Hey Everybody!!

Checking in from the library! Things are somewhat settled.

Our stuff sailed from Seattle today. We should have it delivered sometime between the 30th of Aug. and the 3rd of Sept. We sign a lease tomorrow for a 3 bedroom duplex in a very nice area of town.

I miss my house terribly. It still hasn't sold, so now we are wondering if we should try to rent it out. The budget will need some serious help if we don't sell soon.

The kids are doing fine. I'm starting to go nuts in the hotel room though. The Olympics has saved my behind from going bonkers in the evenings. I'm fighting every urge just to shut myself in and give in to the depression, anxiety and whatnot, but I'm fighting the good fight.

I miss you all and I hope to be back online for good in another couple of weeks!

I'll be back soon!

Well, this is my last typed post for a while. Since Audioblogger worked quite well, I will try to use that when I can't get to a computer.

I'm taking the rest of the weekend away from the computer, to pack and reflect.

The Moving Action commences on Tuesday with the Picking Up of the Rental Car and Fishing Guy coming home.

We all fly to Juneau on Saturday, Aug. 14th.

I will check in as I can, from the hotel or library, maybe not until we have moved into our new place.

Take care of yourselves! I will miss you.

A Different World

TGIF all!

Today is Day 11 for Joe's 5th Trip to Alaska.

In exactly one week, I will be at a hotel preparing everything to get on a flight first thing the next morning to go to Juneau. The house will be packed and everything we own will be on the slow boat up the coast.

I made at least a dozen phone calls this morning, getting the new P.O. Box address to the utilities and making final arrangements to shut off everything.

The DSL could go anytime after today, even though the guy assured me it would take 3 business days. Funny, but I just don't believe them.

The Phone Company *still* won't let me disconnect the phone because it is in Joe's name. How that happened, I will never know because I was the one that called to set everything up. He's going to have to call when he gets home and talk to them personally. I even faxed a mortgage statement over on Tuesday, evidently to someone who doesn't exist and can't do a thing for me, according to the Computer. Good thing I blacked out all non-pertinent and my valuable information.

I have to fax a copy of the title to our car to the Transportation people. I already faxed the Insurance Valuations on Tuesday and she could have let me know that the title needed to be faxed with them. Oh well, at least I finally got her to call me back.

On to more interesting things!

My backpack arrived yesterday from L.L. Bean. It is so very cool!

First of all, I am a bag-aholic. I shop for luggage everywhere I go. I have tote bags, duffle bags, makeup bags, travel bags, camera bags, diaper bags and purses. Since I've been with Joe, he has put a stop to my bag collecting, which has forced me to actually use what I have. Now, I've got bags with holes and broken zippers that I've been waiting to replace and Voila!, a move is the perfect reason to by new luggage.

Now, I just have to figure out what to pack where and I'll be set!

In other interesting news...

It is raining here at the house today. Finally. We need the rain.

Oddly, it is sunny in Juneau.

Wonderful Wednesday!

Gosh, so much to tell...

Today was busy for us. I had planned a day to go to town and when Pez and Gang emailed and wanted to get together today, I jumped at the chance to see them again before we left.

We got in the car about 9:30 am and we were off! I had to stop up in town to drop a payment for the neighbors (who are on vacation) and leave our change of address at the post office. *sniff* Then a stop to fax important-moving-related papers and a potty stop at the Texaco. Next stop was the New Bank, to deposit Tristan's birthday checks and a frustrating conversation with a teller. Across the street, after that, to Target, searching for a small Jasmine doll. No luck, but there was much crying about a horse I didn't buy for Tristan.

Then we drove south, to the Kirkland Fred Meyer, where I learned I was stupid confused and the Chuck E. Cheese was NOT there, but in the Bellevue Fred Meyer parking lot, about 10 miles away. I did manage to empty the trunk of all the Goodwill donations in Kirkland though, before heading to the correct Fred Meyer and pulling in right as Pez was getting there!

Thank God for cell phones. Seriously. Without directions from Pez, from where I was to where I needed to go, I never would have found the way. It's sad enough that I know where most things are related to the closest Fred Meyer. *winks*

Here we are, Pez on the left and me on the right. Thanks Jackson for taking the picture!



Strange as it seems, I really needed some bright lights and loud kids in my day. The bigger kids devoured the tokens riding all the rides and Cars is getting cuter by the day! I got a break from the kids needing my undivided attention and I got to savor some adult conversation and some pizza!

Here we all are! Thanks to the nice Chuck E. Cheese Employee who took the picture from behind the toy counter!



Unfortunately, I had to get back on the road to finish my errands and get home before traffic got really bad. We said our goodbyes, Tristan chose to yell his non-stop from his seat in the car and we all headed home.

(Pez, I forgot to ask in your comments about the HUGE yellow truck - was that you he almost hit?)

We made it to Wal-Mart on the way home. I put more minutes on the phone card for Joe, Tristan has a new winter coat ($35!) and I have more scrapbooking stuff. hehe. There were also more tears about more horses I didn't buy for Tristan. The stop at the Eye Doctor was painless and I have my new contacts now. The kids didn't make it out of town before they were sound asleep. I stopped on the way to the house to take a picture of the 20 acre fire on the hillside across the river that started on Monday. We aren't in any danger, but I do smell the smoke in the mornings.

