I owe anyone who might have been following this blog a giant apology. I was a complete idiot to believe I could handle 6 days on the road, children and a cross country move while blogging each day. I did however take plenty of beautiful picture of how amazing our country really is.
I promise to update soon with day to day recounts! And pictures of places and stories about the kind and not so kind folks we have encountered. So please stay patient!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Busy Busy Weekend
The packing and goodbyes continue. Apparently Washington's weather has decided to welcome us in Texas as it is very cloudy and rainy today in Wylie. Harley and I have managed to get rid of most of the things we decided not to take on the move. We picked up the U-Haul this morning. We are happy to report this one will probably make it to Redmond! This is only the second time our family has moved. Four years ago we were "lucky" enough to get a 1984 model U-Haul with a 4-speed manual transmission. The company assumed we knew how to drive a manual and it looked more like something that came out of the old movie "Saving Arizona" as it reminded us both of the motorcycle with the fire coming out the back.
The plan is to continue to pack, spend time with family and spend the night at a nearby Holiday Inn Express on Sunday night before handing over the keys to the owner's rep. on Monday. Then we will start our journey to Redmond. The great thing is we managed to get reservations at the same chain all the way up to Washington. So when all this is said and done we should have 3 or 4 free nights to use for weekend mini-vacations!
The plan is to continue to pack, spend time with family and spend the night at a nearby Holiday Inn Express on Sunday night before handing over the keys to the owner's rep. on Monday. Then we will start our journey to Redmond. The great thing is we managed to get reservations at the same chain all the way up to Washington. So when all this is said and done we should have 3 or 4 free nights to use for weekend mini-vacations!
Friday, October 15, 2010
It's Happening!!
We are finally starting to pack things and sell items that are either of no use or too much of a pain to move. It's hard to believe that for the first time in over 30 years I will not be a citizen of the State of Texas. To say that it ALMOST feels like saying I'm leaving the country!
Tomorrow both Harley's Mom and Carrie's Mom along with a good friend of the family, Mr. Berrier will be working in the house and watching kids while Harley, Carrie and those not tending the kids work on packing. Other than my niece in South Korea I will be the one in the family the furthest away.
It's hard to say but at this point all I can really do is give control to higher beings and believe everything will be okay. That the move will go as smooth as a move can, that our apartment will be a place of happiness and we half way enjoy the road trip ahead. It's going to be one heck of a ride!
Tomorrow both Harley's Mom and Carrie's Mom along with a good friend of the family, Mr. Berrier will be working in the house and watching kids while Harley, Carrie and those not tending the kids work on packing. Other than my niece in South Korea I will be the one in the family the furthest away.
It's hard to say but at this point all I can really do is give control to higher beings and believe everything will be okay. That the move will go as smooth as a move can, that our apartment will be a place of happiness and we half way enjoy the road trip ahead. It's going to be one heck of a ride!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Houston We have a Problem....
The Mothership aka Carrie's new Odyssey was rear-ended yesterday afternoon in Tyler. Carrie and Trinity made the trip to Tyler to give some baby clothes to a wonderful couple who is friends with the family and to get Meleah who spent the night with Grandma. For those of you who aren't from the North Texas and East Texas areas often times oil from vehicles will accumulate on the roads and when it rains the roads get very slick and dangerous. When combined with someone who is speeding it makes stopping at a red like behind someone difficult if not impossible. Carrie spent several hours in the ER, Trinity's car seat was locked in with the LATCH system into the frame of the van and it was loosened. Trinity is fine, however Carrie has pain from her seatbelt, neck pain and pain in her chest from the steering wheel.
Here's hoping our trip to 2,200 miles away will be more boring than just 125 miles to Tyler!
Here's hoping our trip to 2,200 miles away will be more boring than just 125 miles to Tyler!
Friday, October 8, 2010
We are Blessed
It's amazing how easy it is to forget how much stuff you have until it's time to move.
Today Carrie spent much of the day going through Trinity's room. I'm not sure why we refer to it as Trinity's room as she has NEVER slept in it. That's one of trials of parenthood I guess, but we have a 4 bedroom house and everyone sleeps in one room with us. Meleah believes her toys "come alive" at night and refuses to sleep in her room and we take the blame for Trinity as we have yet to transition her into her own room. Harley and I have high hopes once we move and get settled into our new little home that the kids will sleep where they belong and we can have our own room again.
Carrie is having a hard time going through Trinity's things as she is likely our last baby. Even though she's been slowly planting the idea of adopting into Harley's head over the past few years, it's likely not going to happen as the cost of adoption is very expensive. Harley's work would cover a great deal of an adoption. Carrie has looked at Haiti and Ethiopia (sp) specifically. Health tests are done prior to adoption so we would be aware of any type of diseases or health problems a child might have. It looks like that maybe years down the road if at all. I strongly believe that if it's meant to be it shall happen.
