Profanity

At the beginning of the summer of 1982, we moved from McClellandtown, Pennsylvania to East Liverpool, Ohio, where I became pastor of the Oakland Free Methodist Church.  Travis was 6, Troy was nearly 2, and Tracie was 1. We lived at 315 Hill Boulevard in the church's small parsonage.

The previous pastor had enjoyed the company of a family dog.  As soon as we moved in, a lady from Oakland church talked Debbie into taking a kitten. Without even unpacking, we loaded up to move to the Tri State Campground for the annual 10-day Family Camp!  It was a chaotic time!

We left the kitten in the house while we went to camp, stopping by daily to feed it and change the litter.  At the end of camp, we gratefully returned to our new, little home.  Within seconds of walking in, Debbie noticed that her socks and the children's feet were covered with fleas!  Having been through a stressful couple of months, she simply said (intended to be under-her-breath), "Damn cat!"

Once we were settled in and fully unpacked, we took the kids and went to Pittsburgh for the day to enjoy the Three Rivers Arts Festival!  It was a hot day.  I backpacked Troy and Debbie pushed Tracie in her stroller.  On the way into the park, somehow-or-other, Debbie stepped in some dog poop with a brand new pair of sandals she had recently bought.  Needless to say, she was disgusted.

In spite of the heat, we had a nice time and were all pretty tired as we headed back to the car.  On the journey, without knowing quite how it happened, Debbie looked down and noticed that a pigeon had crapped on her new shoes. I was walking a bit ahead of her;  she called out to me in disgust:  "I just got pigeon shit on my new sandals!"

It was perhaps a week later when we were going out to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.  I'm not quite sure how it worked out, but one of the young women from McClellandtown had agreed to watch the kids while we were out.  So, Barb Barnhart arrived and as she walked into the house, Travis blurted out: "Hey Barb, my Mom says shit and damn!"

Debbie, in instant embarrassment, looked impulsively at Barb - who had a somewhat stunned look on her face;  she then decided that it wasn't even worth trying to explain it.  She simply let it pass...

Professional Movers

Moving days have been some of the hardest days in our marriage!  There were all-nighters getting ready to move, trying to take advantage of the time that the kids were sleeping.  We celebrated several of our anniversaries in transit.  I remember our fifth was in a McD's in Uniontown;  we were dirty, hot and tired.  I looked across the table and wished Debbie a happy anniversary!  We laughed.

We've moved more than our share of times:

1. to a cement-block duplex at 301 East Morrison Street, Wilmore, Kentucky - after our honeymoon!
2. to our first real home:  a 40' x 8' mobile home at 20 Chapelview, Wilmore, which we paid $1,800 for and sold for the same a year-and-a-half later.  Travis was born while we lived here.
3. to another, nicer duplex at 104 Stephens Drive, Nicholasville, Kentucky. On weekends we lived in a 70' mobile home behind the Tunnel Hill Free Methodist Church in English, Indiana.
4. to 112 Oak Lane, Harrison City, Pennsylvania.  Here we endured two horrendous winters in 1977 and 1978.
5. to Blaine Avenue, McClellandtown, Pennsylvania.  Troy and Tracie were born while we lived here and Travis went to Kindergarden.
6. to 315 Hill Boulevard, East Liverpool, Ohio.  Travis started and finished school in East Liverpool!  
7. to a home we purchased at 316 Thompson Avenue, East Liverpool, Ohio.  Debbie bought the house - I bought the view!  
8. to 285 Bradshaw Avenue, East Liverpool, Ohio.  We were told we were moving, so we sold our house!  Had to rent this one and move.  A year later it was sold and we had to move again!  
9. to 500 West Fifth Street, East Liverpool, Ohio.  We nicknamed this place 'Maniac Mansion'.  It was HUGE!  There was a Bruno's pizza shop on the corner that sold big slices for $.50 - we ate a lot of pizza while there with three teenagers!  Travis left for college from here (He hated his semester there!  He called me one day and said, "Dad, they're stricter here than you were!").  
10. to 2100 Spencerville Road, Spencerville, Maryland.  Travis was at the United States Naval Academy while we lived here (25 miles away).  
11. to?    We lived in several places for a few months:  the farm in Enon Valley, an apartment in Chester, West Virginia (courtesy of our friend, Heidi Dietz), and a house in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  This was a transition during a time of family crisis;  we ended up running a licensed home for severely behaviorally challenged children in Summit County for six years!  
12. to 962 Kickapoo Avenue (my favorite address - very poetic) where we worked for the Shelter Care Agency.  I also joined the staff at the Cornerstone FMC.  Troy and Tracie both left the nest while we lived here.
13. to 4350 E Calla Road, New Middletown, Ohio.  
14. to room 1237, Hua Yuan Hotel, Weixing Liu, Changchun, Jilin Province, PRC.
15. to 273 Gilmore Road, Enon Valley, Pennsylvania (after a disastrous one-month in a duplex in New Castle, Pennsylvania).  
16. to 190 Rusty Trail, Enon Valley, Pennsylvania - hopefully our last stop before Heaven!

Travis always made us jealous when he moved.  He did 'nothing'.  The military sent packers in and then movers.  He was lodged in nice hotels until everything was ready.  Tracie and Jon have had this experience too!  Our moves were all self-moves - usually using a U-Haul trailer or truck!  Ugh!  

Actually, we still have a dream of living in some other places like:

• Dahlonega, Georgia
• Ocean City, Maryland
• Savannah, Georgia (winters)
• near the Smokey Mountains (along the Appalachian Trail)
• Hong Kong
• the Philippines
• Portugal
• wherever else God leads...

The dream continues!

These moves reflect lots of lifting and sifting.  They reflect exhaustion and anticipation.  Some of the churches had teams who helped us unpack;  I can't remember any that helped us pack to leave!  People have loaned us trucks. But, by-and-large, the Hal/Debbie Moving Company has developed some major skills along the way.  However, our number is unpublished - we're not taking on any clients at present.  

Give us a couple of months to get settled and then stop by and visit us.  Just remember when you come that you should plan to be gone by 10:00 PM. That's when our eyelids get heavy and we drift off into never-never-land!  

But there's usually a pot of soup or chili on the stove and a pizza in the freezer!  If not, we always have popcorn!