New House

Our last day in the hotel.

It's been a whirlwind week here.  We closed on the house on Wednesday and signed a 2 inch stack of documents.  We are officially mortgage holders and home owners.  It feels so grown up.

We moved right into the house, even thought the truck with all of our belongings wasn't set to arrive for a couple of days.  Camping in our house seemed way better than another night in the hotel.  32 nights was more than enough for me, and for the kids too.  We took ourselves to Costco and bought a mattress (because, living here, we know there will be more than enough friends and family to visit us in the coming years). 

The truck came on Friday and within a matter of hours, all of our belongings filled the house, minus one missing shotgun (which we are told was found, just in Utah).  We have started the dance of unpacking, trying to find things and settling in.  I have never been so happy to see my pots and pans in my life.  I didn't think I would ever miss cooking but after weeks of frozen and not quite satisfying meals, I was dying to cook my own food.  I even cooked waffles this morning, which has maybe happened 3 times in the last 5 years.  I'm not a huge breakfast fan but after eating them week after week at the hotel, I really like them. 

 

 Leo and Amy have been loving the new house and all it's space.  Leo runs circles round and round and wants to ride his bike all the time.  They have immediately started sleeping better, which is a welcome change around here.

This house feels different.  We have been in the temporary for so long, not just the hotel but even our condo in Logan, that it is a relief to be in a place that is permanent.  Heber has been dreaming up renovation ideas and I have been painting and painting and painting. 

I have been feeling like quite the flake lately.  I don't have the time or energy to put anything together, my house isn't in any state to invite anyone over and I have a 4 day turn around on emails.  Really, this is maybe the second time in a week that I've sat down at the computer.  I am hoping that as things come together, I won't feel so overwhelmed by it all and can get to the business of building our real life here. 

All things considered, we are happy to be here.  We miss our people, but still feel strongly that this is the place for us. 

Hotel Living

We are in our fourth week in the hotel.  The chaos of moving, flying and finding a place have passed and we are in wait mode.  All the big things are coming together and we are just on hold as we wait for closing to take place and to be able to have all our things out of storage.   Oh, and we've been watching lots of HGTV.

The last time I spent so much time in a hotel was the summers I spent working as a front desk agent in college.  For the most part I really liked working in hotels and have some fond memories, especially since it was about that time that Heber and I were dating and falling in love.  

The past weeks have not been my most favorite time, as you can imagine.  Nobody has been sleeping and Leo had the flu last week.  One of the nights will take a slot on our top 5 worst nights of sleep with the kiddos (Do you have a list like that too?)  It's to the point where I have to laugh about it or I might lose it. 

On a positive note, all the big things are coming into place.  Heb is really liking his new job and we are 4 days away from moving into our new house.  The end is in sight!

Mason Neck State Park

The weather has been unseasonable pleasant lately, tolerable days and cool nights.  This is not the humid, stifling hot July I was expecting.  We have been taking advantage of the opportunities to be outside (especially considering our current housing situation).

Like most Saturdays, we sat around the breakfast table and talked about what we wanted to do that day.  Mount Vernon?  Eastern Market? Definitely one of my favorites but with recent long days and nights, I just didn't have enough energy for that adventure.  Great Falls? 

Well, we ended up at Mason Neck State Park.  It was a new place that we'd never been before but in an area that we wanted to explore more.  Let me just say that it was beautiful!  I can't believe that I lived 15 minutes away from this for nearly 3 years and never made the trip.

It was quiet up there with few people, which for our area with millions of people in it, that doesn't happen often.  Leo had the best time exploring, running around, chasing frogs, and playing on the playground.  We took a short trail along the water and just so enjoyed being in this place.  It was just what we needed to recharge for yet another week in the hotel. 

 

I watched Leo exploring and it filled up my heart.  My sweet little guy is so excited about the world, I hope he always stays that way.