We had been living in the same home for 5 years and had planned on moving at that point . . . and then life happened . . . and medical bills happened . . . and the market happened . . . and on and on and on. We looked at each other, or bills and shook our heads.
And then . . . God provided an incredible to-good-to-be-true opportunity for us to move.
I spent the first month anticipating the impending move going through each drawer and cupboard and closet and box getting rid of every last thing we didn't need (or could live without) . . . we are gonna have one smoking garage sale when the weather changes!! This process was long and tedious but made the actual packing of boxes so much easier.
Then came the boxes . . . lots of them.
We were plugging along . . . going crazy fast (anther long story for another time . . . but the keys were delayed six weeks due to some bank issues with the previous owners) The actual moving date happened fast and furious with one week notice!! Yahoo!!
December 19th, we took a break from the packing/moving crazy-ness to attend Travis' department Christmas party. We dropped the girls off with their Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Ryan. They were excited to spend time with their cousins and we were excited for some much needed date time with some fun adults. We were two blocks away from their home at a stop light discussing the best way to get to the highway when we were slammed into from behind by a 93 man who "didn't see us." It was a movie moment . . . and not in a good way. The police were called along with the aid cars to check for concussions or other serious injures. No one needed to go to the hospital but we both suffered severe whiplash, Travis strained his back (his entire seat broke in the crash) and I suffered severe cervical strain (the seat came and wapped the back of my head and it hurt like crazy). I have very limited range of motion and we both have lots of discomfort. Because Travis' seat broke, the car was declared un-drivable by the police officer so we got to wait a half an hour for triple A to come and tow us (thank the good Lord for triple A - thanks Dad for the yearly subscription!!) The tow truck driver was not used to the new vehicle he was driving so the first few stops and gos were NOT good for the necks!! Travis said (in his tone of sarcasm you really have to hear to appreciate) "No, no. We're fine. Just whiplash over here." Made me laugh and forget about the searing pain in my neck. To make a long story even longer, we got to spend our date night getting x-rays and icing our aching bodies . . . not the fun we'd pictured. We now have a million phone calls, insurance adjusters, claim forms to fill out, appointments with doctors, massage therapists (not as fun as it sounds when you hurt) and chiropractors.
And yet . . . the Marsh's don't quit. The move must go on. On the 20th, we finally got the keys!! It was an incredible moment when we stood in the living room and prayed a prayer of gratefulness, joy, and dedication of this home to God's glory.
The girls were more than a little excited to run around and explore the space that would be there own in just a few short days. (and please note the beautiful wallpaper on Hannah's wall and gorgeous golf themed wallpaper border in the girls bathroom . . . and please note the sarcasm)
I have some great, hardworking friends who jumped at the challenge and said, "Crazy wallpaper? Two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen to paint? Two days to do it? Bring it on!"
Haley even jumped in to help one day . . .
It was the craziest, busiest two days (also including a visit from a carpet cleaner, house cleaner (they had three cats - not conducive for the allergies/asthma), carpenter (to patch a crawl space in the master bedroom) and electrician (to replace the gorgeous (again with the sarcasm) 1990's track lighting with a beautiful new chandelier). . .
And before you knew it, in about five hours (with the help of 7 strong guys, a moving truck, four Costco pizzas, and my friend Melissa helping me direct traffic and furniture at the new house) everything was moved
And you should have seen the effort put in by the swing set crew!! Our dear friend Dick came early that morning to disassemble it, take down a portion of our old fence, load it into his trailer, put back together the fence then haul it to the new house. (It still has to be reassembled but we have some time before the weather turns. The backyard is so ginormous - I can't wait for them to run and play!)
It was starting to look like a home . . . there was furniture (although our bed didn't get set up for another day - we were so blasted tired we slept on the floor!) The girls came home, were thrilled to see their rooms and equally excited to celebrate Christmas the next morning in our new home. We had a lovely Christmas. It was a breath of fresh air to stop the motion for 24 hours. We snuggled and read the bible story of Jesus' birth and drank cocoa with candy canes and enjoyed Santa's special delivery . . . an X-Box Kinetc . . . the most fun invention I have ever seen. The elves have really outdone themselves this year!!! (Santa may have waited in a ridiculously long line at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving to save $300 on this great new toy . . . Santa may have cut his leg while crazy customers pushed their way through . . . but Santa was a hero on Christmas morning . . . and oh - the gift of family fun and adventures and memories for years to come . . .)
And then the whirlwind continued . . . cable guy, ADT security guy, painter guy to paint walls and ceilings in living room, dining room, and family room . . .
And even a stove and fridge delivery from Lowes . . .
And the continual stream of boxes as we attemtped to locate and set up our stuff . . .
And as I look at this cursor anticipating more words . . . and re-read this post that I've been working on for two days (as I am continually distracted with more boxes, more coats of paint, more jobs, and more organizing) . . . I am at a loss . . . I think I must end here. To be continued . . .
And if you see her, can you please tell the unpacking/laundry/dishes/cooking/cleaning/painting/child-raising fairy that I need her help over here? She may not know where I've moved to . . . but please tell her to hurry!!
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