Life Is ...

Life is so surprising.
Today while driving around Reno Nevada in my 1966 Vw Bug that I have fondly named Lucy Blue, I had this surprising feeling that  I am home. I never in a million years would have ever thought that moving back to Nevada 2 years ago I would feel this way, but today it was like a wave of warm water washing over me, saying you are home.
I am a Native Nevadan, born at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe some 40 years ago, but I have never felt like Nevada was home to me. I always had dreams of going here, there, and everywhere... really just anywhere but here. I was constantly dissin on Nevada like it was nobodies biz-niz. I made Nevada-hatin my hobby!!
So it's no surprise that when I came of age I had plans to get the heck outta here.  When I was a Senior in High School I was set to go to Azusa Pacific University. I had scholarships, I had an acceptance letter, I was all but walking out the door when the wind of change started to mess with my heart.  Or... some might say the Holy Spirit changed my heart. For reasons that my 18 year old brain made logical, I stayed in Nevada and opted to go to the local community college.
Life is so strange.
Had I gone onto pursue dreams elsewhere I would have never fallen in love with My Giant and our 21 year love story, that now includes 4 amazing people, would not be what it is today. Still, I had the bug to live anywhere but here and so did my Giant so in 2009 when financial disaster came knocking on our front door by the name of Bank of America we said see ya Nevada, or some might say... Peace Out Brown Town!! We headed up to a lush green oasis. No wait... we moved into a tiny little cabin in the woods of Washington and by tiny I mean 800 square feet of small.  6 people, and 1 bathroom an oasis it was not.  By outsiders looking in I'm sure we seemed crazy, but to our family and at that time it was exactly what we needed to heal.
Life is so beautiful.
We spent almost 4 years up there in Redmond Washington and I honestly felt as though I was in my forever home.  I never wanted to leave the PNW. I loved the rain. I came alive when it was overcast and cloudy. I breathed Oh So Deep the smells, the colors, the sights, the sounds, meanwhile My Giant was dying. Literally his physical body working the job that we needed him to work to live up there was killing him. Something had to change.

Life is so miraculous.
It was around that time that a beloved friend of ours started to contact My Giant about a business adventure. I will admit I wasn't happy about these conversations. But, I would be lying if I said that I didn't see the sparkle in my Giants eyes when he would talk to this friend.  I began to feel those winds of change again.
Life is so funny.
We took the leap of faith and moved back. I wasn't happy about it, but I knew somehow deep down in my knower that it was the absolute right thing to do. And now 2 years later a wave of confirmation came over me that I can't deny. I am home. It might not be for forever. Obviously as a Christ follower I am HOMESICK for my eternal home. Nevada may very well be our hallway to another place. But for now it is exactly where we are supposed to be and it feels pretty damn good.
P.S.
**It could have been that it was rainy and that always makes me feel like I'm home, but I'm gonna go with what I know and that is that God has done a work and changed my heart about Nevada.  I'm so glad He's not done working. Now it's your turn;    Life is... 

From Entry To Entry

I just recently finished my old journal.  It's start date was June 16, 2013.  I don't know if you are the journaling type, Beloved Reader but this girl has journals that date back to the 80's.  Yeah, I'm old... see post below ©

Here's the thing, whenever I finish one journal I have to, no I am compelled to look back over the old pages and reminisce. Above all else,  this heart of mine, is so darn sentimental it's downright mushy overload up in here sometimes.   But, this time through this old journal I was reminded of God's faithfulness, and promises to me in the past year. I felt him remind me that  From journal entry to entry, From glory to glory, he is faithful to complete this work He started in my heart long ago. Instead of getting all weepy and mushy, I was inspired and reminded of this scripture;
"But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 1 Cor 3:18


