Getting Ready, or Something Like It

I really want to blog more and document our European Vacation. But getting ready to go is the first hurdle, right? And I'd sure hate to forget all the excitement and joy I'm experiencing as we get ready for our big adventure. (By "excitement and joy" I mean "stress and apprehension", of course.) Since we found out in June that we'd be moving, things have gone quickly. There was a long list of things I wanted to get done around the house, and I managed to do (almost) all of them. But there are still a number of things that are constantly lurking around my thoughts...

The House:
     Our house has been on the market for six weeks and we have not had even one single showing. Trying to sell the house is the single biggest thing stressing me out right now. I blame part of it on the realtor, because he hasn't scheduled any open houses or had any other realtors in to put it on their radar. But there are lots of houses for rent and for sale in our neighborhood, and I can see how long everything is sitting on the market-- it's not pretty. But right now there is a continuing building boom going on in Killeen. Houses are still going up in our development, and there is a second development started behind ours. This is in addition to all of the other building going on in the area. Just like when we moved here three years ago, when someone can get a brand new house for the same price as an older one, why wouldn't they? It's what we did. So now we're looking at what so many other military families do (and what we really wanted to avoid), which is to keep the property and sign on with a property management company to rent it out. Rentals seem to go faster than purchases. Obviously there are a lot of people out there smarter than I am-- I won't be buying another house for a long, long time.

The Husband:
     Stressor number two would be the absence of my husband. It's much better than when he was deployed, of course, but only being able to see him once or twice a month is difficult. Especially now, when not only are there a million things that need doing, and when I've been on my own with the kids for months upon endless months, but just because by the end of the day I just need a shoulder to lean on. There are a lot of things I've had to deal with that would not have been any different if he had been here, but just having someone to commiserate with and give me a hug helps more than you'd think. The fact that he's just a few weeks away from finishing class isn't even reassuring, since he won't even be here full time after that. He'll be able to take long weekends here but even in the last few weeks of getting packed and ready I will be the primary responsible party. I'm tired of being the primary responsible party.

The Kids:
     I've got everything taken care of in regards to the kids, at least for right now. Medical records are collected and passports are applied for. Now is the time for fielding daily questions about when we're moving, what we'll take with us, where the pets are going, where we'll live, what we'll eat... again and again and again and again... it must be strange for them. We've watched a couple of travel shows about Germany and looked at some maps. I don't know how much they understand. Heck, there's a lot I don't understand. Cultural adaptation has been shoved to the back burner in favor of daily survival.

The Pets:
     Dexter has a home waiting for him. Holly has Plans A and B if we can't find a home for her, which are staying with Tom's family or returning her to the rescue. I have no real leads on Harold. I can't imagine giving up all my pets, and then not having any for the first time in ten years. It's like deserting part of my family. Although I spend a chunk of each day resenting the hair, the poop, and the drool, the comfort and unconditional love my furbabies give me just can't be matched (even by my hairy stinky drooling children). Much like worrying about what life will be like when we actually get to Germany, I've pushed aside the thoughts of what it will be like to lose my pets.

Me:
     I started school last week, and so far I absolutely love it. The workload doesn't seem like it will be too bad this semester. The people in my (online) classes seem very outgoing and friendly, which is great since I'm sure we'll have a lot of classes together in the next few years. I remain surprised by how even Master's students consider a two-sentence reply to a discussion question an appropriate response. Then again, I'm a nerd and kind of a suck-up because I love being the bestest in the class... today one of my professors pointed out my response as an example of what she wanted in the DQ replies and I was super pumped. Schoolwork is "me time", and sometimes I enjoy the break from my other reality so much that it's hard to tear myself away and attend to the other things I should be doing. After six weeks of keeping a meticulously clean house in anticipation of possible showings, there is now a layer of dust on my furniture (gasp!) and sometimes I don't empty the dishwasher first thing in the morning to hide all of the day's dishes (double gasp!) But I'm really going to like the MLS program, I think, and I'm excited to learn all of the nerdtastic information there is about... well, information science.


     So this is where I'm at right now. Stress, stress, and a long list of things in the back of my head that feel like they need immediate attention. But the older kids are loving school, Norah continues to entertain as only someone destined for  Broadway can, and Wyatt is my clingy snugglebuddy who both amazes me with how smart he is and melts me with his constant need to be near me. Even though he does jump on my head sometimes in the morning just to say "I love you", he also sometimes pats my back while I'm trying to sleep through his tossing and turning (since apparently my bed is now his bed too.) Life is good to me, and I guess the worst I can say is that it keeps me on my toes. 'Cause, you know, I sure would hate to be bored for even one minute :)