Last Day in California!

It's finally here... tomorrow is the big day! By bedtime tomorrow, my little family will be back together under one roof. And as much as I am going to miss our family and friends here (and I am, terribly), I am looking forward to the next adventure. And really, it has been hard for us to be split up for so long... it will be so nice to have everyone together again! I try to just stay focused on the positive. We can do this!

Tomorrow is essentially a travel day, so today was really our last day living in California. It was a pretty normal, uneventful sort of day! I spent a good chunk of time packing our bags, and deciding how I was going to arrange our carry-on items. Nikos and I will be sitting together in one row, and Maya will sit behind us with one of my parents. My other parent (whoever that is) will sit in the center seat across the aisle from them, because that was the best configuration of seats we could get for that flight. I'm hoping we can convince someone to switch seats so that both of them can sit with Maya, but we'll see!

Anyway, while I was figuring out the luggage thing, Nikos dragged the kiddie couch into his room and insisted that Maya have a slumber party with him. So, she did. haha!

Later in the morning, my dad and I took the kids to the park. They had fun, as always. And at one point, they ran over and posed SO perfectly together on the white bench I am always trying to take their picture on. But did I have my camera? Of COURSE not! So that perfect picture will just have to live in my memory. sigh!

After lunch, my dad and I drove to the car rental agency to pick up a minivan. They don't have a car big enough to hold three adults, two kids in carseats, and a bunch of suitcases, so we decided it would be smart to rent one to get us to the airport tomorrow. When we returned, Nikos was very impressed with the minivan's automatic doors, and declared that he liked the minivan even better than my car. Sorry kid, but it's just a rental!

Anyway... we spent a lot of the time before dinner playing with bubbles in the back yard. Bubbles are experiencing a resurgence in popularity after the party we went to on Saturday-- the kids can't get enough! Case in point:


And I just thought this one was cool. Photographing bubbles is pretty challenging, actually!

At any rate, that was basically the day. Tomorrow morning, we will eat, get dressed, finish up the last-minute packing, and then hit the road. I may not be able to blog for a few days, but we do have internet at the new house and I WILL catch up soon... so stay tuned!

P.S. Gus says it's supposed to snow there next week. Not a joke. I am so not ready for this!!

Musings

No photos tonight (gasp!), just some miscellaneous thoughts and observations!

Maya misses her daddy SO much. Nikos does, too, but Gus' absence is really starting to take its toll on our baby girl. It breaks my heart! Most of the time, she's fine. She's always been stuck to me like glue-- totally a "mommy's girl." But lately, when she's really tired or upset about something, she starts wailing that she wants her daddy. Tonight, she bonked her head on a chair, and was sobbing uncontrollably about her daddy. Thankfully, it's just a few more days. But really, when you think about it... the kids have seen Gus for a grand total of about an hour in the past three weeks. They've never gone that long without their dad before, and of course it's got to be hard on them. Poor babies!!

On a happier note... Maya cracks me up. Nikos has always woken up in kind of a grouchy mood, which wears off after a bit. Maya, on the other hand, wakes up singing. Every. Single. Day. She sits in her bed and sings about her family members, her stuffed animals, whatever pops into her head. Her songs include such lyrics as, "Dora's climbing the bed, waaay up high! And now she's falling! Oh no, Dora! And here is Boots!" or "I love my Moooommy and Daaaaaddy and Niiiiiikos! And Chaaaaaarlie and Cooooorky!" haha! It is pretty much the cutest thing ever. She sings "real" songs, too, but my favorites are the ones she makes up on the spot. I don't know anyone else on the planet who wakes up as happy as she does!

Also, the kids are killing me with their pretend play. For about a week, Nikos insisted that they were X-Men, and they went around fighting the bad guys. He was Wolverine, and she was Rogue. Now, he is Spider-man and Maya is Firestar (one of Spider-man's friends from one of the many incarnations of the TV cartoon). Nikos loves to run around shooting webs, calling for Firestar to come and help him. Maya, to her credit, gets into her role and really becomes Firestar-- which Nikos LOVES! They are so funny!

Anyway, that's it for tonight. We're approaching our big travel day, so preparations are underway for that. We are all excited to see Gus again!!

Bubbles!

We went to a super fun birthday party this afternoon! The kids generally enjoy themselves at parties, but this one was seriously one of the best they have been to. It was a bubble party, and they were SO into it!

