To the left...

Do you know that really annoying Beyonce song called "Irreplaceable"?  If you don't know which one I'm talking about, it's where she sings:

"To the left, to the left
Everything you own is in a box to the left"

(You're welcome... you will now be singing it over and over and over.  I'm the best, aren't I?)

Anyway, this is the story of my life right now.  Except it is more like "everything I own is in a truck to the left (of the driveway)".  I can't stop singing it.

So I haven't updated things on our move to Atlanta.  Partly because I've been so frustrated that I don't want to bring everyone down with my sadness and frustration.  Partly because I don't want to jinx us.  Today we got some good news so I can share!

So back up just a bit.  We were in contract in a house that I posted pictures of here (mistake number one... don't post pictures of something that's not final).  We were super excited and fairly far along in the process when we found out that the garage was sinking in and that it would cost up to $20k to fix.  Uh... yeah.  That's not going to happen.  So we terminated the contract on a Friday in mid February and went to Atlanta to start over on the next day.  I was devastated... more because of the prospect of having to start completely over, knowing that I was being kicked out of my house in Delaware at the end of February.  We kept getting kicked when we were down. We ended up looking in a different part of town and fell in love.  With multiple houses.

Long story short - we found a great house, put an offer in, it was sloooooowly accepted and we've been in contract since mid-February.  Our buyer in Ohio graciously let us stay through the 16th of March... thinking that was plenty of time. Of course we could close in a month.

The second thing I've learned throughout this process is that never assume anything.  Ever.

The process has taken longer than expected, and last Thursday, we packed all of our belongings.  There were boxes everywhere!!!

We rented a 24 foot truck and the guys that loaded our truck did an amazing job - and they packed it to the brim!!!  (**kudos to Two Men and a Truck!!!)

With everything we owned in the back of the truck,  we drove away one last time and moved in with the in-laws.  Luckily they live on 7 acres so the truck is sitting on the driveway, just waiting to be moved to Atlanta.  We are living out of suitcases, with a mock office in a spare bedroom.  So there you have it... everything I own is in a truck on the left (of the driveway). 

We have been sitting patiently to see if when we would be moving forward with this house.  And today the call came... we have a closing date!

YAHOO!!!!

So, I can officially say that I'm moving to Atlanta.  We will get the keys to our new house next Thursday.  I am a big 'ole ball of emotions right now.

Haha...and you thought that I would show you pictures... not a chance!  Until those keys are in my hand, I'm not sharing that!  But, I will tell you... it's way better than the first one that we were in contract on and that Tom and I are in love with it!!!

So excuse my absence, and my lack of commenting on your blogs (I have been reading!). Things will probably be a little crazy for maybe another week or two.

But crazy is good!

When dirty girl isn't an insult...

You never want to be a called a dirty girl.  Am I right people? :)  Yeah, you know I'm right.  But I am super excited to get the opportunity to race the Dirty Girl race in Atlanta next month.

Don't know what the Dirty Girl is?  Well, it's a 5k obstacle mud run for women.  The race series debuted last year, and this year they have races in eight cities planned, with a total of 15 on the radar for 2012!  Atlanta just happens to be right after I move (yes, I'm actually moving and that will be another post soon).  What a perfect way for me to get to find other like minded crazies to have some fun with.

Because really, mixing a 5k with some obstacles with names like "H2OMG", "The Hangover", "Just get over it" and "PMS - Pretty Muddy Stuff", I'm pretty sure that I will have laughed hard enough to get a full body workout.

And the best part is, a portion of all entries go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year, Dirty Girl donated over $50,000 to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.  And they give 250 cancer survivors free registration and special recognition at each race in 2012.

So a fun race and a great cause.

I'm all over that.

So if you are in Atlanta (*cough* *cough* Jill, Andree, Kacie, Charity, Karen) and want to join in the fun, sign up.  We could make a fun team and probably laugh ourselves silly to the finish line!

After all the craziness that I call life these last few months, I think this is the perfect way to kick off my race season!




**FitFluential LLC compensated me for this campaign.  All thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.

What Up Wednesday

I loved reading all of your comments about my "Define Normal" post.  Goes to show that what I think is normal and what other people have told me is weird, is actually quite normal. (Did you follow that train of thought?  If not... you are in for a joy of a post today because I'm sure it'll be all over the place) To answer a few questions...

