Today is Monday and we fly out to England on Friday night! Part of me finds that so hard to believe, but it is really happening! The boxes I packed have been shipped out, there were 22 in all. I was hoping for fewer boxes, but it is what it is. They should arrive a week or so after we do as long as they get through customs in a timely manner. I’ve pulled the suitcases out and will start loading them up this evening. We’ve written a California Bucket List that we’ve almost finished up now… all the final things are coming together!
Our friends and church family have made these last weeks in California such a blessing. Many have come over to help me with whatever I needed, covered our meals, and watched our kids for us… all so helpful!
Some mom friends of mine hosted a baby shower for me (I’m due with another girl in January)… it was such a nice time of chatting about babies and motherhood. I have not had much time at all to think about this baby as my time has felt consumed by our move! But that evening was so special and sweet. As I looked around the table at all those friends gathered, I was reminded that making mom-friends can be difficult, but it is so needed! And these friends of mine have been such encouragements to me over the last year and half that we’ve lived in California. They feel like friends I’ve known for years, when I’ve only known them for a year and a half or less! What a blessing! And that makes me so excited to see old friends and make new ones in Oxford too.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” And these friends have all done that for me in different ways!
There has been a drawer in my guest room full of projects that I wanted to finish before moving. Well, it is empty now too and that feels good! I quickly sewed a second dress for myself and then had enough material to sew a matching one for my daughter. They are going in the suitcases today! Speaking of dresses, I have winnowed down my wardrobe again to a small capsule wardrobe… filled with only dresses. I did this when we moved to England the first time and it made my life so much easier that I wanted to do it again. Only having a few items in your closet makes it so much simpler to choose what to wear every day. I took it even further this time and decided to only wear dresses. There are lots of reasons for this change and I want to share them, and, no, it’s not only because it makes for fewer choices every morning. But that will all come in a post after I unpack in Oxford!
Projects are getting finished, but we are also finishing up our California bucket list! We’ve been eating our favorite restaurants and visiting our favorite places. Chick-fil-A and In-n-Out were pretty high on our list of things to do before we fly on Friday. They don’t exist in England! And, of course, we made it down to the coast for one last beach day… and one last sunburn for me! haha.
It’s so nice to finish up these things as we finish up our time here in California. Even though there has been a lot decisions to make, I have been so grateful for all that the Lord has blessed us with. And I can’t wait to see what He has in store for this next chapter of our lives in Oxford. As I’m starting on our suitcases today, I think we are in good shape to get on that plane Friday night and be truly ready to go. Of course, we will miss California, but we’re looking forward to the many rainy days ahead in Oxford! Thank you for following along with our family, please pray for our packages to arrive safely and for us to arrive safely in England later this week!
Until next time from Oxford! Thanks for reading, friends.
