Ok so I didn’t post yesterday. I was just too tired.

I am subbing in a fifth grade class this week and next. Most of these kids I have known since first grade… neighbors… teammates… kids I see at every game and school event as Jake is in the same grade. It has been so fun and I am really looking forward to next week too.

It does pull me away from everything else though. The house prep… client work… trip planning… it all gets pushed to the evenings. My clients always come first so that part works itself out but the rest of it is a juggle.

Last night we came home to six yards of mulch sitting in our driveway.

We grabbed buckets. Some of the neighborhood kids joined ours. And from five to eight we all just worked… all of us… in the yard together moving mulch bucket by bucket.

Adam grabbed what he thought was a weed at one point. It was a snake. By the tail. He survived.

Avilene and Jake were supposed to be sorting through the wood pile. They found carpenter ants… worms… snails… and what they called millipedes. I screamed and walked away. That is all I have to say about that.

Poppy ran up and down the yard for three hours straight chasing sticks. You could almost see her smiling. 🐾

While we were out there I noticed my peonies coming in. I plant them every year… they are my absolute favorite flower. This year they are growing so beautifully. I stood there for a second and felt a little sad knowing I won’t see them bloom.

But I really hope the next family finds them. I hope they cut them and put them in a vase on the kitchen table and feel the same joy they have always given me. I hope they have no idea that the woman who planted them is somewhere in Europe eating pasta and watching her kids run through a piazza with a fluffy dog behind them.

That actually felt okay.

We are doing all of this to spend more time together. That is the whole point. And last night from five to eight in the yard… laughing… screaming about snakes and millipedes… that was already it.

It is funny how now… putting in the work to leave… everyone is pitching in.

53 days. 🌍🐾

Q: How do you keep up with everything in the final weeks before a big international move? A: Honestly… you don’t always. Some days the blog doesn’t get written. Some evenings the mulch wins. You just keep doing the next thing in front of you and trust that it will all come together. Clients first… family second… everything else fits in wherever it can.

Q: How do you get your kids involved in preparing for a big family adventure? A: We have talked a lot about what this trip means for all of us… what makes us happy… what we are looking forward to. And somewhere along the way they just started showing up. Last night nobody asked them to help with the mulch. They just grabbed buckets. That felt like everything.

Q: What is the hardest part of leaving a home you love? A: The little things you planted and will not see bloom. The peonies coming up beautifully in the yard knowing you will not be there to cut them and put them in a vase. The details that do not make the packing list but sit quietly in your heart anyway.

Q: How do you balance work and family during a big life transition? A: Imperfectly and with a lot of grace toward yourself. I am subbing full time this week and next. Client work happens in the evenings. House prep happens whenever there is a spare hour. Some days everything gets done and some days the snake wins and you call it a night.

Q: How do you know you are making the right decision when everything feels overwhelming? A: You look at your kids moving mulch in the yard until eight at night without being asked. You watch your dog run up and down the hill smiling for three hours straight. And you think… this is already it. This is already exactly what we are working toward. That is how you know.