It's a bit surreal to be typing this, but we are officially moving. To Chattanooga. Next Week.
Matt came home early today after resigning from his job and suddenly, everything is moving very, very fast. I'm packing up Sam's room and looking at our things and wondering which we should put into storage for now and which should come with us. For someone with borderline clinical OCD (this hasn't been officially confirmed by anyone with credentials), the prospect of moving is taking my breath away a little bit.
And yet, it's exciting. The thought of a new life in a new city, just me and Matt and the babe, is rather exhilarating. I'm wondering who our friends will be and what parks we'll frequent and where I'll do our grocery shopping. I'm already mentally decorating a house/apartment/condo that hasn't materialized just yet. And best of all, we get to start this new life in The Fall. Moving our stuff in 65 degree weather while leaves fall on our heads. Perfect.
Matt starts his new job This Monday, which is making our heads spin a little. I'll be staying this week to pack up our things and take care of some of the details of closing up shop here. And that's where the bitter part of the "bittersweet" nature of this transition comes in. Saying goodbye. I don't really want to. I already feel somewhat heavy with the thought of leaving dear friends and places that I've loved being. I'm pouting over The French Market being 2 hours away already. Is it wrong to be emotional about crepes? I'm not sure. I kind of want to stop in and say goodbye to those crepe-makers who've made it worth getting out of bed early on a Saturday morning. Ok, so I won't actually shed any tears over a restaurant, but I might over the lovely downtown here in Knoxville that Matt and I have wandered through on quite a few date nights.
As I'm typing this, I'm volunteering at our church that we have loved so much. Redeemer has been such a significant part of our life here in Knoxville and we are going to sorely miss it along with the dear friends and pastors who have enriched our lives in the relatively short time we've been here. I miss it already and we still have nursery duty this Sunday.
Oddly enough, I will miss living with my inlaws more than I would have expected and I'm guessing they'll miss us quite a bit as well. Who would have guessed last summer when we moved in that over a year later I would a. still be living with my inlaws and b. be sad to move out. They've been so incredible during this weird transition time in our little family's life and having them around to help with Sam has been huge. I wish we could buy them something big to show our thanks, like a hot tub with all the bells and whistles. But, I think we'll have to settle for a gift card to Home Depot.
Lastly, I will miss all the marvelous friends that have been in our life this past year. I won't even try to list them because I'd leave someone out and also because you probably don't want to read a list of people that you don't know. It would be a little like a blog version of the biblical Book of Numbers. Specifically, though, I have to mention Molly and Leigh Ann, my dear neighbors on our lovely little street, who I've spent the most time with during this season of Sam. We've walked and talked and had playdates and shared baby info and braved consignments and been witness to the first year of each of our children's lives. I am seriously sad to leave these two fellow mamas and their adorable little mini people.
Ok, now I'm getting sad. I must remind myself that Chattanooga and Knoxville are not far from each other and that I could be up here in time for a crepe on any given Saturday morning. Whew. That thought made me feel better.
Knoxville, you are a better city than I gave you credit for 6 years ago and I'm proud to have called myself a Knoxvillian for a little while.
Chattanooga, here we come.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Things of Note or Not
It's been a while. A baby with a stuffy nose and no interest in napping keeps me from writing at my leisure these days. But, for the moment, there seems to be a bit of quiet AND the bathroom has just been cleaned, so it appears that I might have a small space of time here to actually document our life a little.
The last few weeks have included some things. Things of note and things that might not really deserve being blogged about. And yet, I might blog about them anyway. Because I can.
First things first. I thought I'd share a few things I'm a little obsessed with lately.
Movie: The Switch - unexpectedly amazing. Even Matt liked this one. He may have even cried at the end. Or not.
Music: Mumford & Sons - an impulse buy at Target ($9.99) that has turned into a favorite. High fives to random British bands with odd names.
Book: The Help - a lovely story about the Deep South and three women that you wish were your friends by the end of the book.
