BOOM. Sometimes I feel like my life is a ticking time bomb right now. Well, I guess that kind of gives off the impression that things are bad. They aren’t bad. Just a tad stressful. Maybe my situation should be likened to a giant table full of dominos standing on end, waiting for that one to fall so that everything else can get into place.

Either way, THERE’S A LOT GOING ON IN MY LIFE THIS MONTH. If you’d ask me what I’m doing at any given moment you might get an answer like:

  • Packing
  • Crying uncontrollably
  • Wiping red mud off our adorable puppy huge oversized pseudo-puppy
  • Packing
  • Taking reaghan to ice skating/camp/swimming
  • Curled up naked in the shower biting my knees wishing I were dead (LOL/JK. But thanks Ludo for the funny line.)
  • Packing

That’s kind of a funny list of what we’ve been doing. But, here’s a quick idea of how things are actually going. Hmm. Maybe not so different from the first list.

The Move

Packing is….going. It’s stressful. I hate it. Every time I look around I feel like I find more and more things. We’ve gotten rid of SO much. It’s amazing. After a slight meltdown Sunday Matt said we could have the movers pack a little more than originally planned… Thank goodness! They were originally going to just do breakables, but we’re now going to have them do miscellaneous items like lamps, some electronics and tools, etc. from the garage. Cuz really, how DO you pack that stuff?!?

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What's left of my closet. One more Wardrobe box to go.

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Tons and tons of boxes in the garage.

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Reaghan's closet & what's left of her clothes.

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Playroom Closet

Reaghan has actually been a very big helper. She loves packing and is in charge of writing the contents on all the boxes, along with hearts and peace signs. :)

The movers will be here June 29 to pack. They’ll load the truck on the 30th and head out. Scheduled delivery in Anacortes is between July 6-9.

Matt flies in to OKC on July 1. We will have a U-Haul for a few items the movers won’t take, luggage, etc. We will all drive to Kansas on the 2nd, spend the 4th at my Dad’s and then July 5th Matt will fly back to Washington to meet the movers. Reaghan, Denise, the puppy, 2 cats and I will head out Oregon Trail style for Washington. (Sans covered wagons.)

Route we will take from Tonganoxie, KS

We aren’t on any kind of timeline, but if we drove about 8 hours a day we’d be there by Thursday afternoon. We will see. Some of the roads will be pretty mountainous. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m kind of looking forward to the drive. I may have a totally different opinion once I get there, but I think it will be kind of cathartic in a way. Y’all knew I was crazy already, right?

Shelby

What can we say about Shelby? We love this dog silly. I’m not sure we can still call her our little puppy anymore, though. At 6 months she probably weighs in close to 40 pounds. When we take her on walks people ask, “What happened to your puppy?” And at obedience class they say she grows every week. Yes. I know. I think she grows EVERY DAY.

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Shelby today. So heavy Reaghan can't lift her.

Reaghan and Shelby, just after she was surprised.

Shelby the first day we had her.

We’ve had her in classes since the first few weeks we’ve had her. She seems to love them and has come a long way. She’s still definitely a puppy, but the classes have really helped us keep her under control. Big, jumpy dogs freak me out, so I’ve made it my mission in life that she will NOT be that kind of dog. I think we’re on the right track. I have high hopes that one day she’ll be my furry little running partner.

Reaghan’s Dance Recital

Reaghan’s dance recital was the first weekend in June. She dances with Range of Motion studio. We are really going to miss it. It’s a great studio. I love that their recital is actually a production. This year they did “Clue.” It was really good. All the dancers are fantastic and each class does a piece that fits into the production somehow. This year Reaghan was a flower in the Conservatory.

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The other great thing is that they use really fun music. I downloaded several songs that they played during the recital. Here are two of my favorites. Reaghan and I have been listening to these two songs over and over.

These are a few other new albums I’m looking forward to listening to this summer…

Of course, Echos from Airplanes‘ new EP was just released on iTunes. You can download it here. I can’t wait to listen to that on the drive to Washington.

Also, Ludo will be releasing their new album August 17th. As always, looking forward to their music. ‘Cuz, you know, I’m a Ludo groupie and all. Seriously hoping they’ll be touring somewhere on the West Coast this fall!

Going Away :(

Saying goodbye to my friends has been one of the hardest things that I’ve had to do. I know that I will get to keep in touch with so many of the great girlfriends that I have here, but it really does make me sad. I’ve absolutely loved getting to run with the great girls of runHers. I know I’ve said it many times, but there’s no way I could have made it with out those girls!

My running besties!

L to R: Wendi, Abbie, Amy, Me, Ashley & Kristin

Also, my sister, Kristin and my real-life BFF, Shannon, surprised me by planning a birthday party for me last month. It was so funny. I had NO idea. Kristin and Mom took me for manis/pedis and shopping. Were supposed to eat dinner after. I argued and argued about where to go for dinner… We wound up at Belle Isle Brewery and to my great surprise, many of my best friends and people I’ve known the longest from OKC were there! Love those two girls!

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L to R: Kristin, Shannon, Stephanie, Me, Mom, Howard, Gabby, Adddison, Dana, Dave, Deidre, Jason

May/June Wrap-Up

Yes, I’m still running! I had hoped to keep my mileage pretty high this summer (meaning mid-week 10’s and long run 15’s). But, sheesh. This heat and humidity has really hindered me there. I’ve been lucky to do 5-6 miles during the week and 8-9 miles on the weekend. Without Matt here I just can’t get up in the morning to get my runs in, so I’m going during the heat of the day or late in the evening. So looking forward to that cooler weather in Washington!

