Our e-mail "update" on how things are going. Just thought it would be nice to have these on the blog.
Hello to all,
Just thought I would let you know how we are doing in our efforts to accomplish this amazing feat of being able to serve a mission starting in March.
First of all, we have gone through all the food storage, re-organized, re-labeled and put it on the shelves in a way that will be easy to see & use - either by us or by others if there were a great need and the bishops called for help. We do have a lot - thankfully due to my job as the person helping people in the ward acquire theirs back in 1999 and the first few years of the 2000s. A lot more than we need for 2 people - but that is OK.
Also have pulled out all the canning jars; announced in RS last Sunday that I had canning jars to give away, thinking there would be a couple of people interested. I think about 8 people immediately spoke up, so I said I would just bring them this coming Sunday and anyone that wanted any can take them. I really did not realize how very many I have. As we kept filling up boxes as we pulled them out of the depths of the pantry shelves it seemed like it was a never ending stream. Anyone coming here soon that would like to have some? Let me know right away and I will put them aside for you. My thought is that we will end up using the shelves to the left of the door in the pantry to take the place of our cabinets upstairs and all the food up here. We do have cabinets in the downstairs kitchen, but they are not nearly as spacious as what is upstairs:).
I set up a 6 week "plan" for emptying out the upstairs - if you are interested, here it is:
January, Week 1 Guest Bedroom & Closets
1A - Artwork/pictures
January, Week 2 Main Bathroom & Cupboards
2A - Hall Pictures, Other Family pictures
January, Week 3 Family Room Cupboards, Bookshelves, Closet
January, Week 4 Office Bedroom, Closet, Bookshelves
February, Week 1 Our Bedroom, Closets
February, Week 2 Kitchen, Cupboards - Mudroom First? Move to downstairs! (end of week 2)
February, Week 3 Laundry Room, Outside - storeroom, barn, etc.
Last night we had help from the elders' quorum & high priests in moving down the furniture from the "guest bedroom" - (actually Mary's tho she hasn't been able to use it much) - to the basement. Also the bed & dresser from the "office" (the "boys" bedroom) and my sewing cabinet from the family room. Most of what was moved fit into a pretty neat rectangle to the right of the closet in the main room. The tempurpedic(sp?) bed is on top of the furniture and I think we will be putting artwork (paintings, etc.) on the very top of it all. The bed from the office went into the bedroom downstairs and we kept a couple of the old dresser units (the light wood) in the bedroom so we will have a place for clothes.
Note to Steve & Holly: we positioned the dressers that had the most of Steve's stuff against the furniture to be stored, so it can stay that way for quite some time.
Today I've been working on the stack of stuff in the corner of Mary's room and made a beginning on the closets. Discovered a fair portion of what is there was left by Charlotte, so have kindly requested a visit from her to let her go through it and decide what to do with it:) I'm looking forward to seeing her.
Koda the cat is quite mystified; I'm sure he thinks we're leaving (which of course we are, but not soon) and he was really a little weird last night when people were here helping to move that stuff down. Today he spent quite some time searching around Mary's room - like maybe he is trying to figure out where everything went? Who knows. I picked him up and put him my lap one time he was rambling around. He settle in and purred quite happily - but not for long:).
Anyway - just wanted to let you know we have a plan of sorts and are working on it. Horsey daughters please keep in touch and let us know when you think you have figured out when to come. On a sad note, and perhaps you already know, but in case you don't, Michael's dad passed away unexpectedly last week. I was able to talk to his mom last night; she says they are all still trying to adjust to the reality of it. She also shared that he was cremated yesterday (oops - that might be Monday) and that they were planning to have a memorial service, but were waiting to know when Michael would be able to be home for it. So, keep Michael and his extended family in your prayers please.
Also talked with Christine a little earlier today - she was about an hour from Salt Lake City going back for the doctors to check Ammon's "wiring" - seems some wire has just about worn its way through his cheek. So keep our sweet Ammon and their whole family in your prayers too:).
Love to all,
Mom O & Grandma Sandy (All you Bullinger kids be good while Mom and Ammon are gone:)!!!!
Our e-mail of December 26th - announcing our mission call!
