Day Four: Family and Friends that are Family

January 17. 2010

Sunday morning Ian woke us up quite early, especially for him. He clearly had not adjusted to being in the Central time zone. We had a fun breakfast spread around the dining room table while the squirrels and birds enjoyed their morning repast.



After playing (read: destroying) around Gramma’s house for an hour we packed the kids in the van to drive to Cadiz. We planned to have lunch with Brett and Elizabeth- one of the boy’s sets of godparents, and their kids. Autumn is a first grader like Ethan. Sam turned a year old on January 12th.

Ian and Sam actually had fun together. Sam would throw items from the Cracker Barrel table onto the floor and Ian would dutifully pick them up. Sam found this to be a grand game. He rewarded Ian with slightly gummed cheerios. Meanwhile Ethan and Autumn talked about school, books, gym class and their favorite video games. The adults quickly settled into our old comfort zones, teasing and giggling together.

Even though we spent over two hours eating lunch and then playing checkers outside (in the biting cold wind) the visit was far too short. Autumn is a beautiful child who ate even more than Ethan- and that’s a pretty spectacular feat. Sam is a chubby adorable little man who quite obviously basks in all the love and attention he gets. He deserves every single bit, though! I could spend a lifetime just hanging out and chatting with Elizabeth. Despite the physical distances and the changes of the years, we have more in common now than we had before. And, of course, Brett is great fun and very much a goofy brother figure. It is no wonder that we let the kids call them Aunt and Uncle.

Sadly, we forgot the camera- so no pictures.

Back at the lake, Mark took the boys on a walk to the shore while Mamma and I visited the cemetery. I had not been back since Adrian’s funeral. Since it may be a year or two before I visit again, I felt I needed to stop by. His headstone is perfect. The inscription, a line from Edgar Allen Poe’s “El Dorado” is entirely appropriate and makes me cry thinking about it.

For dinner we had roast beef with all the fixings. It was mouth-wateringly delicious, as only Gramma’s cooking can be. There were two types of pie for desert: lemon meringue (no dairy-, no that it mattered because Ian refused to try a bite.) and chocolate. Dianne brought over her kids and her three new foster kids. The house was full of boys and laughter. It felt good to have happy voices in the house again. I fondly remember that house being filled with shrieks, giggles, running feat, parachuting Barbie dolls, lake-wet kids and the sounds of sporting events on TV.

We all slept well that night.

Day Five: Across the Wide Missouri- Rivers of Fog

January 18, 2010

The day dawned clear. I could see all the way across Johnson Creek inlet.





By the time Mamma went out to feed the varmints, with the boys helping, the fog had started to roll in.




While the boys finished breakfast I re-packed the van. We were hoping to make the entire drive from Gibertsville, Kentucky to Wichita, Kansas in one day. We planned on it taking about nine hours. I had hotel information for Kansas City just in case we couldn't make the entire drive.

Hugging Gramma goodbye was really hard. I know we’ll have her out to visit as soon as we have a house with room enough to set up the guest bed, but it still hurts, moving so far away. How I wish there was a game studio in Nashville, TN or Louisville, KY.

We crossed the Ohio at Paducah. Sadly, we’ll have to trust that the river is not a conspiracy of cartographers, because all we could see out the window was a long white blanket of fog. We drove through the self-styled “Land of Lincoln” (HA! Next they’ll be claiming basketball and horse racing!) not seeing much beyond foggy roadsides and state troopers. The police were thicker than the fog- and definitely busier. Every time we saw a trooper he had just finished writing a ticket or was pulling someone over.

We crossed the Mississippi at lunch time. The bottom ¼ of the St. Louis arch was all we could see. Talk about a disappointment. I took a moment to tell Ethan a bit about why St. Louis is called the “gate way to the West” and teach him how to spell Mississippi. Me teaching spelling- how funny is that? Poor kid is doomed. We stopped just outside town for lunch.

The first time we crossed the Missouri it was so fast and so foggy I hardly noticed. The second time we crossed the fog had lifted enough that we could see the ice floes and the barges trying to push their way through.

