Mission: The Stairs

In April with J, A, and the children moved into our home in preparation for our mission, Dear One and I moved upstairs into the bedroom that was my work room.  After son #4 moved out we moved into his room, which had originally been Dear One's work room.

It turns out that it was a good thing to move upstairs, even though it was taxing for me at first.  Four months going up and down stairs at least once, and often several times,  a day, helped me get stronger so I could manage our mission.

As luck would have it, the senior missionary apartments are two bedroom apartments.  Ours happens to be UPSTAIRS!!!  Seventeen steps, to be exact.  Also, the stairs are OUTSIDE!!  (Oregon where we are apparently has rain every day from October to May.  Last winter they had ice.  I am not looking forward to the stairs come winter.)

When we were unloading our car that first day two weeks ago (can it really only be two weeks ago?!!) I thought I would cash it in.  Just carrying myself up the stairs was enough but there was a lot of stuff to go into the apartment. I felt it would have been politically uncool to allow Dear One and the kind other senior missionaries to do all the carrying of the stuff that I brought west with us much to Dear One's consternation.  So I made three trips, I think...though I have now forgotten.

Now, two weeks later, I can walk up the stairs one step after the other rather that one step, bring the other foot to that stair then go up another step.  At least I can do that when my load is balanced.  I even was able to carry a big box up by myself on Thursday!  That made me happy.  Especially since it was a box of something I have had on my bucket list of potential purchases for many years!

These are the stairs.  Seventeen of them!