Journal: Moving forward

Out my window: 22 and spitting snow. It has been remarkably non-snowy this year. Not complaining, just weird.  Hoping the weather holds out for moving in a few weeks.

Clothing myself in: Brown shirt, jeans, black cardigan.

Life with kids: I was reading back to a year, year and a half ago on my blog the other day.  I spent a lot of time and energy lamenting George's early wake-ups.  Trying to rack my brain to make rhyme or reason of it. Alas, even though it still bothers me that he does it, I have kind of just accepted it for what it is.  He grows well, eats well, plays well, is very intelligent. Some days it seems like parenting is just one big lesson in letting it go.

All the other kids are great. Learning so much. We had hit a rough patch with homeschooling in November/ December but we are back on track. It certainly isn't easy. But I love getting to be with the kids every day. And I love the quiet times (like right now, actually).  George is napping, Liam is reading, Isabelle is writing a story for fun, and Isaac is helping Adelle with her videos for her lessons. Peace reigns, for this moment, in the Marney house.

Crafting: Nope, just packing.  Organized and put away all my yarn yesterday. Sniff. See you on the other side, yarn.

Bringing me joy: Quiet. Boxes stacking up in my garage. The unburdening of getting rid of stuff we don't need. Wasabi flavored almonds. Productivity.

Thinking about: We were crazy productive this weekend.  Have almost everything out of the basement except the girl's beds and clothes. Isaac and Liam's room is done except the closet, same for George's.  Linen closet. Got extraneous furniture out.  It is looking like we will actually be leaving.

All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Our buyer's loan went through, as has ours- we are just dotting our i's and crossing our t's. Colorado house has been inspected and nothing major there.  The inspection here was fine.  Just need to get the appraisal on the Colorado house and that is the last thing besides actual moving.  Whew.  Getting there.

Moving and stuff

Colorado. We have a history.

We actually went to Colorado Springs on our honeymoon and stayed in this cute little bed and breakfast.  We walked through Garden of the Gods, went to Seven Falls, went up Pikes Peak.  

A couple years later, when Issy was 1 and I was pregnant with Isaac, we visited the Springs again. It was pretty rainy/ cloudy the first couple of days, so we drove up the highway into the mountains. We reached Woodland Park "The Town Above the Clouds" and indeed it was. We talked/ dreamed about living there someday.  Joe started looking for a job in Colorado. We visited Pikes Peak again when Issy was 3, Isaac was 1 and I was pregnant with Liam. It was our go-to place. 

As life would have it, when he was searching for a job in Colorado, he came upon a listing for a job in Jackson, WY.  We ended up on the other side of the mountain in Teton Valley for a couple of years and really fell in love with the area.  It was this amazing gem we didn't even know existed.  When we moved back to Wichita in 2009, I missed Teton Valley before we even left. We talked so much, especially in those early months about moving back there. We just couldn't get the mountains out of our heads.

We visited Colorado a couple of times over those years when we lived in Kansas. It was like an old friend- the kind where even when you've been away, you just pick back up where you left off.

A couple years later, he took a job here in Wisconsin and we expected that would be it for the moving.  It has been such a welcoming community to us- the kids have made friends, we have found our niche here. But the mountains were still calling. 

There was more flexibility with Joe's job and working remotely, so we set about finding a place in the mountains.  It was originally our intention to move back to Teton Valley.  But in the interest of not having more options,  we looked at houses in Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho in August. As it turned out, our first choice house ended up being in Colorado.  But our first choice house was a no back then.  Then our second and third choices houses also ended up being a no.

And finally, once this house went under a (seemingly) solid contract, we found out that the Colorado house that was a no in August was a yes right now. I am left amazed at the timing of things.  

That said, I would be lying to say that I have not had slight pangs of disappointment at not moving to Teton Valley.  But truly only slight.  When we got the contract on this house, and the door on the Teton Valley house had closed and there were no other good options there, I had somewhat resigned myself that we just weren't supposed to be there.  I am actually happy that we had the opportunity to be under contract on that house- it didn't happen because there was somewhere else that we need to be, not because we didn't try.  So even though I will miss living there, I am at peace with it.

With each day that passes, it is becoming more and more real to me- this is actually happening. The realization is both good and bad.  It makes me feel overwhelmed at all the things I have to do (I hate packing/ moving! but I don't mind decluttering.). It makes me feel excited at the things to come. It makes me nervous about something going awry in the process. It makes me sad that I am actually going to have to say good-bye (and the kids will have to say good-bye) to the people we have come to know and love here.  Also, what if I hate living there? I mean, I don't think I will, but you know. Cold feet. Also, part of the appeal of moving back to Teton Valley was that we didn't have to start from scratch.  Even though we have visited Colorado many times, this is a fresh start, community-wise.  But mountains again!  

