Check, Check, 1 - 2 - 3

Ok, we are in a part of Canada that believes in the internet. We are at the furthest point in British Columbia in a town called Dawson Creek. It is the beginning of the Alaska Highway, or for us, the end. It has been a long 3 days. Hopefully we can get to Calgary or close tomorrow because we want to take a day off from traveling to visit the Calgary Zoo. Dani will have a blast. She has been great on this trip. She is just having a little trouble with sharing the CD player in the van. We are trying to swap out one of her CDs with one of ours... you know, so that we don't have to listen to sing a long songs for the whole trip. It's working pretty good, but she doesn't like our music. Go figure.

I have one thing to say. Canada is beautiful but it is really nice to be in a town with more than 10 buildings. We stopped at Liard River Hotsprings last night and had a fantastic time soaking after our long days driving. We have seen some great wildlife. We even saw a BEAR last night. It was soooo cool!!! We've seen dozens of caribou in the higher mountains and dozen of deer in the lower forests. We've even seen a few mountain sheep on the highway. They are so cute. Well, E wants to use the computer and I have hogged for an hour now so I will let him have a turn. Thanks for still checking in with me!!

Congratulations Lisa and Derek!!! I'm so glad that you got to meet your Sweet Gherkin!!

The Eve of Destruction

Well, this is it. Well, tomorrow is it. The movers will be here at 9am to start tearing my house apart. Our cable and internet boxes will have to be turned in before the mad packers get ahold of them, so this will be my last post at home. We will still be up here for another 6 days cleaning and repainting. Next Wed. will be our first day of travel. I don't know how often I will get to check in. We aren't planning on being in FL until the middle of May.... so I may not have any friends left.... but I'll check in as often as I can!!! I promise!!! I'm not needy or possessive at all... honest... You all will still love me anyway right!!! right?

Lisa I am so excited for you and D and your trip. I hope everything goes amazing for you. I also hope that the rest of the Russian Posse gets past many hurdles in the next few weeks and will all be on their way to the other side of world SOON!!!

We are looking forward to our trip. By the 29th we hope to be in Calgary and stop early for the day to spend at the zoo. I think it will be a nice break after 3 1/2 days in the van. After that our next big stop will be Michigan where I will meet E's dad, step-mother, and extended family. E has not seen his dad since '92 and they just started talking last fall... so we are in the beginnings of new relationships. By the time we end our visit in Michigan we will only be a few days from Ft. Walton Beach.

I am trying to get the courage to ask my mother NOT to meet us in Michigan to drive the rest of the way with us. Help!

So, everyone, here I will 'pause' until I can stop by again. I can't wait to let you all know how our 4000 mile trek across the continent went. Have a great spring everyone!!!

Happy Easter.... I think

What a quiet week in the blogging world…. I mean really quiet. I think everyone has a case of blogger’s block. I know I do. I can only write about how frustrating moving is so many times before it starts to drive me crazy.

I haven’t really had any interesting thoughts this week. I have wondered about something though. I hope I don’t offend anyone, but I will be the first to admit that I am ignorant in the realm of religion. What is the significance of Easter? Is the main point that it is the commemoration of the rising of Christ?

I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness so everything that I remember about holydays as I grew up was the isolating feeling that I didn’t belong anywhere because I couldn’t participate with the festivities. No Valentine’s exchanges, no egg hunt, no trick-or-treating, or birthdays. I think I was about 9 when I realized that we had a long break from school during the winter because it was Christmas. Other children in my class would ask me what I got for Christmas and I had no idea what they were talking about. I think once I actually asked, “Santa who?”

This upbringing has made celebrating holidays very stressful for me. I like holidays because of the fellowship shared between friends and family, but I don’t understand the symbolism of the holidays, specifically religious holidays. I think that I would have been fine as an adult, not celebrating holidays, but now that I am a parent I don’t want to isolate Dani. I don’t want her to feel like she doesn’t belong anywhere. I hated that feeling. At the same time, I don’t want to overcompensate. I want her to at least have the choice of what she wants to celebrate. Maybe that’s what I miss the most about my childhood…. I didn’t have a choice.

Religion is such a huge responsibility for a parent. There is a lot of pressure to make the right choice in your religion so that your children will grow up with faith. I don’t want to be a hypocrite but I don’t want to leave Dani without any foundation at all. It’s very conflicting and confusing.

So, Happy Easter everyone, or Spring, or Passover.

Well, I feel sheepish

Nevermind. I see it clear as day now.

Question to the Masses

I'm trying to put my new profile picture on my blog, but I can't figure out how to do it. Do I need to put a tag in the template? If so, where?

Confession

I have a secret…. Have I told you? I’m slightly neurotic and maybe a little OCD.
I have been burning all the candles that I can in the past couple of weeks trying to use them up because the movers will not pack burnt candles and I can’t stand to throw away a perfectly good half-used candle. I am currently burning a Sugar Cookie candle which I’m not too fond of. It is so sweet smelling that it bothers my throat a little and it makes me hungry. Next on the list are Fields of Grass and Pomegranate.

I have already started putting signs on things that we will not take with us to Florida that read ‘Do Not Inventory/Pack’. I guess just in case we forget.

Oh, and that handy dandy moving folder? I should have gotten a file cabinet. As of now it contains E’s out processing paperwork, the dog’s vaccinations, birth certificates, marriage certificate (an apostilled version at that… what else am I going to use it for), our passports (again, I may as well use them), wills, and E’s VA certificate. Still to be added are documents for our van, several copies of E’s orders, the dog’s medical certificate, and a plethora of other oddities. This reminds me, I need to get the dog to the vet. Like Jen, I need to make lists for everything so that I don’t forget something important.

Here’s a story, once a very, very long time ago, newly married to my ex, I had to go to our nearest military installation to get my dependent military ID issued. He was currently at basic training in Texas and I was in Pennsylvania. He had sent me the form I needed and I rallied a friend of mine to drive down to Carlisle, PA from our town of Mansfield, PA. It was about a 5 hour drive if I remember correctly. Anyway, we get to the post, find the personnel center, and sign in to get my picture taken. They just needed my dependent form…. Um… yeah…. The one I left at home, 5 hours away. The person in the office called the base my husband was at and he got pulled out of whatever training they were doing. He was told there was a situation with his wife, that scared the poop out of him. Muahahhaha. They did a new form and faxed to where I was and I got my card. But I was really irritated at myself for being so stupid. My ex didn’t let me forget it either, but that’s a story for another day.

So, I may be a little neurotic, but I’m programmed that way.