The first entry from my old journal was actually on Father's Day last year, and I was bemoaning the fact that Moses wasn't with us. It's hard to have Fathers Day when the Father of the house is 700+ miles away. There were so many things I didn't understand at that moment, why others close to me had lost their Father for good, and still others Fathers had just checked out. I was grateful that my Giant was only leading a path ahead of us in a move back home to Nevada that was for our good. Still, my heart was weary with questions, worries, and concerns. We(me and my Fab4)were in Washington finishing up the school year there, and he(My Giant) had already started working in Nevada.
The reason I wrote a journal entry that day was because I started to feel sad, and overwhelmed at the prospect of moving my family to Nevada all by myself. To say I was a tad bit emotional, would be quite the understatement. I was all over the place as this BIG move was approaching.  Ya see, a big move wreaks havoc on us sentimental types.
To be quite honest I was having a pity party and I may have had some words in said journal that weren't so nice. I also may have had some not so nice words written all over our moving boxes that My Giant later read. Hee hee hee... Ahem... note to self don't take out your emotions on the boxes that others will later read.  The point is...
I started to feel very much alone.
I had been packing for weeks all by myself. I had been going to baseball games by myself. I had been going to end of the school year parties, all by myself. I had been saying goodbyes by myself.  I had been having sleep overs, parties, hikes and a whole long list of to do's by myself. I had been doing 4 kids, ya know that whole raising a family of 4  thing, by myself for one too many weeks, days, hours, too long.
And at the moment of this entry I was feeling what my friend Louie likes to call, "Whelmed!" Ya know, so overwhelmed that you can't even muster out saying the whole word.
In that moment God gave me this scripture,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
He was reminding me that I was not alone! He was reminding me that even in this move back to Nevada He had a plan for my life and it was Good. He was reminding me of His faithfulness, that He would never leave me or forsake me. He was there in that moment, and I was no longer feeling alone.
And now almost one year later, as I look back over this past year I can see so clearly like in a mirror, that He was doing something so beautiful, so good ... he was filling my tank from 1/2 empty to overflowing.
My only regret, is that I didn't run to Him quicker.
From journal entry to entry,  From glory to glory...
"You have called me higher, you have called me deeper and I'll go where you will lead me Lord."

A Hot Smokey Minute

It has been a HOT minute, a very HOT and SMOKEY minute since I have been here with you beloved reader.  But, here I am, and all I can think to talk about is how grateful I am that the smokey grey skies have cleared for a minute.

  Sheesh! I suppose that was one weather element I completely blocked out of my memory in regard to Nevada.   Forest fires in the summer= Grey skies and below healthy breathing standards. I'm pretty sure I blocked it out because it's traumatic! Also, don't forget I tend to be a bit on the dramatic side.

 
The grey skies I can handle and actually enjoy, but the smell of campfire smoke and canceled sporting events ... NOT SO MUCH!! The smoke filled skies sure do make for some awesome pics though wouldn't you agree?
So at least there's that :/
Aside from the silly weather topic and hundreds of acres of land being burned to a crisp, I really don't know what to tell you.  

Oh... I know...
The fact that summer is almost over. Can I get a big Whahhh Whaaahh I don't wanna!!   Let's recap this summer for the MoNoSco clan shall we;
School released in Washington June 22nd so there were lots of goodbyes, and last visits with besties before...
Noël and 4 kids and two dogs(The Giant was already in NV) move to Nevada June 25th.
We made a pit stop in one of my favorite places with some of favorite people.

Such a good looking gang up there in that pic. Does my heart good to see my kids with one of my soul sisters kids. It is truly a gift. 
It was a 14 hour car ride very uneventful except for how the Red Bulls toward the end of the trip were making this Momma a lil Cray Cray!! Those energy drinks really do a number on me.
 So, Kids and Dogs safely reunite with Our Giant and we spend the week out at David Walleys with the family. The pic below is me and my siblings. I'm there in the middle like it should be. Man, I really love my brothers and sisters.  I'm one blessed woman. 

We were in Beautiful Genoa Nevada.  If you have never been... put it on your places to go. It is a natural Hot Springs resort here in lil ole NV that is truly one of a kind.

Then Noël and the Giant fly back up to Washington to do phase 2 of the move and we all know where this story goes....

Broken Uhaul trailers can drive one or even TWO grown adults to have some crazy behavior. Our behavior in the above pic is just one example. It is also quickly becoming one of my all time favorite pics.
So even though we went bat shit crazy on that car ride home due to multiple break downs the story... It has a happy ending.


