Yeah - I know! It's been a while. Amid the packing, the upheaval and the realities of trying to orchestrate a move (without movers to help us) to a house an hour away the week AFTER school started, I didn't get much of a chance to write.
Things are nowhere near settled just yet, but we are in the house and the kids are in school.
Quick FAQ:
Q: From where to where did you move?
A: We moved from a beautiful, small VA city to the most beautiful part of "the middle of nowhere," VA. (AKA: an hour closer to my hubby's work!)
Q: Why were you living an hour and a half from your husband's work?
A: Hubby was working in a nearby town, but in the infinite wisdom of some brilliant VA politicians, the facility (yes - one of the only fully self-sufficient prisons in the state) was shut down and my hubby was transferred to a facility an hour and a half away.
Q: You're married to a con?
A: No... just a 6'3" guy who describes his job and a Corrections Officer as "Babysitting for a few hundred adult men who act like 5-year-olds but want to be treated like adult men."
Q: Why didn't you move when he got transferred?
A: We absolutely loved the school Iraq and The Skink were attending and wanted to keep them there as long as possible. Unfortunately, "as long as possible" expired last June :(
Q: No movers? Did you do it all with just your husband and son?
A: Nope! We are so lucky to have some amazing friends who took time out of their own lives to pitch in and help us! If it hadn't been for them, we'd probably still be "moving" and not "moved."
Q: Do you mind living in "the middle of nowhere," VA?
A: Mind? I LOVE country living! And the neighbors can't hear Iraq's meltdowns!
Q: Is Iraq having transition issues?
A: Does a bear poop in the woods?
Q: Funniest moving story?
A: The Skink, in hopes of being helpful, found the decorative little box in which are hidden mommy and daddy's "adult toys. She marched through the house with the open box, presented it to me and excitedly squealed, "Happy Birthday!!" Still not sure if the present was the box itself, or the fact that she took it upon herself to empty a bottle of Astroglide over the contents, pre-lubing everything for us. How thoughtful...
Q: How many critters moved with you?
A: One dog, two cats, four guinea fowl and six chickens.
Q: Uh... was there any hope of getting any of your security deposit back after housing a farms' worth of critters in a really nice city house?
A: This momma scrubbed that house so good (yes - I know that's poor grammar - I'm just talkin' country for a minute) that to our shock and consternation we not only received the entire security deposit, but also the "non-refundable" pet deposit for the dog and cats. (Needless to say, we never mentioned "domestic fowl" to the real estate management company.)
Q: What do you think of the new schools? What do the kids think of the schools?
A: To my great glee and Broadway's chagrin, all the kids ride the SAME bus - LOL! I guess when you're picking up kids from all over the "middle of nowhere," you gotta do what you can to conserve gas. We had the option to have the "short bus" pick up The Skink, but we held off to see how she would do on the regular bus. She does great!
The girls' school is fairly new and a very nice building. So far we are very happy with it. Broadway's school is a bit of a culture shock for him after attending a high school with no less than 2,000 students for the last three years. For his senior year, he is going to a school with only about 600 students. I think he may know them all by now :)
Q: How is the unpacking coming?
A: Uggg
Q: You going to unpack more today?
A: Sure... right after I finish working on the new chicken coop that we're fashioning out of an old dog house and some scrap wood left over from the original chicken coop that was on this property until a big storm took out the large tree that stood over the coop and crushed it to smithereens. Once the coop is finished, I can move the 5 chicks that are still living in the house, outside! (And yes - our new landlords are aware of the "domestic fowl :)
Q: You take pictures of everything. Do you have any pictures to share?
A: Nope.
Just kidding!
There is a giant flowering bush just outside the kitchen window. It attracts any number of hummingbirds, butterflies and honey bees.
The new front porch is the perfect place to wait for the big yellow bus to bring the noisy little humans back.
Gunnar is getting prettier by the day. Didn't want another rooster, but he may be too pretty to let go (and he's got a great personality too!).
Mimi and the girls in front of the horse barn.
Mimi and the girls (and a cow) in front of a big oak tree.
