Are you happy you moved?

When we first made our move, we were constantly asked "Why in the world did you move here?" We asked ourselves the same thing at first. The house was crowded with boxes, we didn't have a pool to swim in during the hot days, and we missed our daily lives. As the summer went on, we still hadn't reached that happiness state, but we hoped that once school started, everything would be better. Besides, we had family close by to spend birthdays and holidays with. Yes, everything would be better soon.

Things did get better once the kids started school. I was completely excited about free breakfast, free childcare, and free activity cards. Things were better for the kids too. New friends, great teachers, and much less homework. We even had a few family members celebrate birthdays with us.

After being here almost six months, people still ask if we were happy that we moved. As we enter the holiday season, the truth is, I am beginning to really miss my old life. I miss decorating my house, I miss my Christmas eve church service, and I miss having my own bathroom. Most of all, I miss that I used to miss my family at the holidays. After spending six months geographically closer to family, I feel even farther away from them. We haven't been included in the holiday plans and I barely see or talk to my siblings. It's funny how lies, sarcasm, and silence are much easier to explain away when 1500 miles separates you.

So am I happy I moved, not really. I am determined, however, to focus on the positive side of this move. We have a place to live, hubby is working, and we have lots of new friends. So we went out and got our own turkey and are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving the same way we have in the past. Just us, lots of food, and lots to be thankful for. Happy Holidays.

There's a Whole in My Bucket

A few days back, my cousin mentioned that he had checked a few items off of his bucket list. You all know what that is, right? The list of things you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket. Many of my friends have talked about their bucket lists and even posted them on Facebook as a way to help keep the list always in their mind. I had never really given too much thought to my bucket list beyond a sarcastic reply to questions that start with "Do you want to". Besides, I struggle every day to get done what needs to get done. Why pressure myself with another list of stuff I won't get around to doing?

I can't help it though. Maybe it's because we are moving and there are so many things we haven't done in Florida. Maybe it's because we are making plans of what we want to do in Nebraska. Whatever it is, ever since my cousin mentioned his bucket list, I catch myself thinking about my list several times a day. So I am going to do it. I'm writing down my bucket list. This isn't the final version, but these are things that have been swirling in my mind for quite some time.

1 - Go to Africa. Since watching a Billy Graham special on tv back in the 70s, I've dreamed of going to Africa. I've met a handful of people who have been there, and I've supported ministries there, but that hasn't quenched my desire to travel there.

2 - Go to Alaska. I'd love to go on a cruise to see whales and such, but I really want to live in Alaska. I would love to hang out with the Palin family. I could get used to that way of life very easily.

3 - Witness a live flash mob or be in a flash mob. Seriously, this is an emotional thing for me. I can barely keep from crying everytime I see one. It's just such a joyful thing. Everyone has a huge smile on their face and stops what they are doing to watch.

4 - Judge a contest. I love talent competitions. My dream job is to be an America's Got Talent judge, but I'd settle for being an alternate judge for the World Series of BBQ!

5 - Learn to swim. I don't really want to learn, but I do need to learn. I probably could swim right now except for my insane fear of getting my face wet. I should probably seek counseling for that.

6 - Run a marathon. Well, not really run one, but be in good enough condition again that I could run a marathon if I wanted to.


7 - Get hypnotized. I've seen people get hypnotized, and as teens, my friends and I dabbled in hypnotizing each other. It was a skill we learned thanks to a sleepover where a psychiatrist's daughter taught us how to do it. It worked and was really cool to do, but that doesn't really count. It'd be great if this could help me to get over my fear of water!


Well, there it is. My first draft at my bucket list. I didn't add the other ones like, get caught up on laundry or become a millionaire, because honestly, those are never going to happen.

April Fool - Not

The last few days we have had terrible storms in our area. Although the rain was a welcome relief from the heat, it did a great deal of damage to our garage sale staging area. Furniture that we were hoping to sell has started to warp slightly from the moisture. I've set those in the sun to see if the will dry out today. Boxes we had filled with clothes are now soggy boxes filled with soggy clothes. We need to unpack and launder everything so it doesn't mold. When that's done, we'll be deciding on a charity to donate all of our stuff.

Yes, I said it, donate. I have never been a garage sale person so I wasn't fond of the idea of having a garage sale. It was part of the plan to pay for the moving truck. Luckily, our refund will be able to cover that expense, so we don't need to sell anything. I'd rather call the Salvation Army to come and pick everything up anyhow. So that's what we are doing. This weekend, instead of having our big moving sale, we will be sorting out what items we can give to our friends, and which items we will be donating.

With only 60 days left until the move, Salvation Army my have to stop by a few times. I'm getting tired of packing!