1. The plates are from Target.  In the kitchen area.  Near the kids stuff.  They are dishwasher safe. I have one in red, green and blue.  They are awesome.
2. I can sleep 10 hours a night because I work from home and am my own boss.  I'm taking advantage of this now while my life is the way it is.  When training starts to build, I will be getting up earlier, and probably sleeping a little less.  But no less than 8 hours a night.  I'm a bear to deal with at that point. That's probably why I didn't last in corporate America.  I think I used to sleep around 6 hours a night and hated every minute of most day.  
3. The first picture in my blog came from Google images.  Totally stole it from someone and didn't give them credit (sorry about that).  That's where I get a lot of my inspiration. :)

Okay, so moving along.  I've been fairly vague on what's going on with our lives lately in terms of the move to Atlanta.  I'm going to keep it vague for a few more days.  (**sorry**).  Just know that things are nuts... but moving along.  And that I should be living in the south by the end of the month.  Hopefully.  It's been a long bumpy journey. Many people have told me we should write a book.  It would be entitled "How To Sell Your House In This Crappy Market In No Time Flat And Then Write 10 Offers On Houses And Have All Of Them Fall Through At Some Point, Leaving You Wondering Why The Hell You Sold The House You Loved In Your Hometown".  It'll be a best seller... trust me on this one.

I'm loving the weather in Ohio. Right. So about that.  So it was like 36* two days ago.  Today it's supposed to be near 70*.    By Friday... back in the low 40's.  It's made working out kind of wonkie... haven't braved the bike outside yet (because even when it's near 70*, there are 25-30mph winds so what's the point?), but I've run in layers one day, and shorts the next.  I shouldn't complain, but I will.  That's what people in Ohio do this time of year.

Speaking of training - I looked on my calendar and say that I have 60 days until my first tri.  Holy shitballs Batman.  And why do I pick the hilliest half that I will probably do all year as my first tri for the season?  Will you be at Rev3 Knoxville for the race?  It's going to be mad fun! :)

Okay, so that's about it for Wednesday (ha, I almost typed Thursday.  oye ve).  I'm way behind on blog reading and will get caught up here soon... I promise!  Happy hump day my friends!

Define "normal"

Here's a challenge for you...Define "normal".  That's a hard thing to really do.  I mean, my life seems pretty normal, but I'm sure that's only in the eye of the beholder. So, here's a little list of some things that I think are totally "normal"... in my world.

1. I am addicted to Diet Coke.  Yes, I know it's toxic, blah blah blah, but it's my drug of choice.  What is totally normal to me is that I only like to drink Diet Coke from a cup or better yet from a fountain (with light ice unless there are free refills.  I honestly don't like soda from a 20 ounce.  Unless it's race morning.  Or after a long, hot workout.                                                                                                                                           
2. I eat off of sectioned plates for dinner.  I think it's totally normal that I have nice dinnerware, but like the cheap plastic plates with the three sections.  It's totally normal that I don't like my food to touch.  And these plates help me a lot with my serving sizes - veggies in the big portion, lean protein in a small one and whole grains in the other.                                                                                                                                   
3. I love me some pasta.  I've talked a little about this before.  I also have a love of cheese.  I could eat pasta and cheese for every meal.  But I don't like spaghetti sauce.  Unless it's in ziti or lasagna.  Otherwise, plain pasta it is.  I will add some butter, but I could also eat it totally dry.  That's normal, right?                  
4. I love to sleep.   I could probably fall asleep at any given time throughout the day. On any "normal" night, I get about 10 hours of sleep. I don't see sleep as wasted time like some people.  It's glorious.  But I can't sleep on a plane or in a car.                                                                                                                                     
5. I fall asleep every night with the TV on.  The noise and lights do not keep me awake.  At some point, my hubby turns it off.  That's all I know.  Totally normal, right?                                                                                                 
6.  When I get done with a shower, I have a "normal" routine with the towel - dry my face, then my hair, then my arms and legs, then the rest of my body.  Every. Single. Time. OCD or normal?

Are there any things that you think are totally normal but that you know other people would find odd?