Merry Christmas!

For various reasons I didn't send out cards this year. Usually I love sending them out but this Christmas it just didn't happen in time. Call me a slacker or a bum or whatever you will but know that we are thinking of all of you.

Jeremy, the kids, and I have had a crazy year and we couldn't have made it through without our friends and family. Forgive me for not staying in touch as well as I should. Please know that you are in my thoughts more than you can imagine. From your phone calls to sweet emails to drinks and poker, we've been grateful to have every one of you in our lives. We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and have a chance to spend time with those you love. And for those we won't see this week, we hope to see you soon!

In lieu of a card, here are goofy pics of the kids: (Olivia's newest hobby is swimming in my empty bathtub and Noah has decided to grow his hair out until it's properly shaggy)

Merry Christmas, my friends! I'm anxious to see you all soon!!!

Stalling

What do you do when it's the first official day of Christmas vacation, you're very sleepy from chatting online waaaaay too late the night before, and you're dreading hitting the grocery store because the wind chill today is a balmy -9*? Crank up the karaoke machine and belt out Hannah Montana songs in your pjs while jumping on the couch, of course. Oh, and the kids had fun, too :)

*Luckily, the temperature at noon is a tropical 11 degrees above zero when the wind dies down. Still, I think we might stall a bit longer before getting that gallon of milk...

Snow Day!

So, here's what you need to know about Athens, Ohio. It doesn't snow here. At least not very much. Oh, and not until January. At least that's what the locals like to tell you. Nope, no snow here. Maybe 10 inches total the whole winter. In fact, to listen to them talk you'd think we were still living in Virginia - the weather sounds that similar. And, it's true that we are well below the lake effect snow line (about an hour south) and we're in the foothills, not typical flat Ohio landscape. So, why oh why has it snowed at least a dozen times in the two months since we moved here? Now, granted, it hasn't snowed a lot at one time. In fact we've only been snowed in to the point I didn't want to venture out twice. School has been delayed twice, never cancelled (even though in Virginia it would've been cancelled without question - the roads were pretty bad). We did get a lovely sleet storm last Thursday which resulted in me nearly getting to know a tractor trailer way more than I wanted to (Still the kids stayed in school...I just can't get used to that!)

So, I guess the natives were right...it wasn't snowing in December - it was technically sleeting. The picture above is our street - nice and icy but not snowy!

Olivia's winter program was cancelled that night because of the weather so I was thankful for that. I'd been nervous that I'd have to drive on the hilly, curvy road toward the school again soon after my afternoon near death experience.

They rescheduled the program (very cute kindergartners singing happy little Christmas songs) for last night (Monday). Olivia insisted on dressing up:

Once we got to the school I figured out her master plan - every single one of her friends was wearing a velvet winter dress. Together they made the most adorable group of little girls you've ever seen, all hugging and giggling :)

Well, it's good that they had the program when they did because not an hour after we got home it started snowing again. And it snowed this morning and most of the afternoon. So, finally, after a dozen days of snow the kids got to stay home. Yay! We spent the day playing and making cookies (Yum - sugar cookies and some new concoction we made with Reese's peanut butter cups chopped up in the dough) and building a gingerbread train (of course!). And, this afternoon, even though I haven't figured out where the box of snowsuits is yet, we played in the snow. The crazy thing was Jeremy told me that his assistant said it was raining in Athens, not snowing. At first I was thinking that maybe THIS is why they think it doesn't snow here - they don't know that it's called "snow" not "rain" but then a neighbor told me that even though it was raining only 3 miles away we live on a little elevated pocket of Athens that often gets different weather than the rest of the city. Odd but I suppose it makes a little sense. Anyway, here are some (not-so-great) photos of the fun in the snow:

The hill in our backyard is pretty good for sledding but the very top is incredibly steep (which is hard to tell here). Poor Olivia's sled kept running away from her :)

Making the obligatory snow angels...

I don't know, I'd say we spent the afternoon in the snow not the rain! It was cold and fluffy and white. Maybe they claim it rarely snows here but it sure was fun to sled on! :)

Yes, He's Kidding. Or At Least He'd Better Be...

So, Jeremy recently let me know that a track supervisor job has opened up in Illinois. That is really, really not funny. I'm not ready to even joke about such things :0)

Quote of the Day

Noah: (imitating Jeremy talking on his work phone...) "Joe? Bill? Bob? Billy Bob Jones? I need ya'll to fix that rail!"

Who knew my darlin' boy had such a perfect southern accent along with such a fix on the countrified tone of the railroad.

(For the record, while one of Jeremy's employees is named Joe as far as I know there is no Bill, Bob or Billy Bob).

You Know You've Officially Settled Into Ohio-ness When...

You go to the Farmers Market no matter the weather. We went out this morning in blowing snow, over unplowed roads, to get our weekly market fix. Very few vendors were out and we probably didn't need the oatmeal spice cookies and apple pie but, hey, the perfect cup of hot spiced apple cider can pretty much convince us to travel anywhere...and judging by the number of cars on the road, we weren't the only ones. So, I'm thinking that driving through a couple of inches of snow just for some junk food makes us almost as crazy as the natives, don't you?

