Science!!

A college acquaintance contacted me about doing some writing for his organization. I jumped at the chance and started working on my assignment today! It's a paid writing gig and I'm really enjoying being able to throw myself into some awesome science and learn about a new topic.

My research topic is all about palytoxins and their dangers in reefkeeping. The take home message that I'm seeing emphasized over and over again in my reading is that if you're handling live rock and coral, wear gloves, wear eye protection and probably a mask too. And keep pets out of the area. This stuff is nasty and it will not discriminate in cells that it targets.

It feels really good to be delving back into research and science. And given Hazel's current nap schedule, I actually have time to get this done and work from home. It's an all around good feeling for me right now.

In other news, I finally got the vet out to see the animals. I need to acquire some dewormer for both of them and Gwyn needs to lose weight... oops.

I do my best research and learning by summarizing what I read and handwriting notes. This later helps me organize what I want to write. I'm also making a digital copy in case a 4 year old occurs.

It can be hard to do research with a 4 year old on your back

During the vet visit. Gwyn and Saffron were well behaved, Hazel fell asleep, and Kaylee was the whiniest whiner.

We've been going for evening walks. This was last night. An impromptu math lesson.

I love these girls.

At the track for our evening walk. Yes she is wearing snow boots...

I can see the big kid in her face in this picture. I love it.

NaNoWriMo

Technically I opted in to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, to write 50,000 words within the 30 day month of November.

To give you an idea of how well I'm doing with that goal, the dashboard on my profile page has a ticker that estimates your date of completion based on your progress thus far.

My estimated date of completion is May 18, 2018.

So yeah. That went well this year. Not.

It just wasn't in the cards for me. I am making a last ditch effort to help my team for a weekend word war on the nanoljers website because of a remarkably persistent team leader who has been really following up. I admire his/her determination. And I am ever loyal to Team Clio, so write I've been doing.

Plus, I needed to do that anyway since I've got a Kickstarter reward to redeem that involves an author doing a decent edit of my novel and I need to have something to send him that won't be embarrassing and will actually be productive.

Writing since we moved to Michigan has been nonexistent, which is a little frustrating, but honestly something I only just realized. I have NO inspiration, no drive, to write creatively. It's a depressing thought. I want to write, I just... can't. Either I can't find the time or I have no idea what I want to say or how to say it. Maybe I need to work it back in as an every day chore to do, like cleaning the barn and feeding the critters.

I do wish I had done more this November. But looking back I don't know when I would have done it.

That darn procrastination demon strikes...

I put off/completely forgot about Kaylee's health form that needed to be filled out for preschool. Partly because it was rather involved in getting filled out and things with lots of steps sort of intimidate me into not doing anything and partly because I really don't like talking on the phone.

BUT! I finally got it done (her pretty much getting an exclusion from school kicked my butt into gear, I'm so bad at adulting)

Things I had to do to fill out a form:

Find a primary care doctor, set up appointment for weeks out because new patient appointments were booked up
Call her old pediatrician to get her vaccination records
Learn that I can't just verbally release those, I had to fax a medical release form
Get annoyed
Contemplate just getting a moral exemption to make the form simpler but feel morally opposed to taking that route when the child is FULLY vaccinated
Call old pediatrician -again- and ask about medical release, learn a doctor's office will acquire records sooner, WTF, and even if you have the appointment, you still need to wait for records to arrive to fill out vaccine history
Ask old office if they will verbally recite vaccine history so you can have the form completed, office tells you they'll call you back
Office calls back and gladly verbally gives you vaccine history, you thank them profusely and fill out the form


Still to do:

Take Kaylee to her new appointment tomorrow where she will get her flu shot and have her form filled out. This will also be her VERY belated 3 year check up. Oops.  Moving screws you up, yo.

Turn in form next week and pray to the flying spaghetti monster that she can still be enrolled now that her form is complete.



I did have coffee today, which might explain how this all got done. And Eric worked from home so I felt like I was under observation to be productive. Guess it worked.

Huh...

I was reading a post from another Mom asking for help with her daughter and everything the mother was describing was like a flashback to me as a child. The mom was concerned about her daughter's potential for success since it seemed like she hit every single marker for Inattentive type ADD.

So I look up the traits for both childhood and adult ADD.


