The Move to End ALL Moves

This move was a doozy.  Welcome, but miserable, nonetheless.  This house was one of my favorites.  I really grew to love it.  It wasn't huge, it wasn't perfect; but we really did make it HOME over the five years we lived there.  (By the way, five years is the LONGEST we have ever lived in a home to boot!)  So it makes sense that we had made ourselves comfortable.  We had lots of storage space, and lots of little nooks and crannies to squirrel away our hoard.  And squirrel away we DID!!

When it came time to packing, I didn't even know where to start!  Thanks to my buddy Laureve, I was able to pack the first few boxes in the basement to break the ice and get the ball rolling.  After that, it was non-stop boxes, tape, bubble wrap, sweat, and tears up until packing the truck.  The more I packed, the more STUFF emerged from the recesses of my nooks and crannies (that sounds a little inappropriate, sorry).  Haha!!  Anyway, it was daunting...to say the LEAST.  We kept thinking, this is A LOT of STUFF!  I wonder/don't think/fear/have all manner of anxiety that this stuff isn't going to fit in the truck we have rented.  I don't know HOW we are going to DO this!!!!!

My homegirls from the RS came on Tuesday to help me pack boxes INSIDE the house.  They tackled my kitchen with impressive force and speed.  So much so, I didn't have ANY food or paper products for the next 48 hours!  Haha!!  BUT at least it was packed, which I was ever so grateful for.  Turns out Carol Taylor worked as a professional PACKER with a freight company years ago!!  Hello!  And Sandy Earle, who worked in the clothing business at Marshall's for years, packed my suitcases and bundled my hangers with such precision and expertise, it was like a work of ART!!!   I love my sisters in the gospel!!

So the BIG DAY arrived on Thursday.  We headed over to Streator, and after a quick Mickey D's breakfast, we rented our 26 footer from Uhaul, and got started.  Our buddies, the Bryants came to help us assess the damage.  The thing about the Bryants is that they stayed POSITIVE the whole time.  They never gave us crap about our hoard, they just HELPED us pack it the best, most efficient way possible.  I really, really love them for that.  They didn't JUDGE me, they just SERVED and LOVED me anyway.  :)

So hours into the process, it sloooowly and painstakingly became apparent that it wasn't ALL going to fit.  Larry, out of the KINDNESS of his heart, offered his pickup with a trailer to offset the big, awkward stuff: bikes, trampoline, playhouse, lawnmower, etc.  He actually offered to DRIVE to MICHIGAN with us to help us get all of our junk out of this darn house of ours...ON TIME!!  (Oh, did I mention that we were getting KICKED OUT of our house early because our buyers decided to move up our CLOSING DATE to FRIDAY?!?  2 weeks AHEAD of schedule?!?  It was okay, except for the fact that we didn't know if we would have to be making an extra trip BACK to freaking Tonica to retrieve the rest of our EXCESSIVE earthly belongings....where on earth would we keep it so that we didn't have to mess with the closing?!?)   

That evening our TEAM of helpers arrived...the EQ, YM/YW, friends from Tonica, friends from church, friends from work.  IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!  They descended on our house like spider monkeys, pulling out every box and piece of furniture to the FRONT lawn!  It was horrifying!  Seeing all of my stuff on display like that...I didn't know whether to laugh (because ALL of my furniture is WHITE and from IKEA!!), or to cry because I seriously have over 1 million clear plastic bins FILLED with JUNK!!  And there it was for the whole, wide world to SEE!!!!  And of course, I had an audience of Tonican gawkers on the front lines, doing what they do best!!

My buddy Laureve kept me inside (I came later to find out) because she wanted to protect me from the horror outside.  IN addition to the shame of having the contents of my house puked out all over the lawn and driveway, it was also becoming INCREASINGLY apparent that we were going to need to rent ANOTHER UHAUL in order to get all of our stuff out of the house by noon the next day.  AT that point, I really did just want to cry.  Another one of my buddies showed up and offered her trucking service free of charge, OUT OF THE KINDNESS OF HER HEART, to come pick it up in the morning and store it in her garage until we could figure out what to do with it.  I think that offer kept my head from exploding...what would I have done without all of these FRIENDS of mine?!?

That night we finished sweeping, and wiping down our BELOVED HOUSE for the last time.  We planned on getting another truck the next day, and the Bryants planned on driving their own truck/trailer and extra truck, while Mark would drive the 26 footer, and I would drive the van.  (The Rendezvous was already in Michigan because we drove it over during the reunion.)  THAT was the PLAN!

