Randomness

* I love watching Amelia sleep . . . and even better, I love when she wakes up after a nap or in the morning. When we go in to pick her up, she gives us the biggest smile.

* Our VCR and DVD player both kicked the bucket within a week of each other. So Ken bought a VCR/ DVD combo and has been copying our VHS videos onto DVD - awesome! They take up so much less space this way; great timing for our move!

* And speaking of moving, I have absolutely no motivation to pack - anything. My goal is 1 box a week. At that rate, I just may be packed by next summer :) I tried to make my goal attainable ;) . . . and I'm hoping that once I start packing, it will get me geared up to just keep packing.

* Apparently my thyroid is an underachiever. I think it's the only part of me that is :) This would explain my tiredness and foggy thinking for the last few months. I'm hoping that my Dr. will have my meds figured out by the time I move so that I don't have to immediately find a new Dr. when we get to WA.

* I am so looking forward to General Conference this coming weekend. I love the peace and Spirit I feel when listening to the Prophet and other Apostles.

* I gave my employers my official resignation yesterday! Nov. 10 is my last day of working outside of the home . . . at least for awhile. I'm really looking forward to being a full-time Mom - and some day I'm sure, I'll work again. But for now, I just want to be a Mom.

* Ken finally got word that his application had cleared through WA state; now he's just waiting for the letter from the Federal Board, with his "secret" code so that he can take the board exam.

Lists

I make lists to keep track of all the things I need to do.

I love making lists.

But today, I was overwhelmed with all that I need to do in the next 2 months, so I made a list of the lists I need to make:

* what to give/ tell the property manager to pass on to our tenants

* what to pack for Amelia when we go house-hunting

* who to get together with before we leave Flagstaff

* what to see before we leave Flagstaff

* what we'll need within 24-hours of moving into our new place, packed in 1 or 2 boxes

* etc, etc, etc

I'm not sure whether that makes me sound crazy or super organized. All I know is that I feel better now that I've made my list of lists - it seemed to clear up some of the clutter swirling around in my head.

And now that I've blogged about it, I can cross that off my list and go to bed :)

The Top 10 Things Swirling Around my Head

1. Ken (with the help of technical support) was able find my "lost" recipes. Yeah - no more guessing how to make something . . . and no more eating the same 20 dishes or so that I could remember and know how to make without a recipe.

2. Any suggestions/tips for flying with an 8-month old? We're planning a house hunting trip to WA next month and this will be Amelia's first time on an airplane.

3. I keep thinking that a toy library would be a great idea. Does that exist anywhere? Ken goes to our library and brings home different books and videos for Amelia every week. I love it, and I think Amelia likes the variety. But what I would really like is a toy library. That way, Amelia gets new toys to play with and explore every week without getting bored with the same handful of toys we have for her, and we don't have to store or have the expense of a lot of toys Amelia may only be interested in for a short amount of time.

4. Any suggestions/ tips for traveling by yourself in a car with an 8-month old? We're planning our move and figure Ken can drive the moving truck with his car attached, and that leaves me driving my car with Amelia. I'm hoping and thinking she'll do better than she did in July, but I'm trying to have my contingency plan, just in case - yes, I'm really like that :) Or does anyone know anyone who wants a 1-way trip to Olympia?

5. I feel the need to start packing, but am running out of things we can pack that we won't need for 2 months. And then there is the problem of where to put the boxes once they're packed. There is only so much extra space in our 725 sq foot house.

6. Still waiting to hear from the WA Dept of Health about when Ken can take the board exam. Really? Apparently they're just now processing June applications, and he submit his the first part of August. Even Ken is starting to get tired of waiting . . . and studying. But since Ken won't start his job until Nov. 22, I guess we have plenty of time to wait for the go ahead.

7. We've been feeding Amelia baby food now, in addition to her bottles; and her pediatrician said we can even start feeding her from our plate . . . though I suspect greens sauteed in garlic and Tamari sauce will not be her favorite :) The bottle was easy, but how do I know how much to feed her of real food? I need a rule book.

8. Why is it that we ("we" being me) clean our house better when we're leaving it than when we're living in it?

9. Moving is expensive, whether you're buying a new house or just moving into a rental. And it seems that no matter how well we plan and budget, there are still things that keep unexpectedly showing up on our "must buy" list before we're done.

10. There are a lot of rental properties in Olympia and surrounding areas. Will we be able to find something that is still available when we need it? and in a safe neighborhood? and in our budget? and within driving distance to Ken's work?

6 Months

Amelia turned 6 months old last Saturday. She's such a talker; she really chatted it up at the pool today.

I had fun watching Amelia.

But I think Amelia had the most fun.

One piece of the puzzle solved

There are so many unknowns right now. I keep telling people I just want 1 piece of the puzzle put into place:

* When can Ken take the board exam?

* Where will Ken work?

* When will we move?

* Where will we live - an apartment or house?

* Which city will we live in?

* How will we get where we're going - hire a moving company or do it ourselves?

Yesterday we got one piece answered: Ken got a job! Yeah!!! He accepted a position at St. Peter's Hospital in Olympia, WA, as an Outpatient Neuro Physical Therapist. Wahoo! We're super excited as this was our top choice.

We still don't know when WA is going to give Ken approval to take the board exam, which determines when he can start working, and when we can move . . . so we're still waiting for those pieces.

In the meantime, we've started seriously looking at our housing options in and around Olympia, so hopefully we'll have the housing piece figured out soon. And because the company pays for relocation, complete with a "relocation coach" to help us make all of the arrangements, the moving piece may be figured out soon too.

We're thinking that by Christmas we'll have the puzzle all put together . . . . just in time for the new year and a new puzzle ;)