Let’s Talk about Holiday Traditions

With Thanksgiving being over and Christmas fast approaching let’s talk about traditions. What traditions do you carry on with your family because they were your childhood traditions? What new traditions have you begun just since starting your own family? What traditions do you wish you could start but don’t to avoid causing any waves in your family?

I grew up with believing in Santa. I believed until 5th grade. This may be longer than the average person and probably had a lot to do with back then it was more popular or common to incorporate Santa in the Christmas holiday. I remember sitting in my 5th grade class and the teacher brought up the topic of Santa. Some kids said he wasn’t real and some said he was. The teacher quickly cleared that up and confirmed he wasn’t real. I cried right there in my class. I don’t know why I cried. Maybe because something I believed in for 10 years turned out to not exist. I know I was heartbroken. 

Fast forward to being saved by Christ almost 8 years ago now. Mateo was almost 2. Up until then I celebrated Christmas with him like I did when I was a child. We did presents from Santa. We went and took our picture on Santa’s lap. But something was different that following Christmas after I got saved. I felt a personal conviction about doing the “Santa” thing. David and I got engaged and had discussions about this, and thankfully we were on the same page. We didn’t want to lie to Mateo about Santa. As a Christian it is much more important for him to learn about Christ and know why we really celebrate Christmas. I would hate to lie to him about Santa, tell him about Christ and then when he discovers Santa isn’t real, not believe that anything he learned about Christ wasn’t real. 

Mateo took the Santa talk real well. Some may think that we robbed him of some sort of magic. We didn’t. He can enjoy Santa around the holidays, but he knows that he’s not real. We told him the story of Saint Nicholas and he has enjoyed learning that. But even more important he has enjoyed learning the story of the birth of baby Jesus, which is something that he will carry with him for eternity. 

Our traditions for Christmas now have nothing to do with how David and I grew up. When we got married we started fresh. All new traditions. We don’t do the advent calendars but instead do RAK’s (Random Acts of Kindness). We fill a bag with gifts that all have a RAK card attached that explain what this blessing is. The bag contains mostly small items like candles, candy canes, coffee mugs, and single packs of M&M’s. We randomly pass them out in the month of December to anyone we come in contact with. Sometimes this is the person checking my ID to the front gate, sometimes a server in a restaurant, a cashier at the store, or someone passing us on the sidewalk downtown. This brings the entire family out of their comfort zone but they get so excited after blessing someone with such a small gift. Christmas morning we eat homemade cinnamon rolls. We bake a cake for Jesus, and sing Happy Birthday. The kids make lists for us with what kind of gifts they want. They get stockings, stocking stuffers, and candy. Then they get three gifts, because Jesus got three gifts when he was born.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem,2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b]and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Friends and family, these are our traditions. I share them because I read a recent post on Facebook asking friends about Santa and how long everyone’s kids believed. I scrolled through the comments and one read “my kid would have believed longer but some kids at school ruined it for them, and those are the same kids that tell them about other “stuff” too.” So it made me think about how that parent is mad that a child is telling their child/children the truth about something. We teach our kids to do what’s right when we are with them and when we are not with them. We teach our children that lieing and stealing are both bad. But then some of us teach our children the truth that Santa isn’t real and a parent is getting mad for a child telling the truth. That is both crazy and ridiculous. My kids don’t run around shouting from the rooftops that Santa isn’t real, but if someone asks them about what they believe or wants to debate the realism of Santa, be ware they will tell that child the truth about Santa, Saint Nicholas, and Jesus. Shame on you for being mad at my child for telling the truth. Those parents would love my child in a different situation. Say your child wants to steal a candy bar and my child tells them it’s wrong. Are you then thankful he told the truth that it was wrong or would you have been happier if he encouraged the theft? 

  

I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas and think about your traditions and the traditions you are setting for your children. Don’t fear change. Please share some of your family traditions in the comments I would love to hear some of them.

Lonely

Definition of lonely

lonelier; loneliest

1a :being without company :lone

• too many lonely nights at home

b :cut off from others :solitary

• the train stopped frequently at lonely little stations
•  —Robert Hichens

2:not frequented by human beings :desolate 

• a lonely spot in the woods

3:sad from being alone :lonesome

• He was feeling lonely without his wife and children.

