Loading Day

I woke up this morning totally unsettled and sad and mostly just wanting all of this motion to stop.  

I really like this place.  And I have really liked this house for the last 5 years.  I don't need a new one or a lake or more space.  This space is just fine.  

I cried through the last morning prayer I would say beside my bed looking out at the tree where that little bird always sits.  

I cried when Craig went to go get the girls from seminary and we had pancakes for breakfast for the last time in our kitchen.  

I cried when everyone left for school and I was sitting here in this quiet house waiting for movers to show up watching the pouring rain outside, thinking surely it wouldn't keep that up all day long.  

But somehow as the day moved on, I eventually stopped crying, and everything worked out just fine.

The moving truck was a little late and pulled up to the house just after 10am and just after the rain had stopped.  

I realized that Savannah's little Mac Book is just a mini version of my Mac, not an iPad which is just a giant version of a phone and not conducive at all to blog posting.  So hooray...I was able to get on my CSM Conference call from 11-12 today and also stay out of the way for most of the day while movers hauled stuff down the stairs and out to the truck.  

By 4:30 when McKay and I got home from his trumpet lesson, the truck was almost entirely loaded.  The kids watched them put in the last few things while I ran the vacuum through the house one last time, and then off they drove...to take our stuff to Birmingham.

The best thing about this day was that in those few short prayers I had this morning, I specifically asked for things (people) to make the day better than it felt when I woke up.  It felt heavy and sad this morning, and I didn't think I would be able to get through it without falling apart every time a piece of furniture left the house.  But, somehow, at every single transition point, where I probably would have fallen apart, there was some unexpected text from someone or people stopped by or some happy distraction came long enough to keep me from wallowing in my sadness.  I'm so grateful for that very small handful of people today.  Without them, this day would have been so much harder.  I'm grateful for technology that allows us to send texts when we're too far away to come over.  I'm grateful for people who just show up with large Sonic drinks!  And I'm grateful for this amazing group of neighbors that always manages to come over at just the right time.  

Oh, how I hope there will be people like this in Birmingham.  

Packing Day 2

Well, I wasn't grumpy today...hooray!  Everyone else here was pretty happy about that, too.  

We started early again this morning with more piles and more lists and preparing for yet another day of packing and boxing.  Those same cute girls from Saturday came back with one additional helper today and started packing the garage at 9:00 this morning.  Two hours later they moved onto the kitchen and spent another 3 hours there.  Holy cow!  

This is what the living room looked like a few weeks ago...

 This is what it looked like this morning...

...and this is what it looked like when the kids came home from school.

 This is the kitchen last week before we gave our table away...

...and this is the kitchen now.  

At the very end of the day, in the very last hour of the time those cute packers spent at our house, they came to pack up my Mac...it's possible that was the hardest thing to hand over. I reluctantly moved out of the way and let them box it up, and look what they did to it...

Isn't that the nicest thing ever!  

It's been another crazy long, mostly sitting and watching people kind of a day, but one step closer to getting somewhere that I think we're supposed to be.  And that's motion and motion is good, right?  I'm hanging onto the hope that it is.  

Sunday

Ugh...I'm so grumpy today...

I woke up at 6:00 and thought, "If I hadn't overcommitted my whole stupid day today, I would just stay in bed, or at the very least, at home and just skip church today." Because really, we're packed, and we've been talking about this move for SO SO long...aren't people so sick of us already?  Can we not just leave here already and go to Birmingham??  

But that's a great thought to have, isn't it, right after all those awesome blessings that floated down from the sky yesterday and all of last week?  How can I have just written about how grateful I am for all the evidences of the hand of God in our lives and yet not be the slightest bit willing to want to do anything today but be a hermit in this house?  I am obsessed with the stupid piles...

Why can I not be more like that hymn...? 

Because I have been given much I too must give...

Speaking of hymns, I switched my usual first Sunday of the month organ assignment for today with the regular organist ages ago when I had no idea that I would be piano-less this week, and long before a new music chair was called who feels the need to be more adventurous with the hymn selections.  How is it possible that there are still hymns in that book that I have never in my life heard before??  

