Homeless

We finished packing up, and cleaning up around 7 p.m. last night. It was a long, exhausting day. However, it felt good to just be done. Ches took off for one last night of spoiling at Cindy & Rick's and we headed to Darryl & Audrae's for a little pampering of our own.

This morning we woke at the bright and early hour of 3:30, much to my dismay. It seems that Brent was particularly restless last night and glanced at the wrong clock that read 5:30. He woke me, and I was starting to get dressed when he realized his error. We did go back to bed, but sleep eluded us both until morning.

Darryl & Audrae came with to our house to help Brent with the trailer. I just don't like to show off my She-Ra strength that early in the morning. Chessa returned home from her sleepover, we packed up, said our good-byes and headed out on the road.

We had great roads until the Hutchinson area. The snow started to fall and the roads just weren't great. We took it slow and easy, assuming that this won't be the worst we see in the days/weeks to come. So we kept trucking. Luckily we managed to drive out the snow and roads North of Akeley, and the rest of the way was clear sailing.

I was supposed to have pics to show you, but I can't find my USB cable so I'll have to share them later. It's been a long day, and I'm wiped. I'm off to find a shower and a bed. Ches and Brent are happily snuggled.

Heart on a Platter...Coming Right Up

Did you know the words "But I don't want you to go" can physically tear your heart out and serve it to you on a platter? It can. Especially when issued by the cutest 3 year old I know. I have known her since long before she came to be laid in her mother's arms. I have loved her just as long.

Tonight I tucked her in, and she gave me the biggest bear hug ever, and a big ole sloppy kiss. It seems like a simple ritual, but it's a privilege. I read her a book, and we talked a little. I told her to take care of her baby brother and her mommy for me. We tucked, I put on her music, left the room, and as I came back, I whispered I love you. From the dark I heard "I love you, too. I think at that particular moment, my heart left my chest, and fell to my toes.

I will miss her. She is a very special girl, not because she can read the dictionary upside down, or recite Chaucer, though she is marvelously smart, but she's special for so many reasons. She loves, and laughs, and I love when she pulls open the door and hollers "Kahla's here!!!" It always makes my day. Always.

I'm sad that in time she may not remember me. But I remember the way her black hair laid like a thick wool cap on the day she was born, or how she loved to curl up on my chest and I could hold her for hours and kiss her head, or how she loved the Itsy Bitsy Spider sung over and over. I know she loves Polly Pockets and Noggin. She loves her baby brother, and her pink blankies. She's a little naughty and a lotta smart and sassy.

Savannah, I love you. I'll miss you. And your mommy and RJ too. :)

Good Byes

When we packed up and moved to Colorado in 2001 saying Good Bye was easy. I remember lying in bed, both of sleepless with anticipation. I would close my eyes and try to sleep, and then they'd pop open to find Brent looking at me as if to say "how can you sleep at a time like this"? The truth was, I couldn't. We jumped out of bed, threw our clothes into bags and stumbled down the steps to break the news to Brent's parents. I know they weren't happy with our decision, not because they were'nt happy for us, but just a little sad to see us go. But go we did. Without looking back.

This time is different. I have stronger bonds with those in my life. And this time the leaving is truly bittersweet. Being so far away will inevitably cause us to miss important events in our loved ones lives. I just hope we don't miss too many. We will certainly try to come for some, but all will not be possible.

Today we started our rounds of Good Byes. I think I'm still kind of numb to it all really. I don't think it's hit me. I truly don't feel as though it's good bye. It feels to me like I'll see them all at the next holiday or event, even though I know that's not true. The first event will take place on the day we are hoping to arrive in Delta Junction. That will hurt, for just a little while.

So we said good bye, and hugged our hugs, but it still doesn't feel real for me. Brent isn't saying much, though I suspect the Good Byes are just as hard for him. He usually keeps that kind of thing a little more to himself. I know it's affecting our loved ones too. It's hard for them to say good bye, and to watch us go. But we'll be back, at least to visit, and we have email, and phones, and texts, and blogs...

We love you. We'll miss you. Come and visit!

3 days and counting...

So, this is what I would look like if I were showered and wearing pearls. The fact is, I don't have time for a shower. I also don't have time for blogging, but I'm doing it anyway, to keep myself sane. Sanity is key. Tension is high, and stress is through the roof.

