Wow! What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! And even though our days are currently packed full of "new resident" tasks...I can not go one more day without posting a formal "Thank You" to ALL those that helped assist us in our move.So...after two weeks of packing, two days of loading up two VERY LARGE U-Haul trucks, two days of driving, and two days of unloading all our stuff into two separate storage units....WE ARE FINALLY HERE and (somewhat) settled! What a relief it's been for all of us. And we have so many people to thank for making this even happen!
First of all, thank you to my sweet friends who helped me pack: Kellie and Nikki...you owned my kitchen! I may not know where everything is now....but I know that it's all here (somewhere), safe and sound. And to Heather...who can always sense when she is needed...if even to share in a good laugh or an unforgettable story! Thanks you guys!
Thank you to the wonderful families who supplied us with a week's worth of dinners and more nutrition than we are used to: Pat Jones (the greatest Visiting Teacher a girl could ask for...love that woman!), the Franzen family (complete strangers until this week...and yet served us as though we were family!), the Laherty family (Lora was one of my Beehives...man, how I miss those girls!), and the Fleming family (again, we barely know them, but they didn't hesitate to serve where and when they could). Your service was VERY much appreciated by all of us...but especially by Jeff! It's been months since he's had a normal meal.
Thank you to my two, sweet sisters-in-law, Anne and Elaine, as well as to my wonderful friend and neighbor, Abby, who took my children at a moment's notice! Garrett and Isaac already miss their cousins and friends!
Thank you to all those from our ward who helped us load the U-Hauls...probably one of the hardest jobs of all! There is no way we could have gotten it all done if it weren't for all the buffed, strong men who helped us: Johnny Slavens (our wonderful Elder Quorum President) who was the man behind the plan, making sure that we were always staffed with packers, movers, and additional help on hand; Mike Fackrell (our Home Teacher) and his brother-in-law (not sure how Mike roped him into that "service"...not to mention our dining room chandelier almost took his head off...TWICE!); Kevin Billings (Jeff's Home Teaching companion); Ken Burningham (a great friend for many years); and Joe Atkin (I served with his wife who was our ward's Young Women President); Bishop Scott McClellan (who stopped by to help us pack for a couple hours before leaving on a date night with his wife) and his wife Tammy (who is the 2nd best Visiting Teacher a girl could ask for! Thanks for helping with the hardest part, the inevitable stuff that is always left til the last!). And last...but certainly not least, the "Tetris Man" himself...Jason Franzen. There is NO WAY we could have fit all our stuff into even the two trucks we had if it wasn't for his AMAZING packing skills and attention to detail. You would have seriously thought he was moving HIS own home. In fact, the Franzen family just finished moving their own life from Boise to Allen a few weeks previous! I can't imagine "paying that one forward" myself! Thanks to all! There is no way we could ever repay you!
To my amazing neighbor, friend, and realtor, Cindy Schipper, who stuck with us so loyally for over a year in helping us either sell or rent our house!...there aren't enough words to express how grateful we are for your thoughtfulness and sacrifice! We'd be honored to be your neighbor again one day.
To my wonderful brothers...Cameron and Craig, who helped with packing up the trucks (Cam) and unpacking the trucks (Craig). I'm not sure who had the worse job...but regardless, they were the muscle (Craig) and humor (Cameron) we needed at a VERY stressful time.
To my darling sister-in-law, Cassie, thank you for agreeing to be my co-pilot! She flew home to visit her family in Louisiana and was kind enough to allow me to pick her up on my way to Jacksonville to help me with the boys AND the driving. She ended up doing most the driving (she's a really good driver) and left me to "deal with the boys..." Thanks Cassie for the wonderful company and even better stories! PS: How MANY Dollar Generals do you think we really saw along the way?!
And especially to Mike, Jeff's brother, who at the very last minute agreed to drive the 2nd, unplanned truck, from Dallas to Jacksonville. Thank you so much for your sacrifice (and your family's) in spending two days on the road...all on our behalf!
Once we reached Jacksonville, there were even more people who helped. The missionaries from my parent's stake and a darling couple, Spencer and Jennifer Hill (who was 7 months pregnant), helped us unload the last of the trucks into the two storage units. Again, by this point there was no way we could have survived without their help.
