Well, it is about time for an update on here, wouldn't you say?
We loaded the truck.
It took weeks of packing a few boxes a day and days of packing boxes nonstop, but in a few short hours on a Saturday morning, all of our belongings were loaded into 14 feet of a moving truck. We so appreciated family and friends who lent their muscles, kid watching skills, packing strategy and time to help us get everything packed! We used ABF U-Pack and I was so happy with our experience: they dropped off the truck, we loaded it, they drove it and dropped it off at our new apartment, we unloaded it and they picked it back up. It was not much more than it would have cost us to rent a truck that we would have had to drive and less than half of what a full service move would have cost. I think we will use them again for future long distance moves. It was weird and a little unsettling to see our house so empty. Memories of bringing home babies and puppies, home improvement projects, gardening, parties, holidays, tea parties and family home evenings, movie nights, first days of school, graduation days, heartache, trials and so many blessings just flooded over us as we sat in the only real "home" our family has ever known and the reality of leaving it behind sunk in. I had no idea just how hard it would be to say goodbye to our little house!
We stayed at Grandma's.
After our truck left, we stayed at my Mom's house for a few days before we actually made the drive ourselves. Luckily those days and nights were so filled with activities, that I didn't really have time to think about the reality of what was happening. Last chance playdates and dinners and visits followed by tucking kids in bed and leaving them with Grandma while we went back to the house to finish packing the stuff that would be going with us in our cars, organize the remaining garage sale items, touch up paint and do some deep cleaning. Again, I was clueless about how much work would be involved in getting all the "last minute" stuff done. During that time of cleaning, we also realized that our house had quite a bit more square footage than we had thought. We were thrilled to be able to adjust it on our listing, but frustrated that we hadn't realized it sooner. Seth left on Thursday morning and again a flood of tender emotions swept over me as we said our last family prayer in our own home. I am still overwhelmed as I look back on all the blessings we received during our time in that house. At times I was frustrated with where we were...such a little space and the quirks of living in an older house...but looking back, I can see how it was all for our good. We were especially blessed to know the people we met there and I can't imagine my life without our "Springview" friends. I am not sure I will ever forget the feeling of backing out of my driveway for the very last time...
We drove.
Friday morning at 6:30, my mom and I loaded the kids into the car and started a very long day of driving. I am a terrible long distance driver, but I am trying to get better at it since I will be logging many miles between Utah and Oregon in the next few years, so I tried to drive most of the way to see how I would do. The kids did great...they watched movies, read books and colored and hardly complained at all. We stopped often to feed Ellie, take potty breaks and stretch our legs (about every 2 hours) so we didn't pull in to our apartment building until after dark (by that point I had completely lost track of what time it was). With exhaustion and anticipation, we stepped inside this temporary home we had leased sight-unseen and I just wanted to burst into tears. The pictures did not accurately represent the apartment, it smelled funny, there was no air conditioning and 1100 square feet was smaller than I had imagined. I felt so out of place. This certainly didn't feel like home. My mom and Seth reassured me that it would all be ok and that it was only temporary. Seth had gotten our mattresses out of the truck, so despite our disappointment, we decided to just get some rest (and look for a new place to live in the morning - ha ha).
We woke up, but it was still a nightmare.
We had been trying to reach our new elders quorum to get some help unloading our truck for about 2 weeks before the move, but got no response from them. So Saturday morning I called professional movers to see if we could get unloading help, but nobody could be there same day. I had a move in shopping list prepared, so since we didn't have unloading help, we decided to head out and get that taken care of first. The first happy moment since arriving in Oregon was when I realized that Target and Costco were right next to each other and only 5 minutes from the apartment. :) We brought home our food and packed it in the fridge only to find that the fridge wasn't working. Great. So we filled a cooler with ice and put our milk and cheese and lunchmeat and a few drinks in there to keep cold until maintenance finally came on Monday. We discovered water damage above the water heater and also let maintenance know about that, but they did not respond until water started dripping through our ceiling on Monday morning. Turns out they had to replace the water heater/floor in the apartment above us and told us it needed to dry before they could replace our ceiling...it is still not done.
We went to church.
We went to church at 9 am...but it was the wrong ward. We were semi-happy that it was the wrong ward, though, because not a single person said a word to us. Morgan was almost in tears during sacrament meeting because he felt so worried and nervous about going to class on his own and meeting new people. "I want to go back to our apartment," he kept saying. It broke my heart and brought me to tears to see him so anxious and unsettled. We all felt very out of place and left after sacrament meeting. We went to our actual ward for classes. Our actual ward was so nice and felt much more like home. The kids were excited to have lots of people in their primary classes and Brynn won the nursery leaders over in approximately 15 seconds! Morgan got gum in his class and felt much better about life. Between church #1 and church #2 the elders quorum got back to us about helping us move in and scheduled to come the next day.