During the first part of the party, the kids got to play with giant bubble wands out in the back yard. They both had a blast, but Nikos really developed a knack for making the big ones. Maya tended to move her arm too quickly, flinging bubble solution on innocent bystanders. But she had fun nonetheless!

Then it was time for the bubble show. As we were driving to their house this afternoon, Nikos had insisted that he wanted nothing to do with the bubble show, and that he was going to be shy. Wrong! This kid had me rolling on the floor. He was the bubble lady's number one fan, cheering and clapping louder than anyone else. And he shouted out the answers every time she asked a question, which was pretty impressive since a lot of her questions were about science. That's my boy! (proud mommy moment!) And then, when the bubble lady wanted volunteers, Nikos was the first person she called on. He looks just miserable, doesn't he? :)

Maya thought about getting into a bubble, too, but was in sort of shy mood this afternoon. She loved watching the show, but was content to sit on the sidelines.

Anyway, it was a TON of fun, and something I'm sure the kids will be talking about for a long time. What a great idea for a party!

Moving Day: The Sequel

Our stuff made it!!! While I obviously have yet to go through things and see if they are in good condition, the truck itself made it to the house early this morning. They got everything unloaded and put in the right place, and they reassembled all our furniture. Gus was a nice husband and humored my request for a photo... so here it is, for posterity! (I like to document these things... can you tell?)

And yes, the entire massive moving truck fit in our driveway, with plenty of room to spare behind it. That is a long driveway!!

Sadly, there is no way our bedroom armoire will fit upstairs, so it is currently in the living room until we can decide what to do with it. We knew this was a possibility, since that thing is massive and had to actually go in/out through the window at our old house. And this house, being so old, has some narrow hallways and lower ceilings (in parts). And... basically ALL of my clothing is in the armoire-- haha! So I will have to move it to the closet, I guess. Luckily we have a lot of closet space! And I'm thinking we will probably sell the armoire and get a low dresser. But only time will tell!

Anyway, this is one more thing to cross off the list. Gus, the pets, our cars, and all our belonging are currently there. All that's missing? The three of us! Five more days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a day! Having two small kids keeps things interesting, but adding a newly-mobile third one into the mix can get a little wild! The kids really enjoyed playing with their cousin, who seemed to find them endlessly entertaining and fascinating. Colton was constantly trying to follow them around, and they loved it! Both kids were so sweet with him, and it was really fun to watch as Maya shared her balloon, or Nikos held his hand to walk with him. They really do love their cousin!


And their aunt and uncle, too, of course! Nikos thinks my brother is just about the greatest thing since sliced bread, and was thrilled to show off for him all day long. Funny kid!

Anyway, it was a nice, low-key Thanksgiving, though we definitely missed Gus. I told him we will make up for it next week, with our own mini-Thanksgiving with the menu of his choice. Poor Gus celebrated the day by rescuing the cat from the crawlspace of the new house (he crawled through the opening in the laundry room floor where Gus was working on the drain for the washer), then giving him a bath to clean him up. Oh, and then having some good old mac and cheese from a box. Very exciting times! On the plus side, the moving truck should arrive tomorrow, so he will actually have a bed to sleep on again. Something to be thankful for!

And another thing to be thankful for: these two incredible kids. They have been coping with a lot of changes in their lives all at once, and handling it SO well. They have their moments where they want their daddy, or they want to go "home" to the old house, or they are extra clingy to me, but they are still, for the most part, rolling with the punches. I just love these two little monkeys, and can't imagine my life without them!

Pillow and Playtime Pics

First... the pillow! I went to pick up the kids at Gus' parents' house yesterday afternoon, and I think we must've left Nikos' pillow there. I didn't realize it until bedtime, though, at which point it was most definitely too late. So he slept with a different pillow... and was totally fine! I seized this opportunity to be done with his ratty old pillow, and I have to say that the operation was a success! We went to the store this morning and bought him a new pillow, along with some cool dinosaur fabric to make a few pillowcases (which my mom sewed ridiculously quickly... thanks, Mom!). Anyway, the boy loves his new pillow! He's been snuggling with it all day!

That took up most of our morning, actually (buying the pillow and finding dinosaur fabric). In the midst of all that, I took the kiddos for a little snack break at Starbucks, which they always enjoy (soon to be replaced by Dunkin' Donuts, I suppose!). I always love taking them out to eat, because they behave so well and we have such fun little conversations! I love those kids!!