'Tis The Season

We've entered the holiday season and the hustle and bustle is upon us. We were lucky enough to have 2 days to travel to Roanoke for Thanksgiving. We arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday just in time for turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, my beloved corn pudding, and lots (and LOTS) of other wonderful food. I was so full that I didn't even eat dessert! That's got to be the first time I've ever passed up a piece of chocolate pie. Ever. We spent the rest of the evening just goofing off with family - playing Pictionary, looking through Black Friday ads, and just enjoying each other's company. Oh! and the biggest surprise of the night? My early Christmas gift from Jeremy and kids - a laptop to call my very own. I haven't named her yet but I'm open to suggestions :)

Jeremy and I headed out early Friday morning to fight the shopping masses. We don't really need to go out after Thanksgiving - we don't typically buy the big items that have everyone going nuts but we always have a good time in the early morning, when it's dark and cold, making fun of the frantic shoppers, kid-free, spending some time together. And there is always time in the afternoon for a nap to recover and leftover chocolate pie, of course!!

So, we've been back home for a full week now and we're in the Christmas spirit. We've already bought and decorated our Christmas tree and the lights are up outside. For the first time ever we're actually about 90% done with our shopping with this much time left to spare. Usually we're last minute kind of shoppers (except that one spree post-Thanksgiving). One of my favorite traditions is my homemade advent calendar. It's something we've been doing since Noah was 3. Basically, I make some sort of countdown calendar (a tree with 25 ornaments, a Santa with 25 puffs of white for his beard, etc). This year we have a paper tree and 25 presents to place beneath it. Instead of doing a traditional advent calendar where the kids get candy or gifts, we do one Christmas activity each day until Christmas. No one but me knows what we'll be doing that day. It ranges from simply reading a Christmas book to building a gingerbread house to going to look at Christmas lights around town to baking batch after batch of cookies (everyone gets to help make their favorite - even Jeremy :). It adds a little more busy-ness to our month but I love it. It helps make sure we are taking the time to enjoy every aspect of the season and it requires that we spend extra time with each other.

It might be surprising to a lot of people to know that I'm a sentimental sap when it comes to the holidays. My fondest memories of growing up revolve around being in the kitchen with my family, laughing and talking, and yes, eating! Jeremy and I watch White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, and Christmas Vacation ever year without fail. We make sure the kids see A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and several others throughout the month of December. There's holiday music playing in the kitchen whenever I'm cooking and the house is filled with the scent of our Canaan Fir and cookies in the oven. I love sitting in the dark looking at the lights wrapped around the banister or draped over the piano. I love wrapping gifts at night when the house is quiet and everyone is asleep. I know a lot of people complain about the commercialism of it all, but I love the spirit of Christmas, the peace and joy and hope of it all. I love the sparkle in the kids' eyes and the excitement in their voices. And I love that this year the 4 of us will be together for the entire season. That is what I'm most grateful for - our chance to return to our traditions, old and new, together.

And So It Goes

Settling in to the new house in Ohio has taken longer than I thought. For some reason it's harder to get used to things this time. Maybe it's because I'm tired of unpacking and arranging. Maybe it's because the weather has turned so cold. Being chilled makes me sluggish and grouchy and makes me dream about spending the day under blankets or up to my chin in a hot bath. Either way, I'm dragging along, trying to slowly get things done. Most of the boxes are unpacked and we're at that point where the things we need are out and easily accessible. It makes the urgency to finish unpacking fade away. Hmm...should I watch the snow fall and drink hot chocolate or clean out the icy cold garage? Well, what would you choose??

Other than that, Ohio is nice. There is an unseasonably cold streak currently going on and we've had snow 3 times now. Luckily the ground has remained warm enough that we didn't get much accumulation. The kids are looking forward to sledding and snowball fights but I'd like a few more weeks of above freezing weather :)

We've fallen in love with the local farmers market and have decided to make it a weekly tradition. We've gotten local greens (sunflower microgreens to be specific) and pizza dough, fantastic bread and locally grown tea. This weekend we're planning on getting more bread, some squash and a jar of creamed honey. The goal is to try something new every weekend.

We've found that the local shopping leaves something to be desired so we've tried out Lancaster and Parkersburg (WVA). They seem to be good options that aren't too far away.

The kids are making friends without problem. In fact they've both already gone to birthday parties. If only it were that easy for me!! While they're thriving in school and socially, I have to figure out how to meet more people. That's one of the drawbacks of being a stay at home mom, it's not as easy to get to know someone. And, in this town, almost everyone works for the university or the hospital. Stay at home moms are an anomaly. Quite the opposite of Charlottesville!!

