And Your Name Is...?

It happened for the first time, and I'm sure this won't be the last.

I was playing outside with the kids when a vehicle drove up slowly.  A sweet older lady rolled down the window and said, "Well hello there, I heard you were back in town!  So good to see you.  Why, I don't think I've seen you since high school!"  And on she went, as I'm simultaneously racking my brain to figure out who she is and waiting for her to take a breath so I can say "Remind me of your name...?"  By the time there was a pause, I felt like the conversation had gone on long enough that it would be awkward to admit that I had no clue who she was.  She knew not only me, my parents, and my siblings, but she even alluded to my grandparents and THEIR siblings!  Thankfully a quick phone call afterward yielded her name, so I'll be more prepared next time we meet. :)

In other news, we've felt so well-supported and loved since moving in!

The night before CrazyRunningHubby started his first day of work on the farm, we had barely begun unpacking.  I spent an hour or more hunting down the essentials: coffee pot, clean underwear, and a pot for oatmeal (no luck that night on the clean socks).  The next morning, I got a text from an awesome cousin, asking if I could use a hand unpacking.  She not only came that morning and helped me get my whole kitchen unpacked, but she also brought lunch for all of us AND the fixings for us to make tacos for dinner (she knew
we hadn't made it to the grocery store).  A-mazing.
 

Petting Oreo the Bunny

The kids and I have explored some "default get-outta-the-house spots," like the Y and the library, that we plan to incorporate into our regular routine.  I've been really impressed with the quality of story time at our local library.  In fact, the first week we attended, which happened to be the week of Easter, they even had LIVE chicks and bunnies on hand for the kids to pet and hold!

Today a thoughtful elderly neighbor, someone CrazyRunningHubby and I have known and loved for many years, gave the kids Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that she hand made for them.  Can you believe she made these?!  She's been making them for kids for years.  In fact, she said she's on to the second generation of recipients in some families!  What a treasure. 

Settling In

We're into week two of settling into a more normal schedule, and we're glad to be sleeping consistently in our own beds.  The timeline surrounding the move was hectic but fun:

Friday        Last day of class; CrazyRunningHubby finishes up his MBA
Saturday    Moving Day
Sunday      Headed back to Suburbia to beat snow storm
Monday    Cleaned "old" house in Suburbia
Tuesday    Flew to Florida for a little family getaway
Sunday     Return from Florida
Monday   CrazyRunningHubby starts work on the farm

Yes, it was a whirlwind.

Moving day was a huge success.  We were able to load in Suburbia AND unload on the farm in the same day.  Yep, we have the most AMAZING family and friends.  Amazing.  It was a brisk but sunny day.  My sweet aunt and uncle brought lunch for the whole loading crew.  Warm white chicken chili that was the perfect compliment to offset the chill outside.  They also brought a veggie tray that included corn and beets (two of the crops we'll be growing).  So thoughtful!

The night CrazyRunningHubby finished up classes to complete his MBA (a journey six years in the making), we went out to dinner to celebrate with my parents, my sister, and her husband.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant in town.  It was a fitting spot to transition from our old life in Suburbia to our new life on the farm.

This particular little Mexican restaurant actually used to be a "Happy Chef," where I remember stopping to get biscuits and gravy when I rode along in the truck with my dad as a kid.  He would haul truckloads of grain to a shipping facility on the river, and sometimes I'd get to go along.  I'd bring along my sleeping bag and a supply of Barbies, and I'd have a ball playing in the sleeper cab of the truck.

As we sat there laughing and celebrating over fajitas, I had a flashback to being in that same spot many years ago.  Sitting in a booth across from my daddy over biscuits and and gravy, with our truckload of grain idling outside.  I pictured our little girl getting a chance to do the same thing with her daddy someday, their own truckload of grain idling outside.  Yep, I thought, this is gonna be a very good move.