The Daze of Summer

Yeah, I'm sure no one has EVER used that comment before! I can't believe that it is the last day of July. We have unintentionally managed to cram so much into this summer. Well, into the last 3 1/2 months. Since we left Egypt, we've been back and forth across the US two and a half times, bought a car, been from as far south as Springville, UT and north to Missoula, MT, driven round trip from Rexburg to Washington, D.C. and back, Niagara, Palmyra, Mt. Rushmore and sent one husband off to Iraq.

I got the keys to my house back this afternoon. It was like buying it all over again. We've never lived in it, you know. We bought it, managed the sale and closing all long distance. Once we closed, we got a phone call saying,

"You're homeowners! Congratulations!"

Woot. We were sitting in our living room at 1am in Cairo. Not much we can do from there. This week the property managers have been doing the make ready; fixing things, cleaning carpets, etc. getting it ready for us to move in. And they finished today. I picked up my keys and felt like jumping for joy. I drove over to my house, put the key in my door and unlocked my new life. So this is what it feels like. In 10 1/2 years of marriage, to walk into my dwelling and have it be just mine. No worrying about the kids stomping over-zealously on the floors for fear the downstairs neighbors will complain; or knowing the next-wall neighbor has a cold because you can hear every sneeze. And to turn the children out in the backyard to play.

When I told the kids we would be moving into the house and showed them pictures, they asked,

"Who else lives there?"
"Just us."
"Where is the elevator?"
"No elevator."
"So we live on the ground floor?"
"Yes, so to speak. Just up the front steps and into our front door that we don't share with anyone."

Now begins the new chapter. Also, looking forward to mid-October when we can share it with Spencer for 3 weeks.