Oh.My.Goodness.

I have been eyeballing this place ever since we first drove into town, and I finally pulled up yesterday on the way back from the DMV - which I never found. (The GPS took me to a building that was up for lease. Nice.)

Serious goodness. The best Italian ice I've ever tasted. This may be our new hangout. I just have to remember to get cash. I only had four bucks yesterday and had to share with the kids. (They had Mango and Root Beer - yum!) Definitely have to get one of my OWN next time.

I told the kids we'd take Dad back today to try it. (Good excuse, huh?) I'm thinking "Pina Colada"...or maybe a "Gelati" - Italian ice with soft serve on top.

So many flavor combinations, so little time. :)

We're HEEEErrrrre!

After two weeks of frantic packing and cleaning, a visit from the "Pet Butler", loading up the Budget truck that ended up being WAY too small, lots of tearful goodbyes, a flash flood warning, a fourteen + hour drive (not counting the millions of  bathroom stops), and two nights at a hotel, we finally made it to our new home in PA this past Saturday.

Talk about a whirlwind. I honestly feel like my head is still spinning.

And because I only have internet access through Pat's phone right now, and he's leaving for work in a few minutes (- he started on Monday) , and I have an electrician coming at 8am to install a "four prong outlet" for our dryer (it's set up for gas), I will have to write more later about how excited the kids were to pick out their rooms, the friends they've already made, and what a nice family friendly neighborhood this is...

without using all of these mega run-on sentences. 

We Interrupt this Madness to Bring You a Special Bulletin

I should not be blogging right now.

I should be packing boxes, cushioning photo frames with bubble wrap, picking up the odds and ends that are all over the house.

Yup, we are moving!

We found out last Tuesday afternoon - which is why I have been MIA in "blogland" since then.

Between that, putting on a pirate party for Noah's birthday - complete with a pirate ship cake -  and then taking him to Chuck E. Cheese and Cars 2 on his actual birthday, and getting things straight for girls camp, I have been a little swamped. 

 

(I will share more about the cake and party details later! But Noah sure loved that cake and made sure that his LEGO Captain Jack Sparrow was sitting on top. Made the two hours plus of prep work totally worth it.)

I still can't believe that my baby boy is FIVE YEARS OLD, and I definitely don't think the moving thing has sunk in yet either...even though half of my house is already packed up and stacked in the garage.

Did I mention that we are moving this Thursday - one week from today?

I know. Madness. Seriously.

But we are excited too. It's all happened really fast. Pat was approached by a recruiter that he worked with while on the never-ending job hunt before we moved here to AL. The guy has kept  in contact with Pat and sent him postings from time to time about other jobs - Washington state, Wisconsin, New Mexico - but all were even further than the 10 + hours away from family so we passed. Then about three weeks ago, the guy emailed Pat about a job, a better job, back on the East Coast. Only an hour or so away from my mom and step-dad's house (the house they will retire in) and only five hours from my dad, step-mom, and youngest brother and sister in VA - where we used to live.

Three phone interviews, a two-day-trip-to-meet-in-person-and-check-out-the-area, and a week of waiting-to-hear-the-news later, he was offered the position!!!

My family is ecstatic. Holidays, long weekends, spring break, etc...we'll be able to see each other. The kids and I are actually going to head down there as soon as we can after we get unpacked. We can't wait!

I also can't wait to find out if we get the house we've applied to rent. My mom ventured out there yesterday to look at some properties for us. I feel like I have been on realtor's sites and Craigslist 24/7. But when this house popped up, my heart skipped a beat. It reminds me so much of the house we had in Virginia. (I loved that house.) Mom looked at it, and it did not disappoint. She kept going on and on about how perfect it would be for us. It's right next to walking and bike trails, two minutes from a state park with a lake and swimming pools,  just down the road from a cute ice cream parlor (bonus!), minutes away from everything, and they accept dogs - a miracle!

Still, it's bittersweet to leave here (except for the "tornado alley" thing - I won't miss that). It was such a blessing to find this job two years ago - an true answer to many prayers. We have enjoyed the area and met so many nice people. I know the kids will miss their friends. That's the toughest part. I've been teary-eyed quite a few times and cried like a baby when I had to tell the young women I work with at church that we were leaving, but being closer to family will be awesome. Abby and Noah never smile bigger than when Grandie or Papa come to visit. It's been hard being so far after living five minutes away for thirteen years. And Pat is really excited about this great opportunity and can see himself with this company for a long time which is good...

because this packing stuff, especially in two weeks, is just plain crazy.