Thank Goodness for Dads!

Things have been crazy as usual. I hope we don't move again for a while. Just getting your bills changed over, opening new bank accounts, figuring out where to do your grocery shopping, enrolling the kids in new schools, registering the car . . . is a PAIN, and the list goes on and on. Thankfully, my parents came to my rescue and helped me unpack the house a few days after the movers came. It was not unlike my mom to come and help me, but surprisingly, on Sunday night at the last minute, my Dad decided to cancel his meetings the next day at work and come and help out for three days. I can honestly say, it makes me cry thinking about it. I am so thankful he decided to come and help out. Within 3 days my house was completely free of boxes, everything put away and all my pictures hung. I know if it hadn't been for my Dad and his incredible ability to work and get things done, that I would still be in a mess today. Wednesday before my parents left, it was a rainy day and so we decided to go to the "Night of the Museum Museum", as my children like to call it (Its really the Museum of Natural History). It was a wonderful time. Steve took the day off, we had lunch, and only got to see less than half of the museum because it is so huge. Regretfully, I was in "work mode" when my parents came and so I didn't take many pictures, but I was able to take some when we went to Utah to visit a few weeks later. I am so grateful for the way my parents have worked to form relationships with our children, even though we live far away, and they have many other grandchildren. My children love their grandparents and are starting to understand what it means to be a family.

Chaos!

Where to start! This post will be picturless because at the moment I am cameraless, but I promise to document later. What to say. I am really excited about living in New Jersey. It is so different in such a fun way. People are loud and open and smile a lot. Everyone lives on top of each other so there is such a difference coming from the South and the way it spreads itself out. Because I love diversity and different wasy of thinking I am really enjoying this new place. We live by many Asians, many being Korean. I love watching the orthodox Jews walk to church on Saturdays with their hats on and their families. There are lots of Indians, Italians, and they really do talk just like they show on TV. Besides my adventures in People watching we are having a crazy time with our new house. So far we have been without an air conditioner for a week, using a dryer that takes 12 hours to dry one load, and a sink and a dishwasher that flooded into the basement. HOWEVER, I refuse to let these minor things ruin my day or my first month here! Well, got to go! Love, AMy

Farewell Alabama!

You know you haven't blogged in a long time when you can't remember how to use blogger. After over a year, moving seems to be a great time to start to blog again--and a very emotional time with many sad and exciting experiences. Last week we said goodbye to our first home and the longest place we have ever stayed--4 years in Madison, Albama. It has been a bittersweet experience to move, leaving a wonderful ward and good friends that will be friends for years to come. Leaving was hectic and crazy. The movers came on a Thursday and by Friday, there was nothing left in the house except the things they wouldn't take: cleaning supplies and my plants. It was a strange experience to stand in an empty dirty house that I had shed blood sweat and tears to make feel like home. Wouldn't you know it, Steve had a business trip he was unable to change the following Tuesday so we were stuck where we were. Thanks to the generosity of the Eames family, we were able to stay in their home while they were out of town. I was able to clean our house up, turn everything off, and get everything out. Again more friends came to the rescue, and because it would take a whole week for our things to arrive in NewJersey, we were invited to the beach with the Marsaw Family to spend the 4th of July before making our final move. So we left all our junk in the Eame's living room and all of my 13 plants in Jessica's front room on a blanket and went to the beach to pretend we weren't moving at all. Oh Sweet Relief!

This Steve's and my WE'RE SO HAPPY TO BE AT THE BEACH AND STRESSING ABOUT NOTHING face.

The kids had a blast with their friends. If you ever ask Luke who his best friend is, Hailey is always the first girl. He was sad to say goodbye to her. ( We secretly hope some day they'll meet again at BYU and get married.)

Anna and Melanie had fun together as did Stephen.

We had a great 4th of July with yummy hamburgers grilled up by chef Alex, watermelon, a cake that looked like the flag, and fireworks on the beach. This was definetly Stephen and Luke's favorite part. They loved helping their Dad with the Roman candles and anything else he would let them handle.





We had a few adventures: big rainstorms, beach hoggers, a morning of brown water, and a car break in, but it turned out to be nothing of consequence. Best part of it all was that I conveniently forgot to pack my sunday clothes in my suitcase before the movers left. One Sunday I borrowed Sonja's dress from her closet and told her later, the next week Jessica and I got to go shopping together at the outlets in Destin! Perfect!

Sadly. . . all great things must come to an end. We drove home from Destin on Monday and arrived in Madison late that night to spend one last evening with our dear friends the Nicholson's. It was an awful time for them, in the middle of putting their house up for sale and moving the Charleston, South Carolina, but they still refused to let us stay anywhere else. The boys played legos almost all day Tuesday and Stephen, Kael, and Logan got to spend one last day together before their lives changed from the routine of playing together they have known for the last few years.






Anna got to spend some time with Stephanie, as well, who happens to be one of her favorite people (bear in mind Anna doesn't have that many favorite people).

And Stephanie and I were able to talk and spend a crazy day together in the midst of all the home projects they have been working on.

And so, Tuesday night after getting both cars worked on and loading up both cars with all my plants and everything else we could fit in, we said goodbye to Alabama.

We drove 4 hours into the night, all day the next, and arrived Thursday evening about 6:00 pm. I can honestly say that we have a big beautiful country with a whole lot of trees (because that's mostly what we saw). I knew we were getting closer to New York City after passing through Pennsylvania and then suddenly noticing a whole lot of Mercedes and BMW's. That's a sure sign your in New Jersey because I have never seen more fancy cars in one place in my whole life. I hope I never get in an accident here because there is a high probability I might hit one. Well, here we are safe and sound in our creaky new house. It's late so I will have to write about our adventures in the North East next week.

Lots of Love,