At Home In Alabama

Well, we have finally moved. After talking and planning and packing and spending way too much money ($1,250 just to rent the Penske and buy gas), the four of us, our dogs, and all of our worldly belongings are all settled into our new home. We left on Sunday, June 15th in three shifts... Ethan and I left around 2:30 pm in Marcus's car before the Penske was finished being loaded, since I knew that Ethan would have the least carseat tolerance. After the truck was loaded, Marcus set off around 4:00 pm. Finally, Traci (Marc's sister who saved our lives by helping us move) took Caleb to McDonalds to burn off some energy. Then she went back to the house and picked up the dogs, and they all got on the road around 5:00 or 5:30 pm in my car. Ethan and I had a very smooth trip for the first 4 hours...he slept until around 6:30 pm. Then we stopped at a large gas station with a Subway and just hung out there for two hours to give him a solid block of no-carseat time. Even so, he wailed for 45 minutes after we got back in the car. That was very hard for me. I feel so bad when he cries in the car seat because I know that he has no idea why no one will pick him up. After 45 minutes of that, I stopped at a Walmart and walked around for another hour, hoping he would fall asleep. He did not. I put him back in the seat and he wailed for another 20 minutes or so...and then finally, blissful silence. After that rough patch, he slept for the remaining 2 hours of the trip. In spite of so many stops, I still arrived at the house before Marcus and Traci, around midnight (11:00 pm Alabama time).

Now, as you may remember from a previous post, the house we bought is one that I did not get to see prior to closing because I was too far along in my pregnancy with Ethan to travel. So the last bit of the drive, I was getting more excited every minute about seeing the house that would be my home for the next four years.

When I pulled in the driveway, I jumped out of the car, searched hurriedly for the hidden key, and let myself in the house. From the first moment, I knew I was going to LOVE this house. The bay window in the den/playroom is HUGE and you can see nothing outside but our backyard and the woods behind it. The den/playroom itself is much bigger than I thought from the pictures, and there is plenty of room for my computer desk, my recliner, and all of the toys, with tons of open space left over for playing.

Five steps up from the den is the most beautiful kitchen I've ever seen in my life! The all-wood cabinets and granite countertops are less than 2 years old. I've never lived in a house with a nice kitchen, not even as a child or a renter, and I was absolutely giddy as I explored this one. It has a built-in pantry with slide-out shelves, an offset extra-deep sink, large drawers and cabinets, an island with a small bar, and so much cabinet space that I actually don't have enough stuff to fill it up! I really could have stopped right in the kitchen and been perfectly happy with the house, but it still gets better. The dining room has gorgeous french doors that open up to a large deck (also less than 2 years old). Right now, we have some of Caleb's toys out there, but someday we'll probably get patio furniture. The living room is just the right size and shape for our furniture and TV and is very well lit and comfy-feeling.

Next, I went upstairs to the bedrooms...I immediately noticed that all four bedrooms are larger than they seemed in the pictures. The two master closets, which I had been told were rather small, are actually very adequate for us. The bathrooms have not been updated, but all the carpet upstairs was recently replaced and is in great shape, so I was still extremely pleased on all fronts. Another perk that I didn't fully appreciate until we'd been here for a few days is the garage...I've never had garage to park in before, and it is REALLY nice. You just step out the door and there is your car...its not too hot or too cold, and its definitely not raining, which makes loading and unloading SO much easier. After I was done exploring, Ethan was asleep and Marcus was still about 20 minutes away, so I just skipped around the house in excitement, hardly able to believe that I had been blessed with such a wonderful house. Marcus got loads and loads of kudos for making such a great selection AND for not telling me how wonderful it was so that I would be surprised. Now we've been in the house for 2 weeks, and I am just as in love with it as I was that first hour. Our stuff is all moved in and the kids' rooms are even decorated. The kudos for that goes entirely to Marcus' sister, Traci, who drove with us from Florida and gave us a week of her time off work to take care of our kids and help us move in. We would definitely still be in boxes and WAY more stressed out if she hadn't been so giving. THANKS AUNT TRACI!!!!!!

Marcus starts his job here at UAB tomorrow, and tomorrow is also my debut as a mother of two in a new town. We're both a little nervous, and I'm sure there will be many updates to follow. By the way, I greatly miss my girlfriends in Gainesville, and if you're reading this, please feel free to call me! On a final note, there is no picture of the fourth bedroom, which is doubling as a guest room and Marc's office. The reason it's not pictured is (you guessed it), it's a mess :)