The fog cleared for a bit by the time we crossed the entire state and hit Kansas City. We were making such good time we stopped only for gas and to walk Katya before pushing into Kansas.

My Aunt Dianne warned me that Kansas was unmitigated visual boredom. Even if it hadn’t been dusk, and then dark, I would have been forced to agree with her. Kansas looked EXACTLY like Illinois and Missouri… and the inside of a cloud. The fog closed in as the sun set. Signs warned us of deer crossing, but it wouldn’t have mattered. As thick as the fog was we wouldn’t have known until after hitting Bambi. There were times when Mark was using the GPS to anticipate curves in the road because he couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of the van.

By the way: all those text messages I sent as we slogged through Missouri and Kansas? It turns out my cell phone plan did not include text messages. That $90 bill was a shocker!

I honestly forget what time we arrived in Wichita, but the drive only took us a little over 9 hours total. Ed and Sandy warmly greeted us, then we all piled back in the van to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

Thus, having left behind the rolling green hills and lush valley of the Shenandoah and crossed into the vast western plains, we completed that old travler’s song: “Oh Shenandoah”

Oh Shenandoah,
I'm bound to leave you.
Away you rolling river,
Oh Shenandoah,
I'll not deceive you.
Away, I'm bound away 'Cross the wide Missouri.

Day Six: There’s no place like Ed’s

January 19th, 2010

Mark’s dad Ed and his wife Sandy have a beautiful house on the outskirts of Wichita. The fenced backyard overlooks a large pond- which was frozen solid. We had a good laugh watching the Canadian geese land on the lake and slide around like drunken figure skaters. The wind was sharp enough on Tuesday to blow away most of the fog but it left us bitterly cold.

Thanks to Ed’s high speed internet, Mark and I got our email and Facebook fix. It’s HARD being disconnected from the virtual world, especially when you’ve spent the past nine years plugged in nearly non-stop.

It was far too cold for the boys to run around inside. We found a McDonalds with a large indoor playground and let them run themselves ragged.

Mark, Ed and Sandy went out that night to see “Book of Eli” while I stayed home with my headache and the boys. The boys were exhausted from running all over Ed’s house and the playground. They passed out very quickly, as did Katya.

I spent the rest of the evening watching election coverage of the Massachusetts special election and gloating with Facebook friends over the Republican victory.
I also finished Lauren Willig’s new book “The Betrayal of the Bloodlilly”. I didn’t want it to end!

I hope that having Ed and Sandy closer means we get to see them more often. The boys love playing with their Papaw.

Day Seven: Welcome to Colorado

January 20th, 2010

Wednesday started out cold and overcast. Seriously, there is no place like Kansas. I just wonder why anyone would want to go back!

Van repacked and more tearful good byes said, we were on the road west. Well, actually we had to go north first, to get back to I-70. We finally got to see a bit of the landscape. I found this windfarm fascinating:

See those low clouds beyond the windmills? Yup. Fog. Thick, horrible “oh dear where did that car in front of us go?” fog.

I officially hate Kansas and its fog. Also- “freezing fog”- what is up with THAT?

We stopped in Colby, Kansas for lunch at an Arby’s. I have to say that the corporate Arby’s marketing decisions regarding their menu choices need serious re-evaluation. I’m glad I don’t work there anymore, my head would have exploded from the idiocy.

The fog lifted and we could see far enough ahead that we could point and say “Look boys, Colorado!”. Of course eastern Colorado looks pretty much exactly like western Kansas, but it was the thought that counted. We were officially on “Mountain Time” now.

I don’t have a picture of the Welcome to Colorado sign. It is small and whipped past faster than the shutter speed on my camera. At least I could see beyond the roadside. Colorado was already higher than Kansas in my esteem.

Just as the sun was setting we crested a rise (Mark made several “High Plains Drifter” comments throughout the day’s drive. Yup, I married Tony Di’Nozzo.) and could see the front range of the Rockies rising in the distance.

