Moving is-alot. Always. But this time, it exceeded our expectations by being next level ridiculous with some of the things that came up-I am proud of us for the way we handled it now that its all said and done. And there were alot of wonderful things that happened as a result of some of the changes. But I think a month later I am over talking about it, so I'm just gonna include what I posted elsewhere as kind of a summary before I talk about life since then. Bc that is a lot better. 

Here is a list of dumb things that happened before/during our move. 

1. We had a stomach bug work its way through a few of us, including on the road. 

2. The new apartment we had signed a lease for in WA had some major issues and told us a day before we left we couldn’t move in for 2 more weeks, even though we had the UHAUL packed and our lease here had ended.

3. They kindly booked us an airbnb and promised to compensate us for that and what we would be spending on extending the moving van-which then also fell through bc airbnb said them booking it for us was against policy and refused to refund them or let us stay. Aka we were homeless for a few hours. 

3. We arrived to WA to find that the place was no where near done, and we were skeptical it would even be done in 2 weeks.

4. After chilling in a hotel and working out some of the issues, we finally found a much better situation. When we went to drive the UHAUL from the hotel parking lot, turns out someone had drilled a hole in the gas tank and siphoned out the gas and stolen our house plants. 

5. It was pouring rain (more then usual for the summer in WA) while we moved in. Complete downpour.

Now, here are some WONDERFUL things that happened.

1. We found and are now living in the MOST beautiful little dream house, w a backyard, garage, with more rooms etc. and our landlords are gems! Come visit, we have room to host now!

2. We payed for insurance so UHAUL towed the moving van here, and picked it up and took care of all the issues that came up. 

2. My FIL and cousin came in clutch both before and during the move.

3. WA has blown us away with its beauty and nature and we can’t believe we get to live here. Still pinching myself. 

4. The kids have thought every part of this was a fun adventure. 













Now that Lester is in the full swing of things, his hours are long, but we are still finding things to enjoy [both in walking distance and driving] like lots of farmers markets, parks, and library events, along with our summer workbooks and art projects at home. Its a pace I think we've been needing, but we miss our guy. The one day off a week he has is always a welcome change for all of us. We've enjoyed Juneteenth and Father's Day and are excited to see how they do Fourth of July here, and are gearing up for birthday month in this Pineda house. The kids don't start school until September, so we are going to take a trip home to spend time with cousins, grandparents and more family. 

Honestly, I have lived quite a few places now, and none of them have even come close to being what the Bay Area is to me. But I will say, from the day we drove into town, I could feel that this was a special place. I would say that it is as beautiful as where I grew up, just in a different way. Reminds me a bit of Tahoe or living in a National Park. And I am here for it. I feel cautiously optimistic about this place for our family. And I will take that for now! Now here is a million pictures of our time here so far bc I take too many and I love them.




















































































 How is it the end of June?!? Seriously HOW? 

Part of me wishes that I had been more on top of journaling life as it has been happening, but part of me is in a good place to give former Julia a whole lot of grace. Especially when I think about the last two months and all the life that has been lived in that time! A whole jumble of good things, hard things, and a bunch of in between. And we weathered them all, and are still in one piece. Sometimes its ok to acknowledge that we can't do it all, and that what we can do is going to be enough! 

So thats where I'm at. I think I'm going to use this post to talk about our last few weeks in Idaho, along with the pictures I took. And the next can be about life now that we are in WA. 

After a whole lot of work, laughter and tears, Lester's graduated from medical school! We all worked so hard to make this happen. Its funny bc it has been a dream of Lester's [and ours as a result] for the last 10 years or so, we just didn't know that it was realistic or possible with multiple kids, cost of school and living itself, and so on. When we officially decided to stop waffling and go all in, it felt like a huge risk-and there were a ton of normal and abnormal hard things on the way-but in the end we made it to this point and I'm feeling so grateful and proud with all of it. 



The day before the graduation, we picked up Lolo and Lola from the airport and spent some time enjoying being with them. On the actual graduation, Lester's old co worker and friend met us there and we got to watch Lester cross that stage and get that well earned diploma. It was so funny bc I remember thinking how much he hated being the center of attention and all the pomp and circumstance that comes with a graduation. But he knew WE all needed it haha, so he did it anyways. The kids each had a bouquet of flowers for Daddy and they loved giving it to him. I love him so much and am so proud of him, and us. Afterwards there was refreshments, pictures, and visiting alongside the greenbelt. Honestly, just a great few days to put aside the to do list, and just enjoy being US and all that we've done. It was awesome.





While we were there, we stayed in Boise and checked into the cutest little airbnb once we got there. We had come a few days before hand, as there were events and appointments Lester had to keep in the days leading up to it. That gave use the chance to do things like revisit some of our favorite hikes in the area, and eat at some of our favorite places. We were also lucky enough to catch up with some of our old friends who were a lifeline during that time, like the Gregory's and a quick late night girls hang out with Maddy and Leslie. We even got to grab some of our favorite huckleberry jam, açaí bowls and flowers from the farmers market and meet up with Giddy and family and spend a much needed morning laughing and venting and playing with them. The kids got to roller blade along the green belt and get wet in the Snake River which was a must while we were there. And Addy got to spend some time with her sweet friend from those times while we played at the mall. The school even put on a family celebration one of the days before hand, and rented out the zoo. It was a blast! They had free treats and dinner, facepainting, animal encounters, and carousel rides. We also got to visit some of the Pineda's friends from back in the day and spend some time with them. All in all it was just the perfect conclusion to our years spent in Boise, for which I will always be grateful. 



























Once we made it back to Idaho Falls, we got to wrapping up life and time here. Boo Boo Bear Boy had his own graduation from preschool, and it was fire. He loved going a few times a week to spend time with friends and I can see all that he learned from his excellent teacher. They had put together the cutest little program with a few songs to exhibit what they learned, and then a Very Hungry Caterpillar play where Bear got to play 'The Cheese'. He had been telling me all week about it, saying he was going to be 'the best cheese he could be' and I had no idea what he was talking about. But once I saw it, we were all so impressed. He truly was the greatest cheese that ever was haha. 

We were able to take our sweet time packing things up, and finishing out the girls school year. I was able to help out at some of the kids field days and class parties. If I am perfectly honest, that has been the only bittersweet thing about this-the kids have had so many oppurtunities for friendship here [espeically Isla] and I am hopeful that it will be the same once the school year starts in WA. Still, now they have so many pen pals and that is a fun thing in itself! Even I was able to get a few girls nights/lunches in here and there with the few great friends I've made here. Plus, Chio was a LIFESAVER during the packing process, which meant the kids got to spend a bunch of time with cousins in the sunshine before we left. So that was nice. 











And now we are here, and love love LOVING it. The process of getting here was a bit of nightmare, but I will save that for another time. And like I said, with how much we are enjoying it now, it feels a bit like the rainbow after the rain. So that is that, and we are doing well! More next time. 


Powered by Blogger.

The Pineda Family

The Pineda Family

Archives