Welcome To The Real World

Well, where do I begin? I guess let’s start with last week. So…. we moved on Saturday the 14^th. That whole week before was just a whirlwind packed to the brim with social events, packing, de-junking, making phone calls, etc. etc. It was exhausting and I went to bed every night wishing there were more hours in the day. On Friday the 13^th, (which worried me quite a bit, being the superstitious gal that I am) we loaded the truck and cleaned out our apartment. We had so many people come help us and we were very grateful to those who took time out of their busy schedules to give us a hand. So here’s a big "THANKS" to those who watched Vessel for us, helped pack, load, clean, and all that happy crap! Friday was a crazy day. I thought I had most everything taken care of except a few minor things. I guess I was wrong. Some of the girls (you know who you are) helped me out SO much with all the last minute things I didn't have time to do while I scurried about making sure everything else was going smoothly. So the men came in and started taking everything out even if it wasn’t boxed or ready to go. I was sort of on edge and freaking out the whole night because I am such an orderly person and I want things done a certain way. But I had to let go of my inner OCD for awhile, which was very hard to do. Many can attest I was in stress mode and not my normal self, and I’m sorry to those who may have seen a side of me that wasn’t so great. Mike and I were a nervous wreck because the U-Haul rental shop told Mike that the truck he rented was big enough to fit a 2 bedroom home plus a washer, dryer and fridge. That was a total lie. I kept looking at the truck getting fuller and fuller and thinking “oh my gosh, we still have so much stuff left to load!” And the boys were even doing a great job loading it very strategically. If it weren’t for the fact that we had 2 cars to fill as well, we would’ve had to leave a bunch of stuff behind. Luckily we sold our washer and dryer, got rid of some big pieces of furniture and a few boxes of junk beforehand, eh? So after that was all said and done, a few friends helped me clean and just kept me company while Mike drove our motorcycle down to his parents’ house. We were pretty sad about parting with it, but there was no way to take it with us. But luckily someone bought it since we’ve been here in Montana, so that was a load off our minds. After Mike got back with Vessel and his parents, our friends left. It was a very sad time for us. I didn’t want to say good-bye. It was also the last “Girls Night In” party that night but I had too much to do and was so tired that I didn’t even make it. I kind of felt like a douche not showing up for at least a few minutes to say good-bye to my friends. But we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. the next day to drive to Montana so I needed to get some Z’s in to avoid falling asleep at the wheel and killing Vessie or myself. I’m sure y’all understand, right? Right?

Well, like I said, our friends left and then Mike and I were left to finish cleaning up the apartment and eventually try to get some rest before the big journey. My mind was so wound up that I couldn’t sleep. I felt an emptiness in my heart that I haven’t felt for a long time. I felt nervous, anxious, sad, scared, sick, excited, and physically and emotionally exhausted. And before I knew it the alarm went off and we were on our merry way.

The next morning we loaded up the remainder of our stuff and took off. Since we didn’t sell Burple (the sweet rig) I drove it while Mike pulled Bling (the Cavalier) behind the U-Haul. We were making great time and when we hit Tremonton Mike told me to just go ahead of him because I could go faster and probably get there before him or around the same time depending on how many stops I had to make for the boy child. So I started driving ahead of him and things were going well, until I realized the scenery did not look so familiar anymore and I stopped seeing signs for Pocatello. It suddenly hit me that I was headed towards Boise! I freaked out because I have made the drive from Utah to Idaho more times than I can count and then this time of all times (probably because I was spacing off) I totally took the wrong turn! I don’t have any explanation for it other than my mind was in another place. I had been driving for awhile and couldn’t believe I would have to turn around! I called my dad and his girlfriend pulled up a map on Google and figured out a way for me to get back to Pocatello without having to turn completely around. It worked, but I was now an hour behind Mike. In an attempt to catch up to him I started speeding (just a little) and I got pulled over by a police officer in Idaho Falls. I was only going 6mph over the limit! It must have been the car, right? Just my luck. Fortunately the cop just gave me a warning and sent me on my way. I was so paranoid about getting pulled over again that I set the cruise control to the speed limit until I hit the Montana border. And by that time I figured there were NO cops out on the roads so I gunned it. Ha ha. Okay, I really wasn’t going that fast. The roads were pretty much vacant though so I didn’t have to worry about traffic. The drive itself was beautiful. And Mike wasn’t lying about the “Big Sky Country.” The largest downfall of the trip was that it seemed to take forever. I eventually caught up with Mike but I had to make about 10 pit stops for the boy child to stretch his legs and eat something, otherwise I probably could’ve made it to our destination sooner. And then 10 minutes out of Great Falls the boy child vomited everywhere, so I had to pull over and get him cleaned up. It was disgusting and it made the car reek of baby barf. Ewww. We didn’t arrive at our apartment until 5:30 that afternoon. Only twelve hours after we got on the road that morning. Ugh….