Seth started his job, hated his commute and we unpacked.
We had lots of guys from the elders quorum show up Monday night to unload the truck and spent the whole day Tuesday unpacking. With my mom's help, we were pretty close to unpacked (strategically unpacking only the necessary items and saving all the good boxes for the next move) by Wednesday morning.
We got the stomach flu.
In honor of being almost unpacked, grandma leaving for home that night, and knowing nobody, Chloe and Brynn got the stomach flu Wednesday morning.
I did laundry.
We took Grandma Becky to the airport Wednesday night (my thoughts on that in the previous post) and then we were all alone.
I cried, I was impatient with the kids, I did more laundry, I comforted little girls who were throwing up. A few interested buyers came back through our house, but none made an offer. I missed my friends, I missed my family, I felt sorry for myself, I wondered why me. I wanted to move home, I wondered what in the world we were thinking moving here, and my faith in our decision wavered. I wondered if we had made the wrong choice and misinterpreted the promptings of the spirit. Life felt hopeless. I am an optimist, so these thoughts were foreign to me. While I have encountered trials, I have always been able to see the silver lining or have hope that things would get better. But this was supposed to be the silver lining time. This was supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel. And here I was wishing for those hard years back. I have never felt quite so hopeless before. And even surrounded by my sweet little children and husband, I felt very alone.
Something changed.
Saturday morning, the sun was shining when I woke up, but I woke up crying, missing the big beautiful windows in my master bedroom that would have filled my room with sunshine on a morning like this. But at some point something changed. I decided that this wasn't who I was or how I wanted to take on this trial. And somewhere in there, I had the thought that we should just plan on the worst case scenario and go from there. So we started to look for a better rental that we could afford if we didn't sell our house. And when we couldn't find something that we could make work for at least a year, we started to explore other options. We decided to rent our house to Seth's brother, and find a long-term rental. I scoured craigslist, emailed, called and viewed dozens of properties. We found one that we thought would work and applied only to find out that someone else had applied just before us. Again things weren't looking good, but it didn't seem hopeless.
We got an offer on our house.
Late Friday night as I was scouring craigslist for the umpteenth time looking for any rentals that I might have missed and calling on ones I had skipped over on first sight because they didn't look very cute, we got word that we had received an offer on our home! We had to counter, but are now under contract and hoping that everything will go smoothly. The next morning, we went through a house that I had originally skipped over because it didn't look very cute on the inside and I remember feeling like this was the house the minute I walked in the door, even though the inside was outdated and needed a bit of work. We went through one other home that morning that was absolutely gorgeous inside, but even though it was like a dream home for me, I felt so strongly that the other home was "the one", so we called and told them we would move in September 9.
We are moving...again.
This time feels less terrible, though. Morgan will start school at the new school (they start after Labor day here). We have movers lined up to do the whole move. We have the new house planned out for furniture placement already. We will attend the new ward this Sunday. It will cut Seth's commute in half and he may even be able to ride his bike some days. The neighborhood is darling and filled with young kids. The yard is fenced and the house is big enough for us to live comfortably. But most importantly, we have plenty of space to host any of you when you vacation to the pacific northwest (and I mean that very seriously)!
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
life is happening
I am slacking on the blogging end of things because life is too busy happening! I haven't uploaded pics from my CF cards in weeks (though I better get crackin' because I am down to my last empty card and I have sessions coming up!), so this is an un-illustrated post of all the stuff going on around here...
- We have somewhere to live when we pack all of our belongings into a truck and drive to Portland in less than 3 weeks. It is a teeny tiny 3 bedroom apartment (for the 6 of us + dog), but at least it is a place to call home for a few months until our house here sells.
- Seth is officially licensed in both Utah and Oregon...what a (expensive) process licensure is!
- Our garage is filled with boxes! Because Seth will work right up until the move, I am trying to go slow and steady with the packing. I pack about 5 boxes a day. It is amazing how many boxes are packed already and how much stuff we have in this tiny house of ours.
- Speaking of houses...if you know anyone who wants a cute little house with a great garage and a cozy yard in a very convenient location with amazing neighbors and an incredible ward, please send them our way! ;) This is our only loose end and some days it causes me significant stress, but for the most part I feel like it is just going to work out. I don't know how, but I know that we are doing what we should be doing and that Heavenly Father has a plan for our little family and it will all work itself out.
