Tick, tick, tick.....
Time is rushing by.
I have so much to do and while I keep moving and working and getting things crossed off the list, things are still out of control.
We will manage. It will get done. Even if I don't sleep until June 28 when the moving van pulls away.
You would think after nearly 11 wonderful years of living in the Ohio Valley I'd be filled with nostalgia, shedding tears and thinking about everything I am going to miss.
But, recent events have made me ready to GO!
Don't get me wrong, all those things have or will happen, I am sure, but when life gets crazy, you begin to mentally check out and start looking forward to the things ahead. It's survival mode 24/7.
We've pretty much had constant chaos since June began. It's been a million different things. Some big, some small, but all helping us say goodbye to this stage in our life.
I'm still in shock we actually are leaving. Until life is different, it just keeps on going like it always has. Change is a comin', I know, but I'm trying to enjoy each moment, make new memories and laugh at the hard things because one day they'll make for some great dinner time conversations. Seriously, life would be way to dull and boring if we didn't go through the downs of life and in the process have great material to share throughout our life. Those are the things that make us appreciate the simple, peaceful days and the goodness of life we usually enjoy.
This past month has given us so much to remember. Things like:
*Driving three hours out of our way so I could check West Virgina off my 50 states list. Rich is such a sweetie!
* Nearly breaking down in tears when the tow truck driver for the American Diabetes Research Fund hitched up my dad's old Lexus and hauled it away. Who knew donating an old car could make me so emotional?
* Driving down to Lexington for the last time (sniff, sniff) and thinking we could load the truck with our left behind items and get back for Josh's 6:30 pm baseball game. We finally pulled out (in the middle of a thunderstorm with lightening cracking overhead) the NEXT MORNING at 10:00 am.
* Nearly killing my scanner with the hundreds of documents we have signed and resigned to buy our home in Alpine and sell our house in Kentucky. As the underwriter wrote me today, "all of this will be worth it when they hand you those keys!" Yes, it will.
* My heart skipping a beat while Neuroradiology Department Chair, Dr. Tom Tomsick, spoke fondly of Rich and congratulated him on is fellowship completion at the radiology graduation dinner. I was surrounded by wonderful University of Cincinnati attendings, residents, fellows, secretaries and priceless Egyptian artifacts, as it was held in my beloved Cincinnati Art Museum.
* I loved feeling the mist of water hit my face as I stood in Fountain Square downtown and snapped pictures of the incredible statue while a local band played and the sun set on the city.
* Floating down the Ohio River on the River Queen with the rain falling, while I fell deeper in love with Cincinnati.
* Pulling off the beaten path after a soccer game and exploring the old Five Mile Chapel built in 1844. Josh walked around with me and explored the cemetery behind. Those old, worn headstones reminded me of Boston and make me wonder what life was like way back then.
* Making a Gap Clearance Center run (mainly after Kristi's urging) and then getting stuck in a car accident traffic for 40 minutes. The entire drive should have taken 15 minutes. Suddenly my good finds, didn't seem so awesome. When I got home and re-evaluated my purchases, I was very pleased with my great deals. Maybe that place isn't so gross after all.
* After a huge rainstorm, stepping in a puddle of water in the basement and seeing a slow stream coming in from under the threshold of the door. So happy that this is NOT my house I have to sell.
* Looking out our kitchen window and spying 2 squirrels, a chipmunk, a cardinal, a few robins, a rabbit and other birds there on the lawn, trees and play set. It's like a nature reserve in our backyard. Guess that's why we have bugs that attack in the middle of the day while out playing and had mice in the basement.
* Dragging the kids way out to Georgetown, Ohio to see Ulysses S. Grant's boyhood home and schoolhouse, but missing Josh's baseball practice in the process. After an ice cream cone and hug, he did forgive me. The Civil War artifacts were incredible and I'll never forget the kids listening to the tour guide with their bonnets and caps we purchased from the tiny store proudly on their heads.
* Daily drop off runs to Goodwill hauling bag after bag of donated items. I think half the store is filled with Jackson stuff. Boy does that make me happy!
* Bi-weekly runs to the Snowie stand. They know Tiger's Blood and Lemon-lime are our favorites.
* Spending an entire afternoon at the Cincinnati Museum Center with friends from Kentucky. The Cleopatra traveling exhibit was AMAZING!!
* A washing machine in your basement with an 'out of order' attitude and a Saturday night laundromat outing. $25.00 of quarters later, you have a car full of clean, but wet clothes ready to take home and hang up.
* Counting my blessing the next morning when the load of laundry we thought we left in a machine, was really hidden in the front room amongst the Lexington boxes.
* Visiting Harriet Beecher Stowe's home and the National Underground Railway Freedom Center with the kids and teaching them about the evils of slavery and the many unsung heroes who risked everything to help set them free.
* Catching fireflies and taking a million pictures of bare hands and fingers because I missed the 'take off'. They still kept catching and letting me snap away. I will miss those little bugs.
* Eating a BBQ dinner in the backyard around the tiny Little Tikes table while we got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Corn on the cob never tasted so good.
* Touring the Loveland Castle with friends from the ward. Watching Matt's enthralled face as the tour guide explained the intricate front door was worth the price of admission.
* Watching in awe as the garbage man took our HUGE pile of garbage, plus a broken trundle bed off our front lawn. I seriously was shocked, but oh so pleased.
* Scooping bucket after bucket of dirty water from the wash basin in the basement after the main dishwasher/garbage disposal/washing machine pipe clogged. We tossed the slimy water out onto the back lawn for an entire week when the handyman from the ward never contacted us to come over. I thanked the heavens today when he finally fixed the plug!!!
* Hearing the Whirlpool guy tell me I killed my watching machine with soap. No joke. Four days later feeling so good when he came back and told me it really was faulty valve and that he would order the needed part.
* Sorting through Matt's toy bins and having him ask me if I'm impressed with his sorting skills. He said he was 'in the zone'. That boy LOVES to create and build with his various collections of Star Wars figures, Legos and Imaginext sets. I hope he always does.
* Signing the kids up for soccer in Utah online and having the registration fella call the next day to make sure I realized the league was in Utah County, not Ohio.
* Cutting open every single box in the storage room and rummaging through so many memories. From white coats to tiny shoes, from medical textbooks the size of phonebooks to kindergarten papers, it's a trip down memory. Kind of therapeutic.
* Figuring out on Father's Day morning if I had enough flour, eggs and sugar for both pancakes and 18 minute cake. I stopped buying those things weeks ago. Luckily, I had just barely enough. But not quite enough cocoa for the frosting....
* Reading the kids' handmade Father's Day cards and laughing out loud when I saw Trey gave Rich a pep talk about life and Matt wrote in his fancy cursive, " Thank you for putting up with us even when we make you sleep deprived or when we do something stupid." Oh how I love honesty.
* Hearing Jim Alcorn talk baseball on the phone with Rich and watching Josh's eyes beam as he found out about the league and the girls dancing in celebration because Alice will be at the games.
* Listening to Zach sing and babble and use a few new words while we clean and pack. His new favorites are 'wa-wa' (water), Dad-dy, bubbles, doggy and the lovely word, NO. Yeah, he kind of loves that one.
* Watching the girls model old dresses and shoes, organize outgrown clothes and being valiant in their attempts to save as many toys from the Goodwill bag as they can. They are quite the fashionistas, and a persuasive pair too.
* Seeing Trey's face light up like a Christmas tree when Rich surprised the big boys with Yankees vs Reds tickets tonight. Kid in a candy store excitement. While the rest of us cheer for Boston, he's a New Yorker through and through.
I know good times lie ahead, but man oh man, I am going to miss this place, the people and the experiences we've had. I'll always be a Kentucky girl with a love for Cincinnati. A decade of good memories that will never, ever fade.
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