In days, yes, days we will be leaving our home. Sure, we'll get a short vacation at my parents for a few days, but we'll still be stressed out. It's the way our days go these days. I'm excited to be away from errands to run, and items to drop at Good Will, and this to do, and that to do. I'm really looking forward to just sitting on my bum, at least for one day.

However, today is not that day. So I need to go, and pack! The kitchen is nearly done. Only one little spice cabinet to eradicate. Then the freezer. However, since we're existing on frozen fabulousness the freezer won't be completely empty until Monday.

We had a great Christmas. What a great day to recharge and regroup. We managed to get some help in hauling a load to the storage unit, and hauling our chair and a cabinet to Brent's parents. Thank you Bryan and Loren! So, I'm off...to pack and plan and make some more phone calls.

'Til Later.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

May you have a wonderful day filled with family and friends and peace.

Last night I went out for dinner with my husband. Well, that was rouse anyway. What I thought was dinner with him turned out to be a surprise party with my friends. It was so nice of those that came to take the time. It's such a busy time of year, and I know how hard it is to make time, so I appreciate it all the more. Thank you all! And thank you Shannon for planning it. I'd never had a surprise party thrown in my honor, so I was doubly appreciative.

Today is Christmas Eve. Brent is working today, of course. I have a busy day as well, though I have no right to complain as I'm having a massage this morning. Certainly doesn't compare with slaving. I also have to run to my old job and drop off some things, then home to sell more furniture (?), and wait for some of the sold stuff to be picked up. In between there I hope to get some true packing done for time is running out. Can you see the sands falling faster to the bottom? Eek.

Tonight we will go to Brent's parents for oyster stew. His family tradition. And then we'll all go to church together. There's no more appropriate place to be on Christmas than church. It's where it all started after all. So we will go, and listen, and celebrate, and sing, or mouth the words as Brent does. Ha!

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

I think I'll bury my head in a snow bank

By normal standards, today stunk. Truly, honestly just stunk. But "this too shall pass". So we charge forward. Ready to tackle whatever is thrown at us next. For about 30 minutes today I had a strong urge to just stick my head in the snow bank like this guy. I think he might have had the right idea. Put it in and wait for whatever comes next. The backside is the side those wishing to harm you are looking for anyway.

Let me be clear. No "one" hurt me. But sometimes I think God has a lot of fun seeing what obstacles he can put in our way. Watching us jump, sprawl, crawl or just sit down and bawl. Today, I almost sat down and bawled, but I didn't. I'm fortunate, I have a very snarky hubby. He called me to tell me that he forgot about a little money he had put away. He informed me that it's 62 million and it's sitting safely in his wallet. I could use a little windfall, and I certainly don't need 62 mil. I wouldn't turn it down though.

Brent lost his wedding ring somewhere in the hoopla. Seeing that he has no time to buy boots, that also means he has no time to buy a new ring. That lucky bastard is single again. Why didn't I think of that? Sheesh.

In all seriousness things will go. I'm sure we'll have a few more challenges along the way, but I'm expecting them to all be minor now. Goodness, let's hope so.

Only 2 days to go until Christmas. I scheduled myself a wonderful gift. A full hour massage. Why not? Life's short.

Tomorrow is a new day, and incidentally it begins in 14 minutes. It will be better.

Later.

A place to call home

This is our new home. They are situated on a farm, about 6 miles North of the town of Delta Junction. I found it on a whim. And I couldn't be more thankful. Our new landlords sound great. Just great. And I'm very much looking forward to meeting them upon arrival in Delta. We've put down our deposit and we'll see what everything else brings when we get there. YIKES!




Above is a pic of the kitchen/living area. The unit is small. It's a duplex. But it's new, and efficient and it has indoor plumbing, which is a bonus if you ask me! It's 2 bedrooms, and we should have plenty of room for guests. I guess we'll see in time.

In other news we've managed to get a good portion of the house packed up. There is still much to do. MUCH. but I'm confident now that it will all be accomplished in time. On time. So, for all the positive things that are taking place despite the Southern Minnesota blizzard, I'm so happy. I'm jumping up and down...can you tell?

So, for now, I'm looking forward to making it ours. I will certainly have a lot of shopping to do! Have a very happy, merry, safe and warm Holiday!

Last Day

This Crazy Bunch

As you can see in the photo above, I work(ed) with a crazy bunch. See that Santa in the middle? He's the boss. You can use your imagination on his style of bossing. Ha! This crazy bunch sent me off with a top-rate going away party, complete with a big, unpackable gift. Huge. I cringed a little when I saw the box. Just a little. I thought- 19 totes and this is going to take up one whole tote! AWWWWWWWWW. I should have known. I should have...

