Okay, second day here.  We came early and started putting away boxes.  We spent the day putting away boxes...putting them in the right rooms and/or putting the contents away.  Naturally there isn't enough room in the kitchen to put all the kitchen things.  I will have to consider what to do with it all.  The ward is having a free garage sale not this Saturday but next and I think there will be a lot of this going there.  I got the bed made and the kitchen sorted out to some degree so that we slept here last night and had dinner last night and breakfast this morning.

 Lots and lots and lots of boxes.
 

I can't tell you how humbly grateful I am for this pantry.  It's a rare one in Kingwood I hear and we needed every inch.  It still needs some organization as time goes on, but there is room to put most everything. 

In the evening we still had a stack of boxes but it wasn't as big.  

 The cable guy came around 2 and set up the tv and the internet.  Now we are connected to the world again.  

Now this morning I have cleared out all the stack of boxes from the middle of the family room but my feet are in sore shape and I can't hobble very fast or long so the living room stack will have to wait.  I can spend the day getting the bedroom and bathrooms sorted now that the boxes are there.  I couldn't find my toothbrush before going shopping this morning but finally did later.  I went to the Kroger's that's just a couple blocks from us and got stocked up on lots of fruits and vegetables and some chicken and hamburger for Dad.  I don't want to eat meat anymore so I got some supplies for me too. 

The man is back in Crosby continuing to refurb the condo so it can go on the market.  I felt a loosening of attachment to Crosby that was almost tangible.  Interesting feeling.  I haven't felt an attachment here though.  Still sort of in the middle yet.  

I look forward to the man having time to trim the trees in the yard.  We have lots and lots of windows and yet no sun comes in.  As Jer said, we are living in a forest now.  Which is also wonderful.  I love seeing the leaves reflect the sunlight. 

Well the anxiety is all over.  We did the move and everything is out of the storage unit and in the house.  It's in stacks and piles in the middle of the rooms, but it's all in the house and garage. One day with two trucks and two men to help with all that stuff did the trick.

The man had breakfast this morning at 6 and then said he wished he hadn't because he felt like he was going to throw up.  He has been nervous and worried about this for a while.  Will UHaul really have a van ready when we go to get it?  Will the moving guys really show up with a truck and will they actually work till it's all done or leave after 4 hours?  After we got to the storage unit and the guys weren't there Dad went to open the door of our unit and it was stuck so that it wouldn't open.  He called me (I was in front waiting for the guys) and asked me to start praying that we could open it.  He was envisioning having to cut the steel door apart so we could get the stuff and then having to pay for a new one.  

When the guys got there a half hour later they got it open with just a little work.  Thank you Heavenly Father.  And then they worked like troopers getting it all out and loaded.  When we drove to the house they were awesome at unloading and putting it all in the house.  We couldn't have asked for better help.   

 When we got the stuff into the house Lara set about getting the freezer cleaned out.  You wouldn't believe what it and the fridge looked like inside!  She got the freezer clean and I tackled the fridge.  There were long hairs of fungi hanging from the freezer door trays.  

                                                        And mold and grossness in the freezer. 

                                       And now they are sparkling.  Ready to be used again.

We are back in Crosby now recuperating.  Tomorrow we will return and get started sorting out and putting away.  It's a huge relief to have it all there and out of storage.  The man will go tomorrow morning to clean the unit and check out while I go to my dr appointment to get acquainted with a new doctor and get a new prescription for my meds. 

We plan to get the bed set up and desks put together and kitchen organized so that we will move over and begin to live there tomorrow night. The man will continue to return here to the condo every day to finish up getting it ready to show. 

Today is a milestone day.  We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for it going so smoothly. 

When we were at the house yesterday trying to get the locks all changed (but couldn't yet) I had already discovered a huge 18" butcher knife over the range top.  I hadn't found it before because I didn't have anything to stand on when I was cleaning out the drawers and cabinets.  When we were at the closing and the owner's daughter was there we returned to her a key and some change we had found in the drawers but didn't know about the knife.  She mentioned that she meant to visit the neighbors with whom she had been close when she lived there and so I thought I would take that knife over and give it to them to give to her when she came to visit. 

So here I am walking across the lawn to the neighbor's house with this 18" butcher knife in my hand.  There are three cars in the driveway and one parked in the front with the door partly open like the occupant is about to get out any minute.  I ring the bell and no one comes to the door.  I knock on the door and no one comes.  I look at the car in front and think about walking over to give it to the occupant and the car door closes.  So I sadly walk back to the house with the butcher knife and put it away.  This morning feeling sad and unloved I reflect on that picture.  Obviously the person in the car called the people inside and told them there was a crazy person outside and DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!!