WE made it to Midland on a Friday night.  We unpacked the 26 foot truck with the new WARD Saturday morning.  We also had to ask WARD members to come BACK a few hours later when the BRYANTS would arrive to unpack Truck #2, 3, and 4.  Aye yi yi...the shame!!!!  Way to kick off a new start, eh?!?  Nooooot goooooood.  (Remind me to tell you about how Mark went to help a family that moved out a week after we moved in, and MANY comments were made to the effect of "wow, this is going really FAST! is this ALL you have?!?  this is WAY LESS than the Browns had...this went SOOOO much faster than it did at the Browns house...etc, etc, etc.)  Yep, pretty much.  AWESOME stuff, huh?!?

So anyway, that's the story of THE MOVE to END ALL MOVES!!  If I didn't know it before, I HATE MOVING!!  Also, did I mention that we will be moving AGAIN in approximately 9-12 months when we BUY the last house we will EVER BUY!!  This marked our NINTH move, y'all.  Sad, huh?  Lucky #10 will be the ringer, I JUST

KNOW IT!! 

Day Family Reunion--Crystal Lake 2013

Amidst all of the chaos of finishing summer semester, selling our house, packing our house, finding a place to live, and MOVING we were able to take some time out for the Day Family Reunion at Crystal Lake!  I'm so glad we did!  I was able to forget about the madness at home, and really just soak up time with my family and it was wonderful!!

Here are a few pics that I remembered to take...but sadly, there were so many missed photo opps. The week was jam-packed of fun memories!!

The first day we kicked off the event with lunch in Beulah, followed by family pics taken by Kristen Pierson.  So glad we have a photog in our midst now!!  That night we had a opening ceremony where the Griswolds had burned CDs that had a family song from each of the families.  We had to guess which song belonged to who by what was going on in their lives over the past 3 years.  Now we have a fun momento to listen to as well!

The second day was tubing down the lazy river.  Much of the family attended, but those who didn't hung out on the beach and had a good time anyway.  

The 2nd night we had a new Day family tradition:  The Chopped Challenge!!  Teams consisted of each original Day child with one of their kids.  The first round was dessert, and the winners from that round went onto the final round of appetizers.  The overall winner took home the coveted "Day Family Chopped Champions apron" until the next reunion. The Normans did a great job organizing this event!

Avery and I were the Chopped Challenge Champions!!  We are soo proud!!

The third day we took a trip to Sleeping Bear Sand dunes, and conquered the mountain!  It took forever, but we made it!  The view was spectacular!

 We took a scenic drive over to the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan.  The drop was so significant that they had warning signs for potential hikers.  It reminded hikers that rescue efforts would be at their "own expense".  Haha!!

Obviously, I chose not to take the hike down to the lake...didn't want to have to pay my rescue worker's fees to bring me back up the dune.  :)

The third night many of the families went into Frankfort for souvenir shopping and dinner out, and we all joined back up that night for s'mores with a beautiful sunset!  These two lovebirds (Ryan and Gretchen) took advantage of the scenery and I couldn't help snapping this pic! 

The fourth day we did the annual pillowcases where all the cousins decorate their own pillowcase and then they all sign each others. The ladies did some crafts after the kids were done.  That afternoon we had to say goodbye to the Normans and Ryan Day's family.   It was so strange after they left, but it was also nice to be able to get more talk time with the remaining families.  

The last night we had a big backyard bbq, and then took night boat rides.  It was a great way to finish off the festivities.

I seriously don't know if I can wait until Summer of 2016 for the next one...sniff, sniff.  This was one of the last reunions where EVERYONE would be able to attend.  By the time the next one rolls around, a lot of the grandkids will be mission-age, married, in school, etc.  It makes me all teary to think about.  Time marches on, and I am hoping that my kids have strong enough bonds with my family to always know who their family is, and that they are LOVED by so many awesome people. 

Huge shout outs to the people behind the scenes who made this whole thing possible!!  Everybody played a part somehow, and it wouldn't have been so special without all the extra steps people took to make it that way!  I love you all so much!!

July Review

I guess I've resorted to just summing up whole months now seeing as blogging regularly this summer has taken somewhat of a backseat.  So here is July in a quick review for our friends and family.  As many of you know, we found out we were moving the first week of July, and set out to fix up our house to put it on the market.  Thankfully, all of our hard work payed off, and the house sold in approximately 48 hours.  This was nothing short of a miracle, and we were both extremely grateful and humbled by it.  If we didn't know before that this move was the right thing, we certainly did now!

Maryn was able to go to her first Girl's Camp in mid July.  She had a blast!  It sounds like she made some great friends and memories.  Here are a couple shots from camp, and afterwards when we picked her up.  We sure missed her the week she was away, and ALL of us were so happy to have her home again!

