The Big Move

Here are some random pictures and details about the move that I want to remember. I have been meaning to post for awhile but have been too busy getting settled and having fun in Ann Arbor :) 

just seeing this picture of all our stuff in our storage unit gives me a headache. Moving is the pits. Glad we don't have to do it again for at least 3 years. 

loading the truck was like playing a big game of Tetris. They charge per square foot so we made sure to pack it efficiently. Thanks to our families for all their help. 

truck all packed and ready to go. We used a service that drove the truck for us which was so nice. It made the road trip easier that we didn't have to drive a big truck. 

The Drive... 

Well, the drive started out pretty rocky with Hailey being sick and throwing up for the first couple days. All I can say is I am SO grateful my amazing Mom volunteered to drive with me. I definitely needed and extra set of hands to help in the car (i.e. catch throw up in bowls... as I said, my Mom

 is amazing!) 

Wyoming- the most boring State to drive through in my opinion 

 Nebraska- long state but surprisingly pretty 

Iowa - not our favorite stop because we got woken up by the cops knocking on our hotel door to tell us Dave's car had gotten broken into. Sadly we had forgotten to take our video camera out and they took it. People are lame 

Iowa wasn't all bad though, we got to see the house my parents and older siblings lived in when my Dad did his fellowship there many years ago. 

Indiana- We took a pit stop at Notre Dame. This is where I played in my first volleyball tournament in College. It brought back so many memories being back there. Neither Dave or my Mom had seen it so it was fun for them to see. The girls were just happy to be out of the car for awhile. Nora was literally skipping around campus... 

Finally made it! 

Nora trying to grab the bird on the wall in her new room the first night, it was so sweet. She loves her birds and owls and I wake up pretty much everyday to her sweet voice saying "owls, birdies, mine" 

Move in day it rained like crazy on and off all day. On top of the rain I sadly caught Hailey's bug so spent the majority of the day throwing up. I think it's safe to say that that day was one of the worst of my life (probably Dave and my Mom's too)  it was stressful but we survived, enough said. 

When it rains here it really rains 

Dave was a trooper and moved the majority of the truck in by himself. By the time the Elders Quorum came to help that evening only the big furniture was left. I felt so guilty that I couldn't help lift much, stupid sickness! 

Hailey didn't seem to mind the rain and spent a lot of time exploring her new backyard 

Chasing a bunny. We have a bunch that live in the trees in our backyard. They are so cute and the girls love watching them. If only they didn't just eat one of my plants I just planted, little stinkers. 

Our rental house. We love it so far! It's been so nice to have more room (it's more than double the size of our old condo)  and the layout has worked perfectly for us. The girls love the big yard and the fact that it connects to a great park. We have spent a lot of time there already. The neighborhood is very nice and everyone has been very welcoming. We feel very lucky that we ended up in such a great neighborhood.  

I caught this pic of my girls playing with the 5 year old twins who live next door. They have become fast friends and play together almost daily. They always begged their parents for younger siblings so have sort of adopted my girls as their own. Their Mom and I have already gotten to be good friends and spend a lot of nights at the park together while our husbands are still at work.  

After our first day of Church. We fell in love with our ward instantly! I have never felt more welcomed in a ward.  Half of the ward is families that are permanent here; a lot of them are Doctors or faculty at the University; and the other half (or more) is residents, dental, law and other graduate students. There are a ton of young kids and we have already made some great friends. The women get together at least once a week for playgroups and other various activities which has been so nice.  I feel so grateful to have such a great support system already. 

It was quite an adventure to get here but we can tell already it will be worth it. We are already starting to fall in love with Ann Arbor and are so excited for the next few years!