Monday, March 16, 2009

Safe! :-)



The Population of Waldron Doubles

In the late afternoon of Saturday, March 15th, 2009, a commotion awoke the sleepy community of Waldron, Saskatchewan. Several smaller vehicles, a large moving truck and lots of people had suddenly burst upon a rather peaceful scene. A flurry of excitement ensued into the empty home of their friends who were (alas!) living in Alberta.

As if that wasn't enough, a Uhaul (the largest size) rumbled in a few hours later with two more people. At that point, it was decided that such disturbance to normal life was hard on the heart, but it keeps a person young.

Thus the community of Waldron, Saskatchewan went from being (approximately) 12 persons to 24.

The happy Holters have descended... er.. arrived. ;-)

Greetings from a snowy Saskatchewan! I'm sitting in a bedroom (which may become mine and Ellie's... that is still to be decided) on a bed, typing this blog entry on my computer. There is absolutely no internet access in Waldron but Mom mentioned running to Yorkton today... so I wanted to be ready, just in case. ;-)

Our move went well. It was very eventful and considering everything that could have gone wrong, I think I can honestly say it went smoothly. :-) One thing for sure, God had His hand on us!

We had four vehicles: dodge truck with stock trailer (Dad, Lydia and Martha); 15 passenger van and utility trailer (Mom, Ellie, Hannah, Priscilla, Zeke, Uriah and Ruth), Ryder moving truck (Mark [friend] and Jesse); Uhaul moving truck (Emma [friend] and yours truly).

Getting through the border took all of 15 minutes. We've moved three times across the border and never before has it ever gone so quickly or smoothly! I can still see Dad's surprise when the border guard said, “You're good to go!” It was a huge blessing.

We actually weren't too far into the trip when Emma discovered that our brakes weren't working well. And the further we went, the worse they became. We had a few close calls in the later afternoon and she began to pull further and further behind the others so she would have room to stop. We got to Sorgards safely but not before we had both squealed a couple times. :-P Alberta drivers are rather known for their fast and devil-may-care vehicle handling (not saying all Albertains are that way, but... ;-)). That fact has never bothered me before but it really does make a difference to have good brakes when someone pulls out in front of you or stops suddenly to turn off...

But to hurry along with my account... We had a nice evening/night at Sorgards and were preparing to leave the next morning when Dad decided to check out the brakes in the Uhaul. It was a good thing he did. A line burst and we had no brakes at all. After several phonecalls, a tow-truck arrived and carried away the Uhaul to see what could be done. After it had departed, much discussion ensued and it was decided that everyone but Emma and myself would go on ahead. We would follow after with the repaired Uhaul.

It really was the best thing that could have happened. Both of us needed the rest... and Lindsey and I were overjoyed because we were able to get a good talk in. :-) We also watched part of Pride and Prejudice. We both found that it's great fun watching girly movies together! :-D
The next morning, the mechanic who was working on our Uhaul called and announced that it was ready. He had originally said that we would be on the road by noon, but he had decided to come early and work on it... so we ended up leaving at 9 am! We were very happy about that. ;-) Emma had never been to Saskatchewan and I had never navigated anyone anywhere so it was a new experience for both of us. It's a good thing we like each other... LOL!

All seemed well until about the fourth time Emma stepped on the brakes. The familiar hissing noise began and the truck with all it's weight didn't stop until she had pumped on that brake. :-P We looked at each other and decided to go on. Who wanted to be stranded until Monday? And who wanted to Dad and Mom driving back (Mom being 5 days overdue) to pick us up? Not we. :-P On we went...

The roads in SK aren't the best and we found out our axles appreciated them as much as we did. Let's just say we did a lot of praying! But in spite of all the problems, we made it to Melville in 8.5 hours! (The others who went on before made it in 10 hours)

We were just going to go straight to the place we were going to be renting but our gas went into the red and we weren't sure we could make the 5 miles on fumes. ;-) So we pulled into Extra Foods Gas Bar and I spotted a 15 passenger van with Idaho plates.

I've never had more fun than I did when I walked up behind my Mom and sisters... “Hey guys!” The look on Mom's face was priceless. :-D “How'd you get here so fast?! How did you find us?” It turned out that when Dad had phoned Sorgards to see when we had left, he hadn't been able find out. So he guess since we had left “early” we had left around 11 am. :-) So, it was a big surprise for us to arrive in the early evening.

It also worked out very well to find Mom and the girls at the store because the house we were intending to rent didn't work out. It would have been fine in almost every aspect but it was moldy. To have a new baby in that atmosphere would not be good... and it also would have been hard on my health. So they scrambled to find something else before Emma and I arrived. That something ended up being 20 minutes from Melville in a small town called Waldron.

The house here is small, but we have room for everyone! We will need to buy a stove to cook on, but we have (hot and cold) running water, a wood stove (for heating and some cooking), a washroom, a living room that will seat everyone comfortably... and many other conveniences.
Mom hasn't delivered yet. She seems to be quite calm, cheerful and staying busy. As of today, she is 6 days overdue. The baby seems to be doing well and is content, except when she sits still (which isn't very often).

Water is dripping off the eaves this morning! That means it's around 30* F. or so... of course, it is still March so I'm not counting on Spring until another month or so. :-) But it is nice that it's not -40* F!

We plan on getting a phone # and P.O. box tomorrow... Our email is still the same so if you would like to contact us, that would be the way for now. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to get into town to catch a internet connection but hopefully it will be more often than once every two weeks. We shall see.

Regardless... as often as we can, I or one of my sisters will keep you updated. :-) Thank you all so much for all the prayers! We felt them. :-)

March 16th, 2009
I wrote this yesterday... nothing too new happening here, except for the fact that Mom says the baby should arrive tonight or tomorrow. Your prayers for a safe delivery will be greatly appreciated. :-) We're now in Yorkton, returning the Uhaul and trying to find a stove to buy... Mom brought along her emergency birth kit just in case.

Any guesses as to the gender? ;-)

6 comments:

Hartley Family Blog said...

Hello Naomi,

I'm glad that everything went well with you as you were moving, but not having good brakes would definitely be scary! :P We'll be praying for your mom and I hope all goes well with the delivery of your new family member! I think it will be a girl! :D Hope you have a great day!

Lauren

Unknown said...

Hi Holters!!!!

That's great that you all got there safe and sound, God did protect you girls in that Uhaul.... Markus and I will be praying for your family as you settle in & expand!!

The Pennington Point said...

Wow! That is quite a story! It's no surprise though that you made such good time...you couldn't stop! I was on the edge of my seat and now we are praying for a safe delivery. Love, Mrs. P (and Grace)

Anonymous said...

Hi Naomi!
What a trip!! :) It sounded like it was fun though.
We will be praying for your Mom. I hope everything goes well.
I'll email soon.
Blessings,
Laura

P.s. I think the baby is a girl. :)

Unknown said...

Hello Naomi,

Finally it’s good to know that you all are safe at and of your trip.

God bless you and your family…
Passenger Van Rental

Van Rental San Francisco said...

Hi Mark here,


That's great that you all got there safe and sound, God did protect you girls in that Uhaul.... Markus and I will be praying for your family as you settle in & expand