Life on Hemlock Street

It's both fun and a little odd to be here in the same house that my parents lived in for nine years. I was about four when we moved so I have a few memories. Then, when I was about ten I started to take over the paper route that my brother started in the area. It was passed down from sibling to sibling so I did it about three times a week. As a result I can remember the area from then too.

Now we are discovering new areas, like the bike hills that were going in about the time I was in high school. Dan begged all day for me to take him there so we finally made it this afternoon.

There's a little store down the street where I remember buying little boxes of animal crackers, candy cigarettes, and rock candy. Now Nat and Annette like to take a run for a bag of chips at $1.29.

One thing I've begun to wtonder about life in America is how people afford anything!?! I'm not ashamed to say when we go shopping, my motto is now, "Look for the sale signs!" I was lucky to save $16.00 today on ..."unmentionables" (as my mommy taught me to say)!

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the garage sales this weekend!

The kids have also had fun reconnecting with a friend, Zack, from the old neighborhood where my parents lived for 41 years. I walked around there tonight and thought about all those that lived there in the past years and wondering where each family had moved on to. I see some mentioned in the local paper and connect with a few on facebook, but it does seem like we all move on. Some we remember, some we don't. My prayer for the day is that we leave a positive memory for those that we connect with today.

Relating in the US

It has been a wonderfully long week, we have travelled to the US, started in on our shopping and have had some fun too.

We arrived in Longview Monday afternoon and had to go out the next day to buy some clothes for the kids. Got some used clothes, or second-new, as we say in Nigeria. The next day I realized I needed some clothes too and of course we found more for the kids and a run to Goodwill provided a few more things. Then there were garage sales yesterday and today; no wonder we're tired!

Today we went to the annual international festival at the community college. It was a lot of fun for the kids and mom and I enjoyed it too. Afterwards we dropped Annette off at a friend's house. She and Annelise have stayed connected over the past three years. Annelise's family used to live down the street from where my parents used to live.

After the rest of us got home Daniel started playing with the boys next door, Nat rode around on the bike loaned to Annette and he found a bike helmet at a nearby garage sale. Then Daniel went for a bike ride with the neighbor boy and his father, Mom went off to a friends, and an aqaintance from my high school days stopped by with his family. Mark and I recently connected on Facebook and I realized our kids were close in ages. (I am so thankful the kid's have all gotten bikes.)

After a short visit they took Nat to thier house for a few hours. Then Daniel and I went for a walk (found a the garage sale Nat had gone to). Daniel ended up back at his friend's house and after Mom got home I actually managed to get a short nap. I really needed it since I got up at 4:20 today. (The only time I can have any quiet time is before the kids wake.)

Now it is nearly bedtime. Daniel fell asleep around 7:30, Annette got home soon after, and Nat was home before 9:00. They all had fun and it was really good to see them connecting with other kids.

All in all, it was a good day and there were lots of fun moments for all of us. It is so nice to be here with Mom (and my nephew that lives with her). Life here is wonderfully predictable in so many, many ways that it is hard to explain. From the reliable electricity to the way people drive and relate to each other. I find the connections with family, friends, church people we have seen in town and people we cross paths with in shops...all the connections have been heart-warming and refreshing to me.

At the same time, I stay connected on the phone and internet with family back in Nigeria and colleagues and past students on Facebook. I have so much to be thankful for over the past week; journey mercies, reconnecting with family and friends, and in the way the kids and I have been able to adapt to life here. God is good!