4:producing a feeling of bleakness or desolation 

• it's a lonely thing to be a champion
•  —G. B. Shaw

—

loneliness

 play  \ˈlōn-lē-nəs\ noun

     When we made the decision to apply for the year long job in Turkey this word "lonely" was nowhere in my vocabulary. Through the entire process this word never came up. After David left for Turkey part of me was missing. You get used to someone coming home everyday and saying "hi, how was your day?" You have adult interaction. Take that away and the word above describes exactly how I feel. I get so excited to talk to David and then when we hang up I cry because I miss him so much. Sure you can push the emotions aside, or try to block them out, but do I really want to become numb to a situation to where I feel nothing? Of course not. I would take this emotional roller coaster all day everyday just to feel what I feel for my Husband. I love him. I miss him. I would support this decision over and over again because it is something he wanted to do. It's great for his career which in return is great for our family in the long run. I just wish other military spouses talked about how hard being separated really is. It reminds me of when David and I were engaged. People don't want to tell you how hard marriage is because they don't want to scare you or sway any of your decisions. But it is the reality. When you get married, it's hard. When you are separated for deployments it's really hard. What is getting me through this? Prayer! Frequent talks with God, all day everyday. I was close with God before but now I am really close. I lean on Him with every emotion I have. I don't have David at home in the evenings to talk about my day or my struggles so I take them to God. It should have been like this way before but you get comfortable with the easy path and in my case it was easier to talk to David about everything because he was there but I see now there are things I should have been taking straight to my Heavenly Father.
     Friends have been a huge part of getting me through this deployment as well. I have friends text me to see how I am, and I totally appreciate those texts because they too, have families of their own and they stopped long enough to see how I was doing. I have friends swing by just to give me a hug, a cup of tea, lunch, or a gift basket with goodies for the kids. Some friends are praying for me daily. Some friends have offered to pick up groceries for me if I needed it. My heart is so full and these encounters mean so much more than my friends will ever know.
     Let's talk exercise. I am down about 8 lbs since David left. Not because I want to "get in shape" before he comes home but because I am insanely busy and always on the go. A few weeks after David left I realized that my yearly subscription for BeachBody on Demand had expired. I talked to him about renewing it, but after two weeks had passed I realized I just wasn't able to workout at home anymore. I joined back at Golds gym. It's been almost 2 years since I was a member here, but I am so happy to be back. I am happy to be back because they have free childcare. Don't judge me. Most people join a gym to get healthy, but I joined to have 1 hour to myself everyday and know that my kids are safe and having fun too. The bonus: I am getting back into shape during that hour. Anyone want to come with me? I get one free guest anytime I go.
     I am not sure about you but I go through phases where I read a ton of books. But other times I choose sleep or the television instead of reading. I recently started reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. So far it is a great book. He brought up a good point and it really led to some personal convictions. He mentions how when him and his wife first got married they were asking God to use them for great things. Everything they did was for the glory of God. But several years into their marriage they were debating on what kind of movie to watch together and just couldn't agree. I can totally relate to this. When David and I first got married we would sit down to watch a show or movie together and it wasn't difficult to agree on one. Mostly because we were just happy to be spending time together and what we watched didn't matter. So when does this change? It isn't one defining moment, it happens little by little without even being aware. My conviction came last week when I was watching a particular show on Netflix. It had great reviews, and several recommendations from people I know. But after the first season it headed in a different direction. There were random sex scenes with full nudity, horrible language, and then things I probably wouldn't watch if my Husband were sitting there next to me. At what point did I lose some of me? Some of that girl that got saved almost 7 years ago? God knew what my weaknesses were and the things that were not pleasing to Him and He took them all away. It didn't happen slowly over time for me like it does for some other people. He took them away immediately. I wanted to do nothing more than to serve God, and I still do now, but it is different. Over the last few years I have slowly given in on a show because it had good reviews. Or reached for a glass of wine to relax instead of outlets I reached for when I was first saved like prayer or studying my bible. I am not saying if you drink or watch shows with nudity that you are a bad person, these are my personal convictions. I am just trying to figure out how I got to the place where I am.
    Please be praying for my family and I. Prayers for the things of this world that can lead us away from God that they find no place in our family or our home. Prayers for David's trip to come visit us in March. Prayers for selling our home when it's time. We have a wonderful family that I truly believe God brought together to further His kingdom. Let us not forget who we are and what our purpose on this earth is really for. 

