We sold pretty much everything, and rented the smallest U-Haul trailer [it was 5’x8′] which fit our mattresses, table and chairs [taken apart], and a few other favorite items like my beloved bicycle art, and the boys’ bunk beds all taken apart. We didn’t even bring dishes or silverware, so I do mean we sold pretty much everything. We got a hitch added to our minivan and were ready to go!

We had been renting our house, and were on a month-to-month lease, so we were able to get out easily without the need to sell a house or anything, which was a huge blessing. The night before we were going to leave, we were sleeping at my parents’ house, and Hudson and Emmett were tag-teaming the destruction of our trip. They were both waking up every half hour or so, and the plan was for us to get as much sleep as possible since we were supposed to leave at 3AM. Well we had to adapt, so we slept till 5 and left then.

Bonus: Starbucks was actually open by then, so of course I made Brian stop right before we got on the freeway. He was thrilled.

And so the road trip to our new life began…

Everything was really dry and ugly for awhile.

We got In N Out one last time in Arizona. Goodbye my looooooooooooove!! *insert sobbing emoji*

The kids did beyond amazing. I really couldn’t be happier with how well they handled so many hours in their carseats. The whole two days of driving, they were seriously perfect. It had to be God because that is not what I was expecting from my kids. Not even close.

Chicken did great too.

We stayed at a hotel in Oklahoma City that night, and when we got there we realized we had landed a reeeeally nice hotel on Priceline. We had no idea. When we walked in we clearly didn’t belong, especially with how disheveled we were. But staying there was great and we all got some good sleep that night.

My great grandpa, Elum lives in Arkansas, about an hour from our new home, so of course we met up with him on our way in. It was such a treat for him to meet his great great grandchildren, and I am so thrilled I got to see him again! PS. The Waffle House? YUM.

Settling In

After much looking online, discussing, praying, and thinking about it from every angle, Brian and I decided to forego a house and rent a two-bedroom townhouse. We just didn’t feel the need to get all the space we might want right away, having to deal with shoveling snow from our property [which, since we’re both born and raised in Cali, we are so unprepared for], and collecting a bunch of stuff before another inevitable move whenever we buy. We are in a season of chaos and major change, and in this season, we have found that what we crave is simplicity.

Our townhome is perfect. It’s two stories, the kids are all in one room via a triple bunk bed and Emmett’s crib, and the hard oak flooring makes me giddy every time I come downstairs. Choosing this type of house meant no fuss, no huge empty walls or spaces begging to have money spent on decor, no room to bring in a bunch of junk… it’s somewhat close to

tiny house living

[a dream of mine], and I love it.

My mom flew in the day after we got to our new house, which was awesome because she spent six days helping with the kids while Brian and I did what we needed to do to get set up. We had four full days before Brian had to start work, so we went to IKEA [the closest one is in Kansas, eep!], and stock up on groceries, and explore the area a little before life had to start again. We got a sofa and some other things we needed to function, everything else will be slowly added in as I thrift and shop on the weekends.

I have to say, getting rid of all of our stuff was the most liberating thing I’ve ever done. We threw away so much junk that was taking up closet space and sold so much, this fresh start is like water to my thirsty soul. I am so glad we chose to go this route rather than paying to bring all our things over here with us! Also, I don’t think I was a true minimalist until the move, because I honestly didn’t realize how much random crap I still had in my hallway closet. That was humbling.

Fast forward to today, two weeks from the big move, and we now have a TV, we started our home school year yesterday [we decided to wait until after the move to begin, and more on that later], we are getting back to our normal schedule with naps and meals and errands, Bella has started horse riding lessons again out here, and we are starting to feel like we know our way around our little area. We are in love with the beauty of “the natural state”, and we both agree there’s a beautifully heavy peace over every part of our beings since we got here. God. is. so. good.

Thank you lovely readers of mine for being patient with me as I got through this big step in my life and took a blogging break. I missed you all and cannot wait to share more of our adventures with you!