You'll really only get the title of this post if you have small children that habitually watch the "Wonder Pets". There's one episode where "The Wonder Pets Save the Caterpillar"...and they sing a little ditty about how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly..... and for reasons that escape me I've decided that I should post the lyrics here:
They start as a caterpillar...A caterpillar?!....A caterpillar!
They start as a caterpillar...Fa la la, hey!
They grow a real snug pupa...A pupa? Supa-dupa!
They grow a real snug pupa...Fa la la, hey!
They come out as a butterfly...A butterfly? Oh me, oh my!
They come out as a butterfly...Fa la la hey!
So - now that this is all cleared up I'll move on with my regular post. I am in the process of becoming a social butterfly. I was in the caterpilar stage and am now in my snug little pupa! In my previous post I talked about needing to make some friends here in Texas. I was talking to my best friend Kate about this last week....she recently moved to Oregon and is in the same predicament.
It's amazing how easily you lose your friend-making skills as you get older. In high school and college it's almost too easy to meet people. You're young and thrown into a similar life situation with other people that are looking to make friends and you just seem to bond with people so much more easily. Then as you get older and have long time friends you just get used to having those people in your life and the need for new friends is gone. We are now both in the situation of needing to make new friends. At this point we recognize that we're just going to have to get out there and introduce ourselves. I feel like a nerd..."Will you please be my friend???" but that's really what it comes down to.
Over the past few days we have tenatively gotten to know the neighbors that live caddy corner from us. They are our age and have a little girl who will turn 3 in November really close to Emma and Katy's birthdays. This past weekend I put myself out there and invited them over for dinner Saturday night. Well, it's not a huge shocker that we had a great time. The girls loved playing together and it was really nice to have a pleasant evening with another family who seems to share many of the same ideals and values that we do. They've been married about as long as Robby and I have. Their little girl was an absolute doll. They are somewhat new to the area as well and don't know many people here. So, hopefully this is a first step towards having some great friends here in our new home.
With that first step behind me I am looking forward to how I can branch out even further. Now that I'm remembering those long lost friend-making skills I think I can really make some good progress in this area of my life. Sometimes I think I forget that I am a social and likeable person and that I needn't put so much pressure on myself that people are going to think I'm some kind of weirdo or something and want nothing to do with me. Now that I type that out it really sounds rather dramatic and I sit here wondering what the heck is wrong with me?!
So I can't say that I'm a full fledged butterfly at this point...but I'm in the pupa stage and the metamorphosis is occuring. Maybe there should be an episode called "The Wonder Pets Save the Relocated Mommy!" I wonder what my theme song would be?
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
5 Months and 15 Days.....
Well, it's been 5 months and 15 days since my last blog entry - saying that this is just sad is so much a gross understatement that it's really quite funny. After numerous friend requests to begin blogging again I have finally been inspired by three separate people/groups to start up again: my husband, my friends, my oldest child.
First - my husband: For the record, I am married to the best man on the planet. There is nothing to compare to him and all that he is. A few weeks ago while he was mowing the lawn he got a really bad blister on one of his fingers from trying repeatedly to start the trimmer. Emma saw his "owie" and decided that a band-aid would solve the problem immediately. All of life's hurts can be cured with a band-aid according to Emma - we should buy stock for all the boxes of band-aids we go through. We were in the kitchen making dinner and I asked how his blister was healing at which time he said "it's fine, Emma gave me a band-aid", and there on his finger was a purple, Dora the Explorer band-aid. How can you not love a man who would proudly wear the band-aid that his little girl had given him all day at work for everyone to see. I know it's simple and of no huge importance to anyone else - but to me it was just another small but profound example of what an awesome daddy that Robby is.
