We're Texans!

Well, we made it! Still not unpacked... I'm fairly certain the looming deadline of moving is the incentive to pack up, whereas once you arrive, there's nothing pushing to undo it all. And that's really what it is. Undoing all that box-packing that you so much dreaded in the first place!

Things are beginning to look as though they might settle s bit here over the next week. We've gotten groceries, cooked meals and just hung out all together. I'm really happy. The kids seem happy too. We went to a park the other night and everyone had a great time! The kids played and played. Then at bedtime Nate (oldest) said he didn't have any fun "today". I was puzzled, then it hit me. I said to him, "You know, you can have fun and like it here AND still miss our life and the people from NY." That surprised him, yet seemed to free him a bit. I told him I'd always miss my family. 

Yesterday was awesome! We met three families on our street and all of them have kids. Our neighbors to the left have a six yr old boy, he called our boys, "the bros". :) They showed him street hockey, and he showed them his playground (as Nicholas has termed it). It's super exciting to see! We cooked BBQ chicken in the slow cooker and had pulled chicken BBQ sandwiches. Everyone loved them!! Then we made a pretzel, caramel, chocolate dessert!

Today we made more unpacking progress, which is always a good thing. We also played street hockey and this evening wound everything down with a family walk with the dog. Tomorrow begins my last week before starting work. I'm a little nervous. Until next time...

*Street hockey together and some push-ups in the park!

Where does the time go?

Crossing into the Central time zone "saved" us an hour today, although we're still exhausted. And of course when I say "we" I mean Hubby and I...as the kiddos seem I be running on energizer tonight! To top it off, the folks in the room above us must wrastling hogs. The thumping and banging is irritating, to say the least. Plus it's keeping my kids up!

Today was interesting. I passed a teenage girl driving in Indiana. She was probably 16; she was gripping the wheel at 10 & 2 and she looked terrified traveling at less than the posted 70mph limit. It reminded me of the first time I drove faster than I was comfortable. Mom and I were taking my little brother to a hockey tournament near Albany somewhere. I wonder if she remembers that.

We also passed a billboard this afternoon for the Bourbon (MO) Family Center. It advertised "Beer-Liquor & Firearms". Classic.

Tonight we're staying in Springfield, MO. We drove through St. Louis and all the kids took pictures of the arch with their disposable cameras. It was really neat to experience their awe.

Tomorrow will be about the same as today. Long but surprisingly bearable. Then we'll bunk for our last night before arriving in our new city. Here's hoping the 'holes upstairs stop jumping around! >:•|

Ten miles behind us and ten thousand more to go

Ok, so that's not entirely accurate, but it sure feels that way. I don't think I mentioned Matthew (mini-me) asked, "How much longer?" between Antwerp and Philadelphia (NY)... That pretty much sums up the mood so far.

Today was a short travel day: five hours on the road compared to eight. Our nomadic band is now in Indianapolis. We swam, we ate pizza, we're going to bed. Up early in the morning (fingers crossed) to hit the road-expecting probably eightish hours again. If we can get loaded and out by 9:30 we should roll in to the next stop before dark.

The natives are definitely getting a bit restless. Hubby and I are doing our best to breathe through it, kind of like a hard contraction. Evening has wound down into night...finally. T.T.F.N. this road warrior is out.

*Fun in the hotel swimming pool!

Sawing logs

All the kiddos are loudly sawing logs-the pets seem to have survived day-1 and Hubby and I are glad to have the first leg behind us. It was a bit dicey at times, from leaving much later than anticipated, to kitty troubles in the car, to extra-long pit stops, and finally our hotel being overbooked (how is that even possible??!?).

We find our little band of nomads hunkered down just south of Cleveland, OH for free (yay) with a hot breakfast buffet that's served until 11am. I know what you're thinking; you're thinking we'd better not get a late start tomorrow too and be in the same boat again! Luckily it's. shorter leg tomorrow-headed to Indianapolis. Hoping we can get some rest, a good meal and still be there before dark. Time will tell.

My eyelids are heavy...and I want to be asleep before Hubby. It's always better to be the saw-er rather than the one awake!

*Below are Matthew (with his wolf) and Nathan asleep after about 3minutes! Tigger kitty is making herself at home. :)

The "D" is for Departure

It's early in the morning on "D" day. All week we've been attempting to pack in preparation for yesterday when we got the moving truck. We were so far from ready! My dad's been awesome helping load and strategize where the next group of "stuff" goes. Mom agreed to have the boys sleep over one last time before we go, so Hubby and I were able to prep the last of the misc boxes.

My feet hurt, Hubby's back hurts and I have a busted vessel in my wrist from saving a pane of refrigerator glass (don't ask-I STILL don't know why we're moving that thing without all its inards!). To add a nice cherry on top, in continues to rain. Ugh.

Gotta bounce for now, getting the kiddos activity packs and snack packs put together. Hoping to really move quickly this morning.

Back to reality... kind of

The way things are rolling along right now, I'm not sure there even is a reality! It's a whirlwind between the checklist of "to-dos" a mile long, which we haven't even MADE, and my last week at work, packing, planning, banking, paying bills...oh, and breathing.

So to play a bit of catch-up... I last left off after our first full day in TX. The next day was consumed with house-hunting. And if our first encounter that morning had been an actual reflection of how it would end, we probably would not be moving to TX! The house was GROSS - it smelled like pee, there were dirty clothes and shoes piled around, dogs barked loudly and incessantly - we walked in and we walked out. Luckily though, things got better.