The Ottawa Ward YW at Girl's Camp--2013

Saying goodbye to the camp on the last morning of camp--7/19/13

 

The poster we made for Maryn when we went to pick her up...I just love how Parker is holding her hand.  She really did miss her "Mimi".

The picture below is of the girls in the Ottawa Ward who were "first years".  Sarah Camp, Antonia Froisland, Emily Chism, and Maryn on the right.  They bonded and had a great time together...just what Girl's camp is all about!!

The phone call that changed everything...

...happened on June 24th.  It was a Monday afternoon, and I had been dealing with a little drama of my own that day.  I was sitting at the computer in our sunroom around 12:30.  Mark walks in the door, and gives me the strangest look.  He says, "You're never gonna believe who I just got a phone call from."  Not a good way to start a conversation.  I reply, "You're never gonna believe who I just had to call!"  That morning I had been on the phone with Tonica police because I noticed a strange black vehicle parked behind our house for going on 3 days.  Our cracker jack task force was not returning my calls, and I was getting pretty stressed out about it.  Needless to say, Mark explains that Delta College (the same Delta college who had strung us along for 9 mos, only to say, "thanks, but no thanks") called to inform him that they had just had an immediate vacancy on their English faculty for Fall 13, and was he still interested in being considered for the position?  Of course he said, "uh, yeah!"  Because of the drama that morning I was distracted to say the least.  I also was trying to do lesson plans for my class that night at IVCC.  I just couldn't even think about it at that point.  Finally, after I finished teaching and was on my way home, the reality began to sink in.   

Immediately the questions and possibilities started swirling around in our minds.  What?!?  Could this really be?  Still a possibility?  But we were settled with staying...we have made all these plans for living here another year...the girls were starting school, Parker starting preschool, we have all these new friends...finally!  After all this time in this stinkin' place, we are finally feeling settled and "ok" with staying a little while longer.  Are you kidding me?!?  I almost wanted to know if they were just teasing us again...if there was any possibility of them rejecting us...again.  Despite all of these concerns, Mark called them back..."throw my hat back in the ring" was the basic jist of his reply.

Several days went by with us stewing, not knowing what, if anything, would come of this latest turn of events.  By the end of the week, they called back to say that they were having a difficult time reaching his references.  This is where Mark probably sounded a little like a lunatic calling old professors and colleagues from almost a decade ago..."puh-lease, can you...um...pleeeease call this woman back...like now?!? kthanksbye."  Poor guy.  At least this time they didn't drag it out.  By the following Monday, we had a phone call in the afternoon much the same as the week prior.  This time, an official job offer was made.  And this time, we were able to gladly say, "YES!"

Since then, our lives have been turned upside down.  But at the end of the day, this is meant to be.  We know it.  All those thoughts and impressions I had had on New Years Day no longer needed to be swept under the rug.  They had come to fruition.  There were big changes in store for us. Great things were happening for our family!! 

We contacted the realtor we bought our house from almost 5 years ago.  She came the next day to take pics and get us listed.  We decided there were several "projects" that needed attention before we could officially list the house, and be able to "show" to potential buyers.  We were going out of town for the 4th of July, and we would start on them when we got back.  Do you all remember what happened to us on the 4th of July this year?  It went a little something like this: suck, sucky crap-fest from hell...lol!! Stuck in traffic for over an hour, Parker got car sick and puked, we pulled off to clean her up, and our car died in the middle of the worst traffice of all time...on the 4th of July!!  We had to wait for a tow forever, had to get a hotel room and stay in Portage, IN (middle of nowheresville) overnight because we couldn't get a car rental (cuz everywhere was CLOSED!)  AGH!  It was bad, really bad.  I began to wonder if it was a sign!!  Or a real trial of our faith.  How would we handle a little adversity in the midst of such an enormous blessing?!?  Well...

We made it the rest of the way, and still ventured to Midland to check things out on Saturday.  We were able to meet up with the Pennocks, who are such gracious hosts! As if this is any surprise, coming from the saintly likes of Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob, right?!? It's so nice to have family there to welcome us!  Anyway, by the end of it all we were feeling like nothing could keep us down.  Not even the worst 4th of July ever. 

When we got back from one of the most expensive "trips" of all time, we set out to complete our projects.  Longest week of our lives.  We were drained afterwards.  Sore from manual labor we haven't had the pleasure of doing in years, we persevered because we knew we had to.  We had our first "showing" exactly 2 weeks after the job offer.  It went great!  The listing on the MLS went live on Tuesday morning.  By Wednesday, we had 3 more showings scheduled.  I went off to teach that night worried and anxious about how they would go.  Mark took the girls to Ottawa for YW and Activity Days.  When we all got back that evening, there were cars still in the driveway.  Either this was good, or really bad.  An hour later, we got a call from our realtor saying we had 2 offers, but that there were 2 more waiting in the wings.  WHAT?!? 

