Nothing's ever simple, right? I don't know why I thought a cross-country move would be.. duh! So Doug was planning on traveling down to Orlando to attend some meetings in person the week of Halloween. He'd also secure us housing while down there. Well, as it turns out, they haven't been able to get that settled, so it looks like it might be the week after.. if at all? I'm freaking out just a wee bit - how on earth are we going to find a place to live? I seriously need to call some realtors tomorrow..
And in other, just as annoying news.. we need almost $2500 worth of car repairs. Doug got off the phone with the garage and broke the news and I was like, "Of course we do!" Man.
On a better note, decluttering is going well. I gave away about 75% of my craft stash which almost killed me, but I did it! Already culled my clothes and the littles' clothes, the boys are next, and then we get to work on the toys. Well, I actually got started on that a bit, too.. we sorted through three bins of Legos, separated out the minifigs, and boxed up the rest. That took care of about 15% of the kids' Legso. They have a crazy amount, seriously.. I'm half hoping that we can leave a few boxes unpacked in the garage in Florida and they won't notice. Shhh!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
We're Moving!
Doug was offered the position following his interview in September, and after some back and forth, he accepted! He's very excited about it (working with Army Research, a boy's dream!), and I'm thrilled that we'll soon be Floridians!
There is so much to do, though, and I'm a little overwhelmed. Doug has to be in his office in Orlando on November 17th, but he's actually starting next week; they're letting him telecommute to make our transition easier. The last week and a half have been crazy for him at his current job as he tries to tie things up. Colwyn's birthday is on October 24th, and my mother is throwing us a going-away get-together on October 25th, then Doug will fly to Orlando to do some face to face meetings around Halloween. We'll be trick-or-treating at my parents' house an hour away on Halloween (whether Doug will be with us or not remains to be seen), then the next day will be Colwyn's birthday party at our house! After that, we've got two weeks to finish packing everything up and make the big move! I think the next month is probably going to be just a wee bit chaotic.
On top of all that, we're dealing with some sadness about the move, too. As excited as we are about going south, we're really sad to leave our family behind. My parents are handling the change as best as they can, but obviously they're pretty upset. I think the only consolation is that we're not intending to stay in Florida permanently, just for a couple of years. It will depend a lot on how much we like it, of course, but I think Doug especially would love to move back up here at some point.
There is so much to do, though, and I'm a little overwhelmed. Doug has to be in his office in Orlando on November 17th, but he's actually starting next week; they're letting him telecommute to make our transition easier. The last week and a half have been crazy for him at his current job as he tries to tie things up. Colwyn's birthday is on October 24th, and my mother is throwing us a going-away get-together on October 25th, then Doug will fly to Orlando to do some face to face meetings around Halloween. We'll be trick-or-treating at my parents' house an hour away on Halloween (whether Doug will be with us or not remains to be seen), then the next day will be Colwyn's birthday party at our house! After that, we've got two weeks to finish packing everything up and make the big move! I think the next month is probably going to be just a wee bit chaotic.
On top of all that, we're dealing with some sadness about the move, too. As excited as we are about going south, we're really sad to leave our family behind. My parents are handling the change as best as they can, but obviously they're pretty upset. I think the only consolation is that we're not intending to stay in Florida permanently, just for a couple of years. It will depend a lot on how much we like it, of course, but I think Doug especially would love to move back up here at some point.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Change Is In The Air
For the last six months or so (maybe more), we've been talking seriously about making a big change - moving to Florida. Since having kids, winter has become more and more unpleasant. Despite living in New England all our lives, my kids and I are just not winter people. This last year, we had a pretty convenient place to sled - about ten feet from our front door. Lots and lots of pristine snow. And guess how often the kids wanted to play outside. Twice. And the second time they came in pretty quickly. They would much rather be swimming than playing in the snow.
That's how the idea of moving gained traction, but as we started looking more into it, we found many more positives. A big one is that in Florida, we can get way more house for our money. We've got a 1600 square foot three bedroom with many, many flaws (biggest of which are on a busy road with a 55 mph speed limit and no real usable outdoor space). For less money, we could have a 2200+ square foot 4 bedroom with a screened, in-ground pool with a lovely covered patio for outdoor eating.
We're focusing our search on the Orlando area, partly because it's convenient to several different areas we like, it's a more liberal city compared to other areas in Florida, and yes, proximity to theme parks. We went on vacation in early September and Doug had a great job interview while we were down there, so fingers crossed that we'll be moving this fall!
That's how the idea of moving gained traction, but as we started looking more into it, we found many more positives. A big one is that in Florida, we can get way more house for our money. We've got a 1600 square foot three bedroom with many, many flaws (biggest of which are on a busy road with a 55 mph speed limit and no real usable outdoor space). For less money, we could have a 2200+ square foot 4 bedroom with a screened, in-ground pool with a lovely covered patio for outdoor eating.
We're focusing our search on the Orlando area, partly because it's convenient to several different areas we like, it's a more liberal city compared to other areas in Florida, and yes, proximity to theme parks. We went on vacation in early September and Doug had a great job interview while we were down there, so fingers crossed that we'll be moving this fall!