We're movin' now!

Let the games begin!  The movers are here as we speak, my house is total chaos.  My dear friend came this morning and whisked away my girls...they were headed to the zoo and then over to her house for the afternoon.  God bless her.  
I spent the first hour with one of the guys carefully weighing each box that is getting shipped to Saudi.  (remember, we only get 400lbs!)  Once that was done, I'm just kind of walking around clueless.  I parked myself at my desk to start filling out the daunting (and aggravating) inventory list.
And so, my part of the adventure finally begins.  We'll stay tonight with some friends...then head to Vegas in the morning.  (after a short stop at the beach...of course)  Thursday I have to get to Carmax and sell the Caddy.  Then Friday, me and the girls take off to Ohio!  
I'm so looking forward to doing NOTHING this coming weekend.  

I don't think they have enough pods...seriously.  :/

Bad News...Good News

Bad news first...yesterday I had to put down my dog of 12 years.  I got Hagen when he was just 3 months old.  He was sort of an anti-dog...never played fetch, didn't like to chew bones.  Just a happy puppy.  He was so easy to train and in his later years, I never worried about him running off or jumping up on people.  His favorite thing to do these last few months was to lay out on the driveway and watch the world go by.  Oh, sure, he had his quirks...he sure didn't like kids..even my own.  No one but me was allowed to touch anywhere near his rear end and he loved to shred toilet paper.  :)  

He was with me through so many moments...we moved to and from Texas, in and out of my mom's house, in and out of three other homes, I got married, had kids...he was always there, always by my side.  He listened when I cried about crappy moments in my life, he laid in bed with me at night, and he loved going for rides in the car.  

He was mine, and I loved him so much.

As the move to Saudi drew closer, I knew I had to find another home for him.  I really didn't want him to go to a family I didn't know, and then lose all contact with him.  I posted on Facebook begging people to help me find him a home to live out the rest of his days.  I sent emails to all my family and my husband's family.  No luck.  I was getting panicked.  What was I going to do??

Then, one sleepless night, I understood there was only one option.  See, Hagen was blind.  Sure, he got along well in our home because he'd been familiar with it for the past 2 years.  But, there were times he would trip and fall over things on the floor, or walk into walls or doors.  A couple of times he fell down the stairs.  And I started thinking...what is he going to do in a totally unfamiliar home with totally unfamiliar people??  Hagen already had a habit of not eating when I would leave or go out of town.  What would happen when I left and never came back.  He would feel abandoned and probably die of a broken heart.

And so, I knew that it would be pure torture to do that to my dog...just because I wanted to selfishly keep him around.  I had always wanted to be there with him in the end...

This was the hardest decision I have ever had to make...I cried the whole day...wracking, gut wrenching, sick to your stomach.  

It happened so fast...one minute he was breathing, then next I was holding his body in my arms.  I stayed awhile.  Petting him, talking to him, kissing his nose...but I knew his spirit had left.  I knew my dog was now free...he could see again, his teeth no longer pained him, he had a ton of energy.  Not that any of this made me feel any better...my heart still aches.  I look for him around the house...listening for his collar to jingle...now, I'll just have to focus on the memories...they were really good ones.

I'm going to miss my buddy. 

Okay, so now, as I dry my eyes once more...I'd like to share GOOD news!  :)  Matt called today to say that he got his iqama!!!  That means that our family visa paperwork has been filed!  We're hoping it will be only about 6 more weeks till we can be together again.  So, I'm focusing on that now.  Trying to finish packing the house up and well, just moving on.  Everything happens for a reason, I truly believe that...and I feel in my heart (down to my soul) that everything that has happened so far...is good. 

Me and my buddy.  forever in my heart.

Red Sea Dive (#1)

Matt recently went diving in the Red Sea.  He said it was just amazing.  The water temp was a glorious 85 degrees and crystal clear.  These are some photos his dive partner took.  He may be able to talk me into going after all...maybe.  ;)

Not Fun.

Hello. My name is Staci. I am a Pack Rat.


Good god, I don't know how I manage to accumulate as much stuff as I do. This is just nuts. I mean, I'm no hoarder...not by a long shot, but still. I think this move was written in the cards. They say.."Staci, CLEAN OUT THE HOUSE!!!!!!!"


When we moved from Vegas to Cali...it was quick. I'm talkin' a turn around of about 2 weeks, from when Matt left to when the movers came to pack up. So, I didn't do much in the way of actually getting rid of anything...it was more..just stuff it in something and get it ready to go. See, I had to pack everything myself then. And let me tell you, by the end, I was just dumping stuff in boxes.


So, this time, it's different.
One: They are packing me. So thankful for that.
Two: I can only ship 400lbs. That really makes you rethink what's important. (I do get to stuff my luggage full to take on the plane with me, but still...that's not much either)
Three: They will pay for storage. But, you can't store certain items for 2 years. You end up with nasty stuff.


All that said, I'm definitely taking more time to make sure I'm left with as little as possible and only what's important. The girls have watched toy after toy be sold in garage sales. It's just got. to. go.


