Moving times are here again

We're moving into my sister Lola's house. Mid February, if all goes according to plan.

Do you know what that means?

1. Lola is moving away. And it's about time. I mean, I really want her to finally live in the same state as her husband. But I also can't really stand the idea of her not living here. She's my sister, but also one of my best friends. Ever. What am I going to do?

2. I actually have to, uh, move. You know, pack stuff up. Boxes.

3. Just when I'm on the verge of really knowing some people in my ward, I have to start all over. It just takes me so long to make friends, for I fear I am ill-qualified to recommend myself to strangers. Yes, I know very well it's my own fault. Luckily I think I can still be friends with some of these west Boise/Meridian people I'm just starting to know. Maybe?

4. No more weeding the rocks. Remember last spring? I just don't know if I can do that again. What's that you say? I don't have to? Ahhh.

5. Five minutes to mom's house. Oh yeah...and five minutes to nearly every other place I ever want to go. Ten minutes, max.

6. I have to switch Jazzercise classes. I have loved my instructor Libby over here but I will be going back to Rhonda's class when we move. Rhonda's classes are great--kept me going through my pregnancy with Johnny--and there is babysitting available. Oh! And there are morning classes, which is way better than this 5:45pm business. But I will miss Libby's spunk and personality. Tradeoffs.

7. Back to a one car lifestyle. Hmm.

8. Start from scratch on our garden.

Okay, I can't possibly list all the things this move will mean. Lots of changes and decisions. Like I said, tradeoffs. I'm still sorting them all out in my head, trying to come to terms with at least all those I can't predict right now. All this mental sorting means I haven't started one single bit of the physical work that will be needed to execute this move. None. Should I be freaking out? I'm not.

I do have to say, though, that I am excessively grateful that we've been able to live in this house. So many good things have happened while we've lived here. When I look back on living here, I hope I will forget the weeds (and the flood!) and just remember the great new job(s) Jeremy got, our wonderful garden, the fun games of hide and seek with the boys, the joys of the Kuna Farmer's Market, the convenience of an extra car we had no right to get to use, and above all, the solvency-preserving inexpensiveness of this housesitting gig. When I think of that, the thousands of dollars we didn't have to pay out this year, I am enormously grateful because well, we didn't have those dollars. Everyone has talked to us about how great it must be to be SAVING all that money since we aren't paying rent, but the truth is, you can't save what you never had. I don't know what we would have done if not for Wendy's generousity.

So even though we complain about the rock yard and the goatheads, the strangeness of living with her family pictures on the walls and the quirkiness of her possession collections, we have been happy here. Ok, since I am prone to complain, I know we've complained about a lot more. But we love Wendy. (Thank you Wendy, if you read this.) We can't ever repay her for the gift of these 18 months.

Do you think having her carpet cleaned would help?