Leaving NC….

Well, we’ve said our goodbyes and we’re packed up and ready to go on this new adventure together as a family. The movers have come and packed up all of our stuff, which is the equivalent of being robbed while watching and not able to do anything except offer them water to drink.

We’ve got a few days of travel ahead of us, getting keys to the new house, enrolling Chris in school and then the fun task of unpacking and settling in to our new home. I’m doubtful that I’ll post a new piece on the blog until February. I know I promised mobile blogging, but I’ll be taking note of all the crazy adventures we’ll have on the way. So, until then….

Preparing for the move...

In preparation for the move, I really haven't been grocery shopping in a while. Other than picking up milk, bread and eggs, for the several "snowpocalypses" since Christmas, we've been living off what's in the pantry and freezers. Tonight was a realization that we had no food in our house, just random food items. This is what I had to work with:

Cabinets- A vat of butter flavored Crisco, AP flour, enough coffee to make one pot, cornstarch, baking powder,Nesquik (Chocolate or Strawberry), vinegar, S&P, cocoa. Pop-tarts, grits, popcorn, oatmeal, fake potatoes,
miscellaneous canned goods and pancake syrup.
Fridge- Almond milk, chocolate syrup, Cheerwine, cranberry juice, pickles, jalapeno pepper, salsa, *baking soda, eggs, 2 slices of cheese, leftover rice, Fettuccine Alfredo from lunch, organic beef broth,hot sauce, an assortment of condiments, honey butter, crushed pineapple and the brown bag has Clay's chocolate turtles from Christmas in it.
Little Freezer- ice cubes, fish sticks, cubed beef, shrimp,
half a bag of French fries, chicken nuggets, veggies, a jar of yeast
and Chris' itty-bitty Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Big Freezer-Ice pop, anyone?

*That said baking soda-not even five minutes after I took that picture, my youngest takes it out of the fridge, opens it and begins making "sandcastles" on his little table. Then he & his brother rake it off onto the floor and begin rolling in it. Good times. Hey, they did help me vacuum. :D

Chris & Ayden ate "Daddy pancakes" and pickles for dinner. (Clay makes a whole box of pancake mix at one time and then freezes them individually so the boys can have pancakes that their Daddy made anytime he's not with us. Sweet, huh?) And I had a 2 egg cheese omelet with salsa and jalapeno peppers. Yep, crazy dinner, but it was tasty. Look's like I'm going to get very creative with dinner the next few days.

Goodbye BBQ Capital of NC……

I’ve made a list of things (not people, so don’t get your panties in a wad) that I’ll miss in North Carolina, a TOP TEN if you will. Drum roll please……

10. Infinite numbers of BBQ restaurants within a 10 mile radius, all proclaiming theirs is better than the other 12 you passed on your way there. I’ll miss “The HoneyMonk” the most. Lexington is famous for its western NC-style BBQ (chopped pork with a vinegar- and tomato-based sauce, usually served on a bun).

9. Door to door salesmen or evangelistic groups knocking on my door on Saturday mornings.

8. Traffic on I-85. (Dang, I’m going to miss all the construction work at the Yadkin bridge.)

7. Mountains. From what I hear Kansas doesn’t have them.

6. The BBQ Festival-one whole day devoted to bbq pork cooked just the right way.

5. Food Lions. Yep, I’m going to miss my Food Lion shopping experiences.

4. Bojangles. Kansas doesn’t have them. :(

3. Cheerwine, available in any store: a single can, 6-pack of bottles, 2 liter, glass bottle, 12 pack, in Slushie form, and even when made into Cheerwine Cake. ($25 just to ship some to Kansas. *sigh*)

2. The shores of the North Carolina coast. The ability to drive 4-6 hours and reach the nearest beach of my choice…Carolina Beach or OBX (North or South).

1. Small towns and the people that live in them. (aka-Tyro, Reeds, & Churchland)

Count Down to Kansas.....

Yep. It's January 2011, the year the Army sends our family to Kansas. I can't pack, I can't prepare, I can only wait. I took my husband to the airport on Sunday for a flight to his new duty station and here it is Wednesday and we have a house waiting for us later this month. The "Hurry Up & Wait" hasn't happened with this somewhat fast paced PCS and I'm unsure of how I feel about that. Normally I have time to prepare myself for things, but this is happening whether I like it or not. We have a time frame for moving and everything, even an address for the new house, I know which school my son will be attending and things to do within a 4 mile radius of our new home. (A bowling alley & a rollerskating rink-enough said.) <- check out that link! Oh & I about forgot to update you all on my 12 weeks of Wal-Mart cold turkey. Well....I made it 5 weeks before my youngest son had a vomit-fest in the back of our Jeep while visiting my husband in Va. I did get a really great deal on a long sleeve shirt & pair of pants for him. Anyway...I tried to stay away, but vomit overrides any "goal" that I've set for myself. So, I'll be mobile blogging in the next 2 weeks while traveling & settling into our new home. The next time you hear from me, I might be on my way to Kansas in our Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

(It's not metallic pea green, but it'll do.)