Summertime, and the Living Ain't Easy

Okay, it hasn't been too bad. But, it's going to get a helluva lot crazier this next month. As any of you who read my blog (all five of you!) know, we are moving to the Big Easy. The countdown is on and we now have exactly 25 days to get ready to go. Thankfully, we aren't taking our furniture quite yet so the actual moving of things is postponed until we sell our house. But, we're moving just the same and that is never easy. Even if it is going to the Big Easy. Sorry. I just wanted to say that again.

It would seem wise to take a couple of weeks off work to get prepared, but current finances don't really allow for that and our company is smack-dab in the middle of a complete web redesign. As the web editor, it's kinda my job to make sure it works. So, I'm working to the very bitter end. Keeping the balance of staying motivated at work and at home is tough and I've been a little tired and cranky as of late. Plus, it's summer vacation.

I want to say at this point, thank you to the folks at Zenith Gymnastics for making summer camp exciting and entertaining. If it weren't for your program, I may just be bald. I, nor anyone who knows him, cannot imagine what Keller would be like if he had nothing to do for 74 consecutive days. Hell, he can't go 74 minutes without stuff to do! Keller's summer has been a good one so far. IF we can keep him occupied until the day we leave, things will be much easy to maneuver and I will stay sane. And, he'll master the front flip.

As for Cyre, she's having a completely different vacation. Up all night, sleep all day... sounds like a Robert Johnson tune to me. Until this week when I forced her to take up tennis lessons, she's been a lazy lima bean. Except for the fact that she has a regular babysitting gig. Next door. With time off and flex hours. The Uslans might need to be nominated for Charlotte Parent's top 50 family-friendly companies! The regular pay and freedom to pay for movies, new clothes and accessories has been completely exhilarating and I'm not sure she'll ever be jobless again. Yeah.

Kevin continues to deliver mail to residents of Charlotte, hating every last second of it. However, it gives him plenty of time to think about things (he now has a plan to single-handed save the US Post Office millions of dollars every year) and he knows there is an end in site. The gigs he has are sweeter than ever, knowing he'll be blowing his horn into the soft winds of the Mississippi soon.

Plans for NOLA are coming along too. We've landed a place to stay on a month to month basis which fits our budget and our moving plans. We're hopeful the kids have been accepted into a very prestigious school there and will get the education they deserve. I've had a couple of interviews for jobs there and feel hopeful I will land something great soon.

Though everything is somehow working out, ("you two could fall into a bucket of sh*t and still land on your feet" according to Jo) I've still hit some bumps along the way and wonder if it will always be this way. My clumsiness never seems to go away, despite great balance and coordination. I fear I'm permanently distracted and need constant distractions to keep me from being too distracted...

Here's an example. Twice this past month I have screwed up at the bank drive-thru. Yes it's made for convenience, but I somehow manage to make it the most inconvenient process on the planet. Late one day I rushed to the bank to make a deposit to cover off checks coming out. I was elated to arrive with 4 minutes to spare. By the time I got home (minutes away) I had already received a phone call from the bank, requesting I return their tube. Oops. You would think I would have figured out what that "rolling around" sound in the car was.

Fast forward a few weeks and it's an early morning drop to once again deposit money into both Kevin and my accounts. I'm careful to leave the tube in its place before driving off. Thing is, I left my bank card and statement in it too. Once again, I arrived home to listen to yet another call from the teller, asking me to come back in and pick up my card. How can someone be that distracted??? It's easy when you've got a million things on the go, I guess.

This weekend we say goodbye to many friends at a farewell party on Burtonwood Circle. It will be extremely bittersweet but the right thing to do. Saying goodbye ain't easy. Even if it means going to... you know where. So if you're around, join us in a toast to the town that has been so good to us.

Cheers.