Top 5

I’m kind of stealing this from my friend Divya, whom I have known since September 1998!!! We sat together during our first class in college and have been friends ever since.

Five random things that are going on in my life right now..

1)  Decluttering For Moving

I have been putting this off for ages, believing I had more time. Not anymore. I realized over the weekend when my husband was home was that we have four and a half months. Technically we have just over 5, but I am counting the time till he comes home in July before we move.  Today I started in the garage and filled up a huge 30 gallon bag of trash to go to the dump, and most of a big Rubbermaid bin for goodwill.  I also took pictures of our 108 year old Piano for Craigslist, and condensed a bunch of boxes and bins into a lesser amount of bins.  I also went through two boxes that had been packed up for years and got rid of most of the contents, one being my late husband’s Army paperwork.  That stuff is sensitive material as it all needs to be sorted/shredded.  It only took about two hours, and I got a lot of work done.

2) Great Wolf Lodge

This past weekend my hubby and I treated the kiddos to a night/weekend at Great Wolf Lodge as a combined birthday present for all four this year.  We got a nice room, and spent Saturday afternoon till Sunday afternoon there.  Boy were we tired! One of my favorite moments of the weekend was going on the Howlin’ Tornado slide with my husband, he being more scared than I! Hearing a big tough 36-year-old, seasoned Army Vet scream out “OH SHIT” as you went down the slide is pretty damn hilarious.  His eyes were as big as saucers!

3) Realizing We’re Moving

Again, this is somewhat tied in with post #1, but the time is sneaking up on us sooner and sooner.  I remember when Andrew left for Kansas at the end of November and I thought I had TONS of time to prepare.  Not so much.  We will be leaving for our new home in just over 5 months.

I’ve met some new neighbors that just moved in/are moving into our neighborhood, and they are fantastic.  I am sad to leave them actually.  I am scared to leave my comfort zone, as this area has been home since 2005.  I’ve put down roots here, the kids’ friends are here, and we’re leaving it all.  We should be back here in 5 years or less depending on where the Army needs us, but still…

I also have to come to terms with leaving my house at the mercy of renters.  Honestly, that scares the crap out of me.  I’ve started to get repairs done…we just had the back yard start to be fixed up, the front was re-mulched, and we filled the holes at the back of the house from the dogs, with big river rocks. Painting, caulking, and some carpet repairs will be done too.  My husband will be here Memorial Day weekend, and also all of July, so some of this will be his responsibility too, so it’s not all on me.

4) Already Planning Our Disney World 2014 Trip

Yeah, I went there.  I’m such a Disney nut that I’m starting to price out a fall 2014 trip.  We did fantastically saving up for our Disneyland trip, we paid cash for everything, so I want to begin that for Disney World.  I’ll probably be getting a job this fall, and most of my income will go to our trip/retirement savings.

Being a military family, we do have several benefits that civilians do.  We can stay at a military hotel for quite a bit less than a deluxe Disney resort, but we don’t get free dining. We also get discounted tickets.  We just need to weigh our options and see what is more affordable for us.  Sometimes though, cheaper doesn’t always mean better, and with Disney…it can be better to spend money sometime for the convenience (like the monorail) and peace of mind it allows you.  I hope to have at least some things booked/decided this fall.

5) Going to Kansas in March

We totally are!!! With our tax return, I purchased tickets for the kiddos and I to go see my husband for five days.  We’re already aware this is going to be an expensive year for us, but giving the children a chance to see where we will live, and experience it a bit, will make the August transition easier on them.  We will leave on a Thursday morning, and come back late Monday night, three whole days.  Unfortunately with the Army, my husband could not take more time off, so we will make the best of the time we have.

Since we will be there during Easter, I picked up a few favorites of the kids, and have left the rest up to my husband.  HaHa! I am curious to see what he will fill their baskets with. He’s such a kid at heart, so I know he will do a great job.

Please don’t tell my kids though, because this will be a surprise.  I will tell them about a week before that we’re going to see my brother on the other side of the country, and have a “layover” in Missouri.  Then when we get off the plane, I’ll just say we’re going for a walk to stretch our legs…and we’ll land up in baggage claim, only to see my husband waiting! It’s our hope they won’t catch on, but if they do, so be it.  We’re excited though!

35 more days and counting!