As the mountains grew higher above the landscape the boy’s eyes grew wider.

We arrived in Superior just before 5pm. First item on the agenda was to stop and sign-in to our apartment complex. Keys in hand we drove to the apartment, walked Katya, and unloaded items from the van that we didn’t need with us.

The moving truck wasn’t due to arrive until Friday, so we needed a hotel room for the next two nights. Nearby Louisville provided us with a pet friendly hotel and a nearby Outback steakhouse. Mark and Ethan celebrated with coconut shrimp while Ian and I devoured warm bread.

Our first night in Colorado ended late as the boys took awhile to wind down. I was happy that the long drives were over and looking forward to doing laundry. Crazy, I know, but living out of suitcases for eight days is hard when you have kids.

First Day in Colorado

January 21, 2010

Despite the fact that the moving truck was not due to arrive for another twenty four hours, we had plenty to do on our first full day in Colorado. I had to register Ethan for school, we had to meet the car-carrier that was bringing Mark’s Altima to us, we had to get groceries for the apartment, and we desperately needed to find a car wash!

First we had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to downtown Louisville and the realtors office. I need the signed contract on the house we’re bidding on in order to qualify Ethan to attend Superior Elementary School. Then it was back to the apartment to pick up the rest of the paperwork, which we had off-loaded the previous night.

While we were at the school we had a chance to meet Ethan’s new teacher and take a brief tour of his classroom. I love the way the school is laid out and how welcoming everyone is. Ethan’s class has been anticipating his arrival. They all chorused “Hello Ethan!” as they filed out for lunch.

The first “I love this town” moment came for me when we decided to have lunch someplace with an indoor playground. There’s a Chick-Fil-A a quarter mile from our apartment with a huge indoor play area. Score! (Bad for the diet, but oh how my Southern heart has suffered these past 6 years not having a nearby purveyor of awesome chicken sandwiches.) We let the boys play in the playground, then packed them and their un-eaten lunches back to the apartment so we could meet the car carrier.

Their first meal in their new- all be it temporary- home.

The Altima safely in our custody once more, we set out to explore and find a grocery store. Right behind the afore-mentioned Chick-Fil-A is a Super Wal-Mart. Compared to the terrifying West Baltimore Wal-Mart, the crowded and dirty Lansdowne Wal-Mart, or the cramped and short staffed Burke Wal-Mart, the store in Superior is clean, well staffed, huge, and has an overwhelming selection of merchandise. We completed our grocery shopping and picked up a few odds and ends for the apartment that didn’t make the trip from Virginia. (Like toilet brushes- only it turned out the packers packed those. GROSS)

We spent the day promising Ethan we would have dinner at his favorite restaurant: Carraba’s. What can I say? The boy has awesome taste- and he loves watching the cooks make his pizza. So Carraba’s it was. Ian was a snot and refused to eat his specially prepared noodles, but otherwise it was a wonderful evening.

Our last night spent sleeping in beds not our own. Oh how much I was looking forward to my mattress, my sheets, my pillows, and the boys sleeping in another room. Ok I was probably anticipating that last bit more than anything else.

Moving In Day

January 22, 2010

The moving truck arrived before we even finished our hotel breakfast on Friday morning. The driver, Jim, had only two men to help him unload things, but they were very fast and efficient.

Our good friend (and the wife of Mark’s boss-once-more Lance) Beth, one of only three people we know in town, volunteered to watch the boys for us. I dropped them off at her house with a silent prayer that Mark would still have a job after my boys unleashed their own special brand of chaos on his boss’s house.

We have a three bed room apartment here in Superior. Since we are only planning on being here for three months- the amount of time we need to close the deal on our house- we have one room dedicated solely to storage. Every box that we did not absolutely need for daily life was shoved into the third bedroom, along with the extra twin mattress, the extra queen bed, and various other odds and ends.

Mark had unpacked the essential stuff the night before:

The boys are sharing a room. We put their room together first.

I unpacked enough boxes that night to cook and serve dinner (though it was on plastic plates).

