On the Road Again...

Wed. and Thu., Oct. 20 & 21: Despite having to load the fridge and the freezer, and fold up the camper, we got on the road to Indianapolis by 8:00. We had no problems on the drive down and the GPS took us right to the county campground Marv had found on the internet. It turned out to be nearly deserted, full hook-ups for $20.00 a night, and right on the White River. We were surrounded by old growth trees and our site was on the river bank. Lovely! After dropping the camper and eating a quick lunch, the GPS took us 19 miles to Sarah and Craig’s new house in Carmel. We arrived to find that Sarah’s friend, Marie, was there with her two daughters. She had brought lunch and helped Sarah begin setting up the kitchen. Sarah and Craig have nearly everything moved at least into the garage. There are still a few things in their storage unit and the swing/climber and wooden patio chairs at the old house. Craig hopes to move them this weekend with the help of a friend whose dad has trucks for his business. We spent the two days helping with some unpacking and settling, with Marv mostly doing projects from Sarah’s list and me playing with the boys so that Sarah could work on the house. Marv ran a water line for the very nice refrigerator that has ice and water on the door but had never been hooked up. He also changed out three light fixtures and went with Sarah to get the freezer contents, some planters and the patio chair cushions from the old house. Craig came home from work both evenings and got right to work, carrying, carrying, and carrying boxes in from the garage. They are exhausting themselves with decisions about where things will go, but I think they’re going to be very happy with the new place. The yard is huge and fenced, which makes Samantha The Dog so happy! The people they bought from left several raised beds of herbs and vegetables including ripe tomatoes and eggplants, celery, many kinds of peppers, basil, radishes, and asparagus, strawberry and raspberry patches! The house is on a cul-de-sac with about 8 houses total and is extremely quiet, particularly after the noise on Keystone. Playing outside with Jordan and Elijah, I met the two girls in the house next door, and the couple who live on the other side. They have 4 grown children and many grandchildren who visit regularly, since all live within 20 minutes, including one or two in the same neighborhood. The Grandma (Margie?) is a pediatric nurse and they said they were very happy to see kids move in next door. I also met Mark and Sarah who live across the street and they have a Jordan, too, who is older than our Jordan but they didn’t say how old. Margie assured me it was a wonderful neighborhood and that Sarah and Craig would love it there. The first night we took everyone out for dinner to celebrate Craig’s birthday and that Craig had passed his first and hardest certification test—the one on Structures. He was very relieved because he knows many people who have to take and retake it to pass, and he passed the first time. We’re very proud of him. The second night Sarah made spaghetti and meatballs with whole wheat pasta. Yummy! We left after dinner and carrying a few more loads while helping get the boys in bed. It’s hard to leave them with so much still to do, but we know that they will make it and in a week or so it will really be feeling like home.