"You Have Arrived!"

That is what our GPS said to us on Saturday: "You have arrived." Here we are in beautiful Williamsburg, and already we love it. We have been delighted by how friendly people are and how many families there are in the area. Also, we have already checked out the law building at William & Mary and the professors were friendly and introduced themselves to us and the building is very nice. Our LDS bishop also came by and spent an hour visiting with us and just being generally great by answering our questions and giving us some counsel. As far as the history, well, we went to the shops at Colonial Williamsburg and plan to tour the historic area more this week. The weather is familiar to us because it's hot and humid and that's what we grew up with. I've realized in my vast experience (i.e. living in dry and living in humid) that I really prefer moisture in the air; I like humidity. In my experience talking to other people, this view is unusual, but it is true for me anyway even if it isn't popular.

As far as moving in, we have been fortunate to get in and get set up in about a week. We could only do this so quickly because my in-laws came down (bringing a few more things with them that my parents had been storing) and they helped watch Caleb and run errands so that we could get all set up. Also, they brought their van, so when we found a couch for $60 at the thrift store DAV (Disables American Veterans), we could use their van to bring it home. This is the first actual couch (rather than a futon) that we have owned in our marriage-- and it only cost us $60, pretty sweet! We loved having Patrick's parents here and I think they had a good time being here and seeing the sights, but we are also looking forward to settling into our bedrooms and into our own routine. We miss those we love back in Utah, but in general, life is sweet and we are happy.

Goodbye, Daniel and Michelle and your family

Goodbye, Libby and your family

Goodbye, Brother Brigham and all things offered by your university.

Hello, Mr. Jefferson and your beautiful capital

Hello, Grandpa, and thanks for coming to help us

Hello, Grandma, and thanks for carrying couches, assembling bookshelves, making meals, and everything else you've done.

Things I Would Like to Do Before I Move If the Stars Align

I've lived in Provo for five winters and three summers now and I doubt that I'll be back here for many, many years, so I'm making a list of things to do in the next week before we go to honor good ol' Provo.

See friends of course
Roll down the hill at the Harold B. Lee Library
Play chess at the Maeser Building
Have a water fight in the JFSB fountain
Possibly go browse the BYU Museum of Art
Play on the experiments at the Eyring Science Center
Move the bookshelves in the HBLL periodicals (because the first time I did it, it was magic)
Teach my Beehives one more lesson (*sniffle*)
Take Caleb to walk around at Bridal Veil Falls
Try out the Surf 'n Slurp (cheers to you, Madie and Becca)
Maybe drive up to Salt Lake City and take a tour of the temple grounds

Here is my question for you:
If you were moving from whatever place you live (or perhaps from your favorite place you've ever lived), what would you do before you left (or when you returned) to honor it?

In Transition

For a moment, we're taking a break. Patrick and Caleb are napping and I am thinking about what to eat for lunch. Our apartment is looking bare. And it's all because we're in the midst of packing. What a life experience it is! Now that I think about it, moving deserves a Life Token (you know the little pieces you get in the game of Life when you do something noteworthy) much like having your first garage sale.

The things we've been thinking about during this process are: Where will we live; How will we move especially now that we have a baby; Where do you find boxes for packing; How many boxes does it take to move a three-year-married-with-baby couple; How do you work out the timing between a moving company and a family; How will we keep a 10-month-old entertained for three days in the car; What will we do with ourselves for the week between when our stuff is taken and we're still here; Probably more importantly, what will we do with ourselves for the days between when we arrive and our stuff arrives; What sorts of stuff will we need to buy before we leave Utah and what sorts of stuff will we need to buy after we arrive in Virginia; How much do we need to budget for that stuff; What will Patrick's orientation week be like; What will our next year, three years, four years, summers, ten years be like; How will we get to the temple in D.C. once we don't have family and close friends to watch our son; How will we manage to see everything we want to see out East (especially in Virginia, and especially in Williamsburg of course); What do we want to see here in Utah before we leave for many, many years; What will we do without our amazing support network we've built up here; How will we help Caleb manage the transition and how will we manage it ourselves; and, well, there's so much besides that!

Some of those thoughts sound concerned, but mostly, to be honest, we're really, really excited. Someone warned us to be patient with each other while going through the process of moving, but so far we haven't been especially tense with each other. We've ended up dividing up responsibilities fairly naturally and helping each other a lot during these last couple of days especially. I know we're both sort of nervous, but more than anything we are looking forward to our next big adventure. Wish us luck!

