And for our 11th move...

Seriously we are not trying to be record breakers here but 11 homes in ten years is quite impressive (anyone impressed?)
Yeah!
I was some what busy so I did not capture our move on camera but I am pretty sure I will not forget the story.
In May Joey's boss offered a new position to him as the Administrator of a larger skilled nursing facility in Walla Walla, Washington (about 5 hours south east of our home in Lake Stevens). After considering all the pros and cons he took the offer and we began our all too familiar routine of packing our belongings into boxes. I already had plans to spend time in California for the summer and decided to have most of the house packed before I left. I knew once I got home I would have limited time to get our affairs in order. My main goal was to move to Walla Walla before the kids started school on August 23rd. We left California on July 23rd and spent the following week in our new town looking for a place to live. A week in a hotel with the kids and one vehicle to share was not as bad as I had anticipated. Finding a place to live was! After a week of searching and desperately asking people who wanted to sell their homes to rent to us instead, we headed back to Seattle. We had our home up for rent and were not really having much success there. Now the question was how long will Joey be living in a hotel in Walla Walla while the kids and I are in Lake Stevens?
It was a long three weeks but everything fell into place very last minute but better than we could have hoped for. My faith has grown leaps and bounds again and I feel very blessed to know that my Heavenly Father knows our needs and fears and has a way of opening doors and helping us to help each other.
One week before I wanted to be in Walla Walla I got a phone call from someone I had emailed on Craigslist. They had their house for sale but I asked if they would rent it instead. It ends up that they decided they would like to do that. They also happened to be using the same real estate agent I had spoken with and they are both LDS. The house is in the school district I wanted, within walking distance to the school I had been checking out, within walking distance to the church, and in a great neighborhood. One week before I wanted to move we also met one of Emma's friend's Mom and she fell in love with our house and wanted to rent it. After meeting with her and her husband we worked out all the details and they moved in the day after we moved out. Our house did not have to stay empty and we do not have to go back to show it or get it ready to sell. What an incredible blessing it is to have a good and clean family in our home while we are here.
So we were set to move... all the details falling into place with a few hiccups along the way. Joey's Dad came up to help us move. Joey and I have prided ourselves on being able to pack all our belongings into a 15 foot truck. HA! Well not anymore. We loaded down a huge 24 footer and then had to get a 15 footer to finish the job. Yeah I know. In one year we acquired some larger items and next time we think we might hire a moving company instead! Our usual 1 hour truck loading took a whole day. A big thanks to Mike and those great missionaries for really helping us out.
After a night in a hotel and a good breakfast we headed to our new home. Mike in the 15 foot truck with Ethan and Emma, Joey in the 24 foot truck with Lily and Jayci and Nolan and I pulling up the rear in the van. Yes I know I got the best deal! Nolan slept and I called my friends and family. We moved in on August 20th, three days before school started!
Our new home is nice. I will not compare it to our house in Lake Stevens because honestly we were a little spoiled there. I have realized though that we can live anywhere. My kids will still be happy about which room they get, they will still fight over silly things like who gets to water which plant or who sits next to Nolan at the table, they will get excited over new hiding places and trees and stairs and anything new and different, the church is the same everywhere, and there will always be the opportunity make new friend.
Our reception here by neighbors, the school, and the church has been so warm. I look forward to exploring more and enjoying what this small town has to offer.