I really am here...just...

I don't have a big excuse for not blogging...other than I haven't been at the computer. SM and I have finally unpacked almost everything AND fit most of it into the two rooms that his parents cleaned out for us. We are actually very blessed to be able to stay with them for the next 16 months. The weird thing about the whole thing is that every summer we'd return to visit family and always stay with them while visiting. Now we are back here, living with them, and I just feel like I'm on vacation...not actually living here. While on vacation I'd head to my mom and dad's house to help out where I could during the days...and I've contined that tradition. I suppose with time, I'll make my own niche in this house, but for right now, I'm apparently on vacation.

Today I went to my mom and dad's house and Mom and I ended up laying carpet. It wasn't planned but it turned out great. I never know what I'll end up doing when visiting with my mom. My little sister, Little Magoo, wants me to sleep over all the time but I'm no longer a teenager and I really like being with my hubby each evening. She laughs when I say "no" but is understanding. I also have to say, she's no longer a teenager, is graduated from college and has a job and works 8am-5pm ever day.

Okay, that's enough for now. Maybe tomorrow I can post some pictures and tell about our trip across the country. At least I know I won't be going to my mom and dad's home to work. Tomorrow is the Sabbath...Yipee!! A day of rest and visiting with family...and maybe some computer time.

We've moved

For the past month, SM and I have been packing our two room apartment.  From previous posts, you've been appraised of our progress and so it's time to share how the final event went.

At eight am on Saturday morning, members of the Elders Quorum arrived.  I think we really started the move by 8:15 am.  By 9:15 am the apartment was EMPTY!  Yep, we had great help including about 15 men  and 3 women from the ward.  The semi trailer wasn't packed until 10:15 but that was because we put all our belongings into 12 feet of space on the semi.  It was said over and over by most of us that we didn't think all our stuff could fit into such a small space, but thanks to the Zen Master of Tetris...otherwise known as our friend Colin, we were able to pile everything to the ceiling and get the barrier in place in 12 feet.  Honestly, it was a miracle.  It was also amazing that an apartment can be emptied so quickly...but as the saying goes "many hands make light work."  A big thanks goes out to all those that helped us with the move whether it was physically helping us move or just emotional support for me!!

SM and I got the apartment pretty much cleaned and vacuumed and then cleaned ourselves up and went to a movie yesterday afternoon.  We finished the day off by attending the wedding reception and then spent the night at our bishop's house.  He invited us to sleep in his guest room until we leave on Monday.  We are very grateful to him and his family and to all of our friends that have offered us meals and help as we've packed our lives into boxes.

SM and I are excited to spend the week traveling across country, stopping at Mormon church history sites.  We are also excited to take the trip on our own time table and not feel the rush to be somewhere by a certain date.  We anticipate our arrival to Utah will be next Sunday but who really knows...

The Circle of Life

Last night I had the opportunity of going to a wedding reception of one of my young women.  I was only her Young Women's president for a few months before she headed off to BYU but she was one of those girls that I turned to to help me know what I should be doing in opening exercises or while planning activities.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that one of my previous young women got married.  She actually is a senior at BYU and will graduate next year.

Last night at the reception she greeted me with a big hug and the title "Sister Kidd."  SM was quick to reply that she could now call me by my first name, especially because she was now married.  For myself, it was a sweet experience of nostalgia to hear her call me "Sister Kidd."

I now have been released from being young women's president for a little over a year.  I don't miss the responsibilities but miss the interactions with the girls.  What a sweet experience. Last Sunday I was also released from my current two callings since today is my last Sunday in my ward.  I struggled teaching the Gospel Essential class because I couldn't predict what each class would be like. (I'm very normal in my feelings of wanting to be in control of my environment).   I absolutely loved all that I learned from the participants of the class and would regularly feel the Spirit in class...which doesn't always happen in a Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class.  The other calling I had was a member of the Fellowship Committee in the Relief Society.  I loved that calling, though it was also difficult at times.  I was able to visit new members of our ward in their homes, telling them about our awesome ward and some of the demographics of the ward and area.

We will be arriving in Utah in a week and I'm looking forward to getting to know a new ward and having a new calling.  I struggle with change but have seen how I've grown under new conditions and now am anticipating new growth.