We looked at 16 houses in all. Some much better than others. Many over priced and some out right old. One we were excited to go see had a pool, it ended up smelling like cigarette smoke - as non-smokers that's a deal breaker for us. There was one shining jewel. A brand new house, never lived-in and just waiting for us! It's really perfect!! Smaller than our home here in NY, but we want a bit smaller. It has that new home smell :)

We made an offer and it was accepted. We can move in before closing, as soon as we arrive in TX on the 24th, which is exciting! They don't even have the yards in yet, as they wait in hot, dry places because they don't want to pay to water the grass until absolutely necessary - makes sense to me. We went to the Realtor, Bank, Water dep and then were finally able to relax!

The 4th of July was enjoyed together, Hubby and me! We went to the home of new friends and just chilled out! Then, in the blink of an eye, we were driving to Dallas to catch a flight back.

Nathan, Matthew and Nicholas were THRILLED to see us (I think my mom and dad were too!) and we keep getting big hugs, so that's a plus. I really did try to have a relaxing weekend but I really don't think relaxing comes for a while. I've jabbered enough - get to work!

I'll leave you with a glimpse of the house - living area with fireplace and then kitchen - yay! :)

Home away from home

I'm still not sure today really happened... it was a whirlwind! First news of the day - Hubby and I have GREAT credit - YAY!! :) Not that we thought it sucked or anything, but we'd never had a real reason to try and figure it out. I think he was definitely more pumped than I was! Anyhow, with the new job and the "excellent" credit (our banker's adjective), our options are fairly open. So after much web surfing and much reminding ourselves to keep a lid on it, we have a list of about 15 houses to try and tour before the holiday. And yes, I realize that's two days away!!

After our good news this morning, and setting up bank accounts, we headed to the mall. I know it sounds lame, but where we are moving from there is no mall. There isn't even a drive-thru at McDonald's. It's a dinky town. I'm still in awe at how shocked people here are at how big we think the city is... good gracious people, there're 117,000 people here - do you know how many TIMES larger than 6,000 that is?? Needless to say, it's all about perspective.

Following the mall we did luch with future colleagues and Hubby - he was a bit outnumbered by all-female lunch companions, but I think we kept him entertained! Then a very lovely and generous coworker drove us all around the city to look at neighboorhoods, houses and talk about the points of view on where to buy. We were being swayed one way, and then another, then back again; she really helped us understand the city and how to best proceed with our search. We are truly grateful!!

Now it's well after 9pm and we're exhausted. There's so much more to do in the short time we're here. We are staying in my new boss' home. It's beautiful and she's so very gracious to have offered it to us while she's out of town on vacation. It's so much nicer than being in a cramped hotel room.

It feels so surreal, craziness piled upon craziness and all without the little ducklings following us around. I miss them. We found one house we're going to see with a pool - they would be THRILLED... we'll see.

Easy like Sunday morning

It's just now 6am and we've been up for an hour. Heading to the airport (Hubby and I) for our "research" time in Texas. My dad is graciously driving us to the airport (THANKS Dad!!) while my mom is at their house hosting the chillins - they'll be having a "sleepover" at Grandma and Grandpas all week. I'm glad they'll have that time with my parents; I know both groups will miss each other terribly when we leave! :(

My mom is having the hardest time with the concept of "The Move" right now; at least hers is the most visible discomfort. It seems daily she's in tears and I hate it, I wish more than anything I could somehow take the Hurt she's feeling away... She was there when all three were born, and she's seen or talked to all three at least twice weekly since. I know it's like ripping the rug out from under her...

My dad I'm sure is sad too, but he shows it differently. When all is said and done, I know he will miss very much his little helpers. Those boys live to help him, follow him around, be his shadow. We'll all miss watching their interactions together.

Well, as we approach the airport, I should turn my mind to less sad thoughts...so many things to think about and get ready for. I close my eyes, lean my head against the window and listen to the aound of the wheels on the highway. They'll be plenty of time for thinking. relax. Nothing quite like the easiness of Sunday morning.

*Below are Matthew (mini mi) and Nicholas (the baby) with my dad...Grandpa - he knows everything and can fix anything! :)

"Texas is not the South"

...That quote echoes in my head as I sit in quiet contemplation. It's been six weeks since I applied for a new job in Texas - and now we're three weeks from moving!

I can't explain what happened, but I know this is a wonderful opportunity for me and the fam. MY FAMILY - here I am more than a paragraph in and I haven't introduced them! Where are my manners? Josh. Hubby. Best friend. Tall (...TALL!). Handsome ;)  Nathan. Six years old (almost seven). Blond. Blue-eyed. Tall (like Daddy). Matthew. Mini me. Five years old (almost six). Brown-haired. Chocolate eyes. Nicholas. Three years old. Wavy blond. Blue-eyed. The baby. There we are, all - wait, I guess that leaves me. Suzann. (no "e") Tall...ish. Brunette. Glasses. Big smile (boys get that from me). And on my way to be the new Director of Alumni Relations at a university in Texas!

So, her we are. In two days we grown-ups fly to Texas to try and figure out where we're going to live, find a job for Hubby and hopefully watch as more doors are opened. An adventure this will SURELY be - from NY to TX!