Back in April we found a property with a house and 10 acres, only 25 minutes from where we were currently living, so we jumped on it. Our offer was accepted and we went through a long, drawn-out, and very stressful process to get to closing. We were supposed to close within 30 days, then 45, and in the end it was over 60 days. This wouldn't have been much of an issue except that we had a family reunion to attend in June...which ended up coinciding with when closing could finally happen. We ignored the advice of our buyer's realtor to postpone or forego our vacation and just made sure to pack everything possible before leaving.
We left for the Oregon coast on June 24th and made our way from Portland to Tillamook. Ever since the first time David tried Tillamook cheese, it's been his absolute favorite, so we had to make time to tour the factory and eat some cheese! We spent the night in Tillamook and headed down the coast to the campground in Newport, where most of the family was staying for the reunion. We spent the next few days hanging out with my Mom, step-dad, brothers, sister, their spouses and children. It was wonderful! I don't get to see my family very often so it was great to spend time with them. It was especially touching to see my brother Ken and his family- it had been over 16 years since I last saw him, and had never met his children. We enjoyed going on a dune buggy tour, visiting a dinosaur park that my parents had taken us to when we were children, going to the aquarium, and having family dinners together. I was sad to see it end on Sunday when we all went our separate ways again.
David and I then headed down the coast to see the Redwoods. He had never seen one before and it was fun to see his reaction to these giants. (Having grown up in Northern California, they were almost common to me, so it was great to be with someone who saw them as something entirely new and wondrous.) We both had a great time on the west coast. It made me remember the things I loved about growing up out there. Kinda made me wish we could somehow afford to live out there ourselves, but I don't think that's in the cards for us.
We flew back home on Wednesday, July 1st and got home around 8pm. We then turned around and headed to closing at 8:45 the next morning and went straight home to start moving. There were serious issues getting a truck but David was finally able to get one and he had plenty of help from church to load up. It took two trips to completely empty the house (ridiculous for only 2 people to have so much stuff!!) but we got everything moved that same day. I don't recommend moving the day after you get home from vacation. In fact, I strongly discourage it. It's crazy.
We've been basically non-stop busy ever since moving. In addition to trying to unpack and organize everything in a new house, there have been repairs (expected and unexpected) and a lot of cleaning that has needed to be done.
Sometime shortly after we moved in, I ended up getting in an auto accident. Apparently I'm not good at avoiding a semi in my lane on a winding back road AND simultaneously seeing that the driver in front of me stopped suddenly also. Oops. Thankfully I wasn't injured, although my car was totaled. I ended up with a fun rental car again (same type I drove on vacation!) and as soon as they decided to total the car I started car shopping. I was able to get a Kia Soul that's 5 years newer and has 50K fewer miles on it than my old car. Not to mention the fact that it's cute and fun to drive! All's well that ends well, right?
Since we didn't have enough stuff to do already we decided to get to work on a chicken coop so we could get chickens soon. David has been hard at work converting a metal shed into the Fort Knox of chicken coops. We've heard and read of so many people losing their chickens to predators that we want to keep ours as safe as possible. It's taking a lot of time and money, but the coop is looking great. I ordered chicks online and they showed up last Thursday. (So weird that you can get chicks through the mail!) I am absolutely thrilled with the chicks. They are so cute, and so much fun to watch. David keeps warning me not to name them or get attached, but we all know how impossible that is for me. :)
I was also released as Primary president and called as a counselor in Relief Society last week. It was time, so I feel good about it. I'm looking forward to getting to know more of the sisters in our ward and pushing out of my comfort zone to teach and be more social.
And that's all the update I have time to post today. Gotta get back to work! Life isn't slowing down any day soon. Let's just hope I can keep up!
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