We're still trying to figure out the details on getting to Virginia for a visit. I'm hoping we'll have time in December to make our travels to visit everyone. Once January hits we'll be swept up in kid activities (and probably bad weather!). Noah is still planning on taking Taekwondo and piano while Olivia is seriously considering ice skating lessons. I'm looking forward to it all :)

We've had several visitors so far and now that we're becoming a little more settled we're hoping for more soon. And, yes, that means you!!

Quote of the Day (part 2)

Last weekend we headed over to Parkersburg, West Virginia to get some lunch and do some shopping. The kids have a tradition of counting down the seconds until we hit the state line as we cross the Ohio River. As we entered West Virginia Olivia proudly announced:

"We're in West Virginia. I'm gonna show my armpits!!"

Quote of the Day (part 1)

Leaving the house, heading to the car Noah decided it would be a good idea to jump off the front steps.

"OOOOOO! I think I just knocked the wind out of my legs!"

Yes

We are in Ohio, finally. In case you were wondering. I'll tell you all about it once I'm not so tired and not surrounded by so many boxes. If anyone asks, tell them I don't really enjoy unpacking. Over and over and over :)

8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Us In Ohio

1. Because, honestly, when you think of "roadtrip" don't you immediately think of Ohio?



2. Because we'll be close to several baseball teams, several football teams, several hockey teams, and OSU. We could go to a game. Or just stay in and play poker and drink margaritas. Or take a nap. You're the guest, we'll let you choose.



3. Because we're hosts that let you choose what you want to do. See item #2.



4. Because it's free food and a free place to sleep. What more do you want?



5. Because we're close to Hocking Hills which has excellent hiking and photo ops. (You know, if you happen to read my blog, be a fantastic bartender, and/or take beautiful photographs. Don't ask me what bartending has to do with hiking but...um...it's got to fit in there somewhere.)



6. Because you'll get to check out our quirky little house. Hidden closets, heated floors, 4 showerheads in the shower, and lots of odd little features that'll keep the kids occupied for hours. Oh, and did I mention the house is crazy ugly? And has been dubbed "Funkytown?" And I fell in love with it within 2 minutes?


7. Because it's on your way to visit your aunt/grandparents/cousin/ex boyfriend/favorite hairdresser/someone. Everyone knows someone in Ohio. Might as well visit us while you visit them!


8. Because no matter how much you try to fool yourself, you know you're gonna miss us :)

Back By Popular Demand

I've been told I've been slacking again on the blog so even though I'm in the middle of moving, even though everything in our home is packed in boxes, even though I'm having to borrow this computer, I'm posting. Just for my Loyal Readers (I'm being optimistic by assuming there is more than one!). Just for you, I will make time to post. Especially since one of you is currently cooking my dinner and boy, does it smell yummy :)

Catching Up

Once again, like always, I feel like I'm falling behind with the blogging. Things are moving quickly now and we have the move date set for October 27th. The kids are wrapping up activities and winding down their time at school. Jeremy's been working and living in Ohio while the kids and I work on the logistics of getting the 3 of us and the pets up to see him.

Last week, my mom (Nana) came to visit with her friend John and it was a great time to fit in some those touristy things we haven't had a chance to do while spending time with them. We were on the road almost the entire weekend...scouting out the Virginia Safari park in Natural Bridge first. (BTW, they've really updated the place since I was last there. Highly, highly recommended. After all, when was the last time you fed a giraffe, pet a watusi, or watched a joey hop into mama kangaroo's pouch?)

We went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked for awhile on Flat Top Summit. The leaves were peaking and the weather was a balmy 75. Perfect weather for a fall hike and acorn/leaf collecting afternoon.

We also got to check out this awesome restaurant called The Homeplace. It was country kitsch to the extreme and so incredibly yummy. Unbelievable amounts of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and any other fixin' you would want. Delicious.

It was great to have a chance to see Nana before the move. It was an easy, relaxing weekend. The weather was perfect, the conversation flowing, and the kids extra well behaved. It's good to end our time in Roanoke on such a high note. Next up - heading up to Ohio until the railroad tells us otherwise :)

Dear Ohio,

I'll admit that you were ready for me and such planning has won me over. The drive to your state was breathtaking - Sandstone Mountain in West Virginia was covered with autumn leaves at their peak, the view from the New River Gorge was perfect, the drive over the Ohio River into your lovely state at sunset was better than I'd hoped for. And, then Ohio, you didn't stop there. Not only did you enchant me with your rolling hills, roadside cliffs and fall foliage, you made me laugh with your drive-thru ammo shops, your moonshine festival, your signs I didn't understand ("Caution: Pier Ahead" and "No Turn From Berm") and the random oil wells in otherwise normally landscaped front yards. Your people were friendly, your towns quaint, and your roads soooooo easy to cruise down. Now, granted, I only saw the Southeast part of your state but so far you've impressed me. There are several little towns that I've decided I wouldn't mind living in and I'm trying to decide whether or not we should root for the OSU Buckeyes in Columbus or the OU Bobcats in Athens, both in our new backyard. Should we go hiking our first weekend there or head to the big city to explore? I'm excited about moving to a state with only 4 letters in its name. In fact, I told our rental office today that I hope to be living with you by the end of October. So, thank you, Ohio for making my first visit such a great one. I plan on getting to know you even better very soon!