Finally arrive safely and have a big welcome back 4th of July bash with family and friends. 
And then begins the REAL fun that we had to cram into only 4 weeks time.

  Parties, visitors, Lake Days, Water Parks, Movies, Birthdays, more visitors, Virginia City,

 
sleep overs, More Birthdays, lots of BBQ'in , more visitors, and finally August rolls around and it's back to school ...
SAY  WHA???

That's right school started here in Nevada August 12th, and No they didn't take into account that the MoNoSco clan JUST got out of school... OR That we had just moved here.... OR That we weren't nearly even remotely ready to begin school.
My Fab 4 headed off to new schools like the champs they are.  Bringing light and joy in every room cause that's how we Do it!!   Don't even get this sentimenatal momma started on how she feels about having one High Schooler, Two Middle schoolers, and only ONE... ONLY ONE in Elementary school now!! SO not OKAY!!
And somewhere in between all of that madness we(I mean MY Giant) did a whole lotta this:

Yea he's pretty much a bad ass!!

So is the fella who got this ink ;)

And in case you were wondering I'm pretty much spending all my free time here,Marked Studios there, and everywhere like all moms, wives, women in general seem to manage life.

But it's all a part of this beautiful life that 

I'm feeling blessed to live.

I hope you had a wonderful summer and that you have a fantastic Labor Day weekend. 

All the hard work of the year can wait, go have some fun this weekend !

Thanks for stopping by.

We're on a Road to No Where (part 2)

Ok, where was I? That's right, we made it 50 miles outside of Seattle before our first break down and you are never gonna believe this when I tell you, but Ripleys' Believe It or Not show would have had a field day with this because, we only made it another 50 miles when we had our second break down!
It was as though the Uhaul trailer we were given could only go 50 miles before it lost all its gusto! Not at all like the lil train that said, "I think I can, I think I can!" This trailer just flat out said, "Peace out SUCKERS, I'm donskies!!"
But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. So there we are Monday morning in beautiful Kent WA. ahem... cough... cough...  (Sorry if you live in Kent WA and feel it is the most beautiful place on earth) We get the phone call that our trailer would be ready to roll by 10a.m and we set out to find where the trailer might be.  Now, we learned a thing or two from the first adventure. The first thing we learned is that it's never good to set out on a long road trip with out car chargers for those smart phones. Most generally, adequately, smart people never forget these things, but sadly the day before we had. Not this time though. Moses went and picked up a charger for our phones, and the second thing we learned is that snacks and drinks are always a must, so he got some beverages and we were on the road again. We did make one teeny, tiny mistake and that was to skip breakfast for a later stop down the road. I guess Kent WA wasn't looking too appealing in the breakfast department or something? It's fair to say then that we only learned 1 and a half things from the day before.  Learn from our mistakes, EAT PEOPLE! Eat BEFORE you set out on the road.  Yea, ok moving on...
As we are traveling down the road about 20 miles in I say, "Well, at least this time we have a charger, a snickers bar, and some beverages... not that it's going to matter because we will be just fine this time." Always the eternal optimist am I.
Did I jinx us? Well, I don't believe in jinxing, but if I did I would say I most certainly DID jinx us because only about 30 miles more down the road we get before a car comes zooming up behind us honking and waving us down to let us know our back tires were smoking.

It was at this point I may have said,
ARE YOU CUSSING KIDDING ME?!?!

