Moving, Part 2...The Great Downsize

The drive to California went smoothly and we made it there in time for dinner.  

First stop, Wetzel Pretzel!

Eli was beyond excited that there are 3 pretzel places close to our new house.  We took our food to the new house to meet the realtor.  After a quick walk through and instructions, she handed us the keys and the empty house was ours!  We made up camp in the living room and watched a Christmas movie.

The boys and I went early so we were there to meet the movers first thing Monday morning.  Ben had to check out that morning and then he, Alison and Maya came that afternoon.  I was SO cold that morning and thankful that I splurged on these slippers the week before. 

Colin was my best little helper.

While I checked boxes of items unloaded, the boys explored the yard...or helped me find out what the number really was on the box, as most were read incorrectly in half English.  They found we have a pomegranate bush and orange tree :)

Life in transition equals the most random snacks you can find, which also equals finding these little gems on your phone.

The movers slowed down quite a bit after lunch.  I'm pretty sure they were taking a little siesta in the truck, so we had some time to kill.  We found the tub of Legos and the boys played on the back patio.

I started unpacking kitchen boxes during the down time.  I would throw all the paper on the floor and the boys would play it in and then stuff it into a box for me and take it back outside.

Ben and Alison got here about the same time the movers were finishing up.  By that time, every inch of the house was full.  Literally, if there was one more thing, it would have to go on the driveway.  2800 square feet to 1700 is not easy.  They set up beds so we could sleep in our rooms, but the house was so full of boxes that it was a maze to get anywhere.  

Tuesday, we worked hard to get boxes unpacked and things somewhat functional.  The boys had fun playing with all the boxes in the backyard.

The rest of the week was a blur.  I got my first migraine Wednesday and was out for the day, while Ben kept working on the house and taking care of the kids.
We felt like this move was a constant shuffle of things.  Lack of room to just move things in, made it so you had to unpack a box and put things in random places and then move those things around 10 more times to get where you wanted it to be.  We got the kitchen somewhat up and running, but the table was so full of random stuff that we had to eat on the floor several nights.

It was a constant shuffle, but I was also constantly thinking it was a miracle.  It was a miracle that we even found anything.  Boxes were mislabeled and not organized well.  It took us 3 days to find our bedding and bath towels.  The house itself is a miracle, which is another post.  The fact that we had clean clothes and fresh food to eat is a miracle.  I would have died if it hadn't been for all of Ben's hard work and that work enabled us to even do some Christmas decorating...because that's all the kids  could talk about.  The house had been empty for at least several months and has a little stink to it, so we opted for a live tree to help with that.

It's a miracle Alison can stretch in this room, because day 1 you couldn't even walk into it.

It's a miracle Maya is not a complete basket case because I think this move was hardest on her.

If I could freeze time, it would be with 6 year old Colin in his Spider Man Pj's.

 

It's a miracle we survived the last few weeks and that now I get to spend mornings watching the sun rise over the mountains, sitting next to a fire.

It's going to take a few more weeks to get the house really how we want it, but I think we're going to love it here.  So far, we've been to the most amazing library, some fantastic parks and nice stores.  Everyone is so friendly, even the salesclerks.  When we've told people we just moved here, we've gotten a lot of "Welcome to paradise!" and "Congratulations!", which is basically the opposite of when we moved to Yuma.