Three Days to Go

I'm grouchy. There. Truth. It is just that I really dislike the last days before leaving. It is the unsettled feeling.... I've just moved too many times in my life. I know this is not a move, but a traveling summer, but it still involves packing up, and leaving my house for others.... all that involves. Still, even a travel summer leaves me unsettled, and just grouchy.

I'll be fine when we get on the road. I enjoy the trip. It is only that this is a continual reminder again and again that we are not/will never be "settled". I think that is it. And I get grouchy around moves.

On the other hand, I enjoy the thorough cleaning of my house that we do every few years when we travel and leave it to others. I suspect without that, I would build up "junk" of unknown age in odd locations.

So today, I managed to talk my daughter into a haircut. Ok, we only cut off four inches, but that was traumatic enough for her. Her hair has been growing all her life, and was well below her waist. Nice, but a nuisance for travel, and the ends were getting nasty. I went and got a nice haircut for myself, too. We're going to be up speaking in front of people, so it was time for a "nice do".

Then I spent time packing up my jewelry and valuables. Yes, I know that we have a house-sitter, but I barely know her. Last time we left, we let children of fellow missionaries borrow our house. They were married with five kids, so it was a good house for them to live in while they settled in the area. Except that I have rarely seen such damage in a house. We never met the family, and despite repeated phone calls, they never came to see us after we got home and they were in their own house. They ripped down curtains, broke fans, peeled paint off the walls, and to top it off, stole the contents of my son's piggy bank which was a sizable amount for a ten year old boy. Then, they let their dogs in the house where they urinated on our couches - we could never get the smell out and had to replace them.

I was shocked. Never expected such things. We complained to the missionaries we knew here about their daughter's family's damage, and they simply told us that "well, your house is rather fragile, you know."

Fragile?! I have three boys and one girl who acts as tough as them. The last thing my house is is fragile.

I was really ready to just lock my house and leave it empty, but that is not a good option, either. So this year, we have a Christian friend house-sitting for us. I like her. I do. But I haven't known her long. She also has two children, not teens this time, but young adults. They do not live with her, but they might visit. They are not believers.

This year, I am burned, so I am playing it safe. I'm taking my valuables and banking information over to a friend's house. I know these people, and my "stuff" will be safe at their house.

So that kept me busy. That and the fact that I don't want my house-sitter to think we are messy, so I am cleaning out closets and under beds. I'm thankful for the pressure to do it. I work better under pressure. :-)