Seussical Summer

“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”

~ Dr. Seuss, One fish two fish red fish blue fish

After my heavy post last week, I thought I would try to post something lighter. Last week, I read a few of our Dr. Seuss books to Alex at bedtime, and I got inspired. If I were friends with Dr. Seuss himself, this is probably how he would sum up the last month with the Carvers.

Moving
A month ago we moved cross-state.
My husband didn’t hesitate
to drive this huge gigantic van
in the back of our caravan.
But soon after the trip began
we had to pull over and talk to the Man.
The state trooper was firm but kind.
DH was following too close behind.
That’s my wife, my husband said.
Oh said the Man. His face was red.
A warning was our souvenir,
and then my DH kept off my rear.

School
This one wants to ride the bus.
Every day he makes a fuss
when I put him in the car
to drive to school. Here we are.
But I must keep him safe you see,
from big mean kids who bully.
But this one is convinced he’ll see
Dana and Roy from Hoot, the movie.
It’s so hard when we’re young to see
what’s pretend and what’s reality.

Gaining Weight
You cannot trust your underwear.
This is a fact I’m sad to share.
They watch you eat and eat and eat
foods way too salty, fat and sweet
and then they grow and grow and grow.
They grow in silence; you won’t know
until it is to late my friend
with ten new pounds on your hind end.

This week, for the third time in my life, I am packing up and leaving my hometown, Mattoon, Illinois. If breaking up is hard to do, cutting ties with my hometown has been even more difficult. I was born in this town at the old hospital. My dad and his sisters grew up here, so needless to say, my grandparents lived here. I was baptized here, and I learned to drive on these city streets. My first job was here at Kmart, one of the anchor stores of our mall. In 1991, I graduated from high school here. For 10 years, I worked here, and my parents and brothers still live here.

Each summer, Mattoon hosts Bagelfest, the world’s largest FREE bagel breakfast. (Maybe we should have our Motley Moms Retreat here one year. The festival is delightfully tacky, so it would give a whole new meaning to the term Motley.) We lived here when we were going through our infertility nightmare, and I began running to deal with the stress. I have so many great memories of early morning runs around Lytle Park and down Western Avenue. Lytle Park is home to our town’s swimming pool, which has a great kids’ play space, and it is beautifully landscaped. Western Avenue is lined with stately old homes and tall shade trees. Mattoon is also home to the ORIGINAL Burger King. They serve great thin fried hamburgers, and the guy who calls your order’s number has an instantly recognizable nasally way of saying “Forty-Four.” Even Alex can imamate him.

Mattoon is also home to my favorite pizza place in the whole entire world, Villa Pizza. When my friend Michelle moved to Texas, her family would freeze Villa pizzas to take to her, and I once drove home from Indiana to have Villa pizza on my birthday. It was totally worth the three hour drive. When I was in high school, my first date worked at Villa, and I think he still works there today. Tomorrow night, we will be eating Villa pizza for our last night in town.

Even though I have a great love for this town, I am certain I do not want to live here. I need to strike out on my own and live on my own terms. Maybe it is because I am a complex blend of an independent peacemaker. I want to do things my way, but I don’t want to ruffle any feathers while doing it. Maybe this just isn’t the place God has in mind for us. Whatever the reason, I will once again be leaving my town and my family. I think this time will be easier, and I really hope it sticks.

Exactly one year ago today, the three Carvers loaded our pets and the last of our possessions to move down to Florida. It was so sad to leave my family and friends, but we were filled with promise and excitement of a new adventure. God’s timing is so ironic. I would have never guessed our lives would be starting over again just one year later. This proves God has a sense of humor. I am looking forward to the new town and new possibilities, but thanks to my other Motley Moms, I don’t have to be so desperate to find friends. You girls were lifesavers when I landed the strange new world that is Florida. Thanks to your friendship that spans miles, I can always have girls close to my heart. I have learned so much from you, and I am looking forward to taking you with me on my next move! Maybe someday you will all decide to pile in a van and meet at my house. (I know it would take an act of God for such craziness, but stranger things have happened.)

So just like Willie Nelson and Charles Kuralt, this week, we will be on the road again. I look forward to sharing all of my motley-ness with you from the Pacific Northwest. OK, it’s not really the Pacific Northwest, but when you’ve spent the last winter in a tropical paradise, it might as well be.

