Sunday Synopsis: The Move, Best and Worst

I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf with the move, a regular blog post each Sunday, called my Sunday Synopsis. I will try my best. This week's Sunday Synopsis isn't of the most recent week, but I hope to move in that direction. My topic, The MOVE:

Top 10 WORST things about our move: 

1. Ed, our HORRIBLE loan officer, who lost documents, persistently wrote incorrect information, encouraged us to sign contracts with errors because "we were getting into the house so cheaply anyway," who delayed our closing once and almost cost us closing all together, who made us sit for four hours at closing while the title company corrected all of his errors (which we had corrected weeks before), and who asked for our email address the day before closing, after near-daily email communication for 30 days.
2. The truck breaking down in Denver and the requisite "drug screen" for our loan application, which necessitated Andrew driving 24 hours straight from Denver to St. Louis, consuming approximately 100 oz of Dr. Pepper, and staying awake for 40 hours prior to our closing and moving in.

3. Getting lost in a torrential rain storm while racing to set up a bank account (something Ed told me about over the phone while I was driving somewhere in Wyoming), and stuck a block away, due to traffic signals that lost power in the storm.
4. Washing machine drain popping off and spraying a full-sized load of water into our brand new basement.
5. Permanent "Emma," proudly written on our mailbox, front door, brick, and flower pots the morning after we moved in.
6. DMV run around with 2 kids, 2 days, for 2 hours

 7. Realizing that our moving truck was not quite as big as we may have needed, resulting in a massive tetris operation, where we dismantled much of our stuff (some of which won't go back together now), and thus, leaving behind my jogging stroller :(

8. Calling the police in a panic when Emma disappeared for nearly 45 minutes. After three officers showed up (including the sergeant), all the neighbors walked the streets calling her name, and the head officer offered to call a helicopter, a nice policeman found Emma "asleep" under the crib where she was hiding after being offended by James. (By the way, we did search the house thoroughly 3 times calling her name constantly before calling the police. Welcome to the neighborhood! :) very embarrassing . . . )

9. Car theft at Walmart parking lot. While Andrew was sitting in the moving truck just after arriving in St. Louis, a sedan screeched out of the Walmart parking lot, followed by two police cars. The occupants jumped from the vehicle and ran, officers drew guns, and tackled the individuals who were subsequently surrounded by other police vehicles with flashing lights. Welcome to St. Louis!!!

10. Having to jump Andrew's car numerous times just to get it out of the hospital parking garage (his third day of work), and subsequently jumping it to get it from repair shop to repair shop to get the best deal in parts and labor. Thank goodness we towed it from Utah!!

Top 10 BEST things about our move:

1. Having an amazing husband who has worked incredibly hard through the entire move, making sure the truck made it here, the house closed, going to work while completely exhausted from all the craziness, coming home and being the family favorite around here, and, SUPER cute. Take a look:

2. Driving across the beautiful Midwest plain states and two of the worlds best kids in the car!

3. Visiting family and friends along the way who were so generous, so welcoming, and whose kids were a wonderful release for ours after being cooped up in a car all day.

4. Being greeted by "fairies" glowing and dancing about in our yard, making our first night (and every night here) magical.
5. Squirrels and trains. Emma and James LOVE to watch the trains pass our house and the squirrels scamper across the yard.

6. Unpacking my kitchen dishes to find NOTHING broken, and everything fits into beautiful cupboards that seem to have never been used before (plus room for my china, vases, extra flower pots, pretty much everything!)
7. Regina and Julie, who bypassed Ed's errors, and got us our $500 in the contract, and closed on time!
8. My flower pot making it all the way across the country.

9. Walking distance to Grant's trail, the library, and a playground, all from my front door, a yard for my kids to run and play in, and Daddy's amazing tire swing!!

10. Being blessed daily by the help of others, be it a meal, advice, a game for relief, packing and cleaning help, watching my kids, a comfortable bed to sleep in while ours is packed in the truck, loading and unloading help, flowers from a new friend in the ward, chocolate at my door the morning after I moved in because someone knows moving is stressful, welcoming neighbors who happen to knock just after my washing machine floods and have a fan to loan for the carpet to dry out, and on and on.


We love you and are so grateful for all you have done to help us on this wonderful (and sometimes crazy) adventure!! :)