CUSS!! CUSS, CUSS, CUSS!!!
I'm not admitting to anything. But there we were with another bearing on the back tire blown out, and I was like ... REMEMBER when we were JUST at UHAUL picking up our road ready, totally safe, very competent, VERY SAFE trailer? Did I mention the word safe? Oh... right ... wait...  Somebody else must have been given THAT trailer. When I was finally done cussing, (it may or may not have been about an hour later) I looked over to hear my very calm, cool, and collected husband on the phone once again with Uhaul. They said they would have someone out to us in no less than 3 hours.  Oh.. isn't that nice ONLY 3 HOURS!! (Sorry for yelling, apparently I can still get a bit worked up over this part) Someone did come to our rescue, or so I thought he was our rescuer and it was only about 2 hours later. How nice, only 2 HOURS later! I was feeling so relieved that we weren't going to be on the side of the road all day.  I was grateful it was almost all over and that he might even be able to fix us up quick like and in a hurry and we could be on our way.
Have I mentioned my eternal optimistic spirit ?
He came, he saw, he disassembled, and then he left us there.
I felt bewildered.
I felt betwixt.
I felt like another B word that isn't worth mentioning, but I'm just keeping it real!
This time we sat for almost 5 hours. I was trying to find the bright side.  I did have a safe place to relieve myself this time so there was that. But really, other than that, and the fact that my smart phone wasn't going to die I didn't have much else keeping the happy on my heart. As the day had turned to dusk finally two gentleman pull up who said they used to work for Uhaul and now they are independently doing road side assistance for all the damsels in distress. I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud at this point, and I told those two fellas that they were genius. We were just about ready to employ these two fellas when I kid you not, a huge tow truck pulls up and takes the trailer of the hitch and sets us free to head into Centraila WA. to find a complimentary place for the night. Oh how nice a complimentary room for the night! Are you sensing my sarcasm? It's pretty blatant. It would be hard to miss.

But here's where the story takes a twist, once we realized that one of our very favorite places on earth is in Centralia WA. 
We knew EXACTLY where we would be getting our complimentary stay, and we knew just what we would do too.  

We enjoyed our time as much as two people who have just moved their entire lives into two hellish boxes on wheels that keep breaking, can enjoy the time together. Even though, we would have preferred to be there under different circumstances we did make the most of it. See... enjoyment ;)

And here's the part where I tell you that I felt like God knew I was at my breaking point.  He also knew that Mo and I have always loved McMenamins.  He also knew that we needed some extra time together before we hit the ground running in Reno, NV with a new business adventure, and all kinds of busy with family and friends.

He also knew the very next day we would have to unpack and pack our trailer even though Uhaul said they would have guys out there to do this, but of course they didn't show up on time. Two things; Turns out that unpacking and packing again was my breaking point  and I didn't cuss. I cried.  That's how you know a real breaking point as opposed to an almost breaking point.  Tears. We did have one night of reprieve and then it was back to work. As I was lifting and scooting boxes back and forth to Mo I thought about the value of customer service. I thought about how it is that companies can get so big that they forget the little guy. I thought about just wanting to get home to my kiddos and I dreaded the thought that after we were done packing this trailer AGAIN, I would have to get back into that truck and travel another 500+ miles to get to our final destination. I'm pretty sure it was these thoughts and total exhaustion that brought on the tears, but then I remembered that this whole situation could have been so much worse. I started to turn on that optimistic radio and I thought about the fact that both Mo and I were alive, we were safe, we were well fed at McMenamins and we WOULD make it to NV eventually.
There are two more events in this story that are worth mentioning.  One is that after we were about only 250 miles away from NV the truck started smoking.  It was at this point that I started laughing. Remember up there when I said I had hit my breaking point? Well, it was really true, because this time I didn't freak out. I just laughed. What else can you do when in a situation like that? If you are a Moses you can be your normal, amazing, genius, super HOT, awesome self and lift the hood to the Uhaul truck, find out what is wrong, fix it and slowly move along on the road again. If you are a Noël you can laugh out loud and take a picture like this


The second event that happened before we made it safely to NV is that we almost ran out of gas. Don't believe the sign that says 32 miles to services right outside of Susanville. It's a lie. Our Uhaul truck  said we had 0 miles to empty for about 5 miles, and we coasted into Susanville on God fumes, but we made it and we are here now, and 
WE ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!! NEVER TO RIDE IN A UHAUL TRUCK  EVER NEVER AGAIN!!

FullyBloomed and Coming Home

Here's the part where I tell you WE are moving back to Nevada.
Sigh.
After almost 4 years of living in Washington, the Evergreen state, it appears that the not so Green State... I mean the Silver State has called us back.
Sigh.
Here's the part where I tell you I feel a lot like that flower up there. Broken Open  and Fully Bloomed.