One of the geeky things I love doing is Gowallaing. I’m not ashamed. :) It’s a fun little GPS-based app where you check-in to spots around town when you visit them. You have “friends” that you can follow, make comments and post pictures of the spots. You also randomly acquire pins and digital items as you check in. You then add these items to your collection. I guess the point is to try to obtain all the items. I have a long way to go there. Occasionally, you can win real life things. Once I won a real life “Ollie, the Twitterrific Bird” by being one of 100 people to check into an Apple store. That was pretty exciting. :)

Ollie, The Twitterrific Bird

I created a Trip titled “TheRealKami’s Eat Before Moving List” including some my favorite places to eat in Edmond and Oklahoma City. I only have one to go, and will remedy that tonight!

Screenshot of what message you will get when you check into one of "TheRealKami's Eat Before Moving List" sites.

Otherwise… we’re counting down the days. Excited to go, sad to leave.

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Reaghan & Gabby after their performance, May 2010

After their performance, May 2010

Yesterday, Reaghan and her best-friend-since-birth, Gabby, performed a hula hooping routine at the Deer Creek Elementary Talent Show. They had a great time. The girls have been hula hooping forever and have learned a lot of cute tricks. We had fun helping them practice and pick out matching outfits for the routine. They had to have their hair the same, same shirt, shorts and shoes. They looked so cute.

Reaghan and Gabby have been friends since they were born. Gabby’s mom, Dana, and I have known each other since 1997 when I was a student at Jim Thorpe on one of my clinical rotations. She is an Occupational Therapist as well. When I moved back to Oklahoma in 1998 we became friends, and once Matt entered the picture the four of us started doing a lot  of things together. Dana’s husband introduced Matt to Cycling and Dana introduced me to running.

Gabby was born in May, 2003 and three months later, Reaghan was born. Gabby even visited Reaghan in the hospital! A few months later, we moved into the same neighborhood as our friends. The girls have lived down the street from each other ever since. They are so close that most of the time they act like sisters fighting! And a lot of times when Dana or I have them out together we get asked if they’re twins. Lord help us if these two ever were actually twins! Reaghan frequently asks questions to clarify her relationship to Gabby. “So, she’s *not* my sister, but she’s kind of like my sister?” or “Is Dana my other mom? My not related mom?” (Oh, the tears as I write this! I’m glad I’m home by myself this morning.)

I’m not sure what we’re going to do without these guys. Our families depend on each other for so much: groceries, dinners, child care! The first thing Reaghan said when we told her we were moving was, “So I won’t get to see Gabby every day?” :( Some friends come and go in life, but there are some that touch your lives and stay. I know that these guys are the kind that stay. We keep enticing them to come visit with all the stories of great places to cycle, run and ski.

Below is the video of Reaghan and Gabby hula hooping yesterday. And then, to make things even more sad, I’ve added some pictures of Reaghan and Gabby through the years.

In Utero, Spring 2003

In Utero, Spring 2003

Hospital, August 2003

Hospital, August 2003

Halloween, 2003

Halloween, 2003

OU-OSU 2003

OU-OSU 2003

Halloween, 2004

Halloween, 2004

October, 2005

October, 2005

Halloween, 2005

Halloween, 2005

Dance Recital, June 2006

Dance Recital, June 2006

Summer, 2006

Summer, 2006

4th of July Parade, 2006

4th of July Parade, 2006

Halloween, 2006

Halloween, 2006

School Program, May 2007

School Program, May 2007

Zoo, July 2007

Zoo, July 2007

Dance Recital, June 2007

Dance Recital, June 2007

December 2007

December 2007

4th of July Parade, 2008

4th of July Parade, 2008

First Day of Kindergarten, 2008

First Day of Kindergarten, 2008

Halloween, 2008

Halloween, 2008

Cheerleading @ DCHS, 2009

Cheerleading @ DCHS, 2009

Talimina, Spring 2009

Talimina, Spring 2009

Talimina, Spring 2009

Talimina, Spring 2009

Reaghan and her BFF, May 2009

Kindergarten Graduation, May 2009

Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009

BFFs, Spring 2010

BFFs, Spring 2010

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Sometimes a puppy is exactly what you thought you DIDN’T need, but it turns out it is the sweetest thing ever.

May 7, 2010
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I know everyone probably thinks I’m crazy. I mean, why? WHY? get a puppy now? A puppy which is practically like having a baby. With the getting up in the middle of the night and the crying and the potty accidents. I know, it is crazy. I am crazy. But what’s one more thing added [...]

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One of my favorite playlists when I just want to chill.

May 3, 2010
Thumbnail image for One of my favorite playlists when I just want to chill.

This is one of my favorite playlists right now. It’s a good mix of songs that I love and enjoy listening to while just hanging out. I also love listening to it when I’m driving. So much so that the other day Reaghan asked, “Mom, why do we keep listening to these songs over and [...]

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Even Sunshine Burns If You Get Too Much

April 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Even Sunshine Burns If You Get Too Much

I found this poem in the Lawrence Journal-World sometime around my junior or senior year of high school. I’m sure I thought it applied to something going on in my life at the moment. Although, I can’t remember what. Aren’t all things in high school trivial? But it really meant something to me. So much [...]

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