The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...

When I decided to do this blog, I told myself that I was going to tell it like it is.  So here goes. 

Yesterday was a bad day!  Not just bad, but pretty much an awful day! There, I said it!  

We had three dogs when we learned that we were going to be moving to India.  After much prayer and thought, we decided to see if we could find homes for them.  India wasn't going to be a good place for them.  (I know some people have taken their dogs over there, but there are packs of wild dogs living in the park next to our house.)  However, we weren't going to give them to just anybody!  We had some pretty high standards!

Pebbles, our female maltipoo, found a new home first.  She went to the perfect person!  Pebbles had always wanted to be the queen of the house, but the two other (male) dogs and the constant stream of teenagers in and out made that impossible!  Well, Pebbles is now happily the Queen Diva of her new home and loving life!

Now about yesterday...

Mom left to go home. Some silly reason about a hurricane headed to Mobile...whatever!  HA!  (You all know I'm just kidding!)  Anyway, she had been here for a few days helping me inventory the house.  When she left, she took our black Lab, Beaux, with her.  He is now at his new home on Mobile Bay.  He's swimming and chasing pelicans every morning and going for walks in the afternoon.

Then yesterday afternoon, I took Bam Bam to meet his new mom and dad.  Bam Bam is the oldest of  the three and has a few quirks to say the least.  He loves his mamma, though, and I love him!  He is the cutest snaggle-toothed little dog with the best personality...unless you are the UPS guy, FedEx guy, yard guy, pest control guy...well unless you are almost any guy!  He loves the women!  I had pretty much decided to take him to India with us.  It didn't seem like we would find the perfect home for him. Then, one of Mike's co-workers emailed me about an older couple who had lost their dog a year ago.  They wanted Bam Bam!  So, the two of us headed down to Southaven to check them out.  Well, they are the sweetest couple and loved Bam Bam instantly.

So, I headed home.......alone.  It was awful!  I sent texts (not while I was driving) asking my family and friends to pray for me.  My heart felt like it was ripping out of my chest.  I had kept it all together for so long...Through learning we would be moving 8,000 miles away, sending one son to Atlanta for his new job, one son to Alabama as a freshman, selling cars and furniture, helping our oldest son pick out an engagement ring and then celebrating when she said "YES", telling my husband goodbye for a month and now finding new homes for all the dogs.  Yeah, last night wasn't pretty at all!

Today, though, was a new day.  Still hard, but better.  My husband sent flowers (He's a smart guy!), which helped brighten my day.  A friend came over and helped me inventory a little more.  Lots of phone calls, Facebook messages and texts helped, too!

When people tell me "God won't give you more than you can handle," I tell them that's not necessarily true!  In Philippians 4:13, Paul says "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  My devotion for today was perfect, as His timing always is.  He is my true source of strength every day.

Traffic, Traffic and more Traffic!

I'm sure the traffic in India will be a subject of many blog posts.  I can't really describe it.  We have seen scooters going the wrong way down the street, motorcycles on sidewalks (without helmets and TEXTING!!) and people walking right in front of cars.  Oh and I forgot the random cow or buffalo wandering in the streets!  It's something you actually have to experience for yourself!  I took the picture above with my iphone while we were stuck in traffic.  The tuk tuk (auto rickshaw) was never touched by any of the other vehicles.  I guess there is some method to the madness, but I haven't figured it out yet.

I just saw this article on Foxnews.com about the 5 most dangerous places to drive.  Here is an excerpt from the article.  Interestingly, Mississippi is also listed in one of the Top 5! 

