For those of you who might be wondering where we are, I wanted to check in and say we are alive and well here in Shepherd. As I mentioned here, I have this kind and generous friend Jessica, who selflessly offered us the basement apartment of her home to live in this summer as we work toward getting moved to Utah. I had hoped to be able to find housing in the Heights where Isaiah and Eli work and closer to downtown where Gerald works, but literally everyone required a 6-month lease; no one would rent to us month-to-month. I was beginning to think the five of us might spend the summer camping out in tents somewhere. This idea may appeal to Gerald but certainly not to me.
We moved out here a week ago yesterday. It has been a bit of an adventure. First, we only brought what I considered essential items. So "Sunday smoothie night" comes along, and well, sorry...no blender. Then someone suggests waffles instead. Uh, yeah, no waffle iron. How about cupcakes with this cake mix I happened to bring? Ah, no muffin pan or liners. Think simple, guys. You will be okay.
We are also not accustomed to the type of water they have out here. Jessica warned me about this: "The water stinks and tastes awful, but it won't make you stink or harm you if you drink it. But you probably won't want to." True enough. We have plenty of delicious bottled water for drinking, but I don't think any of us has adjusted to the "soft" water for showers. Jessica says we will get used to it eventually, probably just about the time we move out.
Most difficult, as we knew it would be, is transportation. Since we've been here, we've made a minimum of three round trips to town (Billings Heights) each day. Yep, I'm spending a fortune on gasoline! And I'm trying not to fret about it because we have a place to live, a very nice place, and we are thankful.
Which brings me to the good stuff. This apartment is so spacious. It is really a better situation than I could have imagined. Plus, it is so fun to be here with Jessica and her sweet family. She has done so many things to make us feel welcome. When it was cold and rainy last weekend, she came downstairs and built us a fire so we wouldn't be cold. And we weren't even cold! Then she brought a wagon full of gravel to put over the ground where we park our cars, so it wouldn't be quite so muddy. And tomorrow, she and a friend are making tacos for all of us for dinner. We are feeling quite spoiled.
Then there are some other comforts: a dog, a cat, and a bed. There's a big black, and wonderfully friendly, dog named Diesel who lives outside. Seth adores him. More interesting, though, is the relationship that has developed between Isaiah and the kitten who lives inside. Isaiah has pretty much adopted her as his own. He carries her around everywhere. Last night he asked, "Mom can we just keep this cat? She obviously loves me more than her own family, and I want her." No, Isaiah, we won't be able to steal the cat from Jessica's family, but she's yours to enjoy for the summer. Then there's this amazing king-sized bed that Gerald and I get to sleep on. It is even firmer than my queen mattress, not to mention the additional room it provides. Heaven! I have not slept this well in years.
No matter what Jessica says, this is a sacrifice for her family. For one thing, because there is no door separating their house and the stairs that come down to the apartment, they are forced to hear all our noise. I was up there the other day, and I could literally hear everyone's conversations downstairs. And here's thing: Nothing we say is that interesting. It doesn't even provide any good gossip. It's just boring family stuff, and they're forced to listen to all of it. In contrast, we hardly hear them at all. Occasionally, we'll hear the sweet baby sounds of 15-month-old Will. I love that. How wonderful to hear a baby in the house! It's been ten years since I had one of those.
So here we are. Jessica, Bill, Ben, Taylor, and Will hosting Terrianne, Gerald, Isaiah, Eli, and Seth. We couldn't be more appreciative. I will never be able to repay them for this kindness, but hope I can do something, someday, to pay it forward.
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