And here's the part in my life story where I tell you that this quote is a description of what the past 4 years has been.
"There came a time when the risk to remain tight  in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin
The risk, the pain, it's all played a part in bringing us where we are today. 

It was a risk to come up here and we didn't know if it would be one worth taking, but we took it anyways. It was too painful for us to watch our home be taken away from us that's why we left. We walked away very slowly from all that we knew, from all that was familiar.
In the time that we have been here, we have played the role of foreigner, and we have been blessed to be placed in families. The word hospitality has taken on a WHOLE new meaning. 
Here's the funny part, to move back to Nevada used to seem like it would be a failure, but here's the part where we get to say, We tried and we didn't fail because at least we can say we tried. We took the leap of faith. We sprang forward into a foreign land. We imagined a very different life for our little family. 
And it was good. It was really good. We feel stronger now. We know the depths and the heights of this place. And in the end it's just a place. Whether we loved it, or hated it, it's just a place.

Life has a funny way of bringing everything full circle. The main reason we had a spring board to leave Nevada was due to the foreclosure of our third home. Many of you stood by our sides when we were robbed by Bank of America.  Many of you were robbed too. Here's the part where it has turned full circle, not only are we moving back to Nevada for an incredible opportunity, but this past week, we received a check from Bank of America.
A tiny piece of some retribution from the Bank that stole our home from us, but not our lives.
Sigh.
And now we can sing this song

I'm coming home Holla  RENO NEVADA!!
I'm also a dork.  Thanks for listening!

2 Year Anniversary

This pass week marks our 2 year anniversary of when we moved a million miles away(Ok not a million miles, but it might as well have been). I thought on this relaxing Saturday morning, when my hubby is out at Sea what better time to reminisce than here with you all.



This is a picture of the cabin right after we had squeezed all of our lives into the 800sq ft space. 2 whole years ago. 2 years might not seem like a long time to some of you but to us, it may as well have been 20.



This is a picture of what it looked like before we moved here. While we were still living in NV Moses came up on a scouting trip to see what kind of shape the current rentor/pot dealer had left the cabin in. This is what he found.
Moses, Dennis, Joel, Shawn, Greg, and Papa Russ, thank you for changing this



into this;






I cannot even begin to tell you all how much baggage we came to Washington with. Literally and of course Emotionally.



We couldn't even move in our living room for the first couple of weeks because there was no place to store all our stuff. The hard work that was put into this little place still astounds me.
Even now looking back on these pictures I am amazed at the transformation.

Thanksgiving 2010, this was THE table Mo built, Uncle Jeremy, Emma and Bella in the back there.

MoNoSco 2009

When I think about the fact that we really did this I have to laugh. There was a time though when we first moved here that we did a lot more crying than laughing. I mean, from the picture below you can get a good idea why one might want to cry!



It has now officially been 2 whole years since we embarked on this big move 700 miles up north, and what a roller coaster ride it has been. There have been many, many moments when we have thought "What the hell were we thinking?"

And then there have been many, many moments when we have sat outside, heard the sound of running water from the creek outside and thought "This is truly our safe haven, thank you God for this."



There have been many adjustments along the way, and as much as I tried to prepare myself for this major life change there really was no way to be fully prepared.



The first year here we were under siege. I say "we" loosely because truly it was Moses who was bombarded with countless things that needed to be fixed, chopped, built, moved, rebuilt, and then fixed again.
THE MAN, MY MAN IS A STUD!!



2 years later this place looks so different now.
I no longer need Gloria Paige Smith (aka GPS) to guide me.
I have a storage shed that is NOT my living room anymore, or the front and back porches.
We have figured out how to stay warm in the winter without central heat.
I have adjusted to not having a dishwasher or garbage disposal(my hands have never been so appreciative for a good bottle of Palmolive)
I now have a compost.
Even living on a septic tank has become my new norm.



Life is Good.


2 years later and we are still here.

