Move That Bus!

It's been six months since we started living in a van down by the river.  In that time, we've made some progress on the new house.  Needless to say, we're more and more excited as each new step is completed.

Tiny Bubbles

We've been living in Julie's parents' house for four months now.  It's not as bad as some people might think, but it's challenging nonetheless.  Really, the challenges of our current living arrangements have nothing to do with my in-laws.  We get along just fine with Julie's parents and we'd be no better off living with my mom and dad.  It's the living-in-someone-else's-house that's so exhausting.  It's like living out of a hotel room, but without the maid service and breakfast buffet.  You never truly feel at home.  I can never find the stuff I'm looking for.  I don't know where things belong.  We operate on different schedules.  We eat different foods.  We watch different TV shows.  And who knew it would be so awkward to stand in the kitchen at 1:00 in the morning wearing just your boxer briefs when your wife's parents walk in?  (At my house pants have always been strictly optional after midnight.  I thought that applied everywhere.)

But I certainly can't complain.  I'm grateful that Julie's parents put up with us.  I'm relieved that they don't seem to mind grape juice stains.  I'm happy the kids have a great place to live.  And I'm absolutely excited about the new house that will await us at the end of this extended stay.  As is usually the case, our "problems" aren't problems at all.  They're really just the evidence of the truly fortunate lives we live.

And living in someone else's house even has it's benefits.  Just ask Jameson how awesome a bubble bath is when you fire up those fancy bathtub jets.

That Which Doesn't Kill Us

Hi there internets. Remember me?

I've been MIA for the last few weeks. Actually, maybe POW would be a more accurate description. Some things came up and, well, blogging had to be put on the back burner. So what happened?

We sold our house.

And moved in with my in-laws.

That's right. The house we've been trying to sell for three years is no more. And all six of us have now taken up residence in the oversized bedroom above my wife's parents' garage.

And we're living here for the next 8 months or so.

As an adult, did you ever have to move in with your parents or spouse's parents?

Will discuss more later.

In the meantime, here are some photos from the life about which I have not been blogging.

Ed. Note: The gorgeous first picture of Darwin is courtesy of Julie.