Shame on me for not updating the site in over a month! I should be updating as we go through this crazy time so I can remember this stress in the future if I ever get the urge to move again. The clock is ticking, two weeks from Friday we are selling the house that I've spent all but 6 months of the past 26 years in and moving to our "dream" house. I can't believe the house was on the market for only 2 weeks before we accepted an offer on it. We've scrambled and found a house that we just adore on a lot that we just adore, with a location that is not where we planned. Doesn't something always have to give? I tried and tried to find a house closer to Bill/Dad/Mom but in the same price range we couldn't find a really decent house with a decent lot. It just wasn't out there in the right location. Our realtor brought us to the new house and I didn't even know it was on the list, I don't remember looking at it online and I just thought where is he taking us? As soon as we got to the top of the hill I had a "wow" moment and started falling in love with it.
I will have to take pictures of our house, the walls are bare, the kids' rooms are almost toyless and the closets are almost completely empty. The basement is filling with boxes however. I've had a few days where I've gotten pretty nostalgic about the time and memories I will be leaving behind here but as soon as I get wrapped up in that the neighbor's yippee dog starts yapping and the household across the street revs up their cars with their noisy stereos blasting and I remember the things I will not miss. Who knows, a year or two from now I may be feeling so isolated that the sound of a random dog barking or noisy car may be a nice sound. At this time I doubt it but stranger things have happened.
So, with only two weeks left I am kind of running in circles. Some days I can wrap my head around all the to-do's on the list and get something done. Other days I just wander from room to room not really getting anything done. It's frustrating and I feel so bad for the girls. They pick up our stress even when we are trying our hardest to hide it and they are acting up so badly right now. We are conciously trying to fit in some quality time with them but they are still feeling the stress. I found myself yelling at them to not play with the empty boxes today. I remember being a kid and an empty box was like the best toy in the world. You can do so many things with an empty box. Why in the world don't I designate an empty box for each of them and let them have a field day with their box? I guess that is precisely what I will do tomorrow morning and see what they come up with.
Here are a couple of pictures of the new house
kitchen - I am so excited to have a nice kitchen!
I love the little path and it's nicely landscaped around the front and driveway. Unfortunately they are taking both the rocking chairs and the porch swing so we will have to find new ones for ourselves. I tried to get them to throw them in there with no luck. I'm excited about the new floorplan, the master bedroom is on the main floor and both the kids will be upstairs along with an extra bedroom for a craft/playroom.
By the lilacs
We even had to say goodbye to our closets
The actual "sold" sign
Bill's trailer was jam packed
Friday morning as we thought we were leaving.
My sweet sixteen apple tree
Grandpa in the front yard
Brecken helped say goodbye to Reagan's room.
Ginger was having fun climbing the mattress
Now here we start with the drama, here is Nate helping us move back into our garage after the closing fell through.
We were hoping to empty the truck into the new house, not back into our garage. 
A few days prior Piper got a new bike, a big bike. She just cruises down the street now.
