Hmmmmmm…….

I am so unobservant. I am reading a book called Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman. It’s a mystery which takes place (where else?) in Baltimore. The author casually mentions the Bromo Seltzer tower, a landmark I have seen from time to time all my life, a landmark prominent in the skyline as seen from Camden Yard. The auther then proceeds to describe it in detail. Apparently the clock face has two sets of markings. The inner ring is Roman numerals, which I did not know, but might have guessed correctly if asked; but the real distinction is the outer ring which has the 12 letters “B R O M O S E L T Z E R” as clock numerals. Not only that, the letters are blue. Check it out!

I have my own radio stations. You can make one too. Cheeper than buying itunes!

I took the two urban legend quizzes at Channel 5 in Dallas . I scored 100% on Quiz I, but only 6 right on II.
And why was I in Dallas anyway? Check out Virtual Expedition.

They say you’re never too old to learn something new. It took me moving to Lexington Park to learn about Fundamentalists. I had heard that term all my life, and just thought it was a derogatory term for religious conservatives. I stand corrected. There are actual people who proudly call themselves that. There is even a FBN, the Fundamentalist Broadcasting Network. There is a station right here. I’ve led a sheltered life!

Just a note about what I’ve been reading:
Kockroach by Tyler Knox—A cockroach who becomes a human discovers excellent analogies between his former insect colony and the worlds of organized crime and big business. Great study in language learning and cultural assimilation; Scientifically and socially accurate, but a bit bizarre.
A Whisper of Life by Gloria Cook—A romance novel in which young Kate finds herself living in a fairy tale.  Plot not believable; characters shallow and some developed way our of proportion to their importance to the story. Thumbs down on this one.
A Christmas to Remember by Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer—Two stories in one that only barely intersect. An adopted child discovers and brings healing to her biological relatives, a middle aged waitress struggles in pursuit of her life long dream of becoming a nurse, despite raising adolescents and dealing with an unsuppertive husband.  Touching and believable.
Limbo  by A. Manette Ansay—A gripping memoir of what it is like to deal with a life altering illness: the  grief at losing what  might have been, the physical, social, and emotional pain of the present, and the new directions to be embraced.  Couldn’t put this one down.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”

I first began hearing that Bible promise when I joined Clifton Park Baptist church, shortly after committing my life to Christ at the age of 27. I at first thought these older, Carey Tyson type saints [some of you will know who he is], were brainwashed and deluded. (I didn’t even know they were quoting the Bible!)

I have found Romans 8:28 to be true in major spiritual growth events in my life such as:

1. conflict in marriage to an unbeliever causing me to really delve into Bible study so as to be able to hold my own in spiritual argument, causing me to grow rapidly in knowledge and become a respected Bible teacher.

2. abusive marriage leading to the writing of Battered Helpmate which has helped others in similar situations.

3. breast cancer and kids rejecting their faith leading to greater trust in God and yielding control to Him, rather than trying to run the show myself.

Lately though, I experienced an event that shows that it is literally all things, and doesn’t have to be something huge and spiritual. It involves our move here to Lexington Park.

Shortly after we accepted an offer on our house in Silver Spring and made an offer on this one here that was also accepted, we suddenly learned that the seller here had neglected to file for a tax exemption and needed to postpone settlement for about a month. This was problematic because our buyer had framed their offer to include a specific settlement date that gave them 2 weeks to move in prior to their lease renewal date where they currently lived. We had accepted these conditions, even though it would be rushed for us. We negotiated with the seller here and were permitted to live here rent free for a month.

We proceeded with our plans to move, hiring a moving company, and making plans to have our stuff loaded on to moving trucks, stored overnight, in order to settle on our sale the next morning, and move that afternoon. Just as the movers were putting the last few things in the truck, we got a call from our realtor who told us that our buyer’s financing had fallen through, but they hoped to find another lender and wanted to postpone settlement by one week.

It would have been costly to store our stuff for a week; ridiculous to unload and then have to reload if the deal went through; and  scary to move and then be unable to purchase this house if the deal fell through totally, though we could probably get into a money losing rental situation here until our house sold to someone else.  We chose to trust God and do the latter.

Once here, our buyer’s second attempt at a loan fell though and settlement was postponed again. We were in limbo, not sure how much to unpack, how involved to get in church and community here, etc. Finally, after 10 days, we learned of the success of the third financing attempt. We settled on our sale.  Shortly thereafter our seller’s tax situation was resolved and we settled here.

Anyway, God knew we would need the delay of purchase and arranged for it long before we knew we needed it.  So start relying on Romans 8:28 if you never have before. (But also note the condition that it works only for those who “love God”. Do you?)

Drivers are not so impatient down here. You hardly ever hear horns honking. If someone doesn’t gun it right away when the light turns green, people just wait. Ray’s car broke down on Rt. 4 on our way home from Baltimore. We were stopped at a red light at what passes for rush hour down here. People just went around us through several light changes ’till a policeman pushed us over to the side. When you do hear a honk, you also see windows rolled down and people who know each other sticking their heads out and shouting greetings.

Ray and I went to the MVA today to change the address on our licenses and register to vote in St. Mary’s County. The office was no bigger than a local branch of a bank. There were perhaps half a dozen customers in there and about that many employees. We were in and out in about 20 min.

Also of note, Before we moved, Ray had received an inspection notice for emissions testing on his car. When he asked where to do that he was told it was not required in this county. Hmmm… mixed feelings about that one.

Since my last post,
…books and many other things packed in boxes and stored in a self-storage space
…house carpeted,
…Christmas celebrated
…doorbell, which suddenly died, replaced
…windows washed
…house put on market
…Christmas celebrated again when Gene, Jason and Erin could make it.
…garbage disposal, which suddenly died, replaced
…prospective buyers welcomed.
…offer received after only 2 weeks on market
…houses in Lexington Park visited
…accepted offer on our house
…made offer on house in Lexington Park
…our offer accepted
…learned that seller needed time to file for a tax exemption, but would let us live here rent free for a month
…inspection of our house found problems
…got second opinion and buyer accepted small monetary adjustment
…went to house inspection in Lexington Park
…got moving estimates and chose mover
…bought boxes
…packed and packed and packed
…movers bubble wrapped breakables
…said farewell to our church
…discontinued all utilities and other services
…movers loaded trucks at house and self storage place and hauled our stuff away
…learned that buyer’s loan had fallen through, settlement postponed one week
…moved
…arranged for local utilities
…explored area shopping
…attended a funeral
…unpacked and unpacked
…retrieved my car
…started attending church, joined choir and hand bell choir
…learned that buyer’s loan arrangements fell through again, settlement postponed
…tried to get into birdwatching and walking routines
…settlement finally happened, causing internet and cable install to be postponed
…unpacked and unpacked some more
…had internet and cable installed
…learned that we will settle for this house soon
…still lots to unpack
CAN I BREATHE NOW!!??!!