Hey, Mrs. Wilson!

Five weeks from today, we’ll be spending the night with my in-laws in Saskatoon. We’ll be about three hours from our new home in Regina.

I spent most of today making final arrangements for our move.

• I booked a hotel to stay in on our first night of traveling,
• I called UHAUL to make sure they got our reservation (they’re so unreliable it’s scary - prayer needed!),
• I called a couple places in Regina and found a sweet apartment WITH A POOL within walking distance of the University (we don’t have it yet, but we’re close),
• I found the quickest way to travel a little over 2000 km (apparently one way is 20 km less than the other - when you’re traveling with 2 small children and a big moving van, that 20 km REALLY MATTERS),
• I called my father-in-law to see if we could stay with them for a year night,
• I discovered that Liliana LOVES apples (that fact is not associated with the move, but note worthy none the less),
• I planned gas stops (I’m anal, I like to get where I’m going as efficiently as possible, and the van only goes 400 km on a full tank),
• I created a resume,
• I searched for careers in Regina,
• … and I tried to think of anything I was missing.

Our first month in Regina, we’ll only be there part time. Our first weekend there, we’re heading out to a camp that my father-in-law is speaking at. The funny thing is, that about five years ago (I think?!) Kaylie and I went to a different camp with them. I hardly even knew who Noah was, but his parents had already taken me (and Kaylie!) in.

They’re awesome like that.

About half-way through the month, we’re heading to meet my brother and sister-in-law in Banff and then going to Noah’s sister’s wedding in Canmore (on Noah’s 25th birthday! and I get to take pictures!)

Apparently July is going to be busy.

Stress. Emotions. The feeling of failure.

These things consume me when I am in over my head. These things have consumed me the last couple days. Since the company Noah works for doesn’t really give a rip that he has a family, they make him work 10-7 five days a week. That shift sucks. Since he was at work when most of the events of the last week (ish) were going on, I was carrying the burden myself. I had many near-nervous-breakdowns. One was a full blown glass shattering break down. I’m good now though. Apparently break downs make me work really hard. Who knew.

I am quite lucky blessed though. I belong to a family that has helped me more than I ever thought possible. The family of God. Who is this family of God? Here in this community in which I live, it is my church family. The people in my church have been totally and completely amazing and I could not have survived this move without them. They have babysat, cleaned, lifted, comforted, and gave 110% the whole time.

Without them? I’d be a wreck. I know that is how God designed His church to be (His church being all who believe and put their faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, not individual churches).  “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” ~Galatians 6:10.  We are to help each other, serve each other, and be accountable to one another. How much better can it get?

My God is good and he knows me well. He knows that I can be a bit too independent at times and He sends people to help me when I’m in over my head. He knows me and He loves me. You can’t get better than that.

These next couple days will include intense organizing, intense packing, and then a trip! Woo hoo! The girls and I are driving to my Opa’s place for his birthday, to Maya’s place for her birthday, and then flying to the Braam house to celebrate the birth of Kaitlyn! It’ll be Liliana’s first road trip. It’ll be interesting. I’m more looking forward to the flying part of it. I hate flying, but it’s way faster than driving all the way to Vancouver!

I know you’re starved for pictures and you’re sick of reading, so look forward to tomorrow when I will have a plethora of them! I’m finally able to cram our computer with pictures, what a great night this will be.

These last couple days have been crazy, to say the least. Moving in, moving out, a marriage simulcast conference, a birthday, a girls night out, and two days of intense cleaning. The weekend was physically, mentally, and extremely emotionally draining for me. Let’s just say I’m excited to get away and see Chelsey and Teresa and their families.

We are 100% moved out of the old house. Today was the last day that we had possession. It’s always kind of a challenge when you’re going into a place literally 1/10th of the size of your old one. From 19 doors to 2. From 4 bathrooms to 1. From 4 bedrooms to 1 (ish). From 3000 square feet to 300.

I had amazing help today, and I could not have done it without some amazing people. Ann and Kevin babysat for the afternoon while I did a storage run and a Salvation Army run with Todd’s truck, and Marg and Brian helped me clean all the live long day and also did a couple loads with their truck.