Aaaaaaand I fit pretty much the entire description. It's a little scary how damn accurate it is for me. But it also explains quite a lot about how I handled high school (decent, with incredibly management on my parents' part), college (okaaaaaay) and graduate school (HAHAHAHAHA) It explains why I was so successful with my job at Bio-Rad (highly structured with time deadlines throughout the day and week) but failed miserably at the crime lab (highly unstructured with minimal to no deadlines even week to week). It

I'm not sure what to do with this. It does give me an avenue of support to reach out to if I want an official diagnosis to get some behavioral therapy and possibly medication, though I'd rather seek out therapy options first before medicating. I might push for medication if I go back into the workforce, to give me the best chance at success. Right now I think with some more support day to day I don't need anything more than social strategies for managing the home and farm.

I know my mom had mentioned in passing that she thought I might have ADD and never really pursued it, but I think it was before inattentive was classified. When I called her to tell her, she just went, "Yeah, your Dad and I thought so, but didn't want to say anything and let you come to that conclusion yourself".  Apparently, the amount they needed to manage me vs. my younger brother was dramatically different enough for them to go, "Huh, maybe Amy has something going on...."

Knowing is half the battle, right? And now I can devise coping strategies to help me keep my life together.

Day off being a Mom

Judy called yesterday and asked if Kaylee was available. We told her she had camp in the morning but was welcome to pick her up from camp for the rest of the day.

So suddenly, I dropped Kaylee off at 8:30 this morning and was left with a WHOLE DAY to myself. I was overwhelmed with time.

What did I do?

I came home and worked briefly on the jumps I'm making and finished drilling holes and sanded down the edges.

Then I went inside and took a nap. It was glorious. I'm still sick with a cold so while this seems like a lazy way to go, it honestly was one of the few things I can do to get better thanks to the pregnancy. OTC meds are not allowed in 1st and 3rd trimesters (like Nyquil) so I've been managing with tea, vitamin c cough drops, steam and sleep. I woke up right around noon, noted no one had called my phone in a panic regarding Kaylee's pick up and went to go make lunch.

After lunch, during which I watched some Netflix, I headed downstairs and troubleshot the printer, getting it back onto the wireless, at which point the two print jobs that were queued to it started printing. While that worked, slowly, I went to my craft corner and started organizing more.

My sewing machine is now set up and ready for stuff to be made! I've got a couple things in the docket that I've been wanting to make and now that I have a good workspace for that, I can move on it!

I also practiced my viola. I ended up getting a short gig to play at a backyard wedding. I'm getting $30 for 45 minutes of my time. I did end up buying $20 worth of sheet music but if I continue to do small stuff it'll be negligible now that I have the physical music. The gig is Friday evening. I'm planning to go and do my best.

The pregnancy is going well. I've really only had some crazy exhaustion, minor nausea, no throwing up, which is about par for the course and similar to my last pregnancy with Kaylee. Talking about all that is really its own entry, so I'll stop there for now.

Sewing Project list ahoy!
1. Training underwear for Kaylee! We're night training now, and while she hasn't had an accident, these underwear have a little bit of extra absorbtion in the crotch. They seem simple and are a pattern written by a friend, so I promised to try it out.
2. Peg Legs pattern. These are a legging pattern that I got for free through a FB group (legitimately free, btw, I paid for other patterns that I mention later) I want to try and modify them to make my own riding pants. I'm not sure I found the right fabric at Joann's though. I did order sample fabrics from Seattle Fabrics because they specifically carry equestrian breech and riding tight fabric.
3. The ears for my crocheted covers. I want to use a netting for better air flow and want to experiment. Again, I have the fabric already, I just needed my machine set up!

Life Lists

To Purchase:

• A few bales of hay for dinner if animals are stalled at night
• Paint for bedroom, kitchen?, bathroom
• M. bed
• Guest Bed
• Bookcases
• painter's tape, brushes, rollers. I think I left these in WA
• Deck furniture
• entertainment center
• dining room table
• fencing for the garden
• Curtains to replace what's there

To do at the New House:

• Paint M. Bedroom
• Set up fence charger
• Weed front garden
• Weed wack/mow fence line
• Fill water tanks for animals
• Organize tack room
• Clean out old hay under pallets
• unpack
• Raise water tanks off ground with wood, maybe from wood pile?
• Control the garden
• Pay back S. Mauzy for 100 gal. tank

To do at MIL's house

• Get our shit OUT
• Clean the house

If you can't tell, life is crazy. We are on the verge of living in the new house. Friday will be the first night! The schedule is getting hectic since Kaylee's birthday is a week from Sunday.  I found out I'll be needing a root canal and that will happen a week from tomorrow, the day my parents come into town to stay with us. 