Today wasn't just an ordinary day

Let's skip to the part about my day where we drove David to the airport. We headed to the airport about one this afternoon. I knew that his bags were heavy and he had 3 total so I told him I would let him out at the drop off area and go park and then the kids and I would meet him inside to say our goodbyes. We did as planned and walked him to the terminal and each one of us gave hugs and said our goodbyes. I hugged David last and we lingered for a few minutes with our hugs. He told me its going to be a tough year. We said our I love You's, kissed, and parted ways. People were giving me all sorts of looks, I guess because I was crying. Aren't there a lot of "Hello's" and "Goodbye's" exchanged at airports? The kids and I decided to go have a seat and watch planes take off for a little bit. This was nice because I was able to let my tears dry up and my blurred vision correct itself. The kids were really hoping to see Daddy's plane take off, but I knew we wouldn't get to see his exact plane unless we stayed for two more hours. David ended up walking by while we were plane watching but he was on the other side of what could be a 10 inch thick sound resistant glass wall. So there were some goodbye's mouthed and waves exchanged and then he headed to his gate. As he walked away I could see it in his eyes he hated to leave us. Not just leave us sitting there on the other side of the glass but leave us for a year. We continued plane watching for about twenty more minutes because my vision was all blurred again from the dad gum tears. He then came back to see if we were still there, he hung out for a minute talked (read lips) through the glass and then headed to his gate for the last time. I couldn't stay any longer it was too hard to watch him leave multiple times. So I took the boys into the gift shop and let the little ones pick out a plane that looked like Daddy's.

As we were leaving the top floor of the parking garage Nico noticed a plane out of his window that looked like Daddy's so I parked again, we all jumped out to watch "Daddy's plane" take off. They were so happy. We headed home so I could throw dinner in the oven. Then, the boys and I had a Nerf War. If you have ever come over to my house or ever plan to come by, beware. Nerf Wars can break out at any moment. I recently purchased 500 brand new Nerf (knockoff) bullets from eBay for just $15, so we stay loaded in our house. 

Then comes dinner. We sat down to eat and it just wasn't the same having an empty chair at the head of the table. Then we headed outside for a 30 minutes bike ride. By bike ride I mean Mateo rode his bike and I rode my bike pulling a double bike trailer filled with 70 lbs of Nico and Jacoby. My legs were on fire. Bath time quickly came and then bed time. Nico couldn't find his recently purchased airplane and Jacoby played with his so much the last few hours it already needed new batteries. This is where it was hard. Jacoby said the same thing tonight that he says every night and didn't realize what he was saying. He always asks if he can sit in Mateo's bed (the top bunk) while Daddy reads. I said well Daddy isn't reading tonight, and then had to start all over again telling him and Nico about why Daddy isn't home and where he is at. I attempted, and successfully filled in for David reading the Hardy Boys Book to the boys tonight. Yay! And then they convinced me to read a few other small books too. I was pooped at four this afternoon and that much more tired by 7:30 when I tucked in the final of the three. I was able to chat with a girlfriend for a bit (longer than 5 minutes, not locked in a bathroom, and with complete silence in the background this was a definite MOMWIN! After dishes and putting dinner away I felt wound up but physically exhausted. So I turned on my P.M. Yoga and lit some essential oils and relaxed. It was so nice. 

For those that may be wondering, my diffuser has about 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil with 2-3 drops of Eden's Garden Stress Relief Essential Oil. It is amazing to smell and so relaxing. 

No the cat didn't do Yoga, I couldn't get him off the mat to take the picture. 

This program is so great for anyone at any level doing Yoga. BeachBody on Demand, workout anywhere anytime. 

