Moving

The fall prior to moving into our new house was exciting.  We got to pick out our own flooring and light fixtures, paint colors and appliances.  It was so much fun.  At the same time Linnea was in kindergarten half day and I baby-sat, a lot.  Not just my regular two little girls, but for other people as well.  Some days I had eleven kids all under five years old, but we made it, and lots of times we even had fun. 

The heat seemed to last forever that year.  I was sure glad I had a new house to look forward to, because between being pregnant, taking care of lots of children, and being warm and humid I was sure uncomfortable.  I was also busy.  One week in my diary I recorded that I had baked a cake for my father-in-law's birthday, put on a Relief Society Homemaking Meeting, (although I was the 2nd Councilor in Relief Society I didn't have a Home Making Leader so I also had to plan and prepare the monthly meetings) gone Visiting Teaching and to a Stake Relief Society Board Meeting, hosted a birthday party for the little girl I babysat, and sent my husband up to the White Mountains on a fishing trip. Then I recorded that in the coming week I would help put on a Ward Relief Society Board Meeting, attend an open house for a young man who was in the class I student taught, go to Ward Temple Night, a Mesa Museum Guild Meeting, (I was the publicity chairman) and our Church General Woman’s Conference, make a wedding cake for couple who were getting married that weekend, and begin planning the cake for my brother-in-law's wedding in a couple of months. 

I was also asked  to design and paint the scenery for our ward Road Show.  Dad helped me build four 7x4 foot frames out of two-by-fours, to which I stapled muslin.  I painted them with a white base coat of paint, which, when it was dry, created a huge canvas for me to paint the scenery on.  It was so much fun, and I learned how to make stuff look really awesome from far away, even though up close it didn't look like much.

It was good I was busy.  I think I would have gone crazy otherwise, waiting for our new house to get built.  The closer we came to moving the more excited I became.  We were going to have three bedrooms, two bathroomss, a front room and a separate living room behind the kitchen, and even a small room where Sheldon could work on his model airplanes.  He had evolved from building model railway sets to remote controlled airplanes, and I was glad we would have a spot specially designated for all of his tools and equipment, and mess.

Of course, the house took longer to build than we had been told, but we were able to move in the middle of December, in time for Christmas.  What fun!  It was wonderful  having room to put up a big Christmas tree, hanging our stockings above our brand new red brick fireplace, and opening presents Christmas morning in our own, beautiful new house.  I thought, that morning, how awesome it was to be sharing our first Christmas in the home we would live in for the rest of our lives.  Of course I was wrong, but it sure was a happy day.