... and Doctrine & Covenants 6:36

This is the long, boring (but important to me) story of the our house in Wisconsin and the one that will become our home in Ohio.  Part 1 is here. And part 2 is here.  This is part 3, and the last part will come soon.

David and Mary at the Chicago Temple in April.
This is the day we learned what house would become our home.

Since we would not be buying the only house that made any sense, Greg and I expanded our options.  We considered schools we would not have considered before.  We considered houses well outside the ward boundaries we wanted to live in. We looked way above our price range and way below our price range.  We went back to the drawing board and considered renting or even base housing.  But the feeling was always no, no, no.  But still we couldn't shake the sense of urgency. We must have gone through the decision-making steps described in D&C 9:8 a million times, only to experience again and again the big fat stupor of thought described in verse 9. It felt like we were walking in circles.  In the dark.

Finally, one day the obvious dawned on us.  We had enlarged our search so wide that we were considering homes halfway to Cincinnati.  We realized we shouldn't live halfway to Cincinnati--we should live all the way to Cincinnati.  We should live near Greg's brother!  As soon as the thought entered my mind, I felt peace.  The darkness and despair disappeared.  Suddenly, I felt like I was moving forward instead of stuck turning circles.  Greg called his brother, who was in London at the time, to talk to him about it.  And I talked to Leslie.  We all felt this could be a really special time for our families, to live close to each other.  I can't believe how light and happy I felt!  And I felt a confirmation that this would be a blessing for both of our families.

Leslie immediately jumped into action helping me understand the area,  like school and church boundaries, as well as desirable neighborhoods and communities.  She helped us with real estate agent recommendations, and, in the meantime she sent me listings of houses in good locations and offered to go to any open houses.  The only problem was that the market was piping hot in the community we wanted.  It was the kind of situation where houses were selling within hours!!  I felt stressed about being able to buy a house in that kind of environment.  We knew we should plan a house hunting trip to Ohio soon ... perhaps that very weekend.  But we felt even more strongly that we needed to go worship in the temple that weekend.  We had so much going on that it seemed unwise.  Except that the feeling was so strong that it seemed unwise not to go.

So that Saturday (our house had been under contract for only a week--it seemed like the longest, most intense week ever!) we piled everyone in the car and drove to Chicago.  Greg and I took turns at the temple.  I took the kids to the nearby children's museum, and he took them to lunch while I was inside the temple.
When I was inside, I felt such peace that moving to the north-eastern suburbs of Cincinnati was the right decision.  I felt it was important to live as close as possible to Chris and Leslie. I felt peace about being able to buy a house in the right community.  Most of all, I felt God's love for me and my family.  I knew I could trust Him.  He was taking care of us.  I had no reason to fear or doubt.

When I walked out of the temple, I had a text from Leslie:  She had found our house!


P.S.  D&C 6:36

The best laid plans

Last week Greg and I reached that milestone of a decade of marriage.  We celebrated...sort of.

With the help of three wonderful friends, I coordinated a whole day of school pick-ups and play dates so that Greg and I could escape to Chicago for the day.  The drive alone (three hours each way without whining and the sounds of Pokemon videos coming for the backseat) had me giddy.  Also, we planned to go to the temple together.  TOGETHER.  That is like the ultimate treat.  And it seemed an appropriate way to celebrate ten years of marriage.

Then David got sick.  But he got better.  Phew!

Then Mary got sick.  And she did not get better.  Boo!

Oh well.  But there were touches of celebration last week...

Greg arranged to have the piano tuned.  I think of the piano as my 10-year anniversary gift.  We actually got it a month  before our ninth anniversary.  But, somehow, it has become in my mind a mark of 10 years.  For me it represents real life and adulthood and stability, some measure of which we have reached after 10 years.  It also shows that my husband loves me (because isn't there something terribly romantic about a husband buying a piano for his wife?)  So having the piano tuned last week was fitting.

Also, on the day of, Greg brought me tulips and Dr. Pepper.

Then, on Friday (the day we'd arranged to spend in Chicago), my heart was still aching for the peace and quiet of the temple, even though Mary wasn't well enough to be passed off to other moms.  (Seriously, I think I am getting addicted to the temple.  I think this may say less about the temple than the amount of chaos and disquiet and messiness in my life!  I am desperate to escape!)  So we tossed an improving Mary into the car, picked David up at school, and drove to Chicago after all.  (Who says kids have to be sick on the couch?  They can be sick in the car...and in a hotel...right?)

