Our last normal day

Today will be our last normal day in Ohio.  Nathan will be going off with his friend Braden to the lake and Sarah will have her last tumbling class at the gym and then will be hanging out with Mackie and the other Sarah.  Tonight Dave comes home. Tomorrow the movers come.  Where did the time go? 

Last things and packing lists

Even though I am still not sleeping well, I woke up excited this morning.  The end is in sight and I have a plan for the next few days.  Today both bigs will be with friends either here or there.  I have a few more phone calls to make to change addresses and final arrangements.  Tomorrow I am planning on packing up our stuff for the plan and some stuff for the "Man Only Road Trip".  Wednesday the movers come and I am eager to know when they plan on arriving with our stuff.  Dave left last night and will be home Wednesday night.  We leave for the airport Thursday morning and should be at the hotel by late afternoon. 
Friday we plan on heading to our new house to start stocking on basics and planning out where everything goes so we are prepared for the movers.  We are hoping that the 'Men' will arrive by Saturday evening.  We will then be in vacation mode until our stuff shows up so it will be a real balance between our eagerness to start putting our stamp on the house (we want to add ceiling fans, etc) and enjoying Florida.
Here's a partial list of items that I think are essential to take with us on the plane:

1. water wings for ike
2. sand toys
3. ipods, computer, kindle and chargers
4. towels
5. legal documents--birth certificates, baptismal certificates, etc.
6. gum so our ears will pop
7. post it notes so I can put labels up for the movers at the new house
8. scissors which I will put in our checked bag so they won't be confiscated

There is a whole seperate list for the van:

1. Tank and Japaneese Manager and food for both
2. Tank's leash and water dish
3. Propane tank and other items movers can't take
4. Towels
5. Tank's crate?  in case we don't make it to the boarder on time on Saturday

Things we will miss about Ohio

We moved to Ohio in September of 2002.  Dave had been in Columbus for a week, came home and then we packed up some clothes, some toys, 2 babies and 2 dogs and headed to an apartment off Morse Road next to Easton.   Oh the places we have gone since!

Here's some of the stuff we will miss about Ohio:

1. The Ballons.  The Hall of Fame Festival features a hot air balloon festival.  It's my favorite thing about NE Ohio.
2. Picking apples.  We went the first time with my friends Connie and Sarah in Columbus and I was hooked.  We have gone at least once a year and we love it. 
3. The Fall.  We love to go for a hay ride, pick pumpkins and pull out our hoodies.
4. Proximity to Woodloch.  Our annual summer family vacation spot in the Poconos.  We should be leaving tomorrow but decided last summer not to put down a deposit in case we were moving.
5. How warm 45 degrees feels in March.
6. Deep pools.  In Florida, most of the pools seem to be only 5 feet deep.
7. Basements.

It goes without saying that there are so MANY people we will miss and to make a list would be obnoxious.  In Ohio we lived in Columbus (Pickerington), Sidney and Jackson.  Every place we had a circle of friends who we adore.  I reminded the kids while it is so sad to leave our friends behind, it would be even more sad if we were leaving here wiping the dust from our feet.  So, friends of mine, book your tickets for Florida now!  The door will be open and your room will be ready and the beach is just 15 miles away :)

The long goodbye (by Amy)

The last couple of weeks we have been completely immersed into summer fun. Nathan has been off with school and hockey friends, especially his friend Braden. They have been to the farm, riding the 4-wheelers, out on the lake and shooting pellet guns. He also has been playing with the neighbors Matthew and Michael. I feel like he has been gone more than he has been here.  Sarah has been off with MacKenzie and some friends from school. She has been to the water park, to the fair, and to a million sleepovers. Tonight she is going to the movies and is gone right now at Mackie's for a sleepover. The littles are enjoying the bigs being home and playing with Mara from next door. Both the bigs are now 11 and we had parties for each of them. Nathan's was mostly hockey boys and Sarah's mostly cheerleaders. They both had some kids from school as well and it is so crazy to think that we have been here for 6 years. At Sarah's party, our dear friends Kim and Mackie made the most beautiful Imovie of pictures of Sarah over the last 3 years. I was in tears with the first picture.

Also last week, my friend Kara from Chicago came to go out to dinner with me and some other friends including Plank, Clarissa, Gwenn, Laurie, Sarah, Christina and Keri. The next day I went out with two other friends Kim and Kelly. I hope to get together with a few more people before I leave.

We have come so far and done so much here. When we got here it was Dave, the bigs, Dexter and Duncan. We came here thinking we would be here a couple of years before moving on. We came here thinking out family was complete. Over the past 6 years we lost our two sweet bulldogs and gained Tank. We had the double miracle of Z and then baby Ike. We made friends, some of whom came in and out of our lives and some we will keep forever. It is so hard to say goodbye, but I have to remember that our goal has always been to go out and seek and claim the life we want and not just the one that comes to us. I know that life is what we make of it and as long as we are together it will be even more amazing than I can imagine, but I really wish I could take some of you with us!

Baby Ike with Dexter and Duncan

Mara and Sarah.

Nathan and Matthew

Sarah and Mackie coming home from Disney in 2010

The littles

Favorite Memories

Last day of school party!!!

This is our last month in Ohio, so i thought i
could hilight some of our favorite memories from Ohio.

playin with my friends at my 9th bday party

Taking photos at our vacation place Woodloch

playin in the pool

Us and neighbors playin in the snow

Me and my mom running the girls on the run 5k

Guest Post from my mom

In 25 days we will be leaving to start our new adventure in Florida.  We are excited, nervous and sad.  We have been in Ohio for 6 years and 17 days (but whose counting?) and we have made so many good friends here.  We are leaving behind both our hockey and our cheer families as well as friends made from Z and Ike's playgroup, school, the y and our neighborhood.  So let the countdowns begin:
3 more days of school
13 days until Nathan's party
19 days until the bigs' birthday
20 days until Sarah's party
25 days until Sarah, the littles and I get on the plane
26 days until Dave, Nathan, Tank and Japanese Manager start the drive.

Here's a picture of what we looked like when we first moved here:

The Hall of Fame Race

First day of school just a few months after we got here