Closing the door, Clearing the clutter, Starting fresh in Chesapeake

Man, I worked on that title forever.  How do I tie in all the events that have happened since the middle of December?  My hubby left for a trip, I came down with one heck of a cold and flu, the packers packed, the movers loaded, my mother in law arrived, the kiddos said goodbye to friends and school, and the dog was sedated.  Yep we all loaded in the car and drove four or more hours to our new house in Chesapeake, Virginia.

To see all of my lovely STUFF in boxes was hard but the reality that I crossed state lines and actually moved made my heart heavy.  I left all that I built over five years, the friends are now hours away and my kiddos have to start over.  The STUFF is here but...

The move was actually incredible, a wonderful company and a wonderful team to work with. We wouldn't have been able to achieve as much as we did without my mother in-law, she rescued us and took over helping entertain the kids.  Did I mention that my hubby arrived at the new house just in time.    He went to work with incredible speed and focus and busted the boxes wide open.  I conquered the kitchen and lower half of the house and he tackled the garage and upstairs.  Within two days it felt like we had lived here forever.  I am thinking that the flow of this house is better suited for our family.  You don't figure these things out until you move of course!

Cue Christmas and life got even more exciting.  If there is a single moment that stands out in this drama,  I think it would be when we arrived at the house to find the tree all set up with lights.  A clear indication that Santa would find us and Christmas would happen no matter what.  I let all control issues go and the kiddos decorated the tree as I recovered from sickness.  They had a ball!

More family came in town and Christmas day arrived!  Presents were opened and joy exploded!  All of the sudden I felt at home in the new house and felt like everything was going to be okay.  For the first time in five years my husband will come home every night and be able to give us all a kiss.  

This Christmas season has brought me hope for the future that all is not lost of left behind in Maryland but that things are starting to come together here in Virginia.  I don't have high hopes, I just am just relaxed about what may lie ahead.

Not to mention that every kid should have Christmas SKULL pants!  Merry Belated Christmas to you all.  Pics of the house soon to come.