Gibson Getaway 2013

Gibson Getaway 2013, in pictures :) Because sometimes those speak louder.

Who is this big, grown, handsome boy?

Okay.  So I didn't get very far without words.  This needs some explaining!  This is an island in the middle of the lake (which is where most islands would be found).  We park our little pontoon boat, lounge around, drink Coke, and watch Carter push his little red boat like a boss.

Daddy bought this for Carter - he loves it!! 

We sipped on fresh strawberry lemonades and ate blueberries like candy at the flea market.

"Go, go, go!".  That's Carter-speak for 'Take me on the boat.  Now.'.

We had a little storm, and the power went out.  Luckily it was an 'out to eat' night :)

I included this photo to show you that Carter is 110% BOY.  This was his activity of choice (when we weren't at the island).  He plopped his tush in this murky, muddy, weedy, snail-ridden 'beach' in front of our house, and stayed there as long as we let him.

I could barf.

He even preferred his ice cream in the sludge.

We kiss.  A lot.  

I had to include this side-by-side from last year - look how tiny Carter looks last year (on the left)!  He doesn't like being on shoulders - which explains the grumpzilla face.  But his arms are longer, legs are longer (and chubbier...ahem...), and shoulders are broader.  His shirt even fits better (same size as last year!).  Little boy is growing up.

Ben is pretty cute, too :)

That was the Gibson Getaway in photos (and words....).  

Exciting stuff on the horizon - moving today.  TODAY.  Oh my gunness.  Carter starts school...sometime next week.  I'm not sure what day.  We're moving, okay?!  Cut me some slack.  I've got time to check the school calendar.  

{Side Note: In the middle of moving last night, I had to pick Carter up from my mom's house, take him to his open house (which is an absolute ZOOOOOO), and then take him back to my mom's so I could go back to moving stuff.  This is our life.}

{Side Note #2: Carter had tubes put in his ears on Monday.  He did great.  Such a little trooper.  He did not shed one single tear (which is semi-miraculous).  When they wheeled him back in his little bed, he said 'Choo, choooooo!' like he's done this surgery thing a million times.}

One Thing I Know For Sure: 353 days until Gibson Getaway 2014....wonder what our lives will be like then!

To Last Summer's Gibson Family

Changes ahead, guys. Hold on tight.

The year ahead is going to be crazy. I know you don't believe me right now, but it's going to be hard. And messy. And sometimes scary. But I promise you, it will be okay.

Hug Moses tight, and stop yelling at him so much when he's naughty. Just let him be the goofy, crazy dog that he is. And Ashley - take lots of pictures of him. Jake - take him up north. And maybe take him to the Sand Pit one last time.

Yes, I said 'one last time'. It's okay, guys. You'll cry. A lot. I know he's only four. It will be okay.

On Valentines Day, you're going to receive an important phone call. One that will change your lives. Tip #1: Don't blame yourself, Ashley. Don't believe that 'if only you had called him...' or 'if things had been better...' the outcome would be different. It wouldn't be. It's not your fault. It's never been your fault - the alcoholism, the mental illness, the depression - it's not because of what you didn't do.

Tip #2: Cry. Throw a fit. Get upset. It's what you're supposed to do in times like this. It's normal & healthy, even when you're detached from the situation. Remember him for what you loved about him. There were things that you loved about him. There are songs that remind you of him. There was good stuff. Don't believe that because he was sick, it's not as hard. It's hard. Cry.

There is some good news, guys. You've been waiting so long to move your little family to Winneconne. Guess what?! This is the year. I know you think your house will be on the market forever & ever. You're about to be shocked. Enjoy the whole process, it's going to be a crazy adventure. 

There's more, but part of the lesson is in the surprise.

Guys, I know it seems like a killer year is ahead. But I promise, I promise, that one year from now you will be sitting on that little picnic table, on your little beach, with your little boy playing in the water, and you'll be happy. You'll be okay. You'll be changed.

And you'll say 'what a year' - and you'll get up and move on. 

++++++++

I hope I don't sound sad and depressed.  I'm not.  It's just been good to reflect on the past year, and document accordingly. Jake was just saying that this is what we do on vacation. It's our marker. Our landmark by which everything else is charted. It's like our New Years Eve. 

A few favorites from the past 5 days.....

                              

{See, guys, life may be different - but still so very good. I promise.}

These are pictures of my camera's viewfinder, using my phone, sent via email to this little blog. Because that's how we do it in the north woods. 

See you in a few days. Trying not to think about packing/carter getting tubes in his ears/moving/back to school kind of weeks ahead!

