Moving

After an extremely tumultuous few weeks I believe everything is finally in line for the purchase of our house in Orlando. We were supposed to close on April 22, but the bank wouldn't close until we had official offer letters from the Orlando HR office. That office is terrible! There are many steps in the process, some of which they have no control over. However, that doesn't negate the complete lack of communication or response to phone calls and e-mails. In short, the transfer is approved at one office, they send it to Orlando (little HR) who sends it to big HR. Big HR takes 3-5 days then sends it back to Orlando who sends it to security to check our clearances then returns it to little HR and then they can issue the letter. This requires a lot of communication on the part of little HR, which I understand. However, I spoke to them on April 18th and when they described the process, she indicated she would expedite it, so even though we weren't going to make the April 22 date I was confident we would make the new date of May 2.

Well, I learned on May 2 that the paperwork was still at the main office waiting initial approval. And, no one told me! I had talked to them on the 18th and left numerous messages and sent several e-mails--all of which were ignored. If she had told me the status, I could have talked to our local office and asked them to make an inquiry (which is what they are doing now). I could write 20 pages on how frustrating this has been. But, the utter lack of communication is inexcusable. Fortunately, we got our future supervisor to sign a letter explaining the status and the bank agreed on Friday night that we could move forward. So, I believe that May 10th is the new day. Which is great, because the sellers were getting (understandably) very annoyed and in order to give us the second delay, they wanted a non-refundable penalty deposit if we couldn't make the new date (which before we knew the bank would take the letter was unlikely).

Now, we are hoping things go smoothly on both ends. We are set to close on the Orlando house on May 10, and the Maryland house on May 24. It is going to be a stressful few weeks! The kids are going to miss the last 3 weeks of school here. I was willing to stay and make it work for a few weeks, mainly so Jack and Anna could participate in their 5th grade graduation, but they would rather get to Florida as quickly as fast as possible. School there gets out in May and starts in early August, so if they stayed here, it would be a really short summer.

As I'm surrounded by boxes, the reality has finally set in. We are leaving. It is what I want. But, I also don't want to go. I know that is contradictory. But, so are my emotions. I am excited to be close to my family and for a new adventure. However, we have been here for almost 9 years. We have been in this house for almost 7, which is longer than I have ever lived in any house. Ever. And, it is an amazing house in a great neighborhood. And, the kids are happy. They have been in the same school since Kindergarten, something Thomas and I never had. Thomas is happy, he loves his job and Maryland. I love my job and I like Maryland. So, I am also very sad. Happy and sad. Excited and scared. It is a crazy mix of emotions. I just want to get to relieved. It will be a happy day when all the work of moving is done. And, it is so much work. I think people should go through their belongs more than once every decade. Hopefully, I will remember that.

So, wish us luck--all these changes mean we are going to need it!

Spring Break 2019

Anna was very disappointed that we were not going to go anywhere for Spring Break this year, which was slightly surprising, because with the exception of one year when we went to Florida, I don't think we generally travel over Spring Break. But, we do try and make it fun. On Saturday, I went to a wreath-making class taught by Sarah and Debby. It was super fun and I am very happy with how my wreath turned out. It is a small exception to not being allowed to bring anything new into the house prior to the move. Luke's t-ball game was cancelled (rain) so the family came along and hung out at the library and Farmer's Market. Then, we all went out to lunch. Spring break was off to a good start!

I still need to add decorations, but here is my Spring wreath!

Summer came for her last big week with them. On Monday, they went to the park and had pizza, Tuesday they went to Anne Marie Gardens, and Thursday was lunch at Salsas and the wharf.  Thomas and I took Wednesday afternoon off. We left at noon, came home, had a quick lunch then went to Six Flags. This had been the plan for quite a while. During a flash sale I had bought tickets to the Bowie Baysox for the Wednesday game. They were playing the Mudhens, which is the AA team for the Tigers. Thomas is happy to go and see the prospects play and the kids (especially Kara) like to talk to the players and try and get autographs.

