All Settled

     After fully moving in, unpacking, and experiencing a taste of the New Hampshire lifestyle, Houston and I posted this video update for all of our friends and family back in Arizona. I'll post it here, along with a tour of our new apartment. It looks a bit different now, after having time to fully unpack and evolve my decorating skills, but you'll get the gist.

     It's always fun to be able to peak into someone else's life, so here's a peak into mine. :)

All Settled!

Tour Part 1

Tour Part 2

Across the Country We Went

      Writing while on the road from Arizona to New Hampshire proved to be difficult. Let's face it, impossible. So, Houston and I video logged our travels across the country. We posted these on Facebook throughout the trip to let our family and friends know how the trip was going and how we were emotionally fairing. I'll now be posting them here for any of my followers who are hankering for the scoop on what happened! 

      As you'll see there were days where I thought I wasn't going to make it. Days where I asked myself "What were we thinking?!" Moments in sketchy hotels where I encountered disgusting bed bugs. There was even a complete surprise on our last day of the trip that could have potentially ruined everything!

But as Houston and I think back on that trip, we  realize we wouldn't have done it any other way. Sure it was a little stressful knowing your whole entire life was packed up into a random moving truck that was sketchily towing your husbands car behind it. It was even scarier when Houston was driving said moving truck and got lost in Oklahoma City! The point is, we made it, and after being settled for a few months, we couldn't be happier.

So, if your itching to see a glimpse of what it's REALLY like to move across the country, pull up a seat and watch through each day's series of events.  Enjoy!

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Last Day Surprise

Let's Talk About Lyme's

So many people have continued to ask me why I went to New Hampshire for a week so soon before Houston and I actually moved there. In fact, a lot of people thought I'd already moved. It's such a lengthy reason, that I usually reduce the story. So, for those of you who want the lengthy version, here it is!

I flew to New Hampshire before Houston and I moved because of some unreal circumstances that had surfaced with my sister-in-law, Merrilea. She has Chronic Lyme's disease, which is a very REAL, life-threatening disease that can literally take over your mind and body.

Her side effects of this disease reveal themselves in the form of a migraine that can last between 5-8 days every month. While experiencing this migraine she can hardly keep food down and is pretty much unable to move. Unless you witness it, there's really no way to describe the incredible toll it takes on her body.

Merrilea has had these migraines for the last 10-12 years. She has seen countless doctors who have never checked her for Lymes because a migraine is not a common symptom of this disease. Most doctors immediately thought that it was neurological issue. Through radically changing her diet and exercising consistently Merrilea was symptom free for the last 4 years, which is unheard of in the Lyme's world!

Stress is able to trigger this disease that can lie dormant, and 6 months ago Merrilea and the family experienced a chimney fire that threatened their home and the lives of their three children. If that's not a trigger, then I don't know what is! Since this occurrence, Merrilea's symptoms have come back with a vengeance.

There are many theories on how to treat this disease. It's technically still so new in the medical world, because some doctors deny that Chronic Lyme's Disease actually exists. This blows my minds since there are actual tests that can identify whether you have it and what kind of strands are infecting you.

Merrilea opted for a treatment center in Arizona that takes a more natural, while still medicinal, approach to treating this disease. It's a ten week program where she had to go in five days a week for treatment that could last up to six hours. I sat with her through treatments, and I can honestly say I'd rather have Cancer than Lyme's. Maybe that's naive of me, and I'd be the first to admit it, but I'm trying to help you understand how extremely hard this disease is.

While Merrilea was in Arizona, my brother was taking the kids with him to work a few days a week. My mom watched them the rest of the week. Thankfully FaceTime exists because Merrilea was still able to talk with all of the kids almost every day. Most of them understood that Mommy was sick and that she was in Arizona to get better. I think probably one of the hardest parts about this experience for her was the separation from her family. I can't imagine going that long without seeing the people you love the most, but Merrilea is one of the strongest people I know. She has so much courage and is so brave. I'm going to cry.

Switching gears...