I glossed over dinner. The kids had sandwiches and I had leftover couscous. I brought in the trash bins for us and the neighbors. Tristan got a bath and the kids were tucked in bed by 8:30 pm. I sent out the mass family/friend email with all the Alaska information too. Now, I'm going to go upstairs to put in a DVD and relax!

Hope you all had a Fabulous Day!

Another Nibble...

I'm overlooking the fact that they "dropped by" because the agent did ask if they would be able to see the house - after I went out front to move the sprinkler.

Another very nice couple, with 2 small kids, took a good look at the house. The sandbox might be the dealmaker. They liked the washer and dryer upstairs - instead of in the garage like the other houses they looked at. And the fact that all of the appliances are staying seemed to be a huge bonus to the agent. He hadn't pulled our house up on his listing search because he had looked for 4 bedrooms, but with our "formal dining room" it adds an office space that people are loving.

I really did my best to sell the neighborhood, town too. Now, I just need to wait and see if I managed to set the hook!

So far, So Good.

We just had a couple come look at the house!

Thanks to the insanity on Sunday, the house took less than 30 minutes to pick up. I even got a shower in the hour before they arrived.

The kids were rewarded with chocolate for helping pick up.

I am, however, just realizing as I type this, that I didn't double check the bathroom downstairs after Grace brushed her teeth. Darnit - there was a towel wadded up on the counter and a huge blob of toothpaste on the edge of the sink. Hopefully, they will overlook that fact and focus on the rest of the house, that was very clean!

Well, I need to gather the trash and recycling, get it out to the curb and my chores for the day are done. I got a ton done this morning and I'm taking the evening off!

Don't Forget - Amazing Race is on tonight!

More Good Monday...

• I have a general idea when the movers will be arriving on the 11th.
• We have a rental car set up in Juneau for the 14th.
• We only have to sign the new policy when we arrive in Juneau for the car insurance to be switched over.
• I know exactly what I have in the fridge, pantry and freezer.
• We can eat for the next week (I admit creatively) without much more than milk and bread from the store.
• Raspberry Smirnoff Twisted's are my new drink of choice.
• My new L.L. Bean backpack will be here by the weekend.
• I am no longer out of chocolate.
• It's bedtime for the smalls!

Have a Great Night Everyone!

Monday...

So far so good. I'm making more checkmarks on the To-Do list and I haven't added anything new in about 18 hours. heh.

I called the car rental place to finalize the arrangements for next week. My original question was if they had a key drop. We have to meet the Airport Shuttle at 6 am and the office doesn't open until 9 am. When I talked to my aunt Saturday night, she mentioned that the offices near them had stopped using key drops, so I thought I should make sure. Anyway, it was a good thing I called because they are now going to drive out, pick me (and the kids) up, drive back into town to fill out the paperwork and then I'll be able to drive back home with the van and when we leave we will be able to drop the keys in the night drop. Yeesh. And to think if I wasn't an obsessive planner we would have been so screwed.

We headed into town this morning, you know, to get a jump on the Early Monday shoppers. heehee. We stopped at the Old Bank to take money out and went across the street to the New Bank to put money in. Joe only has access to the New Bank and all the money is in the Old Bank. The direct deposit will process this week or next so we can close out the account at the Old Bank.

We went to Target next. I got new undies, diapers for Tristan and Grace got more socks. I got another booster, just like Grace's, for Tristan. He weighs more than she does, is almost as tall and it's not safe for him to be in the 5-point straps anymore. Thankfully, he is excited for the change. I also picked up a new toiletries bag, since the hanging hook ripped out of my old one. I got a couple of things for the kids, to be hidden until the hotel/flight.

Today is Day 7, Joe flies back on Day 15, so my time is growing short. Tomorrow starts the Lasts. But today, I am focusing on the Good!

The first Good - It is sunny today, but much cooler than it has been. I am looking forward to Alaska weather!

No Show

I'm pissed. Unbelievably angry.

An agent called this morning at 11 to set up an appointment to see the house.

I was in my PJ's. We spent the morning on the futon watching movies together. There were toys strewn from the front door to the back. My stamping stuff was still out on the counter. The kids' rooms were less than picked up. My bed hasn't had sheets on it in 2 days. Grace had just gotten out of the tub and Tristan needed to get in. I had just hauled all the laundry into the hallway to sort and wash. There were dirty dishes from this morning and I needed to vacuum.

But I said OK - set the appointment for 2 pm and got busy. I put all the laundry back, picked up the kids' rooms, made my bed, cleaned up the kitchen, vacuumed the whole house, yelled at the kids and made Grace cry. Then, as I am changing Tristan's poopy diaper right at 2 pm, the phone rings and it's the agent...

The clients cancelled on him and they won't be out this afternoon. I thanked him for letting me know and now I'm just pissed.

I hate the fact that the kids got the brunt of this. I kicked them out into the backyard to play while I finished up. They stood at the back door and cried through the glass. I yelled at them for that. Grace threw a fit and got a spanking for that. Just before I called them inside, to change Tristan's diaper, I had decided the house was Good Enough and gave hugs and told them I was sorry. Now, I feel horrible and the fact that the house is clean? Doesn't even cheer me up.