We finally mopped the last bit of floor at 9:30 tonight and I’m happy to report that the people moving in tomorrow will be moving into a sparkling clean immaculate house. A huge burden has been lifted having that place done. The funnest part of the evening was driving the Corvette to it’s new home. Yup, highlight of my day right there. I had a big goofy grin plastered to my face the whole 10 minute drive. It was my first time driving it, unless you count moving it daily on to the lawn it hopes that it would sell, which it didn’t.

In new house news, one great thing three great things about living here are the three people who live upstairs. Ann, her daughter Michaela, and her nephew Kevin. Michaela is a couple years younger than Kaylie and the two of them get along great. Ann and Kevin just happen to have the same taste in TV as I do. They are also great fun to hang out with and I’m sure we’ll spend a lot of time together over the next couple months.

Also, my little Liliana absolutely adores them. She cries when we leave them and hold her arms out for them when we see them.

I have taken a couple “before” pictures of the suite in disarray. Alas, you will have to wait until I find the driver disc for my camera to see any sort of recent picture. (Also, that will give me time to clean and organize for the “after” pictures.) Apparently I lost the disc sometime between Christmas (when I got the camera) and now. I installed it on my old computer at Christmas, and since we got the new computer have been uploading pictures onto that, uploading them to Flickr, then downloading them to my new computer, editing them, and uploading them back to Flickr and/or my blog. A process? Yes. That’s what happens when you lose things.

Why can I not do that still? We had hooked the old lap top up to a ginormous monitor and it will not fit in our suite. No way no how. Unless we feel like having any no space to walk. Operation: Find Camera Disc. Soon.

That is all I will leave you with for today. I know that reading blogs are way more fun with pictures, so I won’t bore you any longer and I’ll go hunt for the disc.

It should have a pager like my phone.

*Edit: I found it!  In the lap top case.  Where I already looked three times before.  Idiot.*

We’re about 90% moved in.

Hooray!

Thank you so SO much to those that helped us move. Many hands made light work. (Except for the fridge!) Thank you to Marg, Brian, Cath, Ryan, Jon, Jeny, Nita, Tanya, and especially Ann (for the delicious chili, making the beds, letting us live with you, and way too many things to mention), Kevin (for watching and changing Liliana), and Michaela (for keeping Kaylie occupied). Also thanks to Curt & Debbie for letting us use their truck (we were very careful) and Ken & Wendy for letting us store stuff in their basement!

We still have a couple odds and ends to move or put into storage and we have to clean the house, but most of it was done in only 2 hours last night. I’ll post pictures of the new place soon, but first I have to make it look like home instead of a big pile of stuff.

On Tuesday night, in the middle of the night, I woke up swallowing knives. It got worse and worse during the day yesterday (headache, sinus pressure, nose bright red and running, swallowing bigger knives) until I was sitting in Ann’s living room at about 8:30 last night and I started to shake. Apparently it’s not a good idea to move when you’re getting/have a cold/flu. Jeny (sweet friend that she is) went out and got me drugs and vitamin water. I went to bed at 9:00 and slept quite well. Well, as well as you can when you’re sleeping on a futon instead of your queen bed and waking up to blow green snot out your nostrils.

**

Did you know that it’s my baby’s birthday tomorrow? Well now you do! We had a little celebration at our Widow’s Dinner on Tuesday. All three of us ladies have a child with a birthday within a week and a bit. Michaela turns 5 next week, Gavin turned 2 last week, and Liliana turns 1 tomorrow.

This is what we like to call Bum Cake. It tastes a lot better than it sounds.

Liliana and Michaela were there to blow out their candle, but Gavin had been taken home by his daddy so Michaela blew his candles out for him.

We let Liliana try out the icing. She wasn’t too sure what the stuff was and was quite dainty and gentle as she put her finger into it.

After a little taste, she dug right in and we took it away so that the rest of us could get a little icing.

Apparently she likes cake.

She liked it so much that she shared it with her hair, her clothes, and Ann’s floor. And probably some went to Buddy the dog.

I can’t believe a year has gone by already. I’m going to try to absorb as much of her babyness as I can.

It’s a lot harder to pack 3000 square feet than it is to pack 1000.

Apparently.

Kaylie has no bed.

I sold it.

She now sleeps on a futon mattress on Liliana’s floor.

Liliana now thinks that every night is a party.

Kaylie gets moved to our bed until we go to bed at which point she gets moved back to the floor.

Kaylie sleeps through Liliana’s crying.

I’m never going to be done packing.

You’re sick of hearing about moving.

The end.