Sweet Home Alabama

This past Saturday marked the day that this Alabama boy took his Tennessee girl back to “Sweet Home Alabama”. There are so many things to say that it’s hard to know where to even start. I have learned a lot about myself through this whole move and part of what I have learned and am still learning is that when people ask how I am doing {or how is the move going} I love to fill people in on all the details - but am learning to just share bits and pieces or it will totally wear me out! With that being said...I will share a few of the highlights of the past 72(ish) hours.

Friday marked my last full-time day at Mercy Ministries. I am still working part-time through the Chattanooga Mercy Luncheon in July. B got into Nashville on Friday afternoon and surprised me at work - {happy} tears filled my eyes when I saw his handsome self standing in the doorway of my office. Not only was it so sweet to have him back in Nashville with me - but he brought me ice cream which was so precious!! Friday night we had a normal relaxing evening at home {take note: not even one box had been packed...you would have thought we were nesting in for a traditional Nashville weekend}. 

My sweet husband brought me ice cream on my last day!!

Saturday morning we got up about 6:15am: showered, B made eggs and beans {his standard breakfast}, spent time in the Word...asking the Lord to truly be our STRENGTH as we move everything from Nashville to Birmingham. {take note again: still not even one thing in the whole house had been packed up} For any of you that know me well, you know how much I have enjoyed the “Jesus Calling” devotional book by Sarah Young. The devo for June 4 was RIGHT ON. It gave me chills when I read the following: 

“Welcome challenging times as opportunities to trust Me. You have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn’t make it past the first hurdle! 

The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless of the day’s problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me.” {James 1:2, Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 26:3}

Around 7:00am we started packing up the slipcovers on our sectional (that we treasure!!) and then B went with a friend to pick up the moving truck. Our sweet cousin arrived from Chattanooga to help us and then the Nashville friends started piling in. I put the girls to work on wrapping up our kitchen (dishes, platters, china, glasses, etc ... that all seems to multiply when you move) and the guys helped B load up the heavy items in the house. 

Packing "load one" of the truck in Nashville on Saturday morning

8am to 11am absolutely flew by...everyone was in the zone...we gave our friends full permission to do whatever it takes to pack up whatever items they can find and no need to even ask us if this or that is a good way to pack it. Our main goal was for everything in our Nashville home to get to our new Birmingham home!! Around 11am is when the marriage moment occured! :) B said, “Hey Whit - Come join me up here on the truck for a quick team meeting!” I went up there with him and that’s when he informed me that the moving truck (and my car) were almost completely full and that the new game plan would be for us to leave in 15 minutes to drive this to Birmingham, unload the items in Bham, and drive back to Nashville to get the rest of the items. {“oh my goodness gracious”, I thought} I said, “Babe, are you sure this is the best idea?” He said, “I am positive and I need you to trust me.” After we locked eyes and I gave him the “Alright babe, you got it!” response - he gathered a team meeting in the living room for all of our helpers. Basically that was to fill everyone in that we’d be leaving in 15 minutes, so let’s wrap up all that we can between now and then. 

Gas for the moving truck was not cheap!!

B was driving the moving truck and I was driving my Explorer and we hit the road. We got to Birmingham in the usual three hours...signed the papers, got the keys for our new apartment, did the final walkthrough, and ten of our friends and family met us at the apartment to unload. When I say it felt like angels descended on the apartment - I am not even joking. We called people on the way to Bham to let them know we were getting in much earlier than expected and we knew that would be a bit of a curve ball since we had originally mentioned we would probably need help in the early evening. Here it was around 3pm in the middle of a Saturday and I am not even kidding when I say that the entire moving truck was unloaded and all items were delivered {to the THIRD floor of the apartment in the 100 degree Alabama summer weather} in ONE hour!! It was unreal. We thanked everyone profusely for their help and then B and I got back in the moving truck and drove back to Nashville. {after a lunch stop at the Whole Foods!!} 

