Well hello there. I haven't done one of these posts in a looong time. I have the usual randomness, plus a couple big things I'll ramble on about, as well.
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- It should be mandatory for bagels to come pre-sliced.
- The Girl: Who's coming over? Me: No one, why? The Girl: You're wearing pants.
- Baby still has some words that she says wrong, and they are SO cute. Elephant is elephump. Igloo is eggloo. The litter box is the glitter box. Love it.
- I'm obsessed with the show Fixer Upper. I could marathon watch it. The other day, The Kid says: You should do that. Me: What? The Kid: Design houses and decorate them. You're really good at it. Me: ❤
- Big news. We had The Kid's follow up neuro appointment last month. We hit the two year mark from his diagnosis. Which means, he is officially off meds. We did one week half dose, then down to nothin'. We're two weeks in and no signs of seizures so far. Woohoo! Obviously, if they show up again, we'll reassess, but if all goes well, we'll never see the neurologist again. Yay!
- Baby during a Spot It marathon: I hope you lose.
- I quit my job with the after school program yesterday. I may have not even mentioned that I have a job. Monday through Thursday, an hour a day, serving the meal in the cafeteria to the kids before their clubs. I'll finish out this term, but won't do it again when it starts back up in April. There are a couple different reasons, but we'll just say that my day drinking is about to get ramped up, and I can't do that if I have to work at 2:00. Kidding, not kidding.
- We're selling our house.
- That's a big one.
- There are at least two years worth of inner pro and con arguments behind that statement, but it pretty much boils down to, wanting/needing/expecting a good education for our kids, wanting more dirt, and wanting more space. While I believe the adage, small houses make close families, we are a family of five, living in just barely over 1000 square feet. The kids are growing. They'll be teenagers in a blink. We need more room. We considered building up, but that doesn't give me more dirt. And we would still have to figure out how to get the kids into another school. So, we will attempt to find those things somewhere else.
- The cons are hard. And sad.
- I was born and raised in Portland. It's my home. But it isn't the same as it was when I was a kid. The school system, in general, is a train wreck, the drugs, although they're everywhere, are rampant here, the traffic is enough to make a person crazy, the housing market is out of control. I was single when I bought our house, and even as a married couple, it was great to be in such a central location, where you can walk to anything. But your priorities change when you have kids.
- We love, love, love our neighbors. If we could bring them all with us, we would. We've been so lucky to have them in our lives.
- Mom Club. I can walk to all three of their houses. One is directly across the street. How can we meet up for impromptu day drinking if we have to drive to get together? This is a tough one for me. They have become very dear friends.
- Right now, we're a max of fifteen minutes from both my mom and my sister. Weeknight dinners are an option. We basically live at my sister's house during college football season. Although we're not planning on moving hundreds of miles away, we will be going far enough out to get the most bang for our buck. Adding thirty to forty five minutes to the commute will have an impact.
- The kids. We've talked about moving a lot over the last two years. But now that it's real, The Kid is having a REALLY hard time. He doesn't want to leave his school. He doesn't want to leave his friends. He doesn't want to leave his neighborhood. He doesn't want to leave his house. He's struggling. He hates me. I know that once we're on the other side of everything, he'll be happy, but in the interim, it's hard for his mama to see him so sad. I get it. I do. I never moved growing up, so I can't personally relate to those feelings, but he's my kid and I have empathy for what he's going through. But, as his parents, we have to make decisions based on their welfare, and I know with certainty that this is the best thing for them.
- As it stands, they will finish this school year. I won't say too much at this point, but there is A LOT of guilt behind sending them there every day. It is rapidly becoming uglier, and although our kids are not asking to leave the situation, as their parents, we know that the climate will leave lasting impressions on them. What they have come to perceive as normal is horrifying to us, and I'm a straw away from yanking them. Not to mention the fact that they are NOT getting a good education. I could go on and on, but it really just boils down to that. They will not be prepared for high school at the rate they're going. So, that being said, they will for sure be starting at a new school next year, wherever that may be. The Kid will officially go on to a middle school, which he wouldn't be doing here because our current school is a K- 8. The Girl will be a 4th grader (!!!!) and Baby will enter the magical land of kindergarten. In the whole scheme of things, this is the perfect time to make the move. And, for the record, both The Girl and Baby are excited. The Girl is like, let's go now!
- Enough about school. It really has consumed me for the past two years and I'm done.
- My Rodney boy is buried here.
- My garden. You guys. My garden. Le sigh. I will say, I have officially detached myself from it. This is, and will be, the strangest spring I've had since my first little plot of dirt at nineteen. I am completely overwhelmed at the thought of the amount of work ahead of me. I will not walk away from my plants. I will be digging damn near everything. The plants that I don't completely remove, will have pieces taken from them. Phlox, Rudbeckia, Solomon's Seal, etc. But there are things that are just too big, and too established, to dig. My beautiful Daphne by the front steps. My blueberry bushes. My standard Knock Out rose, that I've had since I was twenty five. Evergreens that are in the ground. My gigantic Limelight Hydrangea. My Big Ass housewarming blue Hydrangea. Sigh. I will carve out a holding area, and once I get motivated, I will just have to start digging and potting up. All the pots and yard "art" that I've collected over the past sixteen years will need to be discriminately compiled somewhere. Sigh. It is what it is.
- Those are some solid cons. And they're tough. But hopefully, the pros will be better than we even imagine them to be.