Emotional Stability

When Eric and I discussed moving to Michigan one of our concerns was the lag period, the time we're in now, where we're not in our own space, the horse hasn't arrived and the social circle is not yet replaced. Several years ago now, I had a bad period where, looking back, I was depressed. We were both worried that I might regress with this move. Today was a day where I can admit, out loud, that yes, I see myself getting more and more depressed. There is so much that is out of my control right now and I'm struggling day to day.

 This week is especially hard because Kaylee is on spring break from her Montessori school so I don't have any opportunities for mental breaks through the day. I didn't want to leave the house yesterday and it was more harmful than beneficial. A toddler should not be contained.

 Between selling the house and house hunting, I'm stressed. We just signed paperwork to lower the asking price on the WA house and that's not a happy thing to do, but if we want it sold we need to attract buyers and get more views of the house.

 My MIL is starting to exert more control over her house, despite not living in it. We have been asked to keep the heat low, get a storage pod and move all extra boxes into the garage. Eric suspects that she is going to want to show the house to potential buyers, so if the house is sold, we'll be out of a place to stay. While that's not a huge risk at the moment, it's nonetheless a potential scenario that we need to discuss and plan for.

 I've yet to find new friends who are free during the week. Algonac has shit for things to do, so I have to travel further and look farther afield to find activities for Kaylee. One mom's group rejected me for not attending any of their events when I'd only put in for a trial for a week (their rules stated there was a 30 day window). I do have two online friends in the area, for which I am extremely grateful. I've met both of them in person now, one at the zoo and the other for the maple syrup festival.

 Kaylee has had some issues falling asleep so Eric and I tag team sitting with her until she's asleep so that's cutting into our adult time to just talk, forget about sex.

 We saw the top of the list house on Saturday and I'm in love. I really want to be able to make an offer, more than anything right now. I want our own space.

 I have been working out pretty regularly, which is good! But I'm not seeing a change at the scale, and that's not helping my mood at all.

And we've been trying to conceive for a year now, officially, with no success.  


So, things I've done to proactively work on my mood:

Today I took Kaylee to an indoor play area and rather than going home after we were done, we went to the nearby metropark with the kickass playground AND took a 3/4 mile walk. Then minor retail therapy at Play it Again Sports where I found toddler size soccer cleats. ADORABLE. Kaylee starts soccer at the end of the month and I'm excited!

Being outside today definitely helped me feel better. I need to promise myself to get outside every day.

Tomorrow we're going to a different metropark that has a farm and a 'meet the babies' every morning. That's more for me than Kaylee, but she'll enjoy it and it will get us out of the house.  Thursday we're meeting Elyse (online Mom friend) at her house for coffee. Her daughter will be at school, but Kaylee will be able to run wild in the house and play with toys.

Sunday Grandma is taking Kaylee for the whole day. Eric and I plan to have a nice long Skype DnD session with WA friends. Grandma does not know this is why we wanted child sitting.

I am going to try and get a massage next week while Kaylee is in school. And maybe start moving some of my horse stuff in to the new barn.

I also have my solo camping trip to volunteer for an endurance ride coming up in less than 2 weeks. I am excited about that, except I can't find my hiking boots. Grr.

Most everything else is out of my control, so I'm going to focus on things that I can do for myself. I'm also going to make an appointment to see an OB and talk about fertility.



I was supposed to fly back in May to assist with a horse show at Hollywood Hill Saddle Club. It was going to be the Hunter Jumper's first judged show. We'd previously done only fun shows where you pay for a round in the ring to practice with a jump course. (Notice I still say we... can't help myself)  That show got moved to July because the ride organizer, my friend Jan, broke her leg. I had already purchased my flight before I even moved to Michigan and she didn't let me know early enough to avoid the fee for changing/cancelling my flight. I had thought that I might not be able to make the new date but Eric cleared that up today, so I'll be able to return to WA in July for a day or so to help with the show anyway! That helped cheer me up today.

Kinetic Sand

I recently purchased some kinetic sand at a craft store. I've been in need of items for indoor activities since there really isn't much to do indoors with her. She loves this kinetic sand, but, like many other moms, I don't love the price. So like any good crafty mom I went searching for DIY subsitutes. I did find one that was made with cornstarch, but I wasn't really wanting to make it that way. But then I heard that Kinetic Sand is just dimethicone (it sounds scary, but it's the silicone product used in cosmetics to defrizz hair) and playground sand.

