Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I feel like I should be getting good at this whole moving thing.  Better able to handle the change, the ache in my heart for the people I love and miss so dearly, the getting lost on the way to the grocery store.  But the truth is, I'm not good at it.  It's a little different this time around, leaving Montana versus leaving Ohio.  I am sure the biggest factor is the amount of time I spent in each place.  But while I may not miss the restaurants or the zoo or the football like I still do when I think of Ohio, I certainly miss my people.  My lovely, caring, fun-loving Billings people.  They were so good to us, and I will forever miss having them so close.

Like usual, moving was a whirlwind of an adventure.  Lots of hard work, little sleep, and watching my kids get shuffled from one kind soul to the next about sums it up.  Ryan's wonderful parents flew in to help us on Tuesday, and we spent the remainder of the week getting things ready to go.  My sweet, angel of a mother-in-law basically cleaned my entire house and didn't complain once.  We are so grateful for their willingness to help us whenever we need it.

Thursday morning the boys went and picked up the moving truck,  only to find out ten minutes later that it was leaking all $100+ of fuel they had just put into it.  A quick trip back to the U-haul store and a longer trip out to Laurel later and we were back in business with a larger truck for the same price we were planning to pay for the smaller one we originally reserved.  That evening we were blessed to have a great group of men show up to help load the truck.  We had either gotten rid of or moved basically everything into the garage, so the truck was packed and ready to go in under one hour.  I was so impressed by a couple of the men who brought their older children to help.  One brought his daughter who spent her time entertaining two little girls and keeping them out of the way.  It was honestly the biggest help having her!  The other young man helped load boxes, chairs, and beds with no complaint and a smile on his face.  What a great thing for those dads to teach their children service by example and opportunity.  It's something I hope to do for my own children as the grow.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and headed out of town.  One moving truck, two vehicles, and nine hours later we made it to our new home where more help was waiting.  Ryan and his dad arrived nearly 45 minutes earlier than we had told the Bishop that we would need help, and within minutes 5 men from our neighborhood and ward were unloading the truck and helping us get settled into our new house.  My mom and Paul showed up soon after, and together we were able to get beds set up and my entire kitchen unpacked before we went to bed that night.  It was such a relief to know that at least a large portion of the work was going to be done when I arrived back from our trip.  I really can't say enough how blessed we are to have the families we do.  We are so grateful for them!

Now it is nearly a month later and life is starting to feel a bit normal again.  We are slowly adjusting to life in a new place with new people and new schedule.  To be honest, there hasn't been much time to feel lonely or sad; and thanks to already knowing a few good people here and loving sisters who came to keep me company I have been feeling pretty good.  It's not to say I won't always miss our Billings family.  If I could simply gather all of my people and take them along on this life journey, that would be ideal.  But unfortunately that's not the case.  For me it always seems that the hardest part of starting the next chapter, as wonderful and exciting as it might be; is closing the previous one.  And Billings, Montana was a beautiful chapter.