The baby and the bathwater.

16 months.
We're off to Colorado the 1st of August, and 16 months will be the grand total for the Smiths in Mississippi.

We've explored what we could in the time we had, but there were still a few items on our 'to-do' list sadly lacking that coveted check mark. New Orleans being the stand-out.
As much as we love history, and knowing we'll never live this close again (trust me - we won't), we decided a quick weekend in NOLA would be perfect for Father's Day!

It was, um, well . . . I'll start with the good stuff.

The trip started out great. It was an easy drive, although 'Chatty Cathy' wigged out a little crossing Lake Pontchartrain.

Anyhoo, we figured we could handle the French Quarter in the two days we had. Just thirteen blocks long and six little blocks wide. I booked us on Toulouse Street, just off of Bourbon. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

(The black dot is our hotel.)

With our trusty pocket map and a 'You are here' app on Gigi, we set out to explore.


Our temporary digs were beautiful!

The architecture in the quarter was fantastic. Each new street seemed better than the last. I carried my phone and my camera, and snapped pics like crazy!

The shops were a mix of the new and the old. Antiques, jewelry, toys, clothing, art . . .

And the art spilled out onto the streets! These were done by a guy on Jackson Square. Love 'em!

The music was awesome!

The cemeteries,

The gardens,

And of course, Cafe Du Monde,

All wonderful!

So what's the problem?

*The minute we stepped out of the hotel the smell hit us. And I'm not talking Emiril's place or Bubba Gump. I'm talking stale beer, whiskey, and sewage. It was awful! We walked out of it about three blocks  later. 

*Then there were the shops. Most were fine. But way too many of them proudly stocked their windows and doorways with The most crude items I've ever seen. Some of these things would have made a frat boy blush!  Curses, innuendos, double entendres, nudity . . .There was just so much of it! It was impossible to keep it from the girls. They saw it, they read it. I hated it.

*Voodoo, black magic, vampires. Enough already!

*Partiers. Mardi Gras or not, if you're with kids get off the streets by 4 PM. 

We spent all evening in the hotel room. From the time my head hit the pillow until I finally dozed at about 1:30 AM, there was this overwhelming sense of unrest. Not just because of all the noise from the pubs. It was an uneasiness of spirit that I just couldn't shake. Joey felt it too, and we couldn't wait to leave.

Early the next morning all was peaceful again. We checked out and headed to the opposite side of the Quarter. The French Market, the Riverwalk, a carriage tour. It was a great morning.

So I don't know. Do we throw this baby out with the bathwater? 

I'm about 80/20 right now with my New Orleans love hate meter. But that percentage drastically changes as the sun goes down.

Check mark received. Been there, done that. On to the next adventure!

Faith. I'm just Sayin' . . .

                                   
  Faith:
Hope and belief in the goodness or trustworthiness, of a person, concept, or entity, despite insufficient or contradictory evidence.


The last few weeks have flown by in a blur of family, friends, deeds, titles, banks, Realtors, road trips, and doctors appointments. There is always a list of things to do before making a move.
In most areas, I'd say the Army really has it together - concerning it's families.
But with moving? They've dropped the ball, baby.

Briefly - you have to totally sign out of one post before signing in to another.

A wise man once said, "When crossing a stream, never take one foot off a stepping stone until the other foot is firmly planted!"

Well, that's exactly what we have to do!
We have the movers pick up our belongings, but with no forwarding address it all goes to storage.
We stop our mail, and it just collects at the Post Office until we are settled.
We suspend TV and Internet accounts until we are in a new home. (You get the idea.)

Basically, we're in limbo!

We travel to our new state and move into a hotel, find a realtor and, as quickly as possible, find a new home.

Now usually by this time, I've run Web checks on every realtor in the area and have poured  over so many available house listings that I'm seeing them in my sleep! And what can I do armed with all this knowledge?
Absolutely nothing.

The time line is fixed. We cannot view and rent a new home until we are out of the old.

It all comes down to faith.

God has always and will always provide.

Now if my heart would just accept what my eyes read . . .


For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
                                                                       Romans 1:17 

It takes a lot of faith to have faith.

I'm just sayin' . . .



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