"Auld Lang Syne"

Usually by this time of year I've already made my list of things I want for the upcoming year. No not resolutions, that is not the right word to use. But goals of progress or change. So far for 2010 I have nothing. I am the type of person that needs something to look forward to, but yet not anything sprung on me at the last moment.

What do I want to accomplish then? Why don't I know? I think it is because of the fact that so many things are up in the air.

First, I want to move, but don't know that this would happen during 2010. So I guess the real goal for the upcoming year is to put up our house for sale. I have many reasons for why this is on my mind:

(1.) We, or maybe it's more that I feel we have outgrown this house. I really want a house with larger bedrooms, living room, and kitchen areas. I really do. Not only do I want to, but we need to. I find that as time goes by we purchase more furniture and we tend to buy what we like but are left to find creative ways to arrange it without any options for moving it around later. I find that when we play with the dog as we often do to pass time and have a good laugh, someone or something gets hurt. That when we have a few other kids over to play along with our baby who is now 6 years old, there isn't much room to spare for extra bodies and all the toys that follow. There really is not much space in the house other than to sit, sleep, and cook. In fact it this all hit me while struggling to find room to wrap presents for Christmas as it does every year. But I do need to consider that my feelings are in spite of winter and we've been kept inside a bit. I am fine with the amount of yard space we have. No complaints there.

Oh, I don't want anything overly large. Just something larger than what we have now...room for more than a two foot space to walk around the bed in, room for two at the bathroom mirror, and room for my coffee table to fit comfortably between the two sofas and overly large aquarium in our front room. Yes we still have our unfinished basement we could move our bedroom to and do most of our living in, but it feels too separate from the rest of the house to me. My tastes have changed I guess.

I'd like a multi level, one with living spaces a few steps apart from the other so it feels as if we're all together instead of seperated from the upstairs verses the basement. And of course the laundry needs to be down the hall from the bedrooms, not in a totally different opposite part of the house on a completely different level. Who thought of these floor plans? Men?

(2.) Neighborhood. I have many reasons why but will not go into detail here. I guess the only exposure we've had with neighbors out here has been more negative than positive. At least the ones on our own street. Other people's streets seem much different than ours.

(3.) I'd like to be closer to town, but not in the middle of craziness. And not just me, I think the kids would benefit from it too, especially Jake and possibilities for jobs. Closer meaning somewhere in the same county we live now, just not out in nowhere's land where it takes us an hour to get to work and an hour and a half to get home during the summers of construction and the winters of snow. Closer meaning somewhere a teen could walk to work if he needed to. Also the Awanis club for Savannah on Tuesdays and Bible Study/Praise & Worship Practice on Wednesdays...let's just say Location Location Location is VERY important when you are making extra curricular activities after work. When we bought this house we were still working a ways away so I wrestle with this off and on cause it is who chose to live here knowing how long of a drive it is. At the time the price was right and we were going to have our baby soon and needed to get out of our apartment.

I realize this is all me talking. I think if I talk about it long enough Charlie will agree. Now on to the reason this is up in the air?

Charlie is going on the temporary assignment in Wisconsin in April. What if they offer a permanent position to him out there come a year from now? Would it be worth our time to sell and buy a new house if they do? What do we have to lose? I don't anticipate it selling anytime too soon unless we put the price pretty low. And what if it does sell? Do we look for another house here or wait and see. Chances could also bee that it sells just in time to move out there if we need to as well.

We just refinanced our house into a 15 year super good rate loan this year. What kind of loan would we get a year from now? Could we get out enough equity to be ahead if we do sell ours? If we are to stay here or move to Wisconsin we also need to consider that one or the other's job will be going to end somewhere down the line. With what we have now we know we can make ends meet on my income if need be.

I just ought to put it up for sell and see what happens - living where we do, they aren't selling too fast. There is one on our street that has been for sell almost 5 months now and I haven't seen anyone come look at it yet. I think my fear all comes down to never having to sell anything as large as a house nor wanting to go through the process of it. A person can never know what to expect from something they have never done before until they try it. Fear of the unknown is what it is. You can't tell this hasn't been on my mind, can you? This is my first dilemma for the upcoming year.

Second, we cannot make goals for home improvement without Charlie here. So there are none. We are cheap in that we like to do the work ourselves rather than pay someone...guess my dad taught us that. The deck and hot tub will remain on hold. My kitchen will not get tiled, well maybe...if I push for it before March, and we probably won't get new carpet in the bedrooms and stairs like I wanted. (This adds to why not just put the house up for sale?)

Third, I am not sure if Jake will be with us all year or part of the year. He is expected to graduate this May, but then what? He hasn't made any plans and am not sure if he really knows what he's doing. Having a new girlfriend is also throwing things into the mix that are making me a bit nervous with him keeping focused.

Stuff I AM counting on for 2010:

First, we're going to a real Opera and a real vacation in March!

Second, no changes in my job. In July I will reach 10 years of service. Means more time off earned that I won't really have time to take. First we were so slow that I hated going in, now we are so busy we can barely keep afloat. But I love being busy verses slow. They approved the 4 ten schedule to a permanent basis and still disprove of offering new telecommuting positions. No anticipated organizational changes for this year or COLA's for that matter.

Fourth, I will be an aunt again come spring!

Fifth, Savannah will lose her first tooth, will be in school full day starting in 1st grade, and will probably learn to ride a bike this year without training wheels. With children there is always something to look forward to.

Only time will tell for sure what happens in the year to come. Odd to think of the beginning of a new decade as well. Have a good new year!