and again

In keeping with the teacher's schedule, Labor Day weekend was going to be our best bet to drive back up to Seattle and haul back all our stuff. Just enough time to pack like crazy and say good-bye. Ellen had 3 of our boys stay the weekend with her and Parker stayed with his best friend in Seattle, it was nice for Matt and I to be able to power through it. Also, my parents came up to help. Such a blessing to have Ken play the worlds biggest game of Tetris in the U-haul and my mom packed up my entire kitchen. (a task I was ardently avoiding) They went off to the BSU vs. UW season opener Saturday night and Matt and I grabbed dinner at a favorite on Alki beach, Cactus. The sun was out and setting, a very peaceful night to let go of our time in Seattle.

We woke up to pack the last few things in the truck, like the mattresses we had slept on. There was even time to catch our beloved Pastor Eric Mason speak at Mars Hill in downtown. The old church building is spectacular and his message was about strongholds, especially in our mindsets. It seems like the main takeaway from Seattle for me is to challenge my mindset often. I love that the people of this city are so receptive and open to new ideas, wonderful for my wandering soul.

Speaking of wandering, we finally found an open Starbuck's on our 6th try! Weird.

Arrived early Monday and threw all the stuff wherever it landed. Yikes. 

Matt's brother Taylor spent one of his last days before going off to college doing the heaving lifting with Matt. I was worried we'd worn them out but they still had energy for this:

Some Idaho favorites so far, Cafe Rio (pork salads foreva!!!!) and the bait vending machine.

Also, love Friday night football in a small town.

All the really important things in life are the same. Loving these wild men that have been entrusted to me. I liken our family to a snow globe right now. Shaken up but I know it will all settle down... right before we move again!

chapter 2

 Another rushed post brought to you by moving across the northwest, starting a new job, and blending a family.

 We arrived in the 208 in mostly good spirits and I promptly started taking photos of the sky. Goodness! Idaho, you know sunsets!

 That full moon got all the blame for my wonkiness amidst the transition. Also good for wonkiness? Get yourself to Granny Annie's and have some ice cream.

 And maybe catch a slug or two for your hosts. We stayed with our good friends the Teels the first week. They are hospitality whizzes and forgave our fragile state. (And their girls love slugs, so the boys jumped right in)

 Plenty of coffee in a fitting mug.

 Part of the 2 week rush to wrap up our Seattle Experiment was to see Kelly and fam during their Idaho visit. Dan and Ellen were having a small celebration for their marriage and both boys wanted to be there. Here are the happy kids and the worn out guys.

 I had a chance to go back to school shopping with the Teel girls. They were most interested in Mrs. Field's Cookies at the mall. Maybe there is not such a gap between boys and girls ;)

 Cute hats on girls and cute hats on boys.

 Matt made the transition to teacher look pretty smooth. I thought we could all call him Mr. Archuleta but he said the students call him Matt. (what?)

 We are staying at Ellen's old place, just rearranged what was here and then held our breath to see if our stuff from Seattle would fit when we drug it back. (spoiler: it didn't)

 I cut Parker's hair! Part of my plan called Operation Teacher's Salary. He was pleased, saying it has a Macklemore vibe.

 And then I basically has a nervous breakdown. I am wound too tight for this moving every 2 years crap. Oh yea, this was all MY IDEA. I found this on Instagram the moment I was struggling the most.

 Yes and Amen, with a side of detox tea. (the stress diet has been killer. hello, Twinkies)

 Our house sold! Full price offer and buyer paying closing costs. Woot Woot! I knew that house was a gem and I'm so glad someone who loves it is moving in.

 Grandma Ellen's new place has a pool. Now tell me what is more fun than 7 cousins and a pool on a hot summer day?

For the first time in the 13 years I've known my sweet sister-in-law, we got to celebrate her birthday with her. She is patient and loving, makes the cutest babies and she let Collin blow out her candles. Miss this crew so much already.

Thanks for reading, the posts while half-crazed, are helping me bring it all into focus.

Now this is the story all about how My life got flipped, turned upside down...

 A photo dump to explain away the move. Or start to anyway. It started with the urge to repaint the interior of our house. I had wanted to for over a year but, such is life. When we jumped in with 5 gallons of 'Ancient Stone' as recommended by the Rehab Addict, it looked just about one million times better. No joke.

It was actually around May when I felt like maybe our time in Seattle was over. Matt had a couple ideas to make the work stress and schedule better but nothing panned out. So in July, I really started in thinking about what was next. Our lifestyle was not sustainable, the cost of living in Seattle has been a battle. Returning to Idaho made the most sense but there was uncertainty about employment for Matt. I became obsessed with making the jump back but Matt was not convinced. Then came a phone call with a job offer for a job he had not even applied for. We took it as all doors were now open. The housing market was booming, most of our extended family are in Idaho, and Matt's mom recently remarried and moved out of her home leaving an convenient transition for Matt and I. (no having to rent or buy from Washington) I am skipping over a lot here but you get the idea. The timing was so quick that we hardly had time to wonder about the future.

We celebrated this guy turning 12, with style.

 Sharing our most favorite Toulouse Petit with the boys. You should have seen the look on the waitress' face, convinced we were wasting our money. And then her face when they all licked their plates clean.

The monorail! Aden had this on his wish list since Christmas. 

 Such a fun day doing all the touristy things about the city. Love this family of mine. Blessed by how they navigate the city with ease.

 Finally visited Coleman Pool, on my list for 2 years!

 Wined and dined by the best girlfriends.

 Cleaned everything manically. Fridges are GROSS. This is the after, so pretty I had to capture it.

 Wine at the skatepark.

Goodbyes with friends.

 Football in the park. Seattle summer is GLORIOUS.

 And my lil' sis is 30! Fun night at Barrio followed by Molly Moon's.

 Spotless. The house looked awesome, as long as there was not anyone actually trying to do any living there.

 Digging out buried treasures to keep this little one occupied while I cleaned.

All the can't miss Seattle spots, like Meander's, we tried to hit up one more time.

Most days we looked a lot like this.

Delridge Days! It is just nuts the opportunities that existed just a few minutes from our home. This was a free skate lesson with live competitions all day long. Took our mind off from all the packing.

The plan was to arrive in Idaho in time to start the Nampa school year then return on Labor Day Weekend to pack up all our things. (And thank God! Our house sold that first week we were gone!)

I told Matt I wanted to hit the road by 9am and by golly, it just worked out.

Forgive the rushed post but I had to start somewhere.