Sunday, February 9, 2020

The Sunday Post [40]

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News: 

I'm baaaack! It feels like I've been gone forever, even though it's been like two weeks. A lot has happened since we left Texas, and not all of it was good. First of all, being in a car with three small children for nearly 24 hours (over the span of five days), was no picnic. They were troopers, but we were all pretty frazzled by the end. They needed to be quiet in the car, quiet in the hotel, and never really had a chance to deenergize themselves. We stopped to stretch our legs, walk the dogs, and play on playgrounds for 15-30 minutes, but most of the time we were buckled in and trying to reach our next stop. We listened to audiobooks, but even I was exhausted by the monotony of our days. 

When we finally arrived in Virginia, we made sure our hotel was by the beach. The kids loved going down to the water, even though it was way too cold to swim. They were happy to just walk around and look for seashells. They did track an obscene amount of sand into the hotel room (seriously, where does that stuff come from?!), and I borrowed a broom so the staff didn't totally hate us when we left. That night we watched Jumanji and Hook on the hotel's television, and I'm happy to report the kids loved both!

Now for some of the bad: We moved into an unfinished house. That's correct! Unfuckingfinished. The landlord said they were just as surprised as we were, and that's saying something, since we were pretty damn surprised. The kitchen and dining rooms had no floor, and someone was in the house working for the first three days that we were here. Having to accommodate for that was exhausting, since we just wanted to be. You know? We wanted to exist in a place that was ours, and something that wasn't a hotel room, car, or restaurant. They were very understanding of our frustrations, but still. It's almost done now, but at least the flooring was finished before the Movers brought all of our stuff. The dishwasher is busted, some curtain rods need to be hung, and a door needs to be installed.

I know it sounds like a nightmare, and for awhile I was pretty upset, but we really like the house and the neighborhood. There are woods to explore, a creek on the property, and a ton of kids in the area. My son wants to be friends with everyone we meet. Luckily, he started school on Friday and loved it! Now he can make new friends that he'll see regularly. His teacher is fantastic, and I'm happy he's happy. We're feeling more settled now, and only have one or two more boxes to unload. Everything essential is good to go! 

This house weirdly doesn't have a pantry, so I made my own! I'll post pictures on Instagram later this week. There are a few finishing touches I want to apply before presenting it to the world. ;)

Jacob and I have both been so busy, it was hard to find time to be together as a family. One night last week, we decided to just stop everything we were doing and go have dinner. On our way to the restaurant we were in a car accident, and our car was pretty banged up. It wasn't drivable and had to be towed, the airbags deployed on impact (hurts more than you'd think and smells terrible), but thankfully no one was injured. The kids were in the car, but their main complaint was the smell (and that they were still hungry).

There was a storm our third or fourth day that destroyed the neighbor's fence and fell onto ours. They've been really nice about it and know we have dogs, so they're trying to fix it as soon as possible. Random thought: there are geese everywhere here.

None of my scheduled posts worked like they were supposed to, so I know I missed a blog tour or two (very, very sorry!), and promise to spend the week trying to get back on track. I don't want to simply post everything now, since it would overload my blog with new content, and I'm worried things will get overlooked (which sort of defeats the purpose of promoting a book). I really thought I would have more time to read while traveling, but the kids never wanted to sleep once we finally go to a hotel, and by the time they did, I was too tired to keep my eyes open. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys have been up to and reading while I've been away! <3 

Previous week on the blog:

NA

What I'm currently reading:
https://amzn.to/39iB6DShttps://amzn.to/31C3VZrhttps://amzn.to/2H9TP8t
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro ๐ŸŽง
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson ๐ŸŽง
  • I'm really enjoying What I Carry, and cannot wait to see where the story goes! I have my fingers crossed for a HEA, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I've been burned too many times for that. ;)
  • Anger Is a Gift has been wonderful to listen to on audio. It's one of the books we started on our trip, and that I haven't had a chance to finish since getting to our new house. 
  • The Way of Kings is a forty-five hour audiobook?? That's insane! I knew the book was long, but geez. There's no way I'll finish listening to it this week, so I'll likely go back on hold and wait another month or two. At this point, it's probably easier if I just buy the book. 
What I plan on reading next:

I honestly don't know at this point. There are a few upcoming books I need to read, other that have been neglected, and those I simply just want to curl up with. Your guess is as good as mine!