Anyway, we came back just before lunch. The kids helped my dad hang Christmas lights. And after lunch, we drove to the "other" park in my parents' development (the one that's farther away). They both had fun playing on the equipment, especially the little four-wheelers. And the huge grassy hill was just too tempting! Maya took a great nap after all this running!


At any rate... my brother and his family should be here soon, and the kids are looking forward to some quality time with their aunt, uncle, and cousin. Should be fun!

Playdate!

We went to my friend Sara's house today, to hang out with her and our other friend, Alicia! I actually met these girls a few years back through my online mommy group, but we've all become friends and it's just nice to sit and chat. They both live fairly close to my parents' house, so we definitely needed to hang out while I'm here!

I actually did family photos for Sara yesterday, and I saw both her and Alicia last month at Alicia's daughter's birthday party. Still, it's really nice to be able to corral all the kids in one room and have the chance to enjoy some grown-up conversation. The kids had a lot of fun, especially Nikos and "New Brady" (as opposed to just "Brady," his daycare buddy).

And, the closest thing to a "group shot" that I could get... I know that the photo quality is horrible! And it REALLY bothers me, but this camera is tiny and way more convenient to toss in my bag than my "good" one. sigh!

Anyway, we got home just in time for lunch, and Gus' mom showed up shortly afterward to take the kiddos for a few days. I'm sure they will enjoy being spoiled by their other set of grandparents, and I am looking forward to sleeping in, for a change! Everybody wins! :)

Adventures of Super Cat!

Well... he made it! And, in a shocking turn of events... he did GREAT! Hallelujah!

We began our morning by waking up at 2:45 to get ready and get out of the door by 3:15-ish. We had to drive to LAX, which is about an hour and a half away. We wrapped Charlie in some towels like a little burrito, and my dad held him tightly while I drove. Once got to LAX, we pulled into the cell phone lot, gave Charlie some love, got his jacket on him, and placed him into his carrier. I was so, so worried that he would "let loose" once inside his carrier, as he usually does, but it was just a quick drive over to the terminal... and he was fine!

Despite all my paperwork telling me to be at the airport BY 5:30, it turned out that 5:30 was actually when the office opened. Of course! So I sat on the floor with my kitty for a good 20 minutes, talking to him and letting him sniff my hand through the door. He didn't meow or act panicked; instead, he just laid down and stared intently at everything going on around him.

Once the office actually opened, the check-in process was easy. Thorough, though! They really checked everything, including the ground temperatures, so I was glad we rescheduled him to today. I was just thankful that he didn't defile his carrier while we were waiting, because that would give them reason to deny shipping him. I was fairly certain that he would, at some point, make a mess... I was just glad not to be there when it happened!

However... I WAS WRONG! While Charlie was acting traumatized and was curled up in a ball at the back of the carrier, he was otherwise completely clean when Gus went to pick him up at the Cargo Terminal in Boston! And he still had his jacket on! :) He continued to do well on the hour-plus drive from the airport to the new house, and was quickly ready to explore his new surroundings. He's never been in a house with stairs before, so our house is like a kitty jungle gym. Gus enjoyed following him around as he checked out his new home. I think he's going to like it there!

All in all, our kitty traveled for nearly 12 hours today, and did AMAZINGLY, SHOCKINGLY well! Way to go, Charlie! That's one more thing off the giant "To Do" list! :)

Charlie

I haven't posted much about our feline friend, but the truth is that he has caused me the most stress throughout the whole moving process. You see, our kitty is a horrendous traveler. The WORST. Within minutes of being placed into a carrier and then into a car, he... lets loose. Without going into graphic detail, let's just say that plenty of things that should stay inside of him end up coming outside. YUCK!

Anyway... The bird went across the country with Gus in the car, and that was no big deal. She just sat in her little cage and enjoyed the scenery. But we knew that would not be a viable option for the kitty. We needed to minimize his travel time as much as possible. Nor did it make sense for him to travel in the airplane cabin with us, since he would certainly meow and yowl and stink up the place. So... I have booked him a direct flight from Los Angeles to Boston tomorrow (flying as cargo). Which means that my dad and I need to bring the little booger to the airport no later than 5:30am tomorrow. I feel tired already!

As it turns out, sending a pet as cargo is pretty complicated! For one, they can only fly when the ground temperatures are between 45 and 85 degrees at all stops along the route. This isn't an issue on the west end, but Boston is pretty chilly this time of year. We were actually going to send him today, but tomorrow looks more promising. The high is supposed to be in the high 50s, with the low being 44. He'll be landing at around 2pm, though, so we should hit the higher end of that range. Fingers crossed that we are able to send him!!

