I'm better because of it.....

We did it. We are gone. 13 years in Highland are over and we are safely installed in Riverside. I have been meaning to write down some of my feelings but we have been running non stop all day every day.

Just for fun I made a list of all the activities events and responsibilities that I have been managing for the last six months and it is staggering even for me. I feel victorious.

DJ's mission call/preparation/temple trip/ farewell
Spencer's move from Riverside to Jurupa
registration for school and summer school
Tyler graduation from High School
Finding a place to live
Presale
Gift
Mom and Dad's mission farewell
taking Tyler to Mom and Dad's farewell
packing
moving
moving
finding a home for our poor old couch- the sister missionaries have a sweet set up now!
This morning I had Spencer's first IEP at his new school.

All of that through 6 days a week for presale and Gift with purchase. Whew!

All I can say is.......I love it.

We landed in a sweet neighborhood and a house that is juuuuuuuust right. not too big. not too small. I have a washer and dryer and very soon a microwave.

I'm feeling braggy so I'm going to list my current sweet hookups. Work is less than 10 minutes away. Grocery is two blocks. The Metrolink train is just a skip over the freeway. You can walk to our chapel in 10 minutes. (I want to ride my bike to church). Big trees. Anchos restaurant is a jewel we discovered. My back patio where I enjoyed some rusty yoga poses the other day. The list goes on and on.

The reason why I feel so jazzed is because our other moves were in the midst of terribly trying times. We left Overton buried up to our zots in autism therapies and desperate for better services. We left our first house because we were cramped for space and sanity. And we finally left Highland so we could be 15 minutes away from our babies.

Every move was full of hope and desperation that our circumstances would get better. And I can honestly say that it didn't turn out that way. It got tougher and tougher and more painful with every passing year. The refiner's fire was heating up to deep fat fry.

Well. It worked. I was fried to a crisp and now I can enjoy the fruits of my painful labors. My boy is loving the missionary work and is able to serve peacefully.

My two younger sons are content and healthy. They are in excellent classrooms with fantastic aides and teachers.

I felt strong enough to take Tyler on a road trip to my parents' farewell. (no small miracle)

I finally moved away from a town and I was actually in a better place than when I left. No small amount of thanks to all the friends, family, teachers, bus drivers, aides, school administrators, church leaders, and the prayers and goodwill of so many others.

It worked.