One Thing I Know For Sure: Vacation. Good stuff. 

Our Situation.

Lots of people have asked, since this post, what our living situation is.  Well here we go.

{Warning - wordy post ahead}

On August 30th, we will walk out of this little house and never look back.  I've had a love-hate relationship with this house of ours.  It's small.  But we love it.  It needs another bedroom (or 3).  But we love it.  It's in the wrong city.  But we love it.  Now that I know that we're leaving, of course my heart is aching and rejoicing all at the same time.

We have searched for a house in our new town.  It's not that there aren't any for sale, it's that there aren't any for sale that we really like.  They all have something major (for us at least) that we just don't like.  One of them has a backyard along a highway.  One has a wonky basement, unable to be finished in a way that makes sense.  One has a backyard full of boulders and huge rocks.  That's not an exaggeration.  A few of them are too far out of town for us.

And the one that we really want has a old lady occupying it who just doesn't want to leave.  It's probably big enough for all of us (ha) - but it is what it is.

So.  Where does that leave us.  Good question.  Right now, our plan is to buy a lot and build a little Gibson homestead.  This really isn't our first choice, and if the right house came on the market before we purchased a lot, we'd jump at it.  So far, this hasn't happened.  Boo.

If you do the math, we will close on August 30th but won't have a house until November or so.  Bill Cosby once said that humans are the only species to allow their children to return home. Thank the Lord.

August 30th, we'll sign those papers and park ourselves at Jake's parents house.  Six little Gibsons under one roof.  For 3 months.  I think we'll be fine - we all get along well - and the other day Jake's dad signed his email 'Poppy Roomate', so I think that's a good sign.  I might have yelled 'SHUT UP!!' to Ben the other night when he was singing way-too-loud while I was trying to have a conversation.  But when I really think about what the next 3 months could look like, I wonder if we'll be sad & lonely when we leave them.  I think it could be fun.  Like a three month long sleepover.  Or something.

That's the plan.  Right this minute, I'm feeling overwhelmed.  And I'm wondering who is going to do all this packing, because I don't think I can.  And I'm pretty much over all of it.  I'm just ready to be done.

Eating ice cream in the dark (because the lamps are packed)
with a plastic fork (because the spoons are packed)
out of the container (because bowls are packed).
Time to move.

Thankfully, my awesome mom is taking Carter off my hands one day each week, and my awesome Rachel is coming as often as she can :)  It will get done, I know. Because I don't really have a choice.  Although, don't think that leaving a mountain of crap in the living room when we leave hasn't crossed my mind.  It has.  But I think the new Jake & Ashley would notice.

{Speaking of the new Jake & Ashley - did you know the buyers are named Jake & Ashley?  For reals.}

++++++++

Funny story.  Jake and I were moving some furniture from our roof down to the driveway with a rope. {Is that funny to you? It's just normal to us.} A truck drove by slowly, and I said something like "Ha - we look ridiculous!  What if that's the new owners!".  Jake said "Smile and wave.  Look normal.  It's them!!".

Oh em gee.

The best part - he stopped to introduce himself (which was great, because we could explain that we're not as ridiculous as we seem).  Guys - he is just the nicest.  And the best part - they are SO excited to live in our little house.  The new Jake & Ashley love it, just like the old Jake & Ashley do.  He told us that when they saw our wedding keepsake frame - and our invitation (which had our names) they knew.  They agreed this was it, and they weren't going to mess around - which is why they made a full price offer.

And I just sit back in my chair, with goosebumps on my arms, and say "Lord - you are hilarious! Your sense of humor rocks! And you knew all along! And why did we doubt you? And you're so good to us! And how could we not trust you?".

++++++++

My husband preached for his dad this past Sunday.  Long story short - Poppy has a monster kidney stone, and asked Jake to fill in for him.  Jake did, and he shared about our story during his sermon.  Because I've been packing all, and my body is running on fumes, I'll just throw this at you:

In a nutshell, this is our 2013 motto.  It would be easy to turn this into an ordeal, with lots of complaining and stomping of feet.  But let's make it an adventure.  A wild adventure - you and me, babe.  If it's not crazy, it's not us.

+++++++++

In 2 days we'll leave for our annual Gibson Getaway in Saint Germain, and 5 days after that we'll walk out the front door of our little green house, thank God for how He's moved, and we'll walk in to the next chapter.

That's eight sleeps left in our home.  Aching/rejoicing.  Love/hate.

Here we go!

One Thing I Know For Sure: Ordeal or Adventure - you choose!