Can't Keep Up

Another week has passed in the lives of the Jones family and my, what a week it has been! I really wish I could stop the world and just get off for a few days. Or weeks. Or maybe for good. It depends on what day it is as to which I would choose.

Our trip to Boston for Michael's graduation was nice. The weather, not so much, but we decided since it was 75 in mid-March for his and Bekah's wedding that we couldn't really complain about rainy, windy, and cold. As many told us, after all it is New England. (Which is why most of our family is now back in the sunny south!)

Here is a picture of the more educated Michael.


With his new wife, Bekah. :)


And with his proud parents (one of whom had already changed into winter clothes because she was freezing!).


Tiffany with her "little" brother.


We missed Matthew and Lindsay not being able to be there, but they were not forgotten!


Bekah's parents came for the weekend to support Michael which meant a lot to all of us. I continue to be so thankful for the godly family he's been blessed with in Bekah.


Tiffany battled a stomach virus all weekend, but she and I did get to enjoy some of the beauty of the area. Most of our appreciation came from the car windows, but it did start to warm up right before we left on Tuesday (of course) and she got great pictures. She would say I'm biased, but I think Tiffany takes great pictures. She has a natural eye for seeing beauty in unique settings and it's showing up more and more as God restores her heart. I love watching that childlike joy and wonder of His creation shine through her from the inside out. Here are a few of my favorites.














While the trip was basically a good one, there was an undercurrent of dread knowing that we were going to have to deal with the stale smoke smell not going away in our apartment once we returned to Georgia. That fact was ever-present because when we opened our suitcases after arriving in Boston, we realized that everything smelled like smoke. So to make a very long story short, I really should be gathering and packing instead of writing this entry. We're moving into another apartment in the same complex beginning later this afternoon and throughout the weekend. I'm still surprised to find that we haven't completely run off any remaining friends we have in various states, but they continue to be loving and kind and supportive...and they keep helping us move. Hopefully this one will last for the next 15 months, but we know at least one more awaits us then. But like a true southerner, I will think about that tomorrow......

I would like to tell you the insightful things I'm learning through all of this, but I cannot. I have reached a point (or maybe been there for a while) of complete numbness and I don't feel anything anymore. I'm not surprised by sad, tragic, or bad news anymore and I don't get excited about happy, exciting, or good news. I'm just here. And yes, I know that's not healthy nor the way I was made to live, but it's where I am. I'm hoping the next few weeks will find a thawing of my emotions as life settles down. But then again, I'm not sure that will be happening any time soon. Between Matthew's 30th birthday next week, wondering about his job for next year, his upcoming wedding, Michael and Bekah's next chapter, their belated Georgia wedding shower, Tiffany's entry into grad school and the life changes that will bring, and figuring out life in a new area, I'm not seeing anything settled about any of it.

So for now, I must begin the washing and de-smelling of all the bed linens so we can sleep in our new apartment tonight without coughing. If there's something to pass along from this latest experience it would be this: don't rent an apartment without looking at the specific one they want you to move into, even if it's being renovated and they say you can't. Should you find yourself in a situation where something is not acceptable, don't be nice and worry about being a nuisance. Assertiveness is not the same thing as aggressiveness.

Have a great weekend and good luck keeping up with the Joneses - if you can!