Phase One

We are well into Phase One of our cross country move.

I like to label things in phases because it's a bit overwhelming if I think of it as one big event.  I'm not entirely sure when Phase Two will start or even what exactly Phase Two will be, but I know that what we are currently living for sure qualifies as it's own phase.

We've packed a lot of boxes.

It's a bit alarming how many objects we own.  Why do we have all of this stuff?!?!  We aren't sure where we will live once we land in Arizona, but we do know that we will be downsizing significantly. I have to seriously analyze each item before I decide to haul it 1900 miles from here.  I'm glad that things are moving slowly because it's given me time to detach emotionally from a lot of things.  Had we left right after we decided to embark on this little adventure, I'm sure I would have brought everything.

The toys have been pared down to open ended things.  

Building blocks, legos, tiny animals, play food.  They all made the cut.  So did Josie's 9 million stuffed animals, her dollhouse, and all her American Girl goods.  At first I tried to get her to leave some behind, but after some soul searching I realized that uprooting a 7 year old from everything she know AND making her get rid of her beloved stuffed animals was just asking too much.  I know that they won't all fit in her new room, but we will deal with that when we get there.

Everything we do, I hear myself say, "this is the last time..."

Last time you sweep a Waffle House in Georgia at 10 PM while your Daddy does drawer change.

Last time we go on a date from this house.

not our last cheesecake factory date.  there's one IN the town we are moving to!

Last time I watch you push your babies on the swing set that took 8 days to put together.

Our last Yogli Mogli.  World's Best Frozen Yogurt.

Things got real last week when Andrew packed up and headed West without us.

He started his new job on Monday and we can't get our own place out there until this house sells, so the kids and I stayed behind.  I was feeling very confident that it would be totally fine until the night before he left.  Suddenly I was kind of OK with living in a cardboard box while we wait for our Georgia house to sell.  I guess that's the down side of loving your husband so dang much.  I've had a hole in my stomach since he left.  I was counting down the days until we are together again, but it made me too sad so I stopped.

We have a few tentative plans for when the kids and I will leave, but nothing set in stone.

For now, we are staying super busy and enjoying our first ever, real Summer vacation.  Andrew is over the moon in love with his job and we are both convinced this move is going to mean excellent things for our family.  

We just have to get through Phase One.