#236 Lord Accept into Thy Kingdom

#45 Lead Me into Life Eternal

I know the sacrament hymn, fortunately.  And fortunately there's a special musical number this week, so I don't have to play another unfamiliar hymn on the organ for that.  But, guess who's accompanying the musical number...fortunately, it's easy, and I've practiced that one.  And also the quartet is awesome so no one will be listening to me.  I have not had a chance to go near the church this week or play through those two hymns on the organ, though, so the rest of the program will be a complete surprise for everyone, including me.  

Earlier this week, Emma's Sunday school teacher texted and asked if I would teach his class because he'll be out of town today.  I said sure because on Wednesday I didn't have enough foresight to realize that I would be tired and grumpy today and that I would not have any motivation on Saturday night to plan a lesson about reverence and revelation.  I still have no idea what I'm teaching...four hours from now.  

I've slept for exactly three hours.

There is still so much left to do before tomorrow's second half of packing.  All those little things.  And that one big thing that was supposed to be Friday's blog post, but has been procrastinated and now has to be done tonight...ugh...and will now have to be back-posted sometime after we're in a hotel??  also ugh...

The "safe room" where the kids threw all their potential hotel stuff has turned into one giant pile.  Honestly, that pile alone is going to take up the entire hotel room even without the five of us in it.  

The refrigerator still has too much stuff in it, but none of it even put together will turn into dinner, I don't think.  And we still need to eat tonight, although I have no idea what that's going to look like.  I bet I can create something out of 6 eggs, ranch dressing, orange juice, oatmeal, and 2 hot dog buns...

Wouldn't it be so nice if I were one of those consistently happy people?...or just consistently something (flat, neutral, irritated, unemotional?)...at least I wouldn't be such a roller coaster.      

Don't worry...the good thing about roller coasters is that there's always an up after the down.  I'm sure tonight when I finish all those things I'm grumpy about and I've had a great day at church,  I'll be back here to write an addendum to this post about the miraculous lasagna that appeared in the depths of my freezer and fed not just our family but a few of our friends, too.  

Packing Day 1

The packers came at 9:00 this morning.  The upstairs, the dining room, the entryway, and all the things that used to hang on the walls are now in boxes scattered around the house.  

Megan and I missed most of that whole process, though, because we were taking pictures all day!  

Today was the Change the World Allen annual HUGE humanitarian event.  Earlier this week someone from the Stake PR department emailed and asked if I would help cover the eight wards' service projects throughout the day.  At first, I really didn't think I would be able to because I had PACKING DAY written in giant letters on my calendar, but after talking to Craig, I emailed back and said yes.  I think Craig knew that I probably didn't need to be in this house today hovering around these poor packing folks and worrying about all my stuff.  

So I spent Friday night mapping out my route and charging my camera battery, and Megan and I left super early this morning before the packers even arrived.  

We had this unexpected and perfectly timed cold front come in last night, so instead of the high humid 80s weather we've been suffering through all week, today was chilly and overcast and only got up to about 60 degrees...perfect for taking pictures, doing service activities, and driving around rural Allen/McKinney.  

Megan and I might have gotten a tiny bit distracted a couple of times.

We saw such great people doing such great things for disabled and elderly homeowners who were so grateful for the help.  Lots of hands made such a huge difference in just one day.

Megan and I got home just in time to meet the two cute women who packed our house and they were SO nice.  TWO women packed the entire upstairs and all of that downstairs stuff in just 6 hours all by themselves.  Holy cow!  And honestly, if I could have hand picked people to carefully wrap all of my family pictures and the grandma platters, I would have picked them.  They picked the perfect, most convenient half of the house to pack first so we could still live here comfortably for the next two days.  And they're the same ones who will come back Monday to pack the rest of the house, including the 4 sets of glasses and 6 sets of dishes that I have in my kitchen.  Seriously??  after purging for a month I still have 6 sets of dishes??