- I am already living out of a suitcase. We have sold/are selling a lot of our stuff before the move and one of those items is an armoire which I was using as a dresser. I am excited to have a dresser again soon!
- I break into tears pretty frequently as I drive past all the places that hold so many sweet memories for me. I am already sad in anticipation of missing meeting my mom for lunch in the middle of the week, going for walks with the Family at Sugarhouse park, meeting up with our playgroup friends in the ward parking lot to let the kids ride bikes, chatting with all of the older ladies in my ward that I have grown to love so dearly, Sunday dinners with the Fam, Pioneer Day celebrations, taking the kids to the playground at the school, driving to see the fall leaves in the canyon, the Children's Museum, cousins playgroup, girls night out with my wonderful neighborhood friends, hearing the kids yell "Hi Dad" every time we pass his work (which is quite often during the day since it is so close...I'll miss that too), and the list could go on forever! I have a feeling it is just going to get worse so don't be surprised if you are talking to me and I get a little misty-eyed mid-conversation!
- My baby brother has almost completed his time at the Preston, England MTC. He goes out to his first area in Birmingham a week from today! We miss him so much (especially on Sundays!) but he is happy and learning so much and we are so proud of him! (I have lots of pictures to share from before he left and I WILL get around to posting them!)
- Ellie has reflux...just like all of her siblings. She does so much better on Prevacid, but she is still the fussiest of our babies. I often wonder if it is my mental state that makes me think that or if she is actually just a little fuss-pants, but I think it is the latter. Regardless we love showering her with kisses and snuggles and squeezing her abundant rolls. I don't know how Brynn escaped the Michelin-Man baby syndrome, but she was lucky. Ellie is taking after Chloe and Morgan in that regard and I am fairly certain she will be in 6 mo. clothes any day now. Her 2 month appointment is coming up next week and I am very interested to see where she tips the scale.
-Ellie loves to smile and scoot. She scoots herself across her crib (she sleeps on her tummy because she is so uncomfortable on her back) and smiles a lot for Grandma Becky, Morgan, Daddy and Mom. She would probably smile at the girls too if they weren't always smothering her with kisses.
- Despite her crankiness during the day, Ellie has become a great sleeper. She has been sleeping about 7 hours straight at night and then goes right back to sleep for another 2. If I would go to bed when she does instead of cleaning the house and packing boxes after she goes to bed, I would probably be a well-rested mama.
- We got some summer workbooks for the kids and try to get them out a few times a week (I know you are supposed to have them work on them every day, but I think it is a miracle they are coming out at all). The kids love them! Morgan is such a little smarty pants that he whips through pages and pages on his own while I work with Chloe. He loves to read books to himself and to the girls when I am busy with Ellie. Chloe's preschool teachers last year told me that she was average for what they should know after 3 year old preschool (other than her vocabulary and speech which were very advanced). Unfortunately, average at that level is only knowing 5-7 letters of the alphabet and counting to 10-ish. I was not impressed with her preschool experience at all but also realize that Chloe is different from Morgan and that I shouldn't compare where he was at that point to where she was. But, after working with her on the workbook one time, I was even more annoyed about the complete horror that was her first year of preschool. Her teachers were either completely clueless (which I think is likely true) or didn't really spend any time with Chloe (which I also think is true), because the girl knows the whole alphabet and is starting to sound out words! They also told me she couldn't write her name but not to worry because it isn't something that they should know in 3 year old preschool...wrong again. She can spell and write her name perfectly. Anyway...without boring you with the details, the basic gist is that I am annoyed about the awfulness of her preschool experience thus far and sad that Miss Fidge can't come teach her in Portland, but so so proud of her for learning so much in spite of it.
- Laughed my head off the other day when Chloe came in after I finally got Ellie to sleep after a crying fit and said, "Mom, I think Ellie was feeling the spirit and that is why she was crying." Ha ha ha...I love that girl!
- Smiled a great big mama smile the other day when Brynn and Chloe were sitting next to each other on the couch talking and looking at a book and Brynn leaned over, wrapped her arms around Chloe, snuggled her head on Chloe's shoulder and said, "I love you Chloe!" and then smiled even bigger when Chloe smiled and said, "I love you too." If only they could remember that when they are stealing each other's toys and pulling each other's hair. ;)
- Using a lot of applesauce and bottled peaches. If you have any amazing recipes, please share!
- Our dear friends Ben and Aania threw a going away party for us last weekend. I cannot thank them enough for the sweet send off! It was such a lovely night to let everything else go and just spend time with people we love. The kids played so hard and enjoyed themselves so much and we got to catch up with so many dear friends and family. Thank you to those who were there and thank you thank you thank you to Ben and Aania for such a special night!
