Sunday, April 29, 2012

About to hit the road :)

So this is my last post before the internet is shut down, and we hit the road. This is what we've been up to...


We put together snacks for the drive


The boys loved doing this


This is our snack box. Do you think we have enough?


Getting things together...


This is when we started to put together our van pack stuff...


On Monday the boys and I made up snacks, and put all of the snacks in one place (yes some of them were store bought). We also put all of the drinks in a box. This whole box system made it easy to put things together, and see what we had. Over the past few weeks I have been putting together our van pack list, so with the list in hand, I pulled all of the stuff together (with help from the husband, and kids). Olivia was even helping at one point, she added Daddy's power bars to the snack box, they didn't belong there, but it was cute.

On Tuesday I took down all of the pictures and the curtains. This is when reality really sets in, because after this point it doesn't look like your house anymore, and you know you really are leaving. It should only take about 15 mins, but it took a lot longer, because it's sad. Afterward our house also felt empty, even though everything else is still there.

On Wednesday we did a dry run van pack. This was just to see if everything would fit. To see if we had extra room. To see if we needed to cut out some things. To find a spot of everything (a spot that works). We found out really quick that the snacks needed to go in a different box. My plan was to put the snacks near the front so I could hand them out... well... even after putting them in a different box, they still couldn't fix anywhere up front, so now they are right beside Darien's set, and he's going to hand them out. So long story short everything fits. YAY! This was all thanks to Jeremy who shifted things around for a better fit. Even after all of this we were still able to keep the things we would need every time we stop on top.

On Thursday I finished up the laundry and packed the clothes...



Yes only 2 bags! So are you asking the question... "Randi how did you fit clothes for 6 people, for a 2 week period (about), into just 2 bags? Well it's an easy answer. I really didn't pack a lot of clothes. Since we don't have a lot of room in the van, I decided to only pack 4 outfits per person + one pair of PJs. My plan is to use hotel laundry rooms, and once we get there, find a local laundromat. I had the kids help me with packing, this helps them to feel involved, and it's fun because they get to pack what they like. When doing this I just make it simple for them... "Okay guys I need you to find 4 short sleeve shirts and 4 pairs of comfortable pants. Make sure they are comfortable, because you will be sitting in them all day. Oh and get out a pair PJs too."... They love packing.

On Friday we cleaned. Well really no surprise there. Sure we had to keep the house clean when they were showing it all of the time, but now that we have a renter (yes we have a renter). We haven't really seen the need to keep it really clean. We've done an okay job, but you know how things go some times.

So today (sunday), we just need to finish up cleaning up, move the couch down stairs (we are not keeping it), and pack up the van. Movers come tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to it. I really just need to get it all over with. Keep praying for us. Pray for a safe drive, and an easy next few days.

Bye for now!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Blog Changes, Yard sale finished, and our last weeks in Maryland.

Hey everyone! Well I'm not sure if you noticed (I hope you did), but the blog name has changed and so has the banner. We are 16 days away from moving so I thought it was time. So 16 days from now we will start on a new journey and we will be pilgrims again, going to a new place that we know nothing about. Will we like it? Who knows, but you can just keep checking back to find out.

The yard sale is done... Thank goodness! My husband took a before picture...



I woke up at 5:30am, and at 6am I started to put the stuff out. The good news is we sold a lot of the big things, but the bad news is we still ended up taking a lot of things to GoodWill. I'm not to upset about it though, because the stuff is now out of my house. Yard sale day was a long day... Most of the time I sat outside waiting for people to come (at least it was nice out). On the bright side my brother came to help me later on that day, and his fiance Jessica came over after the yard sale was over, and we ate pizza (I love pizza). We also had them over yesterday for tacos, and I found out, that I'm not good at playing phase 10 (oh well), but it's still fun to play when you are losing. Yup that's what we do, those 2 come over and we play... Monopoly, Magic, phase 10, uno, clue, and small world (thank you Wil Wheaton). We have so much fun!

So we have 2 weekends left here, and they are both going to be busy, but we've been busy every weekend for the past 2 months. This Sunday we are going over to my Parent's house, and next weekend we are having Jeremy's parents over. Yes there is still so much to do. On the bright side we got the mini van checked out, and I've started a van pack list (it's almost finished). We have our hotel reservations made, and our trip planed...


Looks like fun right? Back when this all stated (in October), it seemed so far away, that it would never happen, and now it feels real.

So I was researching the area (looking for how close everything is), and the nearest Walmart is going to be a whole 12 miles away... this was my reaction...



Okay yes I know, I've been spoiled. The good news is that the nearest target is only 6 miles away, so I guess I'll be okay.

Now as for our house (that we are renting out)... We've had a lot of showings, and now apparently someone is interested (I just now found out ), so keep praying for us. I really hope this works out.

The next time you hear from me might be when we are on our way across, but I can't make any promises. We are going to bring our MacBook, and I think all of the hotels have wifi, but I'm not sure. If I don't get to post on our way across, I will post about it once it's all over.

Okay I need to go now, thanks for reading :).

Friday, April 13, 2012

Nathaniel is turning 6 today!


It's my birthday today! I'm 6 :)
This is one of the things I got today, it's a talking Yoda plush.


I really want to go play with my new toys, but Mom is making me take pictures.
(I look bored, and Link does too)


Can I be done now?


Nathaniel Legates is 6 years old today.

Favorite toy : Buzz Lightyear
Favorite thing to play : Legos
Favorite thing to eat : Spaghetti
Favorite TV show : SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite color : Red
Favorite place to visit : Mommom's house
Favorite book : Star Wars The Clone Wars Yoda In Action
Favorite movie : Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back



I can't believe it's been 6 years (WOW).