Three days to go!

I can't believe it. It's been like living in a whirlwind the last few weeks. But, on Friday, I'm working, taking the kid to camp, & then in the evening, the three of us are flying to California! M will supervise the last day of packing & moving, & will join us on Saturday. We will stay in a hotel until all of our belongings arrived. I'm not very excited about that part.

I truly can't believe it. Now I've hit the emotional part - especially when I saw the one way tickets to San Jose.

I've also gotten a little teary with a few people on my team. At of all of the things I've done in the last 15 years, people management is hands down my favorite. The mentoring, the coaching, seeing people succeed and grow. I love it. I have had some tremendous experiences, and feel very lucky that I've worked with people who have made this (for the most part) an incredibly enjoyable experience.

As perspective, when I started my job with the company, I was 21. I was living in a basement house with five of my sorority sisters. I had $50/month for groceries. I was making $14/hour as an intern, & going to college. I worked three jobs, including my internship. I also called alumni as a fundraiser, and sold toilet paper at an industrial supply company. Oh the glamour! :-) As a result, I graduated with minimal student loans (I also had scholarships) from my private college. I feel very blessed to have landed a great job that enabled me to have a fantastic career. Truly lucky.

From a budget perspective, we're doing pretty well, all things considered. We're hopefully going to come in under budget in August, because we have some incredibly expensive months ahead. You know, like that $5,000/month in rent!

From a fitness perspective, I've barely worked out & I've eaten out more in August than probably the last year combined. All of those get togethers with friends before I go. They are not calorie friendly!

More in the upcoming days, but the move is definitely feeling real!

The final pre-move menu plan

We're almost there! The freezer is looking pretty bare, although we'll definitely have to give some food away at the end.

Here's what's on the menu for the final days!

• Saturday - grilled burgers (using the last of the ground beef), Greek salad (using the last of our tomato plants) & margaritas. Have to use up the tequila that we can't move! ;-)
• Sunday - M is flying to San Francisco, so the kids & I will have leftovers.
• Monday - Me + the kids only. Pasta & baked chicken nuggets.
• Tuesday - Me + the kids only. Tacos, using up some extra seasoned beef I found in the freezer. I thought it was all gone. It's haunting me. ;-)
• Wednesday - Pasta + chicken, of some sort.
• Thursday - There's a leftover pizza crust in the freezer, so we'll use this up + whatever toppings remain.
• Friday  - The pan of enchiladas that we just can't seem to tackle, or leftovers. :-)

That will get us about 75% of the way there. The rest I'll give to our houseguest. I'm sure he'll appreciate the free food.

Plans for tomorrow:

1. Working out. I *need* to get in a workout.
2. Do online pre-registration for schools.
3. Clean out freezers.
4. Clean out fridges.
5. Start packing suitcases for Friday.
6. Prep for call on Sunday. A recruiter is calling me. ON a SUNDAY! Apparently, they are pretty motivated. ;-)
7. Make bread.
8. Pre-mix margaritas & make hamburgers (we're having friends over for dinner).
9. Entertain three boys at a last hurrah sleepover. :-)
10. Reply to a bunch of Craigslist emails.

I think that will keep me busy! It's feeling very close! What are you up to this weekend? Any fun end of summer plans?

Just over a week until it's move day!

I can't believe it, but my last day of work (in the office) is next Friday. The boys & I will fly out that evening, as the movers will be packing up the house & furniture. We're staying at a hotel for a few days until our furniture & household items arrive.

Here's what I've done so far, & of course, what remains to be done! :-) I also managed to find soccer teams for the boys, even though it meant signing up to be an assistant coach! Motherly love, I tell you. :-)

