The Long Haul!!

I'm Back!

After a ridiculously long torturous time without a computer and then no internet wherein I at one point actually did turn into a pumpkin as I suspected I would.

I have so much to share.

If you care to join me, I would love to take you on a photo tour of my last two weeks.

On the Friday before we left, a dear friend had a going away party at the park for our boys.

She suggested that their friends bring a book for them to take along on their new move to Montana.

It was a great idea and the boys have really enjoyed their new books and the sentiments from their friends inside.

I got to hug some of my friends goodbye too.

And Jackie Boy sure loves his buddies.

Mister Luke and his friends decided taking the pizza boxes and sliding down the grass would be a good memory to have.

And Toots enjoyed hanging out with his own gang.

My family and friends played some football

and we said goodbye to some very dear friends.

Then the packing ensued.

along with the loading of the beast.

Hottie Husband's Auntie came to his rescue and helped him load a ton of the furniture.

She is my hero.

Because it would have been me if she hadn't come by and I had a million other things to do.

Grandma Betty helped so much over the entire last month.

Here she is not happy with me for taking her photo with her hair messy, but she was doing something very important to me.

She was making a record of all of the heights we had recorded on that wall since the boys were tiny.

I wanted to cut out the wall and take it with me, but HH said it wasn't going to happen.

So she saved me and him.

Cowboy Tom came by with the best gift for the boys.

He said they all needed to have their own ropes if they were moving to Montana.

This picture was taken on the night before we left.

STRESSFUL!!!

This group does not look stressed, but you should have seen HH and I.

It was 6pm and the 26 foot u-haul we rented was completely full. I mean packed!!!!

and do you see all that stuff surrounding the kids?

That stuff all still needed to go in.

As well as a piano, the boys dressers, our large round kitchen table, all of our clothes and the food from our pantry, all the large plastic toys for the baby and our patio furniture.

HH looked at me and said we had to leave it all.

Hmmm... a whole new wardrobe of clothes?

That sounds nice but NO THANK YOU!!!!

Once he understood the extent of our need for another hauling vehicle, we called and were able to get a trailer to pull behind the truck.

We were able to fit most of it, but alas there were many things still at the house.

Exhausted, we went to my mom's house to sleep and woke up early to get ready for church.

It was a big day and we needed to be there.

Little Bear was being dedicated and we were saying goodbye to our church.

After some tears, we skedaddled right after the dedication and went home to try to figure out what in the world we were going to do with the rest of our stuff.

Friends and family showed up and somehow it all got done.

We were so excited when our friends the Kims showed up with lunch for everyone.

It was such a blessing.

And anyone who came was not allowed to leave empty handed.

I gave away patio furniture, a piano, mirrors, clothes, bedding, an air hockey table and many things that I don't even remember.

It was madness and I was overjoyed when someone said yes, they would take it.

Little Bear got lots of love that day

and kissed his grandma goodbye.

She taught him how to give kisses.

We walked through each room of the home we had built over the last eleven years.

The place we had brought all four of our children home to from the hospital.

It was a place of wedding anniversary parties, going away parties, birthday parties and Christmas Brunch. It was a place of Easter egg hunts and football games and silly string wars.

It was a construction site that HH steadily turned into a magnificent place we called

HOME.

We said our goodbyes.

They are important you know- the actual goodbyes.

Papa Keith drove the u-haul with Mister Luke as his co-pilot and I had the honor of riding in HH's truck with him, the three other boys and Destructo Dog at my feet.

Breathing on me and drooling on me and jumping around in her excitement. It was gross.

But, I figured it was only for one day, then we would pick up HH's mom aka Grammy and I would have the luxury of riding in her suburban for the rest of the way.

Except that it wasn't just for a day.

It was three days because of our multiple break downs of which I did not take a photo.

What was wrong with me?

Could it have been exhaustion, frustration, or just pure survival mode?

We went approximately 4 miles before the uhaul started having trouble.

We made it to Lancaster, about an hour from our house and then had to stop and call for help.

They could not make it until the morning so we had to spend the night, worrying that all of the stuff in the boat and the back of HH's truck would be looted.

It wasn't.

They supposedly fixed it and we made it just past Bishop before it broke down again.

I was just thankful that we were able to make it back to Bishop and get a hotel.

Did I mention that we had to find dog friendly hotels?

I now recommend the Holiday Inn Express as a clean dog friendly hotel.

While the truck was being worked on AGAIN, the kids and I found the most beautiful park and it was right next to our hotel.

