The Six Pack's Big (first and hopefully last) Cross Country Move

Similar to not wanting to share too much around the time our house was on the market, for fear it wouldn't sell, because of our experience in Ohio where our first buyer backed out due to financing issues (which led to a whole domino effect of difficult things), it felt like Drew and I were holding our breath till the day we drove away from our home, the day we closed. We mini celebrated the night before with some Crumbl cookies, a staple of the last nearly 2 years here in Utah. We loaded the truck with the help of the sister missionaries in the pouring rain a week before we were planning on driving away, and then spent a lot of the last week in Utah sharing meals and spending time with some of our favorite people in the area. The night before we left, Becca came over with her kids to shower us with parting gifts (I think she purchased half of the Target arts and crafts section!!!). It was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture and the treats and snacks lasted through the entire three day drive, and the kids, while not perfect during the trip, did infinitely better than I expected because of all that stuff! The YW also stopped by with little notes for me and some snacks that came in handy (even veggies!). We were up cleaning and packing the car way too long for my liking but that is what I get for trying to go this whole moving thing mostly solo. I felt bad about moving and I felt worse asking for help in leaving the people who shared so much love with me.

The three day drive was snowy the first day then flat and uneventful the next two days. We were so blessed with good weather for January, We were able to stay awake for three full days of driving nonstop except for gas and bathroom breaks and occasionally food breaks too (we had a lot of snacks so we only needed to stop about twice a day for meals). It was quite an adventure. We closed on our house officially on Friday afternoon and arrived in Indiana in time on Saturday for our walkthrough and then spent two days in a (surprisingly kid friendly!) AirBnB. We closed on our Indiana home Monday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to have three members of our congregation come to help us unload the truck (and bring us cookies!) and we ended the day having pizza (a nice sit down dinner compared to the fast food we had been eating the last few weeks!). It was crazy but filled with blessings and wonderful people at our new church, gym and school(s). The kids started school a little late (they missed a week total!!) because of crazy cold temperatures but are adjusting well.

 pre-bedtime setup at Jasmine's house in Denver. Only one of these kids ended up sleeping the night in this room! (the rest made their way up to the bedroom!)

 So so sweet of Jasmine to let us crash her house!! My kids were nuts but had so much fun playing.

 Our second night we stayed at a Mariott... we didn't end up swimming like we promised them (we got in so late and wanted to leave early so we could make it on time to our walkthrough) but we got an amazing continental breakfast and the kids agreed it was worth it to make it on time to our new house!

 especially because we got mail in our new mailbox! Also pictured: mcdonalds treats to survive one of the afternoons of driving. SO. MUCH. DRIVING.

 Okay all these pictures are out of order... this was visiting cousin Alex and his wife Gabi in Kansas City (where we stayed at the Marriott night two). They treated us to some amazing BBQ in their home and the kids (as usual) went nuts running around the place.

 Waffle at Marriott hotel and first piece of mail in our new home from our dear Ohio friends <3

 First night in our new home we had delicious pizza!

 And Graeters because when in Rome!This mirror was from the farmhouse in Indiana. I loved it!

 Comfort in the midst of some craziness

 Also I loved this setup for the laundry room... I think I could build this myself so I am leaving it here to remember to put it in my projects.

 There could not have been a more perfect hymn for the first Sunday in our new state and congregation.

 Sunday lunch... Mexican food! Luckily we did not have to go out to dinner since a family from church invited us to their house

 Monday morning....

 And monday night... all 3 boys  (that lasted about a week until today when I decided I am OVER it)

That's it! We made it from Utah to Indiana in one piece with all our stuff. Miracle of all miracles.

Hope to follow my Faith (and sometimes lack thereof)

Last night Drew and I went over our options, all 7 of them for Indiana.

We managed to eliminate all but two. Most common culprits: already sold or not a good yard.

We agreed on a house and decided to sleep on it.

I really really liked that house. But.... another house we had already shelved (and never toured) because the realtor told us the floor plan was "terrible" weighed on my mind. I looked it up and asked Drew to go look at it tonight. And he did (and video chatted me in) and I fell SO HARD in love with that house. But it was (just like the Ohio and Utah houses) at the tippy top of our price range and I thought for sure it was a lost cause.

I went to pick up little d and his friends from scouts, the twins sleeping in the car and little A chatting with the boys when Drew called me and told me he told the agent we were putting in an offer on the house. That was the last thing I ever expected to hear from him... I hadn't tried to convince him that this house had my dream kitchen (my best argument) or anything like that... he just knew.

Words cannot express how I felt in that moment, driving those boys home and hearing those words from Drew. I just started crying. I felt in that moment that sense of relief you have after seeing your baby for the first time after they are born. Dramatic, I know, but this move, of all the 11 moves before it, needed to be different.  I needed this move to be the last one. And we found it...our state, our town, our schools, our neighborhood, our home.

We still need to put an offer in and have them accept it. Things can fall through or someone else could find it and offer more money than us. We had an amazing Sunday School lesson in church this past Sunday where I felt the theme "If I perish, I perish" where we talked about Esther and Daniel and how brave they were in the face of crazy adversity. They chose to trust in the Lord to protect them "but if not" meaning if they died, it would not affect their faith. I am so so SO happy with this home that I feel like we have been led to. It is my Barbie Dream house, the home I hope to share with my grandchildren someday and tell them the story of how their amazing frugal grandpa took a leap of faith himself and got his wife a home to grow old in. "But if not"... if this house falls into someone else's hands like a half dozen before it, I know we will find something we will LOVE just as much if not more. Because God's Plan is a plan of happiness and I know we will continue finding happiness in our journey as long as we continue looking for it.

Faith. Relief. Joy. Hope. Peace.

That about sums up this evening.