14 Months

The combination of recovering from the flu and signing a new lease has definitely reawakened the wanderlust. It would be so easy to settle down here, some would say we certainly have already, but I'd hate it and I doubt being this close to sea level helps Husby's head either. I've never been a fan of Florida, and Jacksonville is definitely not a city I want to raise kids in. So it's time to get thinking about the move again. The new lease runs until 5/31/09. 14 months to go...

I gave thought to other towns, like Anderson and Spartanburg, but realistically Columbia is our best choice for a first move out of state. Moving somewhere smaller would just be too limiting, and moving somewhere larger, like Charlotte, would just be trading one heinous mess for another. It's fine to look at other towns as possibilities for after Columbia, but starting out fresh, it's a really nice city with quite a bit of opportunity.

Naturally the only possible way to pull off said move is to carve into our debt a bit. So my initial work toward this will involve budgeting and motivating Les to look for part-time work. While we're doing this, we're also going to be trying for our first child, so it's going to require significant effort to pull off. I have all the confidence in the world that we can, but without planning, we'll be stuck in Jacksonville, and that's just not acceptable. 14 months is a perfectly realistic span of time in which to pull off this goal. Time to get started...

Thinking

Springtime. Time of new beginnings, fresh starts...we finally got the bank account back, which is a monumental relief, and next month my credit may get just a pinch cleaner, thanks to the 10-year mark on my bankruptcy. We're signing a new lease soon, on a place that ain't worth the money unless you count the area of town we live in, and it has me thinking hard about how we've let ourselves slip off our path, and what needs to be done to get back on that sucker.

We'll sign for one more year, because it's just unrealistic to do otherwise. It'll take that whole year just to get our credit to a place where we can move. Never mind that I hope to be pregnant this time next year, and just how vast an undertaking an out-of-town move is, after 10 years in one spot. That's what thinking is for.

I'm still on the mend from this flu, which helped me drop a couple of pounds and has me looking at life in different ways. I don't do sick well at all, and coupled with the decreased Paxil in my system...let's just say Husby's had his hands full with me. A move of this magnitude means putting life into different categories; there's just so much to consider, from where we move and what jobs are available, to a decent pain management doctor for Husby and potential schools...I let it drop for almost a year, and then Dad passed, and only now, another year later, am I able to look on the project with fresh eyes and head.

So where to start?

• Nail down the most realistic locations.
• Continue purging our belongings.
• Price storage spaces here.
• Stop acquiring furniture, unless it's going in a storage space.

This is just the beginnings of thoughts, the very first things coming into my head after a solid week and a half of fog and pain of flu...more later.

Planning, always planning...

Aloe:

• Have to give it attention and thought this weekend; it's not enjoying the time out of the sun. Talk with Mom, see if she'll help with some topsoil and containers, and start planting over there.

Computer desk:

• See if it can be broken down.
• If so, transport it ASAP; if not, take measurements and form Plan B for acquisition.

I'm resigning myself to the fact that serious spring planting isn't going to occur; I just don't have access to enough sun. The porch was demolished about 2 weeks ago, but there's no way of knowing how long it's going to take for them to build the new one. We're talking subcontractors for an apartment complex; it's probably hard enough getting them to show up sober. Probably better this way anyway, gives me more time to educate myself. Finally found that Rodale book in my stash; combined with my garden primer and my herb books, it's a great start. I'd love to dabble in some indoor herbs, but I really don't trust Figaro not to nibble at anything that shoots up.

Thanks to Mom's apartment hunting, it's helped me realize that I just don't want to put forth the effort to look for anywhere else to live in this city. Our credit's probably only gotten worse since we tried to move to SC (2 years ago!), but I'm so over being here, in this town and this apartment. I want a yard, I don't give a damn what size, and a carport or garage where I can do stuff, and an extra bedroom for the intended small person, and a sunroom or office wouldn't get turned away either. I don't ask for much, I know ::wry grin:: So it's time to do more than set those goals. Once the bank account is back up to snuff, which should be in just another 2 weeks, by hook or by crook, I'll start budgeting. I told Les on our anniversary last week, that I really didn't want to be here more than 1 more year, and he was receptive.