1. Work out a minimum of 2x/week. This is not a lot for me, honestly, but I have to commit. So many other competing priorities have made this not an option lately, but it's a must do. So far, so good.
2. Wrap up my Ebay stuff until we're moved/unpacked. I finished/mailed my last package today, & I'm pretty much out of stuff to sell anyway. Good timing. ;-) I've made $2333 on eBay so far this year (that's the net profit - after shipping, fees, etc). Not too shabby! - Yes, although one of my packages was lost in the mail, & my receipt is missing in the moving craziness. Not happy that I had to eat the cost.
3. Sell our treadmill. It is not getting moved, so this is a must do. - Done! I made $800 for my "yoga/gym" fund. :-)
4. Finalize housing. We have temporary housing as a back up, but we're actually hoping to find our own place in another city that we both prefer. - Done! We rented a house. I've never seen it, but let's hope I like it. ;-)
5. Register the kids in school. This is dependent on #5. If it comes down to the wire, I'll register them at our temp housing address. - Nope. Can't register until 9/1 when our lease begins. But, I'm planning on doing all of the paperwork/pre-registration online tomorrow.
6. Give notice at work (Thursday!!!) - Oh, yes. This happened. My manager & I don't really see eye-to-eye, so this was a bit of a disaster. I'll be working in the office until next week, & then working remotely from our San Francisco office for September, wrapping up a few projects.
7. Pack & shop for my family beach vacation, & enjoy it. Who knows when it will happen again? - Oh, my oh my did we ever have a fabulous time!
8. Buy one way tickets for our flight to San Francisco. - Done! The boys & I are flying out next Friday, & M will join us once the movers are done on Saturday.
9. Sell all the rest of our furnishings that we're not moving. - Ugh. I have a coffee table, two end tables, & a sectional still to go.
10. Cancel utilities. - I'm half done.

And, on to what remains to be done:

1. Make a menu for the last few dinners.
2. Call the moving company to get a list of things we can't pack.
3. Give away all remaining items we can't move.
4. Sell all remaining furniture on Craigslist, or donate.
5. Cancel garbage service.
6. Sign up/transfer trash service.
7. Sign up/transfer water service.
8. Sign up/transfer power service.
9. Get the boys their required immunization (specific to their school district - they already meet the state standards.) What a fun welcome to California! ;-)
10. Enroll the boys in school.
11. Figure out soccer schedule.
12. Have a call with a recruiter who has been "stalking" me. ;-) The role definitely sounds interesting, but I promised myself 3 months without even looking for something else. Ha!
13. Pack for our flight. We're taking multiple suitcases, as we likely won't have our belongings for over a week.
14. Decide on a rental property management house for our primary residence.
15. Finish remodel on primary residence. Oh yes, such a small task. ;-)
16. List our vacation home.
17. Work out a minimum of twice this week.
18. Research activities for the kids.
19. Find a new gym.

I think that will do it!

In other news, my mom, sister & I walked ten miles last Sunday. We also drank wine, watched four cousins pick blackberries & play hide & seek, and laughed a lot. What a fabulous beach vacation!

Sisters!

 

 

Power walkers!

 

 

A gorgeous sunset from the deck.

 

Happy (almost) Friday! Any big weekend plans for you?

Lots of things happening!

As you might expect, with just over two weeks to go until "move day", it's craziness here! :-) I've been getting together with friends, not working out (more on that later, as I miss it & need to find the time!), & generally just wrapping things up.

Our visit to California was great, but definitely reinforced that M & I are wildly different people. ;-) The fact that he grew up in a city of 8 million people, & I grew up in one with 2,500 people is not lost on me. We see the same area & have wildly different interpretations of its livability. ;-) Honestly, this experience has made me realize how far we've come with our communication & ability to compromise. I feel very lucky to be in such a strong marriage, because a move like this is not the easiest thing in the world to go through. I do think we've landed on a town that will likely work for both of us, so now it's just a matter of finding an appropriate rental. If we find a 3 bedroom for less than $5,000/month, I'll be thrilled. How scary is that?

Things I'm committing to for the next couple of weeks, in order to retain my own sanity:

1. Work out a minimum of 2x/week. This is not a lot for me, honestly, but I have to commit. So many other competing priorities have made this not an option lately, but it's a must do.
2. Wrap up my Ebay stuff until we're moved/unpacked. I finished/mailed my last package today, & I'm pretty much out of stuff to sell anyway. Good timing. ;-) I've made $2333 on eBay so far this year (that's the net profit - after shipping, fees, etc). Not too shabby!
3. Sell our treadmill. It is not getting moved, so this is a must do.
4. Finalize housing. We have temporary housing as a back up, but we're actually hoping to find our own place in another city that we both prefer.
5. Register the kids in school. This is dependent on #5. If it comes down to the wire, I'll register them at our temp housing address.
6. Give notice at work (Thursday!!!)
7. Pack & shop for my family beach vacation, & enjoy it. Who knows when it will happen again?
8. Buy one way tickets for our flight to San Francisco.
9. Sell all the rest of our furnishings that we're not moving.
10. Cancel utilities.

