Well, despite a massive downpour on moving day, we made it to our new house!

It is ours, all ours. We walk around it in disbelief, banging on the walls just because we can -- there are no neighbors on the other side who might be disturbed. We have been to Home Depot twice already, filling our bright orange cart with all the things we need to take this house and make whatever changes we feel like making, because we can, because it is ours.

(Really, it belongs to a mortgage company, of course, but they let us live here as long as we promise to send them lots and lots of money each month).

In keeping with tradition, here are my top 10 reasons I am happy about our move.

1. Getting to settle down, unpack our stuff, and make this place our own!

2. The back yard. It has a wonderful back yard--not large, but securely fenced. It came complete with a nice swing set from the previous owners, who apparently didn't feel like moving it. Beth has already been outside playing today--swinging, riding her tricycle, wandering around and staring at the various plants and bushes. Just being a kid. And all I have to do is look out the window and back door every now and then to make sure she's okay. We're both happy as clams.

3. Separate bedrooms for the girls. I am sure that sharing a room builds character and teaches valuable life lessons and promotes sibling closeness. And the girls may share again in the future. But for right now, I am thrilled that when Beth is crying and repeatedly getting up and turning her bedroom light on at night (as she has done the past two nights--all part of the transition, I am sure), I don't have to worry about her waking Lucy. And when I go in to check on Lucy at 10 p.m. and find that she has thrown up in bed and is sleeping soundly in a puddle of vomit, poor little baby (as happened last night), I don't have to worry about waking Beth when I turn the lights on and change the sheets in the crib. For my peace of mind, separate bedrooms are great at this stage of life.

4. Two bathrooms! So what that one of them is tiny and is actually not even a room of its own but just a corner of the utility room? More than one person can now use the potty at once. And as more members of our family learn this valuable skill, having more than one potty comes in very handy.

5. A big kitchen with LOTS of cupboard space.

6. We're about 15 minutes closer to our friends and families than we were before.

7. Eric is about three minutes from his job.

8. Our street is so quiet I don't think a car has driven down it all day. Our neighbors have already introduced themselves.

9. We're close to the girls' pediatrician, to a great park and to several schools.

10. Albany is home to Eric's favorite Chinese food restaurant ever, AB Chinese, and to two of my favorite coffee shops, Sidekicks and Boccherini's. Oh, and who doesn't love Hastee Freez? Their french fries are almost as good as the truly supreme ones the Dairy Queen in Sweet Home used to serve back when I was growing up.

I'm sure I could list good things about our new place for a long time, but I'll stop here. The move has down sides, too. Albany's downtown is not as large as Corvallis', and it doesn't have nearly as many quirky independent shops and restaurants as Corvallis does. The Book Bin in downtown Albany closed last summer, which really bums me out. Lots more chain stores here. No beautiful university campus to walk on. No WinCo.

So yes, there are some things we will miss about Corvallis. But I love our house and I am really excited to make it our home.

I'll post pictures some day...when I find the box that contains the USB cable.