What’s Up Wednesday

I’ve been sitting in front of this blank screen for over thirty minutes. I begin to type something out, and then I think I don’t need to write about that, and erase everything, bringing me back to the same blank page. Frustrating.

I guess it’ll just be a What’s up Wednesday, kind of day.

a. It’s been six months since StepDad died, and this past weekend we finally had his memorial. His wish had always been to have his ashes spread out in the water of Santa Barbara, so that’s exactly what we did. He will forever be able to watch the girls in bikinis.
RJ was StepDad’s favorite grandchild, so it was very important that he be present. I hope that spreading his ashes into the water gave RJ some sort of peace with it.

 

b. I love these guys…. (you too, Squid!)

 

c. I’ve started thinking about moving out of state. Just so sick and tired of living in SoCal. The constant traffic everywhere you go, just makes my blood boil. It shouldn’t take 30 minutes to drive 15 miles, but it does. When I need to run down the street to the store, it becomes a 30 minute chore because of all the people/cars/horribly timed traffic lights. I’m just over it all and need a change. I need to move somewhere that isn’t in a constant rush. Somewhere that does things a little slower. I’ve gone so far as to throw a dart at a map to see where I should go. Unfortunately, Texas isn’t anywhere near where I want to end up. So, I’ll keep looking.

 

d. The new 2015 NASCAR schedule came out yesterday. Doesn’t really affect me much. The California Fontana race hasn’t changed, and since I watch all the rest on TV, I’m good with the schedule. Since we’re talking about NASCAR, let’s give a little credit to how well Jeff Gordon is doing. Great to see him back in Victory Lane. Again. (Better than Jimmie Johnson!) And hopefully Tony Stewart will be back to racing for the 2015 race season. (fingers crossed.)

 

e. SS and I went to our first wedding together. It was so much fun. His cousin got married at the top of a beautiful cliff that overlooked the entire Los Angeles valley. They spent a pretty penny on it, and it was nothing short of amazing. So glad I could be a part of it.

 

f. I jumped on the Ice Bucket Challenge bandwagon and did it! There’s video evidence. Don’t feel like putting it on YouTube just so that people can see it on here, but it’s on my Instagram feed if you want to check it out. The water was cold, so pardon my reaction.

 

Happy Wednesday!

Operation Move: Complete

It was a long, long day, but with the help of some really awesome people, we got it finished. Some things went up just one flight of stairs. Some, went upstairs into the bedrooms, so two flights of stairs were required. I.Hated.Carrying.Heavy.Stuff.Up.Two.Flights.Of.Stairs. Especially when the stairs have a sharp right turn. Fuuuuuuuun.

I’m excited and exhausted. We’ve been unpacking boxes for four days. I’ve run across things I had forgotten I owned. Things that took me back to another life I had with a husband and three children. Things that made me cry. Things that made me laugh. And at every turn of each page, SS was there to laugh and wipe away tears. He’s more awesome than I deserve. Just sayin’.

Watching him get excited as he opens a box from his past, was fun. Especially when he pulled out an entire binder full of these….

Remember these damn things? I had a few as a kid, but only because they came in a cereal box and I refused to throw them away.

Then he went and bought himself a new 46” television. It’s his baby. I’ve heard him say a number of times, “My tv is getting dusty.” I guess that’s my cue.  ;-)

Yes, yes. The tv is tentatively set up on a little side table. We haven’t bought couches, a coffee table, or a tv stand yet, but it’s in the works. We’re still looking and not willing to settle for something we don’t LOVE.

He bought me all new kitchen dishes, flatware, appliances, and more. I’m telling you, he’s too good to me.

I refuse to hang anything on the walls until all the furniture is set in place. I’m not about to make holes in the walls without knowing the stuff is going to stay there. Me and holey walls do not mix. Tacky.

However, I did go ahead and hang my favorite clock. She’s beautifully hung in my dining room where I can hear her from all areas of the house. Now, it finally feels like home. And I love it.

Operation Move: Complete

It’s official

t-minus eight days.

