It Takes A Village

Well, we did it. We moved this weekend. I'm currently sitting on the floor in our old apartment doing laundry, since our new place has no working machines right now. We have until July 26th to be completely out, so this is our laundry solution for now. 

We're still exhausted, and we're not finished quite yet.

But if it weren't for lots of people who love us, we'd be a far, far cry from the finish line at this point. 

The transformation that our new space underwent in the past week is pretty astounding. Last Sunday, Adam and I were cleaning and prepping to paint our new place with the help of one of my cheer families. I coached both of their girls, but I don't currently coach either of them because they have both graduated. That's love! These girls were in the kitchen literally scrubbing the walls of the refrigerator, hauling trash, etc. I didn't take pictures of what it looked like last week because it was just so unpleasant. But now I wish I had. 

Their dad was putting trim on windows, repairing holes in the walls, replacing faucets, and the list just goes on. And it was 87 degrees INSIDE our place with no air conditioning. People, this was a labor of love! 

The next day, I had 2 more cheer alumni and 1 current girl come help me paint Henry's room. Again, in the heat (but not as hot). The next day my JV coach helped with the main room. 

And this is how the week went. I'd spend half my day working at our current apartment, and then drive to our new place to work there until well after dinner. Adam would join me after work, as would our "designer" and "contractor" as we like to call the couple helping us. 

Saturday our friends helped us move everything, unpack probably half our boxes, and set up the new place. And yesterday the designer and one of her daughters were back to make our space feel like home. She has her own business doing interior decorating, and her passion is making a house feel like a home. She offered her services simply because she wanted to bless us. 

Let me tell you this- our space is not glamorous. It's an apartment over a garage/storage unit. But after the house fairies left yesterday, I can confidently say that I've never lived in a more inviting and home-feeling space (other than my parents' house). Henry's room and our room are still a work in progress, but the kitchen and family room are perfect. As she and her daughter were working, I said, "For the first time since I moved out here, I actually want to invite people over! It's so pretty in here!" The look on her face when I said that-- priceless! 

And right there in that moment, she spoke right to my heart. She explained that she wanted to gift this to me because this house, our home, is my ministry space. And it's not just about raising Henry. She affirmed our marriage and encouraged me to let people into our home to be a part of what God's doing in us. 

It could be that I'm 38 weeks pregnant and overly tired, but I wanted to cry. This family has put in A LOT of time, energy, and money in our apartment. Each time she came, she'd come with some sort of decoration to add to our house. They spent a portion of her husband's bonus check on making our place look homey. That's humbling. It's been unreal to watch this family give and give (one of their daughters is also working on canvases to hang in Henry's room that are ADORABLE!).

Two more of my cheer alumni are bringing us dinner this week. The outpouring feels unending. We really would not be where we are right now if it weren't for lots of people giving of themselves. 

We're a long, long ways from home right now, but God has certainly filled in the gaps. There are so many people cheering us on, and it's sometimes overwhelming.