Out of the closet

I have some news....but if you and I are Facebook friends, chances are good that you've already heard it.

Garry and I have decided to move to Mesa, Arizona to live near our families. My parents and five siblings live right there in the city, and most of Garry's family will be just six hours away. This move has been a long time coming (although if you talk to my mother, she'd tell you she never expected it would actually happen). I am unbelievably excited that the time is finally right.

However, I have had lots of other thoughts, like:

"Didn't we just move?"

and

"I really love Colorado Springs!"

and

"I will miss so many dear people!"

and

"Is it possible to find another fantastic ward?"

and

"How on earth will I manage selling my house in the midst of my regular life?"

But since I firmly believe that our decision to move came from God, I will just trust that He will provide....in all the right ways.

We had planned to keep our news secret for a while, maybe so we could adjust to the idea, or put off telling the kids, or for some other worthy or noble reason. Mostly we just don't have answers for any of the important questions (job, timeline, house, etc.), so I was hesitant about having the world know about our crazy plans. But we did have discreet conversations with a few house-renting friends about the possibility of buying our house (with the caveat that they please not tell anyone). Somehow our news made it to the ears of our Bishop, who asked Garry to confirm a rumor on Sunday. Garry confirmed, and we told the kids.

With the word being out things suddenly became rather official. I decided to hunker down and start preparing the house to sell. Today I tackled closets. In general I feel good about the level of organization and cleanliness at my house, but the house being functionally acceptable for daily life is entirely different than being presentable for public scrutiny.

I started in Tyler's room. I felt his closet was something I could conquer in a reasonable amount of time, and it had lots of toys available for busy babies underfoot. I hadn't been working 30 seconds when the first surprise hit me in the face: a pair of size 6 poopy underwear, stuck to the wall above the top shelf. Nestled as it was amongst a pile of clothing to be sorted for size and season, I hadn't noticed this particular article for -- how long had it been? -- maybe six months. After the initial shock wore off (and I had disposed of the underwear in the nearest trash receptacle), I resumed my closet-cleaning duties. Before I was finished, I had unearthed no fewer than three pairs of poop-stained underwear from that closet shelf. It was completely horrifying. Suddenly I felt less satisfied with the level of cleanliness and organization at my house.



Later in the afternoon I scooped clothing from the top shelf of my own closet. As I stood on a stool and removed the box labeled "skinny clothes," I noticed two things that I had never seen before: a photograph and a small tape recorder. Are you intrigued? I sure was. I didn't recognize the people in the photo (a dapper Marine and a beautiful blonde in a formal), and the tape recorder wasn't ours. Curious, I pushed the play button.

It took a few minutes to understand what I was hearing, but after a while the setting became clear. I was listening to a woman who had recorded her own phone conversation with her estranged or maybe ex-husband, and they were arguing about the custody of their children! He wanted more time with them, and she wouldn't allow it. I stopped listening to the tape when she described evidence of his extramarital affair. I think the picture and the tape should follow the poopy underwear to the trash can!

I wonder what treasures I will find as I prepare other rooms of my house for showing. I'm pretty sure nothing will beat today's discoveries!