What’s in a name….
I’ve had a bunch of people ask me what the name of the blog stands for. I am going to be real honest with you. Moving overseas or stateside every 2-3 years is SO DAMN HARD. You would think that we have it down – which, we do in some ways… and NOT AT ALL in other ways.
The girls getting older, making more defined friendships and having opinions… is making moving every 2-3 years extremely difficult.
Moving is exciting but now requires a bit more finesse.. and by finesse… I mean… calming methods for parents (whether it’s xanax or a good bottle of wine or a night stroll on the beach) and a lot of bribery for the kids (a donut almost always works!). This is our recipe for moving. Self care and bribery.
It may not be ideal for you. It’s probably not ideal for us. But… it works. This last move almost made me jump out the window. Nothing seemed to be going right from the moment we found out we were moving. I had to leave a job that I really loved, the girls had to leave a dance studio that felt like family. We finally felt like home – and it was time to leave.
But if you know the Reid family – you know that we are up for an adventure. So we put our best face forward… and deal with it. My best face at the time – was a stressed, red, sweaty, sometime crying face. But I somehow managed to look like I was dealing with the stress like a champ. Because, honestly, as a Foreign Service spouse – that’s what you do. Every 2-3 years.
So.. yeah… I’m sure a few of you (family for sure) saw my mini break downs and took it with stride. You saw me be vulnerable, sad, angry, crazy and sometimes just straight up strange. But.. that’s life. And anyone pretending that they don’t have those moments… well, they’re liars and you shouldn’t be friends with them. 🙂 It’s the friends that are honest with you that are keepers. The ones that are ok with you just walking into a room and bursting into tears. They are the family members that keep offering you a glass of wine and a dip in the jacuzzi. They are the friends that take your kids away for the day and feed them and love them – because they know you’re on the brink of a nutty.
I’m so thankful for my tribe… I’m thankful for my spouse… I’m thankful for my kids… but, if we’re being real honest… I’m thankful for xanax and donuts. Especially when moving thousands of miles away.
Xanax and Donuts 
I love your honesty! I can’t imagine how hard it would be having to move every 2-3 years, and then add in the kids to that mix?? Nope! But I know you, Mindy, and you make it all work, no matter what! Love you!!
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We love you so much and I can’t imagine having to pick up and move every couple of years. You are all amazing. You will always have a glass of wine waiting for you here and of course a spot in my jacuzzi!! Sending you big hugs. 🤗💜😘
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So much truth in this post!! The actual process of moving is so stressful, whether just around the corner, within the state, across the country, or to a whole different continent!! It just compounds the amount of stress, depending upon how far the move is. Moving at the same time as your family made Isabelle’s move so much easier to for her & I hope it helped your kids as well that they were not the only ones leaving. We love you guys & for us the move was made bearable by canned wine & m&ms!! Our house is always open to you and your family. We love you guys!
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