Second - my friends: Really this should be about my lack of friends - at least in Texas. Two weekends ago I went to Indianapolis for the bachelorette party of my high school best friend. I am fortunate enough to be her Matron of Honor - so I was in charge of hosting the event. To be honest I didn't know quite what to expect of the weekend. I had never met any of her friends in Indy and I was going to be the odd woman out. It has been a very long time since I've been out with a group of girls - especially to a bar. I see now that I needn't have worried one bit! Every one of the girls was absolutely delightful - I had the best time!!! We went to this dueling piano bar called Howl at the Moon - SOOO much fun!!! I was able to see IU where the girls all went to college - what an amazingly beautiful campus. I learned how to play "Sink The Biz". But more than anything I enjoyed some quality girl time and laughed ALOT!
What it really showed me though is that I really need to make a more concerted effort to make friends out here. While I am always more than happy to hang out with my family, having girlfriends that are the same age and in the same place of life is really important. No one can ever replace my best friends (you know who you are :-) ) , but it's an important part of me making Texas my true home for me to have friends that I can hang out with on a regular basis.
Finally - my oldest child (Emma): Last night I was reading a bedtime book to Emma. It was a new book that we had picked up over the weekend. Robby had read it to her the previous night - and last night was my turn. The book was called "Priscilla - Superstar" and it's about a little girl that goes to see a "Rollerina" show (think ballet on roller skates) and then wants to become a Rollerina Princess herself. Well, it was the part in the book where Priscilla is at the Rollerina show; here is the dialogue that follows:
Emma: pointing to a picture of the rollerina princess dancing - "Look Mommy - this is where she pees.!"
Mommy: "PEES??!! What are you talking about??!!" (At this point I'm wondering just what kind of book has been purchased here.)
Emma: "Yep - see she's peeing."
Mommy: "Emma - she's dancing, not peeing."
Emma: "No Mommy, she's peeing, see..."
Mommy: "Emma - where in this situation do you see that she's peeing???"
Emma: (with an exasperated sigh) "Mommy! She's peeing, daddy told me last night, that's the situation."
At this point I read the lines below the picture and sure enough there is a mention of pee. Apparently "peed" is the word that rhymed with the previous line - but it says "Priscilla was so excited that she nearly peed." I then explain to Emma that the dancer is not peeing - it's that Priscilla was so excited that she almost peed - that no one actually peed. This worked for her.
So with that issue all cleared up I'm left to wonder: WHO IN THE HELL PUTS THE WORD "PEED" INTO A CHILDREN'S BOOK??? I mean I can understand if the book is about using the potty - but SERIOUSLY, COME ON!!!!
First - my husband: For the record, I am married to the best man on the planet. There is nothing to compare to him and all that he is. A few weeks ago while he was mowing the lawn he got a really bad blister on one of his fingers from trying repeatedly to start the trimmer. Emma saw his "owie" and decided that a band-aid would solve the problem immediately. All of life's hurts can be cured with a band-aid according to Emma - we should buy stock for all the boxes of band-aids we go through. We were in the kitchen making dinner and I asked how his blister was healing at which time he said "it's fine, Emma gave me a band-aid", and there on his finger was a purple, Dora the Explorer band-aid. How can you not love a man who would proudly wear the band-aid that his little girl had given him all day at work for everyone to see. I know it's simple and of no huge importance to anyone else - but to me it was just another small but profound example of what an awesome daddy that Robby is.
Second - my friends: Really this should be about my lack of friends - at least in Texas. Two weekends ago I went to Indianapolis for the bachelorette party of my high school best friend. I am fortunate enough to be her Matron of Honor - so I was in charge of hosting the event. To be honest I didn't know quite what to expect of the weekend. I had never met any of her friends in Indy and I was going to be the odd woman out. It has been a very long time since I've been out with a group of girls - especially to a bar. I see now that I needn't have worried one bit! Every one of the girls was absolutely delightful - I had the best time!!! We went to this dueling piano bar called Howl at the Moon - SOOO much fun!!! I was able to see IU where the girls all went to college - what an amazingly beautiful campus. I learned how to play "Sink The Biz". But more than anything I enjoyed some quality girl time and laughed ALOT!
