season

it seems that i've somehow fallen into a tuesday night blogging pattern, which is a bit negligent when i really think about it. a dbg a week isn't really what i want for myself when it comes to recreational writing. but sometimes once a week is just about all i can muster.

these past couple of weeks have fallen into that category. i'm not even sure i can put a finger on the 'main' reason, though i know i blamed the olympics last tuesday. it seems like all of a sudden, my life is very full. and very exhausting.

to be fair, i'm always busy. that's really nothing new. but i've had the intention of getting my house on the market 'in the spring' and to this piscean spring is defined by march 1st. (never mind the sudden snow that was blowing furiously on my commute this morning, blinding me and offending my springtime mindset.) so, when i turned my calendar over to march this weekend (a couple days early, yeah yeah) i decided it was time to get that underway. really underway.

after all, a neighbor recently listed theirs and i've met two realtors in the past few weeks. god-winks? maybe. or maybe more like god-nudges.

saturday i put my garage back in order. meaning, i threw away a dumpster full of accumulated junk and shoved what was left into jigsaw-like formation against the walls and on the shelves. my car now neatly fits in on one side and the other is so empty we can even open the passenger side door without dinging it against the lawnmower or recycling bin.

sunday i tackled the second most daunting obstacle in the sell-my-house process. i told the boys.

it was a beautiful day and we were heading to piedmont park to enjoy the sunny, springlike temperature. i broke it gently, explaining the undeniable reality that this house is more than we need and more than i can afford. that wasn't a surprise and they took it well.

then todd said, 'just promise me we won't have to change schools.'
umm
and luke chimed in, 'don't tell me we're moving to the city.'
umm
'i can't promise you that, boys...'

cue the tears.

i assured them that schools are my number one priority when the time arrives to decide our next home and we discussed the possibility that it may take a (long) while for the house to sell.

'i know all you can think about right now is what you're losing.. but maybe there's some value in thinking about what we may gain,' i suggested. i began, 'i want a fenced in yard.' todd added, 'i want a hot tub.' luke interrupted, 'can we just stop talking about it?'

so, then i figured i may as well get all the unpleasantries out of the way at once and told them that when the house is officially up for sale i'll need their help keeping it tidy. read: additional chores.

silence in the car.

then luke reflects, 'that's like helping your enemy rob your favorite store, mommy.'

sigh

as we walked from our car we passed a house for rent that faced the park. it was a great house. in our price range. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. in the school district i've targeted. i pointed it out, not as a viable option, but as a nod to possibility. the boys were fairly dismissive of it.. until we crossed the street.

then todd said, 'if we lived there we could've come over here and slid down this hill when it snowed!' and luke said, 'i could learn to snow board!' (hey, he's 10!) and then they started looking around, 'is that the awesome pool we went to last summer? could we join?' and after throwing a ball around for an hour or so and running mega to sheer exhaustion, on the way back to the car todd said, 'maybe we could move over the summer and then we'd forget all about our old schools.'

silent cheer.

i drove them by the schools i've got in mind and we popped into yoforia. by the time we'd pulled up our green stools and compared topping combinations, moving into town had lost its bite and maybe, just maybe, taken on an aura of excitement. 'if we lived around here, we could walk to yoforia!'

i know there will be more anger and more tears before we pack up and move, just as our springlike weather was followed by a cold, wet snowy day; but this weekend it's supposed to be 60 and i trust the bright sun and newness of spring will eventually warm the boys to our new seasons.

d: a spring of readiness and a summer of change.
b: first two daunting house-selling tasks complete!
g: sons who trust me.