Out with the old(er) In with the new(er)

negotiations and contracts have been agreed upon and signed, trading for a new job, $50K, and an extra 500 feet of square footage. not too bad. nope, not bad at all!

oh-and a decent education for our kids, which can't be priced!

Links have feelings too!

So much to say...so little time! I'll start by apologizing to my dear, sweet blog.

Honey, I know I missed our one year anniversary. Please don't hold it against me forever. I've been so busy selling our house, finding a new school, buying a new house, and trying to make ends meet that I let what was most important slip right through my hands. I tend to be about two weeks late for everything (join Ms. Jae, Just Me, and Willy do in the "why does little miss always forget our birthdays?!" group), I'm afraid that's what make me...ME, I'll probably never change. I hope you'll just love and accept me for who I am...

a procrastinator, a sensitive sap who gets her feelings hurt easily, a crude mom that laughs at everything from farts to the mention of sex, a writer, a photographer (ok, picture whore), a girl addicted to shopping, and someone who has no shame when it comes to her blog!

Next I'd like to apologize to my links. Yes, you know who you are! I know that links have feelings too. I don't mean to abandon you (see excuses listed above). My life is really, REALLY hectic right now. Please don't be angry with me if it's been a while since I popped in to say hello. Come August or September, life will be much more calm and peaceful. I'll even have a loft for my computer, and a sunroom to read my books!! I care for each and every one of you; I look forward to continuing our friendship throughout this move...that is, if you wouldn't mind hanging in there just a couple more months!

Happy Blogaversary!
(to which I owe solely to BFB, thanks for getting me hooked, thanks for the new addiction in my life, thanks for being such a great friend!)

XXOO

Who is your Yoda?

Ok, so you know that person in your life you call for guidance? The one who always knows the right thing to say at the right time? The one who tells you, "advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer"?

It's the first person you call when you receive news, whether good OR bad, and that person helps you figure out HOW you need to deal with that news. Sometimes you just need to hear, "it's going to be alright, this is life," or "just take it one day at a time, and stop projecting," or simply "pull your head out of your ass and go write your gratitude list!"

Sometimes you need to hear that person's voice just to feel sane once again. You know...when the world seems to be crashing down around you? And you feel like you can't even breathe?? It's the person who will calm your fears, talk you down, and give you guidance and comfort through it all. The one who fills many roles in your life: from friend and advisor to career counselor; from doctor to financial advisor, from spiritual guidance counselor to mechanic; the one who seems to know it all. This person, my Yoda...

is my dad. I may forget his birthday every year, and not remember until father's day (even AFTER my mom calls all the way from Australia just to remind me to call and wish him a happy birthday)...then be so embarrassed that I don't even want to talk about it, but it's because I love him and appreciate him EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. not just on special occasions. I know that's not an excuse, (and you could insert a comment here like: yeah, you only forget about him ON those "special occasions"!) but that's not true. He is such a HUGE part of my life. I am incredibly proud of him. The trials he has overcome has only strengthened my love and appreciation for him as well as for our relationship.

I love my daddy! I am grateful for the man he has always been, the man he has become, and the father he has been all along. When he tells me to write my gratitude list?--he is the first person I think of and suddenly my life is calm once again. He is MY HERO. I can never give back all that he has given me; I can only pray that I will make him as proud of me as I am of him.

Happy Father's Day. Happy Birthday.

Happy E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y.

i love you.

cheap razors and thin walls

well, here i am again...blogging on the road. what the hell is wrong with me? Taking three small children out of state? finding a hotel room with walls that are WAY too thin, let me tell you...no, nevermind. Let's skip that part. How about forgetting conditioner or a razor? vending machine razors and "conditioning shampoo" does not cut it! (actually, it DOES cut it...three times on my left leg to be exact) maybe it's because we had 45 minutes to vacate our little home so realtors could begin showing it off the same day it went on the market. maybe it's because i already had suitcases packed from our LAST trip (because one thing about me--I NEVER unpack) or maybe it's simply because i was going INSANE looking up listings in Atlanta, spending all my free time online...trying to find a new home in a HUGE city, with everything from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. You think I'm crazy NOW?! You should have seen me two days ago. and my nerves? what nerves? do I even have any nerves left? Any ounce of dignity i had this morning was lost trying to get through this crazy ass city, making every wrong turn possible, getting honked at and nearly wrecking twice.

and you should see our hotel room. seriously. and the van. no kidding. i even impress myself with the amount of crap we take wherever we go. clutter just follows me. i have maps, school listings, house listings, receipts, and Coke Zero (lots of Coke Zero) spread out all over this damn room.

anyway, i just wanted to let everyone know ahead of time...you know, for when you hear the news anchor say, "crazy lady ditches three small children at the local church and tries to jump off the atlanta bridge...but somehow she got lost trying to accomplish THAT much! more on this pathetic story tonight at 10..."

Road Trip... Again

Well Little Miss is on the road yet again, so I'm hijacking her blog to let you know whats going on.

It's been over a week since Little Miss has posted. She made it back safe from her trip to Oklahoma that turned into Iowa. Since being home she's had to deal with trying to figure out how to move her family of 5 +1 dog to another state by August.

Yesterday her house was put on the market and today she has had three realtors call to say they want to show the house. Well she can't be there if they are showing the house so she decided to pack the kids back into the car and head out of state to find another house. This trip will only be about an 8 hour drive instead of the 11 hour drive to Oklahoma or the 15 hour drive home from Iowa. I wish I could meet her to help look for a house or at least help her take care of the kids but with plane fare so high it's not going to happen this week.

Good luck to Little Miss. We hope you find a perfect house in a perfect area.

Back Home to a Mess

Well, before I can write my Iowa post...I need the pictures MS. JAE! You know I can't post without pictures...it simply wouldn't be right. Let me just say to blogworld that I crossed 10 state lines in 10 days! UNREAL. I must have been psychotic (or homesick), but either way...it all seemed like a dream. Highlights at a glance: late night scrappin, carseat ordeal, playin' at the lake, ped mall, old friends, new baby and big sister, eating out, birthday cake (fork cake), and pictures--lots and LOTS of PICTURES!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE I WAS JUST IN IOWA YESTERDAY MORNING??!! I haven't been back since we left three years ago. AND IT FELT GOOD. I have quite a few stories to tell, but that will have to wait until I can get my hands on the pictures we downloaded onto Ms. Jae's computer so I could clear my memory card. (yes, cleared three times to be exact!! we're BOTH picture whores!)


Now what I really wanted to Blog (insert BITCH) about today:

Do not call up my best friend for no apparent reason and tell her we are moving out of state in August. Think instead that perhaps I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO TELL HER IN PERSON. Just because you're the town busy body and HAVE to be in everybody's business does not mean that I want you in MINE! Think to yourself, "gee, if you don't know yet...and you're the person she talks to every day, the person who would know everything before anybody else, ESPECIALLY ME, then perhaps, just PERHAPS I should keep my big fat mouth shut!"

...or next time I'll just shove my fist down your throat and my foot up your ass!!!!!!!