We made it! An eventful week started with birthday celebrations for Hallie and ended in a successful move to Missoula for some of us, a potential new home in Oklahoma for others, and the beginning of single adult life in Utah for one high school graduate. Phew!
They stopped by Smith's so Hallie could greet friends and say good bye.
Landon graduated from high school on Tuesday. As the family got ready to go, Mike saw this fortune in the car. It seemed apropos for all that we have churning around us at the moment. Jocie looked pretty great dressed in her robe as well.
Happy graduation, Jocie (and all Landon's friends we saw on your big day)!
The school
streamed the graduation ceremony live, so family from across the continent got to see Landon and his peers walk and get their diplomas.
Natalie and Josh were able to join us,
and so were Gma and Gpa M.
In our effort to prepare Fergus for the move and his new digs in Montana, we got him a harness and leash. He doesn't like them.
Gpa O. and Alie also sent their love and support to our graduate.
Dunzo. Landon wants nothing to do with anything academic for the foreseeable future.
We have had some challenges relating to vehicles of late. After his fender-bender, Landon's white van never ran quite right, so we opted to sell it. Goodbye, Ghost! You were just what we needed at the time and are grateful for your service. The vehicle Landon currently uses (the brown KIA Sedona) needed a major transmission service that got completed on the day the rest of us moved. Getting the car back from the shop was Landon's first adult responsibility. He passed successfully with a little help from his friends while the rest of us wended our way to Missoula.
Seriously, Fergus does not like his harness.
It could be worse. We could try making him wear a ridiculous hat and bow tie. Oh, wait.
Wednesday meant fifth grade graduation for some young friends. Hallie attended and watched Claudio and Margarita advance to middle school.
Eliza had the chance to go to Leslie's and help out. Leslie's place has beautiful views to the north.
On Thursday morning, Mike and Hallie signed the final paperwork on their home sale. We will miss our Springville home. We are so grateful for our friend and real estate agent
Reyna. She worked so hard for us and made this difficult process much easier than it might have been.
With all the removing of items from the house, we suspect Fergus must have caught wise to something major going down. He did a lot of hiding.
That something involved a long drive in a 26-foot U-Haul truck (we did not need this size, but it worked out).
We spent a sizable chunk of Thursday afternoon/evening filling this beast.
Last late afternoon view of our home for the past nine years. Where did the time go?
Friday morning dawned with these two knuckleheads still needing to get stuff gathered and brought downstairs.
Hallie got a final drink at her favorite watering hole.
Mike took photos of the vacant walls and floors. Goodbye, our lovely home. Thank you for so many years of fond memories.
Priscilla made keto-friendly tiramisu for us to try. It was delicious! She also almost sent us all running out of the house when she accidentally set off some pepper spray on a keychain!
A couple of years back, Eliza and Dad painted rocks to be found and lost and found again. Eliza took Mike's painted rock and left it in her favorite pasture.
Priscilla recovered from the pepper spray, and we said our last farewells to the Melos before finally hitting the road.
Landon successfully made his case for staying in Utah. This is such a bittersweet time. We're so excited for him to be transitioning into adulthood and hope all the best for him on new adventures ahead. Diamond and Caleb (who have been house hunting) made what they hope is a successful offer on a home near Caleb's parents. We're so excited for them too and hope this will end with them in a home they love.
We left late enough in the day that we had to make an overnight stop in Dillon. This was probably for the best for the animals, especially Fergus. Did we mention that he doesn't like his harness?
We crossed into Montana with the sunset over the Clark Canyon Reservoir.
Saturday morning dawned with us hitting the road for the final three hours of our trip. The pets were happy to be out of their confines. Mike had Fergus stay over at his apartment, and the rest of the fam occupied a house across the street until the current tenants vacate the one we will be renting. Fergus has been a little wigged out by his long trip, and Mike has tried to make sure he feels safe in his new home.
Things are all in disarray for the next little bit as we hastily unpack the U-Haul.
Eliza has been the biggest help, and she's got her eye on a street-legal e-bike as a reward. This kid is growing up way too fast. This will be her first time as an only child. She may make both of her parents prematurely gray.
We got to know a little bit of Missoula on Saturday and Sunday as we rested from unpacking. Mike knows some of the area right around the university, but even he is still a Missoula newbie. We had some yummy ice cream at
Sweet Peaks, explored the Good Food Store, got groceries at WinCo and Albertsons, explored the library, and had pizza and salad at
Front St. Pizza.
We'll be occupying parts of three houses for the next week. The house Hallie, Eliza, and Kai will be at for the week is in a bit of disarray,
but the garage at the one we'll all be at for the year starting in June is full, and the moving truck is empty. Woot! This young woman rocks!
So does this young man! Look at him living his best life.
In the early evening, we drove around the eastern and southern portions of town to get better acquainted with our surroundings.
Later, we took the pets out to get to know the neighborhood. Both pets met members of the local deer herd. Fergus is staying with Mike at his apartment until we get ourselves situated in the new house.
We are beyond grateful for so many family and friends who supported us in the move up to Montana. Words cannot express how much we will miss you. We hope to remain in contact, and of course this blog will remain a source of regular news on our next grand adventures. Keep us posted on yours as well!