So the next time we go back I will wrap the knife in paper and carry it in a bag and hopefully they will not be worried so I can transfer it to the proper owner. 

We signed the papers today and have a new home!  We took a couple loads of superfluous belongings from the condo over to the house and put them away...canned goods and bathroom things.  And Lara came and helped me apply the shelf lining to the kitchen shelves.  What a job that was!  I had forgotten what it entailed.  I am so grateful for her help!  We finally got it down and it looks so nice and clean.  Tomorrow we will take more to clear out the condo and get it ready to show soon.

We got to the signing a half hour early and told them so and the lady welcomed us in and showed us our seats and Dad gave her the check for $101,186.44.  She handed him a paper and said he needed to sign all the papers with just this signature so they would all be alike, and it wasn't his signature!  Then we all realized she had the papers for the 1pm meeting and we were the 130pm meeting.  OH!  So then we got the right papers and started our own signing.  The daughter of the owner of our new house came in and signed all her places and it was great to meet her.  I think she would be a fun friend.  Don't know where she lives now.

Dad got the movers for Tuesday so that we would have that extra Monday to sign papers if it came to that, but it all worked out on time so now we have an extra day to do condo refurb and take condo stuff to the house.  It feels really good to be started moving. 

We were told Monday that our closing was postponed from Wednesday to tomorrow.  It was a hard few hours till we got it straightened out in our heads.  We just barely now got news that it's all a real deal tomorrow and we will have to pay less than Dad expected in closing costs, etc.  Nice surprise!

We really were disappointed.  But then we realized that Heavenly Father knew it all was going to work out that way and it was for our good and we would still be settled soon.  The main concern was that we get out of the storage unit before the end of the month.  Dad was hoping that we would have a week or so to slowly move boxes from the unit to the house and then hire men to do the really heavy lifting at the end.  Now we will have not so many days to do that. I finally expressed to him that I wasn't looking forward to that and would prefer to hire men to do all that from beginning to end.  We have many heavy boxes and lots and lots of cans of wheat still.  I don't want either one of us lifting and carrying all that.  So we settled on hiring some men and two trucks to do it all in one day.  He will direct the packing and I will direct the putting in the right rooms. See?  Heavenly Father is looking out for us.  We could have had heart attacks and sprained backs and now it will all be done in one day and we will be spry and healthy.  :o)   

We have two trucks because it saves money with time and gas.  We are renting a UHaul and also one of the moving men's trucks. 

IT'S REALLY GONNA HAPPEN!!!

Less than two days till we have the keys!!  We will be done and new house owners by this time Wednesday.  We didn't mow the grass Saturday since it rained all day but Sunday we drove by and the grass was mowed already.  It looks nice. 

We are SO ready to have all our stuff out of storage!   We miss the rest of our clothes and Jer's tools and my books and our videos.  The new plan is that we will get the condo ready for showing as soon as possible before doing any work on the house but the storage comes first so we don't have to pay another month's rent. 

Today Jer is still working on the new kitchen cabinet doors.  He had to repair the cabinets a little and now is getting the doors ready to put on.  Then there's not much else except clearing out all the extraneous stuff so the condo will show well. 

I had to get out for a while so I got my hair cut and looked around downtown Crosby.  :o)  I'm no good around here as far as getting the condo ready.  I cook.  And clean.  And wait.

I haven't taken my blood pressure pills for a few days and today I got it checked and it's 140/78.  That's not bad.  I will see what the dr says next week.   Maybe I'll take the water pill and see if that helps bring it down a little.  I like not taking pills since they make my stomach feel funny and also I just like not having to rely on pills for anything.  I think if I can lose 10 lbs or so now that summer is coming it should make a good difference too.   

We are talking about what to do with ourselves after we move and the man has said he would like to do a service mission maybe in the bishop's storehouse and possibly be temple workers one day a week.  He will be as free as I am now that he is really truly retired.  We don't have much of a yard to care for like we did in Orem and the house will be all done soon after a few changes.  We will have to check it all out when we get settled.  Maybe I can get him to attend a yoga class with me at the YMCA.  :o)  We plan to walk and bike around the green belts too. 

     
                            They arrived today!!   And in a really cute box,  and they're fresh.  They also included some dried figs as a bonus for buying from them.  I think I love this company.  :o)

We went to the temple this morning and had a sweet experience.  We have been the witness couple for the last two times we have gone.  There just aren't that many men that can go here in the middle of the day.  Last time Dad was the only man in the chapel.  We may see if we can be temple workers again after we get settled. 

