The Move

Well, we finally took the plunge and moved to Ripon. We love our quirky house and our community (also a bit quirky). Ripon reminds me a lot of my hometown Middletown in some ways. But instead of cowboys and hippies (yes...Middletown is an interesting place), it's a Dutch colony. Everyone loves thier church, knows how to cook, and is related to every single other person in some way. Not being related to anyone puts us a little bit on the outs, but I figure it will work in our boys' favor when it comes time for them to marry. I still need to get a windmill for the front yard. All in good time. Moving never comes without it's set of challenges, especially when kids are involved. However, the kids did surprisingly well. They took everything in stride. This time it was actually the adults involved that made things interesting. Enter: the Thompsons.

Mom: Hi, honey! We're heeeeeeere! So excited to help with your move!

Me: Mom. You're supposed to be helping me move junk OUT, not bringing more in!
Mom: Oh, honey. I just had a few things set aside for you.
Me: Wait...is this all the stuff I told you I didn't want when I was at your house last time?

Dad: Honey, check it out. I got your mom's IPad all set up. Got her all the apps she needs.

Me: Let's see. You got her the Kindle app, the Bible app...and the farting app. Yep, I'd say you pretty much covered the basics.

We immediately loved everything about the new place except for the boys' room. I could have settled for just about any color, but the pink had to go. So I sent Dave to pick out the paint. No really, I did. Stop laughing. I was busy, ok???

Me: So I'm thinking a nice light gray so it's not too babyish. Not too dark and not too tan, but a true gray. Do you know what I mean?
Dave: Gray. You got it! Sounds great.

Dave: Alright, got the paint! I can get started today while you finish up packing. This will be great.

Me: Um...bright baby blue. Not very gray, is it?
Dave: Wait, you said blue! Oh.....no, that was at our other house three years ago. Oops.

Proof that his long term memory is fantastic, but not so much his short term memory. But we were tired and short on time and I didn't want to hasstle with it. So the boys have a blue room. Still better than pink. And I know Dave's intentions were good...just like my parents'...

Dad: Yeah, moving can be tough. Seems like something always gets damaged...or lost...or flies off the back of a truck.

Me: ..........
Dad: .........

Me: Dad, what did you do?
Dad: Honey, I didn't know the ottoman wasn't secure! Anyway, you still have one...it just doesn't have a lid anymore.
Mom: I can't believe it, Doug. That was their coffee table!

Turns out the blue room and the missing lid to the ottoman were the tip of the iceburg. We spent the first ten days with no washer or dryer, a broken garbage disposal, no internet, and a teensie weensie bug problem that caused all five of us to sleep in one room every night. It's kind of hard to remember all of that because now, a month later, we are more settled than we've ever been in any house. And of course the boys didn't notice any of it. Truly blessed.

What's For Dinner?

My husband works very hard for his family...bless his heart. As much as he would love to absorb family life and work details simultaneously, his brain won't let him. He's all or nothing. Here's a discussion we had on Thursday.

Me: Wow, I hope I made enough spaghetti. Do you think I made enough for the potluck?
Dave: Yep. (*thinking* These sales numbers don't look right. Something smells like spaghetti.)

Me: I'm glad I had everything on hand to make it. I wanted to make something you would like because I know you get nervous about potluck food.
Dave: Yep. (*thinking* Gotta revamp our marketing strategy for the next show. I wonder what's for dinner.)

Me: I know we have spaghetti all the time, but at least it's something we can all agree on. Did you have lunch at the office?
Dave: Yep. (*thinking* I'll call Martin in the morning and run these numbers by him. I'm starving. Did I eat lunch today?)

Me: Ok, I think we're ready to go. Can you help me carry this huge pot of spaghetti?
Dave: Yep. (*thinking* Can't forget to swing by the storage unit on the way to the office tomorrow. Man, I feel like spaghetti.)

Dave: Oh my gosh, we're having spaghetti???

At least he was pleasantly surprised.