What it really showed me though is that I really need to make a more concerted effort to make friends out here. While I am always more than happy to hang out with my family, having girlfriends that are the same age and in the same place of life is really important. No one can ever replace my best friends (you know who you are :-) ) , but it's an important part of me making Texas my true home for me to have friends that I can hang out with on a regular basis.
Finally - my oldest child (Emma): Last night I was reading a bedtime book to Emma. It was a new book that we had picked up over the weekend. Robby had read it to her the previous night - and last night was my turn. The book was called "Priscilla - Superstar" and it's about a little girl that goes to see a "Rollerina" show (think ballet on roller skates) and then wants to become a Rollerina Princess herself. Well, it was the part in the book where Priscilla is at the Rollerina show; here is the dialogue that follows:
Emma: pointing to a picture of the rollerina princess dancing - "Look Mommy - this is where she pees.!"
Mommy: "PEES??!! What are you talking about??!!" (At this point I'm wondering just what kind of book has been purchased here.)
Emma: "Yep - see she's peeing."
Mommy: "Emma - she's dancing, not peeing."
Emma: "No Mommy, she's peeing, see..."
Mommy: "Emma - where in this situation do you see that she's peeing???"
Emma: (with an exasperated sigh) "Mommy! She's peeing, daddy told me last night, that's the situation."
At this point I read the lines below the picture and sure enough there is a mention of pee. Apparently "peed" is the word that rhymed with the previous line - but it says "Priscilla was so excited that she nearly peed." I then explain to Emma that the dancer is not peeing - it's that Priscilla was so excited that she almost peed - that no one actually peed. This worked for her.
So with that issue all cleared up I'm left to wonder: WHO IN THE HELL PUTS THE WORD "PEED" INTO A CHILDREN'S BOOK??? I mean I can understand if the book is about using the potty - but SERIOUSLY, COME ON!!!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Robby Got The Job!!!!
Just an update to my last post.....Robby got the job!!! He is officially the newest Planner II at the North Central Texas Council of Governments. He has a very spiffy office and is so excited about this new position. He'll be out here by next weekend and the girls and I cannot wait to have him home with us permanently!
It had been so rewarding for me to see him achieve this huge goal. Becoming a planner is something that Robby has been working toward ever since I first met him. He put in so many hours of school time, study and personal sacrifice to reach this point and to see all his hard work rewarded has been just awesome.
The Lord has really blessed our family with this opportunity. It is so important for us all to be together as a family again and He has made that possible!
On another positive note.....I have not one but TWO job interviews lined up....so things are definitely looking up. Please pray that the Lord reveal which is the right opportunity for me and that everything works out. Once I get a job we can have a house of our own....something we are very much looking forward to!
It had been so rewarding for me to see him achieve this huge goal. Becoming a planner is something that Robby has been working toward ever since I first met him. He put in so many hours of school time, study and personal sacrifice to reach this point and to see all his hard work rewarded has been just awesome.
The Lord has really blessed our family with this opportunity. It is so important for us all to be together as a family again and He has made that possible!
On another positive note.....I have not one but TWO job interviews lined up....so things are definitely looking up. Please pray that the Lord reveal which is the right opportunity for me and that everything works out. Once I get a job we can have a house of our own....something we are very much looking forward to!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Well it's been more than a month since my last post. Here's the update for the past month:
Life in Texas is great. I love living so close to my family. I'm able to see my grandparents at least once a week...which is awesome. The girls continue to adjust better than I could have imagined. Emma started pre-school 2 days a week. She's so excited to go and is loving it. My cousin Chelsea works there and tells me that Emma is a favorite of the kids and teachers alike.
Robby received a callback for an interview. He came out Jan 28-Feb 1 and had is interview on the 29th. So far everything is looking great....they have completed background and reference checks and he had a second phone interview on Wednesday. We're waiting to hear a "yes" (we're not thinking about a "no") any day now. Please keep this intention in your prayers. Roby couldn't be more excited about this job; not only because it would bring him out here with us but also because of the work itself.
I am still jobless and having no luck in this area. I have applied for many many many job but having no success. Please also pray for results here....Robby and I will both need jobs in order to have a place of our own.
