Texas or Bust!

It’s official, we are no longer California residents. We left for Texas on July 20^th.  I’m not sure how much we were actually able to process leaving because Mike and I keep saying it doesn’t feel real.  Packing and loading the truck was a LOT harder than we expected… who knew so much stuff could fit in such a small apartment!  Our neighbors keep asking if we actually had a four bedroom instead of a two bedroom.  Thankfully, Mike recruited two of his friends, Jahed Momand and Daniel Rosenfeld, and they were absolutely essential in getting the truck packed. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude!  After what we put them through, I’m sure they’ll never agree to help someone move again. Another HUGE help was my friend Azra, who kept Noah for two days while we got all the packing, loading and cleaning done. I hope to not move again for a very long time!

We went out to lunch with the Moerner lab right before hitting the road and it was great to see them all one last time.  Noah was passing around little pieces of paper and asking all the group members to write their best jokes. It was a very fun time!  We split the drive to Park City into two days. We arrived in Park City on Thursday and will be staying until the 28^th.  After that we’re going to drive to Denver and stay the night with my friend Christina. Next stop is Medicine Lodge, KS, to spend two nights with my Grandparents and then finally to DALLAS!

For most of the past four years we’ve been functioning on just one car, other than borrowing Mike’s sister’s bug while she was studying in Copenhagen for 9 months. It’s been the trusty trail blazer! We’ve been looking at cars for the last few months and bought our first car yesterday, which was both exciting and scary! 

So far, Amelia and Noah have been amazing travelers!  Amelia literally never cried for more than a few seconds, which amazes me for a one-year-old.  Noah has been so helpful with keeping her entertained, he really amazed me when he took a nap at the same time as her while we we’re driving. There’s a first for everything!

I have pictures that I was planning on posting with the blog but the cables to upload the photos are temporarily misplaced due to the move.  As soon as I find the cables, I’ll add the pictures.

Home Sweet Home

This has been an exciting week for us!  We signed a lease on a house in Texas – we lucked out and got the house that we really wanted.  Another family had already submitted an application; it looked like we didn’t have a chance, but at the last minute they changed their mind. There are a lot of reasons I am thrilled about this house, but I think the biggest might be that for the first time I will have my own washer and dryer in a laundry room . . . NO MORE SHARING COIN-OPERATED MACHINES!!! We were also excited to learn that they are letting us keep the play structure in the back yard. Noah has been asking Mike and me for years if someday he could have a tree house, so when he saw pictures he was jumping up and down and screaming with joy!  

The move-in date is August 1^st but we have to be out of our current apartment by the 20^th. After we pack this week and load the moving truck, we’re going stay in Park City for awhile. Noah’s very excited about getting spend time with his cousins, Kai and Aria!

I’m not totally sure if I know what I’ve gotten myself into with the size of the new house but  after living in 750 square feet with four people and a dog, a BIG house sounded like a good idea. I guess since I won’t be training anymore, keeping this place clean will be my new workout.  Every time we mention to someone  that we’re moving to Texas in the summer, they make a joke about the heat. What most people don’t realize is that our apartment doesn’t  have any A/C other than a portable we bought last year when we found out that if it gets over 85 outside, it’s unbearable inside.  Since it’s such an old building. the insulation is awful; one wall that runs the length of the apartment is exposed to the sun all day, so by 3pm that wall feels like a heater.  Without the A/C, it would be 10 degrees hotter inside our apartment than the temperature outside.  The A/C doesn’t make it cool by any means… you’re still sweating, but it makes it where you can be inside.  I was happy when our realtor informed us the new house just had a new central A/C installed a year ago. 

On another very exciting note, Amelia turned one! My good friends Gretchen and Azra had planned to have us over for dinner since Mike was supposed to be in Germany for 4 more days.  Well, our birthday turned out to be even better than I imagined. Since finding out that I severed the ligament in my thumb and would need surgery, my mom came to my rescue and flew out to help with the kids. When Mike told the people at the conference about what had happened, they had him on the next flight home. So I got to pick him up from the airport on my birthday and then we went to our friends for Amelia’s and I’s my birthday dinner. I felt so loved that night and am very grateful for all the supportive people in my life!

I went into surgery the next day around 5 pm, and, honestly, the hardest part was fasting for almost 24 hours beforehand! The surgery was only an hour, and I had to spend an hour in the recovery room.  I’m wearing a cast that covers most of my forearm and makes it nearly impossible to use my thumb, so it’s taken some adjustment.  I really took my thumb for granted . . . the things that are the hardest are unbuttoning my pants, tying my hair back, opening any sort of container, tying shoes and, most of all, changing a diaper.  It’s feeling much better now, and I look forward to getting the giant cast off on July 15^th to be replaced by a smaller removable splint.