The amazing Birmingham Unload Team on Saturday afternoon

We arrived back in Nashville around 8pm and had some friends at the house ready to load up the second truck load. We kept the tunes blaring and everyone was sooo very helpful! Not only did our stuff seem to multiply at the end - but we even mustered up enough strength to windex the mirrors, vacuum the entire house, dust, and get everything in “move in” condition for the future buyers {we are still praying that the Lord would send the right buyers for our house - please join us in this prayer}. B and I left one of the guest room beds for us to sleep on {we will be giving this away to any takers as soon as we sell the house but thought it would be nice to have a place to stay in the house until then}. We showered up for the night {with water only!!}, went to sleep, and hit the road at 8am on Sunday. 

My soul sister, Julieann, showing up on Saturday night in Nashville to help!

After "load two" was packed and the entire house was clean - here we are taking a moment to enjoy sweet fellowship amongst the chocolate covered raisins and sesame sticks...in our empty Nashville home!

We had precious friends ready to help us unload in Birmingham {the second load of the truck was somehow FULL...you know how it all adds up there at the end!!} and by the point the second load was unloaded and up to our apartment...we were t-totally exhausted. It seemed that was when the adrenaline started to die down. B has been the best leader through this whole move - taking such great care of me each step of the way. He looked at me calmly and said, “Let’s go get a good lunch!” So we went to Chuy’s at the Summit. After lunch {just about the time I was thinking...how are we even going to know where to start unpacking when we get back to the apartment} Brandon initiated a nap. He somehow found an inkling of carpet that was not covered in boxes and made us a pallet in the guest room. We slept like a rock for two hours {and about the time we were waking up and I didn’t know, again, where we would even start organizing} B initiated an ice cream run! Note the theme throughout the entire room: Get Whit ice cream!! Bahahaha!! 

After ice cream, we came back and started with where the whole move had begun on Saturday morning...the slipcovers of the sectional! We got the sectional dialed in and started organizing a few things here and there and then called it a day. We made sure to  call our “lifeline”, aka: Mama Sue, to make sure she knew she had a clear invitation to join me in Birmingham first thing Monday morning!! When she showed up, it felt like a new breeze had just blown through. From getting the shelf secured, to the bedrooms organized, to tackling the many boxes in the kitchen, to turning on lamps with the soft lighting here and there...this woman knows her stuff! Her calming presence has been just what the doctor ordered! I have realized that this is not just a “big deal” because we moved...but we have both left our Nashville jobs...B is on his fourth week in his new job {some of you have been asking what his new job is...medical sales!} and transitioned into a new city which also means new friends, new church, new grocery store {don’t even know where that is}, new chiropractor {need to take a moment soon to go for a visit there} and so forth!! The name of the game has been to take one thing at a time! 

The floor plan to our new apartment home!!

It’s been amazing how God has given us the strength every bit of this journey. I would not be telling the whole truth if I said it’s been a cake walk! There have been moments where I have felt more overwhelmed than others - but right at those moments - I get an encouraging text from a friend, a new helper friend appears at the door to help me organize my closet, my Mom fixes me lunch, B gives me a hug, or God shows me another truth in His Word: “...Take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 - When I remember that yes, it would be overwhelming to do this in my own strength - I just have to fix my gaze back on the One who has promised He’d be with me every step of the way. God led us here from the start and is with us every step of the way!! What a precious blessing to hold onto. {if you have read this entire blog post...YOU are a trooper! i know it’s a long one but i hope you feel a little more filled in than before on all that’s gone on since the last post! thank you for praying for us - we have felt your prayers! B and I have felt like more of a team through this than anything we’ve been through yet as a couple...what a praise that this move has pushed us closer to each other and the Lord!!}

Closing statement from the man of the house: "Not much more to say, as Whit has pretty well covered it. My wife has a gift of communication!! I will say this in closing...new jobs and moving are a humbling experience. They could be a potential strain on a marriage but we knew that going in and we declared that no matter what - we would be FOR each other!”