Thank God for hotel points!
I think Hubby calculated that between our house hunting trips and the August trip to Memphis, we've used 9 free hotel nights. So I am currently very grateful for his travel, though lately Bear has commented about how much she misses him when he is away for work. Our future home base is en route by detour from where we spent Christmas, and we stopped in to view 3 homes today. Each kiddo is sleeping with a parent because it just works better than way when we're in hotels. I completely forgot to pack our swimsuits, but I did get to take a quick trip to the superstore by myself, and Bear and I split some hot chocolate from the lobby. Those count as vacation moments, right? Since Buddy got carsick about 35 minutes up the road from our first house to view, the kiddos got to help daddy do laundry. I also got to show Bear where we get ice in the hotel since our fridge does not have any. :) (The hot chocolate needed help cooling down to drinkable warm chocolate.) This is not the first house hunting trip we've taken, just the first I have announced publicly.
The chaos is about to set in. When we are here, near the mountains and lakes, we are increasingly excited about the next phase and ready to find a place to settle. When we get to our current hometown, I know the reality of leaving some wonderful new friends will set in. Along with the need-for-meds-inducing-anxiety that may accompany moving. I will also be reserving waffle fry boxes from my favorite restaurant. (Some of our friends were able to get them for us for our last move. Last week, I talked to one of our favorite staff members and she said we could ask management to hold some for us here, too. Whew.)
When it's all said and done, I hope Bear remembers the fun things like hot cocoa making in her jammies and robe, exploring different houses, and our other adventures in preparation for yet another big change.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Like you've always known them
About four years ago, I began blogging as a way to post pictures to share with the Grandparents. I quickly decided a needed a place of my own, one where I could write about whatever I thought or felt at the moment. I blame my sister in law for giving me the idea, though her blog is now stagnant. I quickly found friends from my past who introduced me to other Moms like myself in so many ways. Our situations were different, but we found ourselves discussing parenting, individuality, and whatever randomness crossed our minds. Blogging became therapy during difficult transitions, my new friends like an extended family of sorts.
One of those friends moved to the area where we happen to be visiting, er, overstaying our welcome. (I hope it doesn't feel that way to our hosts, and that I am just anxious about all that needs to get done upon our return South.) And she and her family came over last night.
It was wonderful. To see someone you have laughed with and cried with in this virtual reality called cyberspace, to give them a hug or two as if you have known each other forever. To find that they are as honest and real and fun to talk to in person, and that bond you share from communicating is not just imagined, a nd the pseudonym is easily replaced by her real name.
About four years ago, I began blogging as a way to post pictures to share with the Grandparents. I quickly decided a needed a place of my own, one where I could write about whatever I thought or felt at the moment. I blame my sister in law for giving me the idea, though her blog is now stagnant. I quickly found friends from my past who introduced me to other Moms like myself in so many ways. Our situations were different, but we found ourselves discussing parenting, individuality, and whatever randomness crossed our minds. Blogging became therapy during difficult transitions, my new friends like an extended family of sorts.
One of those friends moved to the area where we happen to be visiting, er, overstaying our welcome. (I hope it doesn't feel that way to our hosts, and that I am just anxious about all that needs to get done upon our return South.) And she and her family came over last night.
It was wonderful. To see someone you have laughed with and cried with in this virtual reality called cyberspace, to give them a hug or two as if you have known each other forever. To find that they are as honest and real and fun to talk to in person, and that bond you share from communicating is not just imagined, a nd the pseudonym is easily replaced by her real name.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
When it all starts coming together, it's still a little crazy.
Of course, with me involved, I think crazy is expected. We have some big changes coming within the next 2 months. No, I am not pregnant and delivering a child in record time. No, we're not welcoming another adopted child into our family. (In case you missed, oh, wait, I have not blogged about it- my sister adopted an adorable baby boy about 2 months ago. He is awesome.)