My personal top 10! Of course, there are a million other things, but I'm trying to handle the biggies.

What are you up to this week? Does your spouse have a wildly different idea of where they'd like to live than you? :-)

A California weekend!

Well, we've finally gotten an address for our temporary housing, which means I can register the kids for school starting on 8/24. This is huge - I've been extremely stressed about this for weeks now. We'll be in Cupertino, at least for some period of time.

Nick is thrilled that we're staying in an apartment, he says trying new things & staying new places is something he's always wanted to do. ;-) Also, the place has a pool, so he's definitely excited to come home from school & hit the pool. Given that I've yet to find them a fall soccer team (so sad about that), at least we'll have the pool to entertain them with. :-) The school looks to be less than a mile from the temporary housing, so I'm hoping we can walk in the mornings.

And with that, we're heading to California this evening, and going to check out the area. Can't wait!

In semi-move related news, I had my first migraine yesterday. Wow. Talk about a terrible experience. I had to have M pick me up at work, as my vision was blurred & the pain was so intense I couldn't drive. I came home, took a two hour nap, &  felt improved enough to go back to work for a critical meeting. I assume it was caused by stress. For anyone who is a regular sufferer, you have my complete sympathy - it's so debilitating!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the alone time with M (we're considering this our "date" for August ;-)), even though we'll be busy checking out the local area. Kid-free dinners out (comped by the relocation!) sound delightful. My sister, who so fabulous, has an entire weekend of fun planned for the boys - including a scavenger hunt, & a trip to the nickel arcade. :-)

What are you up to this weekend? And, have you ever had a migraine?!

Life is changing

Rather than focusing on my (lengthy) to do list today, I thought I would tackle a topic that I haven't done much thinking about. Well, actually I've thought a lot about it, but I don't think I've . . .processed it yet, if that makes sense.

When we move to California, I'll be quitting my job of 15 years. In addition to that massive change, it will be my first time to be unemployed since I got my drivers license. Yes, more than 20 years ago, but who's counting? ;-)  I worked full-time all through college, and part-time in high school. I've been paying my own way since I turned 18, and suddenly, that's all going to change. I have no idea what it's going to feel like not to have my own paycheck, but I'm guessing there will be a period of adjustment. :-)

I will, however, have a large emergency fund built, mostly to continue to pay for our vacation house until it gets sold. That money will also go towards my personal spending, etc. I'm hoping to have $30,000 in the fund when I give my notice, but it will be very close.

What's my plan with regard to employment? Well, I'm hoping to take a few months off - my initial thinking is three months - and then look for freelance work. In my ideal world, I could (mostly) work from home, work 30 hours/week so I don't need before/after school care, & continue to earn a solid paycheck. My skill set appears to be in high demand, so I'm hopeful that could work out. I plan to start researching freelance opportunities at the end of September, in order to give myself time to land something when I'm ready to work.

What do I plan to do with my new free time? :-) I have no idea! None at all. Okay, that's not exactly true. Here's what I'm thinking:

• Spend more time with the kiddos. Given that they won't be going to after care, I'm excited about having them come directly home after school, which they've never done before.
• Exercise regularly. I'm hoping to start running consistently.
• Do yoga & pilates regularly, rebuilding my core strength.
• Unpack, then repack for our move when temporary housing is over. Then unpack again once we find our (more) permanent spot.
• Meet new friends.
• Take the kids on play dates, etc as they get familiar with the area.
• Deal with all relocation elements - reimbursements, signing us up for various things, finding doctors, etc.
• Deal with our vacation house.

Questions for you. Have you/your spouse ever left a job without another one lined up? Was there a period of adjustment? What worked for you? I'm extremely excited, but nervous at the same time. :-)

I'm finally seeing some progress

After a very busy weekend, I feel like we're finally starting to see some progress on the house! We've sold a bunch of stuff on Craigslist (honestly, I would have paid some people to take things so we don't have to move them ;-)), so the house is definitely emptying out.

