So, we moved. (aka most massive post of all time)

Last time berry picking

Early birthday dinner for Jon at Le Pigeon

Right before we drove away. Puffy eyes!

Margot and Arlo meet! Technically half-siblings.

With Mesa cousins Paige and Hollyn

We did so much driving. Thank goodness for iPads.

Theo ate a lot of ice cream.

Margot got her first mini sunburn in Newport.

I proudly boogie boarded in water that was very cold. With a random 8-year-old kid.

A haircut happened.

Truth or Consequences--our backyard.

Margot somehow aged dramatically over the month (here at 11 weeks)

Our front yard.

Labor day in Mesa--fearless swimmer.

Tarantula. Like it really needed a caption.

New home.

We have officially lived in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico for over a month. Moving away from Portland was probably one of the hardest things I have done (and I have delivered two babies without pain meds) and I would gladly deliver about 10 more babies before going through moving again. Moving is stressful. However, like childbirth, there is a gene that makes you forget about the pain of moving and you will inevitably do it again.

But let's start at the beginning. Luckily Jon's employer had a moving compensation package, so we were able to hire movers to pack our stuff, load it and unload it. While this did relieve a lot of stress of the move, we had our first unexpected moving moment. We were told it would take two days to pack and then load us, but on arrival the movers let us know that they would be done packing and loading everything early that afternoon. That left us with no where to sleep, so we were able to stay the night with our friends D and V, which was probably the best thing to happen to us in the end, as we were able to spend one last night talking and laughing until late in the night. The next day had some difficult goodbyes I don't like to think about, and then we were off to Boise. So many tears. In Boise Margot and my sister's new baby Arlo had a big debut party, and we got to spend time with family and cousins before we were off again to Mesa, Arizona. We took two days for the drive and got to stop by BYU for a quick kid's meal at the creamery. (Too short! I love BYU.)

After we made it to Arizona, I took a flight with Margot to Newport Beach, California to meet up with some dear friends for a quick beach trip. I never thought I would enjoy a trip without Jon and Theo so much--but I did. It was a really great catch up time and breather for me. (And a good time to forget I was moving.) Back in Arizona, the real trouble with our move started. We were supposed to hear about the arrival date (between August 1-9) and was not getting any word. Our move coordinator stalled on the phone and never got back to us. Things were getting dicey, especially when August 9th hit. Jon was starting his job on the 13th so we started to panic. However, we had been in Mesa for over two weeks, and in the mean time Theo was getting private swimming lessons every day with his grandma (and becoming a pro! for a two year old) and playing with his cousins. He was having the time of his life. I was starting to really get sick of living with one week's worth of clothes in a suitcase. Long story short, our move coordinator was fired, our stuff had never left Oregon, and they had to hire a third party to drive it to New Mexico right away with an arrival date of August 13th. Super.

Our move did not feel real until we drove up to the town we would call home--Truth or Consequences. Then we drove twenty minutes outside of town to our house perched on a mesa overlooking the lake. Anxiety started setting in, and the millions of dead moths and bugs all over the house did not help. I also neglected to think about the rattlesnakes that lived in the area. (The thought of a two year old living among rattlesnakes gave me frequent anxiety attacks for the first couple of weeks.) Finally our stuff arrived--9 hours later then they said it would--and there we were. The first week was amazingly difficult--I was very emotionally unprepared for the shock of the move while taking care of two kids. Theo survived by watching one episode of Curious George on the iPad over and over and over again. For a week. (He also started climbing out of his crib two days after moving in, to make things more difficult). Then my mom came, got us unpacked, and saved our lives.

After a month of settling in, eating good tacos, meeting nice people in the branch, and enjoying our beautiful view, I am feeling better. It is still a bit jolting, but the adventure side has come out. Our neighbor with a pool has been kind and generous to us, and I see our internet guy in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. Life in a small town is so amazingly different. I have to say Truth or Consequences is a pretty quirky place, filled with tie dye, thrift shops, weird galleries, hippies and a lot of green chiles. We have quickly loved the green chiles. I like its distinct characteristics, and I think living here will be pretty adventurous and yield some good stories. I have also learned that I can feel at home anywhere just being in a house with Jon, Theo and Margot, enjoying each other and following our routine. And that's all I really need.

But really, a Target would be wonderful.

And my friends.  

And a Whole Foods....

Did you read this whole thing? Good for you.