The kitchen I last posted about? Will be a memory, Lord willing replaced by one with twice as many cabinets and storage space. (I don't think that's too much to expect given the measurements of what I deal with.)
The teenagers playing loudly in the complex pool at 1 a.m. during the summer? Will be the problem of the neighbor below us, who have lived here MAYBE a month and already complained about the resident elephants in our apartment at 7:30 p.m. (I told property management that we were working with the kiddos, but I don't appreciate going onto my balcony and breathing in cigarette smoke. Or my bathrooms. Their smoke comes up through the walls.)
I will be glad to have a real mailbox again, not one reminiscent in size to the little cubbies we had in the dorm in college.
I will park my car in the garage, period. Hubby can have the driveway until we get everything sorted through after the move. I have to wrangle the munchkins, I get the parking. Or maybe we'll get a 3 car.
I will send out "we've moved!" announcements. OR perhaps I will just send e-mails and wait til next Christmas. (That looks likely at this rate.)
Grumpiness aside, things ARE going well. Can't go into details, but God continues to show his faithfulness in all the details, timing is everything, and we know that He'll show the next steps (including whether to rent our buy once we leave the apartment.
The holidays are magical to kids. There's a lot I could probably learn from them. We have a small little tree, a cramped apartment, and my kids are loving the lights and decorations we put up, making treats to bring to our relatives, and dreaming of snow. We live in central Georgia. It's in the 60's on this first day of Winter. But we are headed north, so it's not an unreasonable thing to get excited about.
One of my friends shared yesterday that she wants to bang her head against the wall. I feel the same way quite often. But I can only imagine how brain injury might impact this particular breed of crazy. ;-)
Another friend (Farm Wife) reminisced about the multitude of moves she has endured in her lifetime... I may just have to think back on my moves, but I know it can't be as many as she has been through. :)
Of course, with me involved, I think crazy is expected. We have some big changes coming within the next 2 months. No, I am not pregnant and delivering a child in record time. No, we're not welcoming another adopted child into our family. (In case you missed, oh, wait, I have not blogged about it- my sister adopted an adorable baby boy about 2 months ago. He is awesome.)
The kitchen I last posted about? Will be a memory, Lord willing replaced by one with twice as many cabinets and storage space. (I don't think that's too much to expect given the measurements of what I deal with.)
The teenagers playing loudly in the complex pool at 1 a.m. during the summer? Will be the problem of the neighbor below us, who have lived here MAYBE a month and already complained about the resident elephants in our apartment at 7:30 p.m. (I told property management that we were working with the kiddos, but I don't appreciate going onto my balcony and breathing in cigarette smoke. Or my bathrooms. Their smoke comes up through the walls.)
I will be glad to have a real mailbox again, not one reminiscent in size to the little cubbies we had in the dorm in college.
I will park my car in the garage, period. Hubby can have the driveway until we get everything sorted through after the move. I have to wrangle the munchkins, I get the parking. Or maybe we'll get a 3 car.
I will send out "we've moved!" announcements. OR perhaps I will just send e-mails and wait til next Christmas. (That looks likely at this rate.)
Grumpiness aside, things ARE going well. Can't go into details, but God continues to show his faithfulness in all the details, timing is everything, and we know that He'll show the next steps (including whether to rent our buy once we leave the apartment.
The holidays are magical to kids. There's a lot I could probably learn from them. We have a small little tree, a cramped apartment, and my kids are loving the lights and decorations we put up, making treats to bring to our relatives, and dreaming of snow. We live in central Georgia. It's in the 60's on this first day of Winter. But we are headed north, so it's not an unreasonable thing to get excited about.
One of my friends shared yesterday that she wants to bang her head against the wall. I feel the same way quite often. But I can only imagine how brain injury might impact this particular breed of crazy. ;-)
Another friend (Farm Wife) reminisced about the multitude of moves she has endured in her lifetime... I may just have to think back on my moves, but I know it can't be as many as she has been through. :)
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