Moving Day!

We did it! We actually made it through moving day! And everyone is alive. And at peace with one another. Woo hoo! I refuse to dwell on the thought that we are going to be unpacking everything tomorrow that we just spent the last two weeks packing up.

Being the neurotic girl I am, I developed a system for keeping our boxes organized. (Of course I did!) Towards the end, though, the system sorta fell apart. It disintegrated largely because we started running out of time. But my husband being an artist at his core contributed, too. His boxes make me smile. He started out trying to conform to my system. By the end, though, he said, "We have to have a little fun." Can you see the drawings of the box contents?

Here's a close up:

The truck got to our home at 0830. The packers got there at 0915. They started loading things at 0930. They finished loading at 1630. Why on earth did it take three grown men six hours (subtract an hour for lunch & breaks) to pack our already boxed things? That would be because we had 10,220 pounds of stuff. Ten thousand two hundred twenty! That's five tons. RI-DIC-U-LOUS! 

We were waving good bye to the truck at 1700. We hopped in our own cars and headed to my dad's house at 1830. He is a good stopping point on the journey. We will likely be spending many nights with him throughout the years as we travel between our new home and the old one. We pulled into his place at 2300. We fell into bed at 2345. We then woke up again at 0400 because T's top teeth decided this would be a great time to break through the gum line. Simultaneously. Seriously. 

Here are some ways to pray for us this coming week:

*Smooth transition to new time zone & culture. (Yes, it really is a different culture. Though our new area refers to itself as the Midwest, it is wrong. Having lived in the Midwest the first 33 years of my life, I believe I am qualified to identify it. We aren't there anymore.)

*A continued sense of security for our children.

*A deeper knowledge of Jesus through this next chapter of our lives.

A prayer for today:

*Safe trip as we journey throughout the day in separate cars, hauling a boat, a toddler & a teething baby.

And because the other posts involved lists with stars marking them, I have created another one. Here are some lessons we learned throughout the process so far:

* You fill whatever space you have. So for the sake of your sanity, your marriage & your physical health don't ever, NO NEVER buy a house with 3500 square feet. Plus basement. It will be stuffed so full of stuff you will get nauseated as you contemplate having to deal with it all.

* Find one type of lotion that works for everyone in your family. I discovered seven different types of lotion in our house. Come on, now. There are only four of us who live here.

*Don't put maps on the wall with tape. If you do, have new drywall available when you remove them.

*Cook ahead and freeze. The chef clocked out when the packer-girl clocked in. Our GI systems are most unhappy with a diet of restaurant food for a week. And the worst part? We're staring at two more weeks of the same.

*Try to move before having children. If you can not avoid it, then duct tape them to a chair far away from whichever spot you are working in.

*Contact paper sticks to nothing but itself.

*Caffeine is your friend. Sugar is, too.

*If you ever find yourself saying, "Look at all the storage!" when contemplating buying a house: RUN! Flee temptation.

*You need about 500 more boxes than you think you do.

*Invest in your relationships. That way the folks that love you will bring you food & company. Even when you leave them. 

Here are some more pics from the day to brighten yours:

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