From Wednesday night until Thursday afternoon, we sat back and watched a bidding war take place for our house.  Blessings surpassing our expectations!  Thursday night, we took the girls over to our friends so we could meet with our realtor to sign some papers.  When we got there, she gave us the final offer.  After all the bidding was done.  The final offer was over our asking price by $5 grand.  Truly, our cup runneth over.  Only 48 hours on the market!  I am still in a state of shock.  I feel really humbled and super grateful.  We soooo needed this tender mercy.  I know this is meant to be.  God is providing the way.  No doubt about it.  But because it has been so "easy" thus far, of course I am shaking in my boots.  I am so scared it is all going to just vanish or fall apart.  Help me not to worry!!  I can't seem to just believe and accept it.

We are still pressing forward.  This weekend we are heading over to Midland to look for rentals.  We are planning our move for August 15th.  Mark starts on August 19th, and the girls will start school after Labor Day.  The appraisal happened today.  The inspection will happen next week.  We are scheduled to close on August 31.  We may have to come back to the area for it, but I think we are willing to sacrifice a little inconvenience considering everything else.

Can you freaking believe it?!?  We are moving back to Michigan!!  EEEEE!!!!!

June in a Nutshell

Oh boy, did June fly by!! We hit the summer ground running with lots of activities, and adventures that did not disappoint. Each of the girls were able to do things they enjoyed, and were able to learn a lot, as well as have fun with friends. I must admit that I was a little relieved when June's activities slowed down, and we were finally able to enjoy some lazy summer days spent at home too. We needed it, especially with how busy we are now! But before I get into all of that, here is a recap of JUNE!!

We took a trip over to the quad cities of Davenport/Moline on the Mississippi river.  It was a fun day!

We really wanted to check out the John Deere museum, and it was really neat!

Our girl scout troop's end-of-the-year activity was really cool!  The troop had worked on a badge for most of the year wherein they learned about the world around us including architecture, building with green materials, and sustainability.  We toured a church that was being remodeled/restored into a family home.  The history of the church, the stories about the restoration effort, and the beautiful art that was uncovered was simply breathtaking.  I'm so glad I tagged along on this tour!

The mural on the wall behind us is what they uncovered under layers of plaster.  They had intentions of putting their kitchen in this area, but after they found this they are now reconsidering.

This is the view from the master bedroom looking out over the main living area.  How would you feel about waking up to this every morning?!?

The church was originally a Slovenian Roman Catholic church.  I liked feeling a hint of a connection to my eastern European roots.

Avery, along with some school friends, participated in a basketball camp, and did really well!  I have a good feeling about her future in basketball.  She won a free-throw competition, as well as her team won a 3 on 3 tournament.

We took a trip (finally!) to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.  It was awesome, and we're glad we finally made the time to go!! We are slowly crossing things off of our "Illinois Bucket List".

I love the giraffes!!  They had a whole family at this exhibit!

Maryn completed a "Babysitters Clinic" at our local hospital.  She had a lot of fun, and is all gung-ho about babysitting now.  We've had several new families with little kids move into our ward recently, and I think she is hoping that she will get the chance soon!

Maryn also was able to participate in a Theater camp at LP High School.  They did Broadway tunes and learned singing and dancing.  She really enjoyed it!

 

Maryn and her friend Angela showing us "theater face".

June was a month full of tornadoes and super bad thunderstorms.  One particular night we found our brand new trampoline in our neighbor's yard perfectly positioned on their concrete basketball court.  It was eery.  It had literally been picked up and sailed that far in the strong winds.  Needless to say, after that we staked it down pretty well, and now take the net off when we know a storm is coming.  Eeeee.

Celebrating Father's day with the best Dad in the world!  Each of the girls made Mark special momentos in Primary and at home, and I think he really enjoyed all of the special treatment.  The sign on his forehead was attached to a package of peanut M&M's and said, "To my slightly nutty, but very sweet Dad".

Avery was able to participate in a Science camp that was put on my the local chemical company.  It was actually a really neat experience.  They only took 30 5th graders from the whole area, and she was one of them.  She learned a lot of neat things, and still insists on doing experiments at home.

 Parker on a playdate at a splash pad in Ottawa.

All of us joined Parker and friends from church for a picnic/playdate at the park in Peru.  (How's THAT for alliteration?!?)  She has had soooo much fun with all of the new little kids who've moved into our ward over the past year.  I feel sad that she will have to leave them all so soon. Doesn't that always happen?  Once things start finally getting good, you have to leave and say goodbye.  Sigh. 

Stay tuned for the saga of THE Job and THE move...dun, dun, dunnnn.