There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done, but if I had to guess, I would say that I'm about 75% done with my part. M has the garage, which will likely take as long as the rest of the house put together. ;-)

Here's my focused list of tasks for the week. We're also heading to San Francisco late on Friday evening to do a little exploring of the area, which should be fun. :-)

1. Determine school district & register boys. - Waiting to hear back from the relo team on housing options. I'm starting to get very anxious about this, as we haven't heard back. Until we know what district our rental house will be in, we can't register the boys for school.
2. List treadmill on Craigslist.
3. Clean both freezers.
4. Figure out additional benefits at M's work.
5. Find a new rheumatologist & get on a waiting list. (Dependent on knowing which town we'll be in, as I'd prefer not to drive too far.)
6. Find the boys a new pediatrician. (Dependent on knowing which town we'll be in, as I'd prefer not to drive too far.)
7. Get school supply list for new school. (Again, dependent on school district).
8. Mail all eBay sales.
9. Put aside spices I need for the next few weeks, & then package up all spices for the car.
10. Deep clean kitchen.
11. Sell last few remaining items on Craigslist.
12. Make a trip to the Goodwill.
13. Go through all open cleaning supplies, household products & list a bunch of stuff that we can't move on Freecycle. I hate to throw it away!

What are you up to this week? Anything fun that you're looking forward to? Even though it's going to be a quick & crazy trip, I'm looking forward to having at least a dinner alone with M this weekend. The kids are staying with my lovely sister. :-)

Use it up menu for the week

I posted last week that we are in full scale "use it up mode" for our freezer & pantry. We did manage to make progress on a bunch of freezer items. M will be out of town most of the week, so here's our menu for the week:

• Monday - 8/5 - Pasta & chicken for the boys, lentil soup (freezer) for me.
• Tuesday - 8/6 - Taquitos
• Wednesday - 8/7 - Spaghetti & meatballs (freezer)
• Thursday - 8/8 - Leftovers
• Friday - 8/9 - in the bay area, looking at neighborhoods
• Saturday - 8/10 - still out of town
• Sunday - 8/11. Likely just noodles & grilled chicken, as we'll be getting home late.

Progress against "use it up" menu. :-)

Monday - 7/29 - Leftovers spaghetti & meatballs that are hiding in the fridge.
Tuesday - 7/30 - I have a friend & her daughter coming over for dinner, & need a vegetarian meal option. I'm thinking of pesto penne with fresh mozzarella, and a salad. Fresh fruit for dessert.
Wednesday - 7/31 - Oven baked chicken risotto, to use up some fresh mozzarella.
Thursday - 8/1 - Leftovers
Friday - 8/2 - We may be in the bay area, doing some prep/recon work. If so, eating out. If not, Easy meatless manicotti, using up some noodles that are lingering in the pantry.
Saturday - 8/3 - If we're not in the bay area, chicken enchiladas from the freezer
Sunday - 8/4 - Homemade pizza using up the last of the fresh mozzarella with thinly sliced burgers (freezer) to create our favorite - meatball pizza!
Monday - 8/5 - Taco night! Using up ground beef (freezer) & tortillas (freezer)
Tuesday - 8/6 - Chicken salad wraps (using chicken from the freezer)
Wednesday - 8/7 - Leftovers
Thursday - 8/8 - Grilled chicken & ravioli - both from the freezerFriday - 8/9 - Burgers (from the freezer)
Saturday - 8/10 - Italian baked chicken and pastina casserole (using some canned tomatoes & grilled chicken in the freezer)
Sunday - 8/11 - Pizza night, using whatever scraps are available :-)
Monday - 8/12 - Spaghetti & meatballs (both from the freezer)
Tuesday - 8/13 - Leftovers
Wednesday - 8/14 - Chicken marsala casserole (using rice & grilled chicken)
Thursday - 8/15 - Leftovers
Friday - 8/16 - Clean out the fridge night before camping
Saturday - 8/17 - Family camping trip!
Sunday - 8/18 - Family camping trip!
Monday - 8/19 - Family camping trip!
Tuesday - 8/20 - Home from camping late. Likely eating camping leftovers or something quick & easy.
Wednesday - 8/21 - Spaghetti & meatballs (both from the freezer)
Thursday - 8/22 - Chicken taquitos (freezer)
Friday - 8/23 - Grilled chicken & ravioli - both from the freezer

Saturday - 8/24 - Taco night (beef & tortillas from the freezer)

