August 30, 2013

The Happy Hale House has moved!

We have finally moved!!!

This month we wrapped up the building of our new house and have officially become homeowners!!  We've been living in the new house for one week and it still feels a little surreal.  I can't begin to express how thankful I am for this home.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord.  And for all the amazing family and friends who helped us (and are continuing to help us!).  Moving is hard work!  I've never moved an entire household (as one of the leaders of the move) and there is significantly more than I realized.  I also realized that we keep WAY more than we need.  We did quite a bit of purging though we could have done significantly more.  I learned a lot during this move.  It has been a wonderful, hard, exhausting time but I think I've picked out a few things that will help me for our next move (whenever that time arrives).

1. Go through paper OFTEN (paper takes up a lot of room and can be overwhelming to go through before a move)
2. Label your boxes with reasonable detail (I did this and am so glad that I did!)
3. Have a system (rooms color coded, numbered...whatever works for your brain)
4. Have lots of markers and tape on hand before you start packing
5. Organize a moving day in advance (if you can) so that you have plenty of help
6. I unpacked Caffrey's room immediately so that he would hopefully feel comfortable to sleep
7. I also unpacked the kitchen as soon as possible and would definitely do this again.  It made me feel a little more settled (I mean, we have to eat every day and if I have to look for something in a box at every meal for the first week...that could get old quickly)
8. Did you know you can change your address with the post office online?  You can!
9. Just take one box at a time and one day (sooner or later) you'll realize you just unpacked the last box.
10. Enjoy it.  It can be stressful but it is also such an amazing opportunity to see selflessness in action.  So many people sacrificed their time and effort to help us move and there is such beauty in that.  Don't miss out on the wonderful things about moving by focusing so much on the craziness of it all!  (I have to remind myself of that even as I continue to unpack.)

Do you have any good moving advice?  Please share so I can tuck it away for next time. 

I'll share pictures soon.  We still have some things at the rental (oh man...) and need to clean that house. And we're also trying to get our fence up so Pigeon and Roo can be outside without observation.  And of course we already have a long of list of projects to make this house our home.  One thing at a time.  One day at a time.  I'll just keep reminding myself of that. 

Oh!  And did I mention that we now live right next door to my younger brother and his wife?!  We are so excited!!

It is going to be fun to see what the Lord has for us in this home during this season.  

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

Loves,
Jenna



August 5, 2013

I have so desperately wanted to continue on with this blog but my biggest hurdle is this: What in the world do I have to say that is significant enough to share?  And to be honest, blogging feels slightly vain.  (Am I making myself more important than I really am?) And slightly vulnerable.  Yet there is something quite compelling about the idea that there may just be someone interested in what I have to say.  That I may have something interesting, smart, funny, encouraging to share that will touch the heart of another person.  And so here I am jumping back into the slightly vain, terribly vulnerable world of blogging.  I hope you have a wonderful day.

More to come soon.