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Arizona to Utah-mazingest!!!!

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Although we had great fun in Phoenix chillin’ like villains, we had even more fun in the coming days. Still in Arizona, we hit the Grand Canyon. I feel like this was a big milestone in our trip because it is one of the most iconic, most visited, and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

Honestly, Shaun and I expected to get there, look out at the canyon, be in awe of it’s largness, and that be that. Once again, to our surprise there was so much more to it than that. It was sooo much larger than we’d ever imagined, so much more beautiful, and had so many different facets to it. It literally moved me to tears the beauty and overall momentous experience of our being there.

Day 1 we arrived early at the park, hit the Visitor Center for our Jr Ranger books, and decided to conquer the whole red trail of the South Rim, approximately 5 miles. It was a little brisk as we started the day but figured we have NJ blood and can handle it! Two miles in the wind picked up a lot and it became unfun. We, along with everyone else at the park, rushed to the shuttle bus lines to get the heck out to there. What we had seen and experienced already had left us pumped for Day 2.

Day 2, we got there a bit late, waited to get through the ranger check-in for an hour, it took us another hour to get the shuttle to pick up our hike where we’d left off, and by the time we arrived to our start point it had taken us three hours. So we have learned to get to the parks earlllllly!!! We finished our hike and felt great about it! We also saw a lot of elk which was killer!

img_0498Day 3 we woke to watch the sunrise. Running a little bit late, we rushed leading to a speeding ticket in the Grand Canyon by a Park Ranger. Buuuuut we made it for the sunrise and it was spectacular! After attending a fossil trek, the girls earned their Jr Ranger badges. MOM TIP: If I haven’t mentioned it before, the girls love earning their Jr Ranger badges at the National Parks/Monuments/etc…  Not only do they learn so much while we are in the parks, Shaun and I learn a lot too. It’s a great way for the whole family to learn about the place you’re in, be engaged, and collect something memorable.

We loved watching the sunrise so much that we went to watch it again Day 4. Thankfully we did so sans a speeding ticket and, again, it was totally worth the early alarm. Two early mornings led us to a nice down day. Hanging at the campground, going to watch the IMAX Grand Canyon movie (TIP: the movie is dated, like from the 80’s, and a waste of money), and some family fun card games rounded out the rest of the day.

A little insider info…we have really learned to love playing card games together and do it a lot in our evenings. Finding card games that keep Shaun entertained (yes, that’s my husband), while making sure the girls (ages 10 and 7) can grasp the concept and abilities is a bit challenging but doable. We have a few favorites, Quixx, Dutch Blitz, and Phase 10 are our favorites right now. I am also working on teaching them how to play Rummy to get to 500 Rummy which is my favorite card game and Shaun and I play that a lot.

img_0592After the Grand Canyon we ventured out of Arizona to Utah. What did we know of Utah…NADA! No expectations, real bucket list items or high hopes. With that said we headed toward the MOAB area to check out Canyonlands and Arches. I’d seen lots of pictures of Arches and knew that our pictures would be epic but other that than that’s that.

Day 1 we headed to the Canyonlands…WOW! It blew us away! We took the Grand View Point trail and the views, terrain, and overall greatness of this park surprised us in a most pleasant way. We drove through and stopped at some of the view points which were more and more breathtaking each time. Lastly, we hiked the Mesa Arch trail to see one of the most famous arches, the Mesa Arch, our first arch of the trip, and it was a definite highlight of this day. Then the girls earned their Jr Ranger badges, I bought our magnet and our post card, and we got our signature pic in front of the park sign to end the day.

Day 2 makes it to one of my top days on our journey and made me well up multiple times. We woke up our girls at 4:30am but they weren’t complaining because the Easter bunny had come. After finding Easter eggs and checking out their baskets we all dressed in hiking clothes to head to the Arches. We arrived at La Sal Mountain Overlook at 6:15am to attend an Easter Sunrise Church Service. God was most present on this Holy morning with his astounding creation surrounding us while the sun rose, singing beautiful worship songs, and being able to start the day remembering how good God is.

