We have been here for about two weeks now, and boy, has it been busy. The whole past month has been ridiculously busy, actually : ) Once we knew we were moving home, time sped by. We had so many details to get on top of and nail down. It seemed like there was no way we would accomplish it all in time. Saying goodbye to everyone was much more bittersweet than I had anticipated, especially since by the time we could tell everyone, there was only about 3-4 wks left... everyone was taken by surprise. And of course we had to get together with everyone one last time before we left, too. So our days were busy, and flying by!
The move itself was insanity. I worked the night the movers came. Everyone said, "You're working, and you're leaving in the morning?!?" But think about it. There was no way I was going to have 3 children underfoot in a house that was being emptied by movers. That would qualify as chaos. I got to go to church one last time, hug all my amazing friends there, say goodbye, and my kids had a fantastic time playing there one last time.
When I came home, the whole house still needed to be cleaned. We started cleaning around 11pm, finished at 2 pm, and got up at 5pm. That's right. 3 hours of sleep with a very full day ahead of us. We thought that we were being generous in allotting 4 hours of "stop-time" in our 12 hr journey. Hmmmmm. It ended up being 7 hrs of stops. We were supposed to pull into Bentonville, Arkansas by 8 pm. It was more like 2 am! Once we figured out that the kids did much better at night, we decided that we would drive through the night the next night (yes, that means skipping sleep). We rested up in Bentonville with our great friends there, and left that night around 9 pm. Around 4 a.m. I insisted we stop for a nap somewhere, and we pulled off at a rest area. I promptly fell asleep. We were on the road about 2 hrs later, and continued driving until we came to Franklin, around 7 p.m. As if that schedule was not harrowing enough, we also had other "adventures" which included: me actually driving the 26ft moving truck (pulling the SUV) because I was so desperate for some air conditioning; driving said truck with the left hand, and pumping breast milk with the right.... and then feeding the baby from the bottle with the right hand; and last, but not least, making a scene in a small town in Tennessee when I came up to a bridge that was too low for me to clear through in the moving truck. Yeah...... Not the best of days!
When we arrived in Franklin, Andrew suggested that we start unpacking the truck and find our bedding stuff and sleep in the house for the first night. Here, I put my foot down. Okay..... I explained to him through my tears of frustration that I had enough toll for a few days and did not want to unpack ANYTHING. I just wanted to sleeeeeeeppppppp. He is such a good husband. We got a hotel room for all 5 of us to crash in, that night.
Friends and family arrived in the morning to help us unpack. It was so exciting to see everyone again!!! I love happy reunions and the joy in them. Its so good for my heart. And it was also exciting to move everything into this gorgeous house. This house truly makes me feel spoiled. If it was just a little better than the one we had in the Springs, I would have felt blessed. But this..... this is over-the-top amazing, and makes me feel like the Lord reached down and gave me a HUGE hug and kiss!!! I'd post some pictures, but have yet to find my camera.
Andrew started his new job, and is really enjoying it. I have pretty much got us all settled in and things in place, besides my camera : ) Sometimes I have an ache in my heart for the life we had in Colorado. I suppose that is normal. We truly did love it there, and had a supportive network of friends, and went to, and worked for, a fantastic church. We loved the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. But mostly I miss the relationships. Not just with friends, but also even with my doctor (she would actually pray with me when I was pregnant with Aero). I guess its just missing the groove I knew and was so familiar with.
But the main pull for us to come back was to be with family again. And that pretty much overrode everything and everyone in Colorado that we knew we would miss like crazy. We have already loved having them in our lives and I love being in theirs. They are some of the best people I know. Seeing my children play with their cousins, and knowing they will have the opportunity to grow up with them, makes my heart wondrously happy. I did not grow up with any extended family and had always wanted that for my children. And here we are!
1 comment:
So glad to read this post. I've been wondering how everything went. I can't wait to get together & catch up. Lauren is still a bit of a wild card, but I think next Thursday will still work. Let's see how the weekend goes, then figure out a plan :)
I wanted to tell you too... not to discourage you, but just to be realistic. I still miss my Colorado friends and church - quite terribly at times. I think in so many ways, it's easier to make friends and find a church that's a good fit in a bigger city with more people/churches to choose from... if that makes sense. But, like you, we determined that family was more important. So just hang in there. It will come in time :)
It's still a strange thought to me that we really didn't even get to know each other till Colorado... and didn't even live in the same town very long... but I'm thankful for the bond the Lord allowed between us nonetheless. And now we're back in Franklin together... sort of feels like a full circle. :)
Love you, friend!
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