Katy is walking like a pro now.....those crawling days are in the past. She continues to be quite the comedian and always doing something funny to make us laugh. She's talking some...or trying to.
Stay tuned for an update on Robby's job
Love to All!
Life in Texas is great. I love living so close to my family. I'm able to see my grandparents at least once a week...which is awesome. The girls continue to adjust better than I could have imagined. Emma started pre-school 2 days a week. She's so excited to go and is loving it. My cousin Chelsea works there and tells me that Emma is a favorite of the kids and teachers alike.
Robby received a callback for an interview. He came out Jan 28-Feb 1 and had is interview on the 29th. So far everything is looking great....they have completed background and reference checks and he had a second phone interview on Wednesday. We're waiting to hear a "yes" (we're not thinking about a "no") any day now. Please keep this intention in your prayers. Roby couldn't be more excited about this job; not only because it would bring him out here with us but also because of the work itself.
I am still jobless and having no luck in this area. I have applied for many many many job but having no success. Please also pray for results here....Robby and I will both need jobs in order to have a place of our own.
Katy is walking like a pro now.....those crawling days are in the past. She continues to be quite the comedian and always doing something funny to make us laugh. She's talking some...or trying to.
Stay tuned for an update on Robby's job
Love to All!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Survery Says.........
1. Do you like blue cheese? Nope
2. Have you been ever drunk? Yep - and anyone who says not is either lying, currently drunk or needs to be in short order.
3. Do you own a gun? Sort of vicariously now - my dad does and since I'm living in his house..... I have mixed feelings on owing my own.
4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Fruit Punch
5. Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments? No.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Hebrew National only.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Milk or OJ
9. Can you do push ups? Um, no.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No.
13. What's your weight? Way too personal--and not what I would like to claim it to be. ( I steal Kate's answer)
14. Middle name? Nicole.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?? I would only take one of these surveys because I love you Kate; I need to go to bed soon; I wonder how many times I'll be up with my children tonight?.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Iced Tea, water, V8 splash
17. Current worry? Finding a job
18. Current hate right now? Being so far away from my husband.
19. Favorite place to be? With my family.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Singing Kareoke with my family!
21. Where would you like to go? Italy, Ireland and back to Hawaii.
22. Name three people who will complete this. I have no idea.
24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Black
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't think I ever have, and I don't think I want to. Two words come to mind: cold and slippery
26. Can you whistle? Yep
27. Favorite color?? Blue
28. Would you be a pirate? Only if it involves Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower.
30. Favorite girl's name? I'm a fan of Emma and Kathleen (my daughter's names)
31. Favorite boy's name? Matthew
32. What's in your pocket? 2 business cards from the daycare I checked out today. Although I did find $15 in my jacket pocket today....how awesome is that!?
33. Last thing that made you laugh? My best friend leaving me a message with the sound of her breast pump on it.....it sounds like a dying cat....and strangely enough I've really missed that sound.
34. Worst injury you've ever had as a child? Chin split open....needed many stitches.
36. Do you love where you live? I do. (By the way....what happened to question 35?)
37. How many TVs do you have in the house? Four.
38. Who is your loudest friend? I stand with Kate....Tara wins!
39. How many dogs do you have? I have 1 vicariously again....my dad has Jake.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? The question here is who doesn't have a crush on me? I'm all but irresistible...ha ha ha!
41. What is your favorite book? I have too many to have a fave....but I'm currently reading the Twilight Saga and LOVING IT!.
42. What is your favorite candy? chocolate ( apparently question 43 didn't make the cut either)
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? As long as it's not "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" I really don't care.
Here are some more or less intriguing questions from another email survey:
What is your occupation right now? I'm unemployed.........urgh!
What are you listening to right now? Myself typing
What was the last thing that you ate? chicken, broccoli and cauliflower and french fries
Can you drive a stick shift? In theory
Last person you spoke to on the phone? My best friend Kate.
What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Baseball all the way.....go Padres!.
