Well this has been a hellishly stressful month. We thought we would be out of our house and into an apartment by now. But no. The management company called us on Wednesday and told us that there was a maintenance issue that would keep us from gaining access to the apartment until July 5. When we called the moving company to reschedule, the next available date will be July 15. So, we will be moving small things over slowly over the next ten days.
We spent this weekend moving stuff over to the storage unit and the thrift store and to the shred mill.
But, thinking that I was going to be moving out this past weekend, I have been continuing to pack things up as if we were moving this weekend. I honestly think the biggest challenge was tracking down all of the library books. I consistently have 50 books checked out at any given time. I had to track them all down and make certain that they were returned. I didn't want to accidentally lose one somewhere in the chaos and then end up paying for the book, only to find it a year from now when unpacking some random box.
In spite of all the chaos here, I did work on my goals for the year!
1) Post 1 book review a month on my YA blog.
I have posted 6 reviews so far. Most of them were published in June, as that is when I was looking for and reading books to talk about with the schools.
https://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/
2) Renovate the Master Bedroom & Bathroom.
This is happening!!!!
3) Find good homes for the books
They have all been homed outside of my house.
4) Go explore 2 new to me places
Who
doesn't love an adventure? I have a list of places that I want to go
see. I'm going to put out a map, and get some darts, and see where we
end up.
1) Oregon
2) Turkey Run Park in Virginia
5) 40 Bags in 40 Days Lenten Challenge
These were kitchen size garbage bags full of stuff, along with several BIG boxes.
6) Get together with 1 friend each month
I
don't think I should have to write this down, but you know, it's been a
weird couple of years. I want to make seeing people we love a priority.
Doing this after 2 years of COVID Restrictions is going to make this an
extra special challenge.
January - Jim & Kathy! We had a fire outside in the fire pit and got to catch up over a couple of hours!
February - Joe, James, Dan
March - Crissy, Gloria
April - This was the month we had Covid, so we saw nobody and went nowhere.
May - Vince & Suzanne, Judy
June - Sharon
The Mission Trail in San Antonio!
8) Landscape Front Yard
This has been on the list for several years now. I really want to get this checked off this year!
9) Clean out the Garage
If
you've read the blog for any length of time, you know that we bought
this house 16 years ago from my in-laws. And you also know that they
were borderline hoarders. We've made progress in the house, and while
there is still clutter in the basement, I believe that we will have the
last of it out by the end of this year. (See the 40 bags in 40 days
challenge.) There is no longer any junk in our basement! 16 years later and we have finally cleaned out the house. Finally.
But the garage is another story. 16 years, and we have not
yet been able to park our cars in the garage because of the amount of stuff. Our goal is to be able to park a car in the garage by the
end of the year. when we move back into the house next year.
10) Get the kayak out in the water once each month during May, June, July, August, September, and October.
Seriously, we have a kayak. Why aren't we getting out in the water with the kayak more often? What is our excuse? The kids have moved out. We don't have to worry about finding a sitter or getting an extra kayak for them.
We didn't get it out in May or June. We still have time left!
11) Get my Bike fixed and get out for some bike rides.
I
bought my bike over 30 years ago. I rode it a lot before the kids got
busy in high school. Now that everyone is out of the house, it is time
to pull out some of the things I really used to love. The top of that
list is riding my bike. In order to do that, I need to get the bike
fixed. The tires are dry rotted, and I'm sure it's got a host of other
issues going on.
12) Visit My Cousins in Texas (a trip postponed from 2020)
Done! We made it down over a long weekend in January! It was so good to see my cousins and my aunts and uncles! I even posted a few pictures from the River Walk in San Antonio. It's been 10 years since I last got down here. I can't wait another 10 years to get back. Family is too important. And time is fleeting.
Breckinridge Park! We met up with my cousins at the same outdoor pavilion where I had my 5th birthday party! That pavilion is just off to the right from this picture.
Other Goals:
I’ve got a couple of other goals I would like to accomplish this year, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to get to them. If I do, I’ll be thrilled beyond words. If not? I’ll add them to the list of things I want to get to in 2023.
Goal #1
Get out to Kansas to visit Middle Child.
Done! We went out earlier this month.