So, we went to Six Flags for a few hours and then headed to the Baysox stadium, which is only about 10 minutes away. We went to the gate with our preprinted tickets, only to learn that they were for Tuesday's game!!! I had it in my head for a month that we were going to the Wednesday night game, when it was really the Tuesday! Despite the very tiny crowd, they were not willing to just let us in (they were nice, but not really sympathetic). So, we bought tickets again. It was frustrating, but it definitely wasn't going to ruin our plans. We got roughly the same seats and went in. Kara and Luke had brought balls for autographs and managed to get a bunch. One player, Josh Lester, who was particularly nice to them, got promoted to the AAA team the day. And, Thomas said the pitcher we saw, Matt Manning, is a shoe-in for the majors, But, unfortunately, we did not get his autograph.

One side of the ball

Unfortunately, I forgot my sweatshirt. As the sun went down it got very chilly. I had reminded the kids, but forgot my own. I was not doing well on the details (wrong tickets, no sweatshirt). Around the 3rd inning, someone came up and asked Thomas if he wanted to do a promotion at the end of the 6th inning. He got to play Let's Make a Deal. The first choice was a cute Maryland style Baysox hat. I actually really liked the hat (and how small and easily transportable it was), but it wouldn't be any fun to accept the first item given. So, he decided to go for the item in the next box, which turned out to be a bobble-head. Thomas can't say no to a bobble-head, so that was it.

Much to Kara's disappointment, she wanted to stay for post-game autographs, we decided to call it a night after Thomas' big win. I was really cold and still had to get up at 5 the next morning for work. But, it was a super-fun day!

I was off from work on Friday. We went to Nicolet Park and the library. We were having the home inspection at 9, so we had to get out of the house and go early. We played at the park for a bit and then the kids wanted to check out the skate park. Since we were the only ones there, we stayed and played in that area for a while. The kids pretended they were practicing for America's Ninja Warrior and had a great time running up the walls and trying to pull themselves up. They were actually pretty good and strong!

I can't remember what we did Saturday, which likely means we didn't do anything. But, Sunday we took a day trip to Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey). It is around a 4-hour drive. We left at 6:15am and got home at 1130pm. It was a long day! But, we had a fantastic time. We got there just in time for gate opening and went straight to our favorite roller coaster--Nitro. Anna, Jack and I were the first ones on for the day. We rode twice in a row and then Thomas rode with Jack twice in a row. It was glorious! Meanwhile, Kara took Luke on several rides in the little kid area. She and Anna went on the indoor coaster and then we all joined up again to ride Metropolis. We walked right on and again rode twice in a row (still no lines!). It is a shooting game and Thomas scored in the top 2% of all time. The rest of us were respectable. We rode a couple more rides and then had lunch. By now, the opportunity to just walk-on rides had passed. But, we had such a perfect morning, it really didn't matter. Plus, they were well-prepared for crowds. There were multiple ride operators and most rides had maximum trains (or whatever) running. In the late afternoon, we did the safari. The line was 2-hours long, but our membership gives us a single fast pass to use for the day and we used it for the safari, shortening our wait to about 15 minutes.

Anna, Jack and Thomas rode this crazy ride. Not me. Ever! But, Anna liked it so much, she rode it three times! Kara is going to try it if we ever make it back.

It was a great day. Everyone was well-behaved and cooperative. Despite around 8 hours in the car, there was no fighting. Luke went stroller free and walked all day without complaint (over 7 miles--he's ready for Disney!). People were patient while others rode rides they weren't interested in. It could not have gone any better and I was glad we made the trip. It was our last hurrah before Florida, which makes me sad. Moving to Florida was much more exciting in January. I love Spring, Summer and Fall in Maryland.

Duck family heading to our pond. Spring is beautiful!

Thomas and I took Monday off from work and we had a nice, relaxing day. I felt like it was a very fun, successful Spring Break. Unfortunately, Thomas had some hip/leg pain before we went to New Jersey. It wasn't too awful and he did fine for the trip, but either sitting in the car or all the walking, or a combination, really aggravated it. He has been in serious pain all week. Hopefully, it gets better soon.

