We love sunshine!

Spring is playing games with us this year.  We will get small glimpses of it one day, then have clouds, cold, and rain for 6 days, then have the sunshine back but chilly temperatures...all making it very difficult to get my favorite little toddler some quality time outside.  Yesterday, the sun finally made an appearance after hiding for over a week, so despite the fact that it was still chilly, we spent a few hours outside.  We HAD to.  It looks like the next 10 days will be warmer, with temps reaching the 70's...I will take it!

Vinnie and I are "enjoying" our last weekend just the two of us.  Both of us are fighting a bit of a cold bug, so we are not feeling the greatest, but we are trying to make the most of it!  Vinnie was a great helper in our usual Saturday morning routine yesterday.  He manned the list while we navigated the grocery store, and enjoyed a car wash adventure after.  Having him in such a good mood, I decided to take advantage, and bounced down to Hobby Lobby in Coralville one last time, where we picked up some supplies for some handmade gifts for the wonderful men in our lives!  We also picked up a movie, "Free Bird" and enjoyed a movie night together.  Vinnie was a fan!

Today has been very productive.  Vinnie slept late, and I didn't, so I had a chance to get a jump on laundry and wrapping up the production of my final PrairieWood Video yearbook.  I will be sure to share it with all of you once it is perfect! ;-)

20 days in Iowa remain...less than 3 weeks.  That is just crazy!  There is so much to do between now and then.  Fortunately, Jon returns to Iowa for 10 days next Friday.  The last week in May Vinnie will head to daycare, I will head to work, and Jon will spend his days packing up the house and wrapping up loose ends.  My parents and brother-in-law will arrive May 30th for to help pack up a moving van, and on Monday, June 2nd all of them will make the trip to Minnesota.  Vinnie will spend the next week with Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Keimig.  I will spend the week wrapping up school in Iowa, and on June 6th we will all reunite in Buffalo, at the Gibas house, where we will stay until we find and can move into a house of our own.  What a summer it will be with family surrounding us, and all the preparations for our new life together in Minnesota.  I am so excited.  Thoughts of what is next is what helps me get through the anxiety over this very crazy time!

We are also doing our best to prepare Vinnie for this transition.  He knows very soon we will be with family in Minnesota and is excited to be with Daddy again.  I fear that once the toys start being packed away, and the house is cleared out, he will become anxious and scared.  I have found some books to help him understand moving, and we hope to involve him in the packing of the toys so that he better understands that we are not getting rid of them, that he will see them again in a new house in Minnesota.  This may be easier said than done...we will see.  We know we have some hard times ahead of us with many transitions and changes occurring within a very short time.  But, we also know that we will have the love and support of friends and family so close by!

WE ARE ALMOST THERE!!!

All our love from Iowa!

The last few pieces of the puzzle...

It seems fitting that I sit down to write a post on the the pieces that remain in putting together the puzzle that is our move home on May 6th.  Today marks exactly one month until we are all together again.  One month from now, while we may not be settling into our new home together quite yet, we will be settling into life together, all under one roof. 

A sweet treat from Jon to celebrate my new job!

One large puzzle piece was put in place this past weekend.  Thursday afternoon, after picking Vinnie up from daycare, we traveled the 5 hour journey to the Twin Cities.  Then, on Friday morning I made my way around the metro area for 3 interviews, receiving job offers from each.  Ultimately, it was decided that the best for me and our family was to accept the position at Mounds View High School, a suburb just north of the Twin Cities.  While each of the jobs provided a slew of positives and possibilities, this one just felt right.  I am anxious to be teaching in a DCD classroom in the high school setting with great students and a great support system surrounding the program. 

With my job lined up, only a few puzzle pieces remain before our world can be put back together again.  Once I arrive, we will begin hitting the house hunt very hard. We are looking to live in the Mounds View school district, allowing me to be close to work, Jon to have a shorter commute, and possibly accessibility to public transportation, and providing a great foundation for Vinnie to begin school and for us to raise future children.  We cannot wait!

The countdown I have running on my phone...one month!

Thank you to everyone who said prayers for my job search and who covered us in prayer through this entire process.  We got through this with very minimal bumps in the road and I am confident that is all thanks to your continual prayers and support!

All that remains is wrapping up and packing up our lives here in Cedar Rapids.  Jon will join us this weekend and then return for Memorial day weekend and the week leading up to the move to help with packing and cleaning.  On Monday, June 1st the moving truck along with Vinnie following in my parents car will make their last trip north and I will follow after wrapping up my last school week.

It is so close...