We had a great rain storm yesterday!  It was pretty steady after it started.  It's fun to see how accurately the weather follows the predictions.  They say it should start raining at 3 pm or in 15 minutes, etc, and it does most of the time.  Our little gully by the road was really full this morning after that rain.  There were tornado warnings last night along with warnings of street flooding but we didn't experience anything more serious than heavy rain and thunder.  I love the rain.  Just think what a miracle it is to have water fall from the sky!!

I finally got my chipped front tooth fixed.  It was such a slight chip that the man couldn't see it or hear the difference in the way I sound, but I could.  It cost $316.08.  I had to think for a while to decide if I wanted to do it or not.  But it did bother me.  And we don't have dental insurance to pay for monthly so I guessed that this one expense was better than paying monthly for the insurance.  So I got it done.  It feels as it should now and I'm glad to have it done. 

I have a doctor appointment week after next to get established with a new doctor and renew my prescriptions.  Maybe not renew.  The dentist took my blood pressure and it was 106/62.  Maybe the dr will let me go off my pills.  I get dizzy from time to time and that's probably the reason. 

The man is continuing to fix up the condo to sell.  Our neighbor Mitzi had a for sale sign in front of her condo that said she wanted $61,500.  We told her about the guy that offered us $60,000 for our place and she called him.  Now her sign is down.  I hope she was able to get it sold to him.  She said she would take that for it so she can go back to school.  We now hope that they will wait till ours sells to get their deal closed.  It won't be good for us to ask $75,000 when hers sold for $60,000.  But we can only do what we can do and see what happens. 

We now have a tentative acceptance of the loan from the underwriters. For a $60,000 loan, we expect no problem.  Next Tuesday we go for the walk through and then Wednesday we get the keys!  We are really looking forward to getting settled.  We plan to go tomorrow and mow the grass.  It's getting pretty long and looking messy.  Then we can leave the mower and the wheelbarrow and some similar things in the garage too.  The main garage door is on an opener but the little door next to it is unlocked so we can go in and open the big one.  :o)  Of course, so can anyone else too, but we expect no problems. 

I am excited to get some pecans in the shell today!  I like to eat them as a snack between meals and I have run out and they aren't in stores till around the holidays.  But I found a place online that has them!!  We will see if they come today as promised. 

I have been looking for years for something interesting and productive to do with my time and this week as I prayed about it and asked what Heavenly Father suggested I saw myself as a family history consultant.  I love family history but I don't know much about the new materials and websites.  So I will have to get caught up.  I expressed my fears and doubts to the man and he said, Pssh!  You can learn anything!  :o)  What a supportive man!  I knew there was a reason I married him. 

Got home Thursday around 2 or so and all of us had naps.  Vacations are tiring!  :o)

Then went to dinner with the Barneys at Chuy's, a great little Mexican restaurant with good food and reasonable prices. We enjoyed visiting again with everyone together.  I do so love my family. 

We had a nice dinner and then Barneys went to Game Stop for Sam to buy a new game and we went to check out the decorations in Pier 1.  I saw a great wall decoration in a shop in Galveston that I loved and want to see if I can find it locally here for less money.   

Isn't that delicate?  And it changes as you move and view it from one side to the other, the birds getting narrower or wider.  It was so like the birds in Galveston traveling smoothly across the sky.

We didn't find anything like it in Pier 1 or in Kirkland that was just down the strip, but we did discover lots of other beautiful things.   It's fun to look.

Today we are staying in with a quiet rain outside and just lazing around.  Plan to go to barbecue later for dinner. 

Saturday night Kathy and Grace came to visit!  We picked them up at the airport about midnight and took them home and went to bed around 2.  It was great to see them!!

Sunday we watched conference after having eggs Benedict for breakfast.  Conference was truly wonderful!  I thought the talks were so to the point. I was called to repentance for becoming complacent about the gospel and the atonement.  I had already been aware of how dulled I had become when we started going to the Pine Trails ward with the new converts so awed and grateful for all they had been learning; the Sunday School classes were inspiring and full of pertinent comments by class members.  I loved Conference.

After Conference we went to see our new house.  The Barneys met us there and we got to talk about what we wanted to do with it.  They gave us some good ideas!  Grace went to visit with Mary for a couple hours and then Mary brought her back to our condo.  We had bought some confetti eggs and we begged them to smash them on each other out the back door in the grass.  It was fun to watch.  Then Mary went home and we had our Easter dinner and watched a little TV.

Monday morning we wanted to buy a thing to let us get Netflix since our wonderful little Apple box had died.  We went to Best Buy and got a Roku box that works great.  Grace helped us set it up.