What is your favorite drink? iced tea
Favorite food? my grandma's cooking
What is the last movie you watched? Marley and Me.....super cute
Favorite day of the year? Christmas
How do you vent anger? Cleaning.....it's amazing what my house can look like when I'm working off a mad.
What was your favorite toy as a child? Dolls.
When was the last time you cried? Last night I had a small squabble with my dad over something stupid.
What did you do last night? See previous question
What are you most afraid of? Drowning and losing people I love.
Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese
Favorite dog breed? Golden Retriever
Favorite day of the week? Saturday
How many states have you lived in? Four states: 2 Texas, then California and now back to Texas
What is your favorite flower? Calla Lilies
2. Have you been ever drunk? Yep - and anyone who says not is either lying, currently drunk or needs to be in short order.
3. Do you own a gun? Sort of vicariously now - my dad does and since I'm living in his house..... I have mixed feelings on owing my own.
4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite? Fruit Punch
5. Do you get nervous before doctor's appointments? No.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Hebrew National only.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Milk or OJ
9. Can you do push ups? Um, no.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No.
13. What's your weight? Way too personal--and not what I would like to claim it to be. ( I steal Kate's answer)
14. Middle name? Nicole.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?? I would only take one of these surveys because I love you Kate; I need to go to bed soon; I wonder how many times I'll be up with my children tonight?.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Iced Tea, water, V8 splash
17. Current worry? Finding a job
18. Current hate right now? Being so far away from my husband.
19. Favorite place to be? With my family.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? Singing Kareoke with my family!
21. Where would you like to go? Italy, Ireland and back to Hawaii.
22. Name three people who will complete this. I have no idea.
24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Black
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't think I ever have, and I don't think I want to. Two words come to mind: cold and slippery
26. Can you whistle? Yep
27. Favorite color?? Blue
28. Would you be a pirate? Only if it involves Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower.
30. Favorite girl's name? I'm a fan of Emma and Kathleen (my daughter's names)
31. Favorite boy's name? Matthew
32. What's in your pocket? 2 business cards from the daycare I checked out today. Although I did find $15 in my jacket pocket today....how awesome is that!?
33. Last thing that made you laugh? My best friend leaving me a message with the sound of her breast pump on it.....it sounds like a dying cat....and strangely enough I've really missed that sound.
34. Worst injury you've ever had as a child? Chin split open....needed many stitches.
36. Do you love where you live? I do. (By the way....what happened to question 35?)
37. How many TVs do you have in the house? Four.
38. Who is your loudest friend? I stand with Kate....Tara wins!
39. How many dogs do you have? I have 1 vicariously again....my dad has Jake.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? The question here is who doesn't have a crush on me? I'm all but irresistible...ha ha ha!
41. What is your favorite book? I have too many to have a fave....but I'm currently reading the Twilight Saga and LOVING IT!.
42. What is your favorite candy? chocolate ( apparently question 43 didn't make the cut either)
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? As long as it's not "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" I really don't care.
Here are some more or less intriguing questions from another email survey:
What is your occupation right now? I'm unemployed.........urgh!
What are you listening to right now? Myself typing
What was the last thing that you ate? chicken, broccoli and cauliflower and french fries
Can you drive a stick shift? In theory
Last person you spoke to on the phone? My best friend Kate.
What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Baseball all the way.....go Padres!.
What is your favorite drink? iced tea
Favorite food? my grandma's cooking
What is the last movie you watched? Marley and Me.....super cute
Favorite day of the year? Christmas
How do you vent anger? Cleaning.....it's amazing what my house can look like when I'm working off a mad.
What was your favorite toy as a child? Dolls.
When was the last time you cried? Last night I had a small squabble with my dad over something stupid.
What did you do last night? See previous question
What are you most afraid of? Drowning and losing people I love.
Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese
Favorite dog breed? Golden Retriever
Favorite day of the week? Saturday
How many states have you lived in? Four states: 2 Texas, then California and now back to Texas
What is your favorite flower? Calla Lilies
So This is What It Feels Like To Fall Off The Face Of The Earth....
