Strauberry Short-takes: A New Normal

We've been waiting and waiting, and it's finally here...our new normal. Last week, the kids and I, along with my brave mom, made the trek from Pennsylvania to Illinois. Fourteen hours, seven hundred miles, two sick children, and about half a dozen potty stops later, we pulled into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express...only to find that Stephen was off getting our dinner at Steak 'n Shake. He came back soon bearing tasty treats, but the real treat was being in his arms again.

We signed our life away the next morning and got keys to our new place. I had only seen it in pictures until the night before when we did a final walk-through. It did not disappoint! The house is beautiful, and the space is private - both major pluses in my book. Now, the mosquitoes, on the other hand...they can go! It's been very wet and rainy here for the last month, so I'm hoping that with drier weather, the mosquitoes will leave.

We moved in on Thursday and have been unpacking ever since. Wow - having movers is amazing. Very little heavy lifting to be done on our part, and they even did whatever unpacking we wanted them to do. There are still plenty of boxes to be unpacked - mostly decor items and toys - but having movers is like getting a running start on everything. Stephen had a few days off to help, but it was back to work for him yesterday. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my delight when Stephen walked in the door at 5:30pm last evening. What a blessing to have him here (both physically and mentally) for dinner and all evening! No work emails to think about. No long hours. The kids even see him in the morning before he leaves for work. And that, folks, is why we made this move.

Well, pictures have been requested, so here's the tour of our new place. But if you really want to get a feel for it, you'll have to find a reason to swing by central Illinois.