Moving is exhausting. Moving with six kids is very exhausting. Moving with six kids and having to finish home projects and timing everything with out a gap of time to recover and Scott in a very intense summer term at BSU (and the list goes on) is very very very exhausting. This is our 14th move. Yep, really. We are expert movers I guess. Each time it gets harder. We have added 2 children since our last move and not everything fit in the UHaul but less stuff didn't fit than last time, so I guess we have actually down sized too! This was also the first move that we had kids old enough to have opinions on rather not moving! It was definitely emotionally hardest on Lexi. She's more emotionally attached to friends and the house. We thought we would live in Weiser forever. It's been the first place that has felt like home to us. The kids and I had amazing friends. We learned and grew so much, it was difficult for us all to leave.
It was about April when we came to terms with needing to move for Scott to finish school. He had been planning to go to ISU at the Meridian campus for his 3rd and 4th year. However, they only have the 4th year classes and the classes he needed for his 3rd year, BSU offers, but because of the way they are stacked, it would have taken Scott 5 semesters to do what he could do in a year at ISU. It took a lot of searching of every Idaho and Utah school to be able to make it happen. Scott took a biology class and two chemistry classes at BSU over 10 weeks during the summer, crazy! Anyways, long story, but a move was inevitable to ever get Scott done with school. Everything fell perfectly in place through out the process. We found renters for our Weiser house quickly. We were able to buy a great home. Our monthly cost of living due to lower house payment, gas heat instead of electric, and a much shorter commute make living in Pocatello a lot cheaper than in Weiser which is great while Scott is in school. Scott was able to register for every class he needed with a good schedule. The list goes on... really everything seemed to work out beautifully. Not that it didn't have opposition, but when one door closed a better door opened all along the way!
Loading night, we had a grand turn out of helpers!!! It was hard to stop to take a picture, but I had to because it was overwhelming to see all the people, our dear friends from Weiser 3rd ward, show up to load AND helped clean the house even! The street had cars up and down it as far as we could see. All their drivers and passengers were at our house!! Scott said there was so many outside that you loaded one box and then waited in line for 10 minutes to get another box in. Bro. Chandler and Bro. Watkins were our hero's of the night, they are masters of Tetris and did an amazing job at getting nearly everything to fit in the truck! The grill and bikes didn't fit and we still need to get them here, but more fit than we thought could! The house had many dear women in cleaning and getting the last little odds and ends out.
Our first set back later that night, happened after the crowds went home. We couldn't find the keys to the car anywhere! On top of everything else that needed doing, Scott and I searched for car keys inside and out. I was sure they were in the middle of that truck somewhere and impossible to get to. The car was intended be towed behind the UHaul. Scott said we could still get it on the tow rack and after everything else was done, molding painted, house cleaned, etc. We settled onto the floor at 3:15 a.m. It was after 4 when I finally was able to go sleep. By 5, I was up and in the shower, wide awake, just couldn't sleep because of adrenalin, nerves, and worry. Before 6, Scott and I were out trying to get the car on the tow rack. Then we discovered the set back, the wheels were turned when it was parked. (Without the keys in the ignition, the steering column is LOCKED, there is no way to turn the wheels.) The ramps were too narrow or too long to get that car with turned wheels up on it. Believe me, we tried every possible angle and pushed and pushed. When we finally got the wheels at the just right angle, the fender hit the wheel cover on the tow thing and we eventually gave up, after we all searched for the keys again. We had knelt in family prayer and prayed that we might find them if they were where we could or be able to find a solution to the problem. We continued with the last minute things, crammed every inch of the van, ate awesome breakfast burritos that my friend Denise brought over to us, and we were off (without the car) and yes, with a lawn mover on top of the van!! We stopped in Fruitland and returned the car tow thing. At that point, I felt relief to be rid of it.
