Bittersweet, Black Friday

Yesterday was a bit sadder than I imagined it would be.

This was mostly my fault, since I hadn't made it abundantly clear to my friend's family that we were departing for SC earlier than originally planned. As we parted ways, the topic of Christmas was brought up, and I had to break the news that we wouldn't actually be in AZ on the 25th.

As is usually the case, my friend and I didn't get much of an opportunity to talk. Children + Husbands has lead to the typical get together involving little time for chatting, and an overwhelming amount of chasing after babies and going in shifts to eat while our spouses made sure the little's weren't burning the house down.

This year, Val and her sister Natalie actually cooked the entire feast! I spent most of my time making sure Mikey didn't fall out of the playground/tree house. He is sweet as can be, but not always the most graceful when it comes to navigating around sharp corners. I brought my camera, but of course didn't take a single picture. *sigh*

I'm looking forward to getting out there one last time (this time without the babies, Josh will be staying at home so I can get some quality time in with my best pal before we leave).

Black Friday for me this year involved running errands stirred in with some shopping. Mr. Finley needed to have his vaccines updated before I could officially adopt him out in good conscience (he was a trooper) and a necessary trip to Kohl's was made to address the issue of my inadequate wardrobe. In fact, the jeans I wore out this morning had started to fray by the front zipper in one spot, so I was getting perilously close to a disaster! I had acquired several Kohl's giftcards recently, and ended up spending over $200.00 on 4 pairs of jeans, a delightful sherpa lined hooded jacket, an assortment of long sleeved tops, and some much needed under garments. Original retail on all that I purchased would have been well over $500.00, and since I didn't end up spending any money out of pocket, I don't feel too bad about spending money on myself. Plus, I earned $60.00 in Kohl's cash, and have almost $80.00 left on one of the giftcards. This = $140.00 that Josh can use to buy himself some new pants (the poor guy has lost about 20 pounds, and has had to start wearing a belt to prevent wardrobe "malfunctions" of his own). Or... I could buy some fancy boots to get me through winter in Greenville :). Just sayin'. (A co-worker of mine has some awesome Roper boots - I would love to get a pair just like them, but I can't find them in the same red leather!)

I can't believe that we will be leaving in 21 short days. I'm 99% excited, 1% terrified. After Johnny cried for 44 of the 45 minute drive to the West Side yesterday, I'm 100% dreading our drive across the country, but I'm trying to think up ways to make it easier on everyone.

Well, it is getting late - I had best be getting to bed. Night, ya'll.

So Very Thankful

On the eve of Thanksgiving, I find that I am filled with gratitude for many things. For starters, everything seems to just be falling into place with the move. There were a few hurdles we had to get by (the biggest of which happened to be finding homes for our pets) and what seemed hopeless on Monday was completely possible by Tuesday. Sammie went to a new home on Tuesday evening, and it is looking like a very real possibility that my boss will be adopting Finley. I'm just so relieved that they are both going to good homes!

We've approached what Josh likes to call "crunch time." I think the magic number for him is 3 weeks out. A month is far away. Two weeks probably has its own name, like "imminent yellow disaster level 3." I've been trying to chip away at little projects, and so far I've only been able to cross off getting the mountain of toys in our home organized. I have to say, it has been awesome not impaling myself on random sharp objects strewn about the floor. I've still got to get the closet mess sorted out, and get the loose ends in the garage... tied down? Oh, yeah - don't let me forget to call the utility companies on Monday to give them the cutoff date for shutting off our service.

I'm also very excited to be spending turkey day with my best friend and her family (they have always treated me like their 3rd daughter). We won't have very many opportunities in short time we have left in AZ to get together, and I'm going to miss these people so much!

Lastly, I'm filled with gratitude for my husband, Josh, and our sweet sweet babies. With all that we have been through lately, it feels like it is us against the world, and I'm so glad to have someone with so much courage to lean on in such uncertain times. He has really helped to keep me calm through all this chaos! It has allowed me to spend less time stressing, and more time loving my two goofy guys:

Cleaning out My Closet

Actually, cleaning out my "coat" closet, my "linen" closet, my "nowhere else to put it/baby supply" closet, my "office supply graveyard" closet, and the biggest closet of all, also known as "the garage."

