Things nobody wants to do for $500, Alex

By now I think everyone in the known Universe is aware that we moved to Sacramento.  But did you know it was going to be 103 the day we moved? Did you? And did you know that my BRAND NEW AC unit wasn't going to be installed yet? Oh, neither did I.
It was like moving inside a Volcano.

We totally won the friend lottery, though and were lucky to have our much loved friend Staples to help us move the heavy stuff. I think he's helped us move more times than any of us can count, and all we do is feed him pizza & soda in return, yet he remains our dear friend.
In addition to Staples, we had one of the most handy things ever created: a teenage son.
Here's the funny thing about teenage boys- they want you to think they are actually men, not boys. So even though they usually seem like they are lazier than a dead slug on a hot day, if you give them the opportunity to do something "manly" they'll jump right to it. And really, what's more manly than manual labor?
Oh yeah, I said that.
We put the kid to work alongside Jude & Staples and they took care of the heavy lifting in a matter of a few hours. But it was HELL. Believe me. Nobody smelled good, everyone was filthy, and the kids were begging to go to sleep by the time we finished for the day.

Oh, and remember the AC unit I mentioned earlier? 3 days went by and the handyman never showed, so Jude got to install it himself. That's something about my husband that both annoys & delights me. He is one of those people that can see something done just once and know how to do it to perfection. Show off.

Do you know what our 3 youngest kids did while we were moving? If you guessed "running around crashing into things while screaming like crazy people" you've won an 8, 5, & 3 yr old!
Oh. My. God, Becky. Moving makes kids INSANE. And also, it makes Mommy just the tiniest bit murderous. I'm not sure how they survived the last few days, especially because I don't drink or self-medicate, but they did and it seems like the obnoxiousness has started to taper off & will die down very, very soon.

I hope we don't move again for like, a million years.
I hate moving, but I love our new house.
I guess that makes it worth it.

Alright, they're kind of cute. I guess I'll keep 'em.

My Summer Goals & To-do List

I think now that Summer has finally rolled around and the kids are all out of school, I will take a some "me time" to knock some of these things off my list:

1) More crafting.  I have way more free time now, than I did 2 years ago.  

Time to busy myself making more things like this:

(little sailboat themed hair-band made by me 2yrs ago)

2) Teach myself to dive.  Yes, I am turning 31 next month and I don't know how to dive.

I have always been a little afraid of being fully submerged in water but not anymore!

(those are my super white legs. I'm not going to look like leather as an old lady)

3) Learn to make the perfect pie crust.  I need to do this during the Summer so by the time the Holidays roll around, I will have honed my skills :)

(that is a pre-made crust. boooo for me)

4) Not cut my hair.  This is more of a "don't than a "to-do" and all of you that are reading this who know me in real life are probably saying to yourselves "Fat chance, Casey!". But I am making this a goal, dang it! 

I WILL NOT CUT MY HAIR (other than a trim)

(I am 3 in this pic which is probably the last time my hair was long)

5) Bike the American River Parkway. I mean, it's right next to me.  I should take advantage of that.

(my cool hand-me-down bike. Thanks Grandma!)

6) Get over it.  And by it, I mean me.  I don't have to be perfect. I'm not perfect. You're not perfect. 

Nobody is. I'm me. And that is just fine. More than fine. In fact, I'd say it's pretty amazing.

(yep, there I am, in all my imperfect perfection!)

What are your Summer goals and to-do lists?