Luke, Merrilea's husband, travels all around the state for his work and even has clientele in Arizona. Every six weeks he travels out west for a week to work with his existing clientele and then flies home. Because one of these weeks overlapped Merrilea's stay they asked me to fly back and watch the kids.

I gladly volunteered. I really wanted to help in anyway I could, and so I was thankful for the opportunity.

For those of you asking, this is why I was in New Hampshire for the week. Kind of heavy, but God is good. To anyone reading this, please pray for Merrilea and all who are infected with this disease. Also, continue to raise awareness! This disease is still so misunderstood, and it's time for it to be taken seriously and to develop a cure.

Thankfully, due to Envita Medical Center, Merrilea is doing much better and has only experienced one migraine that lasted half a day since her treatment, and was able to keep it at bay with ibuprofen. This is incredible and such a testimony to God's power and the exceptional health center she was able to be treated by.

The Deer Head

       It has been painfully hard to make myself pack this week. I can't wrap my head around the fact that this is our last week in our little AZ apartment. Come Sunday, we move in with my in-laws for a month. On June 25th, we ship off to New Hampshire where we've secured an apartment starting the first of July. It's all I can do to make myself pack up my life into the mounds of boxes. As I folded each thrifted dress or random anthro shirt I found myself mourning the fact that I wouldn't be seeing certain articles of clothing until JULY! How am I supposed to survive!

     Regardless of this struggle, I have left one thing hanging on my wall: my deer head. It's literally unpackable.... Not sure if that's a word, but it is now due to my deer head. I can't imagine my home without it and there is no way I would leave it behind. Danie and I pieced this beauty together when Houston and I first moved into our  little apartment. I wrote a DIY blog post on how to construct one of your own, and feel it would be fun to repost here. If your tempted by the magnificence of this art piece feel free to embark on your own DIY adventure. Here are some patchy directions to make this guy:

Needs:

One large sheet of your choice

One roll of duct tape

Tons of cardboard

A pen

A bucket ton of wood glue (mixed with water)

Trees

1. First thing you do is cut out tons of cardboard and duct tape it into the shape of a deer. (Danie says this is very difficult. What do I know, I just cut the strips of tape…)

(Me holding the cardboard silhouette we'd taped together)

2. Then you cover the frame in strips of duct tape. After the frame is covered, you wet strips of the sheet in glue and begin laying it atop the frame. Totally don’t have a picture of this due, to super gluey hands. I’ll be better about it next time.

3. Find antlers… Usually Danie makes these out of cardboard, but since I have little to no patience, and could not take cutting one more strip of duct tape, we decided upon stick hunting.

(Danie being brave enough to face the scorpions that could have been around)

(I held the sticks)

4. After selecting your antlers, and successfully dodging rattle snakes and scorpions, duct tape them in place and then cover the rest of the head in strips of fabric. P.S. it looks like I’m balding in this pic, but I blame the lighting.

5. Allow time to dry. Don’t rush hanging it, or you’ll end up with glue on your couch (Not that I would know…) Then have friends over to compliment your super indie deer head. 

There it is, and trust me, I've received tons of compliments. 

Before the Boxes...

I've read countless blog postings on how to make your blog successful. I've pinned, read, repined, and so on and so forth. Each article has encouraged if not commanded that blogging be something that's done on a schedule. Each posting should be a regular occurrence.. Not TOO frequent, and not TOO infrequent.

I've thought about upping my game in order to really help my blog head somewhere, but honestly I don't think I'm ready for all of that. I'm barely keeping my head above boxes with all of the packing that's consuming my life.

Not only are Houston and I beginning to pack up the apartment for our upcoming move to New Hampshire, but the school that I currently teach at is moving to a new location as well. In the midst of trying to organize my residence into cardboard boxes I'm also trying to pack up my classroom for another teacher. I find myself holding a container of random puzzle pieces and an outdated reading comprehension book wondering if the teacher would even want me to pack these things or toss them. Fortunately I know her, so I'm not completely in the dark.

All of that to say, I can't see myself scheduling my blog posts. I was only able to squeeze one in today because I stayed home from work with a bad head cold. I'm hoping my immune system will rejoice at the absence of the germ filled tiny hands that touch EVERYTHING I daily come in contact with. So, scheduling doesn't seem to be something I can pull off just yet but I want to truly document and savor the moments that come with this adventure.