I want to thank everyone who has called, stopped by, sent a message, mailed packages, given cards with words of encouragement, and has been praying for us. This is going to be a tough year. But I do know that God will take care of us. There are so many people reaching out to me and letting me know that I can call them anytime and I am so thankful that I am not alone. This is the longest that David and I will be separated but hopefully it will fly by. He will get to come home for a mid tour but we won't know any dates until he arrives at his base in Turkey. And for those wondering if I will try to keep pushing forward or if I will take time for myself you can rest easy. I am already working on my plans for this week with the babysitter. Please continue praying for our family, it is hard on each one of us for different reasons. I will keep everyone posted via this blog, thanks for stopping by. Now it is definitely time for bed, goodnight. 

The Current Happenings in the Hardy Household

We found out about 3 weeks ago that the boys and I will not be able to move to Italy a year early. To say that I wasn't and still am not just a little disappointed would be a lie. I am sad but happy. I am disappointed but totally complacent at the same time. This is something that I have been praying about for 6 months to a year. God has a plan and a purpose for our family. I know that God can and will use us for great things no matter what part of the country we live in. I am sure you want to know what happened. Why were we going to move and now we aren't? Well, we were misinformed at the base here. They didn't see any problems with us moving early. We had everything signed and were just awaiting our Visa's. David called someone in Aviano and talked to them about our situation and was quickly informed that we couldn't go early. The military will only pay for one move a year, and the week prior we just packed up and shipped David's things for Turkey. That was the "one" move. He was also told there would be a lot more out of pocket expenses for us living in Italy without our Sponsor (David). So we are here, in Charleston SC until August 2018. I have also been asked, "Well, how do you know you will even be going to Italy next August?" "Can't they change that too?" Our follow on orders for Aviano, Italy for August 2018, so that is where and when we will be officially moving. Please be praying for our family this next year as David will be leaving Charleston and headed to Turkey August 6th.

Lets talk about my phone for just a second. I know I mentioned in a previous blog that I deleted the Facebook App. This has been a great thing for me and my family. I am no longer endlessly just scrolling through to read updates and look at posted pictures when I could instead be living in the moment with my family. This doesn't mean I am ignoring phone calls, text messages, or even Facebook messenger it is just not a priority to me. Over the last week I have had to search for my phone on numerous occasions. Not because one of the children moved it but simply because it isn't this important "object" that I have to keep up with all day anymore. Let's be real a few weeks ago I would have completely freaked out if my phone was MIA for even just a few minutes, but now I know its around the house somewhere. The first time I couldn't find it, I searched high and low. Ended up finding it in a closet with my Bible and notebook that I had been previously reading that morning. The last time I misplaced it, I laughed out loud for just a moment as I thought about how just a few short months ago this would have never happened. I had to go into the bathroom to help Jacoby wash his hands and I guess I sat the phone down on something in there. A few hours later, and after a house of 6 people have been in and out of this said bathroom not one person even noticed the phone just sitting there.  I know that there are a lot of my friends that run their businesses on Facebook and therefore can't do this, but for me it has been a very welcoming change.

Today the family and I went to Target in search of bathing suits for myself and David. I was successful after trying on what felt like thirty swimsuits. Let me be real, one of the thirty bathing suits fit. There is nothing I would love to avoid more than trying on swim suits. Not because of my body, or because the kids may drive me crazy pretending they are on TV watching themselves on the security monitors. Simply because bathing suits just aren't made like they used to be. You have a variety of One Pieces, Tankini's, Bikini's, cheeky bottoms, fully coverage bottoms, boy short bottoms, tennis skirt bottoms, and I am sure the list goes on. 8 years ago, tie strings on the bottom and a triangle bikini would have been my go to bathing suit. But now, as a Mom of 4 children that is not functional for me at all. If I attempted to wear this and chase any of my children there would be things showing that no one needs to see. I would hate to have to get a one piece just because it holds everything in just the right places. Or a bathing suit with a skirt bottom just because barely any of the other bottoms cover half of my butt. I am extremely happy with the suit that I did get (see picture below). It covers all of the right areas, I don't feel like I am walking around in an underwear and bra showing things that should be for my Husbands eyes only, and it survived with no adjustments needing to be made at the waterpark yesterday. Score! I am sure some of you can relate, kids or no kids bathing suit shopping can be stressful. So in the meantime please know that in between me going in and out of the dressing room trying on these swimsuits we were passing the kids back and forth so that David could try on swim shorts as well. I would have loved to be able to stand there while he tried them on and give my opinion but I just couldn't. I felt so overwhelmed having to dress and undress multiply times, to keep trying on these things called swim suits that I wouldn't dare step out of that dressing room door to ask for an opinion. I think he tried on one of each size as well, but was unsuccessful at that store.