Love,

Your Soon-To-Be-Ohioan Friend

PS - Is Ohioan a word???

The Negative Post

Ok, so I think I've been pretty diplomatic about some of the things the railroad has thrown our way. I think I've tried to put a positive spin on just about everything. But, well, this blog is supposed to be confessions of a railroad wife and I've gotta tell you, right now that wife is stressed out! I'm not sure I've ever felt this unsure or worried or burdened. Goodness knows there are worse things happening to better people all over the world but in my little part of the universe this is a big deal :)

The good news is that the Ohio move has officially been approved. There wasn't much doubt but it's good to know it's a sure thing. The bad news? The company officially releases Jeremy from living on their expense after Friday. Now this might not be a big deal to some people but please remember that we still haven't sold the house in Charlottesville (mortgage!) and we have to rent in Roanoke for at least another month until the movers come and we find another place to live (rent!) and now Jeremy needs to find a place in Ohio (more rent!). So, somehow, some way, we have to find a way to pay 3 housing bills in the next few days. After only 2 days notice. When Jeremy mentioned to his boss that it wasn't a lot of time to take care of all this the guy actually chuckled and said after a while we'd get used to it and it becomes kind of fun. Well, honestly, my idea of fun is not spending what's left of our savings in one blow to pay toward 3 homes but what do I know? :) So, yes, I'm a tad bit angry and a lot frustrated but mostly worried. Oh, I'm sure it will all work out and by January we'll be able to look back and laugh but for now don't be surprised if I'm grouchy or distracted or need a hug or something. Confession? Sometimes the railroad sucks even when it's paying our bills (or at least most of them...)

And So It Goes

Once again, I've found myself slacking with this blog. It seems that things have been so busy with school starting and trying to get things in order at the apartment. In fact, this weekend was supposed to be our first real weekend in Roanoke. We had nothing planned, nowhere to be, we were all looking forward to it. Because, really, I feel like we haven't had time to explore the city or take advantage of the new things and activities we have nearby. As some of you know, I wasn't sure about moving here, after all Roanoke has never really captured my heart. But I've been surprised by how much I like it so far and so my plan was to write a post about what I like about the town so far. The list was already started in my head, a Dear Roanoke letter of sorts.

And then...cue dramatic music...

We got the call this morning. Jeremy is being sent to New Lexington, Ohio and has to be there on Monday. Yep, today is Friday and he has to be there on Monday. Ahh, the joys of railroading...the thrill of no notice...the fact that we're still paying a mortgage on top of our rent and now need to find a new place to live :) The kids are not thrilled. They've made lots of new friends, they're enjoying taekwondo and gymnastics and piano and living close to their Granny and Poppie but I'm trying to present it as an adventure and, hey, at least the 4 of us will be together, right???

I don't have details yet. We just know that Jeremy leaves on Sunday. The kids and I will stay in Roanoke until things become more official...there are movers to schedule, housing to find, classes and apartments to cancel, mail to forward (again! It took 4 weeks for the mail to start being forwarded here!), schools to withdraw from and enroll in, friends and family to notify. I'm hoping we'll be able to join him in Ohio before the end of October so I guess my dreams of a lazy weekend or a few normal days will have to be put on the backburner as we start the process all over again. Hang on to your hats, it's gonna be an interesting ride as I'm thrown back into single mom-hood again for a while. As always, I'll keep you posted :)

Quote of the Day - After Dinner Bliss

Olivia (looking at a field of cows on the way home from dinner) : Cows say Moo, just like my breath.

Quote of the Day - Part Deux (9/10)

Noah (upon leaving the pizza place): Let's go home and do a Man Thing!

Quote of the Day -September 10th

The scene - The local pizza place just after dinner where Noah and Olivia had been picking at each other the entire meal.

Olivia: I've only got one nerve left and Noah is crawling all over it. Now I've got nothin' left for tomorrow.

When You Have To Laugh (aka - Are You Kidding Me?)

Jeremy called me this afternoon to ask if I was sitting down. I moved over to the couch and told him I was ready for some big news. He very gently said that there's a chance (big or small, we don't know yet) that they may relocate him to Ohio, very, very soon. After a brief moment of shock, I looked around at all the boxes that still need to be unpacked and burst out laughing. I'm not surprised. After all, we're just getting settled in, finding our way around town and, BAM!, the possibility of a new move rears its head.

The C'ville house should be going on the market this weekend and I hope to have all the empty cardboard out of here by Thursday. After that, I'll be ready to hit the road again...wherever it leads. I'll keep you posted!

