One and Done

We have been here in our new house for one week.  In some ways it feels like a lifetime and others, it seems like we just got here.  So much new to adjust to.

New stores.
New church.
New friends.
New schedule.
New views.

OK, so the new views are maybe the easiest thing to adjust to!  I find myself glancing out one of the many windows constantly.  It is a nice distraction for sure.

Anyway...

We are settled in! This move has been an absolute whirlwind.  Hard to believe that last Friday all of our earthly possessions were being delivered to this house and today, I am cooking breakfast and getting ready to do school with our youngest.  And the house is done! 

Before you get too excited, yes, there are still some boxes in the garage and in a spare room.  Those boxes contain all of our library stuff (books, Clarke's military things, etc) as well as school supplies and books that will not get opened until our final destination.  Don't worry, I am using that word lightly.  You don't have to tell me twice that the word FOREVER means nothing this side of heaven! ;)  But regardless, I do not see a need to unpack everything into a place we will not be in long. Relatively speaking.  The plan is to make an offer on land next week and start building a house.  That is the plan.  We will see.

Want a quick tour?  That is why you are here, right?

Thankfully, dear friends came up last week for the night and helped unpack so much!  We could not have done it without them!  Then my girls came up and rearranged three of the spaces and decorated!  It was such a HUGE blessing.  I hung a few more pictures yesterday and we are done!  It takes a village, ya'll!

Entry-

Living room-

Eat in Kitchen-

Yes, there in a table in this space too, flanked by these two areas and some of our best views!

Dining room-

Sweet sunny spot for my plants!

Downstairs den-

Master bedroom-

 

Guest room #1-

Guest room #2-

Deck and views-

The boys' rooms are done, but they don't love me sharing, so I will respect that- for now! ;)

So that is it, give or take!  We are blessed by this rental and the space it has.  While it isn't ours, it does feel like home for now. 

Now, who is ready for a visit?

Blessings,

A Quick Catch Up

Loading up!

Welcome to Arizona.

Attitudes are big and patience is small. Ours, not the locals.  They have been lovely.

Poor dogs had a huge space in the car but insisted on laying on top of each other!

My view for THREE days of driving!

 
Lest you get the wrong idea and think this family is perfect let me quickly correct you. We have had a whirlwind past month (major house staging and packing up, house on the market, sold and unsold, 5 day trip to get college kid, husband's hernia surgery, retirement a week later complete with visits of friends and family and large party, a week of packers and movers, a three day trip to AZ riddled with long days and a overheating truck pulling a car, settling into a rental and house hunting for the next two days and realizing we will be in this house which is not close to where we want to buy at least until the end of July), and we are tired- and prone to being cranky.


Did I forget anything?  Oh yes, now we have two sick kiddos, one of which had to go to an urgent care.

We are taking the weekend off, hunkering down, trying to relax, regroup, and reconnect. We need some down time and it shows.

On the upside, and there is always one when you look for it, we have a pool and hot tub at this AirBNB to enjoy

the sun is always shining

and the area is beautiful!

We have been exploring a bit, founds several areas we really like and even went to a farmer's market today.  Tomorrow we are headed to a local church- hopeful to find a new church to call home and be in fellowship with.

If you think of us, whisper a prayer- moving away from those we love is hard and often lonely.  Being in temporary quarters no where near where will settle adds to the challenge.

Blessings,

How to Move in 5 Easy Steps

Yes, we have finished moving.  And are all unpacked with the exception of our garage and my husband's professional gear.  From the actual date the furniture and boxes were delivered it took one week.  People keep asking me how we do it so fast.  It is not that we are just good at it, it is that we are well practiced!  This was our 14th move in 23 years, after all.

But before I share a few tips on how we settle in so easily, I want to share a few tips on what helps us through the actual move itself.  OK, so maybe EASY isn't the best descriptor, but they do help for sure.

Invest in blow-up mattresses.  This was not a problem for us when we owned a RV, but unless you want to spend a ton of money on a hotel, just go on and invest in blow-up mattresses.  Call us gluttons for punishment, but once we have a place to call home, we want to BE there.  So yes, while we wait for our furniture to be delivered, we camp in our house!

This is Salem's mess. I mean, stuff. 

Take the necessities!  Don't forget these essentials-

• cleaning supplies
• crockpot- you WILL get tired of eating out
• plates and utensils- this can be as easy as paper products but don't forget them!
• a set of sheets and a blanket and pillow for each person
• a set of towels for each person
• a shower liner and rings to hang it in case you do not have glass doors on your shower.
• clothes and toiletries for each family member
• a touch of home - for small kids this may mean a security item or night light, for olders it might be a beloved book or blanket

Take a cooler and basic pantry items with you.  Even if you have to add ice to your cooler every day, it still beats having to start over and replace everything in your refrigerator.  Plus, again, and trust me when I say this, you WILL get tired of eating out.  Not to mention there is less likelihood of getting sick when you are eating healthy, home-cooked food. A word of warning, packing honey in glass containers can result in a sticky mess.  Consider this your public service announcement.  You are welcome.