Progress

So, as you can see, progress is being made. We are actually loading up the trailer tomorrow and they will come and pick it up on Monday. We were very blessed to have a guest room that we turned into the box room. We took everything out of the guest room and then started piling the boxes into that room. That way, it doesn't have to feel like we are living amongst boxes and I can actually have a room that is clean.
This is a shot from the doorway of the guest room. As you can see...we are filling it up. I should be packing right now...but I took a break. And I wanted to keep all my fans up dated on our progress.
This move also meant that I had to KILL my tomato plants. I have been dreading it, but finally did it today. These are the tomatoes that came off of the plants. Some of them are HUGE! We had a great crop of tomatoes this year...a bumper crop. If we would have stayed in this apartment, I probably would have had to start canning to do something with all of the tomatoes. You can only give away so many tomatoes before your friends stop hanging out with you because they don't want any more tomatoes.
Yum, Yum, Yum!

What am I doing?

As many of you know, SM and I are moving from Virginia in a couple of weeks. And another fact you may know is that we have lots of books. Now, most of those books are in these twenty-six boxes. I know that those that are coming to help us move will be very surprised to move so many boxes that hold only books. I have always had a love for reading and I married someone who not only loves to read but loves to own the books that he loves to read. Most of those boxes contain his books.
This is the beginning of the pile for the rest of our stuff. It is still quite small but continues to grow with gusto. The rest of the apartment is a disaster zone but slowly but surely I am packing up my life. The good part about moving is the opportunity to go through all my stuff and get rid of things that I no longer need or use. The bad part of moving is having to pack and move the stuff I want to keep.

House Sitting and Dog Watching

Friday afternoon after I got home from Girls Camp, SM and I went to Maryland to house-sit for a former professor. Really we were there to take care of the three dogs. Luckily it wasn't too much work...and SM enjoyed throwing the ball with the dogs.And throwing the ball some more. I think the worst part was in the evening when we walked the dogs so that they could do their business. SM had to pick up the poop since I don't do that kind of thing.
But we were able to use their pool on Saturday. We enjoyed a few hours in the water.
Sunday morning we headed back home so that SM could go do his home teaching and so that I could get my lesson ready before church. I was very excited to go home and actually sleep in my own bed, since it had been a week since I had the opportunity.

And now I'm home...starting the packing process. Should be lots o' fun!!

Girls Camp

Last week I attended Girls Camp as one of the camp cooks. It was a very fun, great, tiring and exhausting experience. I was there from Monday to Friday...but didn't have to cook anything on Monday (since we went into town and ate at Wendy's...not all the girls were up at camp that day).

I felt like I was always either preparing food, serving food, cleaning up food and then preparing again for the next meal. I have been to this camp two other times and this job was definitely the most difficult.

This is a picture of the area where the girls have thier testimony meeting. Of course, the meeting is in the evening and it is dark by the time you leave, but it is so beautiful during the daylight.

Wednesday was the day that all the girls went on their certification hikes. It also rained the whole day. It started by just sprinkling but picked up and bit and continued at that level until about four that afternoon. Because of the mud and wetness, the skits that evening were performed in the dining hall instead of out at the ampithear...which is just an open area with logs for seating. I loved having the skits in the lodge because I could hear and see everything that was happening.

Here I am, taking a self portrait on Thursday July 24th. We had an afternoon full of pioneer games and outside games. The girls were in groups that would rotate through the different game centers.

Here the girls were making tin can lanterns. They thought of a design and then used the nail and hammer to create the design. Electric candles were given to be placed inside the lantern.

There was a water relay game where the girls had to wash the shirt with a block of soap three times, then pass the wet shirt down the line of girls where the last girl would squeeze out as much water as she could to fill a jar at the end of the line. Needless to say, most of the girls got wet but the weather was beautiful and they seemed to enjoy themselves.

This was the watermelon seed spitting contest. The girls really got into this once the leaders stepped up in front of them and had the girls see if they could spit the seeds onto the leaders. It really was hilarious to see some of the girls try to spit seeds. I could tell that they had never done it before.

And you can't forget the pie eating contest. (The pie was just a paper plate filled with whipped cream with a cherry on top). This was a very fun event even if not everyone wanted to participate.

And you can't forget the stick pull. Here I am pulling the stick with one of the other camp cooks. She's a woman full of so much strength and energy. In the picture below you will notice that she did pull me over. I was very impressed...especially since I know that she is sixty-one years old.
Some other events included a ring toss and a game of horseshoes.

And this is us in the leader cabin late at night. We were exhausted but usually stayed up talking late into the night. One of our leaders in a massage therapist. She brought up her table and her car buffer. The combination was heaven. We each had our turn at being "buffed."

And that is camp...in a nutshell. There were lots of other things that happened but that is a quick overview of my week.