We Made It

So far... So good! We are getting settled in and having a great time. Having Del pick us up at the airport and drive us to our new house was the most surreal experience I have ever had. The kids love the house and are loving getting their new rooms put together. We had a couple of days to relax and check out the town before the trucks arrived. Once they arrived it was WORK WORK WORK! I am so lucky to have had all of the help that I've had so far. My mom and Cathy came for a week and they were so much help. It took the movers two full days to unload everything. We were carrying empty boxes out about as fast as they could bring them in. Here are some random pics of the first few days.

It was quite the production for them to get our cars out of the trucks

Taking a break when the ice cream truck arrived. It is so fun to live in a neighborhood where the ice cream truck comes a couple of times a week.
One good thing about having an unfinished basement - a rip stick, skateboard, and bike track!

We went to church for the first time last Sunday. I knew the girls were nervous about meeting people and going to their classes. I was so glad to see them so happy after church. They were talking to all of the new kids they had met and really couldn't say enough good things about it. They have all had such great attitudes about moving. I have not heard one negative thing come out of any of their mouths. I have been amazed. It is truly so beautiful here. I drive home to my neighborhood and still can't believe I live here. It is so fun to see the deer and the rabbits and squirrels in the yard. It is so different for me having grown up and lived in the desert my whole life.

Last Monday I picked up Paige and Ansley at the airport. We have had so much fun and the girls have been going nonstop ever since they arrived. Sydnee has been going to a volleyball camp at the high school so she is pretty thrashed. They go to bed so late and are all just getting up when she is getting home from volleyball. It seems like we haven't gotten used to the time change yet and having West Coast visitors hasn't helped. I was joking with my sister one night that the neighbors probably think we are vampires! It seems like our lights are the only ones on late at night.

The hammock is a popular spot. It's a good thing we have a big one.

Grandma Dodo finally sat down to relax the day she was leaving.
Cathy and Carli

We have a sun porch off of our kitchen. I call it "The Happy Place". It is so peaceful and beautiful. We have some chairs out there and a table with a fire pit in it. We roasted marshmellows and made smores tonight. It rained a little bit and for about 30 minutes I was wrapped in a blanket. It felt like a rainstorm in the mountains. Do I sound like I love this place? I really do. I just hope the three seasons (spring, summer, and fall) will get me through the winter. I hope I still love it in February.

Grandma Marci drove up from Atlanta yesterday. We are lucky to have so much help.

We will miss all of the company once everyone leaves. It will give us a chance to meet some more of the neighbors. Everyone is so nice here. We have a pool in our neighborhood so I'm sure we will be heading down there to meet some new friends before school starts. We really miss our friends from AZ but are enjoying the weather and scenery. I will try to be more consistent in my blogging from here on out so the entries aren't so long! I just had a lots to say tonight.

Still Moving

It's amazing how quick a house doesn't look like a home when things come down off the walls.

Del and Mojo left today for their big adventure across the country in the motorhome. I hope it goes OK. He didn't seem to mind that he was driving by himself. I think he likes it. He always tells me he wishes he was a trucker. Things are moving along here. Still pretty stress free. These movers are great! Yesterday I woke up and was greeted with with a heavy West Virginia drawl..."Marning Peaches!" It was pretty funny!

Neighbors

We have been so lucky to have such great neighbors. They have three girls and it has been fun to be here for the last few years. The Baez's are a great family. I feel good that we are replacing our kids on the street with 5 that are moving in!

Moving

So today is the day. We got home last night at about 10 from a great 4th of July in Coronado. I love that we have created a great tradition for that holiday. It is so fun and festive there. Our kids love it! We had to come back a day early this year because at 8 a.m. the truck showed up. They are packing my kitchen as we speak. I can't imagine when I would have had to start if I were packing things. They are so fast and efficient. These same movers have moved Del's family at least 5 times to different parts of the country. They are great! I'm sure Del will keep up with the blog better than I will throughout the move (especially with pictures) so go to www.deltanner.com to see photos.

It's Official

Well, we closed on our house today. I have such mixed emotions. It is a beautiful house but I am getting so sad to leave Arizona. We have been here for 15 years and have so many great memories and friendships. I am anxious to get there and get settled and start our new adventure. I hope we will have friends and family come to visit us often, especially in spring, summer and fall. I'm sure we will be the ones doing the visiting come winter time!

Growing Up

We are getting Sydnee ready to go to girls camp this week. Wow! I can't believe I am sending her off for five days to girls camp. How fast time goes by. She is getting so tall and looking so old and I hate it. It seems like there have been a lot of milestones lately. I hope she has a great time. There are some great girls going and some amazing leaders as well!

Roosevelt Lake

Saturday we went to the lake with the Hatch Family and the Harris Family. Great families! Great kids! We had fifteen kids on the boat so it was a little bit of a zoo but really fun. The kids had such a great time wakeboarding and riding the tube. Cody Hatch was a great captain and very patient. It was the first time we had been to the lake since we sold our boat and I have to admit it was nice to be the guests and not have Del driving the boat all day long. It was a long but very fun day!