Take along a few family games and movies.  Tension runs high during moves.  The best thing you can do is schedule down time with some fun activities and normalcy to the day.  We tend to not be TV watchers, but unwinding with a quick movie now and then or playing a few games at night helps us refocus on each other and relax.

Get some rest!  As crazy as things get before and after a move, you need to take time to rest. Pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion will not make for a fun person.  Or a healthy one.  Put yourself on a schedule and when the buzzer rings, walk away from the boxes and paper and be done for the day. It will all be waiting for you in the morning, trust me!

Moving is not easy, but it can be done - even 14 times in 23 years! ;)  Maybe this will be the last one.

Blessings,

What a Three Week Move Looks Like

Yes, you read that correctly.  We drug this move, the closest door to door we have ever done, out for three weeks.

That's what happens when you close one week, live between house for the next two weeks, welcome home your husband who has been deployed for a year, and then pack out your old house and finally- move!

First, you close on a house alone with all the fun stress that entails.  You know, the little things, like sign your name and that of your husbands (as power of attorney) a ba-zillion times, and find out your kids have been in an accident just as you walk in to the closing.

Then you spend the first weekend in your new home cleaning and painting, all the while sleeping on blow up mattresses and eating at a card table.

Then you leave for a week to resume life at your old place and say a few more goodbyes.

Then you return to your new house, while once again dodging bad weather (who decided moving in the winter was a good idea?) and resuming more painting and cleaning.

Somewhere in between all that we did manage to retrieve my hubby from the airport and take him back to his new house!

After 10 days of fun living with bare necessities we returned back to our old house for some last goodbyes and to await the packers.

Four days of packing and loading all of our earthly possessions finally put us in our new home for good.

The week before Christmas.

Sounds reasonable, right?

Hey, we did manage to put up a small tree to keep the small one happy!

Blessings,

Does God Roll His Eyes?

I am not trying to be flippant, I promise.

Really, today this exact thought went through my head- Does God Roll His Eyes?  I even repeated it to my oldest son.  Who probably also rolled his eyes at me.

Maybe that is what happens when you are living off very little sleep, and a with lot of adrenaline!

Oh, and when you are currently on plan C, or maybe D or E!

You see, we are in the middle of a move.  Which really translates to we are living between two houses right now.  Hang with me, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

If you remember correctly, we closed last week with a slight mishap in the middle of it all.  I know Salem and Ashton will love that word- mishap!  HA!

Anyway, after a few days of painting and cleaning we headed back to our old house to regroup and planned on heading back to Omaha on Tuesday.

Then the weather decided not to cooperate.  Again!

Yes, I knew they were calling for snow.  Yes, I was watching the weather.  Yes, things just kept getting more intense.  Those silly weathermen really know how to make things exciting.

So all of a sudden we went from chance of snow to 2 feet of snow by Tuesday.  Did someone miss the memo that that was the day I was traveling?  In a car.  Followed by the children who had just been in a weather related accident!?!

What's a girl to do?

Change plans at 11:30 at night on Saturday and head out by 9:30 Sunday morning, of course.

No way was I taking the chance of getting stuck for who knows how long until the town could dig out and clear the highways.

You would not believe how fast one can pack 5 people, two dogs,  and one poor fish!  My kids are amazing like that!

Yes, we arrived safely, ahead of the weather.  I have never been so happy to see a house!

You see- we have someone very special to pick up at the airport on Sunday!

Wouldn't want to be late!

And yes, I do think God rolls His eyes.  All the time  At me, at least!

Because I make a lot of wonderful plans and then He reminds me-

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I am so thankful God's plans are the best!  And I am thankful that despite the fact that He must roll His eyes at me pretty often, I am still loved!

Linking up with friends!

Blessings,

Lessons from the Legos

I am gonna just assume you have read about our past few days and start right in.  If you are dazed and confused (join me in my closet) then you may want to go back and read that post.

Otherwise moving on!

You know, I have been pretty proud of myself.  That, of course, was my first mistake!  I am by nature a worrier.  I used to tell friends that I did not need to stop because I was just so good at it.  God has been working on me through the past few years and I have made baby steps in the right direction.  So, I was proud of myself for minimal stressing through this move and not one tear shed.

Yep, again, my first mistake.

Then, THE day came.  And do you want to know what started it all?

LEGOS!
These legos-

See them all in a pile?  They use to be about 15 sets that were perfectly put together.  By my 11 year old., of course, not me.  But this is what they looked like when they arrived.  And you know what?  I actually talked pleaded with the packer about these sets...to take care of them, they were fragile, they were important to my son, yada yada yada.  I think the part he heard was yada yada yada.  Needless to say, my son lost it.  Big time.

Many hours were invested in the building. I get it.
Didn't the packers care about anything?  Doesn't seem like it at this particular moment.
Next time we are taking them all in the car.  um, no.

