Week One

We are all really happy with our new home.  First, it is about 500 sq. ft. larger than our last place.  The rooms are bigger, all of them.  But the main attraction for the kids is the amazing yard.  

This is where the previous tenant stacked their wood pile.  The kids have made it into a fort area.

 We don't have a garage, but a car port.  This is taken from the side door under the carport looking our at the side yard.

 And my backyard.  We have these cool rock steps leading down from the front to the back.  The large tree in the back has been affectionately named "Bill."

 After a full day of unpacking Tuesday, we needed a break, so Wednesday the 2rd we went down to the Pier.  This was taken from the Pier.

 Standing on the Pier.  And then the two below are the view of the town taken from the Pier.

 I still can't get over how beautiful it is to be surrounded by trees and water.  I love it!

Then we drove up to Herricane Ridge.  The drive up was beautiful, but coming back down I had to close my eyes because the road is right on the edge of a cliff, then it's straight down.  Couldn't take it!

We stopped at a little pull off and this guy was just wandering around a few feet away munching on leaves and grass.

 He didn't care people were around.  The kids thought it was so cool!

 View from the top of Herricane Ridge.  All of those peaks have names.  I have no idea how they even know which one is which.  Gorgeous day!  I am so glad we went Wednesday and not Thursday, like we had originally planned.  Thursday was overcast and grey.  We wouldn't have seen much and I probably would have had a panic attack in the car driving up there through all that fog.

My house is coming together and I am really happy with it.  I put Mom to work helping me decorate before she left.  I am so glad I did!  I love the way my living room looks.  My mantle (not pictured yet) is a work in progress, but I am excited to show the finished product next week I hope!

 The whole point of these pictures is just to show the windows, and really the pictures don't even do them justice.  The living room windows run almost the whole length of the room and they go to about a foot up from the carpet.  I LOVE them.  The view is gorgeous and the light is amazing.  The kitchen window gives a perfect view of the backyard.  I can watch the kids ride their bikes up and down the alley and see them climbing Bill or watch as they blast-off in their spaceship fort.  It's amazing.  I wasn't sure I would be okay without AC, but I just open my front door and my side door and there is always a lovely breeze that goes through the house.  I have been more than pleased with the cooler weather.  Two weeks and so far only one day of a light drizzle.  Every other day has been sunny and beautiful.  I'm enjoying it while I can! More picture of the house to come.

Home Sweet Home

Our next adventure started Sunday, June 29th at 6:30 a.m.  That is when we loaded into the vehicles and drove away from our home of the last 3 years and 8 months.  It was sad to say good-bye to the friends we have made and hard to be moving so far away from family again, but I am excited for what is ahead of us.  This is a fresh start, a new beginning.  I am hopeful about the future.  I can't wait to discover all that awaits us in our new home.

Our first day we drove through 4 states.  We drove from Utah to Idaho then Oregon and ended the day in Kennewick, Washington.  It was a long day but the kids did great!  We ended with dinner then swimming in the hotel pool.  

Monday, June 30 was a shorter day.  I forgot to get my camera out the first day, but I tried to do better as we got closer to our destination.  We made a pit stop at a rest area, where I took these pictures.  It was so awesome to see these mountains while standing in one place.

 (Mt. Adams)

 (Mt. Rainier)

 A drive by shot of the ships in Tacoma.

 This was taken from the highway halfway between Sequim (pronounced squim) and Port Angeles.

 When Chant told me that P.A. had a Maurices, I gave him my okay.  Any town that has my favorite store has to be great.  I had to take a picture of it as we drove by.

 This is a view from the highway driving into town.  We were all pretty amazed to see the ships and the water right there.  And that lovely budget truck pulling the car with the ghetto lawnmower and wheel barrow on top?  That's ours.

 The view from the road we turned onto leading up to our house.  I say "up" because you do climb up a hill as you turn away from the ocean.

Our home!  We made it at last, pulling up at 3:00 p.m.

Good-Bye

We have been in Port Angeles, WA two weeks today, so I figured it was time for an update.

Saturday June 28th was the day we finished loading and cleaning the house.  It was also the day we said good-bye to all the amazing friends we have made in UT.  Earlier in the day we had lunch with Chant's mom and sister and that was when we said a very teary "See you soon" to them.  My friend that I met my Sophomore year of college, Stacy, came to Margi's house so she could say good-bye. 

  

Back at our home that evening, the tears and hugs continued.

Porter is sure missing his buddy Caleb.  And the girls were sad to say good-bye to Olivia.  

 And I was terribly sad to leave my dear friend Emily!

 It was so strange to be saying good-bye to the Young's again.  We left Missouri in 2010 and they followed us from MO to UT in 2012.  I miss my little buddy Canyun already!  It's strange not having him around.  I think Porter is a little lost without him too.  (Gracie Young and the kids.)

 And another sad good-bye was Bryce.  We had great neighbors.

 Chant and a friend from the ward, Scott Taylor, packed the truck Friday morning.  They used every inch of available space.  It was so well packed that when the people who helped us unload it saw how much we had in there they were really surprised.  It was so much less stressful than our last move.  I was in tears in Missouri when our kitchen table almost didn't make it in the truck because it was so full.  And that time we had a two foot longer truck, no couch, and no washer and dryer.  This time we had a washer, dryer, couch and loveseat.  It was a miracle it all fit!

 Our last night in our house my parents and the kids had a sleepover in the living room.  The kids only had their blankets and pillows.  My parents and Chant and I still had our mattresses out, so we had a good night sleep.

We had hoped to get to bed early, but that didn't happen.  We were all starving, so my parents went to the store and got frozen pizza.  That was actually kind of funny.  I did't clean the stove because they were going to replace it anyway.  It was pretty nasty!  When my parents came up for Porter's birthday (June 6), my mom made monkey bread.  But she used an angel food cake pan instead of a bundt pan.  All the yummy juices leaked out and made the worst mess.  When they turned the oven on, the whole house filled with smoke.  And then we realized we didn't have any plates or even a knife to cut the pizza with.  So Chant cleaned his pocket knife and used that and we just held the pizza.  But we had to eat outside because of the smoke.  It was awesome!  We didn't get to bed till almost midnight.