Mom and Dad's Move

Mom and dad just recently sold their beautiful home in St. George, Utah and moved into our basement apartment. It's something we have been talking about for years, and I was never sure that it would really happen, but they decided this was the time and I'm so glad. I love having them right under my same roof. I love that my kids get the experience of feeling so loved by their grandparents because of such a unique setting and opportunity.

While there are a lot of roses in this circumstance, the move itself had plenty of thorns. Moving is hard work and I'm sure it was gruelling in every way for my mid-70ish parents. Tears and frustrations have not been non-existent, but we are all powering through and confident that there are some really good days ahead.

Life is good, but it's always good to be reminded that we've done some hard stuff.

Mom and dad's kitchen was stuffed to the hilt with boxes. We worked in that area for two or three days solid before finally unpacking the last box. This is definitely a situation where things had to get much worse before they got better.

Brita worked hard helping my mom unpack her clothes and they were so sweet with each other. Brita was shocked by the amount of shoes.

I told mom she could open up her own doily boutique store. The woman has more doilies than she'll ever be able to use in her lifetime.

Dad really enjoys moving.

Meg did her best to help/get in the way. Mom took a break when Meg expressed interest in the bride and groom that adorned the top of mom and dad's wedding cake so many years ago and to sift through her jeweled treasures that Meg has developed a fascination for. Grandpa patiently helped Meg draft an important letter.

Our basement family room was overrun with mom and dad's goods for a good long time.

Carrie and Adam came to help the day we cleaned out the garage. We were relieved to finally get that mess sorted through and to get the garage to the point that mom and dad could park their car.

(Notice that Meg is wearing the same nightgown in all of these photos. I don't think she got dressed for days during the move).

While mom and dad are finally settled enough that they can live, so many of their things are packed in tight in a storage unit down the street. It's only a matter of time before mom has us digging through that thing for items that have come up "missing."

In the meantime, I'm going to try to enjoy myself and just love having them so close.