The Big Move and Living the Dream!

Here are a few box pictures.  At this point, I've tried to block all of that out of my mind, but it did indeed happen.  Lessons I learned from this move:  1) Just like last time around, having movers is fantastic  2) Having packers is not.  I know that sounds spoiled, but I really didn't like it.  After all is said and done, I would have preferred to take the time to pack my own stuff and have them just move it.  Hopefully there is no next time, but if there is - I will know better what to do.  

Here is Max making his rounds - trying to find something to destroy.  Hehe

There are Clay and I in the background, signing the closing papers before overnighting them to Missouri.  Exciting stuff!  And what better place to do it than our favorite place at our Troy, Michigan house: the back deck.

Here are some pics with the kids and their dad, after they gave him his early Father's Day presents.  Yep, we were gone on the real day.

That next morning, the kids and I took off for Missouri, driving straight through.  We stayed with my parents for about two weeks while the closing went through and we waited for Clay and our stuff to get there.  Clay stayed behind to see our stuff loaded into the moving truck and to finish up his last days at work.  We missed him big time!  I don't think it was a great time for him, either, since he was living with an air mattress and one frying pan, but he is quite a trooper.  Besides spending time with my brother, Mitch, before he left on his mission, playing, swimming, and other fun summer stuff, I tried to get ready for house ownership by buying a lawn mower and a new fridge.  I know what you are thinking, and it's true.  I must be growing up.  Well, at least a little bit.

Our moving truck was an entire week late arriving, which was a major bummer.  But, after paying us money every day for a week, I guess the company decided to hurry up and get it to us.  Clay arrived just in time to help the two guys unload the truck in the dead heat of the Missouri summer.  It was quite a welcome to town, but again, he is a trooper!

When we were finally in our amazing new house with all of our stuff, we laughed.  We had sold almost all of our furniture, but we probably should have sold more.  It looked even worse in our new place.  On the upside, at least we had a table and chairs to sit on.  And mattresses to sleep on.  

It took a month or so to order our first shipment of furniture, and it was so exciting when it came!  New table and chairs, barstools, two couches, chair and ottoman, desk and side table.  Our first real stuff that we actually picked out at a real furniture store!  Man, oh man.  We were having fun.  And then we slowed way down.  We needed a paycheck.  :)

Our favorite things about our dream house so far:

• quiet cul-de-sac.  The kids and I spend a lot of time playing and riding bikes in the front yard.  We've never done that before!  In fact, I think we like our front yard even better than our backyard.  I don't have to worry about the kids getting run over or anything.  It is quiet and secluded, and our neighbors on both sides have kids that we love to play with.  

• So much room! and so many upgrades!   I can barely remember what it was like not to have a garage, built-in-dishwasher, my own bathroom, a closet with more space than I even need, etc.   Basically, I am quickly becoming spoiled rotten.  

• Our neighborhood.  Clay is already dreaming and looking at acreages, but I am loving living in a neighborhood.  I am so pleased with how great ours has turned out to be, and I appreciate Clay giving up his land for now.  We have 8 kids just at our bus stop, and there are really great families all over the place.  At my first PTA meeting, I already knew half the moms.  They are my neighbors!  Oh, and by the way, Luke's school is fantastic.  

• Living by family.  It was actually hard for me at first.  I kind of felt like we had been awesome from afar, but wouldn't live up to that once we were seen up close.  Does that make sense?  I'm getting over it and appreciating the awesomeness of it, but the kids have flourished right from the start.  I can hardly believe it!  Luke, especially, seems to have overcome almost all of his fear of speaking in public.  I guess having so many loved ones close by has had quite an impact.  Plus, there are a lot more family functions with lots of people that he has to talk to.  Yes, I am dangling participles, but I am just happy as can be how well the kids are doing here.  They are starting to make friends at school and in our neighborhood, and I am trying to do the same.  

That's probably a good summation for now.  As much as we miss our friends in Michigan, we are loving life and living the dream here in Missouri!