Unblogged

(Quick update because it's really, really overdue: moving is always a pain in the neck, but we moved mostly uneventfully from the temp place we were in on June 18th. Mr. Live-in-Landlord even took some time out from his father/daughter/grandpa time Father's Day weekend to come say his goodbyes. We moved into the really cute little rental owned by Hubby's mom, and just as we were really starting to get settled, we found out that it sold. We knew it was on the market, but all indicators pointed to 2-12 months of being able to stay there. No dice. July 17th had us moving into mother-in-law's basement just a few miles away. *sigh* I guess that's what happens when you don't really pray about what your major decision will be, you just move forward with what makes sense. So nearly all of our stuff is in a storage unit in the city where we'd like to end up (3 hours away), Hubby has a great temp job that is exactly what we need (we were praying about that one) and we're living in his mom & stepdad's basement. Anyone who knows me well knows that my relationship with my mother-in-law...well...it's come a long way. And judging from my irritation levels, it's got a long way to go yet. Well, I've got a long way to go.)

So here on the other side of the mountains life is different. The climate is different, the landscape is different, the lifestyle is different...it's just different. And while I've been internetless for a month during this most, uh, changing time of life, there have been quite a few blogs that have sprung up in my head. And stayed there. So for your reading pleasure...a few cliffnotes:

I Spy...

Things that I see where I live now that I'm not really used to yet

...way more than usual. Well, laterally. The Pacific Northwest is quite hilly, and those hills are generally covered by really old, really tall trees. Cedars, generally. But over here, the hills are more roll-y and spread apart, so I can see way further that I'm used to. And that means that I also spy...

...light coming in my bedroom window at 4:30 in the morning. Who knew that the sun was even awake at that time of day? Yeesh! Go hide behind a tree or something, and let me sleep!

...zero bicycle helmets. Lots of cyclists, but no helmets. Except on the noggins of my own children.

...more yard sales than I have seen in my life...combined...in one neighborhood in one weekend. And it happens every weekend!!!

...mercury. You know, that red stuff that usually hovers between 50 and 65 on the thermometer? It goes up. Did you know? Sometimes it even goes between 90 and 100. I kid you not.

...pedestrians jaywalking. Everywhere!

...vehicles stopped in a 5-lane road so that the pedestrians on the sidewalk can jaywalk. What??? I understand that you want to be considerate, but how badly do you want to be rear-ended?

...a thunderless thunderstorm. Really. I sat on the porch, enjoying a cool evening and saw lightning a few times, but didn't hear the thunder. Odd.

Move & Move & Move & Move

Okay, there's a line in Jurassic Park that I like to quote. I amend it to the situation at hand because it's such a great line. When that pesky T-rex is loose in the rain storm and the kids are in the car, then out of the car, then over the wall, then in the tree, then the car joins them in the tree and they have to climb down as fast as they can to avoid being smooshed by the car, then said smooshed car falls right over the big roots between which the kids & Mr. Scientist are cowering, the boy breathlessly states, "We're back--in the car--again." I've felt that this line has been rather relatable lately, except we were back in a truck instead of a car.

I was talking to someone recently about our situation, explaining that we'd like to move straight from the rental to our ultimate destination and just wait for Hubby to be accepted to the program there he wants. (Obviously, this was before we moved.) I said, "We'd just like to move once and not have to move again. Well, twice. We've already moved once." She must've been listening well, because she corrected me, "You don't want to move and move and move again." Yeah.

So when we've found a place that works for us, we'll be towing a trailer and I can say with all the breathlessness I want, "We're back--on the road--again."

Where Did I Put That %@!&# Silver Lining?

This was one witty blog title that I came up with during a less-than-optimistic moment. I'm a self-proclaimed optimist, and underneath it all I really am. But sometimes I just get tired of it all & want to crawl in a cave until my problems solve themselves. Sadly, that never actually happens. Dangit.

But during a significantly-less-than-optimistic moment, I realized that for the first time ever, I'm alone. I am without my support network. I don't live by my family. I don't have friends that I can call to arrange sanity-saving playdates for my children. I can't call a friend to have them watch my kiddos so I can go get my hair cut for the family pictures this weekend. I don't get calls from friends who are getting together. I don't have anyone to play with. Even my freshman year at college where everything was new and unfamiliar, my sister was just a phone call away. I'd even see her on campus occasionally! But here I really don't have anyone. And I get lonely. And it's sort of pointless to make friends because we'll be gone in a handful of weeks.

I can't wait to move and get settled. I want to put down roots and make connections and have the kids make friends and host a ladies' night. I want to move forward.

There's a silver lining in all of this muck somewhere, but right now I'm just too tired to look for it. No matter what happens it'll all work out. It always does. I don't know how or when, but in the meantime, I'm counting down the days until I go camping with my friends. I can't wait. I might just stay there forever.

So that's just a few of the blogs that have been rattling around in my brain. Not really happy-go-lucky, but whatever. When I finally have internet on MY computer (using my mil's now) I'll have better ones, and pictures! Especially of Cora's nutty antics during the short time we were living in the bachelor pad. Think independent 2yo and a fridge of beer. Good times.

And this has ended up to be some pretty long cliff notes. I'll try to be better about sorta' more kinda' consistentish blogging, and I'll get more light-hearted as we go. In the meantime, here's to not seeing the inside of a moving truck for a very, very long time.