And truly, at first I felt horrible.  I felt his pain.  I have unpacked my fair share of broken things.  I tried to sympathize.  I imagined how one of the girls might have reacted if their beloved dolls were broken when they were younger.  But, because we all are tired, displaced and running on fumes, the emotional scene just went on and on and on.  And on.

And then the tears came.  Mine.

Because, you see, after I felt bad I got mad.  And not just at my son.  At myself.

Because it. is. all. just. stuff!

And it is so not important.  Somewhere along the way we seem to have lost sight of what is important and it breaks my heart.  It makes me feel guilty.  It makes me feel like a failure as a parent. It makes me ashamed.  And it should. 

And so this is what I told my son.  And myself-

We have a friend whose son went into the hospital for a quick surgery and came out four weeks later.

We have a friends whose husbands have just been deployed for a year.
We have friends who struggle to keep their type 1 diabetes kiddos alive daily.

We have friends whose marriages are surviving only by the grace of God.

We have friends who are struggling to pay their bills.

Do you think a pile of Legos really matters?

Or broken dishes?

Or a favorite broken lamp?

When did we get to be so petty?  When did we forget that people are so much more important than stuff?

I do not want to be that kind of family. I do not want to be that kind of friend.  When people walk into my house I want them to see a family that cares about them.  I do not want them to see the stuff we have accumulated.  It is worth repeating, I want them to see a family that cares about them.

And so if that means letting go of things to get back to basics that is what we will do.  That is what we ARE doing.  Piece by piece and box by box.  Stuff is going out. 

Is it easy?  Nope.  I like to decorate.  I like cute stuff.  But it is weighing us down.  Literally and emotionally and I refuse to let stuff take over our home and our hearts. 

So when you see empty drawers and empty shelves, know that where there used to be stuff, there is now more room for you. 

Because this family is making changes.  May God get the glory!

Blessings,
Michele

The Past Few Days...

Now, where did I leave off?  Oh, that's right- leaving Virginia at 1:00, after 5 hours of sleep, with still an 8 hour drive ahead of us.  That's right.

Arriving at the hotel finally at 10:00pm. Tired.
Driving through a scary storm on day 2 and arriving at a hotel ready to collapse.  Mentally and physically.
Pulling out the sofa bed for my girls only to find unidentified objects (food, who knows?) on the mattress.  The manager's first response was "I will bring extra sheets to cover it up"  Seriously, that is what he said.  Ummmm, NO!  After seeing the not so nice look on my face he managed to find a new mattress AND discount our room.
Third day drive uneventful, save a little rain.  I know!  Can you believe it?

WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE HOUSE!

Have I mentioned we rented it sight unseen?  It's a slightly scary way to do things and our anxiety was high.

You know pictures are worth a hundred words, but they are not always the right ones .

Some rooms seemed bigger.
Some rooms seemed smaller.
All rooms were in desperate need of scrubbing.  Which is just what I wanted to do after three days of driving.  (sensing my sarcasm yet?)

Then there's the basement..
And the issue of sump pump problems.
And the issue of mold on some of the baseboards.
And some wet carpets.
And a leaky toilet and garbage disposal.
And a ice maker and water dispenser that did not work.
And we were not able to turn on the hot water until we got here, so there were no showers for anyone for 24 hours.
And the packers unloaded furniture and boxes for 11 hours. (there were three of them)
And one of our antique curios looks like a pitch fork was drug through the back of it.
And...

Get the picture?
I was searching for another closet to hide in!

This is where deep breaths and lot of prayers help.  A lot!

This is where the blessings begin.

We DID arrive here safely.
We have a home to live in.
Our landlord is a wonderful older gentleman who has bent over backwards to help get everything fixed.  (Plus, he hugged me when we first met- I love him already!)
The reality agents who are helping us transition are gems and I pray future friends.
Our backyard makes me smile every time I look out the window.

We love this tiny town already...

There are 2 parks, a library, a quaint waterpark, a children's museum and a grocery store just blocks from our house.  OK, in a town this size, everything is just blocks from our house.  I LOVE THAT!
The people here are friendly, though they do seem to think we talk funny.
There is a coffee shop around the corner that has wi-fi so my daughter was able to take three exams on Saturday and finish her online classes.  I have been able to semi keep up with the blog as well.  Internet is arriving today!  Insert a happy dance here.
The Walmart, which is the only gig in town, has cashiers that wait at the end of their checkout line waiting for you.  Seriously, where does THAT ever happen?
The college campus is beautiful and has so much to offer.
My children are resilient and amazing.  And patient. And hard workers.  And my heroes!
Same for my husband and my mom.

I could go on and on, OK, I already have, but my point is this...

God is good.  Even in the middle of what has been our most challenging move in 21 years.

I have even learned a few things that have rocked my world BIG time.  But I'll save that for Wednesday.  When I can sit in the comfort of my home and reveal my heart to you.

Blessings, Michele