I am a horrible blogger.....seriously horrible. We just went through the what could probably be the biggest set of changes for our family in forever and I didn't write about any of it....I suck! I did Twitter a few times....but that's hardly enough to absolve me. So here's the run down on this last month:
1) We packed the POD: What an adventure that was! First off, let me say that I have discovered a superhuman talent I never knew my husband ( who I already find amazing) possessed. He's a super- packer. To this day I still do not know quite how we got everything we own into that POD ; and I've even seen it unloaded again (we moved everything into a storage unit). It took about 3 days.....but Robby and I managed to box, load and/or sell/donate every single thing in that apartment. We have quite a bit of furniture to buy once we move into a house, but you won't hear me complain about that. You should have seen our car as we were driving away.....we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies...there was barely room for the kids! We stayed the night in a Best Western in Escondido (oddly enough it was the same hotel that we booked for all our family to stay in for the wedding and the place where I spent my last night as a single gal...sorta cyclical huh?). Then we headed east for Phoenix for the Thanksgiving holiday. The girls were great on the drive out and we an a really great time with my mom and step dad.
2) We drove to Texas: Here's another thing that I can hardly believe we did....even after we've already done it. All I can say is "thank God for portable DVD players...and my friend Michelle S. for giving me the idea"! The girls did great. It took us 2 days....the total driving time was 15-16 hours......but we made it. We stopped the first night in Van Horn, Texas.....yikes! I thought Yuma was bad...but this one beats all. (If any readers are by chance from Van Horn, Texas....I'll just say sorry for trashing your town and I really hope you've gotten yourselves out!) Both girls decided that sleep wasn't really that necessary that night so we got a very early 6:30am start on the road the next day. We stopped in Midland at Cracker Barrel (California is seriously missing out there....that place has the best freakin breakfast I've ever had). As we sat down at the table it suddenly hit me that the people here really look quite different, not to mention sound different...and I wondered if we blended in or stuck out. We arrived about 3:00pm that afternoon and the girls were so excited to see my parents and my sister.
3) I live in a town with a "Main Street": What a trip huh? There's quite literally a Main Street and it goes straight through town and all the major businesses are on it. I find it quaint. My first trip to the grocery store was fun....when I was done checking out the nice guy who bagged my groceries started to walk us out. I told him that wasn't necessary, but he insisted saying that they walked each customer out and then returned the cart back to the store. I was floored! He helped me unload my bags into the car, said "Have a nice day ma'am" and then away he went with my shopping cart. Sure enough there are none of those metal corals in a parking space to return carts anywhere in the parking lot. Amazing! I opened a bank account at the local bank. I've become a frequent visitor to the Super Wal-Mart (which is way way nicer than any Wal-Mart back in CA). I am blown away at how much lower the cost of living is here. The price difference in groceries is unbelievable!
5) It Snowed!: It was so awesome......about a week or so after we got here we woke up to a thin layer of white on everything....and then it began snowing throughout the day. We ended up with a few inches. I have pics that I'll post soon. This was the first time that the girls had seen snow and Emma was thrilled. A few days ago however it was close to 80. Emma was playing outside in shorts and a T-shirt. 2 days later it was 32 and EVERYTHING was covered in ice....crazy weather!
4) Christmas was great: Robby flew in on the 20th....the reunion was almost overwhelming. I don't think any of us realized how much we had missed each other until we saw each other again. The girls were over the moon to have their Daddy back with them. We had a wonderful holiday and then he flew home on the 28th. That was way way harder than having him leave the first time. The first time I knew I just had to make it 19 days until I saw him again. I could tell the girls exactly when Daddy was coming home. Now I don't have that...and it's so much harder than I would have thought possible. Those of you who know Robby and I know that we're two halves of one whole....we don't do well being separated for long.....but yet somehow we are. I have a new and unbelievable respect for single parents and military families.