My gift started out big, and got smaller in succession of um, 23 boxes. I swear. Me in the front of the entire room, with way too many pairs of eyes staring at my backside. (Although some would say it's my best side.) So I unwrapped, and unwrapped, and unwrapped, until my fingers bled, to find the nicest gift. Cash. Which is easily packed. It wasn't necessary, by any means, but it was greatly, GREATLY appreciated.

I left with such a warm send off, that I almost wanted to put back all the staplers and tape dispensers I made off with. Oh wait! I don't think I'm supposed to tell people that. Ha! No seriously, it almost made me want to take back my resignation. However, the commute is just too long. Too long. So, I bid farewell to the craziest, funniest, smart-assiest bunch in the land. And I'm sure some of them are cringeing about now at my spelling and grammar errors. They're probably going to go back and retract everything I've proofed in the last 6 months!

Thank you. Seriously, thank you. For making my stay sooooo much fun. And I can guarantee you won't like my replacement nearly as much as me. You're soooo gonna miss me.

Just Another Wednesday?

I never said all the parts of moving were easy. Some of them really suck. (Sorry Mom- I know you hate that word). Sometimes saying good-bye is really hard, even though you know you have to.

I'm a lucky girl. I've been blessed. It's true. I have a lot of great friends. Some are part of my daily life, others are in my thoughts a lot, and some others I see sporadically. All of them are important to me.

Shannon, the bride on the left, is a very close, dear friend. She knows she means a lot to me, well, at least I hope she does. But we're not the gushy, huggy type of friends. Though I think that in some ways we are huggy, gushy people, just not together. I know, it's weird.

Anyone that knows us, knows the story of how we met. I swore we'd never be friends, and ate my words. You see, we're different. In a lot of ways. She wears high heels and skirts to clean her windows, and I'm more of a tee shirt and flip flops girl. However, 4.5 years ago we fell into a fast and easy friendship.

As with most relationships we've had our ups and downs. We are strong-willed, opinionated, independant women. Of course we've had ups and downs. Along the way, our UPs have far surpassed our downs. We've laughed so hard we've cried, we've cried over baked potatoes at the mall, and we've wondered and conspired about the most intimate and special of secrets. With her I was free to feel pure joy and extreme sorrow.

Our relationship is probably mystifying and intimidating to some. We are fiercely loyal, and wildly different, yet synonomus. From the get go we preferred eachother's company to others. It was comfortable. At a certain neighborhood picnic one neighbor made the mistake of assuming we were "partners". I never wore those damn shoes again! In the early days on the loveseat side-by-side in the "nursery" to house to house to house to house to house. Did I get all the moves Shan? Ha!

We spent the majority of our time togerther. First every Thursday and Sunday, then nearly every night during a particularly hard time, then back to Wednesdays and Sundays. Which brings us to today. Today is Wednesday. Just a normal Wednesday to some. But for us, it was the last Wednesday. Next Wednesday is Christmas Eve, and we'll be in seperate cities spending the holiday with family. The following Wednesday I will be gone. Moved.

I cannot begin to explain the void I will feel without her (and Savannah and RJ) in my daily life. But I know, that we will stay close, as close as you can with 3000 miles between you. But we have email, and facebook, and phones, and letters. But ultimately our relationship will change. I will miss Wednesdays.

Down and Out...

I celebrated a successful moving sale by acquiring a cold. A bad one. Snuck right up on me that sneaky little devil. So I took Sunday and Monday off from all things moving. Well, maybe not all things, but most things. Sunday I managed to pack up a few things, and attempted to get them put in the vehicle, they didn't make it there. Monday I managed to go to work, though I think I spread my vile germ parade to everyone there, which was not a nice thing to do. I also managed to sell my armoire. So that is moved out and standing in its new home. Sunday I slept most of the day, and Monday night I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. So I feel much better today. And now we move forward.

There are two properties that are potential rentals. One is too high for rent, but they told us to name our price. Hmmmm. I don't know if they'll go low enough for me to live there. Brent likes it though. I don't know, I think I'll trust my gut. The other is a modular (trailer) that is newer, looks great from the outside, and the agent is working on getting us inside pics. It's within our range for rent (yay) and Ches is not an issue. Though she wouldn't be an issue in the other rental either. The agent is checking heating costs on the other modular units and then we'll make our decision.

