It Takes a Village

When I was setting out to make my move to Indianapolis, I kind of had the mindset that I would do as much as I could on my own... which I did.  But I'll just tell you that a cross-country move isn't easily done alone, so though I tried to be as independent as I possibly could, it took an entire village to actually get me up here.  And I'm so thankful for my little village.

My apartment is basically completely furnished because of the generosity of other people.  I'm writing to you from the Chancey couch right now (the absolute most comfortable couch in the world), which was given to us so kindly by the Rouse family.  I ate breakfast this morning at a table supplied by another former roommate, Rachael, using dinnerware and utensils given to me by my grandmother and mom at my bridal shower.  Most of what fills my kitchen and living spaces were generous gifts from family and friends, and I am ever so thankful for them.

There she is, the Chancey couch!

Moving the generous gifts was another task that I have to thank family and friends for.  My mom and sweet friends Alex, Claire, Susan, and Shannon helped me with most of the packing that I wasn't able to do on my own.  My mom, Alex, and my roommate Jessica helped with moving all of the items to the garage to prepare for the moving truck's arrival.  Weeks before the move, Scott's dad came to deliver some furniture that I wasn't able to move on my own, weathering through a flat tire on the trailer in the process!  A dear friend, Jared, came to help move the furniture into the house after a long day of studying.  Shannon, my dad, Alex, and Chancey were the main contributors to getting items from the garage into the moving truck (and my dad actually drove the truck from its pick-up site to my house in Durham!).  Chancey helped with de-cluttering and organizing the last little bits that were left towards the end.  Scott travelled from Indianapolis to Raleigh by plane and then drove the truck for most of the way to Indianapolis; my future brother-in-law, Chris, drove it for the remainder of the trip.  Scott's sweet Aunt Linda and Uncle T were gracious in offering a place to stay for us in Pilot Mountain to break the trip up a little bit; Scott had been insistent on us staying with them even though it didn't cut that much time off of our trip, and I'm SO glad that we did.  We were able to enjoy a family dinner with his family, hang out with his cousins and their sweet twin boys, and enjoy the mountain air and fall leaves in Pilot Mountain as a way of relaxing before the big trip.

My brother spent countless hours journeying from Chapel Hill to Durham with me to help me move furniture throughout my moving process, and he allowed me to use his truck several times to transport things on my own between Durham and Wilmington.  He came the night before I moved to help with the final heavy lifting, and I'll never be able to thank him enough for that!  My sister visited me the weekend before the move and provided some relaxation time and sanity for me, and my mom brought some sanity with her as well (though, she brought our puppy Gracie Lou, which maybe contributed to some INsanity as well while we packed!) that weekend and was such a huge help in getting things organized for the move and in helping me make the decision to get a larger truck (SO glad we did this).  My dad also travelled from Wilmington and was a huge help with his packing technique, driving skills, and the famous "R.Poveromo MY DOLLY" that made it possible to transport the heavy items onto the truck.  

Sweet Shannon supplied coffee and company for me when I was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, and she even showed up post-practicum in her fancy work clothes to put in some manual labor on the truck.  Countless friends spent time with me that last week and brought sweet going away treats with them-- thank you to Claire, Susan, Shannon, Jordan, Alex, Jessica, and Chancey for a combination of quality time and sweet treats before the move.  

There's numerous ladies I'd love to thank for the appliances and items currently filling my kitchen-- I won't be able to name them all, but thank you to everyone at my bridal shower for the sweet gifts that fill my current apartment and the apartment Scott and I will one day call our first home :) 

I've already given my shout-out to Ashley and Chris for their amazing help and servant hearts during our move, but I just want to thank them again for all that they did.  For prayer, I thank everyone in my family, Scott's family (shout out to Mama Cris!), all of my friends, and any strangers who reached out and prayed for us during the craziness of the move.  I can't forget to thank G.Diddy and Mama Joan, Chris's parents, for driving out to meet us between Raleigh and Garner to get my car!  Ashley and Chris drove my car from Garner to Pilot Mountain the Thursday of the move, and G.Diddy and Mama Joan were kind enough to meet us in a parking lot to get my car so we didn't have to drive all the way to Garner in the moving truck!  

I fear that I have somehow forgotten someone, so if I have, please know that your love and labor was not under-appreciated in any way.  I know that it took a whole village to get me here and I am forever thankful for my North Carolina village.  You are the people whom I have loved for years and who have loved me in return.  Thank you for pouring out your love and blessing on me, and know that I appreciate it and am more thankful than you could possibly imagine.  

I call on my little village for continued prayer during this journey-- it's not yet over! Our wedding is quickly approaching and I am on the hunt for a job to continue funding our wedding and my life up here.  I have an interview at a smaller long-term acute care hospital on Friday in their ICU and am hopeful for either this job or the one I have long desired at St. Vincent's to work out in the coming months.  As stressed as I was in my last job and as burnt-out as I felt, I've realized I love nursing and love serving others in that way so much.  I can't wait to resume working in healthcare and taking care of people again!

Lots of love to you all and thank you for your prayer and all you have done to get me here.  November has certainly been a month full of thanksgiving for me.  I'm surrounded by all of the loveliest people and am so thankful for God's faithfulness in placing you all in my life.  You're incredible beings with huge hearts, and I'm blessed to know you all.

Grace & peace, sweet friends.  Happy Tuesday from my little corner of Indy :) 

Cristina