From that unexpected moment in December when we first felt that strong impression that we were supposed to uproot our beloved Colorado life for the unknown in Midway, Utah, our past several months have been a blur.
January
- I spent most of January crying. Don’t ask about my ugly sobfest when I watched “Out of Africa” and Meryl Streep introduced her love affair of Kenya with “I had a farm in Africa.” TIP: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE IF YOU ARE MOVING FROM A LAND YOU LOVE.
- I also spent January purging the house. I literally cleaned out every single room and we will have one heck of a garage sale next month. On April 15, we will celebrate our 12-year anniversary in this wonderful house. This was the home of my kids’ cherished childhood. It feels strange as they enter their tween/teen years they will have completely different memories in a new place.
- Jamie and I flew in and out to Utah on the same day to meet with the builder to discuss initial plans. Funny story: when we first walked onto the property in December, it was foggy and we couldn’t see any views of Mount Timpanogos. On our return visit, we were literally blown away. It is the perfect view (minus annoying power lines). This picture is zoomed in of our yard.
February
- We told the kids about the move. They cried, I cried. Jamie (The Man Who Never Cries) sympathetically consoled us while Fat Kitty looked at us like were lunatics. He has no idea of the trauma that awaits him this summer (Fat Dude hates any change and becomes unglued simply riding around the neighborhood in the car).
- Told our closest friends. More crying.
March
- Things are becoming real. Started fixing up the house for sale.
- Spend a fortune on new carpet we’ll never enjoy.
- Word of our move spreads like wildfire in our ward that has become our second family. Crying etc.
- We visit Midway for Spring Break and introduce the kids to their new life.
The good: She is my twin in twenty years and her husband is just like Jamie. Plus, they fed us coconut cookies.
The bad (for Hadley): She offered to become our kids’ piano teacher.
During our visit to Utah, we had planned to go to our new ward hoping to meet a few new people but church was canceled due to the Provo City Center Dedication. But the timing of our Spring Break visit was otherwise perfect. Hadley was able to attend an overnight retreat with the young women from our new ward and made a few friends. She will go to YW Girl’s Camp in our Colorado ward and then a week later with her Utah one. It was a relief that she was able to bond with the new girls before showing up for camp!
So, that left Bode. I’m concerned about both of them with this move for different reasons. Hadley has a lot of friends but sometimes takes a while to warm up to people and then she’s the life of the party. However, if she doesn’t click or fit in, she’s fine with going it alone. Case in point: She’ll often hang out with friends on the bus but if they’re not around, she’d rather just sit by herself than be with someone she doesn’t like. It’s good that she’s comfortable enough with herself to just be by herself but sometimes not so good when she would rather not put forth the effort. Starting at a new middle school without knowing anyone is no stroll in the park.
Bode is the complete opposite. His friends are his world and he collects them like trash on his bedroom floor (translation: he has a lot). Everywhere he goes, he makes a new BFF. This is a great quality but the worry is what happens if he doesn’t click with the kids there? He’s a thoughtful, sensitive kid and it would be waaaay more devastating to him than Hadley.
Hadley’s retreat was at the Young Women’s President’s house in our neighborhood who has a daughter Hadley’s age and a 9-year-0ld son like Bode. I mentioned I’d like them to meet so Bode would at least know one person before the move but her son Tommy was at his grandma’s a block away. Just as we started to leave, another boy, Titus, showed up asking if Tommy was around to play.
And this is where my Mama Bear My Children Must Make Friends instinct kicked in. “Tommy isn’t here but would you like to go with Bode up the street to his grandma’s house?” Titus was game so he and Bode walked together while I followed them in the car.
Yes, it was as creepy as it sounds.
It got worse. We arrived at the house but Grandma wasn’t home. Tommy and his siblings (I think there are 8 of them?) were in the care of their teenage brother. I hesitated. Surely I shouldn’t leave Bode there with no grandparental supervision, right? I followed Bode and Titus to the basement where Tommy was hanging out with his brother.
I went for it. “Hey, we’re moving into the neighborhood and are wondering if Bode can hang out for a few minutes?”
Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds.
They hesitatingly agreed and for the first time, poor Bode looked uncomfortable. I cheerfully assured him, “I’ll be back soon” and drove back to our lot to meet Jamie. Because our home is one of the last in the neighborhood to be built, we were not able to see our actual model before committing. Scary, right? Our neighbor across the street, Jan, generously opened up her home for us to tour and for the first time, we were able to see the layout.
The good: Jan is awesomely friendly and talked a lot.
The bad: Jan is awesomely friendly and talked a lot.
Normally I’d be thrilled with such a warm reception but remember that I dumped poor Bode at a grandma’s house without a grandma with kids he didn’t know? That few minutes turned into an hour and I agonized as time ticked on. I finally had to politely excuse ourselves and raced back over to the house. As I walked up to the door, I noticed something in the distance–a child riding a scooter that looked suspiciously like Bode. I walked down to the street. Yep, it was Bode. He raced around the corner with Tommy and Titus in hot pursuit.
“Bode, did you have fun?”
“Definitely!”
“Have you been exploring?”
“Yes! We went back over to Tommy’s house and he loaned me this scooter. Do you know what we just discovered?!!! A SINKHOLE in an open field behind our new neighborhood.”
Something tells me that boy is going to be just fine. Let’s just hope the rest of us will follow.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 