So it was a quick, terribly unromantic trip of truck stop meals, separate temple sessions, and cramped double beds.  (Also, we had to rush home right away Saturday for a previously scheduled and very important play date of David's with his BFF.)  And then we spent Saturday afternoon and evening at separate church meetings (it was stake conference weekend), and then we juggled the kids in church on Sunday morning through the marathon that is a multi-congregational, stake conference meeting.

We celebrated our ten-year-anniversary with a whirlwind of sick kids, car time, separate church meetings, outpourings of the Spirit, general grouchiness, arguments, much-needed naps, heartfelt conversations, cereal-for-dinner, inspiration, the BFF, tears of happiness, tears of sadness, reflection, exhaustion, procrastination, and did I mention those cramped double beds?

Somehow it was perfectly appropriate.  We have hopes of escaping to Chicago alone for a day, a night, and a day sometime this year.  (Do you know I have NEVER BEEN TO THE ART INSTITUTE???!!)  I also feel very grateful for the celebration of our 8-year-anniversary.  Yet, to mark 10 years, the imperfect--the very very imperfect--was perfect.



P.S.  Actually, the very best anniversary present was a perfectly normal, unremarkable, average, run of the mill, rather pleasant (pleasant!), tantrum-free Family Home Evening last night.  We did it!!  Finally! (And it only took 10 years!)

Kansas City Temple Open House

Your children see the temple from the outside.

It's not often that you have an opportunity to take them inside.

Which is why we drove to Kansas City, to fulfill Mary's plan.  (Last summer she insisted that we return when the temple was finished being built and take her inside.)  

The temple becomes a spiritual center, a holy place of refuge from the world.  It is a place to meditate on our eternal journey, make promises to serve God, and feel close to Him.  After the building is officially dedicated, the temple is reserved as a place set apart from the world for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are striving to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and keep the commitments they have made to Him.  Church members wear white while inside to symbolize equality and purity.  With a few exceptions, the temple is a place for adults. 

Which is why an open house is so fantastic for kids.  After a temple is completed, but before it's dedicated, the building is open for public tours.  Everyone is welcome!  It's a wonderful opportunity to be all together as a family in the temple.  And it's nice to have the temple demystified a little for your kids.  (There's a good reason not everyone is invited inside a dedicated temple--it's hard for a place to be apart from the world if the whole world is there.  But it certainly has the effect of making it all mysterious.)  We attended a temple open house in Utah a couple of years ago.  But not even David could remember it.  So we figured we should make the effort to go to the one in Kansas City, especially since it (barely) overlapped with our spring break.

To make things even better (much much better) B and Le met us in Kansas City with their adorable kids. What a blessing that glad they came.  They are so much fun and easy to be with.  And everything is better with cousins.  (Also, it was incredibly reassuring to spend time with parents who have some of the same struggles with their kids that we do with ours.)  So good for the soul to be with them.  And just look at these cousins...

It was wonderful to be in the temple together.  Other temple open houses I have been to have been self-guided.  This time we had a guide who walked us through.  The good part about this was the celestial room.    Instead of briskly walking through, we were invited to pause for a few minutes, even take a seat.  Greg, David, Mary, and I all squeezed together on a sofa. The celestial room is a quiet, lovely place of meditation that symbolizes heaven, or, in Mormon words, living eternally with our families and God.  So it was marvelous to be there for a few moments with my family, husband, son, and daughter.  (Afterwards, David told us that was his favorite part because he felt warm inside.)

It is nice to have a place to escape the world.

It was nice to take my kids there.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

We spent most of the day in the car, returning from this with them.

It was awesome.  More than worth spending your Easter on the road for.



P.S.  Have a few minutes?  Don't forget this.  It's Easter (and bunnies are better than bells.)

Much too big

Saturday was a quick and very last-minute jaunt to Chicago and back.  The Saturday before I had the chance to go to the temple in Chicago with Leah, my very dear friend and former mission companion.  (Can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday??)  I think I loved the peace and quiet and meditation so much that I had to go back for more.

Greg and I took turns visiting the temple, while the other hung out with the kids at a nearby children's museum., where it was discovered that--

David is 49 inches tall and weighs 49 pounds.

Mary is 42 inches tall and weighs 42 pounds.

(How about that?)