So far we've made great progress. Houston and I move out of our apartment and into our in-laws house on May 31st. All of our belongings will go into storage for a month, and then by the end of June we plan to rent a U-haul and launch for our trip across the country. We've traded Houston's car in for one that will function better within the snow and has a bigger engine. These things are important since Houston drives so much for his work (more on that later.) We'll be towing his car behind the U-haul and I'll be driving my car separate. Thankfully my father-in-law will be making the trek with us to help with all the driving.

Currently Houston and I are still in the process of finding a place to live. We've looked at so many rentals and have just recently entertained the idea of potentially buying our own loft within the city of Manchester. Loft living is a bit of a dream I have. I never thought I'd have the courage to buy something this early into our marriage ( three years in June! YAY) but after looking at some of the possibilities it seems like such a fun endeavor.

With all of this packing and searching for a new home, I grew saddened by the thought of leaving our little apartment. It has been my most fun project in form of decor. Each piece I've either made or thrifted and I truly love how it turned out. So, before the boxes ruin every room, I'd thought take a few pictures to honor this little abode that Houston and I have loved so much.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a photographer and these were taken on my iPhone.. SO don't judge me.

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room.. again

You guessed it! The Living Room

Bedroom 

Bedroom

Kitchen details

Kitchen again

Dining Room

Dining Room

5 Tips to Make your Yard Sale Truly Worth it!

       As it turns out, Houston and I's best friends, Danie and Austin are moving to Austin, Texas. There are so many Texas cities in that last sentence it's ridiculous. Anyway, Austin  received a job promotion, so now they're high-tailing it to Texas. They leave exactly one week from today. Breaks my heart, but I know they're excited and ready, just as we are.

     Whenever Danie and I move, the first thing we always do is have a yard sale. Trust me, we know the order of business when it comes to moving. I've moved ten times since I was sixteen. Danie has moved at least five times since she was eighteen. We've got it down. So, the yard sale was a natural expectation. What was unnatural about this yard sale was its size. It was ridiculously large. Not only did it have Houston and I's things, but it also had Danie and Austin's, most of her grandmother's things, and some of her brothers.  It had become a monster of a sale. 

Here's a picture of what it looked like on the first day.

    

    Since Danie and I currently live in apartments, her brother was generous to offer his house as the site for the sale. We spent one whole day over my spring break loading everyone's junk into this tiny rickety trailer and dumping it into poor Mike's garage. Mind you, we did this multiple times during that one day. It was so hot. On Friday, the first day of the sale, I got my butt out of bed and was over there by 5:30 in the morning. I wanted to die, but you can't quit when it comes to a yard sale. We got everything set up and we were open until about two. I was so dehydrated and sun burnt by the end of that first day, but we had sold a lot.

The view as I headed over Friday morning.

    The problem was, even though we'd sold a ton, we still had not seemed to make a dent. The clothing alone took up about twelve trash bags before it had been set out. At the end of the day I was crying at the thought of pulling it all back into the garage. We survived, however, and I was back the next day at seven with Starbucks and my husband this time. Even after we had continued to sell, the leftovers were literally junk. It was finally time to load the remains into our cars and take trips to Goodwill. 

       

     Since the finish of the sale, many people have asked me if it was worth it. To them I say, no, ABSOLUTELY NOT. This yard sale was too much of a beast. It killed my weekend and left me sun burnt. The only good thing that came out of it was I got some good quality time with my best friends who will soon be leaving. The question still remains, if I ever move again, would I still have a yard sale? Yes, I would. I'm weak, so give me a break. However, I've come up with 5 tips to make your yard sale work truly worth it! Hope you enjoy! 

Artwork Provided by Danie.

1. Junk is junk, even at a yard sale...

     When you're preparing for a yard sale, be sure to make a box of things that can go straight to Goodwill. No one is going to want your collection of sand filled lizards that you got for 25 cents from a gum ball machine. Just save yourself the clean up after and get rid of it now. People are picky when they go to a yard sale. They want nice stuff at a cheap price, so give the people what they want and throw out your junk prior to the sale. 

