before I forget

moving day.

-between yesterday and today, there were four truck loads that brought our life from sophex to the homestead. if I shorten southern phoenix to sophx, should it have an "e" in it?

-I was wondering how things would go without any family here to help, but in the end our family showed. shellie took my kids. nick moved two full loads and carried immeasurable pounds. wade, brett, eric, trent and bro. myers hauled it all out to the truck, even the piano. I didn't watch, but I listened to the strategizing and it was entertaining. wade kept beckham out of the street. trent kept calling me sis. robinson. maybe it's a bishop thing. I told bro. myers that he could still come see me once a month in my new house. he's my favorite home teacher. I cried for the first time as I drove Dutch full of stuff out to the new place, hating that I was leaving them behind. they have become our family, in every sense of the word.

- a last minute call to our new elders quorum pres produced more people that I could keep track of. on incredibly short notice we had at least 15 guys here laughing, unloading, introducing themselves. I was amazed. they just kept coming. it took 20 minutes to unload our entire truck. they came back for the next load. they helped decrease the size of the pile in the garage taking my direction and moving boxes to their appropriate rooms. they put beds together and moved dressers into place. they truly were amazing, and so happy to help.

- I am not a big fan of photo radar. I believe had my picture taken yesterday and while I probably looked fabulous, I'm not so sure I will appreciate the mail they will be sending me.

- I think Ben would be proud of me. After the last few days, my hands feel like sandpaper. We were too late in realizing gloves are a good idea when moving. There were none to be found, but it made me feel tough. My hands are rough and I have a couple of bloody knuckles. It means I worked hard.

- exhaustion has taken on new meaning. I have been driving dangerously tired. keeping my eyes open and my concentration sharp is sometimes just too much to ask. my bed is going to feel heavenly tonight.

- the easter bunny needs to find us at our new house. there will be breakfast cake and surprises, a day enjoying conference and getting settled. I wish I could say sleeping in, but these children of mine rarely make it past 6 a.m. these days.

- this new abode has a lot of windows that do not have window coverings. there is no one that can see in them, so it doesn't make me nervous, but it's a new feeling when it's dark outside. I love them when it's light. also, this house is cool, as in temperature cool. I don't know if the mature trees or the block construction, but it stays much cooler than the sophex house. that will help immensely with the a/c bill. and don't worry, I already unpacked my jacket and slippers.

it was a good day. I was grateful several times.

this morning as we were making our daily trek eastward, we pulled off the freeway and drove through the orange groves. we all inhaled. there is a sweet, sweet smell associated with orange blossoms that I have never lived with before. denten says it's like an air freshener was sprayed everywhere. I love it.

there has been significant progress in the form of painting, and cleaning. Cooper and I filled two garbage bags with gross oranges that had fallen off the tree and have probably been there for 6 months. it seriously grossed me out, but that part of the yard looks much better. yes, we were both wearing gloves.

Seneca emerged from the playhouse at one point with her braids undone and her shirt discarded and flew down the slide. she looked like a wild child, one who was having the time of her life.

Beckham keeps losing me in the house. he wanders around calling my name and the painters direct him to me.

My body is physically exhausted, but I'm happy. I'm losing my mind on a regular basis, but mostly it's just provided entertainment for Denten.

The kids and I discussed a name for our new house today on our way out. Cooper's suggestions included, "the big giant," and "echos." It's not that big, but when it's vacant, it does echo and he likes sneaking around in it. I'm leaning toward "the homestead." We are kind of homesteading the area seeing as neither of us have direct family that has ever been there. And I like the idea that it's our landing zone. We'll see if anything better pops in my head tomorrow.

I believe the words, "get off the boxes" have come out of my mouth 57 million times in the last two days. The pile of boxes fills our living room and the top of the pile is evidently the only place to see the princess?? good grief.

The list of stuff to do and people to call keeps growing, but I'm loving that for the most part Denten and I are in sync. This project would be a lot easier if he wasn't working full days and I didn't have three busy little shadows, but those full days make this possible and those little shadows are the reason we're doing this. and they are totally worth it.

it's official. we own it. good thing considering I put paint all over the walls today. carpets are being cleaned, painters come first thing tomorrow, cleaning girls at noon. it's going to be a whole new house! except that it's old, but you know what I mean.

boxes are being packed continually, dinner group meals are saving me, beckham still insists on about 70 primary songs every night. life does not feel normal, but it's a good life.

pretty random: moving week

I accidentaly grabbed a fork to eat my cereal with this morning. That's how tired I am. Another sign I look haggered? At 6:30 this morning, the clerk at the store asked if I was just getting off work. Ha. I wish, that would mean I could go to bed, right??

I have completely loved this place, but I am very much looking forward to quiet nights. The kind with no car alarms at 4:30 a.m. The kind where I don't have to have a conversation with my drunken, incredibly loud neighbor at 1:30 a.m. asking her to please turn down her music. She and I will probably love each other in heaven, but it is best for our relationship if I move away.

Reviewing budget and financial stuff, I have found that in order to keep focused on the positive, I need a few gratefuls:

-I am grateful we are in a position to purchase this house and for all the help getting us there.
-I'm grateful closing costs were much less than we originally anticipated. Major bonus.
-I am grateful Denten has a steady job with a reliable income.
-I am grateful that D's student loan payment was lowered this month.
-I am grateful that he gets reimbursed for all of his travel. That's a major chunk out of our auto budget each month and it's nice to see it flow back in.
-I am grateful for bonus energy sessions that bring in unexpected money.
-I am grateful for coupon shopping. I haven't been doing it, but I am looking forward to being excited about it again! How's that for a positive affirmation!
-I am grateful for friends who are willing to be hired for cleaning and carpets and painting. It's nice to trust the people in my home and give the business to great families.
-I am grateful for family that is going to come help me move. This isn't actually happening, but perhaps if I throw it out to the universe, a miracle will occur!
-I am grateful I have a busy day. Although at some point a nap is going to sound incredible.

over and out.

a new level

We think we're moving (just across the valley). We attempted to keep it on the DL for a while and though nothing is official yet, it's also not a secret anymore. Part of this process is renting our current home. We've had it listed for a few weeks and have had numerous inquiries. I have a deep level of respect for those who have had their house on the market and have had to keep it presentable at all times. My home has achieved new levels of clean in the last month. I don't like to think that we are normally sloppy, but there are things I notice when someone is coming to view my home that I probably wouldn't care about otherwise. Having people stop by every other day combined with my dejunking process has done wonders for my house! I almost don't want to leave it. Almost.

My kids are getting great at understanding that cleaning up means really cleaning up. After mealtimes they put their own dishes in the dishwasher, and get the dustbuster out to take care of any crumbs on the floor. The playroom is sorted and while disasters still strike, they are put away easily. Cooper's room has been clean for a week which is a serious personal record. He does not see the value in folding clothes and putting them away after taking them off yet, but he's getting there. He's taking pride in keeping his room "perfect" and I love it. Seneca makes her bed with no wrinkles just in case someone might come see it. I realize it's sad that it takes the possibilities of future tenants stopping by to keep things picked up and put away, but it's difficult to maintain that level of tidy when these little ones are moving from one project to another so quickly!

Speaking of the little ones, Seneca is something else. Whenever someone comes to see the house and Seneca happens to be awake and around, she turns into little miss chatty. "this is my snack!" "do you like my apron?" "do you want to watch me dance?" this is said as she is already twirling around the family room. Good grief. No, the house doesn't come with the little girl. Or my treadmill or my piano. Seriously? You think I'd leave my piano? no, people.

This process has increased faith and patience and given me an opportunity to practice trusting that He knows what's supposed to happen here. It has brought Denten and I together in new ways and we talk about the things we're excited about and the things that cause concern. And it's kept my house clean. That's the really important part. We don't know what will happen in the next month, but whatever it is, we'll roll with it!