I was just happy to be there….until I saw our new place. Just a word of advice to y’all: Don’t get an apartment without looking at it in person first! We thought it would be okay…after all, the landlord described it to us and it sounded reasonable. Yeah, too bad the landlord was very misleading. The place is probably 100 years old and the foundation is falling apart so there are cracks all over the walls and ceilings. (Are you thinking safety hazard here?) And since the foundation is sinking, the cabinets and doors don’t fit exactly right. The carpet smells of the foulest dog urine and the walls are dingy yellow. Everything just looks rundown and filthy. Mike and I looked at each other and almost didn’t sign the lease, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go! So we went ahead and signed the lease knowing that it wasn’t a permanent thing and we would somehow have to make the place livable. On the bright side, it’s only a 6 month lease. But at the time I still felt depressed and didn’t want to imagine living in this dump for 6 months.

Anyway, thankfully we had some very nice people ready to help us move our stuff in, including Mike’s new boss. Sadly though, our couches would not fit in the apartment. There was no way to get them through the narrow corridor up to our door and then actually turn them around the sharp corner into our apartment. So we ended up getting a storage unit for those and a bunch of other stuff that doesn’t fit, or that we don’t necessarily need right now. That night the EQ president of our new ward invited us over for dinner. It was very nice of them. The next day we went to church and after church we were invited to dinner at a member’s home along with some other people from our ward. They were very nice, but I just wasn’t in the mood to socialize I guess. I was tired and feeling homesick.

