Steve, The Elk's new home…

I don't know what happened to July, but it is gone. I have unpacked all the boxes I could find that were brought from Summer's, and the hanger. That was quite a job. I still have boxes and bins to bring over from Pop's, but we are down to just that now. I have gone through stuff, put away stuff, consolidated stuff and thrown away stuff. It's a lot of stuff. I have given all the boxes away to Robert's friends who are moving, mostly because I don't ever want to pack up this stuff again. I hope we can grow old here and not move again. (Except for our time in Texas of course!). Robert has been a huge help with all the hauling and moving of said stuff. All the boys have done so much moving for us over the years, and they have all done some with this move too. I am thankful they have been so good to help us and appreciate their willingness and their muscles. Robert's friend Nick has been like one of my boys often in the moving scenario. Thanks to all of you, so very much. I have relied on Robert pretty heavy this time since Grumpy has been in Texas. He has come through and done it with no complaint. I can't say thanks often enough. Above is Steve the Elk finally hung in his new home. I'm sure Summer and Jamie are not missing him much! They were nice to let us hang him there for a while though. Below are some pics of our new digs. We are not completely settled in yet, but enough for now.





July was so busy. I became well acquainted with craigslist in my search for inexpensive pieces to furnish our apartment in Texas. I have been rewarded (in my 77 visits to craigslist) with furniture to make our life comfortable in our 1200 square foot apartment. I got a floorplan off a website for the complex and brought it up to scale (sort of) so I could see what would fit. It has been fun to search for just the right thing to fit here and there and find pieces that can store things as well. I have picked it all up, again with Robert's untiring help and stockpiled it in our dining room. I have visited IKEA also, as I like some of their storage solutions. I think I am finally ready for the moving guys to come and pack us up. That will be happening in a few days. If we are ever fortunate enough to have a cabin someday, I now have furniture for it. Craigslist was a huge help in keeping things affordable. Crazy, but affordable. All over the valley, but affordable. So glad I'm done with that.

Seeing Grumpy Off…

Dinner at The Claim Jumper is always a special occasion, but this time we were wishing Grumpy well on his new assignment in Texas. Yes, I will be going too, contrary to popular opinion. Grumpy has actually been there since the end of May and so far really seems to enjoy the new responsibilities he has. We couldn't get everyone in one place to say goodbye, so those that could come did.





Jamie was speaking in Stake Conference that same night, so after our dinner we joined he and Summer for his first talk in conference. He did a great job and I enjoyed his remarks immensely. He has had quite the life experiences and I am grateful his Father in Heaven was watching out for him. He is a good man.

Jade and Jeff were dealing with the craziness of moving and Jade going to full time status, so we missed them at dinner, but saw them later. We always miss Taya and Kevin at these things because they live in California. Just because they aren't here doesn't mean we aren't thinking of them though.

Dinner was awesome, and Grumpy told them all to order whatever they wanted because he was paying the tab. Whee-Hawww!
That was one large tab! Worth every penny to be there with our kids and enjoy an evening together.

I went with Grumpy to Texas to see what I could see. We started out in an extended stay hotel that was pretty grim. We stayed there for a few nights while trying to find something that was a little more acceptable and in a better part of town. That proved to be a difficult task. As the area is booming a bit because of an upswing in oil production, hotels are hard to come by. Grumpy happened to be out driving around and checking the various options and came upon one that someone was checking out of as he was inquiring. He got that room and we moved his stuff over immediately. Not what you'd call home, but way better than the first place.




The bed was just a double bed and really a hard mattress. I haven't slept on a bed that small since I was 9 or 10. Wow. Much less with someone. We were both truly miserable. I was headed home in a few days, so the misery was short-lived. We went to Wal-Mart and got a few essentials for the mini kitchen so Grumpy could make some meals. We got his clothes hung on the rack (about a 3 foot rack) and put things away as good as we could. This would be his home for a while as we (he) looked for something more permanent. Pretty spartan.

It wasn't terribly long before I got a call that Grumpy had found us a nice apartment. It is in a brand new complex and we are this apartment's first tenets. It is in a gated complex and has some nice facilities, including a fitness room which Grumpy has been using nearly everyday. He moved in his mini kitchen supplies, clothes and went and bought us a new bed (king size). He won't tell me what kind of bed he bought. He says it's a surprise. Okay. He then went and bought an office chair at Wal-Mart and a T.V. Still pretty spartan, but a bit more comfortable. I'm sure the bed is lot more comfortable. Meanwhile I have been collecting stuff here to furnish our apartment off craigslist. I have found some good buys, and it will be fun to get it all moved and organized there. I will post pics later of our first dwelling together in Texas.

This will be an adventure for us. We are not excited about being away from our families and friends, but life is not always exactly what we want it to be. I have heard our kids are taking bets on whether or not I will actually move to Texas. It will happen, as much as I wish I could make it not. I console myself that it won't be forever, that Grumpy is actually enjoying his job (for the first time in years) and that we will have some time together without so much traveling for him. Of course I will be traveling a bit as I visit back and forth because we all know I have to see my kids and our extended family, parents etc. often. I am grateful that in this hard economy we have been blessed with work. I see our kids doing well in their endeavors and I am thankful we are blessed with prosperity. These are hard times for everyone. So Texas, here I come. For awhile.