In addition to that requirement, we also had to get a health certificate, rabies certificate, and a letter of acclimation (saying he can withstand temps between 45 and 85 degrees) from a vet. And a lot of warm, absorbent bedding for his carrier. The carrier requirements are also pretty specific, and we had to label the top and two sides with the words "LIVE ANIMAL" (with letters at least 1" high). I bought him a jacket, too, which was one of the vet's recommendations (he hates it). And the vet also suggested giving him just a small dose of Benadryl to help calm him.

Still, we don't want to risk him making a mess in his carrier before we get to the airport, so my dad is going to wrap him and carry him in a towel for the entire (1.5-hour-long) drive there. At 4am. Then we will get his jacket on (ha!), put him in there, and we will be good to go, I hope. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, we love our kitty, even if he can be a pain, and we want him to make it safely. Good luck, little Charlie! We'll see you in a week and a half!

My Babies

I just love them! This was from the park today (just down the road from my parents' house... convenient enough to walk to every day!). I think they were having a meeting here to discuss their next superhero plan. They love pretending to be Spider-man and Spider-girl, or Wolverine and Rogue (Nikos' favorite X-Men). It is ridiculously cute to see them playing pretend together, and they do it a lot!

He Made It!

After driving nearly non-stop since Saturday afternoon, and stopping for a good 18 hours in Chicago to attend his uncle's funeral (may he rest in peace), Gus finally made it to the new house. He's tired, the house is dirty, and he will basically be camping for a few days... but he made it, and that's one thing I can stop worrying about. That is quite a drive... over 3,000 miles in four days. I am guessing he probably won't be wanting to do that again anytime soon!
(side note: I put in San Diego as the starting point, and it looks like he started in Tijuana. haha!)

Meanwhile, we spent the morning at a dinosaur museum that's not too far away, in the town where my grandparents used to live. I can remember that this huge reservoir was in the process of being excavated years ago when I visited them there. Well, it turned out that they uncovered all sorts of ice age-era fossils when they were digging! Lots of mastodons, mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and giant sloths. So this museum was built next to the reservoir to house all the cool artifacts. They have actual dinosaur stuff, too, even though this whole area was underwater during the cretaceous period.

At any rate, the kids really enjoyed it! There was a fun simulation game where you were randomly assigned a dinosaur, and then you had to keep it alive by avoiding predators, finding appropriate food, etc. I kept our triceratops alive, thankfully, though my dad reported that the t-rex was more challenging. :)

Both kids also enjoyed the replica t-rex skull, which they were allowed to touch. Maya got really close and touched its teeth, but Nikos was actually a little scared. And the t-rex is his all-time favorite dinosaur! Still, it was pretty big, so I can see why it might be frightening for him.

After that, we went into a room with all the skeletons. Maya was having a blast, but Nikos got pretty quiet. They both, however, loved this one station where they could "dig for artifacts" like an archaeologist. They also made their own clay "fossils" using the molds provided, and did some crayon rubbings. Really, it was pretty neat and totally kid-friendly. Nikos cried when we left, though I think it might have been mostly because he wanted toy dinos from the gift shop. Crazy kid!

Anyway, it was a good day, and I am tired... not as tired as Gus, though! Here's hoping he gets a good night's sleep and has a productive day tomorrow!

Catching Up

So, I have been busy these last few days! While the most stressful part (for me) is over, in some ways my work has just begun. We are currently living at my parents' house while Gus drives across the country, but this is definitely not a permanent situation! We've gotten from point A to B, but now we need to get from B to C. And that is a lot of work!

I have spent the last two or so days working like a madwoman, trying to knock things off of my To Do list. I bought a new washer and dryer, picked out paint, tile, and grout, scheduled all sorts of deliveries, bought plane tickets, worked on securing a separate flight for the cat (HUGE source of stress, by the way), took the cat to the vet to get all his paperwork, looked into buying a television, figured out how to get medical records transferred, and looked into various cleaning services to come and clean the new house. Oh, and I booked a night in a hotel for Gus, who is driving across the country as we speak (he's made it to Chicago already!).

Thankfully, my parents have been a great help with the kids, who are having so much fun living at Grandma and Grandpa's house, even for just a little while. They've been to the park twice already, and have spent lots of time riding tricycles in the back yard. They got a new one for Maya, and had to put tape on the pedals to give her a little more traction-- a feature she just loves to tell you about! They are both sleeping well, and are happy to be reunited with Charlie, who they missed quite a bit for the few days they were apart. And honestly? Charlie seemed to miss them, too. So everyone is good at the moment, including Gus, who is tired but still going strong.