While we were out to Best Buy we stopped in at the Verizon place and talked to them about my phone going crazy.  It started reading out my messages to me and wiped out my entire contacts list.  It was crazy!  So finally they talked me into getting a smart phone!!  :o)  It didn't take much to talk me into it since they said it would not cost anymore than we were already paying and we would keep our same contract.  So now I have a smart phone!  Grace helped me set it up.

                                                                My first selfie!
When we got all fixed up with a cover and screen protector we went over to the Ashley furniture store across the street to look at sofas since we will need some for the new house.  I want to put Heather's in the living room and get a new one for the family room.  We were only going to look but when we realized they were having a 25% off sale we found one we liked and bought it!  Actually, a couple.  We got a sofa and a love seat to go in the family room to enclose the same red oriental rug that we have in the condo.  It's sort of a fine tweed black and cream that will go well with the cream carpet and the black entertainment unit.  And the red rug will set it all off nicely.  I hope.  I think. 

That was an eventful day.  We finished our shopping by having a late lunch at Pappacito's where we had a great meal.

Tuesday we came to Galveston and drove around and looked at all the old interesting houses and stopped in at the Bishop's Palace and took the self guided tour.  What a place!  It's opulent.

 

 Then we walked down the strand which is similar to the fun little shops in Park City.  I saw a metal wall sculpture that I may have to have at a later date.

 

                                                        Look!  A shop just for her!

This morning we got up and went out to visit the Lone Star Flight Museum.  There were all kinds of planes in flying condition that had been in WW1 and WW2.  We all loved looking around at all the different kinds of planes.  Grace especially liked being that close and wished she could have gotten closer. 
 

The Moody Gardens were next but cost way too much to get into the different exhibits so we walked around and enjoyed being in the air and sunshine and pleasant breezes.  There were some interesting flowers and bushes there too.


We stopped in at the Moody mansion and got tickets for the 3 pm tour and came back to rest and have lunch.  The Moody mansion was so interesting to see.  It was totally different from the Bishop's Palace because it was a family home.  It was very beautiful and expensively decorated, but it was also liveable.  I enjoyed getting to know more of the history of the island and the area in general.




After that we went to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  The water was refreshing and not too cold and the air was balmy.  It was great to just sit and watch the waves.  Very peaceful and relaxing.
 

I haven't posted in a while.  We have been taking care of paperwork for the house loan and trying to get the condo ready for sale.

Jer just about passed out when he got the quote for the insurance on the new house.  It was quadruple what the insurance was on the Orem house that is bigger.  The agent said it was the nearness to the coast that caused the inflation.  Too many possibilities of storm damage.  So we went to talk to her and we got it reduced somewhat.  We took off the coverage of my jewelry and furs. (!)  and we said we didn't need TOTAL replacement coverage.  So it's liveable now, but still a lot more than he expected. 

And he ordered some replacement doors for the little kitchen here because these doors are warped and don't shut completely.  We got them this morning and they are better than I expected.  Beautifully finished.  Too bad we have to paint them.  But they will look great when they're finished and on the cabinets.

He also repaired that terrible patch over the tub in the master bath.  It looks so good now.  Just needs paint to look like it always was right.  And he's painting where he needed to sand the wall there.  It looked like the owner hired his brother in law to come in and fix some things.  There were slaps and smears of mud that were painted over.  Hard to describe, but obvious that this poor little condo was a rental for several years.   We're trying to give it a look of love and care before we put it up for sale.

Also have to replace the gasket in the dishwasher that leaks.  And then the man was in the bathroom working on the ceiling when I had to tell him I didn't think the air conditioner (that we had fixed last June) was cooling.  He almost lost it.  Poor guy.  Too much to do.  He's just not having fun with it anymore.

But we had the repairman come out that evening (thank goodness) and he said it only needed 5 pounds more freon.  There must be a leak somewhere.  So we said, well good, let's do it!  And he said the freon is $50 a pound.  Oh well.  We needed it.  Didn't look for the leak, though, so it may last all summer and it may not.  At least it wasn't the compressor that we replaced last summer.

In other news, our little Meyer lemon thinks it's spring!!  Look at all the blossoms!

                                                    And the Christmas cactus thinks it's winter.

I think they got stressed when we went to see Evanses for a week and wanted to make their last effort toward reproduction before they died.  At least that's what I heard happens sometimes.  I watered them well when we got back and hopefully reduced their stress.

The lemon will be really happy to finally get into the ground when we move.  Lara's is huge and very productive now that it's in the ground.  Ours is just hanging on to life in this pot. 

But the BIG news is that we get to entertain the Langston girls starting tomorrow!!  We are so happily anticipating seeing them again!