5) I'm looking for a job: I've been job hunting for the last few weeks but to no avail. So I'm putting out a formal prayer request. The sooner I have a job the sooner Robby can be out here with us. I know the Lord will provide for us. We prayed long and hard before making this decision and we both feel that this is where the Lord has lead our family. But your prayers are appreciated to speed up the process! :-)
6) My car is no longer a California resident: today I registered my car. They give you the plates immediately...I put them on today. Now I look like a local....at least in my car. I haven't done my driver's license yet....so I'm a foreigner driving a local car. For some reason I'm a little sad to let go of this last piece of California. It's like changing some vital piece of me. For some reason they make you surrender your license when you apply for one here...so I won't even get to keep it for nostalgia purposes. On top of that I love my DL pic.....I don't see how I'll be able to take another one that's as good....I think there's a limit on that kind of thing.
7) Finally..........I have fallen off the face of the earth: I feel like such a loser. I had 12 voice mails today......12. That's how many people have called me and not been able to reach me over the last few days. I feel like I'm ignoring my best friend ( who I am missing to the point of it being painful at this moment), my mom calls -I can't answer, my other sister probably thinks I'm purposefully ignoring her....I'm in a sad state right now. I will answer texts because that's about all the time I have is to write a few sentences and I'm off again (thank God for my Blackberry). I decided today that I am going to make a list of all the people I need to call and actually set the dates in my calender of what day I am going to call them. How sad am I? It also has occurred to me over the last few days that I have no friends out here....and that the idea of finding any that I like even remotely as much as my California friends just seems like such a daunting task. I know it will all come in time....it's just my latest revelation.
By and large I am very very happy with our decision to move. Being able to spend so much time with my family has been amazing. I was able to go to my Grandma's birthday dinner the other night....something I miss out on every year. I got to meet my brother's darling girlfriend last weekend...and see him take Emma to the park to play....that was very cool. The girls have already formed strong bonds with their grandparents and great grandparents out here....and that has made everything worth it. To see the look on Katy's face when my Dad or Michelle comes home from work and how she reaches her arms out to them - or the way Emma calls out "MeMe - Grandpa" and goes running to them when my grandparents come over is just awesome!
So, now that I've caught everyone up on the last 6 weeks....I have found my place back on the planet and can hopefully keep it that way.
1) We packed the POD: What an adventure that was! First off, let me say that I have discovered a superhuman talent I never knew my husband ( who I already find amazing) possessed. He's a super- packer. To this day I still do not know quite how we got everything we own into that POD ; and I've even seen it unloaded again (we moved everything into a storage unit). It took about 3 days.....but Robby and I managed to box, load and/or sell/donate every single thing in that apartment. We have quite a bit of furniture to buy once we move into a house, but you won't hear me complain about that. You should have seen our car as we were driving away.....we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies...there was barely room for the kids! We stayed the night in a Best Western in Escondido (oddly enough it was the same hotel that we booked for all our family to stay in for the wedding and the place where I spent my last night as a single gal...sorta cyclical huh?). Then we headed east for Phoenix for the Thanksgiving holiday. The girls were great on the drive out and we an a really great time with my mom and step dad.
2) We drove to Texas: Here's another thing that I can hardly believe we did....even after we've already done it. All I can say is "thank God for portable DVD players...and my friend Michelle S. for giving me the idea"! The girls did great. It took us 2 days....the total driving time was 15-16 hours......but we made it. We stopped the first night in Van Horn, Texas.....yikes! I thought Yuma was bad...but this one beats all. (If any readers are by chance from Van Horn, Texas....I'll just say sorry for trashing your town and I really hope you've gotten yourselves out!) Both girls decided that sleep wasn't really that necessary that night so we got a very early 6:30am start on the road the next day. We stopped in Midland at Cracker Barrel (California is seriously missing out there....that place has the best freakin breakfast I've ever had). As we sat down at the table it suddenly hit me that the people here really look quite different, not to mention sound different...and I wondered if we blended in or stuck out. We arrived about 3:00pm that afternoon and the girls were so excited to see my parents and my sister.
