we now return to our regularly scheduled programming

well. I know you all will forgive us for the prolonged absence. you could say it was the moving, but we had no intention of not posting. somehow we just got more and more tired and worn out and beaten up and then it turned into a complete avoidance of the computer altogether for fear of how much catching up there was to do.

but here we are, back. for good this time, too, promise. so let's catch you up. we had a great week at home...spent some time with family and a couple of friends and packed, packed, packed.





the truck was enormous. i don't think there's even a way to express it unless you saw it. and if you did, you know. but we filled it. i mean—it was all the way to the door. we could have packed better/higher, but it got extremely full the way we packed it. (can you tell how big it is when compared to the monroe's two-story house?!)



then we drove. i essentially stared at the back of a budget truck for four days. i was in the element with nickel and daniel was in the truck. the first day was a breeze. we stopped a couple of hours beyond st. louis and got there about dinner time. nickel had no idea what to do about the hotel, she was completely freaked out, but we got in, got her some food and water, and daniel went back out to get us some dinner. we parked the car perpendicular to the truck, behind it, so that if any troublemaker tried to break in, at least they'd have a hard time getting things out.


nickel was great throughout our drive. she would pace and such right after we started driving, and every time we were getting off an exit, but otherwise she either slept or sat and looked out the back window, which was absolutely hilarious to see out the rearview mirror. the biggest thing was that we had given her an old down feather comforter to sleep on that took up the entire back of the element and about an hour into the drive she had torn a huge hole in it and feathers were everywhere. there was no stopping it, and we drove with feathers all over the place, leaving feathers each time we stopped. it looked like nickel had been fighting a flock of chickens in the back of our car.




the next two days were miserable. we had probably 15 or 16 hour days both days and our bodies really started feeling all that driving. and then on tuesday we left boise idaho and arrived at our apartment!!!!

get this—no break-ins, no accidents, no tragedies, and NOTHING broke!!! isn't that unreal?!? all we had was a hole in a tire of the element that i had to get patched this morning for a total of $12.50. so that's fine by me, no harm done.

when we arrived, several people from the church, along with matt, came to help us unpack and try desperately to sqeeze the couch through a maze of doors, but eventually got everything in and helped us set up our bed. we ate dinner together and celebrated before daniel, nickel and i returned to the apartment to continue unpacking until 2 a.m. ugh. we were completely overwhelmed, but determined and desperate for some normalcy.




daniel returned to work the next morning and wednesday and thursday i steadily continued to unpack, albeit incredibly slowly. it was at this point (above), sometime thursday evening, that i said to daniel "alright, it's finally beginning to look manageable."

we were determined to get it "done" by last night and make a meal at home. we did it—kind of just barely, each day stopping earlier and earlier because of simple exhaustion. of course, we took a break to eat breakfast at a pizza & sports bar that opens at 9 during the football season and has the espn college football package, plus tvs in each booth. we were the only one's there. haha. but we were there, nonetheless. for a win and the beginning of an intense season. we did eat breakfast, by the way. they make that, too, during the footfall season.

but last night we cooked dinner in our apartment's kitchen and ate it at our dining room table. ahhhhh.... and just before that we took nickel to forest park for a little fresh air (we had been in the apartment alot.) she had fun and we got to run around and play.

the bridge we accidentally crossed going to the park...really cool






and this morning is supposed to be back to normal—i took nickel to the park and let her run around in the dog park, but then took a small nap. i'm still tired somehow, but I know it's getting better. and now I'm bracing the computer again, prepared to catch up!