Three Things August

I missed posting Hodgepodge yesterday.  I plead moving across the country as my excuse.  It's exhausting!

But then I noticed that Joyce From This Side of the Pond had another 'write along' for today so I decided to join in.  This is all about August since it's almost the end of the month.

Three things I like about August

1.  My son's birthday on the 3rd.

2.  My daughter's birthday on the 13th.

3.  National Independence Day for Republic of Indonesia (where we lived for a decade).

Three things I dislike about August

1.  This year?  ALL.THE.RIOTS

2.  Fires in my beloved Southern California

3.  Humidity in my new state of Ohio

Three goals for the rest of August

1.  Write some thank you notes.

2.  Find a home!

3.  Help my daughter recover from her ankle surgery.

Three things I thought I'd use more this year

1.  Amazon Prime

2.  National Parks lifetime pass

3.  Garden tools

Three things I never thought I'd use as much this year

(just like everyone else!)

1.  Zoom and Skype

2.  hand sanitizer

3.  face masks

Three things I'm into right now
1.   Realtor.com

2.  Realtor.com

3.  Realtor.com

Three things I've googled lately

1.  directions to a house viewing

2.  original flavor of Lifesavers

3.  vegan substitution for eggs and egg wash

Three foods I've survived on in Corona summer
1.   coffee

2.  farmers market veggies

3.  herbal teas

Thankful for our New Adventure

 Five Favorite Things. FRIDAY FAVE FIVES.  I missed last week because we were in the final stages of packing our remaining belongings in our cars and cleaning our home for the new owner.  Now we are on the next part of our adventure.

1.  Safety in travel.  Two cars.  Two drivers.  Five days.  2,440 miles.  The views of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are all so different.  Mesas, deserts, rolling hills, green fields, rivers, lakes, forests.  What a wonderful world we live in!  No photos on this trip--I was driving!  But here are photos from other trips I've taken on the same roads.

Arizona

New Mexico

Oklahoma!

2.  An evening with our son Chaplain Dan and his wife and PAL. Since we didn't arrive in Phoenix until late, they simply drove to the hotel and visited us there.  Then in the morning PAL and her mom and auntie had breakfast with us before we left.  (Chaps had already left for the airport to fly to military stuff he had to attend.)  The next day, Dr. Mike drove down to Albuquerque to spend the night with us.  We just hung out in an air bnb and didn't go out anywhere else.  It was great to see both of our sons!

3.  Music took an unusually important place on the trip.  Normally, I don't enjoy listening to music in the car.  I think it's because I just have to sing if I hear a song I know.  Since I was alone in the car, I just turned on Kristen Getty, Stuart Townend, and Liberated Wailing Wall and blasted out those praise songs with them.

4. Texts from friends telling me they already miss me, they were praying for safety on our long long drive, and they are praying we will soon find a home here.

5.  All the excitement when we pulled into our daughter's driveway in Ohio!  I'm thankful for this new adventure. (Now to find a new home!)

My Wednesday Hodgepodge

 Wednesday Hodgepodge is today.  Here is a link if you want to be included:  Hodgepodge.

1. August 12th is National Middle Child Day...are you a middle child? If not, where in your family do you fall in terms of birth order? Do you hold true to the typical characteristics of oldest-middle-youngest-only child? (a quick list can be found here) Elaborate.

Well, I am second born of two children.  I am definitely a youngest and  a second child.  You know this explanation of birth order:  a first child doesn't need rules; a second child is the reason there are rules; a third child thinks the rules don't apply to them.   According to my parents, while my brother was a rule keeper, I was a rule tester.  I definitely tested the limits when I was small.  But I didn't feel like I was a wild kid.  I did try to obey.  Really, I did.

2. Tell us about a time you felt like (or you actually were) in the middle of nowhere.

My husband and I were missionary linguists in West Papua, Indonesia (used to be called Irian Jaya).  We could travel in to our village either by a four day walk which included crossing gorges with rivers (we never had to do that) or by helicopter (which was our usual mode of transport).  We were literally in the middle of nowhere in the jungle.