Today I had my exit interview at work. I thought that I would just feeled relieved. One more item checked off the list (sorry work friends). But I was sad. Really sad. While the job may not have been my best fit, the people there are top notch. I will miss the Brain Trust and all the laughter that keeps me from reading my smut books at break time, and I'll miss the genuine caring and kindness that I think is lost in workplaces around America today. Thanks for a great stay! It's been fun. If you ever make it Up North you had better stop in!

So, we're trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our belongings. I have a lot of interested parties, now it comes down to timing and if we can just get them here to pick stuff up. I want it out of here. Gone away. So, we'll see. Then it's hopefully to find a renter as I'm growing infinitely more concerned on that level. Then we're gone. Just like that.

Are you enjoying the ride? You can leave a comment too. :) Happy day!

And...we're off!

I don't have a great camera. But I wanted to capture a little bit of what's going on around here for the rest of you to see. It's mass chaos, but I'm hoping it brings great results. We'll see. The sale is now less than 10 hours away. I have no idea what convinced me that 7 a.m. was a good time, but I went with it. So, bright and early tomorrow morning we'll be off to the races. And yes, EVERYTHING pictured is for sale. Everything. All things not for sale have been packed away or moved to another location (like the basement) until they can be packed away.

The photo above is a snapshot of our once Master Bedroom. Thankfully it's a large room, but the bed has been carted out and all kinds of lovely things have been put in it's place. Hopefully it will provide ample shopping room.


The next two photos are of our living room. Now the main show room at the House of King. And yes, the room is as small as it looks. But we have enjoyed living here, in the quiet, of the country, with no one around but the squirrels, turkeys, and deer.


I'm feeling good and positive. My friend Tammy (the Rockstar) is coming out to help me maintain my sanity. Since she's planning to be here bright and early on a Saturday morning, I owe her DOUBLE BIG TIME. The house is chopped up, and since I won't be able to be in two places at once I'm hoping she will be able to assist anyone with questions, purchases, or whatever else needs to be done.

I'm off to do a last minute sweep. See you soon!

For Sale!

I've been working my tail feather off today. Since I was down and out earlier in the week I took advantage of my hubby's time and we kicked some major butt here. I have almost everything ready to go. Almost everything. I have to do some more moving and packing tomorrow night but when those doors open at 7 a.m. on Saturday I'm determined to have it ready. Ha!

So, if you're local, come on out and buy my stuff. One step closer. Tomorrow marks 6 days of work left for me. I thought I'd be less hesitant to leave the job behind. But that's for another day. These posts aren't very exciting lately. Hopefully some things will get nailed down and then I'll have something REAL to report.

On a personal front, Mom had surgery today and is resting. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Step By Step

Everyday gets us closer to departure, and everyday I begin to get a little more excited and a little more freaked out. Luckily the excitement is starting to make headway on the freak outs.

We have found a potential subleaser for our property. Potential because I have to make sure he's legit, and also because we have to him okayed with the landlords. He's a geophysicist, from the UK. So potential, we'll see if it's legit. I'm certainly not counting my chickens before they hatch.

I also called on another rental. They don't want pets, and would require us to kennel Ches if we're not there, not gonna happen. So I think tomorrow I'll call the boarding house and see what they're weekly rates are, and then perhaps wait around for the February 1 opening at the tri-plex. The apartment, aforementioned, is for sale and would require a 4 month lease. Blech. But I'm not going to turn it down just in case. We'll see...

I'm putting together a moving sale for Saturday. I was going to do it the following weekend, but frankly I just want to be done. So, it's all up for sale, and I"m hoping that we get a lot of lookers. A lot. OF BUYERS. I just want the stuff gone. I'll sit on the floor. Really. Don't care. :) So, that's my week.

I didn't update yesterday because I had some oral surgery done. Tomorrow will hopefully bring more progress, and I have 7 days of work left. Count them, 7!! I have a lot to do in the days following them. Unfortunately.

Pray for my mom, she fell and broke her ankle today. She'll find out tomorrow if she needs surgery or not. Bummer.

Have a blessed day!

No More Negative Nelly

Well, it seems like I haven't really been giving any real information. I'm feeling the squeeze, and so is Brent. In an effort to keep us both sane, or semi-sane anyway, I'm taking over most of the moving stuff, and just helping him focus on his day to day.

