So the great move is over, all but the settling in for the long haul. The master bedroom and bath are skeletal at the moment. Hard as we worked we were not able to get any further than the framing before we had to move the folks. Finally the framing is done, and my Darling has done a wonderful job (as best I can tell, hopefully the inspector agrees). Once we have an ok we will move on to the plumbing. I wanted to make sure all was approved before we started running pipes. I am not looking forward to shutting off the house lines to put in the new fixtures. We are comfortable with the plans (again hopefully the inspector will feel the same). In two months the family will all be descending on us once again, to include My Darling's family I am pretty resigned to the fact that the house will not be ready. I can't even consider what will happen if we sell our home between now and then. Oh how I hope we sell our home soon. We are currently paying two mortgages and despite the payment from my folks we are still pinching pretty hard to make that happen. I have been doing well at work of late but that is not a forgone conclusion, at any moment that could change. According to my boss he is scheduling more heavy which may mean we are making less money than normal having to share the customers (oh, I mean guests. Seems it is no longer appropriate to call the consumers customers for fear that employees whose entire livelihood is based on keeping said "guests" happy would treat them less hospitably if they are named as such. I don't know about you, but guests in my home don't pay me for anything. I believe if money exchanges hand for services than your designation is vendor and customer.). Anyway, I will soon be moving on. I have arranged to change stores. I will start in my new store a week from Thursday. Too soon for my stomach's sake. I am so tore up about getting reasonably moved up to start working up there. I will need to get a bulk of my personal things moved soon, too soon.

My Darling is busy training for his marathon while I try to get back up to my measly three miles a few times a week. We ran together this weekend and I struggled to maintain just under a twelve minute pace. It is sad considering I was down around ten last year. I should just be happy I can run 3 miles no matter what ace but I long for the days when I could comfortably knock out 5K around 10 min a mile and still have juice left over. Now a 12 min pace leaves me weak and a little light headed. I am sure if I keep it up I will get better but it is hard to come to terms with the fact the I will never again experience the effortlessness I once enjoyed. Running is always work now and that makes me sad.

I will work a swing shift today and tomorrow, followed by two short shifts and a return to the new house, hopefully with many of the items needed for normal living, well as normal as can be expected with little furniture, partial wardrobe and spotty household goods. My folks keep teasing me that we left things behind that they could use in the interim between their move and ours but they have already made noises about "saving duplicates for backup" that lends itself to the horror that was their home. I have already run across 5 little calculators. With every phone containing one, even for backup you only need one. The junk that fill the drawers of the desk and sideboard leaves me slack jawed.

My Darling is of the opinion that we should slowly but surely dispose of all of it but I hate the idea of throwing out their stuff, or throwing thins out at all when we should be trying to recycle, reuse as much as possible. Still who will be interested in two decade old crap. It isn't even good enough to be a collectible, it is all just junk. I will probably have to wait until they are gone to sift through it all. That also makes me sad.

Fo now I will try not to be sad. I will be happy I have my folks here and safe. I will be happy we are inching along on the rooms. I will be happy the new store has accepted me (and will hopefully welcome me as well). And I will be happy that I have my family and a husband that loves me enough to embrace not only me but my entire family.

Still a lot to do before I am off to work so until later, be well.

I wish you Peace

~alison~