So now it’s a week later. The first couple of days here were pretty hard. Mike had to be to work at 6:00 am every day this week and didn’t get home until 5 or 6 at night. The first 2 days I was just so lonely and uncomfortable. My scenario: I’m stuck in this hell hole of an apartment all day in a city I’m not familiar with, no friends, no internet, and a kid who is having a difficult time adjusting to the move. I just wanted to be back in Salt Lake!!! It’s been a struggle for me. And then all of this other stupid stuff happened over the course of the week that just added to my stress. Like I dropped my new $350 phone and broke it. I didn’t have it for more than 2 weeks and they wouldn’t even replace it for me! Also, I was so ticked at our landlord because he told us the carpets had been professionally cleaned but I know for a fact that they weren’t. We didn’t have hot water for 3 days because the gas company wouldn’t turn on our gas without seeing a photo I.D. first and since we got there on Saturday we had to wait until Monday to go into their office, and even though I went in there first thing Monday morning they said they wouldn’t be able to hook it up until Tuesday. Cold showers are none too pleasant my friends. I had to heat 10-12 pots of water everyday to give the boy child a bath, wash my hair or wash my face. Then to top it off, our tub drain stopped working and the maintenance guy took 3 days to unclog it, and then once it was unclogged, the lever on the drain stopper broke and needed to be replaced. Another annoyance is that I’ve had to wash all our laundry at the laundry mat this week (and until we move) because there aren’t washer and dryer hook-ups in the joint, and it’s really not on the top of my list to go sit there for an hour chasing an energetic toddler. Then the U-Haul people were jerks when we returned the truck and made Mike miss work for over an hour. And Vessel has been so cranky this week because he just cut another tooth way in the back of his mouth and he hasn’t been happy about getting his schedule and environment disrupted. I’ve just wanted to rip my hair out! I was an emotional wreck but I’ve calmed down since then. I have faith that we’re supposed to be here and I realized I need to be more supportive of Mike and his new job and be a strong person for him and our son. So I’ve had to suck it up. Plus, I know that despite all these challenges, we have been very blessed. I kind of feel like Satan has been trying to make me feel like being here isn't right or that we made the wrong decision. I mean, after all, it seemed like nothing was going according to plan and there were a bunch of little things to push my buttons, not to mention all the big things. But things are getting better day by day. Like I said, the first 2 days were pretty rough. But then I decided to do something about it. I got out a bucket and dumped some Clorox and hot water in it and I scrubbed down all the counters, cabinets, baseboards, windowsills and walls. I guess I could’ve been mad that I had to clean up someone else’s dirt (or be mad at the fact that the landlord didn’t have it professionally cleaned before we got there) but what else could I really do? So I unpacked our stuff and bought some things to spruce up the place. A tablecloth and some flowers in a vase can go a long way. :) I also bought some good smelling stuff to hide the smell of the previous tenant’s dog until the carpet cleaners come tomorrow. Yay! So the place is looking much more livable now, and with some of our stuff on the walls and all our boxes gone I feel more at peace. It’s not as bad as it once looked so I feel better. And now we’ve got the internet hooked up so I don’t feel so isolated anymore. However, I don’t have any friends here yet, but hopefully I can get involved more in the ward and in the community and get to know people. I decided to venture out last week and familiarize myself with the town better. I found the library, and the Children’s museum, and several parks, including a water park that Mike and I took Vessel to yesterday. We also found out there is a Farmer’s Market every Saturday so we went to it yesterday too. We went a little bit later in the day so we weren’t able to get any fruits or vegetables. (We’ll be sure to do that next time.) But I got some homemade soaps and incense, a loaf of homemade bread, Navajo Fry Bread (a.k.a. "a scone") and Mike got some delicious pork on a stick. :)

Things are getting a little better. We’ve had the weekend to be with each other and recoup from the past week. Great Falls is actually a pretty decent place. There is a huge river called the Missouri River that runs right through it. There is supposed to be a ward rafting trip next month so that should be fun. There are a lot of things to do here if you’re into the outdoors. I hope we get out a lot this summer or I might go crazy!

One thing that made me happy is that we went looking for houses on Friday. The plan right now is to buy a house after our lease ends. The light at the end of the tunnel... We couldn’t get a house right away for obvious reasons. For one we didn’t have time to shop around before moving here. For another we thought it would be best to make sure Mike had been working for a few months before talking to the bank about a loan. So, if all goes well (I’m crossing my fingers) we’ll be able to upgrade to a cute little house by December. Even if we don’t get a house, I know for sure we won’t be living here, so it’ll be okay! I’ve just got to keep a positive attitude and make the most of our time here and have faith that we’re supposed to be here for a reason. And if that reason is just for Mike’s job, then I have to support him in that. But I hope the Lord has more in store for us here. I truly feel like we ARE here for a reason other than Mike’s job, but that reason is still unclear to me at this point. Things will get easier, I know. But right now it’s still pretty hard being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. And I’m still unsure how to feel about the ward. It is very small. I am not used to the chapel being less than half full during sacrament meeting. And the members here are….mmm….different to say the least. It’s only been my second week going to this ward, but so far Mike and I both agree that there aren’t many people we feel like we can relate to. There aren’t too many young couples and I miss our old ward so much. I hope and pray I can start to feel comfortable here soon. Anyway, that’s the scoop for now. I hope all you Salt Lakers (and others) will keep in touch with this Montana broad! Next time I’ll make sure my post is more upbeat, aight?