Telling everyone I am leaving

I have found a few things to be true about people from Illinois: 1. When you tell them you are from WI they ask if you are a Packer fan with a grimace on their face and 2. They mention they went to Wisconsin once, THE DELLS (which are great, but not really "Wisconsin enough" for me.

When telling parents at Kensington I am leaving, their replies has mostly been:
1. We will miss you
2. Good Luck/Congratulations
3. Ewww you are going to be a Packer Fan (to which I reply always have been always will be :) )

When telling my class the other day they said:
1. Why?
2. Where are you going?
3. Where is Ms. Wetzel (their previous teacher who left for another school)--not sure the relevance but hey, they are 3.
and my most favorite:
4. so, ugh, are you going to the water park?

The move

This is what moving looks like here..... Plus we still need all the furniture including but not limited to: 2 dressers, hope chest, bed, kitchen table & 4 chairs, breakfast cart, couch (pull out so big and heavy) and recliner. Also have all the hanging clothes and the patio stuff. We also have boxes already at the new house, at my parents, and at Alex's parents. How did we fit so much stuff in 650 square feet?!?

Moving from IL to WI (Finally)

Moving day is finally here.  I go to work 6 more times.  I need to leave 6 sets of work clothes and weekend clothes out and the rest can be packed.  My whole life for the past 2 years can be packed.  It is crazy because I am super excited to move into a house by our families, with more room, no shared walls, no crazy neighbors, and simply out of Illinois, but then I get to thinking: this is my first home.  This is the place I lived in when I got married, when I worked my first and second job post grad, the address I gave the college when I graduated, where we got our first dog.  That is a lot to be leaving behind.  It is a little overwhelming.  I dont think it has hit me how different life is going to be.

I was talking with Alex today and I realized that it is kind of weird to be living so close to my family, but not with them.  When I was in college I lived 25 mins away and though I came quite often, I lived at their house when I did it.  Then, when I moved to Illinois, I, again, stayed with them when I came to visit.  Every holiday, every weekend, every break, every time I came home we stayed with them.  Now as we  have a place of our own there will be figuring out...a learning curve.....of when we visit, how often we visit, do I still need to call my mom every day on my drive home from work as I do now?  It is going to be interesting for all of us as we learn where we fit and how we live this new exciting chapter of our lives.

I am trying to figure out the logistics of this move.  I am moving Aug 4th.  I am getting my work keys and have a training that week so I am going home solo.  I will need clothes to wear, supplies for my classroom, some household items, and anything I dont want bouncing in the moving truck.  Then the moving truck (my parents) is coming down Aug 10th.  I will be driving down with them and the plan is to simply pack everything up and drive back up the same day....which means everything needs to be packed before I leave on the 4th as we all know Alex wont pack while I am gone.  Keeping that in mind, Alex has to live in the apartment for 2 more weeks after that as he has to finish his rotation.  So we have to leave him 2 weeks worth of stuff, basic food supplies, internet, tv, etc.  What a Mess!

When all is said and done: I will be a 4k teacher living with my amazing husband in a cute little house in Kimberly, WI right between our families homes, and a part of everyone's life again.  THAT we are looking forward to.  :)