pinch me

I. Am. Moving. To. Arizona. 
And I can't believe it.  2 months ago I had visions--nightmares--of months of unemployment, desperation for any sort of job and ending up in North Dakota.  Instead dh ended up with 4 offers (the result of lots of late nights spent tweaking resumes and cover letters).  One of them was here in Michigan.  I assumed we would take that one and forget about moving across the country again.  After lots of prayer we came to the decision to leave our home here and accept a job in Tucson.  Although I really struggle with winter weather and some other aspects of life in Michigan, this decision was extremely difficult for me.  I worry about the impact of another change of schools and friends on my boys.  I hate leaving the supportive net of uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents (dh's family).  At the same time I so look forward to seeing my parents and siblings more often.  I feel that this is the right path for us to take.  And if that path is lit by 276 days of sun per year and has the occasional taqueria alongside, so much the better.

cool things to distract me from Major Life Changes on the Horizon

I'm not as oddly peaceful today as I have been of late.  The reality of moving again is seeping in at the seams a bit. The thought of the many, many details and days of hard work and time apart from my dh can be downright paralyzing.   Add to that a tremendously huge decision we have to make about where to move (we are extremely fortunate to have two offers).  Sometimes a girl just needs to give her brain a break and fill it with items more interesting and/or relaxing than moving quotes and carpet remnant stores:

I love love love this new album by my all-time favorite band, The Innocence Mission.  You can listen a little at that link.  It's exquisite, uplifting, and comforting.

If I were as talented as Amy Karol I would make my own plaid coat like she did.  I can't imagine making a coat!  At this point I can't imagine making anything as the tension on my machine has gone haywire, but still.

I have spent a fair amount of time dealing with snow this week.  Snow on the order of 10" or so.  How long does it take to shovel a driveway full of snow, you ask? (2 hours, not counting the time spent digging two different teenager's cars out of the huge pile of slush left by the snowplow on our corner.   My hands were freezing and the task seemed insurmountable but the shoveling itself--the repetition, the unbroken sea of white--was sort of relaxing, much like tending a Zen garden probably is.  The absence of demanding children may have helped there.

Seth Stevenson's take on Disneyworld is very very funny.

... and that's about it.


  

overrated

Below is a by-no-means comprehensive list of overrated things.  Feel free to add your own.

* snow.  I mean, it's beautiful when it falls on cedars and everything but when you have had 3 days of upper 40s and your driveway totally melted, 3" of snow in 2 hours is just... discouraging.

* change.  Have I mentioned that I'm ready for some kind of stability here?  Things have been unsettled for so long that the kids don't even want to whine about it anymore.  They routinely stonewall our attempts to talk about moving.  Smart kids.

*  facebook.  I'm not sure what I think I'm going to see but these days it's mostly an update on everyone's sicknesses/their kids' sicknesses.  I include myself in this trend.  It would help if facebook had a separate posting area for sick updates, kind of like the separate waiting area at the pediatrician's office.  Boring posts about coughing/vomiting go here.  Funny stuff goes here.  Uninformed political rants, here.  Anything about American Idol can go here where it can be blocked with one simple click.
 
*diet coke with lime.  Does not compare to Diet Coke with an actual lime wedge.  I'm snowbound, though, so I'm officially a beggar and not a chooser.

*sunday dinner.  My husband's grandmother introduced me to their tradition of popcorn, cheese chunks, fruit and juice for Sunday dinner.  Although I do enjoy large chunks of meat/bowls of pasta from time to time, it's nice to be verrrrrrry laaaaaazy sometimes.  When I feel ambitious I might make some spinach dip or something.

* kale chips.  I know the blog has been freakishly kale-centric of late (my sil keeps me well-stocked).  Kale chips are the kind of thing that health articles tell you to eat instead of Doritos.  ("Craving something crunchy?  Try this easy recipe! ") Health writers of the world, kale chips are not Doritos, no matter how much ranch dressing mix you dump on top.

oddly peaceful

Sometimes a horrible sinus infection can really put things in perspective.  We're headed for another major change in employment and likely another move.  Just as I was getting very agitated at the prospect, I was hit hard by 5 days of mucosal nastiness and the requisite attendant vomiting (was that too graphic? sorry!).  I emerged with an improved attitude. I mean, worrying about unemployment and moving is nothing compared to worrying about unemployment and moving while hanging one's head over the toilet at 3:00 am.  Right?

The last time we did this (a mere 2 years ago) I was not taking it well.  Couldn't sleep or eat much, crying at unexpected times, migraines, eye twitches; the works.  This time I have promised myself to Keep It Together.  I came across a quote that runs through my mind all day:

The boat in the harbor is safe; but that is not the purpose of the boat.

kale love affair

So my sister introduced me to an actual winter vegetable--kale--that I have enjoyed in salad, a breakfast skillet with potatoes and bacon, and, now... a smoothie!  The 8 year old found the recipe in Real Simple (because he reads stuff like that).  We tweaked it a bit and it turned out really well.  Probably more vitamins than the gummy-vites I just bought (taste just like gummy bears... poison control, here we come).

kale-apple smoothie

3/4 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed
1/2 banana
1/2 granny smith apple, washed and cubed
1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup lemonade

Blend.