I'm miserable right now, I'm sick of my house, sick of my stuff, and sick of trying to figure out what to bring. I want to fast forward to September 7th when I'll be coasting along the freeway to Vegas. But, then again, I don't want to wish away my last days in Cali either. Course, I'd rather be OUT enjoying Cali then in this house. But, thank the lord for my mother and all her help. I think I would have had a nervous breakdown if she wasn't here right now.


Okay, enough computer time. Back to work. YUCK.

Our New Home

Well, it's been a week since Matt left.  (seriously seems like months already)  This week has been a whirlwind for me.  Started off not wanting to do a damn thing but mope.
Then, on Monday, I figured I better get my butt in gear.  I have to be out of this house by the 8th of September.  I spent the afternoon gutting my closet.  5 full black garbage bags later, I was done.  Dropped them off at a local church.
Tuesday morning I picked up my mom from the airport.  SO thankful she's here to help me.  I felt so lost and she's helping me keep my focus.  Love her to death.  We didn't do too much yesterday, but man, did we work today!  And a wonderful friend took my kids for 4 hours so we wouldn't be bothered.  Still, much more to do.


So, on to Matt.  He's been settling in very well.  Having some issues getting his internet up and running beyond a snail's pace.  But, as soon as he does, he'll be posting on the blog too.  He's already been to a couple of dinners, literary night (aka poker night), and went to check out some cars.  AND, best of all, he shot photos of our new home!
I'm really impressed.  Much nicer than I had thought.  We got very lucky and landed a 3 bedroom.  It has two family rooms, a large yard, decent kitchen and I actually have a laundry room!!!!!!  (since I moved out on my own, I have never had a laundry room...ever!)  It's tiny, but it's mine.  I don't have to be in a hallway, or in the garage!  I'm stoked!  :)
And so, here is a slideshow of our new home.  The yard of course will need plants, but we love to do that.  When I get there I'll put the ladies touch on the walls.  :)  And the girls already have plans for their room.  One less thing to worry about now...we have a home, it's lovely, and best of all, it's free!!


                      

And...he's gone.

Last night we packed up Matt and headed to LA.  We had decided to stay the night in a hotel near the airport so we could spend more time together.
We had a wonderful dinner at Pancho's Mexican restaurant and afterwards we let the girls run around Manhattan Beach (the sun had set and it was dark outside and they had a blast).
Back at the hotel, Matt and I shared some wine and the girls watched a movie.  We let them stay up WAY past their bedtime, (and even though I knew I would pay for it today) I didn't care.


At 5am, Matt got up and got ready to go to the airport.  Even though we both said there was no reason for tears, they came anyway.  I've rarely seen my husband cry in all the years we've been together, but when he had to say goodbye to his baby girls, well, let's just say that's true fatherly love for you.  We tried to get them to wake up enough to hug and kiss him, but, the poor things were just...out.  He hugged and kissed them anyway, hugged and kissed me, and then dragged his bags out the hotel room door.


I sat and cried for awhile and then crawled back into bed in hopes of getting some sleep....not much came.  I just don't know how military families do this...my heart just broke watching how much it was killing Matt to leave us.  They are all much stronger than I ever could be.
Now we are back at home and I'm looking around feeling mega overwhelmed all over again.  So much to do in the next few weeks.  Thank God my mother is coming out next week to help me get things sorted for shipment and storage.  I know we have some fun months ahead (I'll be taking the girls to Ohio and Texas over the next two months), but it just won't be the same without Matt.


Looking forward to his call when he gets to our new home in Yanbu.  For now, I'm just going to try and keep the tears at bay and focus on the many tasks at hand.  (okay, maybe I'll let a few more tears fall, but then it'll be back to business.)  Sigh.

The Goodbye's Begin....

We're at T-minus 4 days and counting until my husband takes flight to Saudi.  His "go-ahead" packet arrived today...got his passport back with the visa attached inside, his flight info and his final contract.  Pretty exciting stuff...

But, here's where my reality comes to play...over the last few weeks, I have watched as my family members have said goodbye to my husband.  Wishing him well, pats on the back, promises of visits in Europe...and, oh, yeah, the tears.  Not from Matt...and not many from my family, no, those tears belonged mostly to me.  I mean, he's really leaving!  I won't see my husband for a minimum of two months.  (skype doesn't count, of course, I'm beyond thankful we have that technology now!!)  We've never been apart for that long...ever.  Yes, I know we made this choice, and yes, I'm happy with it.  But damnit, I'm still not happy about Matt heading out before me.  

This weekend we're enjoying the company of Matt's brother and his family.  So happy Matt is able to say goodbye to them in person too (since they live in Texas).  After Sunday, I'll just have three precious days before he flies off on his magic carpet.  

So, lets focus on some positives about Matt getting there before me.  He can give me a rundown of our home and help me figure out the must haves I need to pack for the move.  I asked him to scope out the grocery store and see if I need to bring any of my fave spices with me.  He'll have the computer, TV, and phones all ready to go, plus he gets the honor of putting together the girls' new bunk beds!  :)  Okay, so, there ya go, we've got some positives to focus on.  

Sigh, just tell my heart that.  :/