After the service, we drove to, ironically, a 4 mile trail called the Devil’s Garden. This trail was marked, and not mis-marked in anyyyy way, difficult. The hike itself was amazing, maneuvering up boulders, fancy footwork, and sandy slickrock was required, and we were super impressed how well the girls did. Along the path were a few arches, but most magnificent was Double O Arch. Determined to see the most iconic arch of all, Delicate Arch, we made our way to the next trailhead. Thinking it was 2 miles out and back only to arrive and find out it was 3 miles out and back, we were still going forward. Unknowing we started the 1.5 miles to get to Delicate Arch  which was a 600 foot elevation increase and there was no shade at all as it was almost all slickrock. Wiped from the first hike, now hotter out, and having gotten up at 4:30am..it kicked out butts As we rounded the narrow trail along a mountain with a very far drop down, the view of the arch made the hard work totally worth it. The hike back was a dream and I finnnnnallllly got to see some petroglyphs en route. We arrived home, yes to our home on wheels, to enjoy some much deserved Easter bunny treats and libations/lemonade and enjoy our glorious God given day. Thankful for our abilities to do what we did, free to celebrate our King of Kings, and blessed to rest together as a family living life to the fullest on this journey.

Day 3 in MOAB, aka Shaun’s favorite day, we rented an ATV and headed out to the trails. We saw some real dinosaur bones off of Dinosaur Trail, the gorgeous Uranium Arch, and had a BLAST!!! Uranium Arch was one of my highlights of the day because in the National Parks you are forbidden to climb on the arches but being out in the desert without anyone around, the girls and I climbed onto the arch and got the coveted arch picture that I will definitely treasure forever. Bahaing through the lands just the four of us, barely seeing anyone, surrounded by some of the most beautiful views, we couldn’t be happier. A lot of whooping, hands in the air, and screaming fun was had.

Day 4 we were beat! We brought the Arches Jr Ranger books to the Visitor Center, the girls received their badges, we putzed the shops in MOAB and got a yummy lunch. Unsure of one of our stops I asked the ranger for advice and he was so knowledgeable and patient. The rangers are usually a wealth of knowledge but this ranger was super. Thankfully I asked him, got his advice and went home to cancel one our reservations, made another one and did a bunch of research for our new stop en route.

This morning we are setting off to another local in Utah, which has quickly become one of our top states. However, before our departure we had a HUGE RV life fail. Our toilet overflowed in our master bathroom penetrating other parts of the RV and there was a lot of overflow! This required a Walmart stop before arriving at the next campground since I used all of our bath towels, beach towels, throw blankets, door mat, paper towels and kitchen towels to clean up the mess and a lot of extra time out of our day. Our second mishap of the day occurred when we were about 10 miles from our campground, ready to settle in and chill out. A sign stating “small tunnel ahead” appeared. After asking a ranger he said you needed a permit to go through annnnnnd it already closed for the day. Long story short we had to drive a big loop around Zion to get to our campground that took another 1 1/2 hours. I always check the campground websites because sometime they give you tips for driving a big, heavy, long vehicle but this campground failed me. We did arrive to the best site they had, the clearest, starriest night we’ve ever seen, and just peace. You live and learn and recover from the hiccups in life!

Here’s some fun normal life pix of our life this week!

New Mexico Literally Rocks

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Tuesday we arrived in New Mexico and boy were we surprised with the flatness and nothingness. At first it concerned me but as we went over a small hill in the road and saw the only thing in sight, our campground, it excited me a bit. It is serene, the sunsets are breathtaking, and so amazingly different from NJ.

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Ok so I know my last post mentioned that going to Magnolia was what I was most looking forward to and the best part of this journey for me so far. However, Wednesday’s adventure kicked Magnolia’s bum. On Wednesday we went to our very first National Park, Carlsbad Caverns. I can say that Shaun, the girls and I were excited, especially the girls to earn their first Jr Ranger badge, but we had little expectations for it.

After getting our portable radios (you punch the #s on the informational signs in as you go and it gives you detailed information on that location, sight, etc.), getting on line for the elevator, me hesitantly getting on the glass elevator, we plummeted over 750 feet into the caverns.

Most people don’t know this about me but as of late, I have been developing a fear of being in places that I can not get out of when I want to. Not claustrophobia but a form of agoraphobia. Totally laughable example, but I had an episode on The Mine Train in Disney World and my BFF Danielle had to talk me out of climbing off and exiting via the staff ladders (dead serious). Being in the small space of the elevator at Carlsbad Cavern did not bother me but the fact that I couldn’t get out of it when/if I wanted after it started. Then when we got into the cave and were told that the elevator wait was over an hour and half back up or you could make the hike out, I had to do more deep breathing because there was no quick escape option.

