(I'm glad we didn't have to travel in one of these!)We made it to Texas safe and sound and we finally have internet, so I am finally getting around to sending off an update. We have been here a little over a week now and so far we are enjoying it, although we haven't gotten out that much because of the hundred degree weather and humidity. That will take some getting used to for me, I am pretty sleepy most of the time from it, even when I am indoors in the a/c. We are getting settled in our little rental home, finding creative ways of fitting our stuff into it and taking a lot of it back out to the garage if it isn't essential. It is a cute little home though and I think it will be comfortable enough for the time we are in it. We have been able to go and do some fun things already and we have a lot more planned. We went to the Cowtown maze in the Stockyards in Fort Worth and the kids loved that. They got time cards so they could race eachother and see who found all the stations, marked them off, and got out first. At the end the ones who were already out went up to the lookout to help the last one (Jacob) to find his way out. They shift the maze around periodically so the kids are already planning to go again and see if they can beat their time.
The ward members here are so welcoming and have already invited us for several outings, swimming, dinners, and just to play, and we already are making friends, which we are very grateful for. We went with some of our new friends to a town near Dallas to see the fireworks and an airshow, and it was a very impressive show. The kids can't stop talking about the airplane that shot out fireworks. We had a good time, although I don't know if I want to be in that large of a crowd again very soon. The smog really got to me and gave me a headache. Burleson (the town we live in) is close to Fort Worth, which is a pretty big city also, but it seems to have cleaner air and it doesn't feel like such a big place. There are a lot of people and a lot of businesses, but there are also many trees and fields and farms and rural feeling places intermixed with everything. I guess you can find a little bit of everything here. It is nice. I still can't find my way around without a gps and I don't know if I will ever be good at that (I miss the mountains for their beauty but also for getting my bearings!). But I am sure I will get used to things.
Our trip here was quite an adventure. We were supposed to leave Enoch together in the afternoon and stay in Hurricane the night before our move, at Mike's parents house. They had a nice dinner planned with his family. But Mike couldn't find one of our cats, and so he had me go ahead of him and said he would come with the uhaul when he found the cat. I figured he would give up after a while and come in time for dinner with or without the cat, but he felt like the kids were already kind of upset about moving away from their family and friends and he hated to make them leave one of their pets behind too. So he didn't give up. It took him until 10 pm to find the cat and get them both in the carrier, so he missed the dinner, which we were all sad about. Just as he was putting the cats in the truck, the carrier broke and they both ran away! So then he spent more hours rounding both of them up and fixing the carrier. It took him until 1 am to get them in there and he showed up around 2 (we were sleeping by then and I had told the kids I wasn't sure if we would be able to take the cats with us). When they woke up in the morning their first question was whether we got the cats and they were very happy that he did. I only hope they don't run away when we let them outside after all that he went through to get them here!
We got up early, although not as early as we had planned, to make the 10 hr drive to Albuquerque. My Dad came with us to help drive and that was a lifesaver. It was nice to have that time to spend with him too. The kids were really good the whole way, and the cats were pretty good too, not too much whining, although we had to be really careful every time we stopped and got out so they wouldn't run away. Despite getting stuck behind a line of model Ts going 20 mph near the grand canyon, plus the usual bathroom breaks and hangups, we made it there before bedtime.
The second day was another 10 hr drive to Burleson. It was interesting to see the landscape change along the way, from the red mountains of New Mexico, which are a lot like southern Utah, to the fields and flatlands in Texas. We went through some really cute little farming communities and quaint old main streets. We stayed the night at the home of the family Mike has stayed with for the past 3 months, and they were so kind as always, making us feel right at home and even helping us unload and watching our kids the next morning for a while as we unpacked. We have been so blessed by them, and it still amazes me what they did for us when we were total strangers.
After we had unloaded everything and gotten the beds and the kitchen set up, we went out to the movies for a break. We saw Disney's 'UP' and it was great. It made me cry in parts, and it was a fun, creative, thought provoking story. It was also pretty expensive and I don't know that we will be going to the theater as a family again anytime soon but that is what the kids wanted to do most and we promised them. We hoped to see some of the sites along the way, like the grand canyon, and the albuquerque science museum, but because of the cats we couldn't stop at those places. So we settled for the movie. Maybe on our next trip to Utah we will see those things. That will probably be in a year and a half.
Anyway, this is probably more information than anyone wanted. We miss our Utah friends and family already and would love to hear from you anytime and stay updated on your lives. We are grateful for all your help and prayers for us. We are still trying to sell our house, so keep the prayers coming if you can, and we will be remembering you in our prayers as well. Love to you all!
