Pictures!

Okay, remember that we are still organizing and trying to figure where some things will go. But for now, these will have to do!

Living Room

 Kitchen (Earl cleaning up after dinner)

 Bedroom

 Bedroom again

 Walk-in closet!!

 Bathroom (I have counter space, drawers, AND cupboards!)

So that's the quick tour. Time to throw my swimsuit on and chill in the hot tub before that thunderhead gets any closer!

Hello from the Desert!

Well! It's been a busy week! We packed up, loaded the truck, and drove out! We even had a helper in the packing process:

We left bright and early on Friday, July 13. It was a pretty uneventful drive from Newport Beach, CA to Gilbert, AZ. There was a good rainstorm that we drove through. Didn't wash the car nearly as well as I had hoped. Sage was a real trooper on the drive. She took to hiding most of the way:

We signed our lease, got our keys, and moved in. Sage and the litter box went straight away to the bathroom so that there wouldn't be any "accidents" or escape attempts. After a little while, I went to check on her and she was hiding inside the litter box, scared out of her mind. I felt so bad for her. Eventually she came out, had some water, and started reaching under the bathroom door, trying to get out. She has since adapted very well!

We have unpacked almost everything. There are still some random boxes here and there. They will probably stay that way for awhile. My goal for today was/is to organize our patio. Right now all of our empty boxes are piled up and it is impossible to go outside. Not that I necessarily want to go outside right now. It's probably close to 100 by now. But I would like to get our little outside storage organized and move boxes that will not be used anytime soon out there.

I have put pictures on the walls. I have blankets and throw pillows on the sofa. We have filled our closet with clothes, shoes, and other things. I had to purchase door hanging shoe racks for my shoes. They work quite well. The TV and computer are set up. The internet is connected.

We are moving in.

I still need to do more grocery shopping. Due to space and time constraints, we weren't able to bring every food item with us. So that area is a little bare at the moment. But it will come. My kitchen is fairly good-sized. Lots of counter space. Cupboard and drawer space is less than we had previously, but I am adapting. I have cooked in my new kitchen and it is quite nice. I'm back to an electric stove, which will take some getting used to. And the first meal I cooked was of course, macaroni and cheese.

I have determined that I need another bookcase. Now that I know what space I have, I can begin to shop for one. Earl would say I have too many books. I say he needs to keep his mouth shut and read one or two of them!

Once things are in order and as they should be, I will take pictures to share what our new home looks like.

Time to go change the laundry!

Last Day in California

It's 0814 on Thursday, July 12, 2012. This is our last full day in California.

And I'm not 100% packed.

I have this morning to pack up the pantry and bathroom. There are odds and ends of "stuff" laying around. At this point, I want to just throw it all away. I'm sick of packing. We haven't really cleaned yet. Good thing cleaning doesn't take too long.

My walls are barren. The computer and desk are packed away. My feet are currently propped up on a plastic bin because my coffee table is downstairs. All of our cleaning supplies are lined up on the kitchen counter, just waiting to be used.

And what am I doing? Sitting on my butt blogging! That's a good use of my time! But I am feeling very reflective this morning. And I wanted to be able to capture this moment. The sun is up but hiding behind the marine layer of clouds. The island is waking up and cars are driving by. Trucks are making their morning deliveries. Every now and then I hear a bird chirp. We don't have pretty songbirds here. Mainly crows, pigeons, and sea gulls.

It's still a bit chilly. Probably the 60's. I would be more comfortable with a sweater on, but this should serve as motivation for me to get up and working.

It's not working...

I may need a procrastination intervention.

Or just a swift kick in the bum.

Scared to Death and Saddling up Anyway

My life is about to change in a big way. Tomorrow afternoon we pick up our moving truck and with the help from friends at church, we will load up everything we own tomorrow night. Early Friday morning Earl will drive the truck as I drive our car to the desert.

We are moving.

It seems so final. Yet I know that we will be back to visit. It's not like we're gone forever. Or going to another continent.

Yesterday a wonderful friend gave me a going-away present. It is a handmade silver bracelet that says, "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway." It captured my emotions and I am so grateful to this woman.

I am scared to move. We are removing ourselves from our comfort zone. We are leaving the nest of our families. We are leaving behind our friends. But we are going anyway.

There is hope through all the sadness that moving brings. I have hope that we will save money in our new apartment. I have hope that Earl will find gainful employment. I have hope that he will be able to finish school. I have hope that one day we will be blessed with children. I have hope that we will begin to live, not just survive.

Our clothes are packed. Our shoes are packed. Half of the furniture is already in the garage waiting to be loaded. Today we are tackling the kitchen and food. Tomorrow, everything must be packed for it will be loaded regardless.

We start a new chapter in life this week. I'm scared to death, but I'm doing it anyway.