It's been a crazy long end to a crazy long week, and I'm shocked at how much we've been able to accomplish.  I'm also completely overwhelmed at the outpouring of blessings that I've felt today.  There was some surprisingly happy thing around every single corner.  The girls' friends threw them a surprise pre-dance/going away party tonight.  My friend offered to have McKay spend the entire day at her house so he wouldn't be completely bored out of his mind here at home with the boxes all day long.  I've remembered at the last minute to save every important thing we need to have with us for the next 20 days until we get to Birmingham and shortly thereafter.  People have shown up just when we've needed them.  Fields of yellow flowers have appeared out of nowhere.  

There were countless evidences of Heavenly Father's hand in my life today and throughout this entire week, and I'm grateful to have had a minute to remember them tonight.  I'm grateful for this place where we still live.  I'm grateful to have been asked to magnify my calling this weekend, and for the chance to spend the day not consumed with thoughts about myself and this house and my stuff, but instead to be in the presence of so many amazing people (who probably have their own long lists of stuff) giving their whole Saturday to do things that could not have happened without them.

Moving Week...Thursday

The day after tomorrow is packing day.  I've been awake since 4:00am making mental lists and thinking about all the things I could still do...  

I could take more stuff off the shelves and out of the cabinets. 
I could do more laundry.  
I could clean out the refrigerator again.  
I could dust all the things in the house before people have to come and touch it so they won't think we have dust bunnies here.  
I could just pack everything myself...

But...that would be weird and obsessive. 

Instead, Shamu and I decided to get up about 5:00 and we made some lists and then we just walked around the house making more piles and moving some of the old ones.  And also we might have dusted some things... 😊

This is the bathroom pile...yep, that's all just my stuff.  I know, it's ridiculous.  I can barely pack for a trip to Utah, though, how in the heck am I supposed to pack for 17 days of living my life in this place where I sort of still live, but not really?  (I just noticed that if you zoom in on that picture you can see my reflection in the mirror and not only do I look a fright but also it's a good thing I'm standing where I am because I'm not wearing any pants yet and neither is Shamu!.  Cmon, it's 5:00am!  😳)

We found a nice new home for the kitchen table.  While I cleaned the heck out of it this morning, I remembered the past 15 years of scripture study, family dinners, puzzles, game nights, Joy School lessons, FHE, presidency meetings, little hands making Play Doh snakes, birthday parties, scrapbook nights, Halloween pumpkin carving, and endless hours of homework.  Holy cow...that table has seen a TON of family memories.  It was a little bit hard to see that thing go.  

At the last minute tonight, Craig and I decided to tag along on the youth temple baptism trip because we realized it will be our last one in Dallas and also that I still had a bunch of names to finish. So all these cute kids did 100 of my family names and about 180 other family names that other kids brought with them. 🎉🎉🎉  Oh, how I love these amazing kids.  And then after the temple, we went to Chipotle for dinner.  (Not the whole group, just the five of us.) 🌮 Perfect way to escape the moving chaos for a little while.  

And it's possible I may be trying to do too many things...or we just have too many Megs in our family, because I texted the wrong one tonight to tell her to bring her phone downstairs for bedtime. 🙈

Tomorrow I'm going to lunch with my neighbors, Karryn and Jill.  They've set aside every Friday for lunch dates with me since about the first of April.  Isn't that the nicest thing ever?  ❤️ I love those two women SO much.  

Tomorrow is also the Bishop's breakfast at the east building for the seminary kids. Next week is the last week of sem...hallelujah!  🎉 Sheesh, it's so hard to get everyone out of bed during these last few weeks of school.  

And tomorrow is also the day I finish the rest of the stuff on this house list and the day I HAVE to do all those hard things I've been procrastinating...ugh...dreading tomorrow a little...well, just some parts of it.  

Moving Week...Wednesday

It's been another productive day...which is good because I'm anticipating that tomorrow and Friday are going to be busy in a completely different kind of way.  Much more social and out of the house, which will be good because I've been such a hermit this week.  But not so good because I don't think I'll get much done at home.  