Lesson of the Day

Ask Jeremy if it's a good idea to set your beer on top of the TV when you are shifting giant boxes around and watching football at the same time. After he gives you the evil eye I'm guessing he's going to say "No." And all this week I've been worried about the kids spilling things on the new carpet. Silly me :)

Quote of the Day - September 6th

Olivia (holding up a Cheez-It) - We need to return these. Mine has a hole in it.

I Know What You're Thinking

You're thinking I've been slacking off, aren't you? You're thinking that my lack of posting must be due to the fact that I'm laying on the couch, eating bon-bons, and watching soaps all day. Well, while I wish all that was true, it's not. The truth is I've been insanely busy because...We've Moved. Officially Moved. And, man, we've been busy. So, where do I start?

We came down to Roanoke on August 24th to get ready for the first day of school. The in-laws were gracious enough to put us up for a few days until our lease started. The upside for them? They got to see Olivia off on her first day of kindergarten - August 25th.

Heading to the bus stop.

I didn't cry when she got on the bus, holding hands with Noah but Jeremy and I were both a little choked up. No more babies in the house :(

Another bright spot to the 25th was that I got to have dinner with Heather in Staunton. We hadn't seen each other in about 8 years and it's one of those friendships that I always wonder why I didn't stay in touch. It was great seeing her and I was very sad when it was time to head back to Roanoke. This time I'm determined not to let her go (Sorry, Howdy, you're stuck with me!)

My proof that we actually were in the same place at the same time!!

The 26th was my birthday - number 33 to be exact. We went out to dinner and then back to the in-laws home for pie and gifts.

Thursday the 28th, I went to pick up our keys to the apartment. It was empty and quiet. All we brought with us for this first night was 2 air mattresses, sleeping bags, and...um...the computer :)

Proof that I may have a small obsession with the internet.

We headed back to C'ville for the weekend to pack up everything we'd need before the movers came and that is when the good times began...Olivia decided to come down with a nasty stomach virus and Jeremy thought it would be fun to try out a head cold. But we persevered and the kids and I went back to Roanoke on September 1st to live on the floor for just a few more days. On Thursday the 4th, the movers brought all of our stuff. And, believe me, it's a lot of stuff. My poor empty apartment became a warehouse for cardboard boxes and packing paper. And this room had the least amount of furniture and boxes in it, believe it or not.

I've been slowly unpacking because now I've decided the head cold is a good idea and the week has been rougher and busier than any of us could have predicted. On the plus side the kids are enjoying the new school. Noah has restarted his piano lessons and Olivia has started gymnastics. They are both taking taekwando twice a week. Unpacking boxes that someone else has packed is almost like Christmas - you never know what's in each box, carefully wrapped in packing paper. (Wow, those movers are thorough...they wrapped my paper plates! Good times!) The downside is that everyone except Noah has been sick, sick, sick. My car decided it wanted some attention of its own and cost me an unexpected $500 and the worst part is that I was cat sitting for my brother in law's kitty when it was decided that she was too sick to carry on. We had to take her to the vet and listen to the diagnosis and be there as she was put to sleep...an unexpected lesson in loss for the kids.

But we're here now, together, and trying to figure out how to live as a family again. The boxes will be gone soon and the schedules will get ironed out. Maybe I'll look for a job if something interesting pops up. I'm just glad to get things moving in the right direction. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers and good wishes as we've headed south and hope you'll keep us in mind as we try to sell the C'ville home.

I'll try not to let the blog go so long without posting next time. And, in a week or so, once all the boxes are gone, we'll be ready for some visitors so don't be shy!

The Last Official Weekend

There's only a week left until we begin the moving process. The movers won't be here until the first week of September but the kids and Jeremy and I will be camping out in the new place once school starts. We'll have 3 days hanging out with his parents and 2 days of sleeping on the floor until the furniture actually arrives. School and piano lessons start next week and so, really, this past weekend was our last little bit of free time before we head to Roanoke.

Jeremy was off for 4 days to get things done around the house but I didn't want to spend the weekend only working. And so on Friday we had the neighbors over for cards and drinks and chips and salsa and laughter. It was great, I won the poker game and the kids stayed up way to late :)

Saturday was all work and no play and so I was determined that Sunday would be different. I convinced Jeremy to go hiking with the kids and I early in the afternoon. It's no secret that I love heading up to Skyline Drive and there's a trail that I've been wanting to check out for months. It was an easy 2 mile trek to see some old Episcopal Mission ruins and the weather was perfect - 70 degrees up on the mountain.

The bugs were terrible because we were at a lower elevation than normal but the endless butterflies were beautiful. We found the ruins along the overgrown trail and passed an Appalachian Trail cabin (J and I keep talking about completing the 2000 mile trail once the kids move out...). There's not much left of the old mission. A few stone walls, some steps, and some random rusty metal...things. But it was fun and the kids had a great time climbing rocks and looking at the flowers that were insanely tall. I'm anxious to find new places to hike on the Blue Ridgeway Parkway (which will be less than 5 minutes from our new home) but I'm going to miss the spontaneous trips up on the Drive.

