we're here.

Oh, my, I don't even know where to begin. There are so many things I'll want to remember. The last few months have contained our last days in Lansing and our stay in Idaho that culminated in a weekend of white dresses and my baby brother taking a bride, as well as my baby turning 5 years old. But today, I'll start in the present.

Tonight I sit in Chris's office. It's a nice size, is all set up according to his preferences, AND it is above ground, so he has definitely moved up in the world. I sit here because though we've been in Pullman a whopping 10 days, our estimated internet installation date is September 3rd. Say what? We're working on talking them in to coming a wee bit sooner.

Long ago, but not so very long ago, the kids and I were partying in Idaho. Chris, his parents, and some friends readied the house, packed the truck, and Chris drove our car across the country all by himself. He met us in Idaho for the wedding, and a few days after that, we packed our party and headed to Pullman. 

Let us address Pullman, shall we? We came here in May on a house hunting extravaganza. Chris had told me it was small and hilly, but what he failed to mention was that it is SMALL AND HILLY. I almost cried when we arrived. And I almost cried when we arrived 10 days ago too. Because I knew it was the right place, it was just different. And small and hilly. But in the last few days, a peace has filled my heart. We have discovered parks and a swimming pool and shopping and Qdoba. Qdoba, people! I seriously had tears in my eyes. I swear God put that Qdoba in Moscow as my saving grace. So Pullman/Moscow and I are learning to get along. I think, after all, we'll be quite happy here.

 We arrived at our house the day before the truck and camped out in our basement. The truck arrived the next day, and so did the missionaries to carry the heavy stuff. John was so obsessed with the truck. I think he thought we got to keep it, because he was beyond comfort when it was empty and we closed it up. Since then we have been living in chaos, stuff strewn about and boxes half unpacked. Moving will make you crazy, filling boxes and then turning around and emptying them. Today to have a limited number of boxes remaining, but stuff all over because I started to just empty their contents on the floor, because HEY! at least I was getting rid of boxes, right? I'm hoping we'll be settled by Christmas.

We left our table so we've been keeping it classy around here. 

Our house. In the middle of our street. (Really). I love our house. In May we came house hunting. I had such a vision for what our house would be. The selection wasn't enormous, and I think we had like 6 houses we really wanted to look at. I wanted a newer house in a newer neighborhood. We looked at all my top choices and one after the other after the other I just wasn't feeling the love. Too small, too weird, too whatever. There was one  house I loved in pictures but we couldn't get in until day 2. This house was perfect, except it was way above our price range. I chat with our lender let us know that we could actually get a loan that big, but the thought was unsettling. Our realtor, knowing we had kids, said we really needed to see the backyard. So we took a peek: this backyard was about 6 feet of grass followed by a steep drop off that ended abruptly at a fence. Totally worthless, if not dangerous. I was crushed. So we saw the last house. And it was the one. The sellers were particularly motivated, as they had a job waiting for them, and we got a great deal and a situation that was in our favor. It was perfect.

Our house is a 1978 split level. It is updated enough to make it void of any seriously major projects, but just a "work in progress" enough to make it fun. There are three bedrooms and two and a half baths. There is a living room upstairs and a good sized basement. This second living space was a deal-breaker in all the new houses we saw that only had one. We'll be painting, updating fixtures, and eventually doing a new backsplash (the kitchen is pretty new, but the backsplash they chose is not my favorite, to say the least). The mint-pistachio green paint is my major complaint. I mean, it tortures me, really. It appears the previous owners had a real fondness for the shade because it covers the master bathroom (even the ceiling! Ahhhh!), and random areas in the kitchen. Chris took some shelves down in the kids room and THERE IT WAS. They had painted around the shelves, heaven help me. Then I was messing with the kids blinds (the whole house needs new blinds) and I realized they had painted the inside of the windowsill the same color. I screamed. Like, literally a scream of terror. But all our updates are easy and fun ones, and we are so excited to make the place our own. I was worried about having only three bedrooms, but we just decided to keep the three kids together. Honestly, I don't think we could have split them. They really are the three amigos, and within days of setting up their room Carly had made an "open" and "closed" sign for the "Kid's Club". And I knew they were happy to be together.

We're exploring our surroundings. We found a park in our neighborhood where the swings go really high. Quinn loves it: "Me high!!!" It is two streets over from our house but, I kid you not, you go down a hill, up, down, and up again. And not Michigan "hills", I mean REAL hardcore hills. I thought we'd take a little walk/bike ride over there but Carly couldn't even ride her bike and then I ended up putting it on the stroller and scaling those hills pushing about 100 lbs. It was insane. I think we'll get used to it . . . and just leave the bike at home.

 Last, but not least, our house has a yard. It was completely unexpected, but I find myself most in love and excited about the yard when it comes to home ownership. Our house sat empty for two and a half months, and the yard was already not really to our liking, so it needs a lot of work. But it is fun and we're in no particular hurry. The kids and I have spent mornings out digging up weeds and dead plants (though John pulled up one of our only surviving flowers as he mimicked mom's weed pulling -- he got the whole root though so you've got to give him credit). They will ride their bikes around the garage and driveway while I work. Tonight we didn't worry too much about our dinner and bedtime schedule. We worked outside as a family and it was chaotic but picturesque at the same time. 

I feel like we've been waiting a long time for this. Life is crazy and I'm stressed and impatient all too often, but sometimes I look out the window at my kids playing the the yard and can't believe we're here. Sometimes I walk into my kitchen and wonder who's house this is. Sometimes I pull into our driveway and an overwhelming rush of gratitude washes over me. 

I'm so happy we're here.