What I'm watching:

I decided to start the Shadowhunters television series while I was unpacking boxes in the living room, and the show was... not great. The dialogue was weird, and the show really diverted from the facts and took liberties with content. Both Sam and Mary said the second season was better, and I trust their judgement. I think I'll keep watching it and just enjoy the show for what it is: entertainment. It's something fun to alleviate some of the boredom that inevitably comes with unpacking. Where does this go? I've misplaced my shoe. Does anyone see a cat??

Challenge updates:

18 comments:

  1. A car accident on your only night out, on top of everything?!?!? That's too much bad luck for a single move. I'm sorry to hear it was so troublesome and tiring AND you had to deal with an unfinished house (seriously?!?!?). And thank goodness no one got injured in that crash! On the other hand, the place sounds lovely! I'm sure you'll settle in quite nicely, once the works and the unpacking are completed ๐Ÿ™‚. I hope it's all good from now on, but I'm also sending good vibes - it can't hurt ๐Ÿ˜‰.

    And no worries about comments of course (though I understand you feeling a bit nervous about the blog things you missed).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? I'm starting to think we did something to offend the Universe. ;) Someone told me rain was supposed to be good luck (or at least rain at a wedding), since it was storming when we left, but I'm starting to think that's not true, haha. No one was injured, thank the gods. I'm going to the doctor on Monday to make sure my collar bone is bruised and nothing more sever, since it's started bothering me the last few days. I think it's just sore from the impact, but it's better to be safe.

      The place is lovely, and I'm really looking forward to settling in here and finding a new normal. There's a lot to do in this area! Very quaint. I'm down to three boxes, mostly crafty items and stuff from our junk drawer, so hopefully I'll get those sorted this week. I ordered a cart from Michaels for all of the kid's supplies (glue, scissors, crayons, etc.) so that should help.

      I will take all the good vibes you want to send!

      Delete
  2. I am impressed by your optimism. I think I would have melted down. Glad only the car was harmed in the accident, that's scary! TX to VA that's a hike, and a pretty big change too. Glad the children are doing well with it. I have never had problems with scheduling posts. That's annoying that your didn't work as planned. Good luck in your new home, and I cannot wait to see the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I came close to melting down once or twice. The guy was clearly rushing to get finished, and it shows in some of his work. I know it's there, so it bothers me, but I also don't want to complain now that he's pretty much done. I wouldn't want them to redo everything and feel displaced even longer, you know?

      The car folded like it was supposed to, and all of the safety features worked properly, so no one was seriously hurt. Jacob's shins are bruised (had no idea there were airbags by your feet on the driver's side), and my collar bone has started bothering me, but the kids are okay. That's what my main concern was. It was very scary! It's super disorienting when it happens, and it was over so quickly. It took me several moments to piece together what happened and why everything was so broken and smelled like burning rubber.

      Scheduling posts was my fault, not the sites. Everything was scheduled for 2021 instead of 2020, and I didn't get online while we were traveling to check. I just assumed they would post when they were supposed to.

      Delete
  3. OMG I love that you're so optimistic! :) Hang in there girl - glad you're generally doing well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Optimism is key to survival! If Mama breaks down, who takes care of everything? Haha. Jacob was stressed about homework (he's working on his Masters) and getting settled in at a new job, the kids were wacky and mentally exhausted, and the animals were tired of being driven around in a car. If I caved to my feelings of despair, we'd all be in a hole. Keeping busy helps, and there's plenty to do when you move! I'm still trying to knock everything out. :)