The only problem was that once I saw how lovely it was, I started going into withdrawals because my camera was in Hottie Husband's truck and I could not get to it.

A call with a few hints to him about my sanity and he brought it right over.

Such a good man he is.

Here are a few from that day-

It turned out that the mechanics in Bishop were the smartest as they were able to finally fix the problem.

It was a wiring problem that kept telling the computer to stop the vehicle.

Sometimes computers do not make things easier.

A few more hours on the road and we finally made it out of California.

We felt as if good ol Cali was trying to hold onto us a little longer.

We made it to Reno, enjoyed an evening of hanging out with HH's sister and family and spent the night at Grammy and Papa's house.

Laundry was done so we could wear non-dirty clothes for the rest of our journey.

Then we hopped in Grammy's suburban with her dogs to take them to doggie camp on our way out.

Meet Barney and the backside of Mugsy.

As we traveled along, we needed to bundle up more and more.

Grammy nicknamed Little Bear- Nanuck of the North.

Things got better after our stop in Reno at Grammy's.

And this is what we looked like going down the road.

See that large thing on top of the trailer- that is the Softub we picked up at HH's parents house.

Don't we look classy?

And then we made it to the place we were headed to.

I pulled over to take a picture of the sign.

Then the baby started crying.

I nursed him in the car on the side of the road on the continental divide.

Isn't that the way all good people initiate themselves into a new state?

When we got there, my dad was waiting for us with my new car that he brought from Spearfish SD for us. I'll show you pics of that later.

It was so good to see his face and to have him there on those first few days in this unfamiliar place.

Then we went to the house we were going to be renting.

We had only seen pictures of a few of the rooms and we were both nervous about seeing it.

We left the u-haul at the hotel so as not to scare the owners with our Beverly Hillbillyness.

The owners were very nice and it looked like the home would be fine for us.

Except that it turned out there had been some miscommunication.

They had said only a few rooms were furnished and the the kitchen could be emptied.

There was a lot more furniture than we expected and the kitchen was full of their stuff.

You remember how much stuff we had with us?

Look at those vehicles again!

After some negotiating, we worked out what to do with the furniture.

And I had the lovely task of packing the kitchen before I unpacked mine.

I just kept taking deep breaths and smiling.

See all the dished in the bottom cabinet? Those are the ones I packed up for them and mine are going in on top after emptying that one.

It was ummmmmmm... frustrating and time consuming.

But, my sweet mother -in -law was a big help

and the kids found their guitars and started rocking out on the deck

and the Direct TV guy (only carrier that has the Dodgers) got our TV's working

and Toots enjoyed some snow

and Papa gave lessons on splitting wood

and Detructo Dog ran around in the snow

and it started to feel like home.

That sounds like a good place to stop, but remember I have been without access to my blog for a LONG time now so I still have more to show you.

Come on, stay with me here!!!

We enjoyed breakfast at the Buffalo Cafe, one of the best places for breakfast in Whitefish and said our goodbye's to Grammy and Papa and thanked them for delivering us safely.

We said goodbye to grandpa at the airport and thanked him for delivering our car and helping us unpack and settle in.

Then we enjoyed the new hot tub

and prepared for Thanksgiving.

Thank goodness my mom was on her way because I had never made a turkey before

and I still haven't.

She made this lovely turkey that Little Bear only got to look at for his very first

Thanksgiving.

I have no idea how that picture got so big but if I go back and change the size, this may never get posted.

So enjoy the big turkey pic.

We gave thanks as a family for our good God, our Provider.

We gave thanks for the blessing of our sweet and loyal and loving friends.

We gave thanks for our families whose love and support holds us up.

See that glass Toots is holding?

It promptly dropped after the photo, shattered everywhere and Hottie Husband and I worked to get it cleaned up so the food would not be cold by the time we ate.

Then he enjoyed his turkey leg.

We thanked this sweet mama of mine for cooking and cleaning and doing laundry and decorating.

Then I took pictures of HH's backside as he hung some pictures at the direction of my mother and I.

Isn't that paint job on my bedroom walls just delightful. I also have an orange sink I need to share with you at some point.

The house has some quirks, but it has large rooms, many windows and an open floor plan

and

when you are sitting in the hot tub on the deck, looking at the moon shining on the lake

and you have made it through the journey of a lifetime,

there really is nothing to complain about.

Goodbye California!

