I had logged onto The Facebook to check out how all my peeps are doing and a little chat box popped up. I heard it since I was in the kitchen and skipped over to see who was trying to grab my attention. It was my sister, Blue's mom. It said simply, "Hi, this is Blue's mom... I was wondering when you might come and visit Blue. She really misses you."
Every heart string I have was severely tugged upon.
I can't begin to tell you how right it made me feel about my choice to move there.
Her mom and I had a short chat where she said that Blue talks about me all the time and is super proud of me and based on all of the things that she has said about me, her mom knows I can do anything I set my mind to including moving there in 2016. I told her about my plans to bring the girls up there for a few weeks over the summer of 2011 so we can poke around and I can check out the place I want to move to.
I have a hard time with patience.
When I know what I want to do, I try to start doing it so having a six year waiting period is rough but at the same time, those six years are all the time I have left where Amanda and Emilee will be home with me. So I need to enjoy them and make sure I experience them and know that my reward at the end of it all will be that I get to be near my sister for as long as I want.

Labels: Amanda, Beach Trip, Being Mommy, Emilee, my crazy life, sisters

Labels: Amanda, Beach Trip, Emilee, SnowElf, soul sisters, Triniti

Labels: Amanda, Beach Trip, Emilee, soul sisters, Triniti

It's just really hard for me to blog when I am making preparations for the beach trip, arranging to have my floor tiled while I am gone, making sure to stay on top of my team mom responsibilities and do all of my normal life stuff.
I'm a busy woman.
Do you ever feel weird when you call yourself a woman?
Like you're accepting the ever looming thirty?

Anyway, in two days I will be sitting here:


I just have to finish shopping, buy fiber rock board for my floors, pack, make arrangements for the new doggie to get neutered, finish accruals and bills at work and about a half a million other things.
Then the beach.
Come on Thursday!
Hurry up and arrive!

Labels: At work, Beach Trip, being a Home Owner, Being Mommy, SnowElf

Well in some pictures anyway since my stupid effing camera is crap and my memory card ate half of my pics. Thank The Universe for Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery 3.1 for recovering about half of my pics :)
SnowElf should be almost back to The Frozen Northern Lands, upon which time I've asked her to send me the pics she took.
Between the two of us, there should be plenty of them.
Here are a few of my favorites :)

Labels: Amanda, Beach Trip, Being Mommy, Emilee, The Universe, Triniti

My post yesterday was pretty indicative of the steps I have taken to be where I am now. When I look back at the me from five years ago and compare her with the me today, I can't believe we are the same girl. I feel like I watched someone else grow up. I feel like I watched someone else's lessons.
So I mentally pulled out my Goal List the other day and dusted it off.
There isn't much on it to begin with, but everything on there is checked off.
What do you do when you've done the things you set out to do in the time frame you set out to do them?
What is the next step?
I'm the kind of person who is motivated by steps towards accomplishing my goals. And now, as I cross Buying a House off of my list, I'm not sure what I am working towards. I love my job, I have a fantastic support/therapy system in place with my phenomenal friends, I've hit a level of security in myself and in my situations (both parental and financial), I'm not terrified any more that The Next Thing will knock everything down and make it to where I need to start over. I'm curious about the possibilities of a relationship but no where near needing one. I've set my limits with my family and how I let them effect my life, my mood and my heart. It was a hard thing to do but so necessary for my well being.
So now, I am sitting here with a dusty old list that only has a few things left on it:
New Car This Month
Greenhouse
Beach Trip '08
Beach Trip '09
Ireland '10
Buy an awesome convertible car to rebuild by '15
Don't mess the kids up :)

So I am setting two personal goals to have in motion by the end of this year and to have completed by the end of next year. Two very personal goals.
Get in shape.
Write my book.

I am putting them here today, February 5th 2008.
I am declaring to those of you who come by frequently and infrequently - I will accomplish these two things.
It's time for the writing. It's time to finally put it all together somehow and complete it. You all know I've never had a problem throwing snippets at you, but never anything complete... I'm ready to start working on something that I will finish.
You know, since I've proved I can finish things :)

Labels: Beach Trip, Being a Chic, Being Mommy, Dating, my crazy life, My pathetic excuse for a love life, The Universe

Just a little reminder for those of you who are considering or have already decided to attend Beach Trip 2008 -- only 106 days to go!
I know, it sounds like a long time but thats a little more than three months! It will FLY by!
If you haven't gotten with me to get the hotel info, shoot me an email and I will send it to you. You can reserve the room and cancel right up to 72 hours prior to the trip if something comes up :)
So far it is me and my family, The Cake Lady and her family and Snow and her family! And add to that the possibility of Fairy and her son, Snakeman and my brother -- It will be so fun! Don't have plans? Feel like hanging at the beach? COME WITH US! Seriously!

I got an email from The Girl this morning asking about the dates for Beach Trip 2009. Based on the dates that she gave me, we would be scheduling that trip for April 9th through April 12th to accomodate their school schedule. So if you can't come this year, there is always 2009! (*cough* *cough* Lola, Liz! *cough*)

Labels: Beach Trip

Labels: Beach Trip, Because I Said So, Being Mommy, my crazy life, sandcastles, Snakeman, unsolicited advice

Man do I have a traveling bug up my butt right now.
I just want to fill my car up with gas and split.
Just drive.
To where ever.
Today, with The Cake Lady, I saw this whole camping set (tent, sleeping bags... ummm... other camping stuff) for like a hundred bucks and I wanted to buy it.
Me.
The girl who loathes and abhors camping.

I'm bored.

Of course, I have a few trips planned over the next few months so hopefully I will get all of this out of my system.
The first one should do it seeing as how I will spend at least six hours in the car with my lovely daughters as we drive the Death Road to Dallas. Yeah, you say highway but once there are those stupid fucking concrete partition thingys, I say Death Road. Six. long. hours. up there and six. long. hours. back.
That'll probably chase that nasty bug away.
But just in case it doesn't, there is a trip to the coast in the making right now for July.
And seeing as how I just spent like five hours checking out hotels and motels and beach houses, if you are looking for a recommendation of where to stay anywhere in or around Padre Island, do holler at your girl here.
I am especially looking forward to this trip on account of the two bloggers that are going with me (so far anyway... any other takers?? lol). One of them, I've met and the other I've known online for quite some time and bless her heart if she hasn't had her fair share of Kate Calls.
Don't know what a Kate Call is?
Ahhh, ask The Cake Lady or Jiffinner what happens when I call them.
Or Mr. Toddy.
All of which can tell you, if you ever give me your phone number, hours and hours are spent listening to me babble.
Because I can babble - a. lot.
Anyway, I certainly hope that I can kick this bug since I am down to like six vacation days and four of them will be used after the two aforementioned trips.
Just in case I can't though, where do you recommend going?

Labels: Beach Trip, my crazy life