The weekend ended on a perfect note when our friends Dave (Uncle Dave!!) and Pat ("What? How does he rate Uncle status?") came over for dinner. I haven't laughed so hard about nothing for a long time and it was a great evening. I'm getting nervous about the move and knowing that I have visits like that to look forward to seems to make it all ok.

The next few weeks should start getting complicated so we'll keep you posted and let you all know the new address and phone number once we take over the lease for the apartment...Stay tuned.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

The past week has been filled with nothing but decision-making and paperwork. My brain and my pen is exhausted. We've signed our lease and checked out the local neighborhood (I can't believe it'll only take me 5 minutes to go shopping and 2 minutes to get to the school!). We've registered for school and bought all the school supplies and new clothes and shoes. We've signed up for gymnastics and piano lessons and taekwondo. We've scheduled a time for the movers to come and take all of our junk to the new house. We've met with Realtors and talked about the depressing housing market and made a plan. We've picked out siding and shingle and shutter colors. We've picked out paint chips for the living room (in case I can convince Jeremy to paint some more!). We've bought new carpet and thoroughly cleaned the house from top to basement. The backyard is almost done and I've written the new address so many times lately that I've almost forgotten the old. We're starting the move in 17 days and things are still going well. I'm tired and sure I'm forgetting to do something but we're getting there.

Are You Tired Yet?

Sleep is overrated. That's what I've been told many times by many people. And I agree...except when it's not. Anyone who knows me knows I love to sleep. Love, love, love it. In fact, if I had to list hobbies, sleep would probably be number one. What beats curling up under a warm blanket on a chilly night with only your nose sticking out to be nipped at by the cold air? Or falling asleep in a sleeping bag listening to the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs singing you a summer lullaby? Or sneaking in a cat nap on the couch on a dreary rainy day when leaving the house seems like a bad idea?

My point is that I like to sleep :) And that's why I could never have Jeremy's job. Once we are living together again I'll have to get used to his schedule and the unpredictability of it all. He typically works an 11 or 12 hour day. At work by 6, home by 5 or 6 in the evening. But, he also has to be on call in rotating shifts in case something happens. After all, the railroad runs 24/7. And, of course, if something big and bad happens, he gets called out whether he's on call or not. It doesn't matter if it's Christmas morning or his kid's birthday or the middle of the night. And sometimes when he's called out he doesn't get to sleep for a long time. Case in point - on Tuesday he worked a regular day, let's say 6am to 5pm. He got back to his parents' house, ate some dinner, watched some tv, whatever and at 9:45 the phone rang. There was a derailment in Christiansburg and they needed extra help. I called Jeremy this morning at 9:30 and he was just leaving the derailment to go back to his regular shift. If you're keeping track that means that at 9:30am on Thursday morning he hadn't slept (except quick dozes in his truck) since Tuesday morning! And he was going in to work!! I don't see how he does it. He's a more resiliant person than me. But, on the bright, sweet wife side...I'm happy to take a nap in his honor... :)

Alaska, Part II

I just wanted to take a second to make two quick notes about next year's Alaska trip:

1. Deposits are due August 1st (or very very close thereafter). If you only paid the initial $25 then the next $225 is now due. Once this is paid you'll get your stateroom assignment if you don't have one already. And, remember, you can always pick a room now and upgrade if you want later on.

2. If you're not going with us to Alaska in September '09, it's not too late! Let me know and I'll get you all signed up. Bring your friends and your family, the cute guy down the street, your favorite bartender, that random chick that you work with...invite them all! It's gonna be a good time :)

The Trips Are Winding Down

Summer is running away from me quickly this year and our constant traveling through the state is coming to an end. Less than a month until school starts and we begin the moving process so it made complete sense when my mom called to ask us to visit. Once we move the drive to her house will take closer to 5 hours so we wanted to fit in a weekend trip before the road gets longer.

We got to Nana's on Friday and the evening started out great. We went to Angelo's for dinner and I finally got that cheeseburger I had been craving for over a week. We did a little shopping and then headed to her house and to bed. The next day we planned to go to a local state park or the local bald eagle preserve, maybe a movie or the beach. But, instead we awoke to bad news...Nana's fridge had conked out during the night and so we stayed in and waited for a repairman to come find out what the problem was. Time was ticking and the day was passing by so the kids and I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood to visit the local "beach." My mom lives on the Potomac River so it's sort of like a small, gentle beach. But, unless you're prepared with beach shoes (which we weren't) it's not really good for swimming because the sand is really coarse and rocky in most places. We weren't going for the swimming, anyway. You see, Nana's beach is called "Shark's Tooth Beach" for good reason. Along the river old shark's teeth wash up all the time. The last time we were there we found 2 or 3 and we were hoping to get lucky again. After making the 1/2 mile trip in the sweltering heat and humidity, we were happy to see the beach path come into sight. There were people fishing and people kayaking...a great day to enjoy the cool water. Unfortunately, our early afternoon timing wasn't so great and the tide was coming in. This meant that the rocky bars where we normally spot the teeth were covered in water. We made the best of it anyway, splashing in the water, getting our clothes wet, collecting cool rocks and shells, and digging in the sand.

