A Walk...

Sunday afternoon seemed to be busy for everyone...

except me.

I was out of sorts.

Too "in my head".

I needed to get out and away from...

everything.

So, I grabbed the camera and decided to take a walk down the road.

I am so in awe of the beauty all around me.

I can't believe that I live here.

You may get tired of me talking about how gorgeous this place is...

but somehow this place really speaks to me.

Deep down.

The black dots you see in the photo below are birds.

I could hear them long before they took flight.

I wasn't sure which trees they were in because there are trees all around us.

Suddenly, they seemed to lift into the air all at the same time...

It was magnificent...

and a little frightening...

I am, afterall, a product of saturday afternoon movies like "The Birds"...

Yikes!

The cloud formations are always so beautiful.

We didn't get the same type of clouds in Utah and there just seems to be so much more sky here.

As I passed this pasture, I thought all of the cows had taken off when they heard me coming, but suddenly I realized that this Huge guy had stood his ground.

He wasn't afraid of me.

They really are beautiful creatures.

Oh, sorry...

She stood her ground... and she needed a good milking!

Down, down, down that road....

This house was BIG!

And for sale!

It was so pretty.

There was a garage with a separate apartment attached to it.

I kept thinking how great that would have been if my Mom was still around.

We are getting settled.

No, that doesn't mean the construction going on around here is anywhere near being finished.
Expenses, mean time.

However, the inside is slowly coming together. 
I am feeling much more positive about things.
Dirt can be cleaned up afterall.

This has been a really big adjustment.
I don't think I realized how big.

Alaska... I can do it.  Bush town.  Oh yeah.  I grew up in one, afterall.
Farm country?  This is a whole new adventure...

But, one absolutely worth taking!

And Then...

We arrived.

After two VERY long days of driving...

Mark drove the big U-Haul with his truck behind

Miranda drove the honda with the trailor on the back

and I drove the van with all the little kids in it...

We drove from early morning until dark, late and sleepy...

We finally arrived.

It was around 11 p.m.

We were just glad to be out of those vehicles.

We were glad to give our sore butts a rest!

We came in and made beds and hit the sack!

Oh the joy...

The next day, we explored a bit and went to work unloading...

which ended up taking 3 or 4 days...

just to unload the vehicles.

Everyone helped!

From the biggest to the smallest...

Some thought it was fun...

Some...

not so much!

I was so thankful for Miranda, though.

She worked so hard and did a lot of the heavy lifting with her Daddy just to save Mama's back.

The dog decided to rest his tired body in the grass...

The humidity was a bit much for him.

He doesn't think much of being an outside dog.

We have found him in the basement more than once...

And...

He has found a way to get inside and woke up next to Grandpa a couple of times...

I'm not to sure that is a good idea Raider...

Rethink, rethink, rethink...

The work continues...

But there have been so many rewards.

Look at the smiles on those faces!

That is the biggest reward of all!

What Were We Thinking??????

We thought we would have enough space.

We thought there was enough room in U-Hauls biggest truck...

even though it says it is only a 4 bedroom holder...

We packed and packed and packed...

and as the sun started to head down, down, down...

we got a little loopy!

Things started moving vertically...

Up and up and up...

Then the sun was gone.

We went inside...

a little sad and dejected...

and definitely worn out.

We placed sleeping bags on the floor and gave the kids showers.

As Mark and I lay our weary heads down...

he said,

"Should I tell you my idea?"

I said,

"We need a trailor."

So, the next morning we rented a U-Haul trailor and hooked it up to the back of Miranda's car.

Now...

Did this solve all of our moving issues?

No...

But, in the end we decided what didn't need to make the journey and not one of us is unhappy with any of those decisions.

We were just so happy to drive away and finally be on the road!

Looking back at the photos...

all I can ask is...

What were we thinking?????

Life to be Lived...

* 3 of the kids sitting on the gate into the horse field... Aubrey waiting patiently for her turn to ride.

I have been worried...

That Grandma Carol would think we had fallen off the face of the earth.

Hopefully, this picture will prove that we are still around...

and still kicking.

Mama is learing so many lessons!

Things like...

what to burn in the burn barrel vs. the burn pit...

how  to have patience with getting things in order...

how to do without super fast internet...

and most importantly,

how to save those "nice" clothes for days when they won't get ruined by kids running and playing and digging and horse riding.

These kiddos are having so much fun!

Tonight was a perfect example.  They tied a rope to a bike and the other end to the wagon and away they went down the long, long driveway.  They laughing, giggling and... yes, crying when a certain boy couldn't go when he wanted to (I'm not saying who that was...) was amazing!

They are picking cucumbers and finding turtles... watching rabbits bound across the driveway...

There is just too much to tell.

Fun.

Fun.

Fun.

My brother came for a visit a couple days ago. 

It was such a wonderul time of visiting.

I have missed him so much.

School is rapidly approaching.

I am not looking forward to that.

The heat continues...

Everyone keeps telling us this is so rare.

"This isn't the usual weather around here."

Well good!

It is doggone hot!  I  know that soon enough I will be complaining about the cold...so I guess I should close my mouth and enjoy it while it lasts.

Thank you all for thinking about us and loving us and waiting for us to get things up and running again.

Sometimes it just takes awhile.  There is life to be lived afterall.

We Are Alive...

After my sister-in-law sent a post to my facebook, I realized that I had totally forgotten to let anyone know we had survived our drive and arrived safely.

