Moving Madness

I hate moving. I hate the packing, the planning, the apartment hunting, and well, everything.

You wouldn't guess it as we move just about every other day. But I hate it. And actually, every other day is a slight exaggeration (only slight), but since Will and I were married three and a half years ago, we have packed and moved five times... and are currently getting ready for our sixth.

Ugh.

We are trying to be happy about it. Will has been offered promotions with his company in West Texas for about 6 months now, but we keep turning them down as we do not want to move to West Texas. I'm not too keen on rattlesnakes and tornadoes. We don't particularly like living in Austin, either, and have been talking seriously about moving since we got here about two years ago. However, we certainly didn't think when we moved it would be to Abilene.

But off we go. We finally decided he needs the promotion right now and that his career is more important than my fear of being bitten by a rattlesnake or sucked into a tornado. And besides, it will only be a year in West Texas before we can move back and figure out where to go from there (I'm debating whether we should even bother unpacking!!).

Gracie is able to put on a happy face for a silly picture, but in the real world she is really upset by all the talk of moving. My whole family is in Austin and we get together as often as humanly possible and more. This apartment is all that she remembers living in and the idea of a "better apartment, just like the little girl in the moving book" just pisses her off.

It certainly doesn't help any that we have to pack and move out in under a month. She just sits back watching us pack up her toys and clothes and scowls, saying, "I'm not going to move to a bigger and better house. I'm going to live in Austin, Texas."

Luckily, Annelie is too young to figure out what is going on and the packing boxes are just a whole lot of fun for her. She is a climber and now she has a jungle gym all over the whole apartment.

I'm trying to lessen the blow of moving, by letting the girls have wonderful picnics filled with their favorite lunches and dinner. It certainly makes my life easier and the picnic amongst the boxes is Gracie's favorite part of the day.

The meal of choice seems to consistently be a hot dog octopus sitting in a Ramen noodle ocean filled with bagged veggie fish. Part of me is completely ashamed (that would be the organic loving, cooking meals from scratch part) but the other part of me thinks that I am just preparing them for the cheap and easy crap they will eat once they get to college (yay, for Ramen). Its good to be prepared, right?

Kinda gross. But the girls are happy.

So my artwork is being packed. I will still have my shop open for the next few weeks, but wont be starting any new projects or working on any commissions. I hope all goes nice and smoothly and as painlessly as possible... but you never know when it comes to moving day!!