How many of you are thrifty? I like to believe I am as much as I can be. If I can make something on my own instead of paying for it or if I can fix something to save a few dollars I will make my best  attempt. Of course you can't be in Target with 4 children and skip the toy section. We passed Max from "A Secret Life of Pets" on the end cap on clearance. He was supposed to speak a few quotes from the movie but he didn't work. Nico really wanted the toy because this is one of his favorite movies so we got it anyway. I figured it was just the batteries and I could easily replace those when I got home since I keep so many on hand (see picture of my battery storage below). We arrived at the house, I opened my battery storage case and was one battery short for what I needed. So I went back out to the store. I headed to Public since it is right near my house. Yea they didn't carry the size I needed. I then went across the street to Dollar Tree. That didn't have the size I needed either. So I figured I would just double check the electronics section there. I had a great idea while standing on that aisle. If I could pay $1 for something off that aisle that had the battery I needed then I am still saving money...right? So I found a door/window alarm that of course cost $1 and contained 3 of the size battery that I needed (see picture below). So I purchased two of these alarms and headed home. I seriously was so excited I shared with the girl at the register and she thought it was a great idea and said she would need to remember that in case anyone else came in asking for those same batteries. I got home, changed out the batteries in Max and well :( he still didn't work. This one was broken, no batteries were going to fix him. So after all of this David went to a different Target that evening where he purchased a "Max" that did work. He was also able to find swimming trunks that fit. Yay!

Last thing I want to talk about today is friendships. What does the word friendship mean to you? How do you maintain a friendship with someone that you may not speak to that often because of the season of life that they are in or the season you are in? Seven years ago I had a ton of friends, I am not saying this in a bragging tone, I am simply stating that I am a people person and can make friends anywhere I go. I love meeting new people. I had friends from back home in Florida that I kept up with via Facebook or by phone. I had friends here in SC that I saw pretty regularly. We were always calling/texting each other and meeting for lunch/dinner quite often. Seeing my friends was like visiting with family. These friends in SC were my family. We celebrated birthdays together, the arrival of children, loss of family members, and had Holiday meals together. Over time and different seasons of life this group of friends has dispersed a little. I still see some of them and when we see each other we catch up and its like no time has ever come between our friendship. There are bonds that will never be broken because of time or disagreements that may have been had. Then there are those "new" friendships. I have found this summer, after receiving the news of us moving to Italy it has been the hardest for me as far as friendships go. People who I thought were my friends are no longer around. I was told that this is pretty common from another military friend. I guess since I have only been married for 5 years I have yet to experience the ending of friendships due to a move. There are people that I know or just meet that say "we should hang out" but never once have actually made plans or followed through. I am so bothered by this, and I probably shouldn't be (thank you God for convicting me as I type this blog). I should probably just understand and extend grace since they are doing this Mom thing just like I am. David says he doesn't care when this happens and this is okay since we value friendships differently. So to my lady friends that wish they had the energy to meet for coffee, lunch, or a play date but can't make it, I understand. To my Mom friends that do finally meet up and apologize for how they look (no make-up on and or hair done), I understand. To my friends that say they want to hang out but then time with the family replaces it and you have to cancel, I understand. This summer has been one of the busiest seasons of my life. With the possibility of the move to Italy, getting the house ready to sell, helping David prepare for his move to Turkey, planning a birthday for Mateo, and just life in general with 4 kids pulling me in four different directions from morning until night. Nico still Nursing and waking through the night. I am just exhausted and I totally understand if you feel this way too. I will say that when I meet up with my few friends that I still have, we enjoy every second we have together, laughing and sharing stories about life, I treasure each one of these moments. Sometimes it is extremely hard to coordinate meet-ups between naps, work, meals, daily tasks, doctors appointments, and then add a sick child to the mix, or total Mom guilt for meeting up with a friend for dinner and not eating with your own family. I get it. But I know I feel so renewed and energized after talking with my friends and knowing that I am not alone. They too are exhausted. They too are not wanting to put any energy into hair or make-up today. They too eat as healthy as possibly and hope that this helps to maintain our weight until we once again have the time or energy to make it to a gym or workout from home. To my friends near and far I love you. Thank you for helping me become the Mom that I am today. Thank you for any time you put into our friendship. Thank you for that phone call on your car ride to/from work, or maybe on the toilet while you pee (hey don't judge, we Moms have ALL been there), or maybe after you put the kids to bed and you wanted nothing more than to be in a room by yourself and not talk to another person for the rest of the night. Thank you for sharing your time with me.

