This day will always be reminiscent for me, and I feel like I’ve talked about it with friends a lot recently. And since you guys are my friends, also, I wanted to share some memories with you 🙂
On this day, June 4th, three years ago, we moved into this beautiful home!
It was instantly home. This house in this town was home long before we actually moved here.
We got the keys on June 3rd. That day, we grabbed a box I had prepared and took it to the house. It had toilet paper, paper towel, hand towels, soaps, and everything we’d need accessible to the people who were coming to help with the move. It also had kids toothbrushes and stuff, in case nothing ended up getting unpacked. I felt pretty organized. Embarrassingly organized, in fact. I was so ready. Knowing we were going to move so soon after having a baby, I planned everything down to the detail. I had drawn a diagram of my kitchen, stating what I wanted where, so it didn’t take very much brain power on the day of. Yup. I was that girl.
In 2016, June 4th fell on a Saturday, and it was the parade Saturday of our towns celebration weekend. It wasn’t perfect planning, thats for sure, since we would clearly anticipate having less help from our local friends. But we had lots of other people offer to help. We had trucks and trailers and willing helpers, plus a heap of people who promised to drop by if they had time.
On the day, we woke up in our little cabin by Lawson and got the kids settled eating breakfast just in time for them to not be underfoot when our moving help showed up. Everyone started showing up at the times we had arranged, and the work began! Jerilee came with a long coffee order for everyone, and occupied the kids while I delegated work and held Solomon. Remember, he was four days old at that point. It was a surprisingly smooth operation. Once the move was in action, I drove home.
I didn’t beat anyone by much time. Just long enough to really do a lap and realize we were finally where we belonged. It. Was. Surreal. I snapped out of my daydream when the trucks all pulled up and so many willing hands began the task of getting stuff inside. Our poor friends, though. Everything was in and settled, and Brady reminded them we still had a storage unit to tackle! Whoops!
The move bustled along, and I was basically useless, but I didn’t feel a moment of guilt because there just wasn’t an opportunity! The moving never stopped, and our group was the exact right group. Everyone who was helping was motivated, efficient, and happy to be there. No one complained, they all reassured me I shouldn’t be helping, etc.
My plan had been to make pulled pork on a bun for our friends, but my mom instead offered to bring us pizza. Yet another weight lifted off my load.
As the afternoon wore on, I was more and more touched by the people of this town. These people had places to be, but SO MANY PEOPLE came through our place, even just for a little bit, and lent a hand getting our stuff settled. I remember sitting in my recliner, rocking Solly, and telling the people in my kitchen I was so embarrassed by my little drawing. They said over and over how perfect it actually was, because it wouldn’t be a scenario where I’d have to go back and rearrange everything after. And they were right.
People set up the kitchen. They arranged the food in the pantry. They put beds in the right rooms and put bedding on them. They put clothes in closets. They made my home feel like I could actually live there. Like I could get up in the morning and do what needed doing without having to dig into a bunch of boxes. When aaaaall the crazy of the day died down, Jerilee took stock of what was hanging around on our dining table and island, and moved a few things against a wall so those spaces were usable. That was literally the last piece of the puzzle leaving me feeling overwhelmed. What amazing people we have.
Our pastor and his family moved into town on the exact same day, yet they found their way over to our house somehow to see if we needed any more help! An aunt and uncle even showed up unexpectedly with big pans of cinnamon buns for us!
We were just showered with love upon our arrival, and it feels like its never really stopped.
I’ve said it a lot but I’ll say it again. I go back and forth between total disbelief that we live here, and feeling like we always have. Its ours?? Its ours!!! Maybe not everyone would love to live here, but its so very perfect for us. Moving day is not a well documented day in terms of pictures, but it is such a vivid memory for me. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
No more moving for a long, long time!