Yes, life is happening. It is crazy and it is lovely and it is sweet. In the rush to pack and cancel our internet and switch our bank accounts and get renters insurance and schedule a moving van, I am trying to enjoy these last moments in this home, neighborhood and city with friends and family. I am reminded every day how wonderful this life is and how blessed we are to live it!
- We have somewhere to live when we pack all of our belongings into a truck and drive to Portland in less than 3 weeks. It is a teeny tiny 3 bedroom apartment (for the 6 of us + dog), but at least it is a place to call home for a few months until our house here sells.
- Seth is officially licensed in both Utah and Oregon...what a (expensive) process licensure is!
- Our garage is filled with boxes! Because Seth will work right up until the move, I am trying to go slow and steady with the packing. I pack about 5 boxes a day. It is amazing how many boxes are packed already and how much stuff we have in this tiny house of ours.
- Speaking of houses...if you know anyone who wants a cute little house with a great garage and a cozy yard in a very convenient location with amazing neighbors and an incredible ward, please send them our way! ;) This is our only loose end and some days it causes me significant stress, but for the most part I feel like it is just going to work out. I don't know how, but I know that we are doing what we should be doing and that Heavenly Father has a plan for our little family and it will all work itself out.
- I am already living out of a suitcase. We have sold/are selling a lot of our stuff before the move and one of those items is an armoire which I was using as a dresser. I am excited to have a dresser again soon!
- I break into tears pretty frequently as I drive past all the places that hold so many sweet memories for me. I am already sad in anticipation of missing meeting my mom for lunch in the middle of the week, going for walks with the Family at Sugarhouse park, meeting up with our playgroup friends in the ward parking lot to let the kids ride bikes, chatting with all of the older ladies in my ward that I have grown to love so dearly, Sunday dinners with the Fam, Pioneer Day celebrations, taking the kids to the playground at the school, driving to see the fall leaves in the canyon, the Children's Museum, cousins playgroup, girls night out with my wonderful neighborhood friends, hearing the kids yell "Hi Dad" every time we pass his work (which is quite often during the day since it is so close...I'll miss that too), and the list could go on forever! I have a feeling it is just going to get worse so don't be surprised if you are talking to me and I get a little misty-eyed mid-conversation!
- My baby brother has almost completed his time at the Preston, England MTC. He goes out to his first area in Birmingham a week from today! We miss him so much (especially on Sundays!) but he is happy and learning so much and we are so proud of him! (I have lots of pictures to share from before he left and I WILL get around to posting them!)
- Ellie has reflux...just like all of her siblings. She does so much better on Prevacid, but she is still the fussiest of our babies. I often wonder if it is my mental state that makes me think that or if she is actually just a little fuss-pants, but I think it is the latter. Regardless we love showering her with kisses and snuggles and squeezing her abundant rolls. I don't know how Brynn escaped the Michelin-Man baby syndrome, but she was lucky. Ellie is taking after Chloe and Morgan in that regard and I am fairly certain she will be in 6 mo. clothes any day now. Her 2 month appointment is coming up next week and I am very interested to see where she tips the scale.
-Ellie loves to smile and scoot. She scoots herself across her crib (she sleeps on her tummy because she is so uncomfortable on her back) and smiles a lot for Grandma Becky, Morgan, Daddy and Mom. She would probably smile at the girls too if they weren't always smothering her with kisses.
- Despite her crankiness during the day, Ellie has become a great sleeper. She has been sleeping about 7 hours straight at night and then goes right back to sleep for another 2. If I would go to bed when she does instead of cleaning the house and packing boxes after she goes to bed, I would probably be a well-rested mama.
- We got some summer workbooks for the kids and try to get them out a few times a week (I know you are supposed to have them work on them every day, but I think it is a miracle they are coming out at all). The kids love them! Morgan is such a little smarty pants that he whips through pages and pages on his own while I work with Chloe. He loves to read books to himself and to the girls when I am busy with Ellie. Chloe's preschool teachers last year told me that she was average for what they should know after 3 year old preschool (other than her vocabulary and speech which were very advanced). Unfortunately, average at that level is only knowing 5-7 letters of the alphabet and counting to 10-ish. I was not impressed with her preschool experience at all but also realize that Chloe is different from Morgan and that I shouldn't compare where he was at that point to where she was. But, after working with her on the workbook one time, I was even more annoyed about the complete horror that was her first year of preschool. Her teachers were either completely clueless (which I think is likely true) or didn't really spend any time with Chloe (which I also think is true), because the girl knows the whole alphabet and is starting to sound out words! They also told me she couldn't write her name but not to worry because it isn't something that they should know in 3 year old preschool...wrong again. She can spell and write her name perfectly. Anyway...without boring you with the details, the basic gist is that I am annoyed about the awfulness of her preschool experience thus far and sad that Miss Fidge can't come teach her in Portland, but so so proud of her for learning so much in spite of it.