In other news, the move to Florida is theoretically progressing. We still haven't gotten our official offer letters, which means we can't buy the house there yet. Thomas is supposed to start in 2 weeks and I follow 2 weeks later, so we kind of need this resolved. Little in the government ever goes smoothly and nothing ever goes quickly, so I shouldn't be surprised. But, I thought since we are staying within the same organization it would be easier. But moving is a topic for another day.

Last random picture--Luke's new favorite thing is to "fish" with the Wills. They told me he has a natural cast :)

T-Ball and This and That

Luke started t-ball a couple of weeks ago. He absolutely loves it! We had a 2 year reprieve from organized sports and it is hard to get back in the swing of having our evenings dictated, but we will do it for as long as he is interested and putting forth the effort. If that lasts for 10 years--great. If it is lasts for 1 or 2--also great :) I wish for all our kids that they find something they feel passionate about. Whether that is sports, music, drama or something else, I don't care, but I want them all to have an outlet.

So, we have had 2 weeks of practices and he had his first game yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't go to the game. I didn't realize that Luke was disappointed, but Thomas said he told all his coaches that "only two people" from his family were there (Thomas and Kara). But, according to them, he did really well. I will go to the next one.

Not happy that his team is the Yankees!

I felt bad missing the game, but there is so much to do at home now. Having our house on the market is stressful! I always feel like I should be cleaning or organizing something. In our first week, we had 4 showings. We were supposed to have 6, but I accidentally refused one and they didn't reschedule and another had to cancel due to sick kids. The feedback has been good. Everyone has rated the house well, but no offers. Every morning, Thomas makes sure the house is show ready before going to work. We haven't had any last-minute requests, so I am not sure it is worth it for him to put forth the effort, but it is probably good to stay on top of it. We don't want to be in the position of running around at the last minute. Therefore, every night, I am vacuuming, mopping, doing yard work or whatever else to try and make the house look presentable. I wonder if this is what people with clean houses do all the time?  :) It is nice to have a clean house, but boy is it a lot of work!

Thomas and I had a fun date night yesterday. We went to a dueling pianos fundraiser at St John's. I have wanted to do dueling pianos for a long time. It wasn't quite what I thought, but it was so fun and I hope we can do it again. We went with the Wills and Schneiders. They had a silent auction, but all of the stuff we would typically bid on, we couldn't because of the impending move. We won't be here to go to baseball games or other events this summer. It made us both sad. We are going to miss Maryland!

In other news, the kids had their dentist appointment last week. No cavities! It always such a relief to get that news. None of the kids have ever had one and I really hope we can keep up the streak. To celebrate we went to Sweet Frogs (no sticky toppings and they brushed their teeth when we got home). That's really all that's been happening. Just t-ball and housekeeping. I really hope the house goes under contract soon, that will take away so much stress.

Where's Luke?

Househunting in Florida

I had long been scheduled to attend a training in Orlando the week of March 18th. When we learned that we got the Florida jobs and Thomas' practice area was going to change, my boss mentioned that the training might be good for him as well. It didn't all come together until about a week before the trip, but it did come together. Summer held down the fort with the kids and Thomas and I headed to Florida.

We decided to do some house hunting while we were there. We wanted to get a feel for the neighborhoods and were even open to the possibility of putting in an offer if we found the perfect property.

We flew out on Sunday morning so that we could begin the search and settle in before the training started on Monday morning. Our plane landed in Orlando at 1:30 and we drove straight to the first house. We were supposed to meet the Realtor at 3:30 and it was 30 minutes from the airport, which I thought would be plenty of time. And, our plane was early. I was trying to figure out what we were going to do with all the extra time. However, I forgot the massiveness of MCO and it took us almost 2 hours just to get our luggage and rental car. There was a snafu with the rental car shuttle and they ended up upgrading us to a Cadillac, which was pretty fun. But, it was frustrating to already be behind schedule.