 My immediate thought was, well... gosh, I could make that. And then I looked on Etsy and no one is selling kinetic sand on Etsy. MY NICHE! I finally found something no one is selling!

 So I've ordered some dimethicone. I tried Fisher Scientific but they wouldn't let me just online order it, but Amazon had some for cosmetic use. I'll pick up sand once the dimethicone gets here.

I'm looking forward to experimenting to get the formulation just perfect. I'm also going to be keeping track of expenses to see where I'd break even and where I'd make money, still by being cheaper than what you buy in the store. My lab notebook arrived today so I can track it all!

 In more mom specific news, Kaylee is advancing with her potty training! She has been using diapers only at night lately. I'm so proud of her!

My brain needs this right now

Because I was working on the stairs and went, phew, glad it's monday. Then went, OH SHIT IT'S NOT.  FUCK.  Movers are here in 2 days.


BEFORE Movers

1. Laundry as much as possible
2.  Pack clothes for plane
3. Pack carry ons
4. Label paint cans as permanently as possible
5. Nail in trim for repair in the bathrooms   
6. Pick up rental car on Thursday 9am
7. My car leaves Friday
8. Give away as much food as possible
9. Wash recliner chair with urine metabolizer because Kaylee is a potty training toddler
10. Clean car out before Friday
11. Bring saddle home :(
12. Get last trunk out of the hayloft and super consolidate rest of barn stuff.
13. Call realtor to coordinate letting painters in Wed/Thurs
14. Fix downstairs bathroom sink cabinet with spacers and epoxy
15. Bring slide to Cheryl

Packing List for plane

• Tiny tv computer and HDMI cable
• Yarn and crochet hooks in carry on
• books
• Kaylee occupying items - roller backpack for her plus new items
• Kindle fire
• Leap Frog and all games and cord
• Checkbook
• Personal Documents - passport, SS cards, birth certificates etc
• Car charger
• Wall charger
• Both cameras
• Gwyn's registration documents

AFTER MOVERS

1. Finish painting laundry room behind washer/dryer and above cabinets
2. Finish carpet removal Sat/Sun
3. Buy paint for upstairs bathrooms and trim
4. Monday take carpet to the dump! Plus any left over trash
5. Sunday evening dinner with Trudy and family in Duvall
6. Anna and Elsa meet and greet Tuesday at 4
7. Let painters in Monday/Tuesday
8. Remulch garden
9. Say goodbye to Gwyn
10. Cry my eyes out

Rainbow Place

A friend of mine pasted a facebook status about saying goodbye to a home for the first time in his life, one that he started raising a family in. I started crying, just reading it and imagining driving away from our house for the last time.

I love our house. It's far from perfect but it was the first place we could make our own and really match it to our personalities. And for crying out loud, the street name is Rainbow Place. Isn't that just the epitome of awesome?! In the land of numbered street names, it's pretty rad, let me tell you.

We were able to start to really see our vision for being a sustainable, renewable family come to fruition. The flooring we installed was eco friendly bamboo and cork and remnant tile. We were looking into getting a rain barrel. We used a push mower, then an electric, no gas. We built raised garden beds to grow fruit and vegetables to eat.

We installed FUCKING SOLAR PANELS.


Now, nothing prevents us from doing this again. But I feel invested in this house. I feel like we're leaving it too early. And the one thing I finally admitted to myself as I cried into my pillow was this:

I don't want to go.

Everything logical about the move makes it the right thing but my heart is just aching. Maybe it would be easier if Eric wasn't gone already, 2000 miles away loving his new job. Maybe if I wasn't faced with the prospect of being without my horse for 2-3 months. Maybe it's the stress of being a single parent for longer than a day or two. I don't know.


I was hoping for a pick me up tonight. The barn was holding a farewell party for me. Dani couldn't make it, her work ran late and then she had other things that I knew she was going to have to get to. There's a big horse show that a group went to. One person is in Michigan for a wedding. Everyone had other things to do.

It hurts. And I hope it didn't show. I made shredded beef with some of the grass feed 1/4 cow I bought last year with a friend. It was amazing. I brought dinner rolls. One person brought banana cream pie. Two others brought cookies. 8 people showed. 4 of them were kids, one of the four was my own.

