Another few "firsts"

Yesterday, we moved for the very first time as a family. We are officially residents of Chapel Hill, NC. Tomorrow, we will officially have sold our first home. Both of these "firsts" came with emotions I was not expecting. Andrew and I have laughed a couple of times about how we feel Ceilidh is doing better with the move than we are! ha

She is LOVING her "new house," her "new playground," helping us unpack, seeing blue buses everywhere, riding the elevator.... I mean....everything. She even ASKED me tonight to put her in her crib at bedtime. You don't know how anxious I have been for her, and I should have been more worried about myself! ha

Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited to be living in Chapel Hill again. I really like our new apartment, it is just getting used to a new "normal" that has been harder for me than expected. Once my heart has healed a little more from leaving our sweet little home in slow-paced Carthage, I feel like I will allow myself to be more visibly excited. It sort of feels like a death in our family. I know that sounds crazy, but Tuesday night before we drove away Wednesday morning; all I could do, was relive memories in every room. 608 Saunders was the first place I lived after walking down the aisle and becoming Mrs. Andrew Carpenter Clendenin. 608 Saunders was the home we brought our first child home to. I couldn't stop thinking about Ceilidh BEGGING at the door to go to her "payground" across the street, giving her baths in the claw-foot tub in our bathroom, rocking her to sleep night after night in her room, grieving Kenan together, drinking coffee in our living room with guests..... The memories continued to flood all night.

Thank you Susanna for helping me clean a bathroom, and keeping my mind busy for a few minutes Tuesday night. A beyond HUGE thank you to Randy and Suzanne for helping us move on Wednesday. I think I am going to start renting my husband and father-in-law out in the moving business. Thanks to 'Clendenin and son,' not ONE thing was broken during the move (besides one light bulb that I stupidly forgot to unscrew before the move.)

I will post some pictures soon of the move. Ceilidh was pretty thrilled to run around inside the "big truck" (UHAUL) before we (ok, Andrew) put everything in. Though I may still be a bit teary every now and then, we have many awesome memories to make here in our new home, and I am ready to begin!