In eight days, I will move my entire world to a new house. A new place I will share with SS. I thought long and hard about what I was doing and what I was about to get into, and ultimately decided it was the best thing for me. I didn’t need to be afraid. I didn’t need to be unsure. I just needed to do it and move on with life.

We jumped into the car one afternoon, and after looking at a number of places, we finally settled on a 2-story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath townhome. And I couldn’t be more excited.

The task of buying living room furniture is a little scary to me. I hate to shop, especially for something that’s going to absorb my entire months salary. Thankfully, SS is ready to tackle it. What would I do without him?

A new location

Moving: Something I keep saying I’ll only do one more time.

Loaded, moved, unloaded, and put away. The house was completely set up in the same day. I guess there are perks to having an OCD roomie. There was no clutter to move. There was organization and no fighting. :-)  Some days are better than others.

How many guys does it take to move the raven cage up and over the fence?

Operation Move: Complete

Big Change #1

I am moving.

RM#1 and RM#2 bought a house. A 2600 square foot house on five acres. Yay. For. Them.

In less than thirty days, I will pick up everything I own, and move. It’s been over three and a half years since I’ve seen some of the stuff in my room, and yesterday when a friend came by to help go through stuff, I was shocked at some of the stuff I found.

Probation papers, birthday cards from The X, blank divorce forms, life insurance policies The X and I used to have for RJ, favorite photos of JK and I together that I’ve never wanted to throw away, and notebooks full of old thoughts and notes to God I’d jotted down between the ages of twelve and twenty-seven, all laid out before me on my bed and floor.

I felt overwhelmed. I felt as if I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared to move so quickly. I needed more time.

I stood, looking around at the mess I’d created. I looked at my friend, who was smiling at me, took a deep breath with my eyes closed, and sat back down. My troubles were not anywhere near as big as his. And for just a moment, I was grateful for it.

We sifted through stack after stack, drawer after drawer, and it was suddenly easy. I didn’t find trouble in throwing things away. Just a little change in perspective was all I needed.

I’m excited to be moving for a number of reasons.

1. It’s FIVE ACRES. Know what that means? That means no more dogs barking outside my bedroom window every morning. They’ll have their own section of the property. Know what else that means? That means the birds will have their own section of the property too. Maybe an acre each?
2. Some of the neighbors we currently have, are annoying. It’s just the luck of the draw when new people move in around you. Soon we will have NO neighbors. Well, at least not any within five acres.
3. So. Much. More. Room. To. Move. Around.
4. It’s zoned for RM#2 to own a bear, so a bear is what he’ll be getting. Yes, you heard that right. We will be getting a bear cub. (insert the overjoyous smile I’m holding back, here)

There are two downsides to it.

1. It’s an added 25 minutes to my daily commute (one way). Yay for longer times in traffic.
2. I will no longer be just down the street from my bff@work. This makes me very sad. I’ve enjoyed being able to just stop by for a few hours whenever I’ve wanted. Knowing I can just walk in without knocking (so I’ve been told), lets me know I’m not only welcome, but loved. I will miss them most of all.

T-minus 26 days. And counting.

Moving.

Ugh.

RM#1 and I are renters of the house we live in. Today, she gets a phone call from the owner saying they’re coming by today with a realtor to put up a For Sale sign. Um, what? People are going to be coming in and out of our house during the day? Are you kidding me???????? Heck no. Not gonna happen. No sir re.

RM#1 had a realtor of her own, as she was looking to buy her first home recently. After what she considers a “bad experience”, she fired her realtor and hasn’t been looking for houses since. As far as I know.

I don’t know why I got instantly stressed. Is it because I might need to move quicker than I had planned? Is it because I know for certain I can’t move all this stuff myself? I should be looking at it with a completely different set of eyes.

I can start over in a completely different place. New place, new people, new start in life. Life can be so different, if I allow it to.  :-)

I wanted the next time I had to move, to be so different. I can’t tell you what I mean about that, but know that this, wasn’t how I wanted things to end.

Stay tuned…we’ll see where this story goes in a few days.