The front closet is where our shoes, vacuum cleaner, gift wrap, and other random crap lives.

I think this is where most people would put blankets and crap, but we keep all the things we don't want the children getting into in here.

This is the closet in Johnny's room, but we current use it to house blank cds, old printers, and a random supply of books.

This is the closet that house our linens... in a very random  order.

Nom nom nom... I will eat you, blue tooth device!

The garage is our first project. Josh and I are going to jump in there tonight and start organizing. 

What's Going On?

Is it just me, or does it seem like the world might actually be getting ready to come to an end?

It is one thing to watch the news and witness the citizens of Europe getting all uppity about what they have come to expect being taken away. US financial crisis, European financial crisis. Layoffs. Zombie Apocalypse. Oh wait, that is just on Sunday nights.

When Josh and I found out we were losing our jobs, it seemed like we were the only ones in the whole world affected... and that the rest of the world would continue churning on while we hit the reset button. But ever since then, I've been hearing about more and more people being laid off. The OWS (Occupy Wall Street) folks were sent packing (which I believe was the right thing to do - seriously people, protest, and then GO HOME!) and now they are talking about marching on the streets, bringing anarchy and violence. It is all so unreal, and to be quite honest, scary. Is it always like this during election years?

I suppose in my mind, us losing our jobs was just an unfortunate happenstance, and that we'd just get on with our lives in SC, and that would be the end of it. But now, I'm just plain worried. What if we can't find jobs? What if everything is going to hell in a hand basket?

Isn't this how the Diary of Anne Frank started? With a bunch of entitled, jobless, college grads marching in the streets of Germany because someone wasn't handing them a sweet cushy job after they spent 4 years getting a degree in underwater basket weaving? Or was that how the Great Depression began? I can't remember...

It is a good thing that Josh and I have such wonderful motivators in our life. We have to get through this, and come out on top. We have to make sure we can keep taking care of these guys. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.

Tidings of Joy

I have the most fantastic news possible. Well, the most fantastic news possible for 2 parents that were recently laid off and facing a somewhat lonely Christmas in AZ. My office has agreed to release me early enough in December so that we will not only be able to complete our move in 2011 (hello tax break!) but also be in South Carolina for Christmas!! Squee!

My mother in law has done her best to console me, advising that the Christmas decorations would stay up until we arrived and could all celebrate together. I appreciated that, but this is SOOO much better. Now the moving truck gets loaded up on the 16th (of December). We plan on staying in a hotel that night, and then setting off early the next morning. The plan is to cruise along through Dallas, a

Johnny: 9 Months

I'm dragging ass this morning, on account of it being the 7th day in a row (at least) that I've been woken in the middle of the night by a screaming baby. Damn those top two teeth! Is there any implement that I'm unaware of that will allow me to push these teeth down and out? So tired, and so cranky. I was trying to console myself and remember that this, too, is just a phase that will pass. Maybe. Oh, shit, wait, I forgot to document Mr Johnny's 9 month stats. So, here you go, internet:

Weight: 23lbs (90th %)
Height: 32 inches (off the charts)
Head Circumference: 18cm (for some reason I think this is only 50% for his age... oh noes for small heads)

Johnny is rockin' two enormous rodent teeth on the bottom, and has two massive swollen areas on the top gums where the front teeth are trying to break out. He nom nom noms on anything he can get into his mouth, and is especially fond of chewing on white socks (even better if they are on someone's foot!). Johnny is no longer content to crawl, but isn't quite walking yet, either. He happily cruises along whatever furniture he can pull himself on to, and finds it delightful if someone takes the time to take his hands and help him walk. Sometimes he forgets that he isn't in a bouncer and that results in a very humorous strut.

Johnny is a bit more serious, and a bit fussier than I recall Mikey being at this age. That is ok, though. We've always joked that Johnny was an old soul, and he was not happy to be back. Please don't be alarmed if my toddler tells you to get off his lawn. He isn't as much of a snuggler as Mikey, either, but when he isn't feeling particularly happy, or is a little tired, someone better pick his ass up, like, stat.