It seemed as if California wanted to hold onto us for a few more days than we had planned, but today we finally made it out. We are in Reno tonight at my mother and father in law's house.

We ate a lovely meal with them and my sister in law's family that ended with the grand finale of their Boxer nipping at our Lab under the table and their giant St. Bernard coming under the table to see what was happening. A scuttle ensued and the whole dining room table was moving around. I stood on the chair with wine glass in hand so as not to get my ankles nipped at while Hottie Husband and his mom tried to get the dogs. Dad in law's wine glass broke and cut his finger and then the St. Bernard tipped his chair over. Except for the cut, nobody got hurt. It was hilarious. Good comic relief for the last few days of stress.

Today when we were in Bishop, waiting again for the uhaul to get fixed, after letting the kids swim in the indoor pool and then taking them to the really beautiful park next door to the hotel, I looked at Hottie Husband and said, "I'm making the best of it, but I really just want to go home." But, we don't have a home. Everything we own is in the stinky uhaul. And we are on the road. And the dog has been under my feet and breathing on me the whole way. And I don't know where anything is because there was such a frenzy of packing those last few days and it all seems so unorganized. And the baby cries because he wants out of his car seat and he has a cold, rosy cheeks and the runniest nose ever. And my boys are out of sorts and arguing because they are processing leaving everything familiar to them. And I don't have any clean underwear because I only planned on being gone for three days!!!

But, then we got here and it is sort of like home. Much better than a hotel. I can wash our clothes and organize our stuff and start anew.

There is more to tell about bad uhaul people who knew our truck had faulty wiring before they rented it to us and Mister Luke having to sadly leave his 8 year old goldfish in my sister's care and losing a jacket on the freeway and then finding it and frantically giving away a bunch of our things because we ran out of room in the truck, but those will have to wait for another day because I am now exhausted and writing terrible run-on sentences.

Stuck!

After teary goodbye's to each room of our home, the basketball court, the pool and then even more teary goodbye's to our church and our amazing family and friends, we got all of an hours drive out of LA before we had to stop. Actually, as soon as we started, the UHAUL was having trouble.

So now we are in a hotel in Lancaster. Wooo Hooo! But, the kids think it is a great adventure and the dog thinks it is the most exciting thing ever and HH is super patient so all is good.

Just delayed!

Saving grace is that the hotel has a computer so I can blog. Boy, have I missed it.

I will be twittering updates on our journey as we go along if you care to check back on my sidebar.

I had a dream a few nights ago that HH and I were driving the UHAUL and it dove off a cliff. I thought this thing has so much stuff in it and it is so heavy, there is no way we will survive. It fell and fell and I woke up before it landed.

Could it be that I feel I am diving into everything unknown to me and it is very scary?
Could I have had this dream because I have no idea what our new home looks like nor have I seen the gently used new car my hero of a dad found for me in South Dakota? He's driving it to Montana for us from South Dakota. He's my hero because of my dreadful car dealership experience last week that I still need to tell you about.
Could it be that I dreamt this dream of falling with everything we own because we just left everyone and everything that is familiar and precious to us?
People keep saying to us- you are so courageous, so brave.
We don't feel brave. But, we do feel filled with faith and trust and a slight bit of trepidation.
We do feel sure that if we do fall, there is a Father right there with us, ready to catch us.

Our Journey to Montana- Part 2

When I left you last, we were really disliking the small town of Whitefish, Montana and we were not sure what we were going to do for the next four days. Hottie Husband had gone for a run with while listening to Third Day on his ipod.

He came back glowing. Really! Like it was his wedding day or he was newly pregnant or something, except for that he is not a girl. Other than that minor issue, it was like that. I know men don't generally glow, but it is the best word I have to describe it. He said, "I have to show you this spot I found. It is probably the most beautiful view I have ever seen." We got in the car and drove there.

It was one of the most lovely sights I had ever seen.

The crazy thing was that we had driven around this town for a day- it is a small town- and for some reason never could find the lake. It was there all the time but just out of our view. HH said that at one point he had prayed, "Even if I hate it here, if you want me here, it is where I will go." And then the lake appeared.

After that moment, it was as if our eyes were opened to the town. We met nice normal people, we ate at fabulous restaurants, we saw beautiful views and our days there flew by. When we left, we thought- why here? Why on Earth would we be so blessed to be able to come to this place? With the lake, the ski resort, the good restaurants, the small theater, the adorable main street- it was like this place was made for us.

