The final dramatic days in Virginia

The final days in Virginia turned out to be a bit dramatic for me - well, really just the final day was the most dramatic. So, here is the run down of what happened.

Monday (March 26th) - We spent the day getting everything packed and loaded. Since we were packing during the day, we did it without the help of the ward (although plenty of people were willing to help - it was the having-to-go-to-work that got in the way), but with the help of Tyson's parents. Tyson's dad is the pro-packer man. He can make almost anything fit into anywhere. He is just the expert at getting as much as possible into small spaces. I was so happy to have him there directing the rest of us.

Reed went to preschool in the morning and Eve played at James's house. So, the morning part went by super fast and smooth. The kids came back and helped us pack some of the final stuff. We finished packing by late afternoon and then Tyson and I went to get the rental car for me.

I thought they were going to be leaving on Tuesday morning, but instead they left on Monday night. They didn't end up leaving until around 8:30 pm, and I headed to my parent's apartment. I was a little sad that they left Monday night because in my head I had been planning on Tuesday morning sometime. I didn't have a flight until Wednesday, so it was just longer than I wanted to be without Tyson and our stuff. But, ah well.

The kids and I got to my parents house and they immediately went to bed (it was probably around 10 pm). Aria didn't sleep super well that night, so it just made me more tired and cranky than normal for Tuesday.

Tuesday (March 27th) - I spent most of the day cleaning the apartment. Some ladies from the Relief Society came to help, but half were gone in about an hour and a half due to other appointments. My mom played with Reed and Eve until she had to go to work.

So, by about 1 p.m. the apartment was mostly clean (I had run out of magic erasers for the walls) and I desperately needed some food. We went to Whole Foods to get some Aria and me-friendly snacks and then I got Thai food (the best 'fast food' when I am on the soy and dairy-free diet).

We headed back to my parent's apartment and we just played for the rest of the day. I needed a chance to relax a little and the kids needed me not to be doing 100 other things. It was super hard to juggle all the things that needed to get done. But, it got done (eventually).

My dad took us out to dinner and the kids did a good job just going with the flow.

Wednesday (March 28th) - This day had some super stressful points that had me in tears, but it did end up being fine. I needed to get all our stuff packed in the bag again because once we left my parent's apartment, we were not coming back. That took extra time - as it always does. I was late dropping Reed off to his last day of preschool - I really hate being late to preschool. I don't like being late to anything, but for some reason, being late to preschool embarrasses me. But, it turns out a lot of people were a little bit late, so Reed was not last there by too much time.

I then headed to my apartment to finish some of the walls and windows. Jana showed up to pick up some boxes (they were most likely going to be moving) and she helped me finish some walls. I went to the office and closed out our account. I wrote a big check (over $2,000), gave back all the keys, and that part was done. Phew - a little sigh of relief. One huge thing checked off my list.

I went to Jana's house to wait until I needed to pick up Reed and Taryn from preschool. When I went to get them, they doing construction on the road I took, so it made me late picking them up (Ugh! Twice in one day). That wouldn't have been such a big deal, but I had scheduled Reed's 4-year check-up for 12:45 pm just so that I wouldn't have to worry about scheduling that right when we moved. Heading to the doctor's office there was more traffic due to yet more construction! At this point, I was just getting really frustrated. I was going to be late for the doctor's as well. I was almost there, when I saw a police car pull out and put his lights on. Are you kidding me?! This was just not my day. Well, it turns out that I was speeding (so, yes, it was my fault), but didn't realize how fast I was going because the rental car I was driving made it seem like I was only going 35 mph. Well, I was going 50 mph. Oops...

I rolled down my window and gave the officer my information. I explained that I was moving across the country and was late for my son's doctor's appointment and was in a rental car. I should have mentioned that I was functioning on way less sleep than normal and had been a single parent living out of somebody else's apartment for a few days as well. Maybe then I would have gotten a little sympathy. But, I did not get sympathy and was given a ticket. I was pretty much in tear by this point.

I showed up to the doctor's office and the receptionist said, "You are more than 15 minutes late, so you may not get seen today." Really?! This day was just not going my way. I explained that we were moving and we had to get him in. She said she would check with the doctor and told me to take a seat. I just started bawling. I couldn't handle anymore of Wednesday. Someone even asked me if I was ok. I think that is a silly question - of course I am not ok when I am bawling my eyes out. But, was there anything that anybody could do about it? No. I just wanted to be left alone and try to compose myself.

The doctor did let us in and I had stopped crying. Reed got all his shots. He even was part of a study to combine 2 of the shots, so only had to have 3 shots instead of 4. Plus, we got paid to participate in the study. So, that part of Wednesday was much better.

After the doctor, I took the kids back to Jana's house and went to get them push pops. I told them they could pick a treat if they were good. We hung out with Jana for a bit and even got to see Jenn (and Brooks and Cole) before we left!

All too soon, it was time to pack up for the last time and head to the airport. We got everyone locked and loaded and I was off to return my rental car. I have probably said this before, but I will say it again - I would not enjoy being a single parent. It is so much tougher than when there are 2 of you. Even when Tyson is gone  for busy season, he still comes home to sleep. There is just something strengthening about having someone else to lean on and talk to who loves the kids as much as you do.

Anyways, we got to the rental car return just fine and my parents were there and waiting for us. My mom was going to fly with me to Las Vegas and my dad just likes to know that we are safe and taken care of. We got everything to the airport and the only minor glitch is that my bag was too heavy by a couple of pounds. Luckily, my mom brought an extra bag - so we just switched some stuff around and were headed to the gate. We got on the flight and I breathed a sigh of relief that an already long and stressful day was coming to a close.

The flight was pretty good. Aria was so sleepy that she slept almost the entire time (thank you!) after I fed her dinner. Reed and Eve watched a movie with Grandma on the first part of the trip. There was a baby crying almost the whole way (I felt so bad for the parents) on the first leg of the trip. We didn't have to get off the plane, but there was a stopover. I offered the baby some toys, but they said they were fine. Finally, the baby had fallen asleep. Phew. Then, during the stopover, the parents moved seats for some reason. Well, that woke the baby up and he screamed for a while longer (I don't know why they switched seats - still confuses me - don't wake up the baby!).

After we got up in the air for the second time, Reed and Eve wanted me to sit with them. We watched a movie until Reed said he was sleepy and feel asleep on my lap. Eve followed suit. We slept for a bit. Reed stayed asleep, but Eve kept tossing and turning, so she was just exhausted by the end of the flight. We landed at midnight Vegas time which is 3 am VA time! No wonder she was tired. For the last 15 minutes of the flight, she just cried (not screamed, though) and I just hugged her. Poor, tired Eve.

We landed in Las Vegas, got our bags and went to find Tifani. We got to Grandma and Grandpa Walker's house and then I got everyone in bed after a super long day. We all fell asleep super quickly, thank goodness. I got to sleep for 4 hours, until Aria woke up at 5:30 am (8:30 am VA time) rested and ready to go for the day. But, at least I got to sleep in a bed. :)