Please don't get me wrong. In the baby scale of ease, with a 1 being demon baby and 10 being an angel baby, while Mikey was firmly a 10, I realize that Johnny is probably an 8. He *mostly* sleeps through the night, and has from a very early age. He is *mostly* happy, he just isn't the gooing babbling happy time fest that Mikey was.

We count ourselves lucky that the boys seem to love eachother. They happily play together, and Mikey does his very best to share his plethora of toys with his little brother. Johnny, to his credit, doesn't get too worked up when inevitably, the toy he just finally managed to pick up and put on the table in front of him, is ripped away by his older brother. I'm sure looking forward to many years of watching them become pals.

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour
But heaven knows I’m miserable now
I was looking for a job, and then i found a job
And heaven knows I’m miserable now - The Smiths

Right now, I'm sitting in quite an uncomfortable chair. The chair itself isn't so terrible, but I'm feeling antsy, and I don't want to be here. Josh likes to joke that once I know where I'm going, I'm 100% in. The day before I found out about my office closing, I was constantly thinking up ways to be better at my job, to be a better asset to my customers, and to be more valuable to my employer. I was "all in." Move forward 24 hours, after finding out about the office closing, and figuring out what our plan would be, I suddenly realized that I was in the agonizing position of being "stuck" for the next ten weeks. It is like your boyfriend breaking up with you, and making a secret pact to "stay together" so you can still attend prom together and avoid public scrutiny. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and hire someone else to do your job in another city. Can you just sit here for the next ten weeks while I do that? K, thanks.

My co-workers aren't helping. A few of us frequently share in our misery, and how awful it is to sit here and pretend like we still care. We don't. And then the phone rings, and it is an irate customer on the line, and all I want to do is just flip them the bird (haven't exactly figured out how to do that through the phone, yet) and hang up on them. Effff. Can you just send me packing, already? I started packing up my crap (already) and stumbled across my mountain of Christmas decorations, and thought "Eh, why not?" A co-worker did the same, and now it is a frickin' winter wonderland in Phoenix in November. Ha.

I really need to knock it off with this counting business. 50 days left until we move. 31 working days left in the office. 1 more day until I lose my mind.

In the mean time, I'm keeping sane by looking through my window (aka, the interwebz) at my sources of life in where we will be living shortly...

Go Upstate
Greenville Daily Photo (I may have to start the "Taylors" Daily Photo once I get there - a fun project I think!)
South Carolina Parks

I encourage you to follow these links and experience the wonder of what I soon will know and love on a daily basis!

Project Kerith: Day 1

Here we go. I've been awake for several hours, and so far I've managed to behave. I have paleo egg muffins baking for breakfast (if they turn out ok I will make sure to share the recipe). I also have my first "at home" crossfit workout of the day planned out (1/2 mile run followed by 50 pushups, 3 times, for time). The only time I will have to get the workout done will be after the kids are both in bed, so that will be later this evening.
So far, I'm on track :)

Updated to add some more info about my Crossfit Workout for Today. From point A to point B and back to point A is a little more than 1/2 a mile. So run to the end of the street and back to the house, drop and do 50 pushups, and then repeat twice more. Should be interesting, but simple, so I think I can handle it :)

On a side note, I can't wait to get out of this suburban nightmare of houses piled up on top of eachother. Very much looking forward to renting a place on some property that the boys will be able to romp around in. Also looking forward to having space for a nice garden! Yippee!

The Kerith Project

Howdy people! Tonight, I thought I would share a new project with you that I'm calling "The Kerith Project." Very original, I know. Please try not to steal my project title.

Anyway, back to the project. It involves something that has been bubbling away in my brain ever since I found out that we were FINALLY getting the chance to move to SC. Hurrah for new starts and all that stuff. I've mentioned in previous posts how I kind of let myself get, well, frumpy, to put it in the nicest terms possible. Yes, once upon a time, I used to be glamorous. No, that isn't the right word. I was never glamorous. If anything, I was a slightly done up jeans and t-shirt kinda gal, but I rocked those jeans with cute flip flops and bleach blonde hair.