- Laughed my head off the other day when Chloe came in after I finally got Ellie to sleep after a crying fit and said, "Mom, I think Ellie was feeling the spirit and that is why she was crying." Ha ha ha...I love that girl!
- Smiled a great big mama smile the other day when Brynn and Chloe were sitting next to each other on the couch talking and looking at a book and Brynn leaned over, wrapped her arms around Chloe, snuggled her head on Chloe's shoulder and said, "I love you Chloe!" and then smiled even bigger when Chloe smiled and said, "I love you too." If only they could remember that when they are stealing each other's toys and pulling each other's hair. ;)
- Using a lot of applesauce and bottled peaches. If you have any amazing recipes, please share!
- Our dear friends Ben and Aania threw a going away party for us last weekend. I cannot thank them enough for the sweet send off! It was such a lovely night to let everything else go and just spend time with people we love. The kids played so hard and enjoyed themselves so much and we got to catch up with so many dear friends and family. Thank you to those who were there and thank you thank you thank you to Ben and Aania for such a special night!
Yes, life is happening. It is crazy and it is lovely and it is sweet. In the rush to pack and cancel our internet and switch our bank accounts and get renters insurance and schedule a moving van, I am trying to enjoy these last moments in this home, neighborhood and city with friends and family. I am reminded every day how wonderful this life is and how blessed we are to live it!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Dreaming
Seth's capstone was declared "passed" on Friday and now everything is officially complete for graduation. I am so proud of him for this huge accomplishment...I know I say that a lot, but it is true! I got to attend his final presentation and he did such an amazing job!
We have a couple of interviews coming up this week and they are with clinics that just feel like they would be a good fit for us, so every night before we go to sleep, we talk about the places that we could explore and the adventures we could have, the sights that we will be able to see and the vacations that we can't wait to plan. We talk about the future and the possibilities and we look up houses and flights and driving times to various destinations. We have talked often of our dreams, but now that school is really done, each night as we talk and smile and reason and imagine, it all becomes real. Those dreams of "when we are done with school and get a job" are just a month or so away! Sure we are both exhausted from staying up way past our bed time every night, but it is our time to dream together and it is time that I cherish.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. This new adventure is scary. Leaving everything we have ever known is scary. The unknown is scary. Moving to another state with a brand new baby is scary. Selling the house we have called home for almost 7 years and raised all of our babies in is scary. Leaving familiy and dear dear friends is scary.
Yet, I am excited for the adventure! I am excited to redefine "normal" in a new place, surrounded by new people and new experiences. I am excited to take the kids on adventures and explore our new surroundings together. I am excited for days off, for vacation time and especially for having Seth home for dinner most nights! I am excited to be able to do the things that have been on our list for years! And I am excited to keep dreaming up a new list with my best friend and companion!
Whatever comes our way, we are excited to face it together!
We have a couple of interviews coming up this week and they are with clinics that just feel like they would be a good fit for us, so every night before we go to sleep, we talk about the places that we could explore and the adventures we could have, the sights that we will be able to see and the vacations that we can't wait to plan. We talk about the future and the possibilities and we look up houses and flights and driving times to various destinations. We have talked often of our dreams, but now that school is really done, each night as we talk and smile and reason and imagine, it all becomes real. Those dreams of "when we are done with school and get a job" are just a month or so away! Sure we are both exhausted from staying up way past our bed time every night, but it is our time to dream together and it is time that I cherish.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. This new adventure is scary. Leaving everything we have ever known is scary. The unknown is scary. Moving to another state with a brand new baby is scary. Selling the house we have called home for almost 7 years and raised all of our babies in is scary. Leaving familiy and dear dear friends is scary.
Yet, I am excited for the adventure! I am excited to redefine "normal" in a new place, surrounded by new people and new experiences. I am excited to take the kids on adventures and explore our new surroundings together. I am excited for days off, for vacation time and especially for having Seth home for dinner most nights! I am excited to be able to do the things that have been on our list for years! And I am excited to keep dreaming up a new list with my best friend and companion!
Whatever comes our way, we are excited to face it together!
photo by my friend Rachel of Beyond Bliss Photography
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