I kind of suspected, because it was potluck and the sign up board for what people were bringing was pretty damn sparse. But I made a damn good shredded beef in the crockpot. My house smelled fucking AMAZING all day. And everyone who had it loved it. And it was just enough to feed the people who were there, so in the end that was good. 

I'm going to the tack sale tomorrow to try and find some things to outfit my eventual barn with. I've got some significant cash but I doubt I'll spend it all. I might try and snag a buddy saddle if the price is reasonable. Maybe a pony saddle :D I also consigned some of my stuff. I hope it sells.

I'm thinking saddle racks and bridle racks, a whip holder, mounting block. Who knows. Pitchfork would be awesome. We'll see. But NOT BRIDLES FOR GWYN. Or halters. I have plenty. Self, DO NOT BUY THOSE THINGS. A lunge whip, though, that would be okay. Somehow I lose them to barn gremlins. Maybe tiny riding pants for Kaylee :D Ooo!

Then sunday Kaylee goes to daycare. And I go for a one last hurrah trail ride with Cortney and Blaine. This will hopefully be the redemption for tonight's downer. I really hope.

And maybe locking the door and leaving the keys will be okay. Because I need to embrace the new adventure that awaits and realizing a childhood dream of waking up and seeing my horse out my window. That would ease my heartache.

House Progress and Reading

New color on the right, old white on the left. I love how fresh it looks, perfect for a laundry room, in my opinion. I'm going to have to write it down so I can  use it again!

I spent the morning doing a second coat of paint where I had painted on monday. It was a little frustrating to redo it, but the paint just doesn't cover well, I found. I used a different tool to get coverage and it went MUCH faster. I taped off more of the rest of the room and cleaned out the rest of the cat supplies to really start airing it out and cleaning to get rid of any lingering cat smell.

Guys, I even cleaned the top of the cabinets. (But I need the paint tape to stick, haha)

Then Eric called and we talked about his third day of work and crazy early morning (he was awoken by a drunk guy knocking repeatedly on the door at 3:30 am) I found plane tickets for me and Kaylee. It's further into March than I would have preferred, but the price was hard to argue with. Now I might get to see some of the progress from the painters! Maybe even the carpet!

I officially hired the painters, and I need to officially hire the handy man as well as order carpet from Home Depot. 

I also bought a ticket for May to return to Seattle for a quick weekend to help with a horse show that I promised I'd do. 

Kaylee was upset going to bed last night so I hung out in my room just in case she decided to leave her room with one of my new library books. I've been curious about this ever since it came out but didn't know anything that would convince me to buy it. Thank you Public Library!

I read this book in one sitting guys. In an hour. Kaylee was in bed before 8pm, I was done by 9 pm. I Could. Not. Put it. Down.   And then when I finished I just kind of sat there processing the story. It's so hard to describe, but it's achingly beautiful, well written and enchanting. I wanted it to be thunderstorming so I could go outside naked and dance in the rain with the lightning and thunder crashing around me. I want to hike out into the middle of nowhere and just be. That's how this book made me feel. It's everything I want to write myself as a fantasy author (it is fantasy, I didn't know that for some reason)  Oh it's just lovely. Neil Gaiman nails it again.

This is officially my favorite book. I will be buying it. No joke. I need to have a copy on my bookshelf. 

And then, I present you with, my kid. 

She's hamming it up for the camera, she could see herself.

Her version of closing her eyes.

Cuddling together in my bed before bedtime. 

House Progress!

The sunset from tonight. Just gorgeous!


Today I made progress on my home projects!! Kaylee went to daycare and I painted. I got tired of cutting in, though I did do some of that today and went for the large area painting. I used a different roller than I have previously and was unhappy with the results. I will need to do a second coat. I made a trip to Home Depot tonight to acquire appropriate materials.  The second coat should be quick and not a big deal, it's just annoying to realize.

I also cleaned out the cat area so the laundry room can start airing out. Watching property brothers has made me paranoid that buyers are going to walk in and go "ewww, animal smell"  I don't want that!!!  I still need to vacuum up more of the plaster dust and then mop to get it all gone, but soon I'll be able to add a corner to my painting area. That's exciting. AND, since the cats are now in Michigan with Eric, new litter won't be tracked over the room after every time I sweep!!

I also pulled up more carpet while I waited for Kaylee to come home. Tomorrow I'll move the boxes that are in the living room over onto the exposed subfloor so I can tear out more carpet. It's really satisfying to get that awful thing out of the house. My goal is to just make a big pile of it and have someone come and bring it to the dump for me.