A few times during the experience I had to take a moment to breathe and remember how amazing it all is. And AMAZING it was! This place blew our minds, crushed our expectations and kept our mouths agape almost the whole time. The cavern was so massive, breathtaking, intricately detailed, filled with various makeups, and brimming with God’s beauty. Shaun and I took so many pictures and we all learned so much.

As I mentioned, we took the elevator down into the cavern but the line was so extensive to get up and we wanted to hike out and see more along the way. Little did we really process that you have to hike up out of 750+ feet over only one and a quarter miles…wow workout! This is how happy were when we finished climbing out, the girls earning their FIRST Jr Ranger badge, and the view from the exit.

I can’t say enough how I feel that every person that can, visits Carlsbad Caverns!

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Wednesday, we ventured to the Friends of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Carlsbad. Probably the friendliest staff I have ever met anywhere. We got our map and off we went. Taking the mile plus hike we visited a lot of local animal life. Some were rehabilitating and some lived there. We saw a road runner, lots of desert snakes (I’d rather not see those in real life!), a cute prairie dog village, succulents of the world greenhouse, and so much more. The weather was perfect, we were outdoors in the fresh air, there was lots of learning happening and we all enjoyed our time there.

That night we met some great friends at the campground, had a huge fire, the kids and thier new friend had s’mores, and everyone enjoyed a great desert night! Thursday we ventured on out of the Carlsbad area but are stayed in New Mexico a bit longer.

***Here I was supposed to post but we were having too much fun so one big bout it is***

A quick, 4 hour, which is quick in our books these days, trip to the White Sands National Monument. So my full-timers will probably laugh at this but I thought there was actually a monument at the White Sands since it is a national monument. The learning curve is great! In case you’re wondering, there is not a monument, the place itself is considered a monument. Not quite sure the difference between National Parks, National Monuments, etc…

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The girls were so looking forward to this stop. We stayed at the Algamordo/White Sands KOA whom lent out sleds for free to their campers which was great and on Friday hit the sands. We drove into it more excited for the kids than anything. We peaked over a small hill in the road and saw the bright white dunes at the bottom of a beautiful mountain range, just lovely. We had so much fun playing, sledding, and exhausting ourselves climbing those giant sand dunes over and over again!

After we wiped ourselves out sledding (the sand is like climbing a landslide of quicksand, but totally worth it) we had a picnic lunch at the main building. Shaun then had to take a call in the truck. The girls and I went to work on their Jr Ranger badge workbooks. We watched a movie about the White Sands, toured the outdoor garden area, read all of the signage in the museum, perused the gift shop and more. All I can say here is that I learned more than I ever learned in school about any one place and it was exhilarating watching the girls sponge in the information also! They earned their badges, we purchased our magnet, and back to the campground for some dinner and needed R&R.

Saturday we visited McGins Pistachio Ranch. They have the world’s largest pistachio (love a good fun photo op!), we took a tour of the fields and the driver/tour guide taught us so much about pistachio farming that was way more interesting than you’d think, and we tasted over 20 different flavored pistachios. Early evening we returned to the White Sands for some more super fun sledding. Around 6pm we met with a ranger for a sunset hike. She taught us a lot of what we learned from the video and museum but it was beautiful to see it all in nature and with the gorgeous views.

The sunsets in Texas and New Mexico have astonished me every single night we have been in these states. I try to take pictures but they just don’t do the colors and majesty justice. We are in Phoenix now and road schooled on the way. En route I saw my first Border Patrol and Shaun laughed at how cool I thought it was (picture below). It’s warm, quiet, and there’s a great pool so we are happy! We are hoping to get to a national monument while we are here and are SUPER excited for our next stop…stay tuned!

One Month In

Last Thursday when I posted I hadn’t realized it but it was exactly one month since we left and started this journey. Time flies when you’re having fun! I think one of the biggest challenges, personally, is getting “me” time. In our sticks and bricks (that what full-timers call grounded homes) the girls would occasionally go off and do their thing, Shaun would go to the office or make a mess in the garage, and I would get some time to myself. Even if I was running errands, just being in the car by myself was time to gather my own thoughts.

Don’t get me wrong, I would not change a thing right now. It’s just a big adjustment. We are so used to in our daily suburban/Pleasantville like life having some time to do you. Shaun tells at me to get sleep but when I wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes I’m wide awake and I’ll read, Pinterest, look for a condo in Florida, etc… It’s kind of like when you have a newborn and don’t know whether to nap, eat, shower, or watch tv. Eventually the not sleeping through the night thing will catch up on me but for now it’s slightly rejuvenating to my soul.

