Okay...bye bye

Even though we are spoiled and don't have to do the really crappy parts of moving (the packing, and loading of the truck) moving still comes with lots and lots of "to do's" which we have been busily doing over the last couple of days.
We decided to keep our $250 and clean our house instead of letting a "cleaning crew" do it. We wiped shelves, washed base boards, vacuumed refrigerator coils, mopped under the stove, cleaned the oven, took off all the screens and washed them and the windows....the house looked awesome. Of course the woman took about 3 minutes to do the inspection and just glanced at everything.....can you believe she didn't marvel at the dust free light fixtures or even move the fridge to see the sparkly clean floor underneath? I can't either...we only had the satisfaction of knowing we did everything on the list. I decided to spend my last day in Florida getting a Florida drivers license and a massage. We did about 200 other things today, but those were my highlights.
So, we are no longer the third house on the left. Sad. Well, kind of sad. It's weird to see the way the house has turned from a place with walls and a roof to a home. When we came in we just thought about where things should go, what we should use to clean the floors and what we should put on the walls. As we leave we don't see things anymore, but we see memories. This is the house we had our first Christmas morning with just us and the kiddies. This is where Andrew had his first Christmas. This is where he turned from a blobby baby to a move around wild man. This is the house where he took his first steps, climbed up a slide and slid down all by himself for the first time. This is where I spent my first weekend alone with the kids and realized that maybe, just maybe I could survive 48 hours being double teamed. This is where Emma perfected her skills of making matches, singing Rudolph, kicking the soccer ball, and potty training. We have loved the walking trail, close park, good neighbors, and all the helicopters flying over head every day.
We know the next place will hold even more memories....but we don't have those yet. We have loathed many things about Milton, FL (ANTS, Terrazzo floors, and the loud motorcyclist across the street). However, all the memories we have seem much more important now. I'm glad we have all those memories.

We have been in a storm of blessings recently....and I can't leave without trying to list at least some of them.

We have had dinner plans every night for the last 5 nights. We have actually had more dinner offers than we've had nights. It's been a pleasure to sit and eat and enjoy the company of those kind enough to feed our brood. What a blessing it is to have not to worried about dinner.

We have had friends show up at our empty house ready to help us clean...without being asked. So generous and kind! Who wants to wash someone elses baseboards?! We are grateful for the extra hands and humbled you'd spend a Friday afternoon with us.

We've been able to stay at our friends house in base housing since we left our house on Thursday waiting for Mike to be able to check out tomorrow. This has made the move seamless for the kids. They have been happy in every way. Nothing makes life easier than happy kids.

I was able to go on a fabulously fun girls night with my friend, Cassie. What a treat it was to go out and talk and laugh with you for hours! Leaving friends is really the hardest part of moving. I remembered why I don't stay out until midnight when my kids were up at 6:30 Saturday morning....but it was worth it.

And so, Florida thank you for your white beaches and sunny January days. Thank you for your mild climate and low cost of living....we have enjoyed the good things you have to offer.

Norfolk, buckle your safety belt....Greenstreets are coming to town.