The boys satisfied their Mario Kart urges.

Katya enjoyed being out of a car.

We slept the sleep of the truly exhausted that night - happy in our own beds, in OUR home.

Day Three: My Old Kentucky Home

January 16, 2010

Nana made her famous monkey bread for breakfast to start our third day “on the road”. The boys (Ethan and his Daddy, that is) gobbled it up before it could even cool. Ian had to be satisfied with waffles and cheerios and a banana and fruit treats.. and…anything else he could beg for. If those boys would learn to eat roast beef (which is what we had for dinner the previous night) then they wouldn’t be so hungry the following morning!

Sadly, Linda had to go to work before we left. Tearful hugs and kisses abounded. While Mark and the boys spent a precious house visiting with Tami and Holly, I re-packed the van. Originally I had one suitcase for each person. I realized that first night that my strategy was flawed when I had to unpack the entire van just to get pajamas for all of us. At Linda’s house I packed clothes for each of us for the next three days in one suitcase. I can be taught!

After lunch we hit the road again, bound for my Gramma’s house on Kentucky lake. It was an entirely uneventful three and a half hour trip.

My Mamma drove up from Georgia to stay with Gramma and see us while we were visiting. The boys were happy to see her. Ethan had fun showing the wonders of Gramma’s house to Ian, who wasn’t really walking the last time we visited. Even more exciting to Ethan was the opportunity to sleep downstairs in a room with his Granny (my mom) while the rest of us slept upstairs.

Ethan started to show some pouty behavior and sadness that night. He had two meltdowns that were, I believe, entirely caused by loneliness and the realization that he wasn’t going to see his friends again. It breaks my heart to see him trying to be so brave when he’s hurting inside.

Day Two: Back to Bluegrass

January 15, 2010

Because we’d driven half way on Thursday, Friday’s drive was less than five hours and relatively easy.

The boys were quite happy with their headphones and DVDs. Katya did finally discover her nesting area behind Ethan’s seat and slept most of the drive.

Mark munching on almonds- his favorite trail food.

We reached Nana’s (Mark’s mom) house in time for a late lunch. The boys spent the afternoon tearing apart the upstairs- which is now empty since Holly and Chris moved to their new house. Tami and Todd came over. The “big kids” got out of school and were dropped off as well, so we had the typically full house. The boys ran everyone ragged while I did laundry and Mark teased his sisters. So- a typical family visit!

After dinner I was standing in the dining room after clearing the table. Mark asked me, out of the blue, what I thought about his Mom’s china cabinet. Huh? Then his Mom and sisters walked around the corner with a birthday cake.

My first ever surprise party! I was, I AM, overwhelmed by the love and effort it took for them all to take time out of their day to do something so special for me. It means the world to have in-laws who are so very much family.

Ethan liked the cake!

After the party we drove to Chris and Holly’s new house in Junction City. It’s a wonderful house and the perfect size for their family. Holly has already been decorating. I told her I was in love with her kitchen and considered taking it with me- except nothing more would fit in the van.

While at Holly’s Mark and I took the time to check our email and post on Facebook. We had to have our internet fix. Ethan spent the whole time showing off his Wii resort skills. Computer withdrawal is an ugly thing!

The end of day two found us back at Nana’s house, curled up in our beds and passed out from exhaustion.

Day 1: Oh Shenandoah, I hate to leave you

January 14th, 2010

How to spend a 35th birthday: Mine started with the moving truck arriving at 7:30am. Mark and Ethan had already left for an early morning trip to “the diner” for one last breakfast binge of chocolate-chip pancakes. The night before all of our neighbors had pitched in and parked their cars in a line in front of our house to save room for the tractor trailer moving truck. When the truck arrived I spent the first few minutes moving cars and returning keys. I will really miss the wonderful neighborhood we had there on Carrleigh Parkway.

Ian left to play with “Ms. Amy” (Amy Miller) which left Mark and I available to clean and dismantle rooms as soon as they were cleared of furniture. We took apart and threw away Ian’s crib (which was recalled anyway!) but kept the crib mattress. We meant to demolish and throw away the entertainment center, but the guys had it on the truck before we could say something. We’ll just wait a bit longer before buying a new one!

The moving men were very efficient . By 11:30am the truck was fully loaded and the house was empty except for the odds and ends that we were taking with us in the cars. We had to wait for Rick to come remove the satellite dish and for Carol, the new owner, to come do the “final walk-through”, so we took time to eat lunch at Five Guys. (On Wednesday we splurged and had a final lunch at Mike’s American Grill- we will really miss Mike’s and Coastal Flats!)

NetDevil paid to move Mark’s car to Colorado. We loaded up the trunk and back seat with spare boxes, my – gently wrapped- Christmas cacti and all the cleaning supplies. Once Rick had successfully removed the satellite dish we threw that in the trunk as well. In the van we had five suitcases, a laundry basket full of dirty laundry, several banker’s boxes of personal information that I either needed on the trip or didn’t feel comfortable having on a truck, two sleeping bags, various totes full of toiletries and miscellaneous items the moving company wouldn’t transport, and one very full shopping bag holding our liquor supply. Have to keep the bourbon safe!

Behind Ethan’s seat I boxed out a space to hold Katya’s dog bed and give her room to lie down during the trip. At Ian’s feet was the large blue cooler full of drinks and Mark’s insulin. Between the front seats I had the “Mary Poppins” bag full of car activities and movies for the DVD player. The boys also had their mini-suitcases packed with toys, books and their bed-time animals. The van was literally crammed full.

While away for lunch we stopped by Ethan’s school and brought cupcakes to his class. He was surprised and so happy to see us. It broke my heart (and re-breaks it all over again as I type this over a week later) to see him so sad about leaving his friends. Not surprisingly, all the lunch ladies knew Ethan by name and they were the first people he gave cupcakes.
With the walk-through complete, the house cleaned and emptied, the cars packed and tearful good-byes said to Rebecca, Mrs. Riddle and Belinda, we drove to the Miller’s house to pick up the boys. Ethan got off the school bus with Lena, and so all five of the kids were out playing in the street and having a glorious time. More hugs and tearful good byes and then we were on the road. Ian shouted: “Bye Bye house!” “Bye bye soolk! (Ian speak for school)” “Bye Bye Giant!” and so-on each time we passed a familiar landmark.

Our goal was to drive as far as we could before stopping. It was typically a 9.5 hour drive (including stops) to get from our house to Mark’s mom’s house in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Considering we left at 5pm, we thought Lexington, Virginia would be a good stopping point. We did stop between Front Royal and Staunton for dinner, but the boys were doing so well in the car that we kept pushing right on past Lexington. We reached Beckley, West Virginia at 10:30pm.

Ian was sound asleep in the back seat. He didn’t stir when we brought him in and tucked him into bed. Ethan was asleep soon after he slid beneath the covers. Katya paced for over an hour and insisted upon going out into the cold several times. There was about 5 inches of snow on the ground and the wind was bitterly cold – so I was un-amused with her by the time she finally decided to fall asleep. I finally drifted off around 1:30am.

And that’s how I spent my 35th birthday.

Going Away!

The movers are scheduled to arrive early Thursday morning. We are what the moving company “surveyor” generously described as “half packed”. The moving company will do the rest of the packing on Wednesday.

This past weekend we worked on the last minute home repair projects (fixing the hallway trim where the baby gate hung, repairing a cracked tile, patching holes in the living room wall) and organizing all of the necessary paperwork for the move.

Oh, and we also had a going away party for the boys. The Millers, our former next door neighbors and dear friends, came over. Mrs. Riddle came although her grandson Austin, Ethan’s playmate, was unable to attend. Andrew brought his mother and father along. And, as a great treat for Ethan, Choochie and Danzel arrived! Choochie was Ethan’s daycare provider from the time he was a toddler up until Ian was born.

We had cake, played the Wii, watched the kids play and yell, and enjoyed each other’s company. I’ll miss the moms in our neighborhood. We’ve been blessed to have five families on our street with children Ethan’s age. Watching them all grow up together has been an experience I’ll never forget.

Pictures!

Alfonso (Andrew's dad), Mrs. Riddle, Mark, Steve Miller, Tyler Miller

Amy Miller and Mark

Choochie, Danzel and DJ.

Lena Miller, Ethan and Andrew

Ian, Danzel and Ethan.

Update: Movers

The moving company emailed Mark today, but since he was busy with his final day in the office at Mythic, he didn't see the email until tonight. We'll talk to them Monday.

Yay.

In boy news: Ethan had a check up today. He is 4 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 50lbs. He needs to have his eye-sight tested when we get to Colorado. I'm hoping he was just not understanding the eye test they used. Otherwise he's in prime health.

Also, no dicks in the mail today, but Ian carried on an actual conversation with a complete stranger. It was adorable.

Lacking in Sense of Urgency

Back when I was a young lass just entering the workforce, one of the big management “buzz words” (phrase in this case) was “sense of urgency”. “Amy displays a remarkable sense of urgency completing her daily 11-076 forms!” “Amy needs to improve the sense of urgency for her staff”. Etc.. etc.

Some folks I know, namely, the moving company corporate relocation specialists, need a good lesson in sense of urgency. Alternately, they need a 250lb female staff sergeant name Love to rearrange their life priorities.

We’re supposed to move into our new apartment in Colorado on January 20th. The new job is paying to move one car out there and paying to move all of our household goods. But we have to get our persons, the dog, and the other vehicle out there on our own- by January 20th. To do that we need to load up the truck and move on January 14th.

Yes, next Thursday. Less than 7 days from now.

And yet I cannot get anyone from the moving company to return a phone call so we can SCHEDULE this move.

Anyway: mountains. They are purty. Also, it’s been warmer in Superior, Colorado this week than Fairfax, Virginia.

Still on the to-do list:

1. Send notarized lease to rental agency
2. pick up Katya’s records
3. SCHEDULE MOVING VAN
4. going away party (scheduled for 3:30 on Sunday)
5. turn off Springfield utilities
6. register Ethan for school in Superior
7. buy paint for touch ups
8. fix hole in living room wall
9. have oil changed in van
10. pack
11. fix trim at top of steps
12. notify entire world of address change

13. Curl up in ball and whimper.

Wow Yesterday Sucked, and Wow Today Already Rocks

So much of my to-do list is dependent on the specific date we actually move that I’m in a holding pattern. Which brings us to yesterday. Or, as I like to call it: revisiting the Wednesday from hell.

I had to go to the grocery. I finally wrangled Ian, who kept insisting “Today is pajama day!” into 65 layers of clothes and out the door. To my dismay, and Ian’s further expansion of his naughty words vocabulary, my car would not start. Yes the same van we’re planning on driving across country in 2 weeks. Joy. I tried jumping it with no result. So I called USAA and fumed- though, thankfully, I was at home when it up and died.

The mailman showed up (with a dicks even!) and had to have me sign for some documents. Just as I was wrestling the dog, who was only mildly curious as to why the cold air interrupted her nap, and Ian, and the mail, the phone rang. The tow truck was out back with my van. I managed to scoot the mailman out the door and ran to the car.

The two truck driver was nice but he was missing several front teeth and it was all I could do not to giggle because he was the perfect personification of Mater from “Cars”! He did manage to get my car started but told me my battery was dead, dead, dead and to leave the car running so I could get it up the street to the service station.

So I ran back inside to get Ian… and discovered that he has once again failed the poopy portion of the potty training practical examine. That child accounts for 65% of my alcohol consumption. Car is running out back and I’m upstairs trying to clean my child’s butt with one single wipe- because I REALLY need to go to the grocery.

The door-knocker sounds.

With car running out back and half naked child upstairs I run to front door. It is the Fedex man delivering Mark’s new computer. While he’s man-handling that inside he half drops it and cracks the wood trim on our front door. Lovely. I pushed the broken bit back up and glared it into place.