A New Thing

This time of year brings a lot of busy to our household. We have two birthday girls and then our anniversary to follow both of those. I remember when I was preggers with Emma and her original due date was for June 4th the day right after our anniversary. I prayed so hard that she would come a little early. Most women want baby to come early just because by the third trimester life becomes quite uncomfortable. I prayed, so that I wouldn't have to share this special date with anyone else beside my giant, and God listened.

Our anniversary tradition for many years now has been to go to a VW show called Bug O Rama in Sacramento. I think we have had this tradition for at least the past 9 years. When the kids were little we brought them with us, until we realized we could camp out and have more than just a family fun day, we could get some "alone time", very hard to come by that with 4 children.
This year we didn't make it to Bug O Rama because well.... we live too far away. When I realized that we wouldn't be going this year it actually brought tears to my eyes. These are the kind of things that when you move away you don't realize you are giving up.

Little traditions here and there have been passing us by now that we live here.

To be quite honest, most of them come and go and it doesn't bother me, but there are a handful of traditions that I have made memories with people over the years that I really have been sad to miss out on this year. And, Bug O Rama is without a doubt on that list.

This event Bug O Rama, I realize now wasn't about the vast amount of VW's that we got to see, or the parts that we could buy for dirt cheap, and it wasn't about the camping either.

It was about the people.

In the end it always comes back to the people.

So this year, instead of going to Bug O Rama my cousins the Farina's offered to take all 4 of our children overnight so that Moses and I could get some "alone time". I can't begin to even express how much we have needed this time together.
We have been in process this whole long 9 months since we moved here. Anyone who knows what that word "process" means knows that being "in process" is not easy. Your feelings and thoughts change from day to day and about the only thing that remains the same(except of course our Creator) is that you are still in process. I feel we are about to birth another baby. A moving baby. What it will be named has yet to be determined. But, that's a story for another day.

We hit Georgetown yesterday to make new memories and maybe even a new tradition. I have to say, that of all the places so far that I have experienced living in the Seattle area, Georgetown is quickly becoming a favorite. We went to a Farmers Market, checked out shops, walked on some old train tracks, talked, talked, and talked some more. We of course brought Vicky, Victoria(our bus) along for the ride. She felt right at home in Georgetown, unlike how she feels here in Redmond.



After walking around it was time for some grub. There are so many places to choose from when it comes to the culinary choices in Seattle. It is almost overwhelming to think of especially without our buddy Johnny V. who knows just about everything there is to know about "Good Eats" in Seattle. In the end, we decided to take the money we would've spent on a nice dinner and we bought something we have been meaning to buy since we moved here, a new Weber BBQ. We couldn't afford a big one so we got a Baby mini Weber and it will work out just fine until we can afford the Daddy Weber. On the menu was without a shadow of a doubt THE BEST blue cheese burger I have ever had in my life. Courtesy of Master Chef Moses. With bbq, and groceries in hand we headed back to most beautiful campground ever 180th Ave NE.

This time of year feels like a graduation for the whole family. This year more than ever. WE have all weathered the storm of a HUGE move and have come out on the other side, still in love, still laughing, still enjoying where we have moved.



Do we have regrets about this move? Sure of course we do. But, anyone who knows me knows that I don't dwell on the negative for very long. I choose not to live or camp out there. I am reminded of the scripture that says, "See I am doing a new thing". It's hard not to look back on what we have lost, but in the end I would like to remember what we have gained.

Sidenote- this was our 15th honey moon and it was GOOD. 15th year is your crystal year, we looked all day yesterday in shops for a crystal unicorn. Yep, that's what we wanted to remember our 15th year. Crystal Unicorn is what we are now on the hunt for :)

If you read this whole blog and insight to my thoughts as of late you are AMAZING and should be given some kind of award!

-Pros and *Cons

In every life there are good and bad moments, pros and cons, sweet and sour... you get the idea.

Here is my list as of lately;


-I am feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude these days and it's not just cause it's that time of year. Of all the scenarios, and paths we could have taken after the biggest financial failure that we have ever experienced in our marriage, I still feel grateful.

*Because we live in the trees and by a lot of water there are flies in our house in the winter. Strange but true.