This weekend we spent Sunday and Monday in New Orleans. A lot of people tried to poo-poo on the fact that we were bringing the kids there but people also did the same when we took them to Las Vegas and that was a stellar vacation for all four of us. Neither Shaun or myself had ever been to New Orleans and didn’t really know what to expect but we figured if it’s not appropriate or really for the kids we’ll just get in the car and head back to the campground easy peasy.

After extensive research I learned that Jackson Square in the French Quarter during late morning was the place for a family. All I can say is WOW! We had such a freaking blast! All of Saturday was well spent in Jackson Square and we never left. The cheesy chochkey shops, talented street performers, musicians, magicians, and live artists kept us busy and engaged all day, well until early evening. Both girls were part of live performances too.

Don’t get me wrong, it helped that you could get adult drinks to-go along the streets, fresh pralines, fresh beignets and hot chicory coffee everywhere also. One of the best parts was checking out some historic statues and reading up on them since people are actively trying to have these bits of history taken down and I wanted us and the girls to soak it up in case the naysayers get their way. Then we walked into a historic church, strolled along the waterway, and bought some mementos, including our commemorative magnet. As an executive family decision we decided to collect magnets from each place and/or memorable stop along the trip. Our refrigerator is starting to look lovely and makes us smile. When it gets a little more festive I’ll take a pic and share.

Monday was President’s Day so Shaun had off from work and we went back to New Orleans to see some more of what we missed and just enjoy another day in the city. We parked by Lafayette Cemetary #1 because I really wanted to check out a cemetery since they’re so famous. A tour had just started when we arrived so we had to wait for the next one in an hour and half because you are now only allowed to tour that specific cemetary with a certified guide. We decided since it was 10am to see a bit of Bourbon Street if it was appropriate.

Bourbon Street was a complete fail, let down and disappointment. I do realize that going at night without kids would have a totally different feel but when we were there it was just delivery trucks up and down the street and there was nothing special about it at all. One block up towards Jackson Square was Royal Street and the shops, galleries, and restaurants were amazing and so much more fun. We shopped a bit, yes again, and then headed toward Cafe De Monde to savor some more beignets and chicory coffee. After a family powdered sugar fight (it legit happend and the boring people next to us were not amused which made us laugh harder) we putzed the Flea Market along the river and bought some killer hot sauces and spices. Then we headed back to the car too tired to see a cemetery. I’m hoping we have time to see one of the plantations, dual purposing a road schooling lesson and see a few things a bit closer to our campground before we leave. New Orleans is about an hour and twenty minutes away so I think I’ll save anything we missed for another trip.

As our country knows and is heartbroken by, there was a tragedy this past week. While we are really enjoying our time together as a family and gathering these priceless moments it is so sad that other parents won’t have any more moments with their children or family member in the wake of a mentally unstable teen who really needed someone to hear his cries. My prayers have been plentiful this week with thanks that my babies are with me and safe. After Sandy Hook I remember dropping Natalie off to her preschool and telling her aide through tears how hard it was to leave my baby in hands that weren’t mine. I knew the women in that room would do anything for my daughter but still no one protects a child their momma.

img_9083This time homeschooling my girls is even more of a blessing right now because although I know anything can happen at any time and it’s all in God’s hands and I don’t doubt that one bit, I know that they’re safe from being at risk for a school shooting situation. I’m in no way saying that homeschooling is the answer or that it is right for everyone or that we should all jump on this bandwagon but without a doubt it puts some of my crazy mom brain to a bit of ease. Who would have thought that when these beautiful babies of mine were born that a level of crazy worry and insanity would come with their birth?!

So, on full-timing notes, my awesome husband made us a bike rack out of PVC pipe so it can be taken down and put together easily. I concocted window darkening covers out of a 6 ft roll of thick drawer liners from Target and double-sided velcro (pray Natalie will sleep in a bit please). We figured out how to use the shower in the RV. Don’t think we stank like hippies or anything but have only stayed at legit campgrounds that have clean shower facilities. Also, they have laundry facilities in case you were wondering if we are wearing dirty clothes. We are using our stove more and getting a grip on our eating out habits.

In our defense of eating out a lot, everywhere we’ve gone has had amazing food. Tennessee had down home Southern food, Tampa had fresh seafood, Crystal River had Grouper on every single menu which is my favorite fish in the world, and now here in New Orleans is crawfish and more seafood. It’s hard when you’re surrounded by food that you can’t get at home and is amazing to control yourself. Tuesday I vowed to get back on my game…so far so good!

