The First Day

It has been a long time since we've moved, over six years actually, but before that the longest we were in any one place was two and half years. So we have some experience with the whole packing and lifting routine. Even so, this move was hard. Maybe its because we have two kids and infinitely more stuff than we had when we were two spry 26 year olds who had just finished grad school. Or maybe its because we have attained the ripe old age of 32 (one of us anyway). Whatever the cause, I am wiped out and promptly passed out in Jilli's bed after reading her one book tonight. The physicality of it all has lessened the blow of leaving my beloved house behind. But its also been easier because we have been so warmly welcomed to the neighborhood already. When we did the inspection about a month ago I met our new across the street neighbor. Her name? Michele, and it is spelled with one L. She and her husband have 4 kids, with a daughter a little older than Jilli and a son a little older than Ror. Hmmmm, I thought, that seems too good to be true. As we were unpacking the truck (for the first of four times) on Saturday her husband came over with three of the kids and introduced himself and offered to have our girls come over and play while we unpacked. The girls had a date with the eternal holders of the best-neighbors-ever title, so we thanked him and kept unpacking. When we arrived back with the second load of stuff he walked across the street with a warm, delicious, homemade casserole for our dinner. I swear, I think the moving hormones were making me a little teary. Later, a down the road neighbor walked to the house (in the rain) with his son (in his cub scout uniform) to introduce themselves and ask if they could help unload the truck. Jeff met our next door neighbor too and said she was great. Saturday night as Jeff and I were getting ready to go back and pack yet another load for transfer an adorable brown bunny hopped through our front yard. We both agreed the bunny was a bit of overkill, but we'll take it. I think we are going to be ecstatically happy here.

In!

We are here; tired and bruised and a little worse for the wear but we have couches and a few matresses and a garage full of boxes. Tomorrow we try to empty the rest of the old (wow, thats sad) house and start setting up a bit more here.

T-Minus

There are so few things that I am NOT going to miss when we leave this house that when I tried to think of what they are I could barely come up with one item. That one item is most certainly the Wendy's right next door whose service is so abysmal it is legendary with anyone who has visited us.
Exhibit A.
"I'd like a sour cream and chive potato"
Wendy's Man, "Ok, you want sour cream with that?"
"Yes, please" (puzzled)
WM, "Pull around." (takes money, hands bag out)
"Ummm, there isn't any sour cream in here."
WM, "I know. We don't have any sour cream. So I put some butter in there."

Oh, and several times they have run out of Coke. How do you run out of Coke??

So for our last dinner in our beloved house we opted for Chik-fil-A instead. We ate and talked and just sat at the table for a while and laughed when Jilli asked Rory to say 'apple' (bapple in rory-speak) about a thousand times. I can't believe that if all goes as planned we'll be in the new place Saturday night. I've already checked out the McDonald's around the corner and the mochas are excellent.

What I learned today

The Spanish word for octopus is platypus. Jilli says so and middle school spanish was, oh my, almost two full decades ago so I believe her.

The cow at Chik-fil-A for family night is freaking terrifying to Rory.

Some switcheroos and contract modifications mean we are moving in 11 days, ELEVEN days, once días (!!) Looking up spanish obscenities now.....

Vacation

Ok, so I am not on vacation, and neither is Jeff...technically (though I do not have work retreats at the beach...) The girls and I are home today and tomorrow around lunch time I am going to pick them up from school and we'll go do some work retreating of our own. Despite the fact that this is a pretty normal, work-needing-to-be-done Wednesday I feel like we are vacationing. It likely has something to do with the fact that the weather is absolutely amazing outside. So far we have:

Partaken of a mocha from McDonald's (these are my new coffee addiction, I think there is some amount of an illegal substance in them because they make me feel good, in a really good good way, not unlike what one might have felt had their pot not been seized and taken to the jail I toured yesterday...but I digress);

Listened to a marching band practice at the park, Rory thought it was fantastic and clapped in time. Jilli did some kind of hip grinding dance and correctly identified all the instruments (Shawn should be proud, clarinet first);

Dined al fresco on the deck when we got home complete with yogurt, pears and pretzels for the girls and a yummy chicken salad I made for myself; and then

Had another dance party in the office complete with princess outfits

This day is ranking highly on the (in between) scale....plus Jimmy Buffet is now crooning at me from ITunes amidst some steel drums..."You need a holiday, Take a holiday, Grab a pack and take a trail something something moonlit bay." Wednesdays rock.