Solo Parenting and Business Trips

Grant begins his new job in the lone star state while Angela wrangles the kids by her lonesome.

Hello everyone! Hopefully your heart is slowly (or quickly, pending personal preference) filling with Holiday cheer. We had a busy and interesting week.

The Weekend

We had quite a bit of fun this past weekend with mostly typical, enjoyable pleasures. We met friends at Ministry of Brewing where we sadly broke the news of our impending move, enjoyed some beers, the Christmas decor, and watched our kids play.

Angela enjoyed some solo time and worked on a cookie plate for Santa that looks absolutely delightful. You can see the in-progress plate above!

Grant stopped by a local barber for his first beard trim in years. New job, new whiskers.

We also took care of errands, like grocery shopping and swim class.

Finally, a local shopping mall featured a really elaborate model train display for the holidays. Both kids were quite excited.

Divergent Paths

Grant left for the airport on Sunday while Angela, Ava, and Wesley went to a birthday party. Grant flew to Austin for his first week at his new company. He stayed in north Austin in an area called The Domain, which is filled with shopping, small parks, and food. With his body a bit off from the jet lag, Grant ran through the empty, but well-lit main street every morning around 5:30 am on his jog.

The first week was fantastic and Grant is very excited. There is a lot of work to do, but the work is meaningful, plentiful, and his co-workers are kind, smart, and passionate. We think it’s going to be a great fit.

Grant also drove to see his parents Sunday night. His mom is recovering from hip surgery, so it was nice to say hello, see all the renovations done to the house, pet the dogs, and slurp a little chicken spaghetti.

Angela had her hands full from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday night with not one, but two tiny, sometimes misbehaved children. The kids are actually pretty good, but Wesley has mood swings, Ava is a two-year old tyrant, and it’s just a tiring gig being a solo parent.

Thankfully, she survived, which is good, as she’s our only Angela.

Moving Pains

A lot of small, important work is happening to get us back to California. Firstly, we are beginning some semi-significant work on the house next week. To support the work, Angela organized, sorted, and boxed the kids toys in the basement. Grant began sorting and organizing the garage equipment.

Angela also spoke with an agent to help us find a rental and we guided a representative of the moving company around our home to tally boxes, pelotons (just one), and other household items.

There are a few upcoming trips to donate old clothes and we need to list some furniture and higher-end items on Facebook marketplace. But, we’re getting it done and making great progress.

Parting Shots

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Thanks for checking in. This post is a bit content light because of the business travel, being exhausted from parenting, and being swamped with work. Things are quite well, we’re just very busy. We promise next week will be more exciting!