The big move

G and I would still be sinking in a sea of boxes if it weren’t for our family. A big thank you to all of those who helped us make the big move down South!

Let the loading begin…

No room to spare

Heading South

MR’s first plane ride compliments of Danny and Papa

Ariel view of the UVA stadium in Charlottesville

Time to unpack…

Papa Joe, G, and Uncle Jimmy

I’m sure the neighbors loved the “surrender flag” we hung proudly on our frontporch.

“Petie-Pie”

As soon as the honey-do list is complete, I will post pics of the new place. We are so happy to be back in Georgia. The house and neighborhood are great. We are meeting a lot of our neighbors and look forward to making this house a home!

Three more prayer requests

Where to start? The last week has been trying to say the least. Not only have we been busy packing/unpacking, but we have also had three of our loved ones end up in the hospital.

Last Wednesday my mom started experiencing pain in her abdomen. If you know my mom, you know she never complains and is rarely sick. By Thursday her pain was unbearable and she was off to the emergency room for a series of tests. A sonogram indicated two large gallstones that needed to be removed through laparoscopic surgery. While the surgery was successful, mom is still in a great deal of pain. With only two weeks left before baby Trent’s arrival, I ask you to pray for God’s healing touch and a speedy recovery.

On Saturday, my sister-in-law, Lauren also started feeling bad. For the last year or so she has suffered from  bouts of dizziness, nausea, headaches and disorentation. Unfortuntely, up until Saturday, the doctors and specialists have been unable to determine the cause of her symptoms. Lauren’s mystery illness came to head on Saturday as she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. The doctors were once again baffled by her symptoms. Just as they were about to discharge her, she had another “episode” in front of several nurses. Upon further testing, it was determined that Lauren suffers from epilepsy. While we are relieved to finally have answers, we know that the diagnosis will require a lifestyle change for both Lauren and Trent.

A final prayer request for my aunt Daisy, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer today. Fortunately, the cancer has not spread to the adrenal glands. In the coming weeks the doctors will remove Daisy’s kidneys in hopes of destroying the cancer cells. Please lift up my mom, Lauren, and Aunt Daisy in your thoughts and prayers.

Quiet before the storm

Operation “move”…plans are changing by the minute and I’m getting meaner and more frazzled by the second.

With the threat of severe thunderstorms in the southeast tomorrow, G and I have come up with three scenarios for Thursday’s move. Since G’s parents fly a small plane, all scenarios are dependant upon the storms speed and path. So, here we go….

Scenario #1: Wiby and Danette fly to Griffin to pick up Zeke (G’s cousin) tomorrow morning. The three then fly to Charlottesville to help start loading the truck. Thursday morning, me, MR, Wiby and Danette fly to Atlanta, while G and Zeke drive the moving truck down south. I pretend to be a superstar as I am jetted from Virginia to Georgia on a private plane…except most superstars have someone else doing all of the packing and unpacking.

Scenario #2: The weather is “iffy” causing Wiby and Danette to bypass Griffin and fly straight to Charlottesville (without Zeke).  Wednesday evening we start loading the truck. On Thursday, Wiby, Danette, and MR fly back to Waycross. Me and G drive down to Georgia in the moving truck. I load up on gossip magazines and candy to survive the long drive. I then proceed to tell G every detail of celebrity news throughout the ten hour drive. G can hardly wait to get out of the car with me…and I get mad because he is disinterested in celebrity gossip.

Scenario #3: The storms are so bad that Wiby and Danette are unable to fly to Charlottesville. G and I load the truck by ourselves. On Thursday, G drives the truck down to Georgia with Sadie and I drive our car down with Mary Reese. M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E….I’m tired just thinking about it.

Taking a break from moving with a little porch time

Update 3:09- Wiby and Danette have decided to fly to Cville tonight to avoid any weather related problems. Zeke will stay behind and I will fly back to Atlanta with Wiby, Danette, and MR…sorry G, if you could hear your child now, you would know why I’m a little worried about a 10 hour car ride… I’ve talked it over with Sadie and she promises to keep you company on your journey down south.

Are we there yet?

Why is my child surrounded by liquor boxes? No, I didn’t go off the deep end. Although I reserve the right to if things don’t start slowing down around here…The boxes are for the move.  And no, the movers aren’t helping…this one’s all on us. G and I decided late Friday night that we couldn’t wait anymore. Once we found out that G’s company would reimburse us for the moving costs, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We woke up early Saturday morning and headed to the UPS store to load up on boxes and packing supplies. As of tonight, we have about 75% of the house packed; a big feat considering we have a 10 month old who has decided to pick this week to learn how to climb the stairs.

Fortunately for us, reinforcements are due in the next few days. On Wednesday, Wiby and Danette are flying up to help load the moving truck. Once we’re loaded and ready to go, G, Sadie, and I will embark on the long journey down south in a 26′ Penske truck with a car carrier attatched to the back. MR will have the luxury of flying back with her grandparents and will spend a few days in Waycross while we get settled. On Sunday, G will fly back to Charlottesville to finish up his final week of work. While things are certainly busy around here, we couldn’t be any more excited to get down south! In just two short weeks, the Georgia Bulldogs kick off thier first game of the season. I can already taste the boiled peanuts and fried chicken…

Crunch time

Obviously I’m in denial. Or crazy. Or possibly even both.  Whatever the reason, I need to snap out of it! In less than a week, our lease runs out. Our paper work requesting the movers is still in progress. With little to no time left, I’ve come to terms with the fact that we’re going to have to pack and store our belongings, only to have the movers come a week later to repack what we’ve already packed. 