Things That Make Me Happy

What Takes Me Out of My Happy Place

Okay, truthfully, I'm going to start with something that frustrates me like crazy: putting Caleb to bed. That is right, I absolutely hate it. I feel myself almost getting angry because it takes more than an hour a lot of time even when I know he's tired! I set him in his crib, and he stands up again, and again, and again, and again, and . . . well, you get the point-- argh! Patrick sometimes holds him down and has success with that, but I'm not much good at it, and either way, it doesn't always work either. Sometimes, now I've started to leave after I've laid him down from standing up five or six or seven times. And then he just stands in his crib and cries until I think he's going to make himself sick (the longest I have left him is ten minutes). At first, it sort of seemed to make him tired enough that at least he'd finally relax and go to sleep, but now when I come back in and lay him back down he just stands up. I am going out of my mind! I thought I might ask the doctor for suggestions since he is supposed to call me Monday with some results on blood work Caleb had done, but I'd be interested to know if other people have had similar problems and what they have done. I am going out of my mind.

What Puts Me In My Happy Place

Two quick points 1.) This is another list. Sorry if you hate them. 2.) These are not all equal in worth and they are not in any sort of order.

1. Going to the Temple: Since we've been married, Patrick and I have been able to go to the temple every month. I doubt we'll be able to manage that once we move and the temple is more than 5-20 minutes away (5 to Provo, 20 to Timpanogos). Also, we have been fortunate to have aunts and friends who have been so kind about watching Caleb so we could go together. We went today, and it felt so good to be in such a beautiful, peaceful place.

2. An Adventurous Baby: Since pretty early on, Caleb has been a mover, and now he is into everything. Even though I joke about the messes he makes, they don't bother me that much. I love how curious he is. I love watching him explore. I think it's fun that he climbs the entire flight of stairs, that he tastes all the rocks in the rock garden, that he opens and closes the drain while taking a bath, that he puts his hand under the faucet when it's running, that he knocks things down just because they're there.

3. Writing: Aunt Mickie called a few months ago to tell me about the BYU Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference. I went to the afternoon sessions of the conference and felt really enthused about writing. I won't say how successful I've been about doing it consistently since then, but I learned a lot and I was inspired by all the authors who are moms while also being successful writers. Many of them gave good tips on how to manage it. And I felt like, if they can do it, so can I.

4. Houses Growing and Changing: Since marriage, Patrick and I have laid silent claim to houses that were going up near where we lived. There was one right next to our old apartment that we watched go up and felt some possession of, and there's one nearby here with a round room on the second floor that has a steep, pointed roof. (Disclaimer: I don't know much about architectural terms.) We love that room even though we've never been in it. We like to think about what our house would look like if we were to build one. There's something very refreshing about a new house. It's like a clean piece of paper-- very hopeful--waiting to be filled.

5. Walking in the Rain: Today, what made me think about making a happy list (which I know I've done before) was that I went walking with Caleb in the rain while Patrick was at work. I put a cover over the stroller and then went walking over around the park and around our neighborhood. It was a warm (slightly dusty) rain, and quite a few people were out so that two different women visited with me a little bit and were very friendly and kind.

6. Books: Recenlty I've read Larger-Than-Life Laura and Heartbeat, two middle-grade books which had good messages and didn't absorb too much of my time and energy (which is a plus). Although, before that, Patrick and I got into the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and it did absorb a lot of time and energy, but it was fun and somewhat educational as well.

7. Packing: We're not leaving until the end of July, but since we'll be out of town for two weeks before that, I've already started loading stuff in boxes. It might be a little premature, but I am enjoying it. It's nice to get things done before your stressed about it. And it's nice to be filing down our stuff and making friends with DI. And it's nice to watch our lives get simpler and simpler as I pack away more and more of our stuff and our house begins to look like we're leaving, which we are. And I'm happy to say that I think "unpacking" will also be something that makes me happy once we reach Virginia.

8. A Fresh Start: I am so excited for something new! I have loved my time here in Utah, but I am so ready for a change. I am ready to be around new people in a new region of the country with new weather (where the rain doesn't smell dusty), and a new stage of life for our family, living in a new apartment, and making new friends (though I love the friends we have), with new adventures ahead. I don't kid myself that it will be completely easy, but I still think that all-and-all it will be a wonderful thing for me personally and for us as a family.