The first house was nice but not what we wanted. The second house was the one we were most excited to see. It had an amazing outdoor area and was super close to work. We would definitely spend all our time on the massive patio with the luxurious pool and outdoor kitchen. However, the floorplan just wasn't going to work. It wasn't really a 5-bedroom and we really wanted to find one where everyone could have their own room.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but it would be impossible to capture all the outdoor living space offered in one picture.

The next house was also amazing. You opened the front door and were in a courtyard with a beautiful pool. It was super cool. However, as much as we loved it, it also wasn't practical. It was super spacious, but didn't have a layout that would work. There were only 3 real bedrooms in the main house. There was a fourth in the pool house, but you had to walk through the courtyard (thus, around the pool) to move between houses. What they called the fifth bedroom was a circular office with no closet. The house was truly amazing and unique; living there would be like living in a resort, but it just wasn't right.

The gorgeous courtyard. Right underneath that arch is the front door. Imagine coming home to this everyday!

We saw two more houses in a neighborhood I hated. Then saw a house that was very inexpensive and in a perfect school district, but Thomas hated it. Seven houses and 5 hours later, we ended our search feeling a little defeated.

The next day we were in class from 8-3. Right after the class, we left to see more houses. This time, we were running early, so we texted Laura, our realtor, and she told us to meet her at the house in her neighborhood. We were not excited about this house. It was only 3248 square feet and needed some updating. I had told Laura we didn't want to see any houses less than 3200 (our house here is about 4500). She thought we would like this one and we added it to the list mainly to appease her. But, as we drove up, we loved the neighborhood. The houses are neo-classical and they don't all look the same. It is a slightly older neighborhood and there are lots of mature trees. The neighborhood is dotted with "pocket parks" and other green space. We just loved it! We found the house, which was a cute yellow color with a longer driveway.

It checked off all our must-haves: 5-bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a pool, good school district and within 30-minutes (in rush hour) of work. And, it backs to a nice conservation area, so no rear neighbors! Because we loved the neighborhood, the house automatically was being held to a lower standard. But, we really liked it. It has a great layout. The master suite is on the first floor. The second floor has a bonus room that is flanked by 4-bedrooms. They are really small, but everybody gets their own.  The problem is it is outdated. It was top of the line in 2003, but now there are old speakers in the walls and an intercom system that only kind of works. So, lots of dollar signs ahead.

We drove through the neighborhood, which has a community YMCA attached to the elementary school--within walking distance of the house. We saw the tennis courts, community pool, YMCA, basketball courts and more green space and were sold. We saw the rest of the scheduled houses, but nothing really compared. There was a new construction house we really liked, but the neighborhood didn't seem nice. Just rows of houses, although it did have a new middle school and a great floor plan (plus, it was cheaper than the older house). After seeing all the houses of the day, we went back to the first house and put in an offer.

It took them two days to counter and in that time, we realized that the water heater and two heat pumps were both original to the house, which meant they would very likely need to be replaced soon. We were still okay with our offer, but didn't want to go much, if any, higher. They countered with 10k more than we had offered. We decided to take a look at the new construction again. We still liked the floor plan and decided we could live with the neighborhood. So, we let their offer expire, but they e-mailed our realtor asking if we had a response. We decided to counter their counter with our initial offer, giving in on the small areas where we differed (they wouldn't furnish a home warranty and wanted the home inspection within 10 days) but holding firm to our price. And, they accepted! So, we are now under contract. The inspection is tomorrow and we are hoping all goes well.

Maybe our future house?

After the others we'd seen, this pool was not very impressive, but it is big and there is lots of good outdoor space we can make our own.

Our house hits the market on Thursday. We had the pictures taken today. Fingers crossed we go under contract quickly because trying to keep it "for sale clean" is going to be a challenge!




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Lukey is Five!

On March 17, Luke turned 5! As I know I've written, our plan was to spend two nights at Kalahari to celebrate both his and Kara's birthday. However, with the move to Florida, everything is up in the air. Kara has said that as long as we go to a waterpark at some point, she will be happy. Luke hasn't mentioned it much, but we have definitely not forgotten that we owe him an experience.

