Chuck and I actually had nowhere to be today. No getting up early to get dressed and drive across the county to be at either of our parents' houses for Christmas breakfast. I love our families. I love Christmas with our families. But sometimes all the schedules and obligations and rushing around feel a lot more like work than a holiday. So we lazed our way through the morning. I did a little work. I made a late brunch. Then we decided a nap would be divine. Out of habit, I stopped to check my email before crawling into bed.

Surprisingly, I had an email from my real estate agent, Joanne Stewart. She was checking in on us and our plans to sell the house. I thought that was nice of her. Selling the house has been on my mind a lot lately, and I've been making a list of the things I need to do to get it ready by April. We chose April as a target date because I thought it was the start of real estate season. School is almost out for the Summer, which makes it a great time to buy a house and move while the kids are out of school.

Joanne's email was professional and kind and thoughtful, just like she is. She wished us a Merry Christmas and asked after my Mom and Dad. I was smiling until I got to the end and read “The best time to put your house on the market is Feb.March.April .” Holy Crap! All this stuff I thought I had three months to do, I now have to accomplish in 1 month.

I have a ton of stuff to go through, make decisions about what goes with us and what's trash. We have to edit our things before we can show the house. I have to paint, rehab cabinets, replace carpet... Not to mention I've been letting my Spanish studies slide. And we have to get serious about our FM-3s, manaje de case, and making moving arrangements. I'm starting to see spots. Does anyone else smell burnt toast? I think now is an excellent time to open that fine bottle of tequila we brought back with us in August.