Life is planning and then adapting to the surprises that come your way.
Moving was no different. We left Wednesday as planned before the sun came up and within five minutes, the moving truck was dead. Four hours and a coolant repair later, we finally left San Diego. We dragged into Provo around midnight. In the headlights we spotted a pair of pink flamingos in the flower bed! Melinda perpetuated the family joke of fluorescent pink plastic lawn ornaments that began with our move to New Jersey twenty-one years ago.
Early Thursday, strapping young men arrived thanks to the persuasive powers of Melinda and her roommates. They had our truck and trailer unloaded in about an hour. My parents and brother were also on-hand to help us unload and set up beds. My sisters were busy with their young families but found a way to help us by providing lunch and dinner. Our first out-of-town visitors, the Orme's, arrived mid-morning and graciously helped us unload the things we had stored in Jeffery's sister's basement on previous trips. (Three of the four Orme's spent the better part of Tuesday helping us load the truck in CA. Little did they expect to be put to work on their vacation!) Thanks to prayer and Steve and Jeffery's packing skills, all our worldly possessions miraculously fit into a 27 foot truck. Now the challenge of finding places to put it all.
Independence Day.
Our former neighborhood has always had a kid's bike parade and water balloon fight. We were sad to miss it this year. Then we learned our new area was having a bike parade, pot-luck dinner, bounce house, dunking tank, water games and fireworks Friday night. Della said it was the best party ever. Saturday evening we visited the street fair downtown, then watched the stadium fireworks (from a distance) out our back door. This morning we watched Provo's Grand Parade and were pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the strangers around us. First someone gave us a great parking place they had reserved then didn't need. Next some parade viewers let us sit on their blanket and extra chairs. Then when the vendor was sold out of water bottles, these generous folks gave us one of theirs. We rounded out the day by making strawberry sherbet out of a big bowlful of our own sweet berries.
