Moved

Well, we've moved! Everything has been quite exciting for the past few days. Here are a few random highlights:

1. Before moving I began experiencing a strong sense of peace . . . and dread. Weird to get both at the same time.

2. To mark the occasion of leaving our house (the only one Trinity has ever known) we found a hidden corner in the house and wrote "The Westman's were here 2004-2009." We then signed it and had a little prayer where we each shared what we were thankful for about our old house.

3. I was very scared to drive a 26 foot long u-haul but it wasn't so bad. I only skipped one curb. I felt quite a sense of accomplishment when I dropped it off - it was definitely a step out of my comfort zone (thanks Jay and Keith for being my co-pilots - much appreciated and you made it fun).

4. We had tons of people helping us move. Guys from our church came over including Mark (and his sons), Dan, Scott, Keith, and more. Also, two of my best friends Jay and Jason came out to help as well. This was excellent, but then we were totally surprised when Ryan brought the Cornerstone youth group to help as well! Suddenly we had over 20 people helping us, amazing! We were very blessed. The whole move, including loading and unloading took less then four hours. Thanks everyone who helped us move, you all are awesome!

5. After moving in on Sunday we had to live without appliances until yesterday. Needless to say we have eaten a lot of junk food and fast food. I may never eat potato chips again. We also didn't get phone/internet until today - something that was very hard on Jobina. We felt cut off from the world.

6. I bike to work and it is sooooo good. Good for my body, my mind, and especially my soul. It only takes 5 minutes to get from my house to my office.

7. My next door neighbor is a cop. I told him "Wow, you're the perfect neighbor!" (I was thinking for safety reasons). "Not everyone thinks so!" I think he may be right . . .

8. We are living in boxes. Boxes everywhere! The initial euphoria of the new place is replaced by despair at the sea of boxes everywhere. It's getting better though, hopefully everything will be done by the end of the week.

9. I didn't sleep the first night after we moved. Not sure why, I didn't feel particularly anxious or anything. But my next day was pretty rough. The next night I was fine though.

10. Keith's wife Lee blessed us by taking our kids during the move and then giving us some cinnamon buns for our first breakfast. This was not just encouraging but life saving. I ate 4 of them for breakfast the next day, thanks Lee!

11. Our house is far from perfect. Every day I discover more things that are wrong/damaged etc. Of course we are discovering hidden things as well. One cool thing is that we have a new couch set left by the previous owners. Also, our location just gets better and better. I love our street. Quiet and across from a park. I had known it was a good location, but I had no idea how great it really is. I am instantly spoiled.

12. We have huge trees on and beside our property. I hadn't realized how much I missed having "real" trees around but I love them. I relax a little everytime I see them.

13. The tree thing, combined with our location, and my rediscovery of my collection of Outside magazines has helped me to rediscover my passion for the outdoors. Somehow through school and getting my counselling practice started I lost this part of my identity. It's back baby! I can feel it. I'm ready to start exploring again.

14. The kids seem to be adjusting fairly well, especially Riker. Because we are in the midst of repairing/painting our house (feel free to come by our old house tomorrow if you like painting - I have some inside and outside for you!) so we can sell it we haven't been able to spend much time with the kids. I feel sad about this but don't know how to avoid it right now. We are planning to spend some family time together on Sunday and I'm excited about that. Maybe Jobina and I will even get to go on a date sometime? There's lots of places to explore around here. . .

Anyway, now that life is returning to normal, expect regular blog posts again. Choose to have an exceptional day!