Then we went home and we looked at our project of all projects- our very large renovation/extreme addition of our home that was incomplete. HH is a one man show most of the time. My friend Krista once described him as a steady ship. He stays on course, he moves steadily and assuredly forward. Still, it takes time to build a house all on your own while still paying attention to your wife, three little boys at that time, and a dog. So the ship kept moving forward and I lived life with all the business and fun of children, and we both kept that little town in our minds. It was not a fleeting fancy. It stuck.

The goal was to finish the house and put it on the market.

And the years really good years passed...

until next time!

Our Journey to Montana- Part 1

About four years ago, a girlfriend of mine told me about a fun website where you could fill out a questionnaire and it would suggest places where you might enjoy living. I think it was called findyourspot.com. At that point, we had three children under the age of 6 and so one evening, for kicks, we went online and filled out the form.

The town that came back as one of our best matches was Whitefish, Montana. Now, we never would have thought another thing about it, except after that, this town we had never heard of before, was now everywhere! Kind of like when you get a new car and then all of a sudden, everyone is driving that car.

A few days after we took the survey, Hottie Husband and I were at a home one of his customer's was buying. HH is a contractor and the customer wanted me to help pick out some paint colors for their new home. As I was walking through the home, I opened a door to see what was inside and there was a woman standing there folding laundry. I apologized profusely and soon learned that this woman was the current owner of the home. I asked her where they were moving. And she replied, "Whitefish, Montana." I told her how that was so funny because we had just taken this survey and yada, yada, yada. Anyway, I ran off and told HH about it. We both thought it was interesting and a little funny.

This little town we had never heard of before came up so much over the next few months that we decided a visit to this town might be a good idea. However, we were now in Spring and in the middle of baseball season with HH coaching. Also, the cost of flights up there was about $400.00 a person and we had five persons who needed seats plus the cost of a hotel. We could not afford it. No time, not enough money.

Then one night HH said, "Spring Break- we have no baseball- just check it one more time for these five days." I did and a package came up for hotel for four nights plus 5 round trip tickets for $1500.00. We booked it.

At this time the boys were ages 6, 4 and 1 year. Unknowingly, we arrived the day that the ski resort closed, and it was officially mud season. I did not know what that meant until we were there. It is a season somewhere between Winter and Spring, where the snow is melting and everything is muddy and the golf courses aren't even open yet.

We drove around and we hated it. It didn't look like the pictures. We drove around trying to figure out what was so beautiful and great about this town. Everything looked ugly to us and we were daunted by the fact that we now had four more days in this place with nothing to do. What were we going to do with our time? We drove around so much that we made Toots puke in car and that was lots of fun to clean up.

I finally put a stop to the driving and said we had to do something fun with the kids. So we bought some fishing poles for them and found this not so great fishing spot, where they caught nothing. I walked and I prayed, "Lord, if there is something here we are supposed to see, please take these blinders off and let us see it."

We went to a restaurant in town and it was awful. It was dark, the people had no personalities and everyone was quiet. With three little boys, I felt like our table was in stereo with every clank of a fork being heard across the room. It was weird.

We went back to the hotel and I took the older boys to the indoor pool to swim. HH took Toots in the jogger stroller and went for a run.

And as he listened to Third Day and ran without a set course, something happened.

to be continued....

What is Going On, Girl? I'm Gonna Tell Ya!

My patient Mamasistas, I am going to tell you what is up over here.

We sold our house. Can I hear a big woot woot?

And we are taking a huge leap of faith and moving our not so little family to the great state of Montana. As you may remember from this post (when I had no faith to believe we would ever go), this has been a journey. And let me tell you my friends, you do not know the half of it, or even a quarter of it or even a tenth (unless your are a family member or a friend in real life then you might know a little more), but you will.

We are not moving for a job. We are not moving because we have family there. We are not moving because we have friends there. We are not normal. I get that. But, we are going anyway.

We will miss our friends and we will ache for our family. I will have to be purposeful about staying connected and I hope this blog will help me feel connected and I will make my sister join Facebook. That's the plan so far. I am open to suggestions from those of you who have moved away before.

I have plans to tell you the story of how we got here from beginning to end- it started four years ago. Don't worry- I'll tell it in palatable segments. I am just starting to see what God was up to in the middle of this valley we have been in and I am excited to journal out loud (that's what blogging is, right?) about this four year journey. There are nuggets, nuggets, many nuggets and maybe even some boulders too.

In the meantime, here is a picture of where we are going