Sunday - 8/25 - Pizza night, using any leftover scraps
Monday - 8/26 - Italian baked chicken and pastina casserole (using some canned tomatoes & grilled chicken in the freezer)
Tuesday - 8/27 - If we still have ground beef left, likely a 1/2 batch of lubia polo to use up canned green beans, rice, & any remaining ground beef.
Wednesday - 8/28 - Leftovers
Thursday - 8/29 - Use up whatever is left!
Friday - 8/30 - Use up whatever is left.
Saturday 8/31- (Tentative) travel day!
Sunday - 9/1. I'm sure we'll be eating out, grocery shopping & restocking while we get settled.

What's on your menu for the week?

The moving craziness continues!

Well, on the house front, at least. M & I both worked all day (save for a quick workout on my end) & the house is coming together (or, apart, maybe?) as a result.

Below is the list of tasks I hoped to accomplish today.

1. Make banana muffins to clear out all the extra bananas, stock the freezer so M has something to take with him to San Francisco. He's obsessed with having a homemade muffin for breakfast every morning. ;-)
2. Work out. I've been slacking off on my work outs, & it makes me feel out of shape, but also impacts my stress level. It's a must do tomorrow.
3. Take the boys to a bouncy house party at our gym. Something fun to reward them with, if they behave while we're working all day. ;-)
4. List two dressers on Craigslist - listing them for free so they'll go fast.
5. M needs to make a minimum of two trips to drop off donations.
6. Go through the boys toys - again.
7. Go through our filing cabinet - shred anything we don't need.
8. Find paperwork for the boys schooling (I think I need their birth certificates, etc).  
9. Clean off bookshelf in our spare room - list on Craigslist.
10. Update menu plan for next week based on what's available.
11. Package up eBay sales & take to post office. - They haven't paid yet.
12. Go through my closet.
13. Start packing items in bins that we will drive to California.

I completed all of the tasks on my to do list, short of the eBay post office run - buyers haven't paid. I made six dozen banana, now fondly known as "temp housing banana muffins". :-) I worked out, took the boys to a party at our gym, sold three things on Craigslist, listed another item on eBay, made lunch & dinner for the crew, & I am truly exhausted! I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a few weeks, so fingers crossed I can get some quality sleep in tonight.

Annnnnnnd, on to tomorrow's list. :-) I'll be very happy when August is over!

1. Work out.
2. Yoga - my back is killing me after all of the house work, so I need to stretch out.
3. Take the boys to the bouncy house party at our gym. They need to get out of the house at some point during the day, so this is their reward for good behavior while we work. ;-)
4. Make a loaf of bread.
5. Make pizza dough.
6. Go through my paperwork and "random" piles that I've created. I've gotten rid of quite a few pieces of furniture, so various small items that I needed to keep are now stacked throughout the house, & need to be sorted & organized.
7. Take one more tour through my closet.
8. One more pass through the boys toys.
9. Clean out spare room before my uncle returns. Again, we cleaned off a bookshelf so we could sell it, and now the "contents" are spread all over.
10. If my eBay items are paid, package & drop off at the post office.
11. Buy flights for next weekend. We need flights that: leave after I get off work, have a layover in Portland (so we can drop off the kids), & get in to San Francisco at a reasonable hour. So far, we've come up empty. ;-)
12. Work on car packing list - everything we'll need for the three months when our belongings are in storage.
13. Take another pass through our bedroom/bathroom.
14. Go through boys bathroom.

I think that will keep me busy! What about you? Did you have a great Saturday? Hopefully you were having more fun than me. ;-)

Crossing my fingers for a productive weekend

because, I realized on my way home from work tonight that this is our last weekend all together in our house. And yes, I cried when I figured that out. Here's what's happening between now & move weekend (tentatively - still waiting on official move date sign off from the relo company):

• This weekend - decluttering, prioritizing what we want to bring with us in the car vs moving into temporary storage. These items will be inaccessible for three months, so quite a bit of work needs to go into the planning.
• Next weekend - M & I are dropping the kids off in Portland to stay with my sister, and then heading to San Francisco to look at neighborhoods.
• Weekend of the 16th - M is heading to Las Vegas for a final hurrah/goodbye party with some friends, & I have my annual family beach trip with my sister, parents, nephews, etc & of course, my boys.
• Weekend of the 23rd - M is going to drive our (fully) loaded SUV with everything we need for three months, while our furniture is in storage.
• M starts work on Monday, 8/26.
• 8/30 - movers pack our house.
• 8/31 - the boys & I fly to San Francisco

What remains, of course, is all of the work that needs to be done to get our primary residence ready to rent, and we're not even tackling our vacation house right now. One step at a time. ;-)

Here's my (optimistic) to do list for tomorrow only. I'll make a separate list for Sunday based on what I accomplish tomorrow.

