Yikes, basements are creepy at night!

This past weekend we (me, Erin, Grace, & Zac) had the chance to go up north for Grace’s soccer tournament. Dad and Spencer had just left for Havasupai with the Scouts for 4 days. It had been a busy couple weeks with Girls Camp, the Call family reunion, Lagoon – getting home and literally doing laundry and repacking to head back up north. This soccer tournament weekend also happened to be the same weekend Lex and Brian we able to move into their new house. I was so excited that we would be up there to help them.  We worked and worked, and were so very tired but it was all worth it.

So maybe due to this post here by Lex, is the reason why you’re about to read the following story….

We had been to two soccer games Friday out in West Jordan (do you realize how way out in the heck of nowhere West Jordan is??) – seriously we put some miles on our car. Well, I guess on B’s car since we switched vehicles so he could use mine to pack and move boxes all day long. We were pretty tired all ready from a less than stellar stay at an un-named hotel in Salt Lake the night before. We finished soccer and by the time we all met up again at the new house it was 7:30pm or so. We unpacked and organized and decided that we were all starving for a decent meal. Salad. We all wanted salad. So off we went (Lex, Brian, me and the three kids) to Sizzler. All you can eat salad bar. It was so good. I seriously do not like eating out (we had been out Thurs lunch and Thurs night for dinner and Friday for lunch and that was waaay too much for me already!). This was a welcome meal and we all enjoyed eating while we looked like (& smelled like) we had just moved all day, went to two soccer games and were close to starving. Zac thought he had died and gone to heaven – not sure how many plates full of food he ate, but he did let me know that he had 5 ice cream cones from the dessert bar. Pretty sure we got our $5 dollars worth of food plus some for him alone!

By about 9:30pm we were ready to leave the restaurant. Brian and Lex said they still had stuff to do at their old apt to be ready for the ward to come help them move the next morning at 9am. So off we went there to help. Zac took random pictures and then did a science experiment by weighing himself in every room of the apartment to see which room was the most accurate. Funny thing – he weighed the most every time he weighed himself in the kitchen. Ha, go figure! We packed and organized and made random boxes filled with B’s weights with a pillow on top so the box looked light. Ha. (wasn’t so funny the next day when it was me who got to unload that hunka-box)

Finally about 11:30pm the kids and I packed up my car with a load and headed to the new house to stay the night. Seriously this house is the cutest house ever! Wood floors, nooks and crannys, most darling paint, adorable kitchen – just such and Alexa / Brian house! We unloaded the car together and started to make our little beds together on the living room floor. We were going to have a sleepover!! Erin was just getting out of the shower, as I was unloading the last few things. I brought a box to the back of the house and my heart skipped a beat (or maybe ten) when I saw the back door open about 6 inches. Yikes!! First decision I made was to NOT tell Grace (our amazing almost 12 year old who can worry more than I can!). I bravely went through the whole house, peeking in every closet, behind every large stack of boxes, etc to make sure we were the only ones in the house. Phew. We were safe. Except. For. The. Dark. Basement.

I pulled Erin aside and told her what I had discovered and I said, “I still need to check the…” And she finished my sentence by shreeking “BASEMENT???!!!” Ahhhh! Being the scaredy pants kind of girl I am, I had Erin sit with Zac in the living room (calmly, ha) with her cell phone (ready to pull Grace out of the shower if she heard me scream and dial 911 all at the same time)…(yes we are dramatic). Then I calmly called Alexa, said hi and asked to talk to B. She said, “What’s wrong??!! Are you ok?” I really had been trying to talk fake and calm (ha again) so I wouldn’t freak out her 8 month pregnant self. I told her (sorry I lied), that I was just fine and I just needed to talk to B. Brian gets on the phone and I quickly tell him the story. I told him I was headed down to the dark, cold, scary basement and that he needed to be on the phone with me! He talked me calmly down the stairs as I creeeeked open the basement door. I had to oh-so-bravely look behind several nooks, crannys, shelves, boxes, etc. Seriously was probably the scariest thing I have ever done! (when seriously they live in the CUTEST neighborhood EVER!!) I couldn’t have been happier to look in the last corner to find…..nothing. All was well.

Phew. Times ten. I walked back upstairs feeling very thankful that we were seriously the only ones in the house. I was telling Alexa good night on the phone when we heard a loud “THUD” from the back of the house. My heart was racing. I asked Erin if she heard that, but she hadn’t. About 3 minutes later another loud THUD. Erin heard that one, she looked up at me with HUGE eyes. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t her. Grace was in the shower so I checked on her. “Grace, did you hit your elbow on the wall? (nope) Did you hit your head? Did you drop the shampoo? Drop the soap? no, no, no” What the heck was going on in the back of the house??? I bravely went over and stood by the back sliding glass door. I turned on the back porch light and just looked and waited. And about 3 minutes later, bam! The back screen door flew shut with a THUD. Oh man, was I ever grateful that it was just the screen door. Bravely (the millionth brave thing of the night) I went out back, shut and locked the screen door and locked the back door. I finally felt like we were all locked in tight for the night. Err, morning, since it was now 12:30am. I was pretty certain at this point that I just might not sleep all night long. I would just be the mother bird watching over her sleeping chickies all night long.

The kids and I made a little nest together, said a family prayer (Erin said I mentioned safety and protection a few times…) and cuddled down. I told them I would read the Friend to them (childrens’ church magazine with all kinds of uplifting true stories of “being the new kid at school”, being kind to others, choosing the right, answered prayers, etc) until they fell asleep. I read every story to them and then continued to read myself until 2am. I finally felt at peace enough to turn off the light and get some sleep. I usually sleep with no lights on at all, but that night I left the back porch and the front porch lights on all night long. The next four and a half hours were interrupted every thirty minutes or so as I sat up to check the kids, etc. It didn’t help that halfway through that “sleep”, Grace stood up and stated walking out of the room. (she does this in her sleep). She told me she was going somewhere (I couldn’t understand her), but I told her no way, no one was going anywhere and guided her back to her sleeping spot.

Needless to say it was a looooong night! Why is it that things ALWAYS look better in the morning? Seriously, once the sunshine is out, the darkness is chased away and all is well. The sun that warms us and brightens our days is a symbol of Christ. He brightens our days. He chases away the darkness and all is well when He is in our lives. He warms us and protects us. Maybe that is why I am soooo in love with sunny, warm days??

The rest of the weekend included, packing, unpacking, loading, unloading, walking up and down the truck ramp, arranging and re-arranging furniture, cleaning apt from head to toe, laundry, folding, washing, finding lost blankets and then leaving them behind on accident, snacking on wheat thins and cream cheese, wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere-singing our hearts out to brian in the car, double-buckling, rocking chair for freeeee, pure exhaustion, tears when it was time to say goodbye. Man alive do we ever love each other!! It was an amazing weekend and I am so very thankful that we were able to help and that Lex & Brian allowed us to help. We had so much fun, made so many memories, survived the scary basement (ha, I can laugh about it now) and loved every minute of it! Next trip….up north again! Coming up soon – baby shower! And next up?? Baby!!! Can’t wait!