Unfortunately, Thomas and I had to leave for Florida on the morning of his actual birthday. I felt pretty guilty/sad that we weren't going to be there to celebrate the whole day with him. But, we tried to make it special. We told him he was going to have four days of fun. The first came on Friday when they had a St. Patrick's Day party at school. Saturday, we made his requested cake, which was a "sparkly baseball." Sunday, his actual birthday, Summer made him cupcakes and got his requested dinner of Little Caesars pizza and noodles (Pasta Roni Fettucine Alfredo is his favorite) and then on Monday, he had his party at school. So, he did not feel deprived.

It is also funny to think that Luke is the same age Kara was when he was born. We are finally back where we started! I remember thinking how crazy it was to be having another child when we were finally getting to the point of having all three in school. Kara was just months away from starting kindergarten. Now, she is in fourth grade and Luke is just months away from starting.

Now, all about Luke! He is still very sweet and cuddly. He loves to sit with me or Thomas and be close to us. He also LOVES balls. That has not waned a bit. He would rather be playing catch or baseball than doing anything else. It has been super wet this year and we haven't been able to play outside in the yard as much as he would like, which is a consistent source of frustration. He starts t-ball on Monday, so hopefully that will satisfy him, but likely, it will just remind him to keep asking us to go outside and play baseball. I am excited to see if he enjoys it as much as we think he will.

Luke is also very smart. He seems to really enjoy math and numbers. We found some old workbooks and he likes to do "homework". He is able to see patterns with numbers and can do basic addition facts easily. The workbook he is currently using is a 1st grade one, so we know he will be well-prepared for Kindergarten. He can also sound out simple words, but isn't as concerned about learning to read, which is fine. We have seen with our older kids that they all get to the same place, the pace and interest just varies. I remember Jack being a fluent reader in Kindergarten and Anna being so upset that she wasn't getting it. It was second grade before she reached the point that Jack was at in Kindergarten, however, now they score within a few points of each other on the standardized language tests and she is in the gifted program for English. So, I know not to worry or to try and push (not that I would be worried at this point anyway--he hasn't even started Kindergarten!). Regardless, we think he is very smart and he is definitely interested in learning. I am sure it helps that he has the advantage of having three older siblings to emulate.

Our "gift" for Luke was to get the old dune buggy up and running. He seemed happy with that. We are holding firm to not bringing any additional stuff into the house.

Possessions & Another DC Trip

This move has led to us doing some serious decluttering. For the past several weeks, we have spent a lot of time going through our belongings. This has led me to a couple of conclusions. First, we have way too much stuff. Second, the stuff does not bring happiness. Things that we just had to have, in reality have a very short shelf-life. It is surprisingly easy to sell and give stuff away and it is nice to look around and see fewer things. The process kind of stinks, but the end result is pretty nice. We still have a long way to go, but I am finally seeing definite progress.

But, wait! Bonus! There is a third conclusion--we are saving a lot of money. And, there is a nice freedom that comes from knowing that you are not going to buy anything that is nonessential. No "stuff" has entered our house in over a month and I LOVE IT! I haven't made a single Target run. Yes, you read that right, I haven't browsed at Target in about 6 weeks. In fact, I think I have only been to Target once. For my weekly shopping, I have been using Walmart's pick-up service and I totally love it. It is the greatest thing ever. I am not exaggerating when I say it is a game changer. I am saving so much time and money (the money is saved because I am not buying non-essentials as I browse looking for the items on my list. Plus I can easily compare items and prices on their website). Love, love, love!

So, we have been saving lots of time and lots of money and in our spare time, we are decluttering. It is a work in progress, but we're getting there and the process has been a learning experience. I am hoping I can carry this over beyond the move. I would love to reach the point where I don't buy anything I don't truly need, but I am not sure that is realistic and I am also pretty sure my family would not be on board. I have visions of experiences for gifts and no presents under the tree. But, again, likely not realistic.

