i just remembered how out of control it felt because 'skeleton bones' by john mark mcmillan came on. you see, when i got my land rover back from jared, he had a mixed cd in the car that included that song. i loved it quickly, and still have no idea what he is saying the majority of the time, but i sing with gusto anyway.
let's look at the calendar, my dad flew out to washington on march 16, and we set out across the country on tuesday, march 17. we were in columbia by sunday, march 22. [i was set to move to charlotte on april 6] the next week i was in savannah visiting with jared and maria, and picking up my car, and still job searching. my living situation was not set in stone yet, and i was dragging beulah around the world with me. i remember having a meltdown in savannah and feeling like i was at the mercy of everyone in my life to let me sleep on their couch, without a dollar to my name.
as the days tricked by, i knew i'd have to set out on my own and just start somewhere. while i was in savannah, i had a phone interview for a nanny position, and set up an interview for the next week, april 2. that next week i was back and forth in savannah, columbia, and charlotte. that sunday night, april 5, i was emailed saying i didn't get the nanny position, only to be called the next day [the day i'm packing up to move] and was told, "you did get the job afterall", and was asked to start the next day. eeeeeek.
i drove up here, beulah in tow, with literally a blanket and a pillow and one box of things. i had never met the girls i was living with, and there was the added layer of 2 cats and a dog living in a combined space. i was anxious and just plain scared. i stopped and visited jared at elevation's offices hoping maybe he'd come to the house with me to 'unload' (one box, remember?). he couldn't and i think i started to cry a little when i left him.
up and starting something new is scary.
i remember laura troutman praying for me over the phone as i drove up to the house to move in, and i remember the Lord giving me so much courage and confidence through that prayer. so, i tied beulah's leash to a tree out front while i brought in my meager belongings, and met JB and her fiance Ben. i got directions to the closest grocery store, and went to get beulah some food. the first few weeks i lived here, i didn't have provisions for beulah during the day, which was sort of a nightmare. she couldn't be out in the house because she wasn't used to cats. i thought i had a solution, which then fell through. after that didn't work out, i sat in a dunkin donuts parking lot on south kings, stole some internet to get directions home, and i cried. i guess big changes do that to all of us.
coming off a year of living on support, i had no savings. so those first weeks and months were a real financial adventure as well. let's just say there were lots of pb&js eaten.
that first week was full of craziness, my driver's side wiper blade going out in a huge rainstorm on i-277 (took me an hour and a half to get from east blvd. to my house), got lost on the way to my first sunday at elevation (providence). and i mean, i really got lost. but, i've told that story before.
in the midst of it all though, i knew every morning i could get in my car and the same cd would be playing. i didn't have friends yet, and sometimes i still got lost on the way home, but i knew it was temporary. and one day i came home, and suggested ally and i watch 'freaks and geeks' and after that, i had a lifelong friend:)
lots of things started to change and become more familiar. seemingly unimportant things happened like finding beulah a place to play during the day (for free). friends started to appear, like at jared and maria's housewarming party, i met laci. or the time i was crying after getting lost and met ashley. or the time jared invited me to the elevation cd release party (maria was out of town), and told me it was casual, and we got there and it was black tie (i was in jeans), i met cheyenne that night. a few weeks later, i ran into an old friend from arizona, raechel.
then a blast from the past, kristin camp moved to charlotte.
thinking back on march and april, i see that on january 21, 2010, roots are growing. i see the goodness of the Lord. i am thankful for a challenging transition into life in charlotte, and there is a deep joy in my heart when i think about the people the Lord has brought my way in nine short months.
"Oh let us adore the
Son of Glory dressed in love
Open up your gates before him
Crown Him, stand Him up"
skeleton bones, by john mark mcmillan