Mimi, Mills (Iraq's pet rooster) and Broadway.
Q: Does Mimi live with you?
A: Oh heavens no! Living with our little family could off an unsuspecting grandparent in a matter of days. We want to keep Mimi around for a while, so she and Pop live a safe distance from my Wild Things... but they come visit regularly (at their own risk, of course) :o)
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Things are nowhere near settled just yet, but we are in the house and the kids are in school.
Quick FAQ:
Q: From where to where did you move?
A: We moved from a beautiful, small VA city to the most beautiful part of "the middle of nowhere," VA. (AKA: an hour closer to my hubby's work!)
Q: Why were you living an hour and a half from your husband's work?
A: Hubby was working in a nearby town, but in the infinite wisdom of some brilliant VA politicians, the facility (yes - one of the only fully self-sufficient prisons in the state) was shut down and my hubby was transferred to a facility an hour and a half away.
Q: You're married to a con?
A: No... just a 6'3" guy who describes his job and a Corrections Officer as "Babysitting for a few hundred adult men who act like 5-year-olds but want to be treated like adult men."
Q: Why didn't you move when he got transferred?
A: We absolutely loved the school Iraq and The Skink were attending and wanted to keep them there as long as possible. Unfortunately, "as long as possible" expired last June :(
Q: No movers? Did you do it all with just your husband and son?
A: Nope! We are so lucky to have some amazing friends who took time out of their own lives to pitch in and help us! If it hadn't been for them, we'd probably still be "moving" and not "moved."
Q: Do you mind living in "the middle of nowhere," VA?
A: Mind? I LOVE country living! And the neighbors can't hear Iraq's meltdowns!
Q: Is Iraq having transition issues?
A: Does a bear poop in the woods?
Q: Funniest moving story?
A: The Skink, in hopes of being helpful, found the decorative little box in which are hidden mommy and daddy's "adult toys. She marched through the house with the open box, presented it to me and excitedly squealed, "Happy Birthday!!" Still not sure if the present was the box itself, or the fact that she took it upon herself to empty a bottle of Astroglide over the contents, pre-lubing everything for us. How thoughtful...
Q: How many critters moved with you?
A: One dog, two cats, four guinea fowl and six chickens.
Q: Uh... was there any hope of getting any of your security deposit back after housing a farms' worth of critters in a really nice city house?
A: This momma scrubbed that house so good (yes - I know that's poor grammar - I'm just talkin' country for a minute) that to our shock and consternation we not only received the entire security deposit, but also the "non-refundable" pet deposit for the dog and cats. (Needless to say, we never mentioned "domestic fowl" to the real estate management company.)
Q: What do you think of the new schools? What do the kids think of the schools?
A: To my great glee and Broadway's chagrin, all the kids ride the SAME bus - LOL! I guess when you're picking up kids from all over the "middle of nowhere," you gotta do what you can to conserve gas. We had the option to have the "short bus" pick up The Skink, but we held off to see how she would do on the regular bus. She does great!
The girls' school is fairly new and a very nice building. So far we are very happy with it. Broadway's school is a bit of a culture shock for him after attending a high school with no less than 2,000 students for the last three years. For his senior year, he is going to a school with only about 600 students. I think he may know them all by now :)
Q: How is the unpacking coming?
A: Uggg
Q: You going to unpack more today?
A: Sure... right after I finish working on the new chicken coop that we're fashioning out of an old dog house and some scrap wood left over from the original chicken coop that was on this property until a big storm took out the large tree that stood over the coop and crushed it to smithereens. Once the coop is finished, I can move the 5 chicks that are still living in the house, outside! (And yes - our new landlords are aware of the "domestic fowl :)
Q: You take pictures of everything. Do you have any pictures to share?
A: Nope.
Just kidding!
Q: Does Mimi live with you?
A: Oh heavens no! Living with our little family could off an unsuspecting grandparent in a matter of days. We want to keep Mimi around for a while, so she and Pop live a safe distance from my Wild Things... but they come visit regularly (at their own risk, of course) :o)
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