The ward members here are so welcoming and have already invited us for several outings, swimming, dinners, and just to play, and we already are making friends, which we are very grateful for. We went with some of our new friends to a town near Dallas to see the fireworks and an airshow, and it was a very impressive show. The kids can't stop talking about the airplane that shot out fireworks. We had a good time, although I don't know if I want to be in that large of a crowd again very soon. The smog really got to me and gave me a headache. Burleson (the town we live in) is close to Fort Worth, which is a pretty big city also, but it seems to have cleaner air and it doesn't feel like such a big place. There are a lot of people and a lot of businesses, but there are also many trees and fields and farms and rural feeling places intermixed with everything. I guess you can find a little bit of everything here. It is nice. I still can't find my way around without a gps and I don't know if I will ever be good at that (I miss the mountains for their beauty but also for getting my bearings!). But I am sure I will get used to things.
Our trip here was quite an adventure. We were supposed to leave Enoch together in the afternoon and stay in Hurricane the night before our move, at Mike's parents house. They had a nice dinner planned with his family. But Mike couldn't find one of our cats, and so he had me go ahead of him and said he would come with the uhaul when he found the cat. I figured he would give up after a while and come in time for dinner with or without the cat, but he felt like the kids were already kind of upset about moving away from their family and friends and he hated to make them leave one of their pets behind too. So he didn't give up. It took him until 10 pm to find the cat and get them both in the carrier, so he missed the dinner, which we were all sad about. Just as he was putting the cats in the truck, the carrier broke and they both ran away! So then he spent more hours rounding both of them up and fixing the carrier. It took him until 1 am to get them in there and he showed up around 2 (we were sleeping by then and I had told the kids I wasn't sure if we would be able to take the cats with us). When they woke up in the morning their first question was whether we got the cats and they were very happy that he did. I only hope they don't run away when we let them outside after all that he went through to get them here!
We got up early, although not as early as we had planned, to make the 10 hr drive to Albuquerque. My Dad came with us to help drive and that was a lifesaver. It was nice to have that time to spend with him too. The kids were really good the whole way, and the cats were pretty good too, not too much whining, although we had to be really careful every time we stopped and got out so they wouldn't run away. Despite getting stuck behind a line of model Ts going 20 mph near the grand canyon, plus the usual bathroom breaks and hangups, we made it there before bedtime.
The second day was another 10 hr drive to Burleson. It was interesting to see the landscape change along the way, from the red mountains of New Mexico, which are a lot like southern Utah, to the fields and flatlands in Texas. We went through some really cute little farming communities and quaint old main streets. We stayed the night at the home of the family Mike has stayed with for the past 3 months, and they were so kind as always, making us feel right at home and even helping us unload and watching our kids the next morning for a while as we unpacked. We have been so blessed by them, and it still amazes me what they did for us when we were total strangers.
After we had unloaded everything and gotten the beds and the kitchen set up, we went out to the movies for a break. We saw Disney's 'UP' and it was great. It made me cry in parts, and it was a fun, creative, thought provoking story. It was also pretty expensive and I don't know that we will be going to the theater as a family again anytime soon but that is what the kids wanted to do most and we promised them. We hoped to see some of the sites along the way, like the grand canyon, and the albuquerque science museum, but because of the cats we couldn't stop at those places. So we settled for the movie. Maybe on our next trip to Utah we will see those things. That will probably be in a year and a half.
Anyway, this is probably more information than anyone wanted. We miss our Utah friends and family already and would love to hear from you anytime and stay updated on your lives. We are grateful for all your help and prayers for us. We are still trying to sell our house, so keep the prayers coming if you can, and we will be remembering you in our prayers as well. Love to you all!
3 comments:
I'm glad you all made it safe, even if it was eventful! Good luck still on selling your house and getting things unpacked. It's hard to be in limbo not knowing how long you will be where you are. We did that when we lived with my parents. It's tough to know what to unpack and what to just leave. But it all works out, even if it is a little frustrating! But I'm so glad you are making friends and having fun already! I bet the kids are really liking it!
I'm glad to hear all went well with the move. I know as an adult it seems a bit frustrating, or silly, to let a cat get in the way of your plans, but I really can appreciate the benefits, especially to the kids, of keeping your pet with you through the move. What a fun adventure for your family--new people to meet, new places to explore. Have you met any homeschoolers there yet?
Tara
Hi Tara,
We have met some homeschoolers, there are actually 2 or 3 in our ward here including the bishop. The family we spent the 4th of July with has 6 kids that they homeschool, and we have been doing a lot together. I haven't found much in the way of groups here yet, except for those born again Christian groups that require a statement of faith that I won't sign. There are a lot of homeschoolers in Texas, and hopefully we can build some bridges with them (most are in those groups). I haven't found many who are aware of TJEd so I might have to do some community building that way too. It will be an adventure!
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