Camping and turning 30

Since my dad was a little boy, the Lindbloms have made a yearly, summer camping trip a tradition. 50 years later, it's still going strong! So if you want to see oodles (and I mean oodles! There is almost no counting how many Lindblom spawn there is at this point) of Lindbloms, come to Woods Canyon Lake some weekend in late July. :)

I was grateful the boys fell asleep on the drive over. I was also grateful that Steve and Rebekah could help me set up my tent before the rains came down and the floods came up! And it's probably thanks to my vigilant mother that my boys never got lost, run over or burned in the fire. (Collin only fell in once. That kid is turning out to be extremely accident prone.) 

Jeffy helped me get my gear into the tent. Then he taught Collin how to be manly and spit. Awesome.

Of course, there had to be lots of dirt bikes, quads and razors racing around. That was A-OK by Collin! Now, how many Grandpas give out dirt bike rides?! It's teaching my high strungness to chill out. :)

If I could just read and lay in a hammock all day, I'd be a happy camper!

 Bahahaha. I love when make unintented, corny puns!

Travis drove up after he got off work, so it was really late by the time he pulled in. Grandma was a big help until then! We got caught in a long downpour, and me with two crying, cold boys in shorts and flip flops. For about 1 hour it was as I now like to say, "OUR PETS HEADS WERE FALLING OFF!!!" (Oh man, I just picked myself up off the floor. That probably makes no sense at all, but I think it's freaking hilarious. Bear with me!)

The next day we spent our time playing games, eating too much, and visiting with all those oodles of cousins and offspring. We haven't been family camping in 5 years, so it was a lot of fun to spend time with everyone. As the day was coming to a close and we were getting to be the last of the few families there, I could feel the depression closing in again. It was almost time to return to the land of "I don't want to go there". I forget who suggested it first.. maybe Marcie... but suddenly, going to Mesa for the rest of the weekend was becoming an option. Playing heavy on this decision was the fact that I was turning 30 the next day. That's usually supposed to be a fairly depressing birthday in and of itself. Now, I was adding in the fact that I would be turning 30 in a nasty, dirty house, full of boxes and everything that makes me squirm... unorganization. 

So around 5pm, when everyone was getting in their cars to leave, I announced, "We're going to Mesa!" We took a right turn onto the highway instead of a left and in 2 hours I was sitting at Serranos with my family. I have to give it to Trav... he didn't even have a change of clothes with him. (Trevor to the rescue!) I married the most laid back, easy going guy ever. Love him.

Welp, the next day dawned, as tomorrows always do, and I didn't melt or grow wrinkles or anything. Just turned 30. And I have to admit, I like the way 30 feels. 

We went to church, had my favorite dinner, Snoring Enchiladas, and I blew out the candles on my raspberry dessert "cake". My mom gave me the best present... not having to make dinner. :) Shelley came over later and we partied the night away... or chatted on the couch. No fireworks, but no Gallup either, so I was pretty content. I was only sad when I had to say goodbye to Trav. Work called. They needed their dentist back. Boo.

The next day was Marcie Moos birthday, so I just had to stick around for that! I also got to go out to a birthday lunch with my Mesa besties, Jenni, Jess, LaRee and Shell Bell! Kneaders was pretty darn tasty. That night we had pizza and DQ to celebrate with Marcie, and theeeeeen, we found out that she and Austin got engaged that day! Whoop whoop! Sept. 27 will be a FuN DaY!!

The next morning, I finally resigned myself to the fact that I should unpack a few boxes before we needed to leave for California. So on Tuesday, we drove back to Gallup. We pulled in late and I spent another night feeling like my world was closing in around me. The only thing that helped, was a very special birthday package from the one and only Miss Rachel. A gift of {30}. She is always so creative. I felt very loved.

Collin was pretty taken with these glasses from the package.. as he is with all things "accessories".

Wed.-Friday I unpacked boxes, cleaned and tried to organize a few things, all while doing laundry and packing for a week in Oceanside! Then, Friday night after Trav got off work, we were driving back to Mesa. We stayed with my parents for the night (the Shaheens stayed at Trav's parents), and the next morning, we were hitting the road to Cali! Never a dull moment this summer.

Greer

The morning after we moved in , I woke up, feeling only slightly better than I had upon falling asleep. Now, the task at hand, was to find and pack everything we'd need for a week in Greer with the Evans family. And do this, not knowing were a darn thing was. Boxes were everywhere. It was like organizing chaos into disaster. I had tried to pack for this before we moved, but inevitably, I was throwing things out of suitcases and trying to find other things that I had forgotten I'd need. By 2 or 3pm, we were driving away... this time with Travis in the suburban with the boys, and me in my solitary bliss in the Pathfinder. I listened to either my book or music without having to wrangle any toddlers! So marvelous. My husband is the best. 

That first Sunday, we went to church in Eager. We glanced over to see Collin, stroking Trevor's face. That beard appeals to more than just Gretchen, apparently! 