But.... on the 10th of December, we were asked to come in for an appointment with President Hopkins, our stake president. That was fine and we expected some possible input about changes in our efforts with the Young Single Adults. Although he did mention our YSA efforts, he also called us to serve a mission starting on March 1st in the Oregon Eugene Mission Office, with Dad serving as fleet administrator and me working in the office. Dad was excited - that was his perfect idea of a mission! I have to say that I was not expecting it and all the "obstacles" began immediately presenting themselves in my mind, not the least of which was my ability to sit at a desk for 8 or 9 hours a day and still maintain my ability to walk. Then immediately to my mind came the often heard words, "whom the Lord calls, He qualifies" (probably not quoted exactly) - and I found myself nodding in agreement when Dad said, "Yes!" and that we would serve for 2 years. Sooo - that is our new project - figuring out the what-we-need-to-do-in-order-to-make-this-happen and the HOW to do it all.
A little more info: First of all it is a SERVICE mission. Which gives us more "freedom" than a PROSELYTING mission. (I never really knew there were these different kinds of missions before.) Secondly, it is considered a "serving from home mission" - meaning our records remain in our ward and stake here, even thought we can obviously NOT serve "from home." (All these different terminologies have left me somewhat confused.) In reality we apparently will serve in the mission office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then have weekends "off" - although we did go up and meet with the couple we are "replacing" last week and it sounds like there may be some times when we might be doing more than that...? We will certainly learn more in the coming days and weeks. The Christmas break has intervened, leaving us with quite a few questions that we hope to soon get answers for.
We have the option of taking over the apartment this other couple is living in or searching for something different. At first we were thinking of just taking over theirs, but since they have suggested we come up for training the week before we start, we are thinking it would be better to have a place of our own and move in at the beginning of that week so that we would be more "settled" when we actually take over the responsibilities we will have the following week. We are also thinking it would be nice to take our own bed - and who knows what else. [Sure seems different for going on a mission:)] Lots to think about and try to accomplish - soon.
Which brings up one of the most difficult parts of this - trying to accomplish in a couple of months what we had planned to work on during most of the year. As of right now, our plan is to to rent out the upstairs + the property - including the barn, etc. and move ourselves to the basement - sorting, giving away, and getting rid of anything we really have no good reason for keeping, and renting a storage facility if we have to. Since some things really cannot be completed by the end of February - like selling our flock of sheep, which we will probably try to do in March or April - we can then use the basement as our weekend home when we need to be home. Hopefully we can find someone to rent to who will want to have animals and can use the barn, etc. We really need to fully put our trust in the Lord for how all this is going to come about, because trying to figure it out ourselves is mind-boggling to me.
A while ago I sent an e-mail to my "horse-y" daughters requesting a couple of volunteers to find a time when they can come together here, go through all the horse stuff and get rid of it for us. I had no real time line on that - thinking any time in the next 4 or 5 months would be fine. Now, because of the mission call, there is a timeline - and it would need to be done before the end of February I think. (Please don't consider anything said here to be written in concrete - if there is one thing I have learned from this past year it is that things can change!) Since I do not plan to be a part of any of it, the exact time does not matter to us - but it would be really nice to have at least 2 of you here and to have you communicating with the others to be sure that if there IS anything that someone would like to have we somehow get it to them!
Also - now, with the mission call, that would also apply to things inside the house as well. Trying to pare all of our belongings down to the basement & an apartment in Eugene will be somewhat of a challenge.
Another problem is the horses; I have talked briefly with Sara about her possible ability to take Sid and use him for lessons...don't know if that will work out or not; Emily I know you have said you would board Imp down in California - but that seems like a huge expense to me. I was thinking perhaps we could find an "old horse" farm that would keep him in Oregon for a monthly fee that would be more affordable. Or - talk to someone like Cindy Sanders maybe and see if they have any ideas? So - I am sad to say, please start thinking about it and what you feel would be best. Suzanne's horse is supposed to be leaving in January. That was already scheduled before this call.
Good news is that we think we will be able to participate in the family reunion as scheduled...if in fact we have our weekends "off" - will know more for sure later:).
Sad news is that we have to rescind our invitation to our grandkids to visit... have not been able to figure out a way to make that happen at all:(. But... a happy thought that I had (inspiration or pipe dream?) was that after we serve this mission, we could apply to do a service mission in Wyoming, Texas, Utah, California, Georgia and Washington.... maybe 6 month missions or a year for each one. Then we could have weekends with our kids & grandkids in those areas! Let me know what you think of THAT idea:)!
That's all for now... will update you further as we get updated further. Feel free to ask questions; but, be prepared for us not to have many answers as yet.
Love you so much,
Mom (& Dad)
(& Grandma Sandy)
P.S. If you could just send a reply with your name and "got it" - so I know that we haven't missed anyone, that would be greatly appreciated:)!
P.P.S. If you have any great ideas or suggestions for us, feel free to share them:)!
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