They are big.  But what was discovered long before the trip to the museum, with its scale and measuring tape, is the size of their personalities.  They are big.  Very big.  They have quirks.  And those quirks are growing bigger and bigger.  Much too big for me to handle, I fear.

Much too big.

Our visit not to the Shedd

Last weekend included a quick trip down to Chicago.  Greg swam with the kids Friday evening while I went to the temple.  And then I took the kids to breakfast in the morning while Greg had his turn at the temple.  Then we headed downtown, excited to visit the Shedd Aquarium for the first time.  We had been putting off the Shedd because we had yet to figure out some student/military/reciprocal membership way to get in cheap.  But this time we were determined to visit, credit card in hand for the full-price tickets.

Then we saw the line to get inside.  And we realized our mistake.  It was the weekend of the Chicago Marathon (and Columbus Day to boot).  This was no run of the mill Indian summer Saturday.  It was the kind of weekend when an ordinarily crowded tourist attraction is EXTRAordinarily crowded.  (Anyone ever been to a Smithsonian the day after Thanksgiving?)  The thought of paying eighty bucks to be a sardine, and not just look at them, made me EXTRAordinarily grouchy.

As much as I wanted to meet Granddad...

...we stepped out of line.

And enjoyed the views.

Time for a plan B.  Having already paid to park our car at Soldier Field, we hopped onto a nearby water taxi to enjoy a little relaxing on lovely Lake Michigan.  (I couldn't believe how beautiful the lake was!)

Then we took a river taxi up to Michigan Avenue.  (It was pretty cool, to be floating among the skyscrapers.  A great way to enjoy the city's architecture.)  Did I mention it was a gorgeous day?

Then we decided to walk the Magnificent Mile.  Why?  Well, why not?  That's what every other single human being on the planet was doing Saturday.  We made our way to the Lego Store, of which we have fond memories.  But it's different now.  Boo!  Also, every single human being on the planet, plus all those visiting from other planets, were in there with us.  (But, of course, we bought something cool, so why am I complaining?)

By the way, I believe the Magnificent Mile should be renamed the Miraculous Mile...because our kids walked.  Block after block after block, they walked.  A whole mile.  With relatively minimal whining.  It'a miracle!

Then we took the bus back to Soldier Field, and retrieved our car.

On our way out of town we stopped in the suburbs for dinner and a quick stop at Ikea--because what's more fun than Ikea on a Saturday afternoon?  (Ha.)

Then we went home and went to bed.

And, truly, it was a happy, delightful day.  (Even if I had to share it with a gazillion people and saw nary a fish.)

Date!

Greg's mom graciously agreed to watch the kids for us one night when we were in Texas so Greg and I could escape for some much-needed alone time.

We browsed Borders for bargains.  Although we picked up a few things, we were both of the opinion the deals were only so-so.  (Our best find was probably a discontinued Lego set.)  We relaxed over a yummy Tex-Mex meal at Cristina's.  Then we swung by Ikea, where we bought easel paper and waterproof mattress pads--so probably not the most exciting trip ever to Ikea.  But, really, anything without kids feels exciting these days.  We had lengthy, heartfelt conversations and blissful stretches of silence--without any interruptions.  It was dreamy.

We stayed at an Embassy Suites downtown.  (I love Embassy Suites--veggie omelets and Diet Coke for breakfast.)  Kudos to the well-trained staff.  Greg screwed up the reservation, and they never once hinted that he'd made an error (even though it was totally his fault)--they just fixed the problem.  I had to laugh because this is exactly what happened at the Embassy Suites in Fort Worth a few years ago.  Greg had screwed up the reservation (in the exact same way), and the staff fixed it without once implying that we were in the wrong.  Yay for good customer service.  And Diet Coke for breakfast!

Here is the view from our hotel room.  It's perfect! This is exactly what Dallas looks like:

In the morning we went to the temple.  Peaceful, relaxing, and inspiring.  I meant to take a picture, but I forgot.  (I think this picture, taken at the Dallas Temple, is one of my favorites ever.  I'm pretty sure I like my life with Greg in the picture better.)

On the way home we stopped here.

I was a little nervous, never having eaten at an In-N-Out outside California before.  (Would it/could it taste the same??)  It didn't disappoint.

I love In-N-Out.  The no-gimmicks, reasonably priced, fresh, classic simplicity of it all.  Love it.  Greg didn't quite "get" it (though he raved about the milkshake).  Maybe you have to live in California for a while and have it be an integral, everyday part of your life.  Happiness is having an In-N-Out around the corner.

