Move Day 2

Move Day 2 is complete. Now our entire house is packed up and tomorrow they will load it all into the truck. There has been so much drama today I can't even adequately summarize. We had someone come look at the house in the midst of packing and then made an offer on the house at 8:30pm and asked us to respond by midnight. We basically accepted the offer so I hope we have a deal, but that remains to be seen!

A funny story: Ross and I picked up Claire at school and tried to get into the black 4 runner next to ours. I think we scared the other mommy half to death. Shows how scattered our heads are right now.

It's Claire's last day of school tomorrow. I might cry. 

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Boxes everywhere

Move Day 1 is complete. Our downstairs is all boxed up. Everyone is a bit disoriented, but things are good. We're a step closer to actually moving home and not just talking about it!

Our movers are from Somoa and they like to blast Hawaiian Reggae. I can't think of better music to listen to while boxing up your house. 

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We're moving!

We are moving this week, EEEEEK!

The movers come to pack up our household goods Wednesday and Thursday and then they will load the truck on Friday. Roma's flight is Saturday morning and our flight is late Saturday night.

We still haven't sold our house, but we're hoping the right buyers make an offer soon. Ross has a job lined up in Houston that he's really looking forward to. I am still job searching... In the meantime, we'll be living with my parents.

Thanks for being patient with me and the blog during this transition period!

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Joy

I have so many Christmas holiday pictures to share still!! I hope I can address this photo backlog relatively soon, but until then here's a little cutie in her holiday dress...

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Juggling

There are so many balls in the air this week! Hopefully Ross and I will find out more details about our pending move, but all this is going to take a toll on the blog over the next couple weeks. Just a heads up for my faithful blog readers :)

The big question this week includes-- When is our house going to SELL???! Know anyone in the market for a fabulous 3 bedroom?

stay tuned, I'm sure this saga will be ongoing.

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Severance Day

Today, February 9th, is the last day which I'm a BP employee.  I thought it would be good to pause and reflect on what this means to me...

It's been a tumultuous couple months (almost a year?!) leading up to this departure date, but I have no regrets. People keep asking me if I wish I had stayed at BP because oil prices have taken such a nose dive. I can honestly say the answer is no. Once Ross and I decided that moving home to Houston was our first priority, the path forward became clear. However, change is never easy and fear of the unknown definitely keeps me awake at night. Will we find a good school for Claire? How long will I be unemployed? Where will I work? Where will we live? But I have faith that these things will all work themselves out in due time. Afterall, your family is all you really need, right?!

Here's my "farewell BP" email that I sent to co-workers:

It’s hard to believe, but it’s my last week at BP. Ross and I have definitely enjoyed our Alaskan adventure, but it is time for us to move closer to family. I hear babies have a way of doing that. J

 

I will always value my time with BP and everything that I have learned over my 8 year career. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work in NAG, GOM, and Alaska. I have become the reservoir engineer that I am today because of working with such quality people along the way and I’m thankful for that. I don’t know what the future will hold, but I hope I run into you again.

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11 Month Baby!

This time around it was basically impossible to get a picture with the monthly sticker circle.

Claire is enjoying peek-a-boo, clapping hands, shaking her head "No", and giving high fives.

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Keys

Have you ever locked your keys in the car... while it was running? How about keys locked in car, while running, with a big grey dog in the backseat, in 4 degree weather?

Here's another one: Have you ever broken a car window? Umm, were you a car thief? Your OWN car window?

Yeeeeeeah so we got experience with all that this evening, so I'll be keeping this post very short because mornings sure do come early with a baby! We are all fine just a little unfortunate mishap.

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Lemon Chicken Piccata

You can go ahead and file this recipe for Lemon Chicken Piccata under "Quick & Easy" or "Weeknight Meals." Well, that second description could be changed to "Meal for when your house is for Sale." :)

You basically dredge chicken in flour, pan fry it, then make a sauce in the same pan. Totally simple. Next time I plan to double the sauce. I served the piccata over angel hair pasta and found there to be barely enough sauce for 2 servings. Maybe I reduced the sauce too much? Either way, can't hurt to make a little extra.

Check out the original recipe post at Jocooks.com for some additional food pictures. (She obviously a) doesn't live in Alaska and b) didn't cook this at night).

Lemon Chicken Piccata from JoCooks

INGREDIENTS

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
• salt and pepper to taste
• all purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup chicken stock or dry white wine, I used wine
• ¼ cup brined capers
• ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter with the olive oil, over medium to high heat.
3. Add chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 4 min per side until browned. When chicken is cooked, remove chicken from skillet.
4. Remove skillet from heat. Add lemon juice, chicken stock or wine, capers and scrape up the brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Return skillet to heat and bring to a boil. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add chicken back to skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and add remaining butter and whisk for about a minute. Sauce will thicken a bit.
5. You can return chicken to skillet and garnish with parsley. Alternatively you can pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

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