We are here in Louisiana for a few more days and then taking the trek to Texas. I have so much on my list of things to see and do in Texas that I can’t even contain myself. We are hitting all of the major cities because Texas is a huge hub of manufactured housing and Shaun will be representing eLend all over the place. He is so committed and such a great speaker that I think Texas won’t know what hit them lol.

Giddy up for the next stop!

 

Guess what’s happening Yesterday?! UPDATED

At 4:30pm today/Thursday, we are CLOSED on our new house at eLend!!!!!!! So exciting and made it a Hamman family event!!!!

Sealing the deal!
The Hammans are all smiles at eLend!

 

The hardwood flooring is being delivered on Saturday and I can NOT wait until the rug upstairs is out and the new floors are in. I really can not wait until it’s in the whole house but the top floor is getting done and needs it first. Have I mentioned how much I freaking love these floors…LOOOOOVE! Once there are a few boards down I will post more pics of the lovliness as whole.

Deep Condition
Final Results

Today I finallllly found time to get my hair done. It really needed it! So fresh feeling and new and revived a bit. Pics above. Another big moment this week was buying some furniture for the new house. We had a lot of cheap, hand me down, and generic furniture still because it was easy and just didn’t want to replace it until we knew what we wanted. The move has really opened our eyes to the modge podge and, thanks to my friends (I wish!) Joanna and Chip Gaines, we are going for the farmhouse style. It’s easier when a husband and wife agree on whatever it may be and for the most part in life Shaun and I do, including the style for our new home thank goodness.

A few days ago we ordered our new bed for the master (and a few other things, wink wink) and it was the first time I had something delivered to our new address which was special. Along with that purchase, we also acquired some antique furniture from a buyer for a famous designer. We brought home an apothecary chest, a cobblers storage hutch, two metal stools, a beautiful sofa table I’m going to fixer upper, and my favorite, an old school metal card catalog we will repurpose as a coffee table. If they weren’t stuffed in the garage under some lighting I’ve also purchased, I’d show some pics but it’ll be prettier in the new house so you’re gonna have to wait patiently for the big reveal. Facebook Marketplace has been an amazing place for me to find these really expensive items I think we’ll make the new house our home for a lot less. Also, setting up a Wayfair business account saves 15% on each order too.

I know I’ve said it before but it still befuddles me that I am still throwing bags and bags of stuff away and still donating bags and bags of stuff to Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s so mentally cleansing to do this much cleansing of our crap. How did we acquire this much crap? Reading the above paragraphs may make it seem like I’m a big shopper/buyer but it’s not the norm for me at all. In all honesty we really did get great deals on each and every thing we’ve bought and they’re all pivotal items we need. What I’m throwing out isn’t furniture either it’s just shtuff. I’ve sold or posted any furniture we didn’t want to bring with us so that someone else can use it. At least we are moving with only what we need. The movers first day is next Friday so I still have time to purge more thank goodness lol. I’m moving so fast that I took this picture of me running img_6420rampant by accident with my phone

During all of this cleansing of excess and junk, I have donated about two-thirds of my clothing. One of the best parts of getting rid of the unessential, unworn, or cruddy clothing is that it opens the door to wearing more “adult” clothes and less lounge wear or so I thought anyway. I still find myself wearing sweats and yoga pants, especially during the packing/purging days that have been one after another the past few weeks. I’m still holding hope that once we settle I’ll adapt a new sense of adulting when I get ready in the morning.

Monday I called Shaun at work with tears in my eyes because I had to share with him my feelings. After spending the morning scheduling town inspections, dropping stuff at the school, and packing, I realized that I’m internally confused. Yes I am 100% not in denial that we are packing to move but I don’t feel like I’m going to leave this house at the same time. Ok, ok, ok I know that sounds a little cray cray and like I’m in a state of denial but to clarify, I half feel excited to move to our new house, have a fresh start, etc… but the other half doesn’t feel like we are really going to leave this house, the girls won’t stop attending their school, we’ll still food shop at the same stores, I’ll get mail from the same mailbox, Gilmore will still go out the sliding glass door to the backyard, and it’ll all remain the same. I’m torn.

Ok now that I’ve made the big announcement, it’s time to get back to work aka packing. I’ll have more pictures for you soon so you can see the new abode. Hoping things hit home and my emotions start to level out. Prayers welcome and as always, any advice or helpful hints please leave in the comments.

