Kevin started a new job almost 3 years ago now (when the economy took a digger and cabling wasn't doing so hot!). When he took this job we knew that there may be a day he'd need to move in order to be promoted up the ladder with that company. He could only go so far in AZ
because the area had been worked for so long. We contemplated and prayed for 2 years over this. In January the time had come to make a decision. Kevin HAD to go to CA and work for many days a week and was traveling back and forth every week for months. From January through April he traveled so that me and the kids could be in AZ. We really didn't want to move the kids from their family and friends, but travel back & forth gets VERY expensive as does hotel living and supporting 2 residences during the week! We took a trip to CA back in April to Solvang, which is such a cute danish town near Santa Barbara. Kevin showed us all around, the great neighborhoods, parks, beaches, Solvang itself, etc. and the kids loved it! They actually asked if we could move there within 2 days of the trip! This kind of was an answer to our prayers I believe!!! We agonized over disrupting their lives with a move, but also knew financially 2 places was NOT going to work after trying it for a few months! We talked about it some more and prayed a lot more and had many family meetings over it and within 3 weeks or so made our decision to go! We knew we'd miss everyone but would visit and be visited!!!We let our lanlord know and were only 6 months into a 1 year lease so knew we'd need to do everything possible to get the house rented! We must have showed it 100 times and cleaned like crazy people ALL of the time (even more than usual!), and left the house at a moments notice for people to come look, etc. But, it was all worth it because the house rented and we were let out of the lease with no problem. This was further confirmation that we were to go to CA.
We talked to the Bishop here in Solvang many times before coming. He had even arranged for the Elders Quorum to be here the day after we arrived to help unload the trucks.
Well, we left much later than anticipated, on a Friday afternoon, rather than morning like planned. Kevin was driving the biggest truck we could rent and pulling a flat bed trailer behind him, Granny was driving her truck loaded with our boat behind her, and I was driving the suburban with a flat bed trailer behind me. We had spent weeks selling everything that was not going to fit in the new place even!
I had never pulled a trailer and did not think this was a good time to learn, plus Lauren was so sick, and we were getting a late start and driving at night. In a last effort to ditch the trailer I pulled off of the freeway and drove to Pops and explained to Kevin that I did not feel good about pulling anything extra as stressed and tired as I was , with Lauren puking in the back seat!!! He finally agreed and left the boat behind at Pops so I was trailer free and we were on our way!!!
Had to pull over about 10:30pm or so at a dive hotel on Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino (BAD AREA)!!!!! Slept good though and we were off by 6:30am Saturday am. The Elders were coming at 9am though, so we called and postponed until 12noon.
At 10 am or so the trailer that Granny was pulling got a shredded tire! We drove to the next town and got a new tire and were back on the road. We pulled into our new driveway at about 12:15pm with the Elders waiting to help!!! It was awesome!!! They were such great people and it's so nice to know the church is the same wherever you go!!!!
All in all it could have been worse and I'm sure it was all more stressful at the time, but now I've been enjoying the beautiful weather here in Santa Barabara for a month and can't remember much!!!
Emmy really is the BEST kid in the car ever!!! As long as she has her movies and eats!!!
Poor Lauren! I felt so bad for her and she MOANED ALL THE WAY to CA!!!!! Maddie was such a big help and tried to help Lauren the best she could and with a smile even!!!! She remembers all of the times she was sick in the car and felt bad for LAuren I think... and was glad it wasn't her!
YUCK!!! Hotels are disgusting sometimes! The kids were just happy to be out of the car for awhile!
Oh what fun!
Thanks to Jade& Jeff, Granny& Grumpy, Tawna, Bob, Oma & Opa, and everyone else who helped with htis move!!!! COME VISIT!!!!! (and I know you will because we've had visitors all summer except 1 week so far!)
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