It's a small world after all!

Singapore is roughly 9600+ miles from where we live today. It is literally on the other side of the world! Yet, as we have been telling everyone where we are moving, we continue to meet people who either know someone who has lived there, lives there now or is getting ready to move there. How ironic is that? I think Singapore is the new business mecca and the world melting pot.

Just today we were at a cookout in our neighborhood, and as we talked about our move someone said they had friends that were moving there next month. They are a family and they have kids that are close in age to our daughter. Tomorrow I am having coffee with another woman who's neighbor is in my Moms church group. When they announced to the Moms group that I would be moving to Singapore a woman came up to me at lunch and said "my neighbor is moving to Singapore this summer." We have connected and are meeting tomorrow. How crazy is that?

How is it that you move to the other side of the world and meet more people who know some one there than if you moved to another state in your own country?

I am so very thankful that there will be at least one other person that we will know. Who knows, by the time we get there we may know 10 or more!

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears,

It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fears,
There's so much that we share, that its time we're aware,
Its a small world after all!

There is just one moon and one golden sun,
And a smile means friendship to everyone,
Though the mountains divide, And the oceans are wide,
It's a small world after all!

Just an ordinary day?

As I sit here at my kitchen table watching the bird feeder and my bird friends (and unwanted squirrels) I'd like to think that my life isn't changing. Sometimes it's easy to just relish in my current life and routine and forget that in a few short months everything will be different. I love my life and everything we have created here. I love our house, my vegetable garden, my fish pond, my sewing and craft room, and our awesome deck and patio. And that's just our home.

A year ago I quit my corporate job to stay at home and be a full time Mom. It has taken me a year to create the life I think I have always dreamed of. I have found some great Mom friends and our kids love playing together. Not to mention our hubbies like hanging out too. We live a charmed life it seems.

I can't say that over the years my hubby and I haven't dreamed of more. We have wondered if the conservative south is the place for us. We have thoughts of diversity, culture, and a simpler life. A life without the dependency of cars, yard guys, and the many responsibilities of living in a suburban home.

As much as I love my current life, I like imagining something different.

I look forward to the adventure of a new type of life in a new country! I look forward to a more carefree life. I am probably naive to what it really will be like, but isn't ignorance bliss?

It's just life on an ordinary day!

Tangled up in Blue

So, everyone keeps asking, "What are you doing with Blue?".

For those that don't have the pleasure of knowing Blue, Blue is our 13 year old dog. A dear friend of mine, Beth, gave Blue to me 12 years ago when I was carefree and single. Blue and I bonded quickly and spent many a days walking and spending quality time together. Then along came my hubby. Blue and he were instant friends! My hubby is the one that taught him how to "Stay"; I'd like to think that I taught him everything else.

Blue has been with me through every joy and sorrow in my life these past 13 years. He has experienced the heartache of dating, the joy of finding the right one, the blessing of marriage, the sadness of infertility, the fear of life threatening health issues, the many challenges of job changes, the amazing gift of finding our daughter through adoption, and the joys of having a child (at least from our end; maybe not his all the time). He has traveled and experienced many things! He is an experienced camper and backpacker and he has never turned down an opportunity to be with us doing something fun.

He has had his own share of challenges over the years. Back in 2004 when I was laid up with health issues Blue got out of the yard and was later found down the street in the creek. We were never really sure what happened, but now he has a plate and pins in his right fore leg and has a left ankle that has probably never quite healed right. Blue and I recovered together those few weeks and spent much time just being glad we were alive!

Today, Blue is a tired old dog with a lot of life still in him. He now has arthritis, yet you would never know it some days the way he runs around the yard. He has a thyroid condition which makes him sleep a lot. He can't hear and is blind in one eye, but somehow, if someone he knows is pulling in the driveway he runs to the door barking with glee!

The plan for Blue: When I first found out we were moving my first thought was Blue. We had thought we would take him with us, but the thought of having him sit in a kennel for 3 months in quarantine seemed cruel. (Blue has only been kenneled once) Not to mention the 20+ hour flight there. I have cried, prayed and deliberated over this for weeks. My heart still aches knowing that I won't have my best dog friend with me on this amazing adventure. As I write this I have tears in my eyes. So, setting aside my selfishness, we have decided to leave Blue with my parents. Blue and my Dad are great friends. They are two peas in a pod! Blue will have a relaxing life with someone who cares about him. He will have lots of room to run and play; not to mention, he will get to play in the snow. (One of his favorite things!) We will be home to visit and will be skyping with Blue (and my parents) often. I love you Blue and will miss you!

"Fear is the beginning of getting to something better!"

This is the saying that resonates in my mind when big changes are coming my way and boy do we have some this year.

We recently found out that we will be moving to Singapore for my husband's job. What an amazing opportunity for ALL of us! Yet, with change there is always some fear. Well, atleast for me there is. My hubby is still traveling a lot and is busy with understanding his new job. You know him, ready for anything and adventure is his middle name! Obviously, he is so ready that if he could he would move us all tomorrow! Our daughter is excited, but I am sure that she doesn't understand that we will be leaving our home and our friends/family behind. I am ready for an adventure, yet I see all of the things that need to be done. If you know me at all, I have a tendency to dwell in the detail and get overwhelmed. I have promised myself that I would "keep things in perspective" and not "over plan". Although, with a move like this, planning is not only essential, but necessary. So, I have pulled out all of my project management skills and am putting together my moving plan. Thanks to the help of some friends who have moved in the past (thanks Darby) I have come up with a pretty comprehensive list of things to do.

So, besides all of the things we need to do, there is so much more that goes with a move like this. Talk about emotions! At first I was excited to tell everyone, but I am finding that on the days when the focus is on telling friends; I get emotionally "heavy". It is happy and sad all at the same time. Lots of things to fill people in on and repeating the same information over and over again brings everything to reality. Not that I am trying to avoid reality by any means, but trying to keep things calm and in perspective means you have to gage what you can handle in a given day. I have had friends embrace the excitement of the change and have had others become tearful, sad, and maybe even a bit angry at us for leaving. That proves for a lot of things to think about and deal with inside my head. Which brings me to the point of this blog.

This blog is to allow me to communicate with many as well as have a place to vent, explain, and communicate what is going on and how I am feeling about things. So, take what I write with a grain of salt. Most likely I will be writing in a stream of consciousness. We love all of you who are reading this! Thanks for being our friends; you are the best!