Changed for the better

What a strange, emotional day.

Knowing that it's your last few days of a chapter slows you down and racks your body with all kinds of emotions. It began with an early wakeup, an eagerness that I haven't felt all year to prepare for school and be there early. I arrived in the parking lot and hesitated thinking maybe it was Saturday, seeing as it was nearly empty and I was there before my work-wife. That NEVER happens.

I took the long way towards the double doors, savoring the bit of pride that swells up every once in a while that this is MY school. I have the greatest teaching job here, impressionable minds to look forward to, the sweetest friends a girl could ask for. And for a moment I was saddened that the joy I once felt when coming to school had been buried, but isn't that what happens when you work at any career for any length of time?

I sat at my desk in my quiet classroom, savoring the solitude before another crazy day. My second-to-last.

And then the goodbyes began... students and teachers who weren't sure if they'd see me on my final day, and it was too much. Group hugs where an entire class managed to squeeze the life out of me. Little ones begging for my Instagram account so they could follow my adventures. Messages like this:

And okay, I'll be honest, one class pretty said "Peace out Mrs. Checchia, have a good life!" without any sniffles or accolades and I was left chuckling to myself, thinking, well great, glad to have spent the last year of my life investing into your well-being. Whatevs. 

I can't wrap my mind around the enormity of ending this chapter... of, more or less, trekking in a different direction and knowing, quite frankly, that there may be people that I won't see for a good, long while. Goodbyes aren't sufficient enough, for what I really mean is, "Hey, thanks for helping shape who I am, for believing in me and teaching ME about what it means to truly live....." Because that's what I want the people I've come to love these past 5 years to know.

Tomorrow is going to be an even stranger mix of emotions... like a bandaid being ripped off, mixed with joy and a sense of completion, sorrow, fear, love... but above all, peace. 

This song from Wicked sums my heart up perfectly:

I've heard it said,
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are lead to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them.
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you.

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime.
So, let me say before we part:
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you'll have rewritten mine
By being my friend.

Because I knew you
I have been changed...
For good.

Much love to you all. 

i should be...

I should be ::cleaningpackingrunningcookingmealsplanningorganizing:: but instead I'm pretending like my life isn't about to be upended.... routine as usual. Come home. Blog or read. Lounge on couch with hubby, watch TV shows, early bedtime.

Instead I'm still planning and creating quilts.

I'm growing tomatoes and peppers in the hopes that I'll get something edible before departure (SO not happening.)

I'm taking Diego to the beach every warm chance we get.

I'm eating out like a crazy person on a mission to eat at all my favorite places one. last. time.

Until we have that date, this still isn't happening. Mike was supposed to start on the first of May (next week!!) but our house still looks like we live here and aren't vacating the premises soon. I need a kick in the butt to get movin'.

For now, I'll enjoy this sudden blast of cool weather on the porch with a La Croix and my best buddy D, whom will soon be departing Florida for a sabbatical in the Northwest.

Weekend Highlights

Life is a merry-go-round of paperwork, Craigslist ads and decision-making. Still no insight as to which apartment to choose, as we are (not so) patiently waiting to hear back from our grand-move-coordinator on some deets that will affect the outcome.

And in other news, I have two (TWO!) more weeks of teaching. Whaaaaaaattttt?!

I'll save reflecting on that whole situation for later.

For now, it's all about crossing places off the St. Augustine/Jacksonville bucket list. There are places to dine, beaches to visit, and friends to (temporarily!!) say "see-you-soon!" to. Not goodbye, never goodbye.


Weekend highlights:

Somebody wanted to help with the garage sale...

"Cavesingers." Awesome.

Mom and dad were gracious enough to devote their Saturday to the worthy cause that was the garage sale. We celebrated afterwards with a sunset and Bloody Marys from Caps. 

a tornado came through

My once-put-together bedrooms have entered a state of disarray. 
The Gator game room has transformed into impending-garage sale room.

The 'Blue Room' a 'Let's take this to Germany' and 'Stuff I stole from our parents and should probably give back' room:

Through this whole process I've been constantly reminded to take each day at a time and to only be concerned about the known facts. Fact? We know it's Frankfurt. Fact? We know we're going, we can take what we want, and my last day is the 26th of April.

And at this point, that's about it. No need to stress over the unknown; it will take care of itself hopefully sooner than later.

In other news, tomorrow brings about a garage sale of epic proportions. Hopefully I can get through this one without having to lock myself in my room for a good cry when my childhood memories are being hauled away for pennies. Good thing my parents & friends will be there for moral support. And a pitcher of mimosas. 

Let the Whirlwind Begin

It wasn't until I moved to Gainesville that I began to take notice of the onset of spring in north Florida.

It's not a gradual change; rather, one weekend the tree limbs are bare and your grass looks like it will never be revived and then out of nowhere, you're surrounded by fluorescent green leaves that have taken over the once-naked branches and the grass doesn't seem so dismal. I mean, last week I was scraping frost off my windshield and all of the sudden, birds are chirping and weeds are taking over the yard. Every year I'm taken by surprise like it's something new.

This onslaught of spring is indicative of my life in a profound way:

We know where we're going.

We have an idea of when.

And it's extremely soon.

We knew it would come about like this, but now that the time has come, I can barely wrap my mind around the enormous task of ending our era here and relocating to an entirely different culture. At this point, it's not the new-city part that's daunting; it's the details within the grand move itself. One thought about a task that needs to be accomplished leads into the next thought, which then, like an avalanche, brusquely plows through my brain and causes uncalled for lashing out at poor husbands.

Today, conversations friends over ham and cheese sandwiches on the porch offered a sweet reminder to simply sit back and relax. Fight for each day; all will be taken care of in due time. And in a sense, I find myself at times enjoying the stress-somewhat, that fear and excitement of holycrapwhatdecisionsamisupposedtomakeforthislifejourney kind of feeling that we experienced every year in college, but start missing when we get into the rut of working life.

So, Frankfurt here we come. We're thrilled to call you our temporary 'home' and hope everyone will come visit. Often.

This picture has absolutely no correlation to what Frankfurt is like. But isn't it the first image that comes to mind? 

Spring Break, Part Uno

A couple of months ago I received a phone call from my momma that went something like this:

Mom: Want to go on a cruise with me? I'll pay.

Me: .... is this a joke?

What better way to kick off spring break?

Albeit it was sightly chilly for us Floridians and we couldn't get in the water--we had a blast.

I'm pretty sure I read for 8 straight hours a day.

 We lost money on slots, ate our faces off, and woke up early enough for the sunrise every morning.

I'm beyond thankful for her friendship, for the easy way we travel and share life together. 

She's a keeper, this mom of ours.

(Annie was sorely missed. She texted us a picture as we embarked of the snow blanketing her front lawn. 

Why can't we live closer to each other?!)