The Random Dilettante

Memorial Day was great, we went to the zoo, and all kinds of stuff…

BUT

HELL WEEK has begun.

Today has been one hell of a day, and tomorrow is sure to be even worse. The movers might come tomorrow to start packing so today we have been trying to get things ready for that. Last minute stuff like taking down shelves and curtains, ceiling fans, draining the washing machine (plus trying to wash everything before they take it away), as well as draining & cleaning the lawn mower, plus cleaning the grill so they can pack it, scrubbing trash cans…god..the list goes on and on and ON.

Also, trying to pack a suitcase and trying to anticipate what a family of four might need in the next 3-4 months is no easy task. It’s a pain in the ass and if I forget something and don’t put it aside before the movers pack it up, then I’m just SOL. Plus at the same time I have to keep in mind that we only have so much space in our cars..cause lord forbid I leave something out, then when it comes to packing the car we just can’t fit something..that would suck.

So yeah, that would be why I am naming it “hell week”.

I might not be able to post in here until next Monday night and we are all settled in at my mother in laws…oh how I will miss my internet! It’s like crack you know. hehe

Ok, I better go before it gets dark outside, we still have crap in the garage to get together.

OH!! And what really sucks is that all this work really makes me want a glass of wine (or 3) but then I really can’t, cause I can’t afford to be feeling like shit…there’s just to much work to do and to much things that are at stake if I forget.

The torture!!

When I get to my in-laws I’m going to be a total LUSH — believe that!!

Wednesday Andrew came home So I’ve been taking a little break from hanging on the computer, but here are some pictures I took of him as he was just arriving….

First there is Audrey waiting on our porch for him, then both of them saying hi and stuff. He didn’t have but about 10 min and we had to be at Taylor’s school for a talent show she was in. With all the excitement I forgot to take the camera though so I missed out on taking pictures of Taylor running across the gym to see her dad..kind of a bummer. Anyway, the next pictures are shortly after we got back from the school, Audrey had missed her nap and fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons, and then Andrew decided to join her for a quick little power nap!

So, enjoy the pics & I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!!

** Here’s a cute little quiz/tag I got from Sarah’s blog..**

I AM: A wife, a mommy, an artist, a wanna be web designer, and usually a total space case

I WANT: A magic teleporter so this distance thing wouldn’t be such a bitch…imagine the possiblities!

I WISH: Kids came with remotes and you could just put them on pause every once in a while (hehe)

I HATE: The word hate and everything it stands for….I could produce a 3 page rant on this word if you wanted me too…but I’ll spare you

I MISS: Right now..not much…but in a matter of weeks, this will be a list 2 pages long

I FEAR: Dying tragically..like murder or something…that would totally suck

I HEAR: ‘Never Learn To Cry” by The Roger Sisters, it’s playing off napster..besides that..not much else..it’s late..and all’s quiet

I WONDER: When it’s dark outside in the morning, how do the birds know it’s morning…like around 5 am they start chirping..and you always know it’s morning cause the birds are out chirping, which is understandable if it was daylight, but even if it’s not..they are singing away…but they don’t chirp like that at night. They must have some cool internal alarm clock that not only tells them what time it is, but wakes them up wanting to sing. That kicks ass. Speaking of which…do birds sleep? If so..that is so damn cute to imagine a little birdie on a branch with his eyes closed just a snoozing away. Oh, and I wonder how many times they’ve startled from their sleep and fell off…that would suck..poor birdie.

I REGRET: Not being as considerate of other people as I should be sometimes. I am a little too greedy with my personal time.

I AM NOT: >One to be underestimated

I DANCE: At least a few times a day…usually poking my butt out and bouncing it around to make Audrey laugh…and usually to songs like “Victor Vito” that Laurie berkner sings on Noggin..the lyrics go:

“Oh Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco
ate a burrito with tabasco
they put it on their rice (clap, clap)
they put it on their beans (clap, clap)
They put it on their rutabagas
And on their collard greens

Hey Victor!
Hey Freddie!
Let’s eat some,
spaghetti!
Hey Victor !
I’m ready!
To eat some spaghetti with Freddie!

etc..etc.. who wouldn’t want to move to that cool kids song!?…anyway…yes back on track..

I SING:

Often and very loud

I CRY: Almost every time I watch Extreme Home Makeover…I think because the families usually cry..so it makes me follow suit - I can’t see someone crying and not start crying myself..even if it is only TV. The other night I was watching Chip Foose on Overhauled on TLC, and he was crying like a baby over a truck that was sentimental to him that he thought had been stolen, but his crew was overhauling it the whole time..anyway, he finds this out finally, and he loses it…and guess what?? I did too. I can’t see a grown man cry and not join in..even if it is only about a truck.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: Very good with expressing my feelings to people..I tend to keep it under lock and key somewhere deep inside…. a protective measure more than anything..something I learned growing up.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: Art, dinners and a mean point finger that sends all the little kiddies into “obey mommy” mode.

I CONFUSE: Myself easily…wayyyyy to easily.

I NEED: More self discipline and to work on my navagational skills (maps are my enemy)

I SHOULD:

Be in bed right now
I START:
When I feel like it

I FINISH:

Ummm yeah…when I feel like it - My time..my dime

Despite having pulled a muscle in my back this weekend and missing a graduation party and feeling like a total cripple…I’m ecstatic!

Why? Well let me tell you! Friday I was calling around a little bit to hotels/motels in NY asking if they had weekly rates or monthly rates because most likely once we get up to Fort Drum it will be a few months before we get into housing. My main focus was calling places that accepted pets, because I’d really like to keep both of my dogs, even though my husband wants me to get rid of one. So anyway, I found a few motels that did weekly rates of $280..which wasn’t awful, but could have been better.

THEN I just happen to call this one place out of curiosity, it was for a 2 bedroom cottage, and in it’s ad it just said “pets” - so I called to see what that meant, and how bad the price would be. Well this old lady comes on the phone, and I ask about it, and she looked for a minute, then said

“Well #5 would be good..but you won’t like the price”

Eeek..ok.

Me: “oh yeah? How much?”

Her: “$750 a month”

A month? For a WHOLE month?? Seriously? (that’s what was going on in my head..I was playing it cool over the phone)

Me: Well I could probably swing that. (jumping up and down)

And the best part of all of this is that she said BOTH of my dogs were ok! She just said I had better clean up after them..which is a given. So I get to keep Chief, my dauschund!! (Andrew doesn’t like this, but he’ll get over it)

Plus the location kicks some mean ass. It’s in a town called Cape Vincent that’s right on the tip of where the St. Lawrence River and LAKE ONTARIO meet…it’s beautiful. That’s what the pictures are of above. It’s of a lighthouse on the edge of town. The other pics are of the St. Lawrence river and what is known as “The Thousand Islands”..which also just looks heavenly.

I already sent the lady half of the first month to verify the reservation, and it’s a serious, I’m talking SERIOUS weight off my shoulders.

I mean, when we leave Kansas City in June..we ACTUALLY know where we are going! We’re not just winging it and having to figure it all out when we get there, and potentially screwing ourselves. Exhale……

Oh and also, I had anticipated 2-3 months of hell cooped up in a small ass hotel room with 2 stir crazy kids…and instead we are getting a 2 bedroom place..a full size living room, and a kitchen and even a dining room!

For $750 a month. It’s a steal. A total find. There are some places around there that charge near that price, for a WEEK.

So yes, I am in a little pain, and my back is kinda killing me..but it doesn’t really matter.

There are much better things to think about.

Let’s BOOGIE people!

PS- Did I mention it was only $750 a month?? Is this too good to be true?!?!