India
Roads with the most chaos--and the most cows
Notorious for its chaotic traffic, India might well be the most terrifying place to drive. Gargantuan traffic jams, six cars crammed into the three lanes, and a complete disregard for traffic signs and markings: These are just a few of the travel hazards you'll face on India's city streets. The noise of car horns is deafening as streets seethe with cars, cows, mopeds, bikes, and pedestrians. Outside the cities, ancient, precariously held-together vehicles hurtle along poorly maintained roads at breakneck speed. Drivers often leave car lights off at night when driving poorly or unlit streets and sometimes shut off engines completely when going down hills. If you have to drive in India--it's an experience you'll never forget.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/08/22/5-unusually-dangerousand-5-especially-safeplaces-to-drive/?intcmp=features#ixzz24Id2vdGi

Ready or not...there they go!

I took this picture the day that Matthew and Weston left to move Matthew to Atlanta.  I went up to Matthew's room to "clean up."  Needless to say, I was the one that ended up a mess that afternoon.  I was reminded of the fact that our children are on loan to us for a short time.  We are entrusted with their care and well-bringing until they are adults (and sometimes longer), but God is really in control of their lives...thankfully!!

Have you ever had one of those days...

when you think that maybe you should go back to bed and start over??  Well, welcome to my first full day in Hyderabad!  This story is one reason why I titled the blog the way I did.

Mike and I went on a look/see visit in July.  We stayed in the gorgeous, brand new Park Hyatt in an area of Hyderabad called Banjara Hills.  We were meeting our relocation guide, Raza in the lobby of the hotel at 10:30am.  Needing a heavy dose of caffeine, Mike and I went down to lobby at 10:00 in search of coffee.  As we got off the elevator, there was the coffee/pastry bar sitting in the middle of the lobby.  The only thing separating me from my caffeine fix was a beautiful raised glass floor (see pics above).  Mike and I headed straight for the coffee.  As we were stepping onto the glass floor, Mike stopped and started to say something and I looked across the floor and saw a look of horror on the coffee bar attendant's face.  And then as my feet hit the floor, I realized in an instant what Mike was going to say and also the look on employee's face.  It wasn't a glass floor...it was the lobby fountain!  UGH!  I would like to blame it on the jet lag and lack of caffeine, but I almost did it another time!  I looked around, relieved that there was only one other person in the lobby at the time, an Indian man who I assumed was a guest in the hotel.  He came over and helped Mike and me as I tried to escape the fountain in soaking wet shoes and with little bit of dignity!  As Mike handed the gentleman something to hold, Mike looked at him and said "Let me guess, you're Raza??"  Well so much for my small shred of dignity!  (Fortunately my shoes were cork-soled so they dried out quickly! HA!)  I did find out later, that I'm not the first person to make that mistake.  Yes, there is a tiny bit of comfort in that!

Journey to Hyderbad

Well, I've told enough people that I was "thinking" about starting a blog about our move to India that I guess I'm committed now!  The reason I hesitated is that I am not a writer, never have been.  However, I love to take photographs.  That is how I journal, so to speak.  Through pictures and a little writing, I want to take you on our journey to Hyderabad!

Most of the people who read this blog know Mike and me, but for those of you who don't know us well (or at all), here is a little bit about us.  Mike and I are in the process of moving to Hyderabad, India with International Paper.  Mike is already over there working and I will follow him the end of September.

In addition to an 8,000 mile international move, we recently had another couple of "life-changing" events.  Our two sons, Matthew (22) and Weston (18) are not going to be moving with us.  Matthew moved to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago to start a new job and we got Weston settled into his dorm at the University of Alabama. Also, found homes for two of our three dogs and have sold two cars.

It's been a CRAZY time, but God has kept all of us strong and calm through all of it.  We have witnessed some pretty amazing things that He has done. (Mike and I don't believe in coincidence!)  For instance, the two dogs...they are both going to homes that are even better for them than ours!  Pebbles, our little diva maltipoo, is truly the queen of her new domain now!  Beaux, our black lab, is going to a lady down near my hometown where he will get to run, play and chase pelicans on the beach everyday!  We have also met people that we would have never met otherwise.

I hope you will be patient with me as I stumble through the blogging experience!

Love to you all,
Allison