Breathing Fresher Air

There have been so many changes for us and so much blank space here.

We are in Seattle now, for almost ten months already (!!!!!), and we love it. Like, absolutely love it, with a capital L. It's been great having a house with a little space to stretch out instead of our apartment. Not just space to stretch out but space to share and host and play and work. And the yard, oh the yard! And the lack of neighborly noises through the walls, along with the neighborly smells. It's just an incomparable lifestyle!

Our kids' school has beyond exceeded our expectations and every day they come home happy and the teachers send us nice notes about how much they love the kids. The emotions are hard to explain and I'm generally not an overly emotional person, but there have been so many times where I find myself lightly tearing up when I think about the drastic change in schooling for these two little humans. There is a sense of family and belonging from the very first second when you walk into the school building and each and every staff member embodies that in the way they treat the kids and parents! Let's put it this way, if I was a tattoo type of person, I'd be ready to make my love known in a permanent way on my arm.

Being a part of a community has been an interesting adjustment for us, in a very good way. Benny turned two right before we started at Iowa State. For the years we were there, every holiday we celebrated and every time we wanted a normal shabbat experience, it involved travel. Sometimes it was as little as a 40 minute drive, sometimes it was as much as a five hour drive! But travel was needed so travel we did. Now, we can see the shul from our front lawn and get to watch a majority of the community walking to shul each week. It's a different world for us here. We have a Succah for the first time since Benny was one. For Bella, this is actually the first Succah she's not a guest in! We made decorations, which I laminated and hung up quickly, and the kids love looking at each adorable drawing they have hanging out there, knowing they will be up next year as well and hopefully with more additions!

I may sound repetitive but there's not really a better way to convey the drastic change in lifestyle we have experienced since graduation! As a family, we are just in a better place, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. That's the moral of the story here.

On another note, I took our first few months here (the second half of the kids' school year) as a slight sabbatical before looking for work. It was a long trek making it through school, whether or not I was the one actually sitting in classes. I needed time to breathe and figure out who Chani Meyer is when I'm not the entire women's section of the community, when it's not me and the kids alone for nights on end. I was able to get some manicures and girls' nights and quiet time all to myself. It was bliss and so what the doctor would have prescribed if I would have asked!

The summer was a different story. For some reason, I felt like I could take on the world with my little ones in tow. I said to hell with the camp that we couldn't really afford anyway and told myself we would utilize the millions of memberships we have around town. What I learned was that as much as they really do love each other, my kids just couldn't handle being the main source of entertainment for each other. No need to go in to detail about me retreating into my shell and just going into survival mode. Let's just say when school started back up at the end of August, we were there BRIGHT AND EARLY on that first day!

I think a huge milestone for us during back to school season was the fact that we didn't have to pick up and move back to the midwest. We had our summer here (in whatever capacity our summer played out) and just smoothly transitioned back into the school year without much ado. It was amazing, but it definitely threw the kids a little. Those kinks have since worked themselves out, thankfully!

Now, back to my regularly programmed self of having the kids in school and the husband at work, I made some changes in the 'Me' chapter.

I'm working again, still in training officially so getting a slow start but within the next week or two, that will be full time. Which is huge. Like, haven't worked full time since having Benny in July of 2008 huge. Like, wow I really need cleaning help now huge. But I'm loving it!

I also am now sporting a darker hair color, which was not 100% by choice (thanks to a hair stylist appointment gone wrong, with follow ups gone even wronger). But I'm actually loving it and can't imagine going back to my lighter brown!

And the biggest gift to myself, something I've dreamed of for years, was making an appointment for a Lasik consultation. There was an appointment for later that week or the end of December. I jumped in, holding my breath and squeezing my eyes shut, and **poof** it's been three weeks and I HAVE 20/20 VISION!!!!!!!!! If you knew me growing up, you probably have absolutely no memories of me before my glasses wearing began. If you met me in my teenage years, you mostly saw me in contacts but may have occasionally gotten a glimpse of the good old coke bottles on my face. If you met me since having Bella, you've probably only seen me in glasses. If you met me in the last three weeks, I'm standing taller (as tall as one can at 5'1"), smiling bigger, and sporting my glasses-free face, framed with darker hair. It's a total Chani makeover and I freaking love it!!!

And with that massive dose of rambling, I'm off to get some more laundry done. I missed this blog and have been waiting for a good time to blow a revival breathe it's way!

On To The Next Chapter

I don't know when it happened but it seems like The Toddler Chapter is officially over as the little people in our family mature into slightly bigger people. Not really much bigger, if we're being honest. Just older in their heads. Think 3 going on 15 and 6 going on 16. And yes, the little girl's number is moving at a more rapid pace.

My phone is one alarm clock after another between tai kwon do, gymnastics, and the play dates I've managed to avoid until now. I have nothing against play dates, really, but with the different school hours and our kids having an early bed time (read: early wine time for the parents, just kidding, although maybe I'm not kidding), we just haven't really pursued additional friend time before. Benny has also put in a request to start doing Tater Tots again. He meant Torah Tots but it's name shall forever be changed now. We'll see if that can be worked into the equation, no promises little man.

Last year, Benny had a friend he really wanted a play date with. When they were placed in the same class this year, we made an effort to get to know his parents so Benny could get his chance before we move. Tomorrow is our big Play Date Day.

And of course, now that we are moving in about three months(!!!!!), Bella has a new girl in her class this year and they are attached at the hip, beyond besties, princess twins, frozen fanatics, matching braids and tutu skirts kind of friends. It's absolutely adorable and we are three play dates in with her already!

The nice thing is both of these friends have really nice parents. Score! (That was for you, Bubby.)

And now let's move the spotlight to me. I am on Week 2, Day 2 of my workout and I am still actively enjoying it and doing it. The run time is getting easier to handle, even though it is getting longer. My diet is going well, too! Considering the fact that we are in Food Country over here with all the holidays, I have not lost a significant amount at all but I am still lower than my starting weight instead of over. My hope was to at least stay balanced through the holidays, so the odds are ever in my favor at this moment!

Treated myself to a nice pair of running shoes after my first week, got them during a great sale!

Slightly more intense than last week.

My legs' best friend right now. Note to all you non-workouters out there, don't let your body become fudge. Or just never become active. 

Back For a Run

There's no way I'm covering all that's happened in the last eight months of my blogging silence but all you need to know is this:

1. Shuky was offered a full-time position at Amazon and we are moving to Seattle at the end of December.

2. We have three months until graduation as of this past Friday.

3. Our company sponsored move does not require my packing or much else. I've been organizing slowly but no pressure. So the panic attacks should be under control. :)

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Ok, all caught up. Welcome back. Both of us, truly. I've both enjoyed my sabbatical and missed my posting. Considering I've been getting gentle nudges from a few people over the last few months to sit back down with my computer, I'm assuming I'm not the only one that's missed it. If I'm wrong, leave me be with my ignorance!!

This past week, I joined weight watchers with a family member -- stress, baby weight (just go with me on that one), crazy past year, and so on and so forth, have all pushed the need for this. I'm in it to win it and really hope to see results! Paying for a program makes it so much more real and serious!! I also downloaded a 'Couch to 5K' app on my phone and started my first workout today. Not as bad as I expected it to be at all! It's an 8 week fitness system, 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Each week gets a bit more intense until you should be able to run a 5k. I'm not planning on running in any 5k. I just need something to whip me into shape! This should definitely do it.

 

Honestly, knowing that I'm not intensely planning a move and packing like crazy, I am choosing to put aside some of my time to start down our new path in Seattle as a better me. That's all. The same way I'm clearing out excess belongings we don't need to take with us in our move, I'm saying goodbye to my own excess.

This has been a super unexciting 'welcome back' post but it's what I've got right now!!

 

Hope you all have nice and meaningful holidays, if this is the season of yours. If not, enjoy hearing about all the food we consume over the next couple weeks!!! 

Happy Rosh Hashana from ours to yours!

Snow Business

I would like to formally take a moment and thank all of New York and its surrounding areas for being a team player. Someone  had to have the gross weather today and I appreciate all of you taking one for the team!!

Here, where the fear of freezing your butt off was first discovered (I just made that fact up), it is a beautiful 41 degrees, the sun is shining, the snow is melting, there was a huge line as I waited to get my car washed, we are all wearing sweaters and they are unzipped (**gasp**).

I'm sure this means that our city will be one slick sheet of ice tonight, but IT WILL NOT HAVE BEEN FOR NAUGHT!

In other news, I fear this winter, in whatever capacity we are suffering through it, may never end so I have taken the initiative to go ahead and order myself a new beanie. A girl's gotta stay warm somehow.

Today is a rambly sort of post so I'll continue as such. Our in-the-same-building-but-one-floor-down move is coming along. Still have more to transfer over and I'm organizing as we go through it all, adding some to our storage and just getting rid of others. My trusty red wagon is definitely getting its exercise! We had to slow down this week because our little family decided to throw a sick party -- Bella's got the pediatric version of walking pneumonia, Benny's got bronchitis, and Shuky's got something in between the two. All three of them are on meds, Benny is in school and Bella and I have just been chilling. Between the doctor appointments we've had on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and the follow up today for Bella. And the first three obviously had corresponding pharmacy visits!

And with that, I can say enjoy your snow day if you are having one, as I am ABSOLUTELY enjoying not needing one!!

That Just Happened.

Do you ever feel like you work so hard to avoid something specific and find it still follows you around every corner? 

Moving is my kryptonite. I hate it with a passion like you wouldn't believe and, yet, I just can't get away from it. Even as a kid, my family moved. A. Lot. By the time I got married and was ready to start my own home, I had somewhere between ten to fifteen moves under my belt. And I was only 21.

Not able to avoid it, our sixth anniversary was matched with six moves, not including the time we spent bunking with family in between (not insignificant amounts of time there either). I really had myself convinced that this last one, a little over two years ago, would be the last move until we were ready to leave Iowa. I was so sure! And yet, I hesitated to decorate our apartment, as is my M.O. Why put time and emotion into making a place mine when we might just pick up and move on soon! 

After getting back from Seattle, I was on this intense 'get our apartment organized' kick and part of that included a little bit of functional decorating. And making the kids' rooms a little more exciting.

We moved to Ames in the summer of 2010 and it took until post-summer of 2013 for me to be interested in decorating, just so you understand completely.

The past few weeks have been a little intense in our apartment. We've had some major heating issues, keeping our apartment very cold. It also happens to be that this winter has been EXTREMELY harsh in terms of low temps and windchills in the 'never should get there' zone. Our building manager and maintenance guy exhausted every effort, trying to get our heat to a comfortable level but this past week, they realized there was nothing that could be done until the end of winter, when the entire building could have the system turned off for work to be done.

Simultaneously, we have been having small electrical issues here and there that the maintenance guy had been able to fix each time, more or less.

When they realized the heating couldn't be fixed, they provided us with a space heater for each bedroom and a nice, larger one for the living room area.

Within a minute of turning them all on, the breaker tripped and the power went out. A new breaker went in, the heaters were turned back on, and the same thing happened. Within a minute, it was all off.

Out came an electrician.

The diagnosis was our apartment would need rewiring and it wouldn't be a quick fix.

I'll spare you the details of the emotional train wreck I was at this point. 

At this point, it was noon-time on Friday. We had just picked Bella up from school and had a couple hours until it was time to get Benny. 

Our manager offered us a vacant unit of comparable size with very generous terms of how long we could take to move in (she even offered to allow us to use it just for the winter if we wanted our apartment for the long run, after the work would all be finished), and went above and beyond to make sure we could make it all work.

At which point, we started moving our belongings. 

We opted to just permanently move to the other unit, as we will be moving within the year (GOD WILLINGGGGGGG) and it didn't make sense to come back for a few months.

Remember how I said this was Friday, around noon? By the time Shabbos came in that evening, we had all three bedrooms mostly set up, a semi-functioning kitchen, a living room, and our table and chairs. How? I have no freaking clue. A friend came to help with the couch and table, another friend watched Bella until it was time to pick up Benny and We. Just. Trekked.

We are slowly working our way into the apartment and I honestly debated just pretending this never happened. But what's a blog without a post or two every so often so here I am, spilling the beans.

335 Days.

We are officially one week in to our second to last semester here which means in less than a year we will be D-O-N-E over here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I use enough exclamation marks there?

Eleven months left. And three of those will be spent elsewhere for Shuky's summer internship.

While I was talking a friend about that number earlier this week, she showed a better way to look at it - four months left here, go spend three months somewhere awesome, and come back for another four months to pack and move. Just writing that helps me breathe easier.

Those who know me personally are probably aware of the fact that I am a planner. I like to have things figured out in advance and, while I can definitely roll with it, spontaneity is not my favorite thing. During the first few years of school, the unknown was easier to deal with. It was completely out of our control and our future was not even tangible. Now, things are so close but we won't know for sure where we will be moving until next September. NEXT. SEPTEMBER.

Don't worry, we are still planning. I've been researching galore. Trying to weed through all the hypothetical cities that could be potentially be home for us. Knocking some areas off the list, moving others higher up in priority. At the end of the day, we can not decide until job offers come in but it doesn't hurt to have an idea of what's out there instead of scrambling around last minute to make the decision!

And again, for those who REALLY know me personally, you are probably aware that I spend every free second on Zillow. I have my houses picked out in our top cities already. Hopefully the new tenants will get transferred to the Midwest when it's time for us to come. And I say the Midwest because that sure as hell would not affect our housing situation, if you catch my drift. My cold and icy drift.

Hope everyone enjoyed their New Years and is back in the grind of things in this amazing year of 2014. {December of 2014. That's been floating around in my head like that old screen saver on Windows. You know which one I'm talking about. The one that used to say Yournamehere Rox!!!, and would bounce off each side of the screen while doing flips and twists. Yeah, that one.}

Cold Blogging

Here's the thing about me. I'm an introvert. Sometimes I just need to retreat into my head and keep my space. It has happened before here, although most times, there's some sort of life change happening that keeps me away. This time it was honestly just needing space. I needed some time to myself. While I generally love blogging, this is something I do of my own accord, I just needed to pull back from all things social. I've been more quiet on FaceBook than usual as well, if that makes anyone feel better! And yes. That is me being more quiet.

I've tried coming back here to get my blog groove back but I now have a bunch of unfinished posts, some with only three sentences, some with only three words, others with half a page. None of which really make sense. All of which will be deleted.

The last time I posted was around the High Holidays. We are going to just hit 'Live' right now and scoot right up to where we are here and now.

Hi again!!

I am loving all the new organizational things I've done around the apartment and how much nicer things are looking and the better air flow we now have! And I've also worked on getting the kids rooms looking a little more lively.

 Added this great poster above Benny's bed. I have some posters to put up on the wall alongside his bed, just have to restock my stash of command strips!

And gave him an astronaut view as he launches off to sleep. It cycles through the different phases of sunlight, really cool actually!

And Bella finally got a gorgeous name sign from my beyond talented mother!! Hard to see but the decal above says 'Once Upon A Time There Was A Princess...' 

I have a couple more things that will be going up on Bella's wall opposite this, where her toys are. Just need to decide if I want to frame them or go with self-painted clothespins like I did above.

It's been pretty cold here, we got a couple inches of snow over the weekend. So that's been fun. Without the fun part. I'm pretty sure anyone that knows me is aware of my feelings toward coldness and snow and real winter. Not a big fan, just to clarify.

It's sad because the snow is actually quite gorgeous here, all sparkly and white. But then the temperature has to go and drop below zero with insane windchills (Take the -20 windchill we had yesterday. Not cool Iowa.)

Almost forgot this awesomeness, last night Shuky went out onto the porch in the crazy cold to make this awesome video of a bubble freezing!! 

Either way, we are coming up to winter break over here. As a family, we will be going to NY for a week. First time since the summer we spent there right after Bella was born. As a family, anyway. And then, when we get back, I will be escaping on my own for a few days. Heading to somewhere sunny and gloriously unwintery!!! And I. Can't. Wait. Like beyond excited and would already be packing if I could. :)

Ok, I keep getting distracted and I really want this to get posted so I'm going to go ahead and finish up over here. Until next time!