- The feeling of not being stressed about money or where it's going to come from, or how it's all going to work out, has FINALLY left the building. This building is stress free. This cabin is stress free from money issues. Our fireplace heats this place crazy good, we live on a septic tank for water, we have an endless supply of natural resources to live off of and finally the stress has left the building. It is good.

* We have a shoes off at the door policy now because of the mud that gets tracked through otherwise. Still, on a daily basis I have to shake the bathroom rug from dirt. THE BATHROOM RUG, not the rug at the door or even in the kitchen but the BATHROOM rug!! How is this possible?

- When I go to take kids to school in the morning around this time of year I expect to give some time for scrapping windows from morning frost. Not so here. Only a fresh morning dew or of course if it's raining then I have to put on the wipers. Still getting used to the weather here.

* I miss my peeps. There are so many things around here that I wish I could share with all my peeps but they are 700+ miles away and so that makes it kinda difficult.

-One of the above said "things" I can' wait to share with my peeps is the drive around Lake Sammamish that is right down the street from where we live, or Pikes Market Place, or the Thrift stores that have treasures beyond measure, or the hike in my backyard.

* Thanksgiving without my family was still good, but not the same. I missed our abundant supply of olives. I should have brought them myself but wasn't thinking.

- Moses now has a job that provides enough for me to do the job I love most; taking care of the home-front. So thankful for this. SO yes, that means I will be quitting the job at the preschool but not completely. They have so graciously made a place for me that fits just right.

* Not being able to meet my friends for coffee, or watch their kids play with mine, or have people that just drop by really sucks!! I miss this more than I can even express.

Overall, if I were to make a real list the Pros far outweigh the Cons but ya know what? That is because even though I have moved to Washington I am still the eternal optimist that I have always been and so in life I am determined to find more good than bad.

An Update and Some Late night Ramblings

So here I sit after countless hours of unpacking and work work, school work, driving, kids school work, traffic, more traffic (did I mention the traffic up here?) and I am finally able to update my blog. What a whirlwind this adventure of moving 700+ miles has been. I still feel like I am on vacation, even though I have a job and my kids are in school it still feels as though at some point I will have to head back to Nevada.
I was telling Moses the other day that I honestly believed that although I have always loved the Northwest area I didn't ever think I would get to live here until I was an old lady and not even able to enjoy it. I now realize how silly that was to think that way. He thought I still had some kind of weird leftover Catholic guilt that wouldn't allow for me to be happy.
I can honestly say that although this cabin is ever so humble there is no place like home.
It feels like home to me.
It's not because the surroundings are familiar, they aren't. Let me give you a list here of the unfamiliar things; It's wet. It's green. It's wet and green two things Nevada was not. There are so many trees and plants, and things growing around me that I am in utter amazement about. Our neighbor has plants growing on their roof, on the ROOF people!! Oh and it rains a lot. Did I mention that? Seems silly to mention that as being something that is unfamiliar but have you ever tried driving in the rain in lots of traffic, that is something a person has to ease into. There is a little water creek that runs outside my front door. The sound of running water makes me want to do two things, go pee and take a deep breath. Let me also mention the unfamiliar aspects of this cabin. Pitched roof and windows everywhere, beautiful but my home decor is not so much for this kind of house. We gave away almost every piece of furniture we owned so even that is unfamiliar(except our Bed-thanks be to Jesus and the Judy's that feels familiar) No dishwasher, garbage disposal because we are on a septic tank.
No, nothing here is familiar... still it feels like home.
I think it has more to do with the fact that I have dreamed of this being a reality for so long that now that it is a reality it seems vaguely familiar. Does that make sense?
I was talking to a longtime friend the other day about moving up here and she reminded me that I talked about moving up here so long ago but that back then I would say, "God won't ever let me go there. I will probably dry up and die in this desert" When I heard her say this it made me feel kind of silly for thinking like that. God doesn't make us do things like stay in a state we don't really want to live in, we do that to ourselves. And it wasn't really that I chose the state as much as the people. Despite the fact that the people were not easy to walk away from the state that I was in however was.
So here's to moving out of whatever state(whether it physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional) you are in, and not blaming God for your own choices to live out YOUR truth.

