Winter Approaches

Each year as fall approaches, I am taken over by a need to bake. I don't fully understand the compulsion, but it starts in September and typically runs until about a week before Christmas, when I hit a baking wall. Kevin would come home to find me happily singing along to John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas, the kitchen in total shambles, and the kids running wild. (Maybe wild is a minor exaggeration). Starting with Whoopie Pies of the pumpkin and chocolate varieties, extending into peanut butter balls, peanut butter kiss cookies, fudge, 7-layer bars....and ending in me gaining fifteen pounds. 

I haven't reached the height of my baking compulsions yet this fall. But I am getting started. I look forward to learning about my new kitchen, singing "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas" at the top of my lungs, and eating as many whoopie pies as is humanly possible. I am a little disappointed that we won't be hosting our ice skate and dessert Christmas party, where everyone got to indulge in baked goods together, but I must say, I am happy to have less baking that I HAVE to do.

After a long hiatus....

Well I am happy to say that we are finally in our house. All the stuff that comes with that is mostly good. But I am pretty exhausted from the unpacking and the constant cleaning. And my hands are brittle and cracked from that plus the colder weather.
Things are starting to fit into place here in Saratoga. Our neighbors have been super welcoming and kind, and the kids are adjusting to life here at a better pace than when we were apartment bound. And Kevin and I are still at a point where we are in desperate need of a reliable babysitter and a night out. It is pretty hard not having any social life to speak of. We both want an out, a go to dinner place, some easy to talk to friends, and a connection between us.....
This weekend we head to Boston. Maybe I will post pics here for the first time. Though, actually, only I will be in the city. Kevin will be in Boxford with Brad, Kate and John Pedersen, while Sara and I will be living it up in the city. Looking forward to a nice break, time with a good friend, and a bit of history and a lovely selection of restaurants.
Still miss my friends. Still miss Austin. But Saratoga has its perks, too......

Buying a house is super stressful. I remember hearing that a long time ago. And since then, we have completed a few home buying transactions. But the one we have been going through is far more stress than any other I have experienced. When we got our offer and our moving package, I thought using a relo company would make thing simpler. More streamlined. Less intrusive. What the reality has been is very far from that. Constant emails with please print, sign and return these now, and call me to discuss-es. It has been a constant stream of paper and email, words and agitation. On top of that, we were told an approximate number for cash on hand, which is not the actual. And I buffered, but not enough. .So now I am scrambling to find that extra by  Monday. Fun times. I am ready to get into our new home. I am so done with this process.

When we first got here and moved into our temporary residence, it felt kind of like an extended vacation. A small apartment, all of us together, unfamiliar furnishings.....and to add to that feel, there were plenty of items that I should have packed but didn't. Plenty of things we would need for our "visit" that never occurred to me. Like, long sleeve clothing. Jeans. Socks. I am not sure what I was doing when I packed for this adventure, but I surely wasn't using my brain. I chalk it up to the stress of leaving home in a really condensed time frame. Still. Almost two months in now, and we have spent plenty of money to make up for the absence of the necessities I left behind. And now in one week our temproary situation comes to an end. Back to reality. Back to a home. Back to every kid having a place to go. Back to larger than one thousand square feet for six of us. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE VACATION TO END.

New Beginnings

I have self-professed, on a number of occasions, how refreshing change can be. How, if you embrace it, it changes you in ways that you never expected, and always positively. I believed that sermon based on my own singular experiences. I am hoping to find it is true still.

That said, I knew starting over wouldn't be easy. I knew it when my husband came up and interviewed for his job. I knew it when he was excited about the possibilities. I knew it when we anxioiusly waited for an offer. I knew it when the offer came. And when we discussed it. And when he accepted. The thing is, I never had started over with children. It had always been a solo venture, or just he and I. So though I knew it would be tough, I didn't grasp that in its entirety.

Moving halfway across the country with four children has been challenging. The things I thought would be tough- the drive, five days on the road with dogs in a minivan, - that was pretty easy. The things I thought would be easy - living in temporary housing, school- those have been hard. Largely because of the thirty minute drive each way to school. And having no real separation when we are at home, it's like one hugely small and crowded living area. But the toughest thing is friends. The kids are doing alright. They are finding their way. I miss my friends. I need my girls nights. I have learned how important friendships are for me, to me. I am grateful for the lesson, but sad for the loss of proximity. That, in my opinion, is the most difficult part of this journey.

Getting Started

I have to say, I find blogging to be a little bit intimidating. But at this point in time, I have a lot of time on my hands, and this seemed a productive outlet. If I try to visualize what I will focus on, I come up with many options, and none that I love more than the others. Therefore, I would have to say that this blog will most likely speak to a little of everything. Parenting, wife-ing, music, books, life in general. So there you have it. I have stated my intent. I have created a blog. Yikes. Now what?