Actually, my happiness is being married to this man.

And getting to spend time with him.

Hooray for dates!

Summer!

It really is summer.  My kids are finally getting a little bit of sun and water!

Yesterday we started two weeks of swimming lessons.  I believe every other child in the Madison metropolitan area is taking swimming lessons at the same pool we are.  (For good reason; it's a great pool.)  I used the following criteria when choosing where to put my kids this summer--

1. A preschool class for Mary.  Our city rec department doesn't have swimming lessons for the three-year-old crowd.  They have to be at least four.  Grrrr.  Yeah, yeah, it's not like Mary needs swimming lessons already.  Except that she does!  She needs to be able to do what her big brother does.  I couldn't care less if she learns to swim as a preschooler--I just want her in the pool during David's lessons instead of hanging on me!
2. A class schedule that allows for David and Mary to be in class at the same time.  I will seriously drive to a pool all the way in Timbuktu for the privilege of having my kids' lessons at the same time.  (Did I mention how I want Mary in the water during David's lessons instead of hanging on me?)
3. A two-week session that doesn't interfere with vacation, Lego Club, visitors, gymnastics, soccer, science camp, etc.  It would be nice if we could squeeze in another two-week session for David.  But he's also taking swim lessons on Thursday.  Plus, after two weeks of Texas in August (which translates into two weeks in the pool), I'm sure he'll end the summer a stronger swimmer.

So here are my kids in the normal summer scene of swim lessons.

This was Mary's first swim lesson.  After watching David for years, she was thrilled to be in a class of her own!  (I was thrilled too.)  She is such a good little student.

This is Mary and her class.  She's the one in pink with the wedgie.

I am loving summer.  (If you know me very well, that was a shocking statement.  Hot weather?  Little people crawling on me all day?  Not usually my thing. But this time around I am loving it.  Ah, the joy of having kids that are just a little bit older than they used to be. )  I hope my kids are loving summer too!



P.S.  Lest you think the only time David and Mary smell of chlorine is after lessons, they did get to go swimming at this very pool last Saturday.  For fun.  Thanks to their fun dad.  Meanwhile, their mom was in Chicago with these lovely young ladies...

...and the best group of teenagers on the planet...

That could be a picture straight from the New Era.

Train and tower

Quick trip to Chicago.  Primarily for some quiet worship in the temple.

But it would be a shame to come straight home without doing something, right?  We usually hit a museum, but there's only so much museum-visiting a person can do.  So this time we took the train into the city for a trip up to the top of the Sears Tower, which was the tallest building in the world last time I was there.

Riding (and even waiting for) the train is quite the novelty for our little suburbanites.

In case you're curious, we took a Metra train from the Glenview station.  The train takes you straight to Union Station, which is just a couple of blocks from the Sears Tower.  Simple and easy.  (Though tickets to the top of the tower are outrageously priced, of course. Unless you happen to qualify for the free military ticket!)

At the bottom, before our journey up.

You may be wondering why it says "Willis Tower" in front of the Sears Tower.  I guess some London-based company bought the naming rights a couple of years ago.  So now it's technically the Willis Tower, but I don't think anyone but the Willis folks got the memo.

After our fair share of waiting for the elevator ride, we finally made it to the top.

Anybody spot the Hancock Tower?  (Memories...)

(It's not as tall as the Sears Tower, but it has a certain coolness factor down there on the Magnificent Mile. The Sears Tower feels about as hip as, well, Sears.)

David wanted me to take his picture with this fly, which is on the outside.

Now that the Sears Tower is no longer the tallest building in the world (it was surpassed by this one, which was surpassed by this one, which was surpassed by this one), they have to do something to make you fork over the cash to ride their elevator.  So they installed a glass ledge you can walk out onto.  It's pretty neat, actually.

Look, that's where we were.

The 103rd floor.  (There are actually a few floors above the observation deck.  This really annoyed me the first time I visited the Sears Tower back in the Z. Cavaricci days.)

We enjoyed some lunch and then walked back to Union Station to catch our train.

The Sears Tower may be a little...stale?  But this was a fantastic, easy adventure with our kids!  Loved it!  And we pulled in the driveway at 5:30--with plenty of time for dinner, play, baths, and a nice early bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime...good night.


P.S.  I was there too!