Weather

It had never occured to me how tied my view of color and temperature are. Weather, yes, in a broad sense. In BGO when everything was brown and dusty it was usually very hot and dry, and when everything was green and lush it was usually rainy and wet. In North Carolina, three seasons out of the year are reasonably green and warm. Summer is hot and muggy, but the skies are bright and the trees are green. By the time winter rolls around... and by winter I mean temperatures in the 50's, the trees are bare, the sky is gray, even the grass is bit dull. You can see your breath and you know it is just freezing weather! Perhaps a dusting of snow might be in the forecast.
Here in Exeter, it has been in the 50's on and off for a couple of weeks. It is very confusing as this started in September. The trees are still mostly green, the sky is a brilliant shade of blue and many folks are still running around in shorts. I am cold, but in a brisk sort of way. The brightness of the sky and the warmth of color all around seem to taunt a Southerner like myself. As if to say, "this isn't cold... this is refreshing!" Ha. I'm not fooled. Everyone that hears me open my mouth wonders where I am from and then looks sympathetically when I annouce we just moved from NC. "Just wait." they say. I murmur something about dressing appropriately. They respond "Yes, layers." or "learn to appreciate the outside winter sports." Hmmmm. I think to myself. My guess is I am about to see and experience more snow this winter than I have in 37 years of living. It will be fun. It will be fun. It will be fun. It will be fun. It will be fun.

Ikea

Fortunately for us, Kev's sister and brother-in-law arrived just minutes after the movers pulled up. I LOVE Ikea furniture but the concept of "some assembly required" is definitely a bit of an understatement. At one point Dave looked up at me and said, "Did that box really say 31 of 72? Tell me we don't have 72 boxes of furniture to put together." I sheepishly shrugged and said something lame like, "We did move from Africa." We were extremely grateful for the furniture that our home church pulled together for us prior to our arrival in Durham. But as we made plans to move here, we decided it was time to bless other folks in need with much of what we had been given and invest in some furniture that we thought was both beautiful and functional. Furniture that well... matched. There was very little discussion about where to go to buy such furniture. Ikea draws forth such an emotional response from both of us. When we were first in Uganda and evacuating in and out of Fort Portal due to rebel warfare, our place of refuge and safety was a former Swedish missionary compound. All of the houses there felt beautiful and safe. They were well but simply decorated with various Ikea pieces that were likely easy to ship to such a remote location. So when we considered how to furnish our new home here in Exeter, we were drawn to a similiar style. Beautiful, yet simple. Ikea.
Of course, that was before it occurred to me that when we arrived at Kahunga Bunyoni all of the furniture was already assembled. As we stared at the 72 boxes with screwdrivers and allen wrenches in hand, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, we should have bought furniture from Craig's List or Rooms to Go. Something that perhaps might not invoke the "safe" memories but would arrive...well...together.
Dave and Janis worked tirelessly for days putting together tables and chairs, sofas and beds, dressers and wardrobes. As my family would say they worked from "can to can't." (From when the sun comes up and you can see until it goes down again and you can't see anymore.) I did think the queen size box spring might be the straw that broke the camel's back... imagine having to assemble 150 different 1 inch by 20 something inch slats into rubber pieces that first must also be attached to various wood pieces that form a frame of sorts. We won't even mention the need to assemble and adjust the 25 or so center piece double slats to reflect a hard or soft bed preference. Of course, now fully assembled it IS the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on...
All of this to say, we love our Ikea furniture and we love Janis and Dave.
And while the house is still not fully unpacked, the kids are all happily attending school, Kev is teaching, our internet/phone/cable services are hooked up and the whole family has been to see both dentist and doctor. So for all intents and purposes we are settled here in Exeter. It is a lovely place to live. And did I mention the Ikea store that is just outside of Boston? It is a decent drive, about an hour or so away. But Nate is thrilled that we have to go through a complicated underpass, over a high cool looking bridge and through a long tunnel to get there. Anything to please the kids...

Welcome PEA Students

Introducing Kevin Bartkovich to any PEA students or parents clever enough to find our blog, here's a favorite YouTube video illustrating the need for further math instruction.

Joe Liles

A dear friend of ours is having a truly amazing adventure hiking the Appalachian trail. He's hiking the 2200 mile trail from its Southern tip in Georgia up to the Northern tip in Maine. A long journey that started back in May and should finish up sometime in Sept. Wow! Myhre's, I definitely thought of you guys. His blog is wonderful-- images included. See the sideboard for the link.

The Movers

The Movers arrive tomorrow morning at 7am. So of course, being the queen of denial that I am... I am pausing in the very last stages of my packing frenzy to update the blog. I've got a strong cup of coffee on board and that "there just aren't enough hours in the day" panic to see me through. After a week long marathon of household fix it projects, my parents headed back home to Belmont with all four kids and Jazz. The house has an erie quiet, an almost silent echo, made all the more loud by the 148+ cardboard boxes. Who knew we had all this stuff? I'm down to the last four boxes, all marked "Odd and Ends." Which basically means all the stuff that should have been put into box 10, or 22, or 57. But as said box was already sealed shut when said item was discovered in an "unlikely place" got tossed instead into a now generic misc. box. I can foresee the unpacking nightmare now. Like the DVD remote which was inexplicably on the floor wedged between two large sealed cardboard boxes, or the coffee pot filters that were hiding out in the back of the drawer. I'm tossing all kinds of things in the rush to finish up. Little bits of games that have rolled under various pieces of furniture. I am sure these will be crucial in the months to come as the games themselves are unpacked and the kids describe that one missing item that I have a vague memory of chunking in the overflowing garbage can. Sigh. But for now the goal is simple. Have everything ready for the movers to load onto a big truck with as much organization as I can muster by daybreak tomorrow morning. Plus, have all the things crucial for the next month hidden from the movers so that they remain in our care rather than packed on the truck.
After that, Kev and I will enjoy our last two days in Durham for a good while. It has been a wonderful place to live. A place full of memories stretching back 20 years for me and even longer for Kev. A place with a quirky progressive quality and yet still comfortably Southern. A place full of many people whom we dearly love and treasure. With shaky confidence we send our boxes on to a new place, with the hope that Exeter will be just as wonderful for us and for our kids...

Rehab

Yesterday, Kev and I put on our work-out clothes and headed to the gym. I have to admit, it is a pretty sweet place for cardio-rehab. The Duke Center for Living is an amazing facility staffed by a great group of doctors, nurses and physical therapists. Kev goes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for about 2 hours each morning. He gets his blood pressure and heart rate checked before, during and after excercise and is pretty much monitored continually. All part of the process of re-establishing his confidence (and mine) in returning to a very active lifestyle. So far, so good.

On the home front, we are continually being blessed by wonderful food and fun visits. This is so helpful as our days (my mom and mine) are spent trying to pack up the house and navigate taking care of the kids. The twins have enjoyed their chances for play dates... which also gives us a bit more breathing space and productivity! We remain thankful for our friends and family.

Discharged

Just a quick WAHOO! to say that we have been discharged from the hospital and are now resting comfortably at home. Just a day shy of 2 weeks. We'll be open for visits tomorrow. Kev loves to see folks, but a 10-15 minute stretch is about all he can handle right now. Give us a call if you'd like to pop over... 919-381-4637.