3. What's something you're smack in the middle of currently?

Currently?  We are in the middle of moving.  The packers came yesterday (Tuesday) and packed the trailer.  ABF movers are scheduled to pick it up tomorrow.  We leave our home on Friday (or maybe Saturday) if all goes well with the transfer of title for our motorhome.  Yup, we're right in the middle of a 2,400 mile move.

4. What's a food you love to eat that has something delicious in the middle?

I adore cinnamon rolls.  They have all that cinnamony goodness in the middle!

5. Share a memory from your middle school days, or junior high if that's what your school dubbed kids somewhere between grades 6-8.

I was blessed to attend a small Christian school from first through eighth grade and then also in high school.  My memories of that time always include choir and music class.  Every Christmas we had a performance.  My favorite memory is when I played a piano solo of O Holy Night.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Well, I am moving from the West Coast of the US to a 'middle state'.  Ohio isn't really a middle state, but most people (at least in the west) think of Ohio as being in the middle of the country.

August. Ready, Set, Go!

 Good Morning!  First Friday in August.  This is my month of huge changes.  Selling our home of thirteen years.  Driving across the US.  Moving to a new place.  Even in all the chaos and change, there are moments and hours of blessings.  Here are my best moments of this week.  FRIDAY FAVE FIVES.  Follow the link to join and read and be encouraged.

1.  What's not to love about lunch with a friend?  Especially now.  And especially when we live two counties apart.  She drove UP from Orange County.  I drove DOWN from Ventura County.  We met in the middle in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County.  We brought our own homemade lunches, found a coffee shop with outdoor seating and spent HOURS.  We have known each other for nigh unto thirty years.  Wherever either of us have lived, we've always made sure we stayed in touch.  Oh, it was wonderful to just drop right back in to our friendship for a bit.

2.  And what's not to love about driving home along the Pacific Coast Highway and all the ocean and beach views?

3.  House sale is moving along.  The big fave about that is that packing is also moving along and although the house looks like a tornado blew through, we are on track to have all the packing done by early next week when the movers are scheduled.

4.  A miracle happened.  We have been wanting a (very) small motor home.  Especially now, it is difficult to find one since everyone who is traveling wants to distance from others by staying in their own space.  BUT.  Wednesday morning, The Professor showed me a Class B van type and he had already contacted the owner.  Short story:  it's ours!

5.  More saying, "See you later".  Lunch with my former boss/friend and my TA who I mentored in teaching the writing classes.  It was great to just reminisce and catch up on what they are doing and how teaching is going to look this fall.

Bonus~ conversations with my girls who say, "We can't wait for you to get here!"

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Welcome to Wednesday Hodgepodge.   This is a first time for me to do this.  Here is the link to join the group. From This Side of the Pond.

1.  What's happening where you live in terms of schools opening? How do you feel about it?
    As of today, all schools in my county, Ventura County, CA, are doing online classes this fall.  That includes university, public and private, and homeschool.

    How do I feel about it?  I think it's wise.  But I know it will be hard for single parents and younger children.

2. What's something you still do 'old school'?
    I write real letters and mail them.  I grow herbs and use them.

3. August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Will you/did you celebrate by baking a batch? Eating a batch? Nuts or no nuts? Homemade or store bought? Soft and chewy or do you prefer your cookie to snap when you bite into it?
    Soft and chewy.  Yes on the oatmeal.  No on the nuts.  Homemade.  Actually, usually I just skip the baking and eat the chocolate chips.

4. What are you starved for?

    Great vegan pizza from our favorite pizza place which has closed.  (is there a loud weeping emoji that I can insert here?)

5. Anything new and interesting on your August calendar? What is one thing you're looking forward to this month?

    New and interesting thing on my calendar?  Ummm, YES!  We are moving next week.  2,400 miles across the US.  I'm looking forward to being done with the packing and moving.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

    There is much I will miss about my home of thirteen years here.  BUT, there is much I am looking forward to in our new location--especially FAMILY.