Things I have learned from living in a small space...

As you read this today, my husband and I are going to / in the middle of / leaving the "closing" to buy our new home. We are excited and relieved to be moving on to larger territories, especially one with a kid-friendly back yard, but I thought I would take a minute to share my reflections from the past four years with you.

For four years we have happily lived in a "small space"--a 900 square foot apartment. We have had no complaints about our tighter-than-some quarters, and until our toddler started moving around like a madman we have felt snug as a bug in a rug, or something like that.

I am quite grateful for our experience living here. We have had on-call maintenance and security and wonderful property managers. We have had access to a swimming pool that we didn't have to maintain. Our apartment has been close to shopping and activities.

Living in a small, rented space has taught me a few things that I really needed to know. For instance, I don't need everything I see and can afford. I mercilessly de-cluttered my kitchen gadgets and ousted any "one-trick ponies" from our cabinets so that what we needed could fit there. I discovered the beauty, simplicity, and utility of a good knife. We donated excess linens and clothing, and I earned a fair chunk of change selling books and DVD's online. The big space we had left before moving here seemed to always beg me to fill it. Moving to a small space allowed me to breathe for the first time in years.

I now love white walls and empty spaces. They are a canvas on which we can create the story of our household as it grows and changes. I had always thought that walls needed to be painted in striking colors to match the magazine-shoot-ready decor that we also "needed." Thanks to our lease painting was not an option. It has taken some time, but the white walls I once saw as disgustingly unfinished are now blissfully free of constraint and bright, much like the unfolding tale of our family. Our new home has white walls, and that is how they will stay, for now anyway.

So, am I sad to be leaving this place that has taught me so much? Um, no. As soon as the papers are signed we are out of here faster than you can say, "Go outside and play, honey." We will miss having maintenance on-call, and becoming home owners is a bit scary, especially in an area somewhat prone to hurricanes, but we are ready to make the move. So, thank you, little appartment, for all that you have done to make us better people. I pray that the next tenants will be just as blessed here as we have been.

Motley in the Midwest

Later this week, my family will be moving back to the Midwest. It seems like just a few months ago we pulled into town, shell-shocked and weary from our cross country journey. Wait a minute, it was just a few months ago. I'd like to say that we had so much fun moving cross country last summer that we thought we would do it again, but I'm not saying that because it isn't true. Nonetheless, for many complicated reasons, we are packing up and moving home. Rest assured, we will be greeted by numerous friends and family saying, "I told you so."

We have been inundated with questions. Where? When? Why? How? For some families these would be simple to answer, but not for the Carvers. The short story is this: moving back to the Midwest is best for the three of us as a whole. I am really glad that we moved to Florida, and I have loved living here. We would have always wondered what we were missing, and now we know what works best for us. We're not exactly sure where we will land, but we are looking forward to it.

I keep thinking of Luci Swindoll, Chuck Swindoll's sister. One of her books is called, "I Married Adventure." She shares stories about her life as she has followed God's will for her around the world. Following God is sometimes difficult, sometimes uncertain, and most of the time adventurous. We are committed to doing God's work in our lives, and we believe this move will take us to our next mission for Him.

When you picture my family on our next moving adventure, I hope you see me singing fun travel songs and handing out string cheese and juice boxes. I hope you see us smiling and counting cows along the country side because I sure wouldn't want you to see what really happens. Our trips tend to be a lot like the Chevy Chase Vacation movies - the longer the trip, the more the trip falls apart.

Last summer, we sent my husband down to Florida in a Budget Van with my car hitched to the back. He had five days total to make the 2-day trip, find a house to rent, unpack the van, return the van, get a blood test for work, and get back to the airport. I was at my Mom's with Alex. We were out of our routine, and Alex was really missing his dad. Plus, the stress of the move was affecting him as much as us. Charlie called on the third or fourth day to tell me he might need to change his flight and keep the van for another day. I remember saying something like this, "I don't care what you have to do, but you have got to make that flight home. " This move has to be easier for all of us.

My good friend Jody has moved all over the country, and she gave me a wonderful tip. She said to mark a box as the First Night Box, and fill it with anything you will need for the first night at your new place. You can even let your kids have tons of fun decorating it, so it will stand out from the other boxes. Do any of you have some great moving success tips you can share with me?