Obviously...

Not that it isn't obvious....

I've decided to take a break from this blog for a while. I'll be blogging over at We Ride West exclusively for a while.

Amy

It's my birthday...

So, today is my birthday. 36 to be exact. I'm not really feeling it, if you know what I mean. I don't feel like I should be this much of an adult. I feel overwhelmed with everything going on in my life right now. I'm sitting alone in a house in Utah, UTAH for heavens sake, my boys are on a plane, I have no furniture, no TV, no refrigerator, and I'm kind of wondering how I got here.

The past two weeks have been nothing but a blur. A blur of activity, stress, anxiety, laughter, tears and disbelief.

I think I'm just anxious to get on with our life. We've been in this in between place for a couple months, well, since Easter, trying to get details ironed out. There's been movers to deal with, a house to find, a house to leave, friends to tell good-bye, dogs to situate and an entire life to rethink.

I'm excited about the possibilities ahead of us. I just want to get on with it already. I'm feeling slightly out of place in our new neighborhood. Everything is so perfect. Perfect little houses, perfect little flower beds, perfect little blond children running around in perfect little baby Gap outfits, perfectly coiffed, made up super thin and over-medicated women running around with perfectly lipsticked smiles on their faces. Can three hillbillies from West Virginia fit in here? Should we try? Or should we bring our own brand of redneck to Duloc (ahem, Shrek reference). The Ogres are moving in!

However, I should note that except for these fancy schmancy neighborhoods I really like Utah. People have horses in their backyards. Not like they have an acre of land and a horse. Like they live in a neighborhood but instead of a swing set there is a horse back there, or a goat or chickens. LOVE it. Also, the WalMart has this "bulk" buying section for people who live up in the mountains in the winter or I guess for those cults that live in their compounds or whatever. I'm going to slip a picture of it next time. I've never seen anything like it. Never. Not Sam's Club or anything. You can buy a five gallon bucket of beef buillon powder. I know what everyone is getting for Christmas!!! You can never have enough beef buillon!

I think I'll go see if I can find something decent to wear to pick the boys up from the airport. I'm running out of clothes and hope the movers come tomorrow with my stuff! I do NOT want to go to the laundry mat. YUCK!

We're here...

So, we're in Utah. Still waiting for furniture and a coffee pot. I'm blogging more over HERE these days just to keep everyone updated!

Hope everyone has a happy and fun-filled Fourth of July. It's one of my favorite holidays. Probably because my birthday is the 5th. Though, turning 36 this year isn't real high on my list of fun things to do. Oh well, better to turn 36 then to NOT turn 36, right? Right.

Bittersweet...

Today is a little bittersweet for me. N is going off to Grandmas for two weeks. He's excited and I'm excited for him. However, this is the last day he'll be running around this big ole yard. I'm watching him on the swings. He's singing. And swinging. Two of his favorite things. He's happy and carefree.

I'm consumed with the changes ahead of us. Excited, scared and nervous all rolled into a big ball of energy. He's just...happy. Happy he's going on an adventure. Happy he's moving to a bigger home.

We didn't do big good-byes with friends around here. Or say things like, "this is your last time to do X or Y." I didn't want him to worry and fret about the future. I'm doing enough of that for everyone.

As I watch him I think of all the dreams we dreamed here. The trials we went through and the life we tried so hard to build. We worked and worked to build a life, to make a home, to find contentment. I look at it now and think maybe it wasn't meant to be so much work. Maybe home and life just, happens.

Now we embark on a new life. Full of possibilities that we never dreamed we'd have. We know that we'll have to change. It's a whole new game from this point. I want to retain the best of who we are but yet to embrace what is coming.

I pray that we at least go away from here with happy memories and the knowledge that we have done what we thought was best. Most of all, I hope to leave the regrets behind.

I'm still around here somewhere...

I'm still around this place somewhere. I am bogged down in making our moving preparations, finding, you know, a place to live and generally just busy. My "TO DO" list is unyielding and very demanding of me right now. I'm so longing for lazy summer days. I want to sit by the pool, catch fireflies and make s'mores over the campfire.

It's not in the cards right now. We've managed to pretty much tie up the next month of our summer with moving and settling. I'm hopeful though, that once things are done we'll still have some time to salvage a few lazy days.

My boy is spending TWO WEEKS at his Grandparent's house. I really just think I might have a heart attack. That's a long time. He's so excited and they have made a million plans of things they are doing. I hope my Mom's taking her vitamins. She's going to need them! So, at least he's going to have a big fun adventurous time this summer. Hopefully, to him, moving will be seamless. He's going to my Mom's then we are flying back on a plane and picking him up and flying back to Utah. He won't be here for the movers or the 3-day car trip west. Somehow, I think that is best for my sanity. The three of us and two dogs driving 3 days in the truck to Utah just sounds pretty much like a nightmare. It's 30 hours. Oh, and we'll be hauling the camper behind us through the Rocky Mountains.

I am nervous about all we have to do and the time-line for getting it done. But, I have faith. I have faith that it will all come together and a month from now I'll be writing to you from Utah. And as my son would say, "SWEEeeeeeT MAMMA!!!"

Husbands, cameras and accomplishing NOTHING.

Just wanted to let you know, I'll be blogging our move and our new adventure in Utah

HERE!

I sent my husband to Utah with a camera. He took 8 pictures. All of them from the car. *sigh* I KNOW he was all about getting the job and salary negotiations yadda yadda. Still, he could have taken a minute to take a few pictures. Anyway, it's short on scenery at the moment but I'm sure there will be plenty in the future.

I'm not writing about our move right now simply because moving across country is more complicated than I thought. We're starting to turn on each other. Js work is giving him a hard time. The more I try to accomplish the less I'm getting done.

But, visit the new place if you get a chance. I promise it will get more exciting in the days to come.

We Ride West.

9 years

Today is my anniversary. Nine years. There have been highs and lows, tears and triumphs but I wouldn't change a single thing. I love that man and I love the places our life has taken us. We are stronger from the struggles and smarter from the mistakes. I have more happy memories than I can fit into any scrapbook.

Oh, baby, I love you.