Second things second. There have been a few Sam milestones that haven't been noted in cyberspace as of yet.
Crawling - a work in progress, but Sam started to crawl this last week to much applause. He seems to be trying to walk at the same time, which isn't working out so well, but to be honest, it's entertaining.
Teeth - or as we like to call them around here, "toofies." I have no explanation for why we do this. So far, there's one on top and two on the bottom. And he likes to rub them together for a seriously cute crooked smile. It's almost too much.
Real Food - Sam had roast beef, mac and cheese and green beans the other night. Turns out he's a carnivore. I also think he may have a hollow leg. He puts away food like a linebacker and he's only 233 lbs away from a linebacker's starting weight.
Third things third. So, I'm hesitant to write this, but it's looking like we may be moving. You may be responding right now with a "What!?!" Sadly, Nashville is not where we're headed. But, despite no Nashville, this move is a good thing. And yet, I'm starting to be sad about it. And anxious. And maybe even stressed. But, it's a good thing. I keep reminding myself of this. An article I read yesterday explained to me that firstborns tend to resist change. So, here I am, being a firstborn and resisting change. In other news, firstborns also apparently make an average of $100k a year. I didn't know that.
Fourth things fourth. Fall is here. But, not really. It's September 23 and 91 degrees. I'm beginning to be afraid that Al Gore is right. I also feel like this could potentially be a good children's book...
Premise of my children's book: Someone is stealing Fall. They must be found and punished.
Meanwhile, I'm bravely wearing my cardigans and trying to pretend that the leaves on the ground aren't just victims of dry weather, but are in fact "falling" leaves.
And that's the update. Hopefully next time I post, I'll have more details about the move and fingers crossed the temperature outside will be less than 80 degrees.
The last few weeks have included some things. Things of note and things that might not really deserve being blogged about. And yet, I might blog about them anyway. Because I can.
First things first. I thought I'd share a few things I'm a little obsessed with lately.
Movie: The Switch - unexpectedly amazing. Even Matt liked this one. He may have even cried at the end. Or not.
Music: Mumford & Sons - an impulse buy at Target ($9.99) that has turned into a favorite. High fives to random British bands with odd names.
Book: The Help - a lovely story about the Deep South and three women that you wish were your friends by the end of the book.
Second things second. There have been a few Sam milestones that haven't been noted in cyberspace as of yet.
Crawling - a work in progress, but Sam started to crawl this last week to much applause. He seems to be trying to walk at the same time, which isn't working out so well, but to be honest, it's entertaining.
Teeth - or as we like to call them around here, "toofies." I have no explanation for why we do this. So far, there's one on top and two on the bottom. And he likes to rub them together for a seriously cute crooked smile. It's almost too much.
Real Food - Sam had roast beef, mac and cheese and green beans the other night. Turns out he's a carnivore. I also think he may have a hollow leg. He puts away food like a linebacker and he's only 233 lbs away from a linebacker's starting weight.
Third things third. So, I'm hesitant to write this, but it's looking like we may be moving. You may be responding right now with a "What!?!" Sadly, Nashville is not where we're headed. But, despite no Nashville, this move is a good thing. And yet, I'm starting to be sad about it. And anxious. And maybe even stressed. But, it's a good thing. I keep reminding myself of this. An article I read yesterday explained to me that firstborns tend to resist change. So, here I am, being a firstborn and resisting change. In other news, firstborns also apparently make an average of $100k a year. I didn't know that.
Fourth things fourth. Fall is here. But, not really. It's September 23 and 91 degrees. I'm beginning to be afraid that Al Gore is right. I also feel like this could potentially be a good children's book...
Premise of my children's book: Someone is stealing Fall. They must be found and punished.
Meanwhile, I'm bravely wearing my cardigans and trying to pretend that the leaves on the ground aren't just victims of dry weather, but are in fact "falling" leaves.
And that's the update. Hopefully next time I post, I'll have more details about the move and fingers crossed the temperature outside will be less than 80 degrees.