Anyway, how about a few pics? I have my nice camera with me, but have mostly been tucking the little one or my cell phone in my pocket... so that explains the difference in picture quality!

First, some pics of the kids playing!


And a picture of Charlie, wrapped up burrito-style after his appointment today. My Dad was my cat-wrangler. Thanks, Dad!!

And finally, a picture from Friday night... I took the kids out to dinner on our last night at the old house, and was admiring the sunset as we got into the car. I think it was so pretty because of all the clouds that were moving in... the same clouds that would dump buckets of rain on us the next day! Still, this was our last San Diego sunset... bye-bye, SD!

Moving Day!

We survived!!

I am beyond exhausted right now. But today was moving day, and everything successfully made it onto the truck and is now headed east. Hallelujah!

I should start by saying that Gus got back from Colombia (as in, South America) after midnight last night. He was supposed to be home much earlier, but his first flight was delayed by an hour and then he got held up in customs, missing his connection. He finally made it to bed at around 1am, and was up at 5:45, thanks to a snuggly little boy who was just excited to see his daddy again. We quickly got up, got dressed, got the kids dressed and fed, and tried to get as much last-minute stuff done as possible. My parents arrived at around 7:15, and I got the carseats installed in their car and the suitcases stowed away. It was a good thing they arrived when they did, because the moving truck arrived at around 7:45-- a full 45 minutes early! Ack!

Did I mention that it POURED rain all day? Because it did. It was a pretty miserable day for a move, and the house definitely needed a good cleaning afterward, but the rain didn't faze the movers for a second. Thankfully!

We got off to a rocky start, with our driver (the head moving guy) being somewhat lacking in the people skills department. He was up in arms about the glass shelves in our entertainment center and china cabinet, and demanded that we pack them. And then there was an issue in that Gus' motorcycle wasn't on the list of special items to move. For a while, we weren't sure if they would move it at all, but it ended up working out in the end. And honestly, the guy was just sort of gruff. By the end of the day, I didn't mind him so much, knowing that this was just his personality. He really wasn't so bad.

Still, the beginning of the move was SUPER stressful! I practically threw the kids into my mom's car in the pouring rain, as I stood in the gutter and let the water flow through my Converse. Gus eventually came out to say goodbye to them, since he won't see them for a few weeks. And Bonnie ran out to say goodbye to them, too, which was incredibly sweet. It was so chaotic at that point! But they got out of there at that point, driving back to my parents' house an hour away.

Luckily, things began to calm down and the movers got into their groove. Gus and my dad spent a lot of time loading up his truck and my car, and getting my car loaded onto the trailer hitch. Still in the pouring rain. Seriously, it rarely rains more than 10 inches in an entire YEAR here, and it chose today to dump buckets on us. Figures! I like to think that San Diego was crying for us today. Anyway, it went a lot more smoothly from that point, and all our stuff eventually made it onboard. I was shocked at how little space our 170 boxes and tons of furniture took up. It was about a quarter of that truck, and they still have several stops after ours! Amazing!

Anyway, they finally finished up at around 2pm, and Gus left at around that time. He's driving across the country with both our cars and the parrot, hopefully making a pit stop in Illinois to go to his uncle's funeral. Meanwhile, I put my dad on sweeping duty, while I used Bonnie's vacuum to clean up the house. I won't lie, I cried when I returned their stuff to them. And then coming back to the house, seeing it so empty and full of echoes... I think it finally hit me. I was fighting back the tears for quite a while after that. And I'm pretty sure they will hit me again a lot over the next few weeks.

Now, the kids and I (and the cat) are comfy and warm at my parents' house, our home for the next two or so weeks. It feels good to have survived moving day, and to have taken a nice warm shower. It's not over yet, by any means, but we've overcome the first hurdle. Pillow, here I come!!

Goodbye, Pacific!

So, we took a break from packing (which is almost done) and said our farewells to the Pacific Ocean this morning. My coworker planted the idea, saying I needed to get photos of the kids standing on both coasts. Despite living in California my entire life, and in San Diego (land of beautiful beaches!) for the past 8.5 years, we really don't go to the beach that often. Still, we needed to make our little pilgrimmage and say adios to our ocean.