In case anyone wants to see what our new apartment's floorplan will look like here it is:
Meleah has already picked out the room above with the walkin closet. She isn't spoiled is she?
Today Carrie spent much of the day going through Trinity's room. I'm not sure why we refer to it as Trinity's room as she has NEVER slept in it. That's one of trials of parenthood I guess, but we have a 4 bedroom house and everyone sleeps in one room with us. Meleah believes her toys "come alive" at night and refuses to sleep in her room and we take the blame for Trinity as we have yet to transition her into her own room. Harley and I have high hopes once we move and get settled into our new little home that the kids will sleep where they belong and we can have our own room again.
Carrie is having a hard time going through Trinity's things as she is likely our last baby. Even though she's been slowly planting the idea of adopting into Harley's head over the past few years, it's likely not going to happen as the cost of adoption is very expensive. Harley's work would cover a great deal of an adoption. Carrie has looked at Haiti and Ethiopia (sp) specifically. Health tests are done prior to adoption so we would be aware of any type of diseases or health problems a child might have. It looks like that maybe years down the road if at all. I strongly believe that if it's meant to be it shall happen.
In case anyone wants to see what our new apartment's floorplan will look like here it is:
You are What You Eat!
This has NOTHING to do with our move but I thought it was so interesting I couldn't handle not posting it.
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This has been circulating for a while but I really liked it and thought I'd post it on here. Yes, it's a bit flowery and sort of, well, nonsense maybe, but whatever, I thought it was clever. There's also a principle in homeopathy that "Like cures like". Although that particular phrase appears only to be associated with homeopathy, it comes from earlier beliefs that superficial resemblances between things meant that there was a "spiritual" connection between those things, and so in medical terms, they could be used to treat each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This has been circulating for a while but I really liked it and thought I'd post it on here. Yes, it's a bit flowery and sort of, well, nonsense maybe, but whatever, I thought it was clever. There's also a principle in homeopathy that "Like cures like". Although that particular phrase appears only to be associated with homeopathy, it comes from earlier beliefs that superficial resemblances between things meant that there was a "spiritual" connection between those things, and so in medical terms, they could be used to treat each other.
A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the Glycemic index of diabetics.
Onions look like body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.
Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys. {not sure about this one}
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
Grapefruits, oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
(Well, as a technicality, there are a lot of women out there whose "mammary glands" DON'T "look just like" citrus fruits. I'd also note that lemons and limes are citrus fruits and I think any woman whose mammary glands look like either of those would be visiting a physician to have them checked out)
Eggplant, avocadoes and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female—they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods; modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility. (he he he)
Interesting huh?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Growing Chaos and Exhaustion
Everyday life continues to get more and more "interesting" as each day passes!
Harley and I view this move as a "fresh start" both of us are blessed with the "pack rat" gene and we must overcome! Our mobile radios came in the mail today. We purchased a pair of radios so that we can communicate from the Mothership (my van) to the U-Haul that one of us lucky folks will be driving. The Mothership has GPS thank God, so getting lost should not occure. Meleah will enjoy taking her booster seat into the U-Haul and looking down upon the smaller beings in the usual Suburbans and SUV's.
I'm suffering from daily exhaustion. Not really sure if it is related to the surgery I had 5 weeks or so ago or the stress from moving cross country while parenting. For those folks who don't know, I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) done. I previously had a devilish Lap Band placed in 2005. The Band was great for a couple years and I lost 140lbs. Then complications started and I gained some weight back. I was able to handle the weight gain and was basically happy with where I ended up at during my last pregnancy with Trinity and afterwards until one day I was unable to consume solid foods. That lasted off and on over a 6 month period of time. I consulted my surgeon at the time and he of course found nothing wrong even though I was constantly dehydrated and vomiting water! Upon a personal referral from a kind lady I met online I found another surgeon who offered the VSG procedure. He took the devilish band out and performed the VSG in one surgery on August 26, 2010. At this point, I am constantly trying to balance protein, water, nutrition, vitamins and the such in order to have the required energy to make it through the day. So far nothing seems to make my exhaustion any better. I consume at least 80 grams of Whey Protein Daily, Vitamin B-12 every other day and a multi-vitamin TWICE per day as suggested by my surgeon. I am ready to pack it up and call it a night by the time 5 or 6pm rolls around but of course the kids aren't ready for bed at that time, we would have zero family time and we have this move hanging over our heads at the moment. I also got even more metal in my mouth yesterday as my awseome (I really like him) dentist/ortho placed the final brackets in the back on my molars. Now toothbrushing is a whole nother adventure!
