April Fool's

Is this supposed to be funny? Not only is it snowing in Ohio (we just broke our record of 101 inches in a season) BUT our house went up for sale today!

What a week it has been? We found out on Wednesday, after a very close vote from the pilots, that they voted in a PAYCUT and decided not to lose their jobs. WIMPS! So, with that little issue resolved, we decided to go for it. It might seem silly knowing that a paycut is coming to venture forth with a move but after about 2 months of pay, his raise will compensate for whatever the company will be cutting. We'll break even. That's okay. It's time to move.

We came to this area almost 10 years ago. We lived in VA for the first part of our marriage and then when he took the job with Express, I decided that we were leaving family and going to "The Mistake on the Lake" (as those in Pittsburgh refer to us as). T wasn't even out of training when I made that decision. He came home, I gave him a kiss "hello" and then, "Guess what, honey? I quit my job and we are moving out!". Talk about a surprise! We came here knowing one person, my stepmom's ( I hate referring to her as that, as she really isn't that evil - just kidding Pammy!) sister. I had met her a few times when I was a teenager but that was about it. So, for all intents and purposes, we knew nobody. This is our home now. Our kids home. This is all they know. Why move?? There is a big part of me that is being pulled back to being closer to family. To be able to pick up and drive to Gramama's house for the day or have a niece over to play or to even have both sides of our family present for a birthday party - these are luxuries I have not been able to afford. It's time. I get jealous of my friends who have relatives they can call on, on a whim - they don't know what they have and I do know what I'm missing. And the kids . . . well, they're ready to go. Sure, they know they will miss their best bud J.J. down the street,the kids they have grown up with in the church, watching the lake thaw in the spring, bike riding to the park down the street, but they are excited for an adventure. To have a new house. To have a new room. To help to pick out that room and colors for their walls. They look forward to calling on their grandmothers and having them at their beckon call - well, for the most part. But most importantly, they know they will be able to see daddy more. And that my friends, says a lot about the things that my 7, 5 and 3 year old kids value most in this most materialistic, value deprived, morally vacant world - it's family. That desire to strengthen our family unit and to keep those bonds strong is driving them to seek adventure in this upcoming move. They fully understand the prize at the end.