3) I live in a town with a "Main Street": What a trip huh? There's quite literally a Main Street and it goes straight through town and all the major businesses are on it. I find it quaint. My first trip to the grocery store was fun....when I was done checking out the nice guy who bagged my groceries started to walk us out. I told him that wasn't necessary, but he insisted saying that they walked each customer out and then returned the cart back to the store. I was floored! He helped me unload my bags into the car, said "Have a nice day ma'am" and then away he went with my shopping cart. Sure enough there are none of those metal corals in a parking space to return carts anywhere in the parking lot. Amazing! I opened a bank account at the local bank. I've become a frequent visitor to the Super Wal-Mart (which is way way nicer than any Wal-Mart back in CA). I am blown away at how much lower the cost of living is here. The price difference in groceries is unbelievable!
5) It Snowed!: It was so awesome......about a week or so after we got here we woke up to a thin layer of white on everything....and then it began snowing throughout the day. We ended up with a few inches. I have pics that I'll post soon. This was the first time that the girls had seen snow and Emma was thrilled. A few days ago however it was close to 80. Emma was playing outside in shorts and a T-shirt. 2 days later it was 32 and EVERYTHING was covered in ice....crazy weather!
4) Christmas was great: Robby flew in on the 20th....the reunion was almost overwhelming. I don't think any of us realized how much we had missed each other until we saw each other again. The girls were over the moon to have their Daddy back with them. We had a wonderful holiday and then he flew home on the 28th. That was way way harder than having him leave the first time. The first time I knew I just had to make it 19 days until I saw him again. I could tell the girls exactly when Daddy was coming home. Now I don't have that...and it's so much harder than I would have thought possible. Those of you who know Robby and I know that we're two halves of one whole....we don't do well being separated for long.....but yet somehow we are. I have a new and unbelievable respect for single parents and military families.
5) I'm looking for a job: I've been job hunting for the last few weeks but to no avail. So I'm putting out a formal prayer request. The sooner I have a job the sooner Robby can be out here with us. I know the Lord will provide for us. We prayed long and hard before making this decision and we both feel that this is where the Lord has lead our family. But your prayers are appreciated to speed up the process! :-)
6) My car is no longer a California resident: today I registered my car. They give you the plates immediately...I put them on today. Now I look like a local....at least in my car. I haven't done my driver's license yet....so I'm a foreigner driving a local car. For some reason I'm a little sad to let go of this last piece of California. It's like changing some vital piece of me. For some reason they make you surrender your license when you apply for one here...so I won't even get to keep it for nostalgia purposes. On top of that I love my DL pic.....I don't see how I'll be able to take another one that's as good....I think there's a limit on that kind of thing.
7) Finally..........I have fallen off the face of the earth: I feel like such a loser. I had 12 voice mails today......12. That's how many people have called me and not been able to reach me over the last few days. I feel like I'm ignoring my best friend ( who I am missing to the point of it being painful at this moment), my mom calls -I can't answer, my other sister probably thinks I'm purposefully ignoring her....I'm in a sad state right now. I will answer texts because that's about all the time I have is to write a few sentences and I'm off again (thank God for my Blackberry). I decided today that I am going to make a list of all the people I need to call and actually set the dates in my calender of what day I am going to call them. How sad am I? It also has occurred to me over the last few days that I have no friends out here....and that the idea of finding any that I like even remotely as much as my California friends just seems like such a daunting task. I know it will all come in time....it's just my latest revelation.
By and large I am very very happy with our decision to move. Being able to spend so much time with my family has been amazing. I was able to go to my Grandma's birthday dinner the other night....something I miss out on every year. I got to meet my brother's darling girlfriend last weekend...and see him take Emma to the park to play....that was very cool. The girls have already formed strong bonds with their grandparents and great grandparents out here....and that has made everything worth it. To see the look on Katy's face when my Dad or Michelle comes home from work and how she reaches her arms out to them - or the way Emma calls out "MeMe - Grandpa" and goes running to them when my grandparents come over is just awesome!
So, now that I've caught everyone up on the last 6 weeks....I have found my place back on the planet and can hopefully keep it that way.
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