I ordered business cards and can not wait to show you when they come in! Exciting!

Become a FOLLOWER so you don’t miss any of the fun or at least the emotional rollercoaster I’m riding…

 

Guess what’s happening TODAY?! UPDATED

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At 4:30pm today/Thursday, we are CLOSED on our new house at eLend!!!!!!! So exciting and made it a Hamman family event!!!!

Sealing the deal!
The Hammans are all smiles at eLend!

 

The hardwood flooring is being delivered on Saturday and I can NOT wait until the rug upstairs is out and the new floors are in. I really can not wait until it’s in the whole house but the top floor is getting done and needs it first. Have I mentioned how much I freaking love these floors…LOOOOOVE! Once there are a few boards down I will post more pics of the lovliness as whole.

Deep Condition
Final Results

Today I finallllly found time to get my hair done. It really needed it! So fresh feeling and new and revived a bit. Pics above. Another big moment this week was buying some furniture for the new house. We had a lot of cheap, hand me down, and generic furniture still because it was easy and just didn’t want to replace it until we knew what we wanted. The move has really opened our eyes to the modge podge and, thanks to my friends (I wish!) Joanna and Chip Gaines, we are going for the farmhouse style. It’s easier when a husband and wife agree on whatever it may be and for the most part in life Shaun and I do, including the style for our new home thank goodness.

A few days ago we ordered our new bed for the master (and a few other things, wink wink) and it was the first time I had something delivered to our new address which was special. Along with that purchase, we also acquired some antique furniture from a buyer for a famous designer. We brought home an apothecary chest, a cobblers storage hutch, two metal stools, a beautiful sofa table I’m going to fixer upper, and my favorite, an old school metal card catalog we will repurpose as a coffee table. If they weren’t stuffed in the garage under some lighting I’ve also purchased, I’d show some pics but it’ll be prettier in the new house so you’re gonna have to wait patiently for the big reveal. Facebook Marketplace has been an amazing place for me to find these really expensive items I think we’ll make the new house our home for a lot less. Also, setting up a Wayfair business account saves 15% on each order too.

I know I’ve said it before but it still befuddles me that I am still throwing bags and bags of stuff away and still donating bags and bags of stuff to Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s so mentally cleansing to do this much cleansing of our crap. How did we acquire this much crap? Reading the above paragraphs may make it seem like I’m a big shopper/buyer but it’s not the norm for me at all. In all honesty we really did get great deals on each and every thing we’ve bought and they’re all pivotal items we need. What I’m throwing out isn’t furniture either it’s just shtuff. I’ve sold or posted any furniture we didn’t want to bring with us so that someone else can use it. At least we are moving with only what we need. The movers first day is next Friday so I still have time to purge more thank goodness lol. I’m moving so fast that I took this picture of me running img_6420rampant by accident with my phone

During all of this cleansing of excess and junk, I have donated about two-thirds of my clothing. One of the best parts of getting rid of the unessential, unworn, or cruddy clothing is that it opens the door to wearing more “adult” clothes and less lounge wear or so I thought anyway. I still find myself wearing sweats and yoga pants, especially during the packing/purging days that have been one after another the past few weeks. I’m still holding hope that once we settle I’ll adapt a new sense of adulting when I get ready in the morning.

Monday I called Shaun at work with tears in my eyes because I had to share with him my feelings. After spending the morning scheduling town inspections, dropping stuff at the school, and packing, I realized that I’m internally confused. Yes I am 100% not in denial that we are packing to move but I don’t feel like I’m going to leave this house at the same time. Ok, ok, ok I know that sounds a little cray cray and like I’m in a state of denial but to clarify, I half feel excited to move to our new house, have a fresh start, etc… but the other half doesn’t feel like we are really going to leave this house, the girls won’t stop attending their school, we’ll still food shop at the same stores, I’ll get mail from the same mailbox, Gilmore will still go out the sliding glass door to the backyard, and it’ll all remain the same. I’m torn.

Ok now that I’ve made the big announcement, it’s time to get back to work aka packing. I’ll have more pictures for you soon so you can see the new abode. Hoping things hit home and my emotions start to level out. Prayers welcome and as always, any advice or helpful hints please leave in the comments.

I ordered business cards and can not wait to show you when they come in! Exciting!

Become a FOLLOWER so you don’t miss any of the fun or at least the emotional rollercoaster I’m riding…