I wish I could say “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” because I’d grab the car keys and pop through the Holland Tunnel for a visit. (You probably have the Beastie Boys stuck in your head now too ha ha) However, I can safely say I don’t think I’ll be getting a good night’s sleep til moving day. This past week I’ve probably racked up about 30 hours…total ugh!

What’s happening this week with me, well here’s the short of it: still maintaining normal kid schedule/activities/life, trying to handle HSA president, getting HSA president info into some sort of order, new house inspection, girl scout leader’ing, preparing for girl scout camp this weekend (we signed up 6 months ago), still maintaining chef/cleaning lady/laundress/errand runner/gardener/pool girl/dog walker, starting to organize/pack, appointments for moving/flooring/painters, we had an open house (just in case), got the new RV, trying to make the transition as seamless for the kids and maintaining good emotional well-being with the big change, helping a friend through a difficult time and having my own personal conflict with someone close to me.

Phewwww…it’s been a HELL of a week! With all things I try not to let my exhaustion and stress transfer to my girls. So many times they feed right off of my emotional temperature and I am actively trying to just be the best support and comfort for them in such a transitional time in their lives. We aren’t trying to keep them in a bubble but this house, town, school, etc… is all they’ve ever known and it’s most important to me to check in on how they are. I know kids are resilient but this is my focus in the chaos of it all. If anyone has any tips or things that have helped them through a similar time pleasssse feel free to add them to the comments section.

For those that do not know yet, here’s the skinny on the move. We have had the inspection on our new house and it went well! The closing there is scheduled for October 20th. We are under contract on our current house and could not be happier for the family who will be moving in! They are lovely people and I think God hand picked them for this house’s next occupants. We’re scheduled to close on our current house October 30th.

Here’s a little Heather factoid, my least favorite thing is the gray area and we are immersed in it in all directions right now. Even with my personal conflict happening this week, it still feels completely gray. I’m not an anxious person but this has given me so much anxiety it’s making me crazy. I truly believe that I will be A LOT more myself when we close on both houses and the what could go wrong parts are over. I don’t necessarily want to leave here but I’m ready for the gray to be black or white at this point.

At the inspection of the new house, I got to watch the realtor add the under contract sign to the for sale sign which was super exciting and a WOW it’s real moment. Also, yesterday was probably the first of many of our lasts here, the last swim in the pool (a chilly one at that). Today, I packed our first box. It’s so bittersweet and emotionally conflicting but as I’ve been saying all along, I know that we are doing what is best for our family and are looking forward!

Under Contract in LV

First of many lasts in BT

First Box Packed…5 million more to go

There are so many emotions when I look at this picture of our home. So many memories, holidays, birthdays, our second daughter’s homecoming from the hospital, and milestones. More often than not, it seems surreal and quick. We’ve talked about making a change in our lives for longer than most people realize. Choosing to downsize our outgoing bills, which in turn gives us the ability to RV more and feel free to do more outside of our home without the guilt of leaving it behind, has been in the cards for a while.

There are times in my life that I question what we do, but I do not question this decision to make life better for my family. Shaun and I, although a bit crazy at times, are a team through and through. We have sat down many nights talking this through, weighing our options, looking into school systems, communities, considering life elsewhere and we know in our heart of hearts that this is where we were meant to be at this point in our lives and the girls’ lives.

Our intent is to be in our new home until the girls are into college and who knows from there. Maybe we’ll RV full-time, go on safari, become cruise ship navigators (ok that’s a far stretch), but Shaun and I are up for adventures and that’s what this is kind of. I am not sure moving within the same county is a true adventure but it’s a choice to leave our secure and comfortable life in our town where we’ve grown roots for the past seven years and move into a brand new one where we need a GPS to get around in.

I know not everyone is a believer in Jesus Christ but for me there is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important to me in life than my faith in God. It is true that my family comes second to Him. I know this takes people by surprise sometimes when I say that my family comes second. But my faith, trust and love for God leads me on the paths we take with comfort and confidence because through all of our decisions I continually pray about it and know He guides us.

