Town Mouse and Country Mouse

Joshua has a book that is called "The Town Mouse and Country Mouse" and everytime I see it laying around I chuckle. Now in the story each mouse goes to the other mouse's home for a visit and in the end they realize that they are quite happy in their own homes because the city and the country are very different. I chuckle when I see this book because I have had a similar experience, but have transitioned from Town Mouse to Country Mouse.

Joshua and Luke at the homecoming parade
One of our favorite fall events

In December of 2007 my husband accepted a call to become the Pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Parkston, SD. I was nervous about the move for a variety of reasons. First off we were living in my hometown, and I knew it would be hard to leave for the first time. Secondly, if you know me you know that I hate change, really for no good reason because I've never regretted any changes that I've encountered, but still I thrive on continuity and routine. Lastly, I was quite unsure about moving to such a small area having lived in "the city" for so long.

Joshua at the pumpkin patch

I was positive I could do it though. I was 25, pregnant, newly married and excited about life in general so I was thrilled to begin this ministry adventure. I was sad to leave my family and my friends but also sure that this was God's will and plan for my husband and self. Then things got off to a bumpy start to say the least. My husband began his job in Parkston in February and was commuting 300 ish miles every week while I finished my teaching job and waited to have our baby who was to be born mid April. Well, on March 19th our son was born quite premature and very ill. This was most certainly unexpected and made our transistion a little more difficult.

We finally were fully moved into our Parkston home in May of 2008 not that we saw much of our home with all of the ongoing doctor visits and hospital stays it was not easy for us to get settled in. I can remember a time right after we moved when it was 10 pm and Joshua's oxygen wouldn't stay on his face and we were out of tagederm and even all of our band aids were gone. I told Luke that one of us needed to go to the store and get at least some band aids to secure the hose through the night and he just looked at me shaking his head and said "this isn't the city, there is no 24 hour walgreens down the street, everything closed at 9." This was where I began to realize that I was a little more of a Town mouse than I had thought.

My dad had thought all along that the transistion would be difficult for me and had mentioned on more than one occassion that I was more city than I thought I was. His greatest piece of advice, and something that I still practice today, was to go to Hobby Lobby around October before the weather starts getting too fierce and stock up on tons of craft projects, hobby supplies and just plain stuff to help pass the time. I of course rolled my eyes at the time and nodded with the required yes daddy response, but he was right. He was very right! The winters are long and with bad weather there isn't much of a chance to travel to a place that has everything. There have been many times since we've moved that I have pulled out a Hobby Lobby bag and worked on a project to pass the time.

Finally after 3 years I think that I have made the adjustment and actually embraced it. I think that you could call me a country mouse now. I look forward to the homecoming parade, the pumpkin patch, bicycling in the middle of the street, waving at everyone as you drive through town and Booms ice cream flavor of the week. I do however still miss a few things from the city though. Starbucks, delivery pizza, Chinese food, Target and a 24 hour anything still make me miss home, but I've made a new home here, and there is no better place to be than in God's will.  

Our Church Memorial Baptist