In other news, Jack made the Math Team. He is very excited. Anna had quit the Math Club several weeks ago so she was out of the running. There is so much to fight about, we decided it was not worth the battle and let her make the decision. The Fourth Grade team has not been announced, but we shall see for Kara. (note, between starting and finishing my blog we learned that Kara made the team as an alternate)

We went back to DC a couple of weeks ago. We started with the Air and Space Museum and saw the IMAX movie "Carrier". It actually made me feel a little motion sick, but it was good and I am glad we saw it. The kids all really enjoyed it, Luke kept exclaiming, "this is so cool!"  From there, we went to the National Archives. It was the first time we've gone and not had to wait in any line. We were able to browse the documents and it was a pretty cool experience. We ended with the Museum of Natural History. It was a good day, the kind of day that makes me feel sad to leave it all behind.

Kara on the simulators

Obligatory photo with the Capitol in the background

And in final catch-up, we went to the annual Spring Fling at the kids' school, although this year it was held in winter and they called it Mardi Gras something or other. But, it was the same type of event we've gone to every year. We don't go to all the school functions, but I think we have made this one every year. They have games and crafts and some snack foods. There is also a silent auction. But, since we aren't bringing anything into the house, we didn't bid on anything except "Be Principal for a Day," which we lost.

Moving News

On Friday, (22 February), we got the long-awaited news--our transfer to the Orlando office was approved! Thomas and I had actually been considering withdrawing our names. The uncertainty was killing me! But, minutes after we discussed it, my boss called me into her office to tell me the move was happening. I had just told the kids to stop asking for updates. "Did you hear anything about Florida," was the first thing the girls would say every day when I walked in the door. For weeks this went on, until finally I asked them to stop. It was frustrating to wait for news. We were told on January 17, that it would take a week or two to figure out. We were told a week or two again around January 31 and then again on February 21. Since I had just told them the day before it was going to be another week or two, no one asked when I came home on the 22nd. Which was good, because I don't think I could have kept it a secret if they had asked!

But, I wanted to tell them as a family. So, we waited for Thomas to come home. Fortunately, it was a Friday, which means he came home slightly earlier than a regular day. Anna, Kara, and Luke were thrilled. They promptly started jumping around and planning out a video for their YouTube Channel. They were literally screaming in the streets. At the other end of the spectrum, Jack ran up to his room crying. I felt terrible! I moved to Florida around their age and still remember feeling so sad and upset, and those feelings lasted for years. I definitely preferred Massachusetts to Florida and now I am forcing the same move on Jack. However, the factors are significantly different. We were moving from family when I was a kid, now we are moving to family. I think that is the important distinction. Hopefully, I am setting the example for my kids that if given the chance, you live near your aging parents :)

While we knew we were going to Florida, the timeline was still up in the air. The kids (well, three of them) really wanted to move in the middle of the school year, but since school gets out in May in Orlando, that was going to be difficult. Anna wanted to try and make a few friends before middle school and I think Kara just wanted to be the new kid in the class. But, at a minimum, we felt they needed a month in the new school. So, we needed to go by the end of April to make that work. Fortunately, Thomas' boss alleviated some of the pressure by asking him to stay until mid-May. With that news, we asked to stay until school here got out. I think the timeline is approved, but we still have to meet on Monday to have a final discussion. The folks in Orlando are very short-handed and we told them we would move as soon as we could, but that was in January when we had an extra 5 weeks to plan. And, we don't think moving in May makes sense. We can't enroll the kids in school for 2 weeks. And, if we have to stay here, it makes sense to let them finish the school year in Maryland.  Hopefully, everyone understands. I think it is a good thing. It gives us time to get everything together and J & A will get to participate in their 5th grade graduation.

We met with a Realtor and will be listing the house at the end of March. In the meantime, we have lots to do. We have already donated bags of clothes, games, movies and books. We are taking it in small pieces, otherwise it is just too overwhelming.

And to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. Here is the second load of books we dropped off to the library for their annual book sale. There was one previous load and we still have at least one box still to go.

So, that's where we stand. We are moving to Florida. Hopefully in June.