doing the limbo limbo

it has been an interesting week and a half at our house.  last monday we (along with lots of help) went into full on packing mode.  our closing date was set for that friday and we knew that matt would be at work for the majority of the time in those last few days prior.  so we set to task to have everything packed before he went back to work tuesday evening.  i packed my kitchen, save it be a few saucepans and baking utensils, and i stocked our empty cupboard with a stash of paper and plastic dishes.  we emptied the boys room down to a simple mattress on the floor and the necessities of clothes, shoes, books, etc.  kelsie was left with a crib, a basket of toys and a dresser.  matt really took to the spirit of packing and took all of our t.v's out and cancelled our satellite.  we did a lot!  but i think you get the picture.  then comes tuesday morning and an email from the title company letting us know that we are far from on schedule due to underwriting issues with the buyer.  all packing came to a screeching halt, but not soon enough to avoid our house being completely and utterly rid of games, toys, entertainment etc.  

i'd like to say that i've handled it with grace and managed to whip up culinary masterpieces despite my limited resources or that i've come up with awesome ways to detract my boys' attention away from the fact that they are bored out of their minds.  but i haven't.  i'm feeling a lot like i'm in limbo.  and i have come to the very clear conclusion that i indeed DO NOT LIKE LIMBO.  

we finally got word of a prospective closing date today and we're saying our prayers that it all rolls smoothly to that point.  meantime my boys are making the best of these cooler evenings and the fact that we at least still have a trampoline and playset to keep them busy.

here's to another week of boxed dinners and outdoor fun!

xoxo.ash

p.s. our little k could use your prayers.  she is fighting off a nasty bronchial infection and breaking our hearts with her terrible cough that seems more fitting for a forty-year-old man than our little baby girl.  we really appreciate you!

packing || part one

moving is the pits.  end of story.  right now there are certain areas of my home that resemble an episode of hoarders.  minus the smell, the mold, the animal urine, the dust, etc.  saturday i decided i was going to start packing.  then life happened and what i ended up with by that evening was empty walls and shelves and a piles and piles of stuff.  not a single box was filled.  actually not a single box was even constructed.

i weeded through my stash of magazines and only kept my very favorites.  i know, i know, i could probably find all of these ideas and such online but there is something about a well worn magazine and a bowl of oatmeal in the morning.  i love smelling the paper and ink as i turn through the pages.  it makes me feel nostalgic.  and i am a nostalgia junkie.

welcome to corner de wall hangings and other mystical treasures.

and of course the leaning towers of pictures.

and don't let this little ducky fool you, he's totally into his reflection.  he waddled his own way over there.  okay, with a little help from the four-year-old.

all my piles have sat untouched through sunday.  call me lazy, but this is my day to relax and enjoy my children without stressing out over the little things.  it's my once a week, mini vacay.  and i absolutely love it!  so round two begins tomorrow morning bright and early.  let's see if we can't fill up a box or two.  and of course by we, i do mean I.

i'll keep you posted on my progress.  enjoy your labor day!!

xoxo. ash

changing with the leaves

this afternoon was perfect. the morning drizzles were just clearing out and the air was crisp. i decided to scope out some places to take photos of the boys and i accidentally snapped one of myself. or i guess i should say, of most of myself.

that is me in texas folks.

true story. in the fifth grade, my friend cynda lilly took a vacation to texas. she came back with pictures and a smile. i vowed then and there that i would never visit texas. why you ask? i really don't know. honest to goodness truth. guess i was just a snot nosed kid or something.

here i am twelve years later, a bonified resident. my shiny new license should be here any day and when i write my address i still have to stop and think about it so i don't mess up.

life is funny.

and texas isn't so bad as i once thought. in fact it's pretty great. i'm still settling in and waiting for that homey feeling to set in. i still feel like home is hundreds of miles away. i still feel like my heart might break if i don't get to enjoy the snow and a cup of hot chocolate in the mountains. but i'm getting there.

besides, the best parts about home are right here with me. and that's something to smile about.

the six o'clock evening hour

dear arizona family and friends,

we really miss you.

we're having fun and enjoying ourselves though.

we're learning things about our new home. for example, the driveway is much steeper than what we're use to and apparently that can make for sad little accidents. hence gage's fancy new half-joker smile.

also, six o'clock is a grand time of day to enjoy the outdoors. and there is plenty to enjoy.

and who would have known that not all lizards are brown? (gage found a bright green one in his swimmin' shorts last night...)

we are adjusting and getting use to matt's schedule. so many things are changing and like i've mentioned before, me and change, not great friends. but i know this is what our little family needs right now and that makes it easier.

happy first day of october!

xoxo.ash

three states and twenty-nine hours later

i'm sitting here at a laptop that is not mine, in a home that is not mine, wishing that i could share some photos of our adventures with you. silly little me, i packed my memory card up with my computer. lovely.

we got here early yesterday evening. yesterday was monday, not sunday, i keep having to remind myself. not only am i still running on arizona time, but i seem to have completely lost a day. which i suppose is excusable when you take a twenty-nine hour road trip. you see, at about 11:00 pm on sunday we made a stop in tucumcari, new mexico. at about 11:15 pm we realized that our moving truck, you know that great big yellow truck carrying all our possessions, was not going to start. thank heavens for 24-hour big rig specialists! it was about four hours and a nice chunk of change later that we got ourselves back on the road. the rest my friends is history. rather uneventful i'd say.

we are staying in the hubby's parent's house for the time being. it's beautiful and on top of that, the yard is amazing. i feel like calling it a yard really does not do it justice. there are towering trees everywhere, a creek that runs all the way around the house, green green grass, and a long sloped driveway which makes for a perfect place to ride bikes. garrett speeds down on his little trike and then summons me to carry it back to the top for him. cute boy.

the boys and i ventured out for lunch and hobby lobby today. it was initially meant to be a lunch and target trip, but (and this should come to no shock to those who know me well) i got a little turned around. story of my life. but who can complain when that means a visit to hobby lobby?? certainly not i.

truth be told i haven't really accepted that i actually moved from my beloved arizona. mentally i'm in vacation mode. who knows how long it will take to sink in. i miss A TON of people. i miss A TON of little things. like today when i headed out, rather than knowing i would see at least twenty people i know, i realized i wouldn't see a single person i know. not a one.

gage and garrett are thrilled to be in "TETSAS". just ask them. although gage still believes that in a few days i will take him to school at mountain meadows primary and we will pick up his little friend on our way there. in fact he "got a call" from that friend today. as i'm unloading bathroom items and finding a home for them, he walks in with his little plastic cell phone and exclaims....

"kardon and kenton are on the phone! they're playing on the swing set. i told them to ask their mom if they can come to tetsas!"

he is in fact still waiting for a call back. sweet little man of mine!

the hubby will be back from work soon and then we will do a little more scouting. he's been here a full month longer than us so he's volunteered to take us to all the best places! i can hardly wait!

hopefully there will be pictures to share with everyone very very soon!

so long from texas!
xoxo. ash

oh texas here i come

that's right folks....we're moving to texas! i know i've been sparse. things have been absolutely insane. and i don't use that term lightly. at all. i don't even know how to explain how crazy my life has been these past few months. in the next few weeks i'll start picking back up though.

we're packing up and the move date is set for the 26th. see where it says longview? that's our destination. hello louisianna border! our caravan will consist of two adults, two children, the family vehicle and a ginormous moving truck. i think i'm being optomistic in saying that it will be a 20 hour drive. woo hoo!

so the next time you hear from me i'll be a bonified texan.

hot-diggity-dog!