Calculators, natural peanut butter, and moving for $500, Alex

It just turned ten o'clock and I am serenaded by nothing more than the hum of my computer and the sound of numbers crunching on a calculator...I am at my in-laws, also known as my new residence. As they tally their figures, Joel and the girls sleep soundly, while I idly escape to the myspace playground, browsing comments, blogs, and the like. Much deserved, I might add, as the last few days have been spent moving and all the preparations that precede this humbling endeavor. And by humbling, I mean trying to laugh as friends remove your washer and dryer, exposing years of lint, empty bottles of downy, not to mention underwear and socks that didn't quite make it to the dryer - and that's only the beginning.
So, here I am...slowly settling in, adjusting to our new space. Moves are difficult for me - I think I leave a piece of me in all the places I've lived. Earlier today, as the girls waited in the car, Joel and I walked around the empty house in silence, secretly wiping away a tear before the other might see. Snapshots suddenly replayed in my mind...the day we brought Somer home, fires in the fireplace, Christmas mornings, first days of school...
On the other hand, I am excited about turning the page and beginning a new chapter. I'm thankful for a place to live while we prepare. Being here is strangely...freeing. They live simply and slowly - making moments out of hot green tea and apples with natural peanut butter. And if there's one thing I need more of in my life right now, it's that...simplicity and slowness.
I'm the only one awake now, accompanied now by the ticking of the clock (they seem to have a lot of them here) and the bittersweet feelings of moving that I still, can't seem to shake.
I think I'll go make some green tea...