Olivia is leading the way

Look closely and you can see Maryland behind them

Noah building a wall against the tide.

After we got back from the beach walk, we decided to head over to the local berry farm. We try to go every year to get our strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, and blackberries. This year we were too late for the early berries but there were plenty of blackberries ripening on the vine and since I can't resist making blackberry cobbler and bowls of berries sweetened with sugar and milk, and handfuls of berries in the middle of the day, that's what we picked. Yummy. And did I mention they make the best shortcake in the world there for when you're all sweaty and tired from picking? Delicious cake, vanilla ice cream, and fresh berries all melting together in the summer heat. It's an excellent way to end an afternoon.

Looking out over the berry farm.

Noah and Nana picking berries

Visiting with the goats...

Cooling off after the harvesting. Doesn't Noah look thrilled? :)

All in all, it was a fun visit even if it didn't work out exactly as expected. The kids were exhausted enough to sleep in until 9 both mornings and, for me, that makes the trip more than worth it. Hopefully, even though we'll be 5 hours away, it won't be too long before we're able to go visit Nana again.

The Ball Keeps Rollin'

Despite all my pessimism and doubt and unwillingness to be sure that we were moving, it looks like things keep falling into place. We've received the relocation money, we've been approved for a lease, we have 2 Realtors coming out to the house this week, and the kids are learning lots about the new school they'll be going to. So, really, it appears that we are actually going to be moving. In fact, if things continue to go as planned, we'll be moving on August 28th - a date that is rapidly approaching. I'm excited and nervous and stressed beyond belief. We have to get the siding, shutters, roof, and gutters fixed before then (thank you homeowner's insurance! no thanks to a badly timed freakishly huge hail storm!). I have to finish some last minute painting. We have to buy new carpet for the living room, finish clearing out the backyard down to the lake, clean out the basement (again. sigh.), and get the flower beds back in shape. All that while figuring out how to transport all 5 pets to the new home, registering for the new school, doctor and dentist appointments galore, starting soccer and cheerleading practice (which starts much much earlier there than it does here), finding a great piano teacher (Noah has been going through piano lesson withdrawal), packing up the stuff the movers can't move, and all the other stuff I haven't even started thinking about yet. Adding to the fun? School starts 3 days before we move so we have to figure out the logistics of that and find time (a priority!) to see Howdy, my lovely friend that I haven't seen in what? 8 years! the same week :) Good thing I work well under pressure! Otherwise the excitement might cause my head to implode!! But, honestly, as frantic and nutso as I sound, I can't wait to get all this going and keep the ball rolling...

Olivia is Such a Girl

There is great joy in our house this week because Olivia has discovered that she has her first loose tooth. She's delighted to tell Noah and I how big she's getting and this means she's almost a grown up. These are things I'd expect to hear a 5 year old to say. However, I don't have a lot of experience with 5 year old girls (and it's been a long, long time since I was 5) so imagine my amusement tonight when we had the following conversation:

Olivia walks into Noah's room while I'm telling him good night. Her finger is where it's been all day - right on the wiggly tooth. Teary eyed, she looks up at me and says "I'm so excited I'm crying!" (Girlism #1).

I walk her into her room to get her to bed and she says "I need to name it." I look around trying to figure out what she's talking about and then it dawns on me. "You're going to name your loose tooth?"

"Yep, I'm going to name all of them as they get loose." (Girlism #2)

And, then, as I'm walking out of her room - "I need to put a blanket on it. And when I wake up in the morning I'm going to dress it. Like maybe put a little shiny bow on it..." (Girlism #3)

Oh, she is such a girl. How such an ungirly mother came to help create this crazy, dramatic creature I'll never know but she definitely keeps me laughing.

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

We are now the proud owners of a five year old...girl :) Liv's birthday was Saturday and the weekend has been a whirlwind of good times. We started off Friday with camping in the backyard, complete with pizza and cupcakes, good friends, fireworks, and a giant bonfire (nice job, guys). Then, after Jeremy and I were able to drag ourselves out of the tent after staying up way too late (but, really, who needs to sleep more than 3 hours?) we set out for a day of Chinese food, shoe shopping (yes, Olivia is a shoe addict), present opening, and build-a-bear building.

Jeremy and I were talking last night after the kids went to bed, wondering how in the world our teeny tiny baby has suddenly turned five. Is it really possible she'll be starting kindergarten next month? She's promised that she won't get any bigger but, somehow, I just don't believe her...

This is what five looks like...

