The first update.

It's been 15 days since my last post...and I'm sorry.  Wouldn't it have been nice to freak out alongside me for the whole awful, awful journey here?  Oh you would have just loved that, I can tell.  But it was not to be, and that's just fine because it wasn't nice, and it wasn't pretty, and it will have to be a story for another day because I can't handle re-living it right now.

So instead, let's start with 'and so they arrived.'  We got here.  Our stuff got here.  The cats and the children all got here and we were home.

The House

It's small, but not unimaginably so.  The main problem is that there is pretty much no storage space anywhere - no basement, no big closets, no linen closet, no coat storage....the result is that my linens are in the kitchen cupboards and the winter coats are currently in S's room.

The Yard

It's H.U.G.E.  Amazingly so.  There's a big, big front yard with trees and grass, then a side yard, then a back yard with a deck that is almost the size of our living room, plus a fire pit and lots of lawn, then there's MORE grass off to the other side of the house that also includes a big sand box and lots of huge climbing rocks and a beautiful hedge of lilac bushes and apple trees.

The Church

The church is well-sized for the congregation.  It's your typical little white steepled country church with wooden pews and a big hall for shared meals.  David's office is in the church and it's filled with bookshelves. It's all very nicely proportioned.

The People

I will say, in all honesty, that I never expected such a warm and loving welcome as we found here.  The congregation has been exceptionally understanding, kind, sweet-tempered, funny and real to a tired family of four with sore feet, whirling heads and sleep deprivation.  They have fed us like it's going out of style.  I'm not kidding.  In the week and a half since we've arrived I have received two shopping bags full of apples, three jars of apple butter, a tray of sticky buns, a large box of peaches, a bag of green beans, three cucumbers, a zucchini the size of my calf, a lemon meringue pie, a tray of bacon beans, a large amount of smoked ham, a margarine container of cut up vegetables, a tomato and cucumber salad, scalloped potatoes, a 10lb bag of potatoes, and have been given a huge lasagna dinner with fresh baked bread and salad.  And that's not including everything they stocked the house with before we arrived, including toiletries, milk, bacon, bread, eggs etc. Oh, and giftcards to restaurants.  We've eaten out already.

The Town

The phrase 'don't blink or you'll miss it' might have been invented to describe this little town.  What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in simply stunning scenery, though.  We're right on the banks of a gorgeous lake, the clouds are unlike anything I've ever seen before, the stars are incredibly bright, the trees..oh my heavens the trees and the hills...the vistas are just...it's breathtaking.

What We've Done...

The children and I discovered that there's a playgroup in town and last Friday we packed up and went to it.  I've only ever been to one other playgroup before so I didn't have a lot to compare it to - but this one was totally different from what I'm used to.  Also, it was packed, although the other mothers assured me that this is not common.

We all went to the local library to get cards and check out our first batch of books.  You know you're bookworms when your dishes aren't all unpacked but you've got a local library card...

Last weekend was the big fall fair for the area and I almost talked myself into getting a chicken.  I didn't, but I allllmost did.

Alright, now to bed.  The first week we were here we were in bed so early every night that the sky was still light.  Now I'm averaging about 9pm on a good night.