What? Glaring at woodwork TOTALLY works in my universe.

Car is still running, unattended, and child is still nekid.

Skipping ahead a bit, we get to grocery and get food, pull ups and wipes. Life is ok. Also, I got some fast food since I thought back and realized that except for 2 cups of hot chocolate I’d had nothing to eat for 24 hours. Smooth.

As I’m unpacking groceries I notice the time. I run out the front door to meet Ethan’s bus. His bus stop is a block away but in clear view from the front of the house. As I’m running out the bus is pulling away- without letting Ethan off!!!! AHHHHHHH! Supposedly first graders are allowed to get off the bus without a parent present at the exact bus stop, but for whatever reason the (admittedly very nice and professional) bus driver decided Ethan needed to stay on the bus.

BACK in the house, put Ian’s shoes BACK on him and race with car (with brand new battery courtesy of the lovely service station guys) to catch bus. Snatch Ian off bus and come home. Glare at woodwork and children and tell both to stay put. Collapse in sniveling heap of frustration.

Then the realtor calls at 7pm last night and tells us the current owner of the house we have a short sale bid offer in for has not returned her realtor’s calls in a week. Re-collapse in a sniveling heap. We knew that there were going to be bumps in the short-sale road and that we could end up losing the house at any second, but this…. not even passing the first hurdle… frustrating!

But then my long-suffering husband gave me a hug and let me open my birthday present early. He bought a replacement for my MP3 player- the original I accidentally drowned right before Christmas.

Looove that man. Looooooooooooove my little back distributor of joy.

Geez.. you are still reading? Don’t you have a life of your own?

Today.. today is ONE BILLION times better than yesterday. Because I have an MP3 player and:

BECAUSE THE HOUSE OWNER SIGNED THE SHORT SALE CONTRACT ON THE HOUSE THIS MORNING! FIRST HURDLE: CLEARED!

More on the house later. I have to go change Ian… again.

Changes!

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q) about the Great Blog Secrecy Act of 2010:

1. We are moving to Colorado

2. Like, this month

3. Mark quit his job at EA-Mythic

4. He has a job offer from another company

5. That company happens to be in Colorado. Coincidence? Hmmm?

6. Mark got a severance package from EA. Discussing the conditions or details of that package would result in legal action and actionable damages against us- so I’m not talking about it, not even here!

7. Use your brains. Think. They gave him a severance package. Do you think they’d be willing to do that if his wife starting bragging on the “inter-webs” that she was moving to Colorado and getting fancy (read: small) new (read: temporary) digs (read: apartment)? Hmmmmm?

8. I’m a stay at home Mom and need some sort of contact with the wider world. Also, I’m pretty damn whiny. My usual daily interactions revolve around asking Ian if he means the “cow” that goes “mooo” or the “cow” (car) that says “vroom vroom”? Also, he refers to DVD disks as “dicks”. Net Flix delivers disks to our house about once a week. Once a blessed week I get to laugh my substantial butt off as he excitedly shouts “Mamma we got dicks in the mail!”

9. Where was I?

10. Oh yes- dicks of the corporate variety. We shall not tempt them or tweak their noses.

11. I get that this whole creating a google account to log in to read stupid comments about my life is really more effort than it’s worth. As with 99% of all blogging, this is for me more than you, anyway. See #8 above.

12. If this whole process just really balls your panties into a wad, let me know and I’ll just email you the cute kid pictures. That’s all anyone cares about anyway!

13. I will try to update daily (hahahahhaha ……shut up) regarding the progress of the move.

14. Seriously: Dicks… in the mail….

2009

It appears my narcissism knows no bounds! Also, I copied this from Shannon’s blog. Feel free to take what I have rightfully stolen.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Went on a cruise!

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No I did not keep the two I had. Yes I have made more and I intend to keep them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. We welcomed to the world our godson Samuel and my cousin was blessed with his second daughter, Amelia Grace.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, a fact for which I am grateful.