Let's pray for each other. Pray for our time, that God uses it for great things. I pray that when someone says they want to get together that the time opens up for us to do so. I pray that although we sometimes have great intentions of getting together that when we say it we mean it because that other person may need you as much as you need them. I pray that if you must go bathing suit shopping that it isn't discouraging. I pray that each one of you reading this blog reevaluate your time you spend on social media. This can give you such false hope that you aren't being the best Mom/Dad or Wife/Husband that you could be. Soak up every loud, dirty, busy moment you can with what is going on right in front of you. I pray that you value your time. Spend it wisely. I pray that you tell those around you how much you love them and how much they have influenced your life.

Until next time...

Our time in Charleston will soon be up...

Morning all! Things seem to be so calm this morning as I sip on my coffee and soak up the Word of God. I know as the house wakes up we will once again be busy for the rest of the day. 

Today we get the honor and privilege to watch David reenlist. I may not advertise it in the FB world because that isn't where it is important, but I am so proud of him. He works so hard for our family. His hard work allows us the lifestyle for me to be at home with the children each day and have dinner ready each evening. 

There are some of you that I wish I had all the time in the world freed up so I can see you multiple times before we leave the states. I wish I had the energy for a few road trips. Amanda, you and your beautiful family would be the first on that list in Texas! Our friendship will forever be something that I cherish. I wish I could go to Florida, spend time with my family. Let the children play on my Grandmothers back porch with Lego's while I sit and listen to her stories. I would then head to Destin to see sweet Rachel and her lovely family. I wish we could have a family trip to Disney this summer because we had the greatest time and made the sweetest of memories last summer. 

We have decided to have a garage sale this Saturday. As we go through things in the house and from the attic our garage is filling up with stuff we no longer need. We can barely walk through there right now. I have to clear it out to make room for more stuff for one last garage sale right before me move. If you live in the area, please drop by this weekend, even if it's just to say hi. Bonus: the boys will have a lemonade and baked goodies stand. :)

Danielle arrives next Tuesday, so we will go from 3 to 4 kids for about 6 weeks. Unfortunately this will be the first summer in 3 or 4 years that we will not have water park passes. Previously I could do it. But with Nico and Jacoby being so young and the tally being up to 4, I will not be doing that on my own. Some of you Super Moms out there do it all the time, but this Mom will enjoy the stress free summer of a sprinkler and blowup pool in the driveway. 

David's movers will be here Wednesday to pack his stuff up for Turkey. Our orders for Italy are moving right along. We should know our moving dates hopefully next week. 

I have a sweet boy turning 8 next month. Mateo has requested a soccer themed birthday. I have to get creative and start planning that. 

Also, we are going to have a going away "drop in" party before we leave. With our house getting emptier, energy getting shorter, and funds going to things we need for the move a "drop in" will be best for the family. Stay tuned to the dates, and I hope that those I can't see beforehand are able to make it. 

In addition to all of that we have a list of stuff that has to get done around the house before it goes on the market. There is so much excitement and exhaustion all at the same time. For those that have the time I would love to see you and stopping by our house is probably the easiest for all of us. I deleted the FB app off my phone last week as I felt like it was distracting me quite a bit from my family and my daily responsibilities, call or text if you want to chat. 

Please know that if I could see all of you that I love so dearly I would. But our time is getting shorter here in Charleston. 

Much Love,
Allison

VLOG #7 Totally ready for this once in a lifetime opportunity...Italy 🇮🇹