Moving home...

Our last week in Memphis was full of packing, tying up loose ends and trying to say goodbye to all of the people and places we have come to know during our four years in Memphis. Some of the hardest goodbyes included our church, friends, doctors, and Sofia's teacher. Sofia absolutely loves one of her teachers at school and they threw her a special "despedida" on her second to last day. Her teacher is wonderful and Tim and I both came to say our goodbyes to her. I actually cried watching Sofia and her have their final moment together, it just really hit me that Sofia has no idea that she'll never be at her school again or see her teacher. Our church is an incredible place in Memphis that welcomes people from all walks of life and truly practices what they preach. The church was our family while we were so far away from our own family. Our last Sunday was beautiful, we got there early enough to socialize with some people and I brought Sofia into the sanctuary while the choir was still practicing. She looked straight up and held up her hands and just smiled. I know Sofia has felt the love of God and the congregation of our church. Then she listened to the music and just started dancing in the huge open space. Normally I would be quick to pull out my phone to take a video but it was a moment I'll have to remember in my own heart because I just watched her and smiled. I was pregnant with her in that church and I remember her moving in my tummy during music and now to see things come full circle and see this beautiful little girl dancing in her church was just amazing. Saying goodbye to my school was also hard, I worked with some incredible people and had some amazing teaching experiences. My entire teaching career has been in schools of great poverty with students from some very tough homes. I will miss my students dearly but I look forward to hearing about their accomplishments as the years go by. I was amazed by how many of my old students (who are now in high school) came by to catch up with me before I left. Honestly though, the job has been a lot of work and both physically and mentally and I am looking forward to a little rest and time to focus on my own family more. We were lucky enough to say goodbye to some of our friends with a fun cabin weekend but we weren't able to say goodbye to everyone which has been really hard on me. I have never been a person to make close friends quickly. Tim and I are both a little guarded about who we let near and dear to our hearts and leaving a group of people that we have come to know and love so much is very sad. I think overall it's just been difficult because we moved so far away. Our drive was 11 hours home and we know how hard it will be to see our friends who stayed in the South, especially as people have more babies etc. Now that we are in Wisconsin it will be nice to catch up with our old friends from high school in college but we will forever miss our Memphis group.

The move itself was a lot of work. I wasn't able to help as much as I wanted since I'm the size of a full term pregnant woman, I'm currently carrying almost 6 lbs of babies! Both boys are a few ounces shy of 3 pounds. Tim's parents are amazing. They left Wisconsin after work on Friday and drove through the night (besides stopping for a few hours to sleep at a rest stop) to arrive in Memphis by 9am. Tim and I weren't even home when they arrived because Sofia left her school Friday with a little virus and we wanted to play it safe and have the doctor check her out before we left. As soon as we got home Tim and his Dad began the arduous task of moving all of our things down 3 flights of stairs in 90 degree Memphis heat. Sofia was miserable and wasn't happy about all of the coming and going, she doesn't like seeing her Dad leave. After about eight hours of packing, Tim and his Dad fit all of our belongings into a minivan, trailer, and Tim's car. I was absolutely amazed and impressed that they fit everything. We didn't want to rent a truck because of the cost of the truck and gas for a 700 mile journey. Especially since we aren't sure when the next paycheck will come. Tim's Dad left as soon as the trailer was packed and the rest of us ate a quick dinner. Tim drove his car alone, which was good since there was no space whatsoever. Tim's Mom and I drove with Sofia and Frodo. We decided to leave after dinner since Sofia was so sick and exhausted. We drove until about 3am and tried to sleep at a rest stop to save money but Frodo kept growling at everything he saw and no one could recline seats because of car seats and boxes. So finally around 3:30 we were able to find a cheap motel and sleep for a few hours before finishing the move Sunday morning.

We are currently living with Tim's parents in Baraboo. We are very grateful for a nice place to stay but it's also a little stressful because we know we're going to have to move again, possibly two more times. It's also hard to live in a place that's not your own when you've been on your own for so long. There are also a lot of benefits. Sofia is adjusting quickly and seems to have beat her virus already. She loves spending time with family and having a big house to run around in and a yard! It's really helpful to have extra hands around since I am so big and I get tired very quickly these days. Tim has four possibly five interviews in the next two weeks so hopefully we will have an idea of where we will be moving to in about a month. We thought we would know by now but the jobs in Wisconsin are just not as plentiful as the South. I've been amazed with how patient I've been able to remain about the situation. I really like things planned out well in advance but I've had to let go and give up control these days because there is absolutely nothing I can do. It's just weird to think that we have no idea where we will bring the twins home to, it could be Tim's parents house and it could be an entirely different city. I look forward to the opportunity to get a little more settled and the moving is a pain but part of the process. We are hoping that we can rent wherever we go since we couldn't save for a down payment while Tim was in school. Again, another little bump in the road but it's all part of the journey and I'm trying to remember that God has a plan for me and my family and so far it's been a pretty awesome one.