1. Make banana muffins to clear out all the extra bananas, stock the freezer so M has something to take with him to San Francisco. He's obsessed with having a homemade muffin for breakfast every morning. ;-)
2. Work out. I've been slacking off on my work outs, & it makes me feel out of shape, but also impacts my stress level. It's a must do tomorrow.
3. Take the boys to a bouncy house party at our gym. Something fun to reward them with, if they behave while we're working all day. ;-)
4. List two dressers on Craigslist - listing them for free so they'll go fast.
5. M needs to make a minimum of two trips to drop off donations.
6. Go through the boys toys - again.
7. Go through our filing cabinet - shred anything we don't need.
8. Find paperwork for the boys schooling (I think I need their birth certificates, etc).  
9. Clean off bookshelf in our spare room - list on Craigslist.
10. Update menu plan for next week based on what's available.
11. Package up eBay sales & take to post office.
12. Go through my closet.
13. Start packing items in bins that we will drive to California.

I think that will do it. ;-) Any fun plans for the weekend? 

Offer letter is signed - we're moving!!

I'm a little emotional today. Super excited about this new opportunity for my family, but sad to leave our lives here. We have a fabulous network of family & friends, & I know we'll make time to visit, & meet lots of great new friends as well.

It's HAPPENING! I can't believe it.

It looks like the official move date will be Saturday, 8/31 - so, 30 days from today. But, who's counting?

I'm making progress on my giant list! :-) I'm sure I'll be adding to it in the days to come.

1. Finalize a move date - Looks like 8/31.
2. Sign formal offer letter (M). This task will make the move "official" & trigger a bunch of other tasks that are pending until this is complete.
3. Determine school district & register boys. - Waiting to hear back from the relo team on housing options.
4. Cancel child care for this school year in our current district.
5. Continue to decluttter. This is an ongoing task. ;-) I'm hoping to tackle our bedroom & more kitchen items. - Ongoing, but I'm working on it every day.
6. Create a work back schedule based on finalized move date. - Mostly done.
7. Purchase flights to visit San Francisco. Coordinate childcare with my sister. - It's next weekend, but haven't purchased flights.
8. Cancel boys soccer for fall
9. Attempt to locate fall soccer for both kids in SF. This could be tricky.
10. Take books to Half Price.
11. Return extraneous purchases to the mall.
12. Go through the pantry again & check to see what my sister wants.
13. List treadmill on Craigslist.
14. Go through the toys.
15. Make muffins out of all the bananas lingering in the freezer.
16. Talk to my HR department at work.
17. Clean both freezers.
18. Create a menu/plan with my sister for our family beach trip.
19. Figure out additional benefits at M's work.
20. Make a packing list/inventory. - Started.
21. Find a new rheumatologist & get on a waiting list.
22. Find the boys a new pediatrician.
23. Verify immunizations are up-to-date.
24. Cancel boys school supply orders.
25. Get school supply list for new school.

August Goals

It's hard for me to even imagine what August might bring, what with all of the craziness in July. :-) I'm thinking that August will be all about survival!

1. Finalize move plans.
2. Kick off home repair projects on our primary residence, so we can get it listed.
3. Get the boys into the dentist before we leave.
4. Enroll the boys in school.
5. Move!
6. Get together with at least five friends before we leave.
7. Figure out my work situation (timing, especially).
8. Make time for myself/relaxation to keep the stress in check:
• 1000 minutes of cardio
• 5 runs
• 10 strength workouts
• 8 stretching workouts
9. Stick to my "use it up" menu plan, to cut costs and reduce waste.
10. Enjoy my family (sister + nephews + parents + my boys) vacation at the beach house. It may be our last one, so I want to maximize the fun!

What are you hoping to accomplish in August? Any big goals?