There are so many stories to tell... and I am just so bogged down with the work of cleaning and moving and cleaning and storing... My Dad's stuff is in the house with all of our stuff at the moment...  Which means there is a lot of stinking stuff in this house!

We are s.l.o.w.l.y. getting things in order.  We have managed to clean one bathroom, the dining room and the girls room.  This is a monumental task!  I know that single men would not understand... but a woman wants their home to be a home!  I can't wait until this one is transformed into something resembling that again.

The kids are in heaven!  They are running, playing, digging, riding tractors and horses and playing in the trees... They come in at night completely covered in dirt... worn out!  They are glad to get into beds... which were sleeping bags on the newly cleaned floor.... until today.  My husband is putting beds 3 and 4 together right now.  He has been working so hard.

You guys!  My son-in-law called me last night to see how things were going!  Isn't that the coolest thing ever?  Besides being able to say my son-in law... I just love that he called and chatted with me.  He is the BEST!  You guys just don't even understand the depth of our love for him!

My brother is coming up tomorrow for a short visit.  I haven't been able to see him in 2 1/2 years!  That is a long time.  We talked nearly every day of that time, but seeing him will be amazing!

I am so impressed with the help we have had from the kids.  They are tired, but they are lifting, moving... whatever is needed they do.  They are an amazing bunch of human beings!

We learned our first lesson when we had been unpacking the first day.  Mark became very sick suddenly.  After hearing what he was feeling, I was pretty sure he was dehydrated... big time.  I made him drink a bunch of water and lay down.  After sleeping for a couple of hours and drinking a lot of water he was feeling a lot better...  Now we work for an hour or so and then make everyone drink water and rest in the cool house for about 20 minutes.  That man scared me!

Raider is adjusting to being an outside dog.  He did manage to open the front door one night and slept next to my dad... hahahahaha.  That is a smart dog!

Okay,  I can hear my peeps needing their mama to wrangle them a bit.  I can't wait to start posting some photos, but I can't upload right now.  I am using my Dad's computer. 

I hope your hot days of summer are as blessed as mine have been.  I can't wait to be able to share some of our adventure with you...

yard sale...

Sorry that I didn't post anything today, but I am outside with the crew doing the moving sale thing.

It is hot and busy... on a wednesday!  Who woulda thunk it?

yard sale...

Sorry that I didn't post anything today, but I am outside with the crew doing the moving sale thing.

It is hot and busy... on a wednesday!  Who woulda thunk it?

Wedding pic...and exhaustion...

What an amazingly fun wedding!

I am so tired I really don't know how we will get this packing finished...

That's okay, though.

Somehow things always manage to work themselves out.

There are sooooo many people that I feel the need to thank...

Hopefully you guys know who you are...

Our family is amazing and I thank God for them daily!

Without you...

well, let's just not go there, okay?

I have so many stories to share, but for now I will just have to leave you in suspense.

Maybe this evening I will get a chance to sit for a spell and share.

The picture at the top is from Emily Loftus Photography...

Emily, I miss ya already and can't wait to see the rest of the photos!

This sneak peak was not nearly enough!

Summer Days...

Our lives these days are very busy.

Packing, packing and more packing.

We only have a few days until we will drive away from here into a new adventure.

My house fills up daily with boxes...

Which get moved into the garage in the evening.

(if I'm lucky)

However, sometimes I have to take a small break to reaquaint myself with my smallest children who have had to see their trampoline, playhouse and swingset taken down in readiness for the move.

I think icecream cones are a great way to not only spend a hot afternoon, but a little family time.

In the midst of all of our business, it good to remind ourselves that all is good!

Miranda signs all of the boxes she packs with a smiley face...

It just makes me happy when I see it.

I hope your summer days are filled with icecream cones, family and smiley faces...

There will be wedding photos as soon as I can find the time.

I can't guarantee that will be before the move though.

We'll see.

6 days until the move...

And Now for the Finale...

Back to packing!

I promise to share wedding pics as soon as I can find a few moments...

Please don't hate me if I take some time to catch my breath...
while taking care of a large family...
and packing for the big move next weekend!

What a blast!

Saying Goodbye...

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our church family.
It was very difficult and emotional.
A few of our closest friends were very difficult to say good bye to.

Just now, literally moments ago, we had to say goodbye to Nate.
Our little sunshine guy.

Saying goodbye is never easy...

...even when you know that God has a great and amazing plan in store for your family.

Countdown...

My back is hurting so bad today.

We (Which translates to I)  have been packing like crazy and now I am feeling claustraphobic due to my husband not moving these boxes out to the garage yet.

My kitchen is done except for a few items I absolutely need to cook with while we are still here.  My living room is 90% done.  My family room is 90 % done.  We haven't touched the office area.  The girls are sllllooooowwwlllyy working on their bedrooms.  I have done Brysen's room.  The babies are all packed and ready to go on Monday or Tuesday.  I have begun in our bedroom, but that is a huge job.  Oh and the garage has been sorted.  We have a huge pile of some really nice stuff to sell... if I can find a day to have a yard sale. 

That may be a really big IF........

Don't forget... we leave in a couple of days for our oldest daughter's wedding.

Crazy... That is the only way to explain my life right now.

6 Days Until the Big Wedding Event

Moving...

Yes, it is true!

We are moving at the end of the month...

We are very excited to get back to the farm...

The kids are jumping for joy!

Now, we just have to pack and pack and pack and............