5. What countries did you visit?
France, Italy, Croatia and Greece.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A sense of job security for Mark. Ian being potty trained!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 18th when we arrived in Venice. November 9th when Mythic laid-off 1/3 of the staff. The week in August when Teresa came to visit and brought her wonderful family with her. The night UK beat Auburn in football.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Working up the courage to leave my children for 2 weeks. Selling our house in 8 days. Swallowing my pride and admitting that we might need help from family to get through a rough patch.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being stronger for Mark when he needed me. Gaining far too much weight.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual sinus infection, ear infections and that pseudo-heart attack, a.k.a: don’t let strep throat go for 3 weeks without treating it.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The service of our realtor, the balcony suite on the cruise ship, the excursion ticket in Croatia where we met Evelyn and Philip, metro tickets to show “our city” to Teresa’s kids.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mark, for being a rock when everything and everyone around him was crumbling. He is the most loyal person I know and I really think some people are about to find out the hard way what it means to lose his loyalty.

Ethan, for handling changes to his routine with aplomb and humour. We took a long trip to Georgia, we left him alone with his Granny, he had other children staying in his house for a week, he has had to face moving in the middle of the school year- and yet he’s stayed my loving and empathetic boy. Even through his struggles with reading, he continues to try. And, hey, he’s the best behaved and most recognized boy in the first grade!

Ian, for learning to talk – sort of.

Finally: Tom. For 20 years he faced continuous separation from his family. He’s been on more combat tours than I can keep track of. He’s lost friends. He wasn’t allowed to come home for Adrian’s funeral. And yet after all of that, after 20 long years of being over-worked and underpaid, he stepped up and said “I’m not done yet. I can still help and contribute.” So, despite misgivings and down-right anger from those who love him, he signed up to go back to Iraq as a contractor. I said some awful things to him when he told me, but I hope he knows that I’m proud that he lets me call him brother and serves as an uncle to my children.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Republicans in Congress. The US Navy for prosecuting Navy SEALS just doing their jobs. Executives at Mythic entertainment for not listening to the people who made them a success in the first place.

14. Where did most of your money go?
The realtor and the house repairs.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The cruise, selling the house, moving, Ian talking, staying up late and gossiping with Teresa like we were back in college, UK football.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Nickelback’s “Burn it to the Ground” Read into that whatever you like!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Probably the same
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter- damn it
c) richer or poorer? Richer, in both money and relationships

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Potty training! Dancing. Spending time with Amy (my friend, not myself!) Writing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Potty training! Worrying about the job situation. Eating!

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We celebrated our final Christmas in this house. Just the four of us relaxed by the tree, ate home-made doughnuts and giggled at Katya wearing bows on her head.

21. What was the best book you read?
I cannot narrow it to just one. I enjoyed : Clive Cussler’s The Wrecker and all of Daniel Silva’s works. I also just devoured David Baldacci’s True Blue

22. What was the worst book you read?
Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. What a complete let-down.

23. What TV shows did you enjoy?
We’ve just discovered “The Big Bang Theory” We love "Chuck" and I’m truly obsessed with "NCIS".

24. What TV shows disappointed you?
The plot decisions and writing in the final season of Battlestar Galactica.

25. What did you want and get?
A memorable 10th anniversary, a visit from my best friend, a nice pay-off on the house, and a child who talks in a language people understand.

26. What did you want and not get?
A potty trained 3 year old. (See a pattern?) 800 thousand WAR subscribers.

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 34, and my men folk made me a lovely cake.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Jeans and sweatpants, except when I was painting. Remember folks- don’t take the curtains down and then decide to paint while wearing only underwear! While on the cruise i wore only sundresses and sandals. Girl clothes!

29. What kept you sane?
My MP3 player. Oh how I miss you, little black case of joy. I’m sorry I drowned you- it was an a-kk-ident! (Mark’s buying me a new one for my birthday this year.)

(Bonus for those who bothered reading: count the movie references made in this post!)