- I say this has been a two year conversation, but in reality, I've had The Dream for as long as I can remember. My whole life, really. An old house on a decent sized plot of land. An entry with a staircase. A kitchen big enough for a table. A huge dining room that fits friends and family all at the same time. A fireplace. A yard big enough for the kids and the dog to run like crazy. My sprinklers. My whole life, I've wanted a yard big enough for the oscillating sprinklers. The noise they make. I can hear it in my head. I have pictures of them on my Vision Board.
- This isn't a materialistic want. It's something my heart pulls me toward. When we drive through a town with wide open fields, since I was a kid, it's the feeling that says it's where I belong. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. That flutter you get when you're falling in love, or have a crush. That's the same flutter I get. It's meant to be. The Dream.
- I believe in putting things out to the Universe. I started a Vision Board on Pinterest last year. Yes, Pinterest is one giant vision board, but I wanted it to be very specific.
- You can see it here: Vision Board 2016
- It's happening. It's scary as hell, but it's happening.
It's WONDERFUL you are making things happen. Your dream is coming true, step by step. Perhaps painful now but the thorn will be removed before you know it. Just wonderful, Mindy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates. Certainly helps to put things into perspective. And rather than selfishly hate on your decision I shall support it with love ❤
ReplyDeleteWishing you the best of luck finding the house/yard of your dreams. And a better school. My grands were in SE ptld schools, moved to Beaverton last summer. SE middle just awful climate compared to grade school conditions. I understand fully your feelings. Lots of filthy language and open displays of "affection" unsettling at Beaverton middle school, but not the acts of outright violence. Beaverton may not be the best but it's a big improvement.
ReplyDeleteWe have so many cats buried here we say we can never move. Should have buried all in little coffins that could be moved.
Our house is 850 sq ft. Your small house is an inspiration to me. But I feel your pain on dinky houses and I don't even have kids at home anymore. Half my kitchen stuff is in the garage! Can't wait to see what you find to buy. It will be worth it, especially while your kids have years to enjoy and make memories in it.
Love your posts. Keep them coming. And so glad The Kid is off meds.
I'm so glad to hear the Kid is off those meds. I don't know what he was on, but I've been on an epilepsy med for almost a year (for my migraines), and I hate it. It helps, but it messes up my thinking processes. I'm on the smallest dose possible, and I still have trouble finding words sometimes (a side effect).
ReplyDeleteAlso, there are so many ways that I can relate to a lot of what you say about moving. I was moved when I was 12, and it was difficult, I was mad at my parents, but I got over it eventually. I never understood what was better about what they did. I guess it was a financial thing, so not about schools. Then, of course, we moved 8 years ago, all the way across the country, and I left a great garden behind that I had worked on for years. I understand the grief you're going to feel, and the stress of moving. I couldn't bring any plants, so I brought seeds. But for me, coming to Washington was a dream too. I had been here for a visit, and knew as soon as I got off the plane that I should have been living here all my life, instead of in New England. I left my whole family thousands of miles away (honestly, I'm not as close to them as you are to yours, so I don't really miss them that much.)
I hope you find your dream property.
Awww, thanks for the vote of confidence. As scary as it is, I'm SO EXCITED!
ReplyDeleteFollowing your dreams can be scary. But you trudge on ahead anyway because you KNOW it's the right thing to do. I have NO DOUBT whatsoever that your dream is getting closer everyday to a reality and I feel honored to be able to watch it unfold. I'm going to visit your Pinterest board now.
ReplyDeleteUnder protest, I will allow and support your new mission. I hope the new headquarters isn't too far away. I do look forward to seeing all of you in a new and more spacious place. I agree that it makes sense and now is the time.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize our kids were similar aged (except I don't have a 'baby'..not for lack of wanting...lol). And..I get it. We moved 4.5 years ago from Columbia County. The schools were horrific and there was no way our kids would have come out of that system prepared for even a 2 year college. We got more dirt too. It was hard, like..really hard. But, every year that we're in the new place, I feel more attached to it. You and your family will land on your feet. If you want any scoop on Canby (I work for that school district and grew up there) or West Linn, let me know :)
ReplyDeleteso so so exciting Mindy!! I can't wait to see where you land. I'm picturing those beautiful country farm homes on the back roads drive from Portland to McMinnville 💗 I think the timing for the kids is actually perfect. It might be tough at first but they will adjust quickly and will love it.
ReplyDeleteDamn girl! That point that started off with "this has been a two year conversation, but in reality, I've had The Dream for as long as I can remember"... had me tearing up! I get it, and I wish you guys big luck in finding the perfect plot of land with kick ass schools.
ReplyDeleteOh, I will miss your gardens too, but it will be fun to watch your dream unfold. We just moved at the end of summer, and I moved around 75 plants, but left many more behind. This spring I will be starting the venture of remaking my new/old yard. Keep us posted. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making the move! We have really enjoyed not living in the Portland area. It is quiet, there is no traffic and it is so much safer. However, my daughter is still very sad we moved. Glad you are able to bring your plants and even more happy your son is in good health.
ReplyDeleteThat's great news about son! Fixer Upper is my favorite show right now! I know all too well about struggling with the inner pros and cons of moving! Glad you decided to go for it, that's really exciting! I sent you a email too!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is big news Mindy!! I hope you keep us up to date as you move, I'd love to see your gardens when you have more room. :) Although it was almost 15 years ago now, we moved our kids from Portland around the same ages for the same reasons. Sad to hear it is not better. :( Be strong, mama!
ReplyDeleteMoving was the best decision we could have made last spring. Our daughter is so much happier (even though she misses her friends). I only brought my potted plants with me - eek. Things WILL work out for you. You will get the house and land you want in a school district that believes in the value of your kids :) Good luck to you!
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