• We gave this desk to a cute family in our ward tonight.  They didn't have a vehicle big enough to transport it, so Craig just threw it in the back of the van that hasn't yet been purged, and took it over to their house.  t think we've come to the decision that anything we've had since we lived in our first apartment or anything that looks like it's been with us since our first apartment isn't making this trip.  
  
• I separated the clothes in my closet into two different sides: DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO THE HOTEL and POSSIBLY GOING TO THE HOTEL.  So I feel like that makes me one tiny step closer to being packed for a 17 day hotel stay.  (The ones on the right are the possibilities, in case you were wondering...)
  
• I took all the pictures off the walls today.  Remember that gallery wall up the stairs that I loved so much?  Well, it's now in a pile on my living room floor.  The house echoes now.  And it feels a little bit like all the personality has been stripped from it.  I guess that's appropriate, though, because the people moving in next week will want to fill it with their own personality.  I wonder if the people in that Birmingham house are feeling this way, too?  This is definitely one of the two pre-moving tasks I've been most dreading.  The other one I will be putting off until as late as possible on Friday and I will be writing a substantial blog post about it.  

These winding down days are so strange.  So much of me wants to just get going with this move already, but another small part wants to hang onto all the great things that have happened in the last 5 1/2 years.  This is such a ridiculously busy time of year that it's almost impossible to stop for very long and remember anything.  Even an occasional blog post is difficult to fit in.  I am so grateful for the luxury of having someone else pack and load and clean for us this time.  I'm grateful that when the people I love come to my house this week, they can sit here and visit instead of having to help haul boxes out to a truck.  And that sort of makes all those piles on my dining room table totally worth it because they've lured a ton of people over here to just hang out on my couch and chat.  

Moving Week...Tuesday

Oh hi...that's me back there officially buried under a giant pile of stuff that can't come with us to Birmingham.  I decided to drag all the piles I've been making into one room and then spent the morning sending texts and FB messages inviting people to come and get any of it that they want.  And even after getting rid of a lot of it, it still looks a little bit like a small disaster in my house...

But the good part is.

• 7 out of 9 windows have been replaced (the giant one in Megan's room requires two people, and he came by himself, so he'll have to come back with a friend to install that one.  And one of the master bedroom windows broke so they have to reorder that one, which may or may not get here before closing next Wednesday, but surely they won't hold up closing for one window??!!)
• Everything else on that repair list is finished!  
• The girls' old violin and piano books have been given to good homes. (How we've managed to hang onto so many of those over the years, I'm not sure.  But my music file is dramatically less full after today and that is a great thing!)
• Someone actually wanted that file box full of old FHE lessons and my old flannel board BofM stories...yay!  (remember when we used to have FHE groups and we'd bring five sets of FHE lessons and then trade them? do they even do that anymore?  probably not...when there's Google and the Mormon Channel...anyway, I'm so happy they went to a cute little home.)
  
• The new Scoutmaster and his wife came over and took the stuff from the old Scoutmaster's "Great Big Box of Everything" that has been in our garage forever.  (They took matches, hot chocolate mix, WD-40, kerosene, and a ton of other stuff!)
• Emma finished her drive times and got her certificate of completion for TX drivers ed, which transfers to Alabama!  Hooray!  (one certificate down, one more to go!)
• I took all the remaining contents of my garage freezer down to my neighbor's house and then stayed there and talked to her for an hour!  And then I borrowed her piano (since ours has become part of the purge) and played through the hymns for this Sunday which I've never heard before in my life...and also the special musical number that I'm accompanying.  
• In my weekly CSM conference call yesterday, one of my pictures was mentioned as an example of what they were looking for as they ramp up the standards of the photos the church will accept. (Another one of mine was also used as an example of what they would definitely not accept, but since 90% of what I've submitted lately has been rejected, I think I'll just bask in the positive feedback on this one for a minute...)
  

There is still so much to do, and we're down to the last handful of days before the real chaos begins, but it's been a really good, really productive day, and I love those.  And I'm mostly happy at the end of this one to be able to check a few things off the list, and to have connected with a few good friends while doing it.