Bla bla bla marriage, bla bla bla babies. Bla bla bla Kerith.

I find that if I avoid the mirror and my closet, and live entirely out of the laundry basket of clothing that "fits right now," I tend to forget about this shabby encasing I'm schlepping about.

I knew things were getting really bad when I was walking out of an El Pollo Loco and saw a guy I went to high school with in line. Brian Shock. He was a year or two younger than me. He was such a sweet trumpet playing cutie pie. I should have been all "Hey, Brian, what's up?!" Alas, I was terrified of not being recognized in my current state, and opted to sneak out instead. Sorry, Brian, it would have been nice to catch up with you!

So, I've been hemming and hawing and trying to sort through all this moving business (52 days left until we hit the road!) and part of that sorting has involved my closet, and all those untouched articles of clothing that hang on racks waiting to be worn once again. The clothes range from a teeny size 6, all the way to size 12 (the 14's and 16's all live in the laundry basket I was talking about earlier). Initially I was all "hey, eff paying to move crap across the country that doesn't fit" but now, I'm all "eff you Kerith, get off your lazy ass and do something about the fact that those clothes don't fit."

Do I have a plan? Of course I don't. Well, not really. Plans are great, but I find myself mightily confused after far too much reading, and way too many diets. Josh and I like to talk about this a lot. We'll get on "Gluten=Cancer" kicks, and for the most part we really do believe that meat, fruit and vegetables is what the staple of our diet should look like. But, we have a hard time imagining a life without an occasional beer (aka, gluten) or sandwich (aka, gluten). I've tried weight watchers before (this tends not to work for me because it involves tracking EVERY SINGLE THING) and I've done lower carb diets (only counting one thing) and the diet I've loved best of all has been the Paleo Diet as described by Robb Wolf. I find it the least agonizing of all diets I've tried because essentially, as long as I'm making my meals up from allowed food categories, I'm good to go. No calorie or carb counting. The trouble is that I start to veer off course, and then I find myself where I sit today, on a not so Paleo diet. Blergh.

But, I know it works, so I'm going to get back on the Paleo wagon, and try to incorporate whatever "at home" crossfit workouts I can find. I know I can't move mountains in 52 (51 days, considering today is almost over) days, but hey, maybe I can lose 15-20 pounds if I try to kick some serious butt! That will get me on the right path. One can hope that the glorious weather in Greenville will lead to me spending more time outdoors, and that 'more activity + eating less junk = smaller Kerith'.

Less this (taken 4 days ago)

More this (taken 4 years ago)

Ready, set, GO! Going to try and figure out a gadget/element to stick off to the side so I can keep track and how progress, because apparently people are reading my blog. Who are you anonymous people that don't leave comments?

Edited to add:

Awesomeness! Found this here list of 50 crossfit workouts that I can do at home with little to no equipment. Going to just start at the top and start working my way down! Yay!

50 Crossfit workouts you can do at home!

Thoughts on Providing...

Mikey's winter clothes have arrived. I am filled with an immense sense of satisfaction at being able to provide clothing to my children. Growing up, most of my clothing was second hand, and my mother had to fight in order to purchase anything "new" for us. The majority of my father's disposable income went to Budweiser, Kool cigarettes, new computers and computer peripherals, and of course, extremely expensive telescope equipment. That didn't leave a lot for silly rubbish like department store clothing. In elementary school it was unbearable. Later on, in high school, when shopping at thrift stores became fashionable and my friends took up the practice with me, it was less painful. But still, I spent more student loan money on new clothing than I care to admit my freshman year of college. It wasn't even terribly exceptional clothing. I worked at Arizona Mills, an enormous indoor outlet mall, and my closet was quickly filled with "slightly imperfect" clothing from Aeropostale, GAP and Rue 21.

Silly.

And still, I find the ability to provide my children with "enough" to be something that constantly weighs on my mind. I didn't have much growing up, but on the other hand, I don't want to provide an overabundance to the point where my guys don't understand or appreciate how hard we work to provide for them.

None of the above has any point, just something that has been on my mind...

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it