The Move, Part I: Here are some details...

I'm going to try and post as much as possible, because I have a lot to catch up on! So, bear with me as I try to re-hash everything that has happened in the last little while:

Moving here was difficult physically, mentally and emotionally. I figured it would be because I've only moved once in my life. Okay, well, only one BIG move. I grew up in the same town and then moved to Provo. That's it. I moved around Provo a lot, but it wasn't hard to do that --in fact, it was fun! So this move to California was BIG. And, of course, I had to have four children while I did it. Here's how it was hard:

Physically: I just had #4, and so healing is an important process after childbirth. I had to be careful not to lift heavy things too soon or wear myself out. I was exhausted from lack of sleep (still am!), but I still had to get things done. Once we got here, it was more of the same, only in reverse...but at least I can take it slowly, now. :)

Mentally: Uprooting a life is hard enough, but uprooting many lives is harder. There was so much to think about! Cancel this, cancel that, change this, change that --there were doctor's and dentist's appointments, dance classes, school activities, piano students to call, things to rent, things to offer to rent, purging, calling, cleaning, giving away, etc. And then there were all the people to tell, and people coming over, and people giving gifts, and I lost track and forgot to write thank-you cards....it was just a huge memory mess, and it's even harder now to remember what it is I need to get done...

Emotionally: I was happy for this move. I really was, because it meant a job, it meant DH's happiness, it meant something new and exciting and it meant experiencing something different for a change. But convincing myself that I'd be okay --it's not a big deal --wasn't working. I had to change my way of thinking and remind myself over and over that it was okay to be sad. But it was hard to be sad at all because I was so focused on the tasks at hand --at surviving --that I didn't really get a chance to be sad until we left. Well, our last Sacrament Meeting where we blessed #4 was a perfect outlet for my feelings of loss. And the good cry I had once we got here helped, too. Now I just try to take it one day at a time --I have so many emotions! Being in postpartum doesn't help, either. Hormones are everywhere! But I'm slowly emerging from the tangled web of craziness and starting to find my way around how I feel about everything. It's kind of like the unpacking --as each box gets unpacked and put away, my feelings start to level out a little more.

Now I'm just dealing with being in a new area and finding my way around. Literally and figuratively! Finding health services, finding friends, finding grocery stores, etc. I'll get the hang of it, though... :)

Coming up next: The Move, Part II: Why being a Mormon is fabulous when you move...