Progress

Things I bought and sold this weekend

Bought

NEW SADDLE!!!!!!

This is probably the thing I'm most excited about. Also featured is the saddle pad I made myself!









Lamp for the downstairs bedroom!

We had some funky lighting that Eric doubted would make a home inspector happy, so for 10$ at Home Depot we came home with this tonight. I even installed it myself!









Sold
An elliptical
Our queen bed frame
The matching dresser
A rotating DVD tower
2 2x4 IKEA expedit bookcases
1 4x4 IKEA expedit bookcase

Less successfully, I listed my fish tank with no bites (hahahah) and a free grill that's pending to an interested party.

Thank FSM for Buy Nothing and FB Garage sale groups. I've made almost $400 in cash.

We were also super productive in the house. Aside from getting stuff out of it that we didn't want to bring to Michigan, we managed to install the rest of the baseboard trim in the downstairs bedroom and get the light fixed. Eric also hung the rest of the closet doors, only to realize that they'll come down again anyway for the carpet installers. LOL. Oh well.

This seriously looks SO much better now. It's ready to go trim from Home Depot, no painting required. It looks pretty sharp!

In less than happy news, Eric will be in Michigan this time next week. I'm calling the movers tomorrow to get as early a date as possible so I can go with him.

Before Michigan

So I don't forget:

Things to pack in my car:

• Box of toys for Kaylee
• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• Viola
• Violin
• Saddle
• Potted plants?

To Do List:

• Paint the laundry room
• Empty the third bedroom
• Paint the third bedroom
• Install the trim in the 4th bedroom
• Set up carpet install
• Rip up carpet
• Sell as much furniture as possible
• Schedule the movers date
• Get quote on trim install with carpet
• Make a pvc saddle stand for shipping saddle in car/ship via USPS
• Pick up saddle Feb 7
• Pre write board and farrier checks once departure date is known'
• Pick a realtor for the sale of the house

Sick stuff and relocation stuff

A bit TMI, hidden so you can skip it.

Lots of crazy!

A lot has been going on in the McKenna household.

• I met with two real estate agents assigned to give us quotes for how they plan to market and sell our house. From their impression, it sounds like we'll definitely be making our minimum sale price if not more, which bodes well for purchasing again in Michigan!
• I got sick again, which sucks, but I'm soldiering through. Eric was kind enough to share his germs with me.
• I'm finally getting my new saddle! I'll be getting it in February, a week before we're likely to be moving. So not a lot of time to use it here in Washington, but at least I'll have it from a saddle fitter I trust and not have to start the process over again in Michigan. 
• Today was beautiful and we got a ton of stuff done to the house. I cleaned up the garage and loaded my car up with trash to take to the dump/transfer station. Then Eric was able to cut trim pieces for the baseboards to finish up the family room. It looks so amazing! We even got the transition piece from the hardwood to the tile cut to size! 
• My to-do list is getting smaller, which is making me breathe a bit easier. 
• Kaylee got to play outside in the sun today. Temperatures topped out at low 60s F. That's unheard of for January!! I was in short sleeves all day and it was so pleasant, I even got some gardening done!
• I picked up some cross stitch I hadn't touched since college. Now I'm looking for geeky cross stitch designs. 
• I want to teach myself how to crochet. I found a pattern to make Toothless, from How to Train Your Dragon. It is adorable, but I need to crochet it. Maybe that will be my 'things I do in Michigan until Gwyn arrives'
• I'm slowly accruing more contacts in the Michigan horse world. There's an endurance ride in April only about an hour away from where we'll be living, and I'm hoping to volunteer at the ride so I can meet more people. Eric has already okay'd me camping and him staying with Kaylee. That would ROCK.

To Do:

1. Apply for an Environmental Quality Analyst position with the Michigan DNR because it's also in Warren (where Eric will be working) and it's the kind of job I've been wanting to do!

2. Pack up most of my sewing supplies. I still need to finish Cheryl's blanket for Sara but that shouldn't require more than thread, scissors, my sewing machine and a seam ripper. Probably my chalk too, but for that project I might use wall chalk instead!

3. Finish the blanket for Cheryl.

4. Call real estate agents about viewing some property while we're in Michigan after Christmas. We fly there in a week.

5. Contact a friend of Eric's from high school who runs a horse barn and get some recommendations for vet, farrier and saddle fitter.

6. Paint the stair risers once Eric has cut them to size.


This move is getting more and more real!