Thank you to the wonderful families who supplied us with a week's worth of dinners and more nutrition than we are used to: Pat Jones (the greatest Visiting Teacher a girl could ask for...love that woman!), the Franzen family (complete strangers until this week...and yet served us as though we were family!), the Laherty family (Lora was one of my Beehives...man, how I miss those girls!), and the Fleming family (again, we barely know them, but they didn't hesitate to serve where and when they could). Your service was VERY much appreciated by all of us...but especially by Jeff! It's been months since he's had a normal meal.
Thank you to my two, sweet sisters-in-law, Anne and Elaine, as well as to my wonderful friend and neighbor, Abby, who took my children at a moment's notice! Garrett and Isaac already miss their cousins and friends!
Thank you to all those from our ward who helped us load the U-Hauls...probably one of the hardest jobs of all! There is no way we could have gotten it all done if it weren't for all the buffed, strong men who helped us: Johnny Slavens (our wonderful Elder Quorum President) who was the man behind the plan, making sure that we were always staffed with packers, movers, and additional help on hand; Mike Fackrell (our Home Teacher) and his brother-in-law (not sure how Mike roped him into that "service"...not to mention our dining room chandelier almost took his head off...TWICE!); Kevin Billings (Jeff's Home Teaching companion); Ken Burningham (a great friend for many years); and Joe Atkin (I served with his wife who was our ward's Young Women President); Bishop Scott McClellan (who stopped by to help us pack for a couple hours before leaving on a date night with his wife) and his wife Tammy (who is the 2nd best Visiting Teacher a girl could ask for! Thanks for helping with the hardest part, the inevitable stuff that is always left til the last!). And last...but certainly not least, the "Tetris Man" himself...Jason Franzen. There is NO WAY we could have fit all our stuff into even the two trucks we had if it wasn't for his AMAZING packing skills and attention to detail. You would have seriously thought he was moving HIS own home. In fact, the Franzen family just finished moving their own life from Boise to Allen a few weeks previous! I can't imagine "paying that one forward" myself! Thanks to all! There is no way we could ever repay you!
To my amazing neighbor, friend, and realtor, Cindy Schipper, who stuck with us so loyally for over a year in helping us either sell or rent our house!...there aren't enough words to express how grateful we are for your thoughtfulness and sacrifice! We'd be honored to be your neighbor again one day.
To my wonderful brothers...Cameron and Craig, who helped with packing up the trucks (Cam) and unpacking the trucks (Craig). I'm not sure who had the worse job...but regardless, they were the muscle (Craig) and humor (Cameron) we needed at a VERY stressful time.
To my darling sister-in-law, Cassie, thank you for agreeing to be my co-pilot! She flew home to visit her family in Louisiana and was kind enough to allow me to pick her up on my way to Jacksonville to help me with the boys AND the driving. She ended up doing most the driving (she's a really good driver) and left me to "deal with the boys..." Thanks Cassie for the wonderful company and even better stories! PS: How MANY Dollar Generals do you think we really saw along the way?!
And especially to Mike, Jeff's brother, who at the very last minute agreed to drive the 2nd, unplanned truck, from Dallas to Jacksonville. Thank you so much for your sacrifice (and your family's) in spending two days on the road...all on our behalf!
Once we reached Jacksonville, there were even more people who helped. The missionaries from my parent's stake and a darling couple, Spencer and Jennifer Hill (who was 7 months pregnant), helped us unload the last of the trucks into the two storage units. Again, by this point there was no way we could have survived without their help. Thank you to Jeff's parents, who kindly gave us a wonderful "moving gift." It came at a much needed time and we are so grateful for your thoughtfulness.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to my parents, who have endured many long months of my daily (and hourly) phone calls...asking for advice and more importantly, needing a listening ear. I can't imagine where Jeff and I would be without your counsel and helping hand. We look forward to building a new life side-by-side with you!
This post won't mean much to anyone but Jeff and me...and hopefully to those that helped us, but I didn't want to ever forget the MANY wonderful people that stepped in and made our life, our move, and our adjustment to Florida, just a little bit easier.
This post won't mean much to anyone but Jeff and me...and hopefully to those that helped us, but I didn't want to ever forget the MANY wonderful people that stepped in and made our life, our move, and our adjustment to Florida, just a little bit easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment