Hurry up and Wait, stresses and Fish Fries

Interview date: August 30
Job offer date: September 21
Today's date: November 5

Well, it's a new month and I still know NOTHING about my date to report. Nada, zip, zilch.
BUT we've been cleaning the house, organizing and putting things here and there, selling stuff and getting set to GO.
I'm getting a little doubtful that we're even going. Folks are asking me if I'm excited. Well, I WAS excited... when I first made this decision in September. I was thrilled. I was ready to go. I was filling out paperwork, submitting it and getting all set to get packed out and ... well, just GO.

And here I sit 1.5 months later... waiting to hear if I will be leaving in January or not... trying to find out just what my departure date is... and living in a house that the husband is packing like a mad person.

I was SO frustrated in the beginning living in boxes and thinking "what the blazes are you doing, this is what the packers will DO for you" I'm so beyond that after a month of watching the house explode into boxed messes. This weekend I tackled parts of the garage. I swear it's enough to make a gal want to break down in tears. I sat there in the back of my car staring at everything thinking "shoot me now"... it's all such a mess... a complete and utter mess.

I'm pulling a lot of easily distracted moves. I will start in one area and get overwhelmed. I will move to another and repeat. I did get the cabinets cleaned out in the garage that I was tasked with along with a few others.... but then I would just want to throw my hands up in disgust and walk away.

I did attempt a garage sale this weekend as the neighborhood was having one. I thought "OK, why not" right? Yeah, NO. I lasted all of 2 hours, packed it all into the house and called it quits. I then boxed a good amount of it all and took it to goodwill. I boxed the "better" things to take to consignment. I then finished my count of items to take in on Monday... only to realize that Monday I have pottery and I won't be going to consignment as the timeline is way too tight to pull it off.... maybe... I may still go as I got to work 1/2 hour early today meaning I could leave 1/2 hour early and head on out there, dump everything then drive straight to Macon to meet up with Liz for dinner prior to pottery. It's all a debate.

Even this blog post is all over the place!

SO. Garage sale, I sat out there for 2 hours and thought "well, while I'm out here I will put the bigger things on Facebook Marketplace". I sold one thing on there immediately and the gal walked me through how to get money through the application. Sweet. She came to get the item a few hours later after paying on line. I also sold (don't laugh) the pressure washer that Butch had put down by the curb a few days prior. I admitted it was broken and we thought it was a blown head gasket. He bought it and a VERY old tent for $20.00 better than a poke in the nose! So, how's that for funny I sold a garbage thing at the sale ... and that was it, the other thing sold on the marketplace. SO, just goes to show you that garage sales are no longer for me!!

I loaded up all the frames and other odds and ends and took those to Goodwill to be of use to someone else.

I also advertised the larger outdoor furniture set that I had gotten from Target some 7 years ago... and it sold within 10 minutes. The folks came from 45minutes away to get it. Older couple that had been trying to get a set for a while. They didn't argue the price and took it home with them that afternoon! Sweet! The back porch is clearing out.

Then I promptly took a nap. No, really, I napped. Then that evening we went to our scuba club fish fry out near Cochran - it was a very nice night eating fish, socializing and enjoying a bonfire. Liz even came out to have some fish with us. Great night and thanks to my nap I lasted MUCH longer than I typically do on those events. We were one of the last to head home.

Sunday I had to get motivated as I had climbed straight into bed after the bonfires so I still smelled of smoke AND now my bed did too! I pulled the sheets to be washed and rolled my TWO WEEKS worth of laundry to the laundry room and got started. Quite a few loads to include jackets from the night prior as well! Lots of smoky items as they were burning cedars that had fallen over the year during storms. Quite sooty!

While Laundry was going I decided to load the car for consignment (filled the back) - forgetting I won't be going on Monday - duh. But it's loaded.
I then hit the garage. YUCK!! I pulled out lots of items to go into the trash... things I wasn't even sure what the blazes it was, old toys, lots of old sidewalk chalk... yes, they have been in there a LONG while since my kids are now 23 and 19!

A few racquets headed to consignment for racquetball and one for tennis I do believe. Either way they are going! We also have a TON of Roundup. I will take that to Florida to be stored and used there when we come home to visit and clean up around the little house. I also cleaned out around the shoe bins, chucking kids shoes that have been there way too long. There was also a pair of inline skates that were so old that the plastic literally disintegrated in my hands as I was pulling them out! Very fragile stuff!! The regular skates were still functional and they went into the consignment pile even though they had writing all over them... I tried to get it off with a "Mr. Clean" pad, but it wasn't budging. I got a bit off but I'm not willing to put that much work into it at this point. If someone wants them and is OK with writing all over them, more power to them! If not, they will eventually head on to donation status.

After those two areas I decided to head to the back porch with a yard size garbage bag and tackle the lockers... I did chuck quite a few things, but also found out how many NEW items are in there as well. There are a LOT of goggles in there!!! Maybe I should box them up and send them to Damian and Tandy with their pool and smaller kids!! Either way the lockers are empty of everything including towels.

Towels were also sorted and the best of them were pulled aside to use in Germany. The rest were advertised on Facebook to friends. I had one holler she wanted them and Mom wanted a few as well, so they are all claimed and will go to new homes!

I kept going from garage to backyard to garage to sitting on the back of my car as I was loading looking at things and wanting to cry. I finally just gave up and went inside, drew a bath and called it a day. Chocolate, bath and a book for a while... made things a bit better. Then I went in and watched recorded shows for a while before dinner. Ahhhhh, the life. I even went to bed early because my body kept saying "it's 10pm... go to sleep" so I did, and I enjoyed it!