When we came out to visit in April, it was so brown! I remember living in Wyoming and missing the East Coast and all the green ... I didn't want that again, it was so ugly, so depressing!
Driving into our new (little!) town I was pleasantly surprised that it was GREEN! 
The drive went better than I thought. At the last minute my brother-in-law, Joe, decided to come see the area (possible job opportunity for him, which, by the way, he is moving here! Yeah!) and drove out Frank's car for us. The car would have gone freight, but this saved the company some money AND added extra room for us, thankfully!
The drive was really uneventful...the first day was tough, I was so worried about the cats (Petey meowed for hours and wouldn't relax even though he was sedated), upset about leaving, and well, just worried in general. We made it through that day and the cats did awesome in the hotel room, so I was able to finally relax.
(Just had to share this picture ... never would I own WHITE sheets and comforter w/a black cat. LOL)
Every day was about the same, we drove for hours, stopped and peed, drove for hours, stopped at a hotel ... ate. The 10 year old kept his daddy awake, by stinking up the van and Ana slept 1 x the entire 4 days! Kris was with his Uncle in the other car and from what I understand, slept a lot!
(Only time Ana slept ... only time Kris was in our van w/us)
The 3rd day, we decided to stop at my sister-in-laws, Maria, to see her and the family. We only had to drive 3 hours that day, which was a nice break. Maria was a great hostess! I love her Mexican cooking!!! The cousins got along great and the cats liked hiding in strange places ...
The last day of driving was filled with excitement! We were finally going to see our new home! The drive started out like all the rest of the days ... including Jake passing gas. It got so bad that I finally had to step in ... "Ahhh man, Jake, you stink! Knock it off right now or you're grounded!" Jake swore up and down it wasn't him! We kept blaming him ...... then it hit me. CATS.
Ever try cleaning out a dog crate with a wad of poop in the blanket while 2 cats try to climb out along side a highway?
suck. Plain and simple, they just suck. So, mom and dad decided to throw us a "See you later" party. The parties that my parents 'throw' I like to call "drunk fest" only because I get to drink and my kids get to run wild while mommy is drinking ... of course they are safe, how dare you suggest otherwise ;) ... when I drink, I'm actually more aware. LOL Ok, so, Didi and Pap are there along w/numerous other mom/dad's and grandparents.
Anyway ... the party was wonderful, even with having to say 'see you later' to my family, 2nd family, and friends. However, reassurances from them all made it easier.
Saying "see you later" to mom and dad was much harder. For fear of a 'breakdown' I'm just going to say a few things. My heart hurts because their hearts hurt. (That's all I can say right now)
The in-laws were just as tough to say 'see you later' to. I helps knowing that Frank has other siblings still in town to be there for them. No, nobody can replace my kids, so I'm certain that it was/is hard for both Nanny and Papa...as well as, my kids and myself.
So many things I want to say I will miss. But, I must say "see you later" ... I ran out of tissues. ;)
What can I say? Well, I can say that it has been one hell of a month. Last month this time we were in PA celebrating Jake's 10th birthday, trying to avoid the inevitable. This month we are jumping feet first into a new life of living ...
The first week in August was mentally exhausting. On Tuesday the packers came and packed my (our) life into boxes, lots and lots of boxes. The next day, they loaded up our life into a United Van Lines truck, leaving the first house that Frank and I bought, empty. Completely, empty. When they pulled the truck away it marked the beginning of our new life. "Move that truck, move that truck" so the Aguirre's can start their new life adventure...