      Delete
  4. It sure sounds like you handled the house issues well. I think after the five days of travel and I would have just sat down and cried. Not that it would have helped anything but I think the frustration/disappoint would have been overwhelming. So go you for being a big girl about it. LOL So scary about the car accident! My goodness, what a week or so you have had. You are due for some good things to come your way! So glad no one was hurt. Looking forward to seeing some pics of the new house and pantry solution. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Girl, I did sit down a have a good cry. Tears of frustration, exhaustion, and relief when it was all said and done. It was an emotional week, and I definitely need some time to recover! I'm down to three boxes, my son started back at school, and my husband is back at work. We're getting into a routine, and learning more about the area. I'm still waiting to hear back about my car, but hopefully it's a repair and not totaled. I don't want to have to look for another car. This entire move has been overwhelming, and it's just felt like one thing after another with no reprieve.

      I can't wait to share the pictures! I'm seriously in love with it. It's just a little cluttered while I wait on my new cart from Michaels! It's where I'm going to store the kid's craft materials, crayons, tape, etc.

      Delete
  5. Omg you've had a rough couple of weeks. The house not being finished would have made me mad too. I'm glad things seem to be getting finished now though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We signed a lease to move into a home on the 1st, so everything should have been finished by that date. However, they wanted to repaint, redo the floors (which are still only mostly finished), add lighting fixtures, and all sorts of things. I don't mind that they wanted to do these things, but wish they had been done prior to our arrival. Having someone in our house after traveling for a week and being in hotels... we just wanted our own space. Things have been improving though, so there's that. :)

      Delete
  6. You're there so hopefully it's all upward and onward from now on. I fell ya with the moving stress. It's taken me months to really settle. Probably because I knew our rental was temporary so I never fully unpacked.

    I had Anger is a Gift but I donated it to a local teen LGBQT group that needed books and I've been thinking I was going to listen on audio instead. Seems like a good idea.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope things go a little more smoothly from here on out! The initial madness has subsided, and we're slowly getting back into a routine. Work, school, homework, dinner, playground, etc. We're going to check out the local library tomorrow, or at least the one closest to us. There are several in the area. Gotta get those library cards! ;)

      That was nice! I've been wanting to read the book, and then I saw the audio was available at my library (the old one). It was a good audiobook for the car -- nothing too scandalous for the kiddos, but some really impactful messages throughout.

      Delete
  7. Oh my goodness, that is a lot going on! I think any one of those things would have completely frazzled me, and I don't even have three kids to worry about! I'm glad you're all ok after the accident and hope everything starts calming down soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's calmed down enough that I can sit down and blog again! That's saying something, haha. I'm trying to catch up on all of my blog stuff, and then I'll be visiting everyone else. So much to, so little time. :)

      Delete
  8. Oh gosh, you've been through a lot! I'm glad you're at your new home, and that it's FINALLY almost ready but that's awful you couldn't just relax when you got there. That's awesome your son loves his new school though and he has a great teacher. And sheesh - a car accident too?? I'm glad everyone is okay, especially the kids, but that's rough. I hope that things calm down soon and you can relax and read some good books.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot has happened in a week! The home is mostly finished! The guy just needs to come back and install one door and two curtain rods. The dishwasher was fixed, the floors are down (although not very well, but at least they're there), and we're starting to feel at home here. The half-days they do here for kindergarten is taking some getting used to, and really messing with my nap schedule (for the girls), haha. I definitely need some reading time! :)

      Delete
  9. Long trips with kids are really hard work so kudos to you for getting it done and surviving in the end. The hotel by the beach sounds amazing and I am glad you all had a good time there. I am so sorry that the house was unfinished and that's absolutely terrible! Hope it finishes up quickly !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We survived! It was a very long and exhausting trip, but we made it! I don't think any of us will want to travel for awhile, haha. Yes! Our last night before the beach was lovely. We walked along the water, collected shells, and watched Jumanji and Hook before bed. :)

      The unfinished house was a nightmare. He still has to install one door and two curtain rods, but then we should be all set. At least the dishwasher works now! I was going crazy washing everything by hand.

      Delete

Click the "Notify me" box if you want to be notified when someone responds!

“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless