Has it seriously only been three days since we found out Dan got the job? Just three days? How is it possible that we’re leaving for Dream State in just 11 short days – ELEVEN – and that we’ll be arriving at our new apartment, our new home, in two weeks? Right now I’m feeling all overwhelmed, scared, excited, impatient, over and under burdened with things to do, reminiscent of all the things I love about here that I’m going to miss, filled with relief about all the things I will not miss… I’m a mess basically.

The good news, is that I’m almost a healthy mess. I am hoping tomorrow morning I will wake up and be cured of this… thing, this sore throat with general fatigue and not enough other symptoms to feel justified in whining, not that it’s stopped me from whining, but still. It’s not much fun celebrating in between coughing and then cringing in pain because oh my it hurts! Or the constant ringing of the telephone from friends and family who’ve just learned the good news, or my wonderful father who has been so much help in planning, but he worries and thinks at least as much as I do and thus calls me with each new idea. Which wouldn’t really bother me except… the sore throat. Luckily I’ve been able to get Dan to command some of those conversations and you know, as much as it hurts, I love that people are calling. I’m going to miss everyone a lot.

We hired a moving company and submitted a budgetary estimate to Dream Company (if they say, “Heck no that’s too much,”  that darling father of mine says he’ll loan us whatever is not being covered in the meantime. Love him!). We have been cleaning and de-cluttering and reserving hotel stays and mapping our route for the road trip out there. I’ve been bugging all you dear readers for your best moving tips and then sharing all of them with my husband. I’ve been scheduling posts for my blog and Mommas Review manically so that when things really pick up and I can’t sit down to write, things will still get put up. I’ve been sitting in this apartment, looking at the walls and the pictures, and the normalcy and trying to imagine and wrap my mind around the idea that in less than two weeks I won’t live here anymore. Un. Real.

The moving company is coming next Saturday morning to pack our things (one week!) and then loading the truck and leaving on Tuesday morning, with us following shortly behind them, planning to meet up on the other end that Friday (two weeks!). Next week will be more cleaning and running errands, getting our medical records and anything else I can think of, hoping and praying that I haven’t forgotten anything. I wish I knew my actual new address and that I could change my address now – but obviously we aren’t there yet so that doesn’t make sense and as they probably haven’t even gotten our deposit yet (it’s en route as we speak) we don’t have an official new mailing address. I can’t wait to see it though, to see those new letters and numbers that will make up my home. I can’t wait to discover what will be our new favorite grocery stores and pizza places and walking paths. I can’t wait to visit the nearest local libraries and enter the local Target like I belong there.

I’m nervous, too. Will we make new friends? We’re nice enough people but we’re also home bodies. Will Dan become friends with his coworkers? Will we make friends with our neighbors even though we never made friends with any of the neighbors here in the two years we’ve lived in this apartment? Will I join a local playgroup or make friends with fellow preschool moms? Are the preschools nice? How much do they cost? I really wish their websites listed stuff like that. Details, people – they are important. I hope we make new friends. And keep the old, silver and gold and all. I hope that I like my new doctor, whoever they will be and that BB’s delivery goes as smoothly as possible. That whole thing is still kind of way off in my mind. That’s July – I’m still trying to get through May. The idea that in less than three months I’ll be a mother of two in a strange new place… yeah we’ll deal with that when we get there.

Did I mention the kids are going to share a room (once BB is sleeping through the night anyway) and that the third bedroom in our new place is going to be a play room? I’m super excited about that. I hope it all works as magically perfectly well as it does in my mind right now. I know he’ll probably still make a mess of the apartment, but the idea that at some point all the stuff will be in another room with a door I can shut? That’s awesome. Anyway, I’m drinking some decaf and trying to amuse myself and be productive but keep my mind off things until Dan’s done watching the new Bond movie with his guy friend. I think it’s nice that he had a friend over now while we’re still here. I’m also tired. And might go to bed before he leaves, cause I’m super exciting like that. But not until the decaf is gone…