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.  :/

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

I wanted to share a few photos I found of Yanbu so you can get a little visual of our new home.  Once I'm there I'll get tons of pix, of course.  :)  

A shot of part of our the area around our neighborhood.

This is the main hospital in Yanbu.

The Red Sea

Playground near the Red Sea

The Mall in Yanbu (the grocery store is also located in here)

Let's Get This Party Started!

Yesterday the moving company rep stopped by.  It was very surreal to go through my house and say what was staying and what was going...to Saudi.  Saying it over and over again still hasn't made it sink in all the way.  On the bright side...this move is forcing me to purge purge purge.  I'm a pack rat...always have been.  There are boxes in my garage that haven't been opened in the 2 years we've lived in Cali.  Now, it's time.  


There really isn't much to bring with us.  Our home there is fully furnished (hotel style, but furnished just the same).  Matt is getting a new computer and we'll be wiping and dumping the ones here.  I'm bring a lot of my kitchen stuff with me and a full array of seasonings.  (who knows what they have there)  Of course, that is Matt's first job when he gets there.  He has to scope out the grocery store and tell me what I'm going to need to bring (ya know, pantry stuff)  He's also going to give me a run down of the house so I can do some last minute bring/stay on certain items.  The most important things are the girls stuff.  We are bringing a fairly large library of books.  (if they don't have books, all is lost...seriously)  Bringing a few toys, a small pool for the backyard, and some of their other fave items.  I mean, they have ToysRUs there, so it's not like we can't get them gifts.  We just want  to make sure they have some of what they are used to as well.


Thankfully my in-laws are in town right now and as seasoned movers (Air Force) they have been giving me all kinds of advice.  And I'm very thankful because I have never made a move like this before!  My next course of action is to start separating what goes, what stays and what still needs to be sold.  Whew...these next few weeks are going to be crazy!!

Our Adventure Begins!!!

Well, two days ago we officially announced our move to Saudi Arabia.  To my pleasant surprise, we've had an amazing amount of support from our friends.  This was not an easy decision, but my hubby and I truly believe...you get one life...make the most of it.  We spent an obscene amount of time researching, getting on expat forums, emailing people already living there...and now, we feel as though we have friends eagerly awaiting our arrival.
So, this is just my welcome to my blog post.  I'll follow up in a few days with some facts about Saudi, my upcoming 2 months stay in Italy, and much more.


Looking forward to sharing our magic carpet ride with all of you!  Hang on...it's going to be a wild ride!  :)