Junk and More Junk

Getting ready for Texas has really been a challenge. How do you get rid of 38 married years of stuff? It's not like I'm a pack rat the way my mom was. I remember when we were cleaning out the family home after she died, there were actually pieces of yarn all knotted together. I think she liked the color and wanted to match it to something. She also had a lot of knickknacks from her days as an elementary school teacher. We don't know that they even meant anything to her, but there they were. We suspect that even she didn't know what was in the cupboards. I have a pact with some of my closest friends; when I die, they are to hurry over and burn the house down!
Anyway, as we went through things that I've had tucked away, I was reminded of the feelings we had when we went to Nauvoo on our way home from Pennsylvania. There wasn't a lot of choice about what they would take across the plains; food, shelter and warm clothes were top priority. I thought about being told that they could only take 17 lbs by handcart. At that point my choice became more simple. Get rid of the stuff that will make my kids life more difficult should they have to deal with it. I thought to myself after we were finished with my moms house; you don't get to hitch a U-Haul to your casket! I think I'm ready to really unload a lot of my earthly trappings. Now if I could get my kids to stop fighting over my stuff. "You take it" "No, YOU take it!"

Where's the Bathroom?

I've traveled 11,000 miles by car since July 7th, stayed in a dozen or more hotels, gained 30# because there really isn't such a thing as diet friendly restaurant eating (seriously, why would you eat a salad when the enchiladas are the best in the world?). My point is; sometimes when you wake up in the middle of the night, you have to sit for a moment to remember where you are before you can go to the bathroom. We're home now and guess what; I still have to sit for a moment to remember where I am.
We got home on the 15th of October after Mike's Army mission in Pennsylvania and Nebraska. While we were away our home was taken care of by Rachel and Jana along with their families. One family upstairs, one family downstairs. Basically all the rooms were "ocupado"! Well, there's really no reason to cause undue stress for the two families so Mike and are making the sacrifice and moving out. Whoa, I can hear you say to yourselves. Where will they go, what will they do? Simple, really. We'll accept another Army assignment and go to Texas for a year. Actually, we'll go to California first then Texas.
Yep, Mike is being mobilized to teach the class he's spent the most time teaching this year. Combat Life Saver (CLS). Most of the soldiers take the class because they will probably be mobilized in the next year. They learn IV's, chest decompressions and other life saving stuff. Mike's a really great instructor and they need his skills so...off we go.
I had a rough time thinking about being away from all the grandkids but had such a great time with just me and Mike that I'm biting the bullet and going with him.
We'll be stationed in Grand Prairie, Texas located near Dallas and Plano (kind of in the middle of Texas). I'm excited to do this and have learned that all the family is fine when I'm gone. So, with a departure date of November 3rd, we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before we leave.
I can't wait to see how long it takes me to know where the new bathroom will be!