Bodily Adventures

 Kia Ora!  June 18th is the day I had been counting down to since purchasing our tickets the beginning of April. Our flight wasn’t until 6 pm. So, we ran a few errands that day, had frozen Costco lasagna for lunch and then headed to the airport, getting there just after 2 pm. Mom and Dad Bodily and Sadie drove us all there. We had 15 pieces of "luggage" to check - 3 actual suitcases, 6 cardboard boxes wrapped up in plastic and 6 big ol' duffle bags made from tarp. Did you know that you can check cardboard boxes? Yup. I purchased  these  for checked luggage. For the most part they worked well, however one was ripped pretty badly (the airline put the whole thing in a giant plastic bag) and a couple others had a little bit of damage. But, for the cost (about $8/each) I am happy with them. Oh, I did have to sign a waiver for the boxes and bags, but beyond that the airline didn't have a problem with them. Now, back to checking in... When I went to check in, they were able...

Kia Ora! All right, let's wrap this 100 days up! So, once graduation was done it was time to kick it in gear. Our tickets for New Zealand were for June 18th. Meaning once graduation was done we had 10 days until we left and oh so much to do. We made arrangements with my sister, Sadie, to use one bay of their garage to store things we didn't want to get rid of but also couldn't take with us to New Zealand. Side note: We were only taking with us what we could on the plane. Our first piece of luggage was included in the ticket price and we each could have a carry on and a personal item. But any piece of luggage after that first was $200/each. I set a goal to take 18 pieces of luggage (or less if possible). So, we couldn't take a lot. As I packed things that we would leave in Sadie's garage I found an app where I could put the box # and what was inside the box. Should we decide to be here very long term we will make arrangements to ship our belongings here and having an...

Kia Ora! All right, so let's see, what happened next...  We had my birthday. The kids were still out on spring break and so I got to spend the day with them. We went to the temple and did baptisms, then Ryan took us all out to dinner (at Crave, one of my favorite places - if you haven't been and you live in the Treasure Valley you really should go), after which my parents joined us for dessert.  Also, Jenna and her boyfriend came out for a visit. She wanted to see her siblings before we made this big move and I am grateful that they took the time (and money!) to make the trip. I really like Liam (her boyfriend), he got along great with everyone, hopefully Liam didn't think we were too crazy!  Ugh, my next big project was a garage sale. Holy Hannah. I have not ever done a garage sale as an adult and let me tell you I hope I never have to do another one! They are So. Much. Work. Seriously, I spent weeks getting ready. Of course, this wasn't your average garage sale. We we...

FYI: I typed this post up and realized it was going to be extremely long if I tried to get through it all in one post, so here is part 1, we'll see how many parts it ends up being. My guess is 3...  Kia Ora! As I mentioned, Brad left for New Zealand on March 12 - our 25th wedding anniversary. My husband moving halfway around the world was definitely not on the agenda for celebrating such a special event, but that is just how things worked out and I was okay with that. Or at least I thought I would be. We celebrated Brad's birthday a few weeks early. I made him a German Chocolate cake and a meal I thought he'd enjoy. For an early birthday gift I booked us an Airbnb for the day after the kids and I would be arriving in NZ for just the two of us. Brad's parents and Kevin came home for the weekend before he left to have some time together before Brad moved. My mom offered to go with me to the airport so I wouldn't be coming home alone, which I appreciated, but I knew I ...