So yes, I am all over the place.  One day at a time.  Everything will work out the way it should.

Journal: Colorado

Outside my window: It's -17. Yes, that is correct. -17.  The sky looks clear though and the sun is started to break through the trees.  Ah, Wisconsin.

Clothing myself in: Joe's robe, lavender cabled hat, exercise leggings and a long sleeved T. I do actually wear other things than this, I promise.

Life with kids: Trying to set up a few playdates and visits with their friends before we leave next month.  I also made lessons plans with the virtual school so that we will be finishing up our semester shortly before we leave, so that is going to work out pretty perfectly as far as tying up loose ends.  Now that it is actually on us, there is excitement mixed with a little bit of sadness from leaving.  I am so excited to take them on this adventure.

Crafting: Finished the scarf, but did not take a picture.  It was lovely :)

Bringing me joy: House papers that are finally signed! Decluttering our laundry room(again)- ouch, it's painful to let go but good, impromptu dinner dates with my hubby, talking about house plans.

Thinking about:  Right after my last post, we had decided to make an offer on the Colorado house and as we were drawing up the papers, they dropped the price. Like, a considerable amount.  Our agents were able to collaborate on an offer that the sellers would  sign.  And it took days and days and days because of internet access, one of the sellers working nights, and having the sellers separate locations. But they did finally sign it.

Now onto appraisal, inspection, and coordinating moving efforts. There are so many moving parts to this process, it will be a wonder if we are able to pull this off without kinks.

I am in a little bit of disbelief/ tad bit of denial that this is actually happening. Two weeks ago, moving was not on my radar. And now we are leaving in less than six weeks. I suppose as the time gets closer and everything starts to come together, it'll get more real. Colorado. Mountains. Whoa.

Journal: Good house news

Out my window: Well, it's 6 in the morning and still dark, but when I walked by the window, I saw a skiff of snow on the ground.   It's been a couple weeks since we had any, so it's a welcome change. I missed having lots of fluffy, white snow on the ground for Christmas!

Clothing myself in: exercise tights, long sleeved T, fleece sweatshirt, Joe's robe, my lavender cabled hat.

Life with the kids: My sister Brenda, her husband, my nephew and his girlfriend were in town this week, so the kids got to hang out with relatives a bit, which is always nice. George has been exasperatingly Georgeish this week. We are back to lessons this upcoming week, so I would reaaaally appreciate it if he would be a little more chill. A Mama can dream, can't she?

Adelle has been talking for a couple of months about how she wanted to get her ears pierced. She was very insistent about it and was willing to take steps to show me that she could handle it. She got a Claire's gift certificate for Christmas and we took her on New Year's to get them done.  She was amazing.  Didn't even flinch. She bounced out of there saying in her sweet little girl voice, "I am so happy!" 5 is such a magical age.

Crafting: Nope.  Really need to work on the scarf so I get send it with Joe to IL this week. And really need to do the sleeves on his sweater so that he can actually wear it.

Bringing me joy: The kid's excitement at our visitors. Getting to spend time with Brenda and Tim- I love how close I am with my sisters. I hope my kids are close as adults. Oh! And my little brother-in-law got engaged on New Year's Eve. I am getting a new sister-in-law- so exciting!!  Seeing Adelle be such a big girl. I love joking around with Issy. Forward movement in the house direction!

Thinking about: Our visitors were out skiing on Tuesday, so I exercised a bit, and then hopped into the shower. The phone was ringing when I was finishing up, but I didn't recognize the number and figured I could call back if  it was important. Joe called me a few minutes later to let me know that our realtor was trying to get a hold of me, so I called her back. She apologized for the short notice, but asked if she could show the house in 30 or 45 minutes. I rushed out to the kids, asked them for complete help and compliance and we got to work! Luckily, I had cleaned over the weekend, so it wasn't completely tragic, but it wasn't quite as nice as I usually make it for a showing.

I got a call that afternoon from our agent with their offer. They have no house to sell, they are well-qualified. So that was that.  Close date of February 20th.  Just praying that appraisal/ inspection/ them getting their loan goes smoothly.  I am not counting my chickens since our house-selling experience has been less than clear-cut thus far.  I know that I should be more motivated since closing is 7 weeks from yesterday but I just keep thinking that this is going to get derailed just like the other times, even though there is no evidence that will happen.

We are still trying to decide what comes next. Our first choice house from our visit, in CO, is still available.  So we will see.