I am not trying to preach or convert anyone but to share with you how and why I don’t question this or how I felt confident very quickly after finding the house we are in attorney review. Yes, there are still moments when I walk into the girls school and get a little teary eyed that we won’t be a part of what we have here anymore. Yes, there are moments when I drive down my road, into our lovely neighborhood and wave to my lovely neighbors that touches my heart. Yes, when I walk through my mudroom door into my memory filled and beautiful kitchen and home and get a little choked up. I do know that our friends will still be our friends, we will still come back and visit “The Lane”, there will still be nights at Johnnys, we will still feel love in our hearts for BT and that won’t ever change!

But…now it’s time to take our adventure, move on, and take the next step.

Where do I begin with “what’s going on with the Hammans?”  In short, we are selling our beautiful home in our beloved town. As sad as it is, we are moving to an equally lovely town and have found some homes that we can see as our forever homes. It’s so tricky the emotional waves that sneak up on me about it all.

We look at homes and its new, exciting, and another adventure with my loves. I know we are making the best decision long-term but pulling the girls from all they know is hard. We have so many roots in our town, so many great people, so much vested in it all that the thought of starting over is terrifying and unnerving. The hardest part is the emotional waves Natalie has over it. She also gets excited for the adventure and newness of it all but then has moments of not wanting to leave her friends, school, gymnastics gym, etc… She breaks my heart! In my heart of heart I know they are still very young and very resilient. I know that they will have bands of friends, activities, plans for play dates and we’ll all fall into a pattern.

This moves allows us to go RVing more and not feel guilty leaving our big house with the pool we spent so much money on behind when we do. We’ll be able to get our food straight from local sources. We’ll be able to bike for long distances, hike from around the corner, and be close to very amazing friends.

Many people move and many people move multiple times but I can tell you that except for some unexpected devastation, this is the last time we move until both girls are in college! It’s going to be an adventure, there’s going to be unexpected downfalls and happy surprises…wait and see!

Hey! My name is Heather Hamman and I am your average mom, wife, woman with a bit of a twist. Everyday I live the blessed life of being a Stay At Home Mom and love every single minute of it. My daily lists include grocery shopping, laundry, vacuuming, meal planning, volunteering at my daughters’ school, etc… However, and here’s where the twist comes in, I just like to do things a bit differently than the average Joe which you’ll learn more about as my blog progresses. Speaking of Joe, I am slightly, majorly obsessed with coffee and can NOT live without it!

My main man, AKA husband, Shaun is an amazing husband and father. He works so hard to give us the best life possible. Wow…that sounds so tool-baggy but it’s true, he’s freaking awesome and I couldn’t imagine this journey without him! Together we have two beautiful daughters. Natalie, our oldest, is almost 10 and Brie, our youngest, is 7. It’s amazing how two siblings that were raised exactly the same can be so very different. Natalie is a miniature version of me, which scares and pleases me equally. Although she differs in that she is a people pleaser, which worries me for her in the future but she seems to also be confident, so not so worried yet. Brie has an i-don’t-care, sassy, and wildly emotional personality but is a mommy’s helper, big snuggler, and a true Daddy’s girl.

I have an issue saying no to volunteer opportunites which allotted me the position of President with the school’s Home and School Association (just like a PTA or PTO). Alongside that unpaid full-time job I lead both girls’ Girl Scout troops, occasionally substitute teach at their school, volunteer for our church’s summer camp, am a notary, and sling pizza at lunch duty once or twice a month. My husband once got me cocktail napkins that said “Slap me if I volunteer for one more thing” and that pretty much sums up how he feels about me saying yes to everything.

This blog provides me the opportunity to use my BA in Writing, hopefully provide a few laughs, a few helpful hints, maybe some tasty recipes, and a clear picture of what the Hammans have happening. You’ll see us taking RV trips, hiking with our dog Gilmore, cute pics of our girls, and so much more.

Hope you enjoy tagging along on our journey as much as we enjoy being on it!