Dallas to Iowa

It has been a week since I last wrote. In that week, I think an entire year has happened.
I am certain of it.
I am older, the kids are older, I don't remember what I was feeling or thinking or doing, a week ago. I don't remember the anticipation, or the fear, or the excitement of the day our moving van arrived. It has all vanished from my memory banks!
Gone!

Now, here I am, feeling like I could possibly be a different person all together.
I am in a new town, and a new house, new climate, and we jumped in, feet first, into activities and meeting new people (all wonderful by the way). It was like Iowa had always been in our hearts-as if we had lived here once upon a time, and this was our coming back. It all fit, very naturally.

The getting here, was not so natural. I don't want to complain, whine, blah blah blah, because who wants to hear that?
But Lordie....the drive out here was not what I expected.
It started off great, and then went downhill....fast.
Apart from the 6 hour drive days, that turned into 12, Kevin ended up with strep throat on the road. By the time we hit Dallas, it was obvious he was in no shape to continue our trek. It took major coersion, but we were able to convince him to stay in Dallas an extra night, take his antiobiotics, rest, and then fly in to Des Moines the next day (a 1.5hr flight).  My mother in law, who had woken up that morning, skipped her shower in lieu of packing us healthy, yummy lunches, was probably thinking....after they get on the road, I will take a shower, strip down all the beds, and get my house back in order. But no.
Instead, within 20 minutes, we had booked a flight for Kevin from Dallas to Des Moines, and for Harriet, from Des Moines to Dallas. She threw a few things in a purse, and all of the sudden, she was driving Big Green, with me as passenger and all the kids in the back, to Kansas. We had 10 hours left in front of us. I said a silent prayer that my children would behave and not drive the poor woman looney.
My mother in law is a rockstar, make no mistake.  She drove through Texas to Kansas like she could do it in her sleep. Queen of the Road.  We hardly stopped at all, except to rest our legs, and break open the food she had packed for Kevin and I (she laughed when she realized how much food she had packed us to eat, and how she got to partake in it afterall).
We rocked out to John Mayer (she is a good sport), and we pulled into Kansas around dinner time. She did this for us, made the snap decision, and with reckless abandon, hopped into our car and took care of us. She woke up thinking she was going to have a day to recoup from company, but instead, she ended up in a hotel in Kansas. Ha!  Talk about going with the flow.
Thursday, the 21st, we pulled into Des Moines at the same time as our moving truck. I ran out to sign the papers, and felt a gust of cold. I mean, COLD! I am pretty sure it was 15 below. I was wearing a light cardigan. I was not well prepared.
After dropping my mother in law off at the airport, she proceeded to get on the flight Kevin was getting off of, and they passed eachother in line. She was assigned the same seat as he was. They did a little switcheroo thing. The whole ordeal felt like a strange dream. I am still scratching my head.

Then we were all together. As a family. In Iowa. Then we did all of the fun Halloween things we could come up with, and we met people, and we picked pumpkins, and we freaked out at all the boxes (ok, that was just me), and we injured ourselves (split open ankle, half a fingernail lost, back spasms.....etc etc) and then we felt really, really, really tired.  An entire year in one week, I tell you.
No joke.


Land of the corn, I adore you already.