FLASHBACK!

With a cool job for Patrick and lots of wonder of where the wind would blow us ,God would lead us, on July 21st, 2011 we officially began our journey to an unknown destination.

It was just about the craziest thing we have ever done!

Wait, I take that back.

It WAS the craziest thing we have ever done!

I still have a hard time believing I lived in a travel trailer with 4 young kids for 2 months,

but I have pictures to prove that I did!

Patrick loosing that telecomuting job 2 weeks after leaving Vegas while we were in Medford getting a new transmission in our car was NOT part of our plan, but looking back, it was meant to be.

Getting several interviews and finding a perfect job within 4 days was God's way of helping us find a place to settle down.

It was a MIRACLE and a huge blessing!

We didn't know where we should live, but He did!

It would have been a LOT easier if we would have had a bigger trailer but it's tooo late for that!

Oh, the contrast!

Fitting the basic necessities for a family of 6 into our little tuna can was no easy task, but it was actually pretty fun! 

Like a puzzle even!

I had to find a lot of solutions to lots of challenges that came as a result of living in such a small space, BUT I did get to sit on my bed while cooking dinner!

 Sleeping quarters were tight, but since the kids were all small, they fit just right!!

Each had a sleeping bag they tucked away in a basket each morning.

Each person got their own basket.

Patrick and I got to sleep with baby in even closer quarters.

It was more than crowded, but it was cozy being squished like sardines. 

At least I still had nice sheets!

Figuring out how to organize laundry for 6 people in a 12*7 living space was a challenge!

There were 7 outfits, 1-2 things to wear to church and 2 swimsuits each.

One pile of laundry out of place made a huge disturbance!

BUT I did learn the joys of having a laundry facility I could walk to and wash ALL of our clothes at once!

We also had to do the unspeakable.

EAT. 

3 times a day.......at least!

We did eat out 1 or 2 times a week for sanity, but we managed to still cook a lot of good food!

Talk about a puzzle!?!?

Then there were dishes!!!

Believe me, I had to get all sorts of CREATIVE!

Doing dishes outside when things got really bad was more enjoyable anyways!

 

There were more than a few challenges to deal with, but we also had a lot of fun!

We grew closer as a family.

(For obvious reasons.)

and THE KIDS WERE HAPPIER THAN EVER!

 Mostly. ;)

Within a stone's throw there were kids to play with!!!

 We made dear, lifelong friends and had fun with those that we knew for a spell.

 

On one particular day, the kids all gathered for a game of catch. I did have one ball, but they found something even better to throw: SHOES!

Devon didn't need balls either...he just improvised!

We never, ever stopped learning!

One of the MAJOR lessons I learned and I am still trying to exacute after years of having WAY TOO MUCH JUNK:

Less stuff makes life a lot simpler!

I did miss a few things I left on that moving trailer in Vegas (like my bed) but for the most part, I could barely remember what was on there!

It made it a whole lot easier to get rid of some things.

 

Beautiful practically rain-free summer weather here made life more bearable.
We just spent a LOT of time outside!

We still ate delicious, healthyish meals

And I tried my best to keep a smile on my face....

most of the time at least!

{I may or may not relate to the following picture when thinking about how I felt at the time....}

On September 20th, we moved out of our itsy bitsy teeny weeny trailer after nearly

2

very  long  months!

Anna's 5th birthday party....

It was the adventure of a lifetime but I was more than ready to have a little
S P A C E ! ! !



The cool rental "cabin" in the city AND right on the edge of the forest we lived in for 9 months.

Thankfully, we now have plenty of space!

And I'm not as picky as I used to be about what my house is like or how small my kitchen is.

 

Phew!