7 Days

To Do List:

Finish packing closet
Finish packing shoes
Pack underneath sinks in the house
Move as many boxes out to the garage as possible
Call Lockes about table

BREATHE

Drop off at Savers
Put some stuff on CraigsList
Paper due tomorrow
Get ahead on quizzes for the move
Store run for plastic tubs

BREATHE

Make Appointment for Bella to get stitches out and cone head off :)
Take Bella to said appointment
Get medical records from Dr. Zucker's office, find out if he knows a pediatrician as amazing as he is in WA
Get thank you cards/gifts for kids teachers
Transfer wireless internet to WA so it's there for online classes when I arrive


BREATHE

Finish packing kitchen
Use and eat as much food as possible
Shut off Electricity, Garbage, Water, Internet, and box up cable stuff
Reserve U Haul Truck
Call Gores

BREATHE

Pack up pantry
Pack up Fridge
Pack up Lamps we are still using
Pack up Toiletries and Towels still using
Pack up Jackets, Sweaters, Hats, Scarfs- still using


Travel bags for 6 people
Clean and make ready the Fordster
Figure out what my kids are going to dress up like for Halloween and get costumes
Maintain a sense of normalcy and composure so as not to frighten the children with my holiday costume this year;
Frantic Mom moving 700 miles away from the only home she has ever known

Whoops, I forgot to BREATHE in there somewhere I just know it!!

My Reality 3 weeks from D-day!!

The hugs are a little bit longer now.
The times are a little more special.
My living room looks a little barren.
My heart is exploding with emotions.
The strange sensation to apologize has taken a hold of me.
The thought that I have made the wrong decision has reared it's ugly head.
My hopes are that I didn't.
My days are becoming very dream like.
The mountains that surround this area suddenly look so beautiful.
The time is getting short.
My eyes have taken to tearing up all day long for random reasons.
My soul still knows peace that surpasses all understanding.

IT hit me today and IT hurt...real bad

It really hit me square in the jaw today what I will be leaving;

*(I say square in the jaw not literally, but figuratively of course because it hurt so bad it made me cry as though I had been hit hard, like square in the jaw hard, not that I have ever been hit like that but you get the idea)

-Family (Not just any kind of family but the kind that you choose as friends)
-Blue Sky Country
- Friends( Not just any kind of friends but the kind you consider to be family)
-Support (Sewn together as tight as a quilt that you can blanket it around yourself whenever life gets too cold)
-Children at Little Lites (That I love and have already become so attached to and don't want to stop being their teacher)
- VW Slo-Going Club
-Knowing a City so well that I don't need a GPS to navigate me(Which I would like to ask all those reading to be thinking of a name for my GPS girl voice, she will I am sure become a beloved new friend... also if I start talking about her too much in future blogs after I have moved please call my mom Ellen with concern :)
- My Children's Friends (all of which I adore and who's sadness makes it so hard to be happy)
- Nevada Day and the Parade that I love oh so much!! (That's right people I will miss this tradition with my Mom and kids)
- Being only 3 classes away from my degree (only to have to start all over again. I am being a bit dramatic with that because I am sure some classes will transfer it's just it never ENDS. Well, here's to me for trying!!)
-The community of people at Hillside, really good... no great people who have been nothing but supportive and generous with me and my family.
-Granite Counter Tops(wondered if Mo could take those also? just kidding!!)
-My Neighbors( I have really great neighbors, even mean old guy next door has been nice lately, prolly cause he's happy he will have a little peace and quiet now)
-My brother coming over to use our garage every so often
-People who come over unannounced(this is truly, truly something I will miss because it means people not only know where you live but that you love them)
-My new found Gym instructor who kicks butt and takes names, Shalisa
-2 bathrooms( at least I got to have this luxury for a little while)
- The group of newly tattooed people who kept my family a float this summer with their purchases of new ink


I walk slowly away from all of this and so much more, knowing that what the future holds is promising, but the past can't be replaced.