Once we figure out when and where we are going to pack and store our stuff, I will be headed down south with a jeep full of necessities. Fortunatley for me, I will not be alone. MR and Sadie have graciously offered to embark on the 9-11 hour journey with me. G will be staying behind for a week to finish up a few things at work. If all goes well, G and the furniture should arrive by August 22, just six days shy of our fourth anniversary. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our marriage then moving back to Georgia!

During our marriage, G and I have lived in four houses. This next move will put us in house #5! Here are a few pictures from the places we’ve lived along the way…

Apartment #1: Lowell, Massachusetts. Probably the coolest place we will ever live; definitely the best view!

House #2: Charlottesville, Virgina.

The kitchen built-in was one of my favorite things about this house.

House #3: Crozet, Virgina. G and I moved away from the “city” to experience the peace and quiet of country living, only to find that our neighborhood was being used as a set for the Evan Almighty movie.

The huge arc that sat at the front of our neighborhood. Throughout filming, we saw elephants, giraffes, buffalo, horses, monkeys…pretty much any animal you can imagine was on the set at one time or another.

The “fake” houses were part of the Evan Almighty set (they looked real on the outside, but were merly framing on the inside)

House #4: back to Charlottesville, Virgina, two months before MR was born. An old farmhouse built in the 20’s. Lots of character and lots of repairs…

A few of the things I will miss most about this house–playdates on the front porch, grilling on the patio, and long walks on the UVA campus.

House #5: Northwest Atlanta…many memories to come, including MR’s first birthday celebration and lots of red and black for football season. Goooo Dawgs!!!

No boys allowed

Since I started off the day with a cold beer and leftover steak, I felt the need to add some good ole’ wholesome fun to the mix. A Raggedy Ann party was just what we needed to get back on track. Dressed in a blue and white gingham Raggedy Ann and Andy jumper, MR sat in her chair and listened as I read “How Raggedy Ann got her Candy Heart”. We barely reached page three of our story before sweet MR staged an all out war on poor Andy. Not only did she evict him from the reading chair, but she also verbally tormented him by repeatedly shouting “no, no, no”  in his face. Needless to say, Andy spent the rest of the afternoon on the floor of MR’s closet. And I spent the afternoon praising God for my opinionated little girl and for a healthy husband who I absolutely adore!

Disclaimer: I usually don’t start my morning off with a cold beer. In my defense, we were out of milk and a breakfast beer seemed more appetizing than a bowl of milk-less cereal.

Blessings from above

MR was taking “Ms. Rosy” out for a spin when the good news came in…

We are relieved to report that G’s biopsy showed no signs of cancer in the lymph nodes! This news is a reminder of how magnificent our God truly is! It’s also a testament to the power of prayer! Thank you all for lifting our family up during our time of need.

Off to celebrate with my two favorite people…a big juicy steak and nice cold beer await us!

Come back, please…

The three day rule didn’t apply this time…if I had my way, I’d have a house full of visitors for the next two weeks. On Thursday morning we said goodbye to Wiby and Danette and earlier today we bid farewell to my parents and Trent and Lauren. A week of free babysitters and good ole homecooking spoiled me rotten to say the least.

The emptiness in the Harvey house is hard to ignore. Garrett spent much of the day reading a book, MR took three extra long naps, and I spent the afternoon “friendly stalking” every blog I could get my hands on…anything to stay busy. We are extremely anxious for Wednesday’s results and just continue to pray for God’s healing! While the waiting game hasn’t gotten any easier, it was certainly a blessing to be surrounded by our family! Thank you Wiby, Danette, Mom, Dad, Julie and Bill, and Trent and Lauren for helping us through this time of uncertainty. And thank you to each and every one of you for lifting G up in your thoughts and prayers!

Danny and Papa with MR

Uncle Brother and Aunt Cookie with the girls at King Family Vineyard

Bill’s famous burgers topped off our family-filled weekend

Thankful for much

Two hours in radiology, five and a half hours in outpatient surgery, two Elmo balloons, a fabulous dinner made by a nonstop mother-in-law, and many prayers that were felt throughout the day…G and I cannot thank everyone enough for the nonstop love and support we have experienced over the last few weeks. G’s surgery went well. The surgeon removed three lymph nodes–two under his arm and one on the backside of his arm. He also removed a spot on Garrett’s chest. The results should be back on Wednesday, so please continue to pray that we will receive good news and that G is cancer-free!

MR has loved all of the extra attention she has been receiving from Danny, Papa, and Gran-C. We cant wait to get this little girl down south so that she can be closer to her grandparents!

Miracles in a minivan

Supper was served right on time. We were seated at the table at 7 pm and served shortly after. The conversation was minimal. We ate. And ate. And ate. Between the four of us (me, G, Julie, and Bill), we finished off a casserole dish of brown rice and 15 pieces of chicken. When we didn’t think we could eat anymore, we loaded up in Julie’s new minivan and headed for yogurt. The two boys sat in the front seats, the cousins in the middle, and the sisters in the back. Something happened to me as I sat in the backseat of that minivan. With the sunroof down, I cast all of my worries and uncertainties aside and began counting my blessings…

For the first time in weeks, I felt peace. And I couldn’t help but smile! God is good! He has provided for me in so many ways and I know that He will continue to do so. Thank you God for Garrett and sweet Mary Reese. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live a mile away from my big sister. Thank you for Hendley and the opportunity to watch her grow. Thank you for Baby Trent and for healing his kidney. We anxiously await his arrival and cant wait to see what You have in store for our precious babies.

And thank you God for blessing us with a family that is willing to travel via car, plane, and train to be with us during this time of uncertainty. Garrett’s mom and step-dad fly in today around lunch. On Tuesday, my mom arrives on the train and on Saturday morning dad is driving up. G and I are so fortunate to have the love and support of our family and friends. We cannot thank you all enough for your sweet comments and prayers! Please continue to pray that God will heal Garrett’s body and that the results of Wednesday’s test will be cancer free!