The Whos are Once Again in Whoville, and All is Right With the World...

I am sitting here at my kitchen counter on a barstool that the previous inhabitants of our house left behind, scrolling leisurely through my email and all the blogs I have neglected the past few weeks while I was in hotel purgatory, and I must say...it is AWESOME to be back!

Nutshell-like update (hahaha):

December 11, 2008: We loaded up and headed South for the winter, narrowly missing a snowstorm that shut down schools and businesses alike. I spent my 27th birthday alone in my car listening to whatever the heck I wanted and loving it, then Chad made me eat at Denny's in Texarkana and it lost it's magic a little bit. He made up for it by booking us into a Comfort Suites at around 10:00pm. It was sooooo nice that when we walked into the room the boys asked if we could stay there forever!

December 12-15, 2008: We spent several days getting acclimated to Texas and looking for houses. Chad started work on the 15th and I dropped the kids off at a horribly overpriced daycare place and went to look at another house with a realtor...I knew the minute I walked in that it would work just fine, I overlooked some minor flaws because hey, it's a house, it has a yard that is fenced, and we are not buying it.

December 16, 2008: We found out that we got the house and I started to set everything in motion to move in on the weekend.

December 18, 2008: Caught a nasty stomach bleghghgh from Kade but manned it up because Chad was out of town for the second night in one week and I was stuck alone in a hotel room in Conroe, TX. I took care of business and we all survived...you don't want to know what I mean by that.

December 19, 2008: I wait patiently for a phone call telling me that our most of our worldly possessions are on their way to us. I get the phone call with the news that they couldn't find a truck large enough to transport our container so it wasn't picked up in time. The boys and I move into the house with our meager possessions from hotel living, and I get on the phone to the bishop of our new ward to ask for some air mattresses and put off help from the Elder's Quorum. I got a visit from the Compassionate Service leader, Jenny, who lives just down the street, along with several other families from our ward.

Yesterday, December 20th: We did various errands and looked at some furniture stores. Our neighbors across the street came to meet us. They just barely moved here from China and don't have any furniture either! They were super nice and friendly, it is looking like this street will be a great place for us. On the down side, we realized how filthy our carpets were because apparently the previous occupants had a dog and decided to clean the carpets. I spent the rest of the day doing so and I must say I am dang proud of myself, they don't look perfect, but they look and smell better! I didn't notice when I first came through the house because the electricity was off so I didn't get a good look at the carpets and I just thought it was a little musty from being closed up a few days.

Today: We went to church in our new ward and I have to say, I have never felt so welcome when I walked into a church building. Chad and I are not the most outgoing people, so in the three other wards we have been a part of during our marriage, it took a while to get to know people, and in those wards we already knew several families! People were so absolutely friendly and nice and offered to bring us meals and more air mattresses and just have us come hang out in their houses. I got the feeling several times that if we had needed it they would have just stripped off a piece of clothing right there and then. As it was we ended up with a hand-me-down barbeque and an invitation to dinner for Christmas! We scored again later on when my new buddy Jenny brought us a roast beef dinner and then a family came caroling with homemade cookies and bread and invited us for Christmas Eve. They said we'd be doing them a favor cause they are short a wiseman and a shephard...I had to refrain from telling them that Trevor would probably make a better wise-[censored]! In just a few short hours, I went from feeling like I was the poor little match girl to feeling like the most popular girl in school...don't worry, it won't last long enough to go to my head!

In Tennessee and in California our families were just a phone call away. I can't tell you how many times my parents or sisters answered my calls for help. Sitting alone with my kids in that hotel room Thursday night, sick and scared to death because I had nobody to turn to was a real eye opener of appreciation for just how good we had it! I kind of hesitated when my mom told me to call on my new Bishop for help, thinking that I could handle it on my own. After having done so, though, I realize that this is the reason the Church is so unique. A short phone call and not only do we have something to sleep on, but we are going to be able to get to know some of our fellow ward members, we are going to have a new type family to rely on in times of need. How often have I helped bring a meal or done some other kind of service, and I guess as in everything, I am seeing the blessings of such service. It teaches another kind of lesson as well. I have had to sit back and graciously accept the service that these people are so eager to give, maybe because it is Christmas, or maybe it is a huge answer to the prayers I was so hesitant to give voice to. I keep seeing a magnet on the back of cars out here that is shaped like a nativity and says "Let's keep Christ in Christmas". Well, I am happy to report that down here, that is just what we are doing.

Maybe my furniture will make it here tomorrow, or the next day, I am not really worried anymore. All I know is that my boys will get to be a part of a nativity on Christmas Eve and this Christmas I have learned a lesson of what really matters to me, even if I do miss my shoes.