Hello Summer

Hello Summer, nice to see you. Hello blog, nice to see you again too. So, here's the Cochran update: We sold our house in four days back in May, right before Chris' graduation, the house went under contract the day before my parents came into town. We were very grateful it sold so quickly, we felt like it was a huge blessing to be in contract before the families came into town. The graduation ceremony was wonderful. We had a great big BBQ at our house with all of our friends. I still can't believe that my husband is a doctor, or that we are now starting residency! We had a great time with both my family and Chris' family. We are so glad they came to share this momentous occasion with us.

We closed on the house, on June 18th, packed it up, and now we are living with friends until our house closes. I am very grateful to these wonderful people who have opened their home to us. So far it's been pretty smooth sailing, I'm trying very hard to help around the house, cook, and keep our trash and noise to a minimum. My kids are loving playing with the boys who live here, and so far we are enjoying it.  Sophia started swim team again, and she is doing so well! She has been shaving off time her two events, freestyle and backstroke every week! I am so impressed with her tenacity.

summer time play in the backyard where we are staying. lovely, right?

The past few days I have been feeling very melancholy. I could NOT put my finger on why, sure my husband is living in another state while we wait for our house to be built, sure I'm homeless living on the hospitality of others with three children, we are leaving a good school and neighborhood that my kids love, we have been saying goodbye to dear friends, leaving our dance studio, and our ward, and the list goes on....

However, I couldn't put my finger on WHY I have been feeling so blue, until tonight. Tonight I picked up Ellie and her little friend Natalia from one of their dance classes. They have been dancing together for three years. Ellie and Talia are best friends. Talia's mother has become one of my best friends in the universe. I dropped off Talia and was driving back towards our old neighborhood, and then it hit me, nothing is going to be the same. I am still in this town, still taking my girls to dance, going through some of the regular motions of my life, but the entire dynamic of my world has changed and it's still changing.  I feel like I am desperately trying to hold on so tightly to my old life, but that time is over. I have to start looking forward and thinking differently about where I fit in, about building a new life. My heart is a little broken and I am trying hard not to be too sad.

Ellie and her dear dance friends.

So now I have a label for all my emotions and an explanation for all these difficult feelings. Hopefully now I can move forward and figure out how to have a fun meaningful summer. I want to enjoy our last bit of time here before we move to VA in August. I've decided I need to make a list of things I want to see (and photograph) before we go. I think that will help me close the chapter on our time here, and help me hold onto the good memories.

Our new house being built in Chesapeake, VA!! 

*all photos taken with an iphone 4s or ipad*