So, I will admit that the stress is getting to me a little bit and I'm finding it hard to fit everything in. So, I've decided to make everything semi-easy on myself. I'm having one moving sale, on Saturday. Am I prepared? Um, at this moment no. But things will change and we'll make it work. I'm almost there, at the brink of having everything ready, or ready enough to go. I have a lot of work in the next couple days, but we're ready, set, go. I hope. Ha!

In addition, I'm having oral surgery tomorrow. Nothing major, but it does put a little kink in my timeline. So, that portion makes me nervous and my goal is to recover quickly and get my stuff together. I'll keep you posted on that.

In other good news we managed to get a head's up on a rental, two, in DJ that are available now, and so we'll see what we need to do, and if we're interested in those. The tri-plex isn't available until Feb. 1, so that's not totally out yet. I'm hoping it's as nice as it seems and I'm thinking we may still try to acquire that rental in February.

It's snowing. It's beautiful, and worrisome. But I'm taking the time to just enjoy the look and the feel of it, and if nothing else, it truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Spinning my Wheels

Well, our trip is certainly growing closer. Closer day by day. And I am officially in the FREAK out portion of the journey. Truly. Freaked. Out. Ugh. It seems like my time is running out quickly. It's the holidays, and I'm worried about everything. Do I have enough warm clothes? Will we find a place to live? Will we find someone to sublet our place? Is it even remotely possible to make everyone else happy without killing myself? The answer to that last question is a resounding NO. No, it is not. I simply do not have enough of anything to give. Not anymore.

I know in the end everything will come together. Things will truly be fine. But right now I'm going to take my freak out and run with it. Because it's my prerogative and I just need to. So, now I'm off to plan a freakin' moving sale.

Today I have a dentist appointment, tomorrow I have oral surgery. Then I'm done. With all of it. Oy. This moving crap is hard. I don't want to do it for quite a while. Ha! Wishful thinking.

Have a happy day!

Chugging along

Everyday, or evening, we get one more task accomplished. Last night I managed to clean out the closet in the second bedroom. Oy, I'm much more of a hoarder than I thought I was. However, now that it's all gone, gone, gone, I feel great. I threw out 2 HUGE bags of trash, sorted what to sell and what to keep, and now I just have to decide if the keep goes or stays in storage.

Still no place to live. I'm hoping we'll here very soon on something. Anything. I'll be calling more people and seeing what I can find. So, why don't you all just say a little prayer, and keep your fingers crossed. Ha!

This weekend is busy with activities, and with stuff to get accomplished. I'm hoping to get a lot more stuff cleaned out, off and packed. I plan on working like a dog. Or maybe a pack horse/mule would be better. :)

That's about it. I'll update again...soon... I hope.

Happy Day!

DECEMBER!!!!!

We are officially down to 27 days. 27 days!! Holy Cat! So, it's been a while, let me think back and see what's happened since the last time I was here.

Well, I gave my notice at work. I wanted to give them enough time to prepare for missing me. Okay, so I'm just kidding, though a lot of them said they would! I will say that as much as the job itself frustrated me some days, I really am going to miss the people. I have been so fortunate to work with some of the nicest people I have ever met. It's nice to share everything with them instead of holding it all in.

This past weekend we were able to get a lot accomplished. The house is in a state of total disarray, but there is definite progress. We have packed up quite a bit of stuff, and sent more of it to storage. Now I'm working on getting anything that we're keeping out of here and into storage so we can sell, sell, sell. I did drop off all of the clothing we are parting with at Good Will, and let me say, the red kettle will be a lot fuller this year. We had a lot of stuff just sitting around, just in case. I feel lighter, literally.

We've been scheduling maintenance and other appointments. So we have some of those to finish up, but that should be all wrapped up by early next week. Except my gift certificate for a massage, I'm planning to use that on my week off before the move. Although I'm really feeling like I could use it now.

We have a potential lead on a rental. It's a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment in a tri-plex. THANKS DAD! The owner is going to call me when she has a date that the current tenant will be moving out. Hopefully everything will line up. It's a newer place, 6 miles out of Delta, though the owner couldn't tell me which direction, lol. And heat is included. Thank goodness. So, I'm hoping...and keeping my eyes open for others.

I still have some Christmas shopping to do, but I'm a little afraid that it will get lost in the chaos of this house, so I'm being a procrastinator there. I'll keep you posted as we go. Have a happy day!