Stripped

This was supposed to be the entry about how wonderful the first week of school was but due to the school district computer server crashing, we must wait till Monday to start. This is also my first post since moving to a new house in a new town. If I had to choose one word to sum up the first 2 weeks here in St. Anthony, Idaho....I would say "stripped": having only essential or minimal features; having everything extraneous removed. Let me explain...

While we were lucky enough to find a rental home in time for school, I still miss our 130 Ormonde Ct house. To many it may seem a simple home but to me...ah, it was my dream home. It was built specifically and purposefully for myself, my hubby, and of course the kids. I knew it would be hard to find anything that could compare but I wasn't aware of how spoiled I had really become over the last few years. I miss my on-demand hot water heater, my double headed shower, my walk in closet, my deck, my gas dryer, and of course my view! This home is adequate but I definitely feel stripped.

I was shocked to go to church in a building that is not the one I see out my window but rather 6-8 blocks away. While the boundaries are crazy confusing, it was the interior structure that baffled me most. Our first Sunday we sat in the overflow part of the tiny chapel which faces sideways. So we were sitting in the gym with a perfect view of the speaker's ear! Weird. And yes, little things like that make me cry. I felt like I was on the outside looking in.

The building has 2 stories so it even has an elevator. Getting the kids to their respective classes, I felt more like a mouse in a maze...a crowded, unfamiliar maze at that. We have a bilingual ward too so there is a lot of translation going on which made it hard for me to hear. I'm convinced after my first Sunday that I must have a hearing loss because I couldn't hear a single comment in Sunday school with the noise of the other ward's sacrament meeting. Yep, I am spoiled and once again stripped of the "normal" I am used to.

I was saddened by the fact I no longer get to do story hours at the library...they have a paid employee for that. I now run on the sidewalks for my workout instead of my cushy, scenic, Canyons athletic club. As I run and sweat I wonder what my purpose is here. I still trust my husband but have not felt a confirmation for myself yet of why we are here. I am trying to be patient but more importantly I am trying to find a new groove! Even my groove has been stripped for the time being.

Thankfully, the people I have met so far have been incredible! Everyone is friendly and genuine so I'm sure I'll be fine. I hold on to any form of "normal" in my life whether it be my same perfume, a familiar Glee CD, curling up with my favorite blanket, watching Psych and White Collar, and yes even having my same cell phone. Well, yesterday due to Joe's necessity to have mobile e-mail, I had to give up my phone too. Oh sure his phone will be just fine for me and he really has to have email if we are going to make ends meet with this new job but....I already miss the familiar tones of my phone. Stripped once again!

So are you enjoying my pity party? My blog does me no good unless I am real, raw, and truthful. I don't like this part of my life right now but I know it's going to get better. Do you now what I loved? Having company! Ed came out the first weekend we were here and brought us a new fridge....ah, normal. Joe's book editor swung by to take Joe out to lunch...ah, normal. Lelsy hangs out with us on Sunday nights. Even Eric and Kelly Rogers with family came for an overnighter....ah, normal! (We missed you Eli) The Rogers visit helped me see the good around me and it was great for me to talk with Lelsy about the funkiness of our church building. I guess its not just me. Ha! Thank you Rogers for making life seem normal again!

In conclusion, I never really realized what a spoiled little brat I am until moving here. Oh, I knew I had potential to be both spoiled and bratty...but this is a new level I never thought I would reach. I am trying my hardest to put a smile on and figure out all the little things that moving brings: registering kids for school, setting up utilities, meeting loads of new people, finding childcare in case I sub again, etc. I want to drive home from Rexburg and feel that comfort of driving familiar roads, waving to people who know who I am, and feeling a sense of belonging once I pull into the driveway. I feel totally disoriented. I miss going to IGA to buy icecream and chocolate chips...everyone knows my name and I know where every single grocery item is shelved. Silly, huh! I have so much to be thankful for so why is it I feel so stripped? Perhaps, I am finally being stripped of pride...and that's one thing that wouldn't be such a bad thing to be stripped of afterall!