2. Signage is KEY...

     This is not a joke. When Danie, and I would spend our Saturdays yard saling, (which is a thing) we would only stop at yard sales with signs that were visible and gave us clear directions to the sale. Make sure that your signs are visible! If it's a windy day, double check that they are properly secured and won't blow over at nine o'clock in the morning. Also, write the address on the sign, so people can use their GPS on their smartphones. This allows you to not have to place a sign at every turn, although I would still recommend it. 

3. Clothes are a waste of time...

     Very few people will take the time to weed through your clothing. I think ours was way to overwhelming for people, so hardly any of our clothing sold. This kind of goes along with number one, but if you're going to sell clothes, only have your best items out. This is of course after you've visited Buffalo Exchange, and have been humiliated that they would like to buy ZERO of your items. List your clothing at a reasonable price. Most items should cost no more than five dollars in the clothing department.

4. Your stuff is important to you, and no one else...

     It's so easy to over price items because they have a really awesome story, or they hold a lot of sentimental value. The problem is, to the buyer, they have zero connection with your items. Sure you can share the story with them and they'll nod and love it, but it's not going to make them want to pay one-hundred dollars for your childhood bike that has "vintage" training wheels. It's just not going to happen. When pricing your items maintain a buyers perspective. They have no attachment and are wanting to get a good deal. Usually they do know the value of items, so don't let them rob you blind, but be reasonable and FLEXIBLE as your price your items. A time saver that Danie and I have always practiced is not labeling items with a price. This not only saves you time, but allows you to price the item based on the person holding it. Some people will pay five dollars for every item they've touched, whereas others won't go above fifty cents. Not to mention, it's one less thing to do when you're setting up at five a.m..

5. Cleanup can kill...

      At the end of the sale on Saturday, Houston wanted to cry as we were taking loads of the remains to Goodwill. It was the last thing any of us wanted to do! A way to save yourself from this awful task is to schedule a donation with a charity that will come and pick up your remaining items. Be sure to do this ahead of time! For instance, Goodwill would have required at least a week's worth of heads up. You may be able to find a smaller organization that is more flexible, but I would just plan ahead and get it scheduled at least a week in advance.

    Now that I've offered all of my yard sale advice I wish you the best of luck for whenever you attempt this task! :)

Danie (right) and I (left) on the last day of the sale. 

Originally...

...

   Originally I had lived in New Hampshire until I was 16, and eventually everyone in my family moved back except my sister and I who attended college here in Arizona. My parents and three older brothers said they moved back for this and that but in all actuality their "this" and "that" were all the same. They all struggled with the lifestyle we had witnessed throughout our time here in Arizona. Consumerism drips from the ceilings and the sun begs you to shop, dine, and be seen.

     Houston and I almost left for the mission field shortly after being married. We had always said that if God called us we would pick up and leave. We wanted to be willing more than anything. That was our greatest prayer. Also, we wanted a minimalistic lifestyle, or as others may call it "The Simple Life." I thrifted most of my clothing throughout all of college and taught myself how to cook with inexpensive ingredients. This was important to us. We wanted our priorities to reveal more than what our money could buy. Houston desired to have a sustainable homestead and to not make or spend more than what was essentially needed. There's so much excess everywhere it was overwhelming to us.

    That all sounds great, until you have to apply it. Our first year of marriage we held firm, but as our income continued to grow so did our "needs" and expenses. Our lives began to mirror that which we had never wanted. It was so easy and tantalizing. All we had to do was say yes.

    Saying no has been the hardest part. Saying, "No, we don't want to raise our children in this environment or surrounded by this lifestyle" has definitely been less popular than saying yes to all that everyone else had planned for us.

     And that's what we were learning as we've shared the big news with friends and family. We are moving from Arizona to New Hampshire. We need seasons, land, and a lifestyle that isn't run by consumerism. I want my children to go barefoot in the summer, to hear the crickets in the grass, and to want more for their lives than money can buy.