOUR SUPPLIES TOGETHER!!

Now, I could be wrong on this, but for me, it was cheaper to get my supplies at a couple different places rather than all at the same place.

Online Uhaul had a "deal" for a 4 bedroom household for 389.66. It has alot of boxes and equipment, but I didn't need all of what they were offering.

So I spent about $100 on boxes and then went to Amazon.com to get my labels, bubble wrap, stretch wrap, paper, tape gun and tape. 

Between the two places, I got more then I needed for a total of about $200.

Yes, it's easier to get it all at once, but you might not need all of what they are offering AND you can spend more money on specific things that really do help. 

For me, the things that I LOVE LOVE LOVED were the stretch wrap, and labels.   See what works for you!

Do some research.  Pinterest has some great posts and ideas as well. - Rejoicing in the Present

Packing Tip #2

Imagine you're at the front door of your new home and people are helping you unload.  They are walking in with your boxes. 

Every three seconds they are asking WHERE the boxes go.  It can be a confusing, frustrating mess but it doesn't have it be. 

One of the best things that happened to us were these labels.  Saurus Home Moving Labels.


We placed one on each box. When the boxes were delivered, all the workers had to do is look at the label to see where the box was supposed to go.

It went great! We actually were not even at the house, when our stuff was delivered. My sister and mom led the operation and they did a wonderful job.  

Another tip for coordinating your boxes is using different colored duct tape for each room. Example: Red for the Kitchen, Pink for the bedroom, flowers for the living room, and camo for the kitchen. 

BUT, I still like the Saurus labels better because you don't have to remember the color code AND they are easy to peel and stick.  I hope this helps - Rejoicing in the Present

Packing Tip #1

BOXES!!! Boxes!!! and MORE BOXES!!!!

The most basic thing you need for moving is boxes and the cheapest place I found NEW BOXES were at UHAUL. 

If you buy a bundle, you can get their lowest price.  For instance, if you buy at least 25 boxes, you can get them for $.73 each.

I bought the lowest amount of each bundle and it provided me exactly what I needed. 

For books and heavier items, SMALL is the best because they are heavy to carry.   Local stores, like Family Dollar, usually have extra boxes that they are willing to get rid of.  

Stop by some local stores and ask for extra boxes.

I also ordered enough boxes from uhaul.com to get free shipping!!! 

Another way to get boxes is via craigslist.  Personally, I did not find what I needed but, if you look in advance, many times you can buy someone else's boxes off them for a very low rate. 

Social media is also a great place to start.  You can ask your neighbors and local friends for boxes as well.  I hope this helps you get started! - Rejoicing in the Present

Eight-Twenty-Eight

Ian and Larissa Murphy are not the normal couple, but what is normal? 

Sacrificial love?

That is most definitely NOT normal. 

Ian and Larissa fell in love during college. They were pursuing a serious relationship that would eventually lead to marriage, when a serious accident happened. Ian's Volkswagen was crushed and so were their dreams. 

Larissa's world was turned upside down that day, but she stayed true to God and to her man. The book EIGHT TWENTY EIGHT is their story.  I love Larissa's brutal honesty and how she admits to wondering if she was doing the right thing. 

This story is not one where Prince Charming wakes up after a kiss and all is well and all is good.  Prince Charming goes through hours and years of physical therapy and still struggles. 

Larissa believed that God had brought the two of them together and so she didn't give up on him. 

One of the other things I really love about this relationship is that Larissa sees the good in him.  She is not a victim.  She doesn't do this for fame or glory. She truly loves Ian.  She loves his wit, she loves flirting with him, and she sees the good in him. 

I love that Ian brings Larissa closer to the Lord.  THIS IS HUGE.  Ian has something that MOST men do not nor will ever have and that is love for God and a desire to bring his wife with him in that relationship. ...and if it takes an accident to get that way, we would all do well to go through that.  (I do not say this lightly. I truly mean that the trials of our life can be some of the biggest blessings.)

As I read this book, I just kept thinking about my own marriage. It was such an either from married or single, to pick up a copy and read it. 

EIGHT TWENTY EIGHT. Get a copy today.  You won't regret it. - Rejoicing in the Present

P.S.  Just to clarify, I wasn't asked to read this book, nor did I get paid to write this review. I just simply enjoyed the book and had to share. :) 

Moving

"Moving is sorta like a death.

This thought has been twirling around my head for the last little bit ...but let me, first, give you some history about myself.

I lived in the same home, went to the same church and had the same friends until I went to college. 

I spent my summers in other states but I still came home to "home".  It wasn't until I graduated from college that my parents moved to where they live now.  I spent another year with them and then got married and moved to Florida. 

So for five years after I graduated from high school, I was a nomad living in dorms or at camps.  But that was part of my single-hood.  Sometimes, it was hard to leave and change but it was nothing like THIS TIME. 

This time my heart hurt.

First off, I loved our ministry.  The teens and children that God had placed in our lives for the last six years were/are really special to us. We watched them grow up through our children's ministry and slowly go into our youth ministry. These kids are like my own and I we miss them dearly!

Our church family was the next reason for our heart ache.  My own biological family was 12 hours away, so my church family has been like a 2nd family to me for these six years.  We have adopted grandparents, mamas, sisters and brothers.  Some have passed away and others I have left behind.  The Bible talks about how we are brothers and sisters in Christ. #bloodfamily   For me, the hardest part of leaving ANY area is leaving your church family behind. 

The smallest reason, but a reason very dear to me, is our home. I loved our home.  We bought it as a fixer-upper and put love, sweat and tears into it.  I could walk into the kitchen and remember when Aunt Faith came and helped us with stripping wallpaper and paint.  She spent so much time helping us that she had a special bedroom that she claimed for her own.  I walked into my living room and saw beautifully painted walls and redone wood flooring that Pepe (Bill) redid for us.  I saw the new-to-us stove that I wanted forever, that was donated and installed by our friends, the Njuses.  I saw plumbing work that was done by our friend Travis and so many other rooms that were touched by family and friends.  Then I walked downstairs and saw the special rooms where my children were born, at home. 

These rooms each had memories. They spoke of love and laughter, teen nights and lots of fun!

I have moved locations but a part of my heart will always be with my second family in FL.  I am so grateful that God gave me this time with these dear, dear folks. I will treasure the memories I have made and plan to make new ones with new friends I hope to make in TN.

Moving feels like a death....but just like when a Christian dies, you don't say "good bye," you say "see you later."  So to my dear FL family and friends, "See you soon!  I always have an extra room for you. Come visit!" 

I wrote the above around the time we moved and have been wavering about whether I should share this.   BUT I decided to because I know that someone else out there is going through the same thing.  I want that person to know that they are NOT alone. 

Also I wanted to share a few things that have been shared with me AND a few things that have helped me.

1. Give yourself at least a year, to settle. Understand that it takes a while to know where the groceries in the grocery aisle are. It takes time to meet and connect with friends. It takes time to walk in your door and finally feel like you are home.

2. Unpack as quickly as you can, so you can get rid of the boxes and the feeling of transition. Put pictures on the wall and make it your home. Try to even organize those "never going to get to" boxes in your garage so you at least feel done. Then when you have some extra down-time, you can go through those random boxes. 

3. Let yourself cry and mourn for your friends, but don't lose contact, just because you have moved. Call, Skype or message them.  They miss you too!

4. JUMP IN with both feet!!!  Ok, I know this can be hard, when you go to a new place. No matter what it is, school, church, mom's group, it's hard to just jump in. HOWEVER, the quicker you get involved and make connections, the quicker you will be able to feel at home.  Find a good church.  Attend their Bible studies and activities, go to their mom's group. Jump in. 

5. To have friends, you must be a friend. When I moved to Florida, I really struggled, because it was my husband's territory.  It was his friends, his family, his church and I just felt really lonely.  One day, my husband told me that if I wanted friends, I had to be one.  So, we started inviting families over every Thursday night.  We have always had people in our house and so it wasn't surprising that when we moved to TN we started having families over within the first month.

6. Last, but not least, make time for your #1 relationship.  Even though you are busy unpacking and transitioning, make sure you set aside time with the Lord every day. Be in His Word. Be in prayer. Listen to Christian speakers through podcasts, listen to worship music.  Remember, The Lord will be your strength in weakness, so don't overlook Him, in the middle of your craziness.

I hope some of these suggestions help. Some were given, some I have learned.  I hope these encourage you.  - Rejoicing in the Present

The World Vs.Scripture

"She needed a hero, so that's what she became."

"Invest in yourself."

"Do what makes you happy."

"I am other."

"She believed she could so she did."

"In the end, we only regret chances, we didn't take.

"Make your dreams happen."

"Not all who wander are lost."

"Whatever you decide on, make sure it makes you happy."

These are popular phrases that you may have seen on a sign.   Some of these sound great, especially on a pallet board or on a chalkboard.  For someone, like myself, who has an artistic flare or is a Pinterest addict, I find myself liking and sharing these quotes. 

Now, some quotes are obviously anti-Bible/anti-God's way, others are Scripturally based and still others are hard to distinguish.  They sound good, but when you compare them to Scripture, you realize that they are just another attractive form of worldly thinking. 

So, I want to encourage you to really compare the quotes around you to Scripture.  I'm not blogging today to pick apart every quote at your local Marshalls.  I'm not here to judge the wall art you have in your home.  I'm not even going to go through and blast each quote, but what I am going to do is encourage you to give those quotes a second glance and ask yourself these questions...

• Do they give God the glory? 
• Are they about pleasing God or pleasing self? 
• Is it all about YOU and YOU doing IT?  Is there any God in this equation? 
• Do they point to our identity as the children of God?
• Do they point to the fact that God has a sacred way of doing things that point back to Him and His holiness?

There are some phrases that support sin and there are some phrases that obviously do not support the ways that God has.  For example: Target just came out with a new line that includes the quote "I am other."  This refers to and supports the transgender/gay community.

For someone that just does not fit into the "norm" (if there is one), this could be a go-to quote for them. But, I would caution you to, once again, give each quote a second glance. 

For those who have strong personalities and are do-it-yourself types, the "she-does" are popular. Being happy and investing in yourself is not wrong, but the messages distract us from the goal.  The goal is God.  The goal is giving God the glory. The goal is less of me and more of Him. 

So look again. 

Compare to Scripture. 

We have an opportunity to give God glory. We have the opportunity to be light.  We have the opportunity to share our faith through the messages we surround our selves with. - Rejoicing in the Present