Our new (old) home

We recently moved. This is our pre-move as we prepare for our real move. We are going to England for grad school in October. (Yes, I know of one reader of my blog who does not know that.) So, we need to sell our house to prove we have money so we can get a visa so Chris can go to school so we can move on with life. In the meantime, we need somewhere to live. We thought we'd go to an apartment, but my parents offered (yes, they OFFERED) to let us stay in their home. We could not resist the draw of the basement. This is the 25th time in my short life that I have officially changed my place of residence. And 7 of those moves have been back to the basement! (Well, just 6. One was when we moved here in the first place when I was 4 and back then, I got to sleep upstairs. Oh, and when I moved here after my mission, Brynn had commandeered my room and I slept upstairs.)

Now that we are pretty well settled in, I feel it is time to be honest. I really like living here. The kids have so much freedom. There is enough room in the house that we are not all in the same space all day long. There is a big backyard for unsupervised play. (That gives kids freedom. I still am close enough to know they're safe and behaving.) There is a park just down the street. (That is for supervised play.) And best of all, there is a sidewalk out front. A SIDEWALK!!!! In the past, all we've had is a parking lot. The kids can ride bikes and scooters within a somewhat confined space and I can sit on the porch reading. I can even stay inside doing laundry and look out every few minutes knowing they are safe. (Yeah right. Like I am going to stay inside doing laundry if I could be outside reading. But the point is that I COULD BE doing that.)

On top of all the kid-friendly freedoms we are enjoying, my mom's house is organized. It is peaceful. The house invites the spirit. Obviously, that is because of the owners of the house. I am a better housekeeper in this house because I am trying to respect my mom's things and because even little things out of place seem like a big deal in so much order. The day starts earlier and I am finding it easier to get out of bed and get school started. I am confident that I will achieve many things this summer.

I try not to enjoy living here so much because we are invading someone else's space. I should feel a little guilt. But there are so many windows letting in sunshine, there is no guilt to be had. Plus there are kids in the neighborhood who actually WANT to play with my kids!!! And the cousins come over and I like the neighbors and it is the only ward where I feel completely at home. Best of all, I really like my parents. I like being around them. I like talking to them and feeding off their energy for life. I hope I don't drain them of all their energy while we are here. But, the good news is that we are leaving! For England! In just a couple months! Enjoy us while you can!!!