Author: midder

Surreal is the only way to accurately describe the last week or so of our lives. It’s been quite the whirlwind. Saying goodbye to folks up there was much harder than I ever thought it would be. The girls especially had made such good friends that they ran around with nearly everyday. It was much like it is here in Arizona. Abigail and Grace are running after each other and their friends . . . Lucy tries to join in the fun . . . much to the chagrin of all around. The same cycle.

It was especially hard for us to say goodbye to Julie’s family. We really enjoyed being around them and had some great times together. I especially enjoyed the meals that Julie often cooked for the great company we had.

We tried to make the whole thing as “normal” as possible for the girls, taking them out trick or treating and what not the night before the move. Even Julie got into the action. She loves Halloween and could not resist.

It was a bit hard for me to be my normally festive self when I saw this out the front door:

The trip back to Arizona was quite grueling. Mikey came up the night of 10/31, slept a few hours, and then took off early the next morning while we tried to get things sorted out. He kept sounding more and more concerned as he would call me from Fillmore, Beaver, and then Kanab, and we hadn’t left yet. I think he got home around 7pm, which is probably around the time that we were crossing the border into Arizona. Thanks, Michael, we couldn’t have done it without you. Now I owe you *big* time, instead of just big time.

One of the crazier coincidences about the whole thing was that our friends, the Steeles, were moving from Arizona back to Utah on the very same day. I would guess that we passed each other along the way somewhere, but we didn’t see them.

I was driving the truck that was also pulling my beloved Hyundai. I couldn’t go much faster than 65 MPH. I don’t know if I’d even want to go faster than 65 MPH in that thing. The girls kept themselves occupied by trick or treating to each other in the van the whole way home with candy they had collected the night before. The were a lively bunch for sure. Julie . . . not so much. She took a good power nap in Kanab while I took the girls and ran out on some golf course to try and get the wiggles out.

Since we’ve been back, we’ve been able to get Abigail and Grace back in school at Marley Park. They’ve got some good teachers, which is reassuring. And the school seems to have really improved just in the year we’ve been gone. Lucy started preschool on Tuesday, so she didn’t really miss a beat. Though I think she got a little spoiled by her setup in Pleasant Grove. Her new school wasn’t quite the facility that her old one was. And I doubt that they’ll have stuff like this at the new one:

The first few days back were a little too overwhelming for us both. So, for those of you who stopped by and wondered what in the world our problem was, we apologize. So many were so good to us in welcoming us back. Our refrigerator was full of food and we had some great stuff waiting for us when we got back, including a few great meals. Thank you. All of you.

Once we got everything off of the trucks (which was much more of an ordeal than I was anticipating), the real fun began. Julie has some ideas for the house, which will be great. She always makes things work.

I mentioned the surreal feeling above. Sometimes it feels as though we never even left. Sort of like the past year was nothing but a dream. But I consider how Julie and I have both grown, and I know that there’s some reality to it. Some of you may wonder about what happened to Brian, and that’s fine. I’m just happy to have 5 of the most beautiful and talented girls in the world in my life, no matter where we are. I am extremely grateful, which I guess is what this time of year is all about, so that’s rather convenient. Eh?

Here is a link to all of the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/midder/

Here’s a sneak peak at some shots from our photo session a bit ago. It was a perfect fall day and we just walked around Pleasant Grove. Kelly McCaleb took the pictures. She really worked with the girls (including Julie) and is a new favorite of Julie’s. She’s the sister of one of Natalie Kidd’s friends out in Surprise. Thanks for the tip.

These are the only ones we’ve seen as well. We hope to get the rest soon.

Meanwhile, we have finally begun packing. Though it seems like we have less and less to pack. Craigs List has been wonderful up here. It’s like the greatest garage sale in the world. And we’re doing the selling!

For the 3 or 4 loyal readers, this will hardly come as a surprise. There’s always some self-imposed drama happening in my life. And I secretly love it. Of course even at my most dramatic I can’t compete with what Lucy, Abby, Grace, and Gwen seem to come up with regularly. It’s quite amusing really. Today Julie got these shoes for Gwenyth that squeak every time she takes a step. It’s kind of like those uber-nerdy spiderman shoes that light up when you take a step. So you see little boys nerding around, clomping their feet with every step, showing off the lights. These aren’t quite that annoying, but it’s only been one day. We’ll see what comes of it in a few weeks. But they are pretty cute.

The reason for my reference to the drama is because we’re going to be moving back to Arizona in a few weeks. We’ve got the trucks all lined up, some reliable drivers ready (thanks, Mid), this house is now leased out to someone else starting next month, and we’re ready to go. Except for the fact that we haven’t packed a single thing yet. Maybe it’s our ever-present sense of denial, hoping that something will happen to change the course. Or maybe it’s because we’re so good at it by now. Either way, the next few weeks are going to be interesting.

We’ve had a great time up here. The girls have done so well in their various classes and activities. While we’re certainly disappointed to have to be moving again, I think we both agree that the circumstances are pretty good, all things considered. Lessons learned and all that.

We should be down there by November 3rd. Then the fun begins. I’m most excited about being able to setup the hot tub, instead of seeing it up on its side every morning when I go to work.

I never have anything quite so profound to share with the world like Julie does. I find that people react more by rolling their eyes than by wiping tears from their eyes. Such is life. And that’s why I have Julie, to balance my cruft a little bit. Right now I’m home watching Gwenyth destroy the house in no time flat. Tuesday mornings Lucy has her music class, so I get to sit home and be with Ms Destructo. It’s fun.

Lucy’s class had a field trip last week that Julie and Gwen were able to go on. They went to a farm and met a large 1300 pound pumpkin-eating hog name LeRoy. Gwenyth, of course, calls everything a “goggie” and acts interested in and scared of everything at the same time. We’ve sure been fortunate to have these girls in their classes. 

Last Friday night was to be the start of the tournament for our softball team. Our first few games of the season were interesting, but we got pretty good toward the end. Unfortunately it was freezing cold and pouring down rain that night, so we weren’t able to play. We almost did, though. The games that were scheduled an hour before ours were just ending, and the umpires said that they weren’t going to call the next games. But when the temperature dropped 10 degrees in 5 minutes and the rain *really* started picking up, they thought better of it. We’ll see if it gets rescheduled or not.

We had a great, relaxing weekend. We listened to some great messages that have (hopefully) inspired us to do and be better. Julie made some awesome brocolli cheese soup and clam chowder. Late Sunday afternoon, we decided to head up to Sundance again. I was thinking that there would be some snow for the girls to play in, but there wasn’t any at all. I was kind of surprised. There was some sort of dog show up there, so all the hoity toities were parading around with their mutts. We didn’t really dress for the occasion. We looked sort of homeless. But it was as beautiful as ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/midder/