Best Friends

Can I just go on record as saying I have THE BEST FRIENDS EVER??

In order to properly describe my appreciation for these people, I must preface all of this with some familial history:

For those of you who don't know...I do not have a very good (or, really ANY) relationship with my parents.  Both my mom and dad have issues that has made it impossible for me to have a relationship with them. 

Now, don't get me wrong....family is BEYOND important to me.  I have tried everything short of duct taping myself to their leg to have a close relationship with them.  Unfortunately, they both seem to have been infected with some sort of disease that does not allow you to give a shit about your daughter or grand kids and focus only on themselves. 

Harsh...yes, I know.  But the truth.

So all of this has made me a tad apprehensive about getting myself, and my kids, involved in any kind of a relationship outside of our immediate family.  I mean, really....if you can't trust your own MOTHER AND FATHER to care about you and your kids, how could you trust "just a friend" to care?

So along comes Joan and Carrie.  I met both of them at a parent committee meeting in Prescott.  They showed me the finer drinking establishments in Prescott...I baked them cakes.  We bonded.  So when we decided to move, guess who showed up to help?  Certainly not my parents, but Joan and Carrie.  They have cleaned my house, watched my kids, sold my junk at a garage sale.....they have listened to my worry, harassed me until I laughed and told me over and over that they appreciate me....just by being sad that we are leaving.  They would be the first to say that TO THEM this is no big deal, but to ME it has meant the world.

I have said many times that I don't know what I have done to deserve my kids...they are such a gift to me.  I now can add Joan and Carrie to that list because, really, they are such a huge blessing to us.

Which Way Do We Go George?

So we are trying to get from Point A....to, you guessed it....Point B.  Also known as Phoenix Arizona.

Since this IS a one time deal in terms of DRIVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, I had the GRAND idea that we should stop and see as many national treasures as possible.  I mean, when will we ever get to experience the Corn Palace, Mount Rushmore, the Rockies AND the Grand Canyon all in one trip, EVER again?

It could also be because the thought of driving 1600 miles with 3 kids in the car through the NOTHINGNESS of *Iowa, *Nebraska and *Kansas (please see the disclaimer below) makes me want to be knocked out RIGHT NOW, let alone while I am in the car with them.   Unfortunately, it is right smack through the middle of all of those NOTHINGNESS states that makes for the shortest trip possible. And honestly, if I am forced to drive to Arizona, I better make the best of it now.

The problem is that I want to cram as much "stuff" into this trip as possible.

"But what about Yellowstone??!! and Utah?? AND OOOOOOO...we could just drive straight across to California and see SAN FRANCISCO!!!! WAIT. Stop.  I have THE best idea!  We could just HEAD EAST and see NEW YORK TOO!"

Holy crap, when looking at a map, 1 inch may equal a 100 miles but I KNOW in the car it will equal 1000.





So I think I have it whittled down to Corn Palace, Mt Rushmore, Rockies and the Grand Canyon.  PLEASE pray that upon reaching the Grand Canyon, I don't just do a Thelma and Louise and drive straight off of a cliff!

*I apologize profusely to those of you who actually enjoy the nothingness of Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.  You are a better traveler than I!

The Dingalinges Reality Show!

 

So a good friend of mine recently told me that we should record our daily lives and let everyone laugh at our misfortune on a daily basis.  AKA...have a reality show.  Okay, so SHE didn't think of our family as a series of slap-stick comedy routines, but I sure do.

Daryl and I recounted a time when I so MAJESTICALLY announced that we are going to sell EVERYTHING WE OWN and live in an RV.  All five of us.  Together.  Trapped in an RV.  And record it.  Yeah...didn't happen.  Although looking back I realized that we would have most certainly been destined to appear on tv...COPS. 

Bad boy, bad boy...watcha gonna do....watcha gon

na do when they come for you?......AHEM.

I really don't know what I would do if we couldn't laugh, have fun and tease each other.  For all the times I complain that I don't get to have AFFECTION and CARING and RESPECT for each other or a DEEP AND MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS with one another (or in other words GIRL FEELINGS!  Their definition, not mine...ha!), I would literally go (look out for bad language ahead) BAT SHIT CRAZY if I couldn't laugh.