Really, I have never lived more than 30-40 minutes from the Pacific Ocean. And while I haven't taken advantage of it nearly as much as I could have, the thought of it being there is kind of reassuring. Not to mention the fact that my whole "mental map" of California is based on having the ocean over there on the left. I feel like, no matter where I am, I can tell which way is west. Part of the reason I get SO turned around in Massachusetts is because the ocean is on the wrong side! It's going to take some getting used to, I guess!

Anyway, here are a few pics from our trip. We played in the sand until they got tired of it, then we went and got scones at Starbucks. All this before 10am! It was fun, though, and I look forward to taking matching pictures by the Atlantic!

Little Helpers

Today, I literally packed all day long! My main focus was the kitchen, which is now 100% packed. And I was able to do all of this with both kids home, because they were (for the most part) SUPER well-behaved today! Yes! Times like this, I am thankful for the fact that my kids generally get along and genuinely enjoy playing with each other. They played together for hours and hours, with only occasional refereeing on my part. I even let them play in the yard for a long time without me, which isn't super common (though I should say that our yard is completely fenced in and padlocked, and I can see/hear them at all times). They loved it! And I was happy to get so much done! And, because I am sort of ahead of the game, this means we can go do something fun tomorrow. YAY! I need to return my (former!) coworker's microwave in the morning, but then we're going to go to the beach. Another friend suggested taking pics of the kids at the Pacific Ocean, then following it up with pics of them at the Atlantic, after we move. Easy enough! And a fun excuse to head to the beach, provided the weather stays nice. I am looking forward to it!

Anyway, I grabbed these snapshots of the kiddos today that I thought I'd share. First, the boy helped me pack... though he promptly unpacked it all, haha!

Then, the kids pretended that the step stool was a motorcycle, which they "drove" for a while...

And then Nikos walked around with this box, declaring that he was a robot... ha!

After lunch, I treated them to ice cream sandwiches, since they totally deserved them and the weather was beautiful!

And, between me packing boxes and hauling bags of trash out to the curb, that was basically our day! I am looking forward to a little break tomorrow... I think I deserve it! :)

Last Day of Daycare

Today was the kids' last day at daycare, and it was bittersweet. Of course, I am thrilled beyond belief to be a stay-at-home mom! But Bonnie has been like a second mom to these kids since they were each about ten weeks old. And really, she's known them each since they were days old. She's come to all their birthday parties, too, and has been a great next-door-neighbor in general. It's the end of an era around here! Not to mention the fact that the kids have made some good friends over there... friends who they probably won't remember five years from now. Still, these were their "first friends," and it has been so sweet to watch these relationships develop over the past four years.

Anyway, Bonnie let the kids (mostly Nikos, since he's more opinionated) choose their "last meal" for today. He chose hot dogs, strawberries, raisins, and ice cream sandwiches. Oh, and blueberry muffins for breakfast. The other kids helped make each of them a goodbye card with their handprints, and they sang some goodbye songs. Then, when I went to pick them up, I took a few pictures of "the gang." Some of the kids were asleep, but these are the ones that Nikos and Maya play with the most, anyway!

First... Look at those smiles! Maya was a little overtired and told me she didn't want to smile. So, she didn't!

She did, however, give her best friend Matthias a hug. He's about six months older than her, but they just love each other. So sweet!

And the gang, with Bonnie. They are sure going to miss her-- we all are!

Anyway... The packing frenzy continues here. The end is in sight! Charlie (the cat) has already gone to my parents' house, so he won't be underfoot on moving day. The last Salvation Army pickup is scheduled for tomorrow. We've set up all our utilities at the new house, and cancelled things here. It's really, truly happening. Insane!!

Life Among the Boxes

As I mentioned yesterday, Gus took the kids with him to visit his parents today. As a result, I had an entire day of uninterrupted packing! As of right now, both kids' rooms are completely packed, minus their bedding and a few favorite toys (which already have a box waiting for them on moving day). Our bedroom is almost entirely packed, too-- the closet is empty, the nightstands are empty, and everything under the bed has been hauled out, dusted off, and put in its appropriate place. The master bathroom is well on its way to being done, too. The china cabinet and bookcases have been empty for a while now, as has the entertainment center. And the kitchen is about 60% packed-- I really need to start in on the dishes and utensils.

Anyway, I got to a good stopping point earlier where things actually looked sort of CLEAN, for once! I vacuumed the floor, which was amazingly satisfying after living in squalor for a while (packing will do that to a house!). I was compelled to take photos, for posterity. And here you have it-- life among the boxes (about 140 of them, at last count!):