We contacted Bill who represents the owner of the house we have lived in for the past 4 years. The owner is a female who resides in California, basically an investor. She has never occupied nor seen the home to my knowledge. Our lease doesn't end until the April time frame. Even with a letter on company letter head stating this is a move in order to maintain employment, things are still proven difficult in the lease department. Harley and I are constantly asking people if they known anyone interested in moving to this area. The great thing about where the house is located is the school district. It's one of the best in Texas, more like a private school rather than public. The homeowners aka Property Tax Payers aka Voters are very educationally driven to give the school any and all money the request to make the education of kids second to none. Our family is the first to occupy this home as it was a model home prior to our family making it our home. So during the move we have the added "pleasure" of hosting those who want to look and see prior to renting. I know no matter what we do we will look like "White Trash Renters" because it's difficult enough to move but to have a home staged and presentable to possible renters is damn near impossible.
Meleah lost her second tooth last night. It was barely loose and she darn near ripped that sucker on out. She is one determined child to say the least. For the extra effort and lack of change in Daddy's aka Tooth Fairy's Wallet, that tooth earned her another $5 to bring her tooth bank up to $8. She hasn't had the chance to spend the money she earned upon losing the first tooth which ended up being $3 that Dad found hiding in his wallet at that time.
Harley and I will most likely take a giant breath of fresh Washington air once this move is complete prior to passing out. Luckily(?) our children will make sure we are unable to remain in that state for more than a minute or two before they request or likely demand something. Not that I would try it but I now understand why many truck drivers and entertainers are under the influence of speed and other energy improving drugs.
Harley and I view this move as a "fresh start" both of us are blessed with the "pack rat" gene and we must overcome! Our mobile radios came in the mail today. We purchased a pair of radios so that we can communicate from the Mothership (my van) to the U-Haul that one of us lucky folks will be driving. The Mothership has GPS thank God, so getting lost should not occure. Meleah will enjoy taking her booster seat into the U-Haul and looking down upon the smaller beings in the usual Suburbans and SUV's.
I'm suffering from daily exhaustion. Not really sure if it is related to the surgery I had 5 weeks or so ago or the stress from moving cross country while parenting. For those folks who don't know, I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) done. I previously had a devilish Lap Band placed in 2005. The Band was great for a couple years and I lost 140lbs. Then complications started and I gained some weight back. I was able to handle the weight gain and was basically happy with where I ended up at during my last pregnancy with Trinity and afterwards until one day I was unable to consume solid foods. That lasted off and on over a 6 month period of time. I consulted my surgeon at the time and he of course found nothing wrong even though I was constantly dehydrated and vomiting water! Upon a personal referral from a kind lady I met online I found another surgeon who offered the VSG procedure. He took the devilish band out and performed the VSG in one surgery on August 26, 2010. At this point, I am constantly trying to balance protein, water, nutrition, vitamins and the such in order to have the required energy to make it through the day. So far nothing seems to make my exhaustion any better. I consume at least 80 grams of Whey Protein Daily, Vitamin B-12 every other day and a multi-vitamin TWICE per day as suggested by my surgeon. I am ready to pack it up and call it a night by the time 5 or 6pm rolls around but of course the kids aren't ready for bed at that time, we would have zero family time and we have this move hanging over our heads at the moment. I also got even more metal in my mouth yesterday as my awseome (I really like him) dentist/ortho placed the final brackets in the back on my molars. Now toothbrushing is a whole nother adventure!
We contacted Bill who represents the owner of the house we have lived in for the past 4 years. The owner is a female who resides in California, basically an investor. She has never occupied nor seen the home to my knowledge. Our lease doesn't end until the April time frame. Even with a letter on company letter head stating this is a move in order to maintain employment, things are still proven difficult in the lease department. Harley and I are constantly asking people if they known anyone interested in moving to this area. The great thing about where the house is located is the school district. It's one of the best in Texas, more like a private school rather than public. The homeowners aka Property Tax Payers aka Voters are very educationally driven to give the school any and all money the request to make the education of kids second to none. Our family is the first to occupy this home as it was a model home prior to our family making it our home. So during the move we have the added "pleasure" of hosting those who want to look and see prior to renting. I know no matter what we do we will look like "White Trash Renters" because it's difficult enough to move but to have a home staged and presentable to possible renters is damn near impossible.
Meleah lost her second tooth last night. It was barely loose and she darn near ripped that sucker on out. She is one determined child to say the least. For the extra effort and lack of change in Daddy's aka Tooth Fairy's Wallet, that tooth earned her another $5 to bring her tooth bank up to $8. She hasn't had the chance to spend the money she earned upon losing the first tooth which ended up being $3 that Dad found hiding in his wallet at that time.
Harley and I will most likely take a giant breath of fresh Washington air once this move is complete prior to passing out. Luckily(?) our children will make sure we are unable to remain in that state for more than a minute or two before they request or likely demand something. Not that I would try it but I now understand why many truck drivers and entertainers are under the influence of speed and other energy improving drugs.
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