The boys had the best week running wild in the woods with their cousins. Who even knows what they did half the time?! Played with a lot of sticks, I think. There was a pond nearby that is stocked with fish, so there was a lot of fishing going on. Travis never had any luck, but I think Neil caught at least a dozen fish. Uncle Marcus was helping Collin to fish one day after Travis had left, and they finally caught one. I thought Marcus was being a sweet uncle... I guess he was just excited to tease Trav that even his 4 year old was successful. ;) Uncle Marcus was also a hit, giving out quad rides. The "rollercoaster", digging up worms, and freaking out the parents by climbing over the banister to the porch, were also favorite pastimes that week. 

We, sisters in law, really sharpened our Train playing skills. Aka, we did that A LOT. :) There were a couple other games thrown in there too. I've never really gotten to know my sisters in law too well. It was a lot of fun spending so much time visiting and playing games with them. 

Listening to someone sing and play guitar is on my "Makes my Soul Happy" list. :) So listening to Wayne in the crisp air of the mountains, snuggling next to Trav was one of my favorite moments of the week. 

This bow is a joke, by the way. Olivia looks like she's going to fly away!

Travis only stayed until Tues. night, then drove back to Gallup to work the rest of the week. I wondered if I'd last after he left. In the back of my mind I had decided that if the boys were too much trouble by myself, I'd pack up and head home whenever I'd had enough of them. Well, I stayed the whole week! Either the boys were pretty good, or more likely, knowing that "home" was now Gallup, was enough of a deterrent to leaving Greer.

Then, on Friday morning, when it was time to pack up and go home, I actually packed up and drove 2 hours to Woods Canyon Lake, where the Lindblom side of my family was camping. The fun just don't stop. :)

Moving

 Oh man. Where to begin? Well, I'd love to begin with sweet Olive, but I have to go in order, right? So we're back to that second week in July. 
Moving week.

 These pictures don't really belong, except they showcase the boys getting rid of the last of the bath paints before we moved! :) And they might be the most manic pictures I have of Collin to date. I also love how it shows my sweet Weston looking on and trying emulate Collin's manic-ness. Whatever Collin attains to in life, Weston will follow. Collin better do good. :)

On Thursday, most everything was packed and I spent the morning running errands while the boys were at preschool. Oh, and getting a pedicure. :) I have not had many of these, but boy did it feel good. Then I hopped on over to Target and grabbed some non -coffee Starbucks :) and browsed a bit. Target and I needed a moment to say goodbye. The smell of this store honestly brought me comfort when we first moved here. I will miss it greatly.

Travis got back from Gallup that night. He picked up the moving truck Friday morning. Of course they didn't have the 26ft. truck he had reserved. They happily offered a 17 footer and allowed us to rent a trailer as well. So kind. The boys and I dropped Trav off at the U-Haul place then got our last dozen donuts from Dunkin and ate them on the driveway, waiting for the super awesome truck to pull up. Thank heavens for Casa Montessori, because at 9am, I dropped them off for 3 hours of their last day of preschool! Then, a wonderful friend took them after that for 3 hours until we were ready to head out.

Here is our packed up house. A few guys from the ward showed up at 9am to help us move. Bless them. One of Trav's deacons came a bit later with his mom and helped too. Of course, it didn't all fit. Blast. But we still cleared out the whole house and left what was left, in the garage for the second trip. One of the best things I've ever done, was hire two ladies to come clean the bathrooms and kitchen for me. As they worked, I scrubbed the walls, baseboards, etc. and gathered the last of our things. The carpet cleaners came at 2pm and then I mopped the floor. We were ready to drive away by 3pm. 

Travis drove the truck, of course, and I drove the suburban and the boys. First, I had to stop by Eagle Realty, to drop off our keys. As we drove down 20th St., we passed the library and Weston pointed out the window, excited to mark it's passing. I glanced at it and felt the first tear drop. By the time I had left the keys and we were really driving away, I was full blown sobbing. Collin was concerned and asked why I was crying. I just told him I was going to miss our house. But I was really thinking about our whole life. I was going to miss taking the boys to the museum, the library, the bounce house. I was going to miss our ward. I was just plain going to miss driving down these streets. I cried for the happy life we were leaving behind. And the unhappy life I felt like we were moving to. I cried because change is hard for me and I felt like I had made the best of a hard change only one year prior. Now it was time for another change, but this one was unequivocally worse. But how do you explain that to a 4 year old?

Now for the irony. 

As we drove into Gallup, I noticed some commotion outside my window. I don't know what was going on... a rodeo or something? But there was a long herd of horses, galloping along the highway. 

Horses galloping... as we drove into Gallup. 