I normally keep my phone in a little compartment by the shifter. It was there all the stuff in the passenger seat kept sliding over and making it difficult to access. I then put my phone in the driver door compartment. Later down the road, I took out my phone and with it... you'll never guess.... car keys!!! Really, right there all along and I found them going 80 mph on the freeway! When I called Scott and told him, he said he had checked in there four times and put his jury duty paper work in there this morning when he looked so he wouldn't lose them. It was far enough down the road we didn't have time to go back. I really think that car was not meant to go with us that day. It was truly a relief when we returned the trailer, and once we were far enough down the road we didn't have time to go back, then we could easily find them! I don't know what would have happened with the car behind the UHaul, but it didn't feel like it would have been very good.
Landon rode in the UHaul with Dad! He had the time of his life in that big truck! Lexi also road most of the way with them.
The UHaul I followed all the way, a fussy little one who enjoyed her first sucker and finally fell asleep (Alyse took the pictures)
And we made it perfectly safe, without a second to spare, to our closing appointment in Pocatello. (remember I didn't plan for any gaps in time!)
We closed, made it to the house, and well... it was dirty! The rooms seemed smaller than I had remembered and the dirtiness was over whelming! And, there was no fridge. I really thought the contract had included a fridge, I thought I specifically looked for that and read fridge in the inclusions, but it didn't. It listed everything but the fridge! So trying to stay "up beat" the kids and I started in on the cleaning and Scott went out and opened the UHaul door. That was a mistake! 3 gallons of paint fell out and 1 nearly completely poured out and the others just some. He came in for paper towels and me and after the fright, I just had to laugh, take a picture and then clean it up. After Scott got the excess up, Lexi and I scrubbed. It was hot and drying on fast. Luckily, I had also packed paint stripper near the paint. It helped a lot, but the whole thing was a huge mess, it was stinking hot, and I had worn nicer clothes with 3/4 length sleeves that became really obnoxious!! We scrubbed awhile, then gave up and we ran to go buy a fridge at Home Depot and get some quick Subway for dinner. They didn't have any in stock that we wanted, but the nice lady suggested Sears because they are having a close out sale. We didn't have time to get food, had to rush back home, find PB and jelly for the kids, and the Elders started arriving to unload the truck (remember I didn't plan any lapse in time for any set backs!). So onto the truck unloading, even though the house still wasn't clean and we hadn't got a fridge. Into the unloading, I had carried a box into the kitchen and then felt my head spinning, I though I'm alright, back to work. Then again, I was spinning too bad to leave the counter I was leaning on. I drank a lot of water and was back at it. A little while later an awesome neighbor brought us pizzas and I finally got some food in me! Another nice neighbor let us keep our cooler stuff in his garage fridge so it didn't all get wasted.
The gaping fridge whole! Kids excited to be in the house. The mess of a kitchen at the end of the day. Still had to clean and Clorox all the shelving and cabinets before anything could get unpacked. We crawled into bed late, very sore, and very exhausted and by bed I mean our mattress on the floor without sheets because I couldn't find them.
I slept good until 6 and was too wide awake. I got up and Cloroxed the kitchen and started unpacking. We bought a fridge and new stove/oven and a new microwave :) Got them home, unloaded, and installed. Then began unpacking again and shopping for groceries, home decor, and home projects like shelving :)
Over the next week, we took on a mass of home projects including building book shelves, refinishing a table, painting a desk, a bed frame, and building towel hook shelves. Yes, I am crazy. I had Scott home for the week though and knew if it didn't get done that week, I would have to wait a long time and I needed somewhere to unpack stuff and well for the bed, desk, and table... it just seemed like while everything was apart was the perfect time to paint them white!
It was all a blur... the library progressed from room with a stack of boxes to a room with a stack of boxes, with new curtains, and a mess of book shelf building, and all the furniture we had out side to paint until it started to raining on us.
Then it started taking form with book shelves painted and getting assembled!
Then, finally book shelves! At this point, everything else on the paint or refinish list was done too and I was in exhausted tears. My mom came that evening (Thursday) and we slowed down for the weekend. Just unpacked books which is way fun to do and organize them on the new shelves, my mom helped get the kids clothes hung up, beds actually made with sheets, and ate some real meals like home made pizza cooked in our new convection oven. My sister Kristey and Amanda drove our car up on Friday, we talked until 4 a.m. and then they all went home Sat. afternoon. We rested Sunday and Scott's semester started on Mon. Whew!! I don't want to move again for a long time!
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