September Snapshots

It's looking like a nap is out of the question for both Joey and me, since we are having a new dishwasher installed, so I thought I'd jump on here for a bit.

A touch of fall for my mantel. I aim for cozy minimalism.

It's official -- Tim is retiring.

I think it will be good for all of us eventually, but right now it feels very strange and unsettling. We look at real estate listings every day in Tim's parents' town, and we spend about 90 percent of the time sighing about how slim the pickings are; and the other 10 percent obsessing about the perfect house that pops up on the market when it's still too early to put in an offer. We see it come, we click through the slideshow again and again, have his parents walk through it, talk about it some more, watch it get snapped up by someone else, and there it goes... It can be a little maddening. Just for fun, last night Tim showed me this gem that was built in 1972 and remains completely unchanged since that year. Why do the crappy little houses have the best backyards? Because they got there first, and they staked out the best spots. Now people are crowding big, new houses in wherever they will fit. That's my theory. In a few months we will get a realtor, and they are going to love us and our wishlist.

In the meantime, I am just savoring these last months of normalcy before life turns upside down again. It's a recurring theme in my life, I know, but there's something different about this time. I'm really struggling with it, to be honest. I have made myself too much at home here. I love my surroundings and I love the familiarity of it all. I know that ultimately, staying here is not what's best for our family; we'll all be happier closer to extended family. I also know that change would be on the horizon, even if Tim weren't retiring. We'd be getting orders this summer, so staying put would not be an option. It just feels like there's a stubborn little kid who lives inside me who can't accept this. So I try not to think about it, and then Tim gets annoyed at me for not wanting to talk about it because it's all he can think about. Can't I live in denial for a little while longer? Can I just read a book and ignore reality? 😂 Keep me in your prayers.

The kids are settled into school, with only the minor disruption of Hurricane Dorian. Delaney's in 7th grade, Annie's in 5th and Timmy's in 3rd. Joey's doing Tuesday and Thursday morning preschool again. 

Joey has a lot to say when we pick him up from school. Tim picked him up the first day. He's had some leave to burn this month, so he gets to do nice things like that. He told me that Joey told him that Charlotte was the snack helper. Tim then asked him if she was his friend and he said, "No, I don't like girls." Tim reminded him that his sisters are girls, to which he replied, "But she was hugging me and I didn't want her to!"

That's all I have to say for now. I think of stuff to blog about all the time, but when I sit down to do it, the words won't come. The dishwasher installer left a little bit ago, so I'll see what I can get done around the house before the kids come home. I'll leave you with some random snapshots of every day life. Have a great weekend, everyone.