We are messy, loud, obnoxious.  But we also are loving, adventurous and hysterical.  I love that about us.  I don't know that I would mind putting my family on view for the world to see all of our flaws....I can handle the criticisms about our personalities...I just don't know if I could handle the 10 extra pounds the camera puts on.  :)

NEWS FLASH! GARAGE SALE!!

ATTENTION!

THE DINGALINGES ARE HAVING THE WORLDS BIGGEST MOVING SALE!

WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY and SATURDAY

 

MARCH 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd

 

 

Seriously people.  I am a world class hoarder and I have a LOT of crap really cool stuff to get rid of....ha!  I used to own a gift basket business and have A TON of gift basket supplies to get rid of.  Books, boys clothes from newborn up to 5t and shoes.  Did I mention we are getting rid of ALL OF OUR WINTER CRAP?  CHEAP??  Because, ya know...there is no snow in Phoenix...Ahem.

And don't think for a minute that you can wait until 5:00 pm on the 23rd to snap up the good stuff...GUESS WHAT?  IT WILL ALL BE GONE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD DEALS! 

Plus every single thing that is left is immediately going to Goodwill.  I am generous like that....:)

Swimming In Minnesota....

I promise, after I get just a little bit more out of my system,  I will stop with the frozen tundra jokes.  I really do not want to become ONE OF THOSE people....partly because we may very well end up BACK in Minnesota, and also because we will be in Arizona IN JULY. 

I fully expect to be paid back with "hot 'nuff for ya" comments. 

But (HA!  BUT...GET IT?!?! BUT!) for now, I will happily dive (HA!!  AGAIN!) into the pool (SERIOUSLY, I SHOULD DO STAND-UP) of joy I have for our move.

Aaahhhh....

What We Are Leaving Behind....Part 1

 

I am hyper-aware that we are leaving behind our family and friends; neighbors that have become more like surrogate parents than...well, neighbors.  My kids' best friends all live on the same street as us.  We have room to run and play...even if it only 4 months out of the year.  All of these things weigh heavily on our minds as we prepare for our adventure....

 

 

 

 

 

 

But wait....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are also leaving behind THE most important thing............................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS!

 

 

I need to say that the above picture was taken at 3:30 IN THE AFTERNOON!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND THIS!

 

 

I believe that the temp was a BALMY -12 this day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND THIS!!!!!

 

LOOK!  Ice, snow AND RAIN!  All in ONE day!  WOOHOO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND THIS!!!!!!!

 

OHHHHHH....LOOK!  Blue sky!  I can feel my vitamin D levels...well, BOTTOMING OUT.

Sorry.  Is it bad form to be just so DAMN HAPPY to be getting away from this?

The One That Changes Everything

 

 

I have never been one to embrace the status quo.  Looking back, I can see that my life, up until this point, has been a series of decisions made to satisfy my need for new experiences.  Motherhood has put somewhat of a damper on this impulse, due to my kids' need for stability (imagine a sarcastic eye roll here...ha!), but my need to explore hasn't gone away completely.  You can see bits of it in the pictures I post; the crafts/cakes/cupcakes/decorations/gifts I create.  Being a creature of habit, it drives my husband INSANE that I can drop everything and try something new.  I am forever trying to get him to expand his horizons while he is trying to get me to see the horizons we already have. 

That's why when he commented to me that he thought we should move to Arizona, I was surprised.  We had talked about doing it before...but there were always reasons he came up with for why it wouldn't work.  Our families, his job...but this time, the planets aligned and he seemed serious!  I think the countless conversations about following my dream (or perhaps nightmare...with 3 kids anyway) to travel in an RV and see the country may have helped.  We started doing some research and realized that the reasons we have stayed in the FROZEN TUNDRA don't really apply anymore.  So here we are....my family of 5....about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure (well, for us anyway) to relocate to Phoenix, AZ. 

I can tell you right now that this is going to be fun...maddening...frustrating and AMAZING. 

Care to join us on our journey?  Stay tuned! :)