At the time, I was faintly amused. But now as I look at the pictures, they're really quite pretty. And there's no filter on them. Perhaps they were meant to welcome us to our new home. :)

I picked up our keys at this hotel that our property owners manage, and met Trav at our new house. It was dusk, but that didn't hide the 3 foot tall weeds growing out of every crack in the driveway and all over the yard. As we opened up the front door, the first thing I noticed was that the carpets most definitely hadn't been cleaned. The walls still looked dirty. Upon inspecting the bathrooms, they were nasty. Literally, the main floor bathroom had urine just all over the sides and floor. There was pet hair, everywhere. Every flaw was magnified times 100. I could barely keep it together. I loaded the boys back into the car because the Shaheens were feeding us dinner. The Kings also came over and Megan and Brinn, sweetly tried to keep conversation going while the husbands were at our house, unloading the truck. I had no appetite. I felt like my body was just going through the motions. Then one of them asked me a question that related to how I felt about the move. I don't know how I didn't relapse into my sobs right there, except that maybe I felt too dead inside. The boys came back to eat for a minute, but then Bron and Travis headed right back out to go to Farmington to load up the rest of our stuff. I didn't want them to go. It was already past 9pm and it's 2 hours to get there. But they went. So I took the kids back to our house and somehow got them in bed. Then, without brushing my teeth or taking out my contacts, I climbed onto our mattress and stared at the dark, feeling more despair then I've felt in a long, long time. Maybe ever. Which sounds so melodramatic. All along, I've recognized, even rehearsed in my head.... "It's OK. It could be so much worse. Just think... everyone is healthy. No one has cancer. No one is dying. You have a wonderful husband. You have the church. Life could be so much worse." But lying in the dark, surrounded by pet hair (yes, I hate animals), nearly 9 months pregnant, alone and completely overwhelmed, it didn't feel like it could get much worse. 

(And then this morning I finally read an article about the conflict in Syria and felt really dumb. I guess this post could be hashtagged "First world problems" in a big way. :/ )

Packing

Last Wednesday, I finally faced reality. I had 9 days to pack until moving day. It was time to get 'er done! I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant and completely unexcited about any/all of this business. 

I thought that after having moved just a year ago, I wouldn't really be cleaning stuff out or throwing things away, but I was wrong! As heinous as moving is, it really is such a good way to clean out your junk and get organized. I also let go of a few things that my inner hoarder has issues with. Take the two high school sweatshirts for example. These were exciting purchases... 14 years ago. It's finally time to part ways, Polo and Lucky. You're aren't so cool anymore. :)

Also, I uncovered a handful of broken glasses and watches. I hate when things that I love break. I always think I'll get them fixed and use them again. Maybe some of it is sentimental?? But if I haven't done it in 10 years... chances are it ain't going to happen. I took a deep breath and handed them all to Travis. He sent them away to a farm where they can run free and be happy. These are sad, but big steps for me, people. 

I'm so disappointed in myself, that this is the only picture I have of my Mom and Craig's surprise trip out here! My mom called on Saturday morning and said she'd like to come help me for a couple of days. They drove in that night and stayed until Tuesday morning. It was so fun to have them at church with us and have them meet our friends and ward family. It was our last time in the Farmington 8th ward and my heart ached. So many wonderful people. I really loved this ward. Then, that night, the bishop's family invited us over for dessert, so we had fun visiting with them and letting the boys play. Their son, Jared, works at the library and had a couple extra of their summer reading shirts that Collin has been dying to get his hands on! (If only I wasn't such a slacker and got online to register for the program!) They also gave both boys these giant, stuffed gorillas they were playing with. Oi! They are monsters! Just what every Mom needs. :) But the boys are in heaven and it was really sweet of them. We will miss the Payne family!

On Monday morning the boys went to preschool, while I went to my 3rd doctors appt. I really have such a hard time with these appointments! I hate going! Anyway, then my Mom took Collin and Weston out for the entire afternoon to the library. Craig read them books, they played outside, and went to Storytime. And then my mom came home with stacks of boxes and plastic bins and other packing supplies for me. I would have totally run out of boxes if she hadn't done that. Mom always knows what's needed! I packed the whole kitchen that day. What a process! It was so helpful to have that whole day to pack. Mom and Craig left Tuesday morning and we were all sad to see them go!! Especially the boys.

OK, so now it's Thursday afternoon and it looks like we'll be moving tomorrow. Travis has been in Gallup all week working. Monday morning was hard for me. I was pretty emotional looking down the barrel of a long week without Travis and knowing the whole house needed to be done and ready to move by the time he got back. Well, I've just about done it. There's always so much more to do, even after you think it's all basically done, but at least I know I'm on the downhill. Travis will actually get home tonight, instead of tomorrow morning, like we thought. (Glad we had Facetime in the meantime. Weston likes to try his new {taco tongue} talent whenever he can :)

I ran around town this morning, going to the bank, getting medical records, picking up last minute things, and then I treated myself to a pedicure. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've gotten one of these, but today it was definitely deserved! Then I swung by Target and got myself a drink while I shopped for a few things. Au revoir, Target. You were a comforting presence when I moved to small town, Farmington. I will miss you.

Speaking of missing things. I've had my "last" of quite a few things these past two weeks. I had my last day at the gym, the day we left to Utah. We had a good run, Defined Fitness. Pun intended. :)

I had my last book club discussion. I'm especially sad about this one! It takes a while for a book club to gain momentum and ours had finally done just that. These ladies were becoming good friends and I was sad to see it end. 

I went to my last Zumba class last Saturday. Again, I had made some friends here and really loved the dances and instructors. I've tried other Zumba classes that didn't quite hit the mark, so I'm going to really miss Shirley and Kim!

OK, enough blubbering. We all know I'm sad to leave Farmington. Eyes to the future! 

It's just about here.