You Kept That?

Wow - the amount of "stuff" Hubby and I have managed to  accumulate over 10 years of marriage is pretty impressive.  Buying a home with a basement several years back allowed us to just keep on holding onto stuff because we had the space.   Moving out of state has forced us to sit down and sort through our belongings and really take inventory of what we need and use.   Some of the stuff we found (such as my bank statements from 1995, 1996, & 1997) make me feel like a candidate for the show Hoarders.   Hubby really enjoyed those few days of cleaning out my stuff and laughing at what I held onto UNTIL we opened his boxes!  College bank statements don't hold a candle to his baseball, basketball, and football jerseys dating back to when he was 13!!  All laughing aside, I think hubby really did enjoy reading through all of his persuasive papers from high school.   Maybe we can put the Wheaties boxes and trophies in his office at Sidecar.

While some of the stuff is ridiculous, others items hold a lot of sentiment and will follow us up North.   I found A's hospital bands from when she was born, as well as both girls' baptism cards.  Even if that stuff stays in boxes until they are old - not going to part with it anytime soon!   I have been meaning to make each girl a keepsake box - guess that will be a project for me once we get settled.  As for the rest, thank goodness for yard sales!

At Hubby's expense, enjoy some of the stuff we found in his pile!!!

Not just four boxes, but two large trash bags full of these!  Some were still unopened and had cereal in them - yummy!

What to do with these???

Bubble-wrap Burrito

TIme Out

With less than four weeks to go until we move,  some major milestones are met that have made me relax just a little - I mean just a little:

• Stan gave the new home in PA two thumbs up! It is a good bit smaller, so we have to sell a lot of furniture (another thing to do).
• Inspection Amendment signed.
• Home appraisal came through - all good there!
• Movers and packers scheduled.

Still with some many things still left to do, it is difficult to slow down and force myself to "stop and smell the roses".  After some quality family time at the lake this weekend, I was reminded of just how important it is to savor the times when we are all together and enjoying ourselves.   My girls will not look back on the bubble wrap and boxes and smile fondly.  Actually, it might cause some frowns and heartache for a long while.  However, the memories made over the next few weeks with family and friends will warm our hearts during those chilly Pennsylvania days for years to come.    So adding this to my "to-do list" - schedule more time outs! 

Enjoying some lake time with cousin Drew

Ending a great day by making smores with Aunt Angela and Uncle Greg

Philly Down and Bound

It is really happening - we are stepping into the next chapter of our lives.   The last few months have passed so quickly and have not lacked in events, therefore I will summarize the big picture of our new adventure!

Hubby took a leap of faith by accepting a position to head up sales for a start-up software company out of Philadelphia - Sidecar is the name.   This has been a dream of his - really a step into the next phase of his career so I am especially thrilled for him to explore this opportunity with such excitement and passion!  There are many unknowns with this new move, but we are prayerful that it will be a successful venture that will lead him into more opportunities.  If you know Hubby, you know he puts his heart and soul into his family and work, so I am confident he will find this opportunity rewarding! 

We have discovered over the past two months with Stan working in Philly during the week and only coming home for the weekends, that we work best as a unit and all together under one roof.  Therefore, the Deaks are heading north next month!  We will be living in a suburb of Philly - Malvern, PA to be exact.   It is a tough rental market up there (we decided not to buy since we aren't sure how long we will stay), so it has taken a while to find the right "home" for us during our time there.  The girls are excited for snow and to visit the chocolate park (I had to sweeten the moving deal with a trip this August to the Hershey Park).   They are young enough to adjust quickly to the new surroundings, but very aware that we will be pretty far from the family and friends we enjoy around us.   Avery tells everyone it will take you 2 days to come visit.  Really, it is 12 hours away from Atlanta; but with two kids and a dog, we will break that trip into 2 days.  We have found a home with plenty of space, so visitors are not only welcomed, but encouraged!

While I am sad, excited, nervous, and stressed over all this, the one thing I realize more than any is that we are BLESSED!  Blessed for this opportunity; Blessed to have the love and support of such amazing family and friends; Blessed to have some new friends in Philly (and some here who are from Pennsylvania) to help us in our new surroundings; and most important Blessed to have each other, our health, and our faith in God to see us through this adventure!

Stay tuned as we update you all with our LIFE ABOVE THE MASON DIXON!