Thank You

Thanks for all your finger-crossing, wish-making, and prayerful praying because apparently it worked. We got word that Jeremy is getting a relocation package. What this means is that the company (I always feel like I should write that in caps a la the show "Heroes" - The Company) will give us money to relocate plus an allowance to help us settle into our new city. It also, most importantly, means that if we can't sell the house within the next few months they'll buy it from us. So, while I'm hesitant to say anything is definite yet (because the pessimist in me is always lurking near the surface) it seems that we may be moving in the next month or two. We're all sad to be leaving Charlottesville, especially because we have so many great friends here, but we're excited that the four of us will be seeing each other every day soon. And, besides, we'll only be a couple more hours south so no excuses for not visiting us. C'mon, you know you can't wait to spend some time in Roanoke with us. It is the Star City of the South, ya know :)

A Week With Dad

The kids wanted to spend this past week in Roanoke so they could visit Jeremy and their Granny and Poppie in one glorious trip. They got to see Daddy every evening and hang out with their grandparents 24 hours a day. When you're 4 and 9 what's better than that? I joined the group on Wednesday so that the 4 of us could spend some extra time together. We shopped, helped rearrange furniture, played lots of Chinese checkers, and hit the Salem Fair. We had a nice relaxing time but the kids were dying to get home today to play with the neighborhood kids. Can't say I blame them. It's always nice to go away for a few days and then walk back in your own front door.

It's Official

Yesterday Jeremy found out that he's definitely being promoted to a new position (Yay! A raise!) and that they are keeping him in the same location. We're incredibly disappointed because we were obviously hoping to move somewhere together. So, we now have to deal with the fact that it could be another year or more before he gets moved again. And, while I don't mind Roanoke, after all the buildup (and close call with moving to Indiana) I was looking forward to the idea of moving to another state. Oh well, somehow we'll manage and there is always the possibility that they'll renew his relocation package (apparently, this is still up in the air). On the bright side? There's a tiny extra bit of cash added to the paychecks, he's officially no longer a trainee, and he still loves the work he's doing. We just have to keep reminding ourselves of the good stuff. Maybe this time next year I'll finally be writing from somewhere else :)

Monday's Quote of the Day

Olivia: "I need to wash my hands. I've been touching nature all day."

Same Road, Different Trip

The kids and I decided to spend a night with Jeremy "on location" again this week. It was just a quick overnight jaunt but it ended with us arriving home tonight exhausted and ready for the weekend.


We hit Skyline Drive again because I was hoping to take some shots of the kids with the amazing amount of mountain laurel that is currently blooming up there but I made the mistake of stopping off at Big Meadows first. We wandered for a long time, enjoying the sun and following the winding deer (and people) paths. We saw lots and lots of these:


And plenty of these:

including this girl who cracked the kids up by taunting a puppy on a leash.

The only problem is that when we started driving again, the kids were hot and sweaty and not wanting to hike and let me take pictures of them. Somehow that just did not sound like an excellent time. I can't imagine why not??

So we headed up to see Jeremy and arrived just in time for dinner. Amazingly, even though there are even numbers on both sides, the kids outvoted the grown-ups and we had to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Ahh, the sacrifices we make...

I had a pretty sleepless night and was worried that I'd be a grouchy, tired mess for the return trip but after a little breakfast and some hot tea I was good to go. We had a few hours to kill so we headed to the Luray Zoo. Now, I know you're thinking what kind of zoo is in Luray? But they actually have a great reptile section with a gazillion snakes, some pretty cool rescued animals that they've "adopted" over the years, and a small petting area. It was a surprisingly fun way to spend a couple of hours (especially during monkey snack time). And really when you get to talk to a donkey named Burrita and she does this:

that, My Friends, is a good zoo trip.


A quick stop for lunch and we were back on the road to make a trip to Grammy and Papa's. We went swimming and the kids had a blast racing each other across the pool. Then it was time for dinner, conversation, looking at pictures from their recent trip to Israel and ice cream sandwiches. It was a great little visit and a nice way to spend a summer evening.



A long day and what felt like 45 hours of girl power music (Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and iCarly, anyone??) knocked the kids out on the way home. And so, I drove in the quiet dark, flashes of heat lightning in the distance with the lure of home urging me on.

Alaska

As most of you know we're heading to Alaska for a vacation next fall. Many of you are coming with us and I'm hoping many more of you will decide to join in on the fun. Thanks to Pat for suggesting I put an Alaskan sidebar on the blog. To your left you'll find information on the trip which will be updated as things come up that you need to know. If you're already going I can't wait to see you there. If you're not, c'mon, join us. We really want you to go :)

The Good, The Bad, The Latest

It's almost, not quite, been confirmed that as of July 1st Jeremy will be relocated to...Nowhere. Seems that there aren't any jobs currently open for him to relocate to so the company has created a position for him in Roanoke - where he's already assigned. At first glance, we were pretty disappointed. You see, without a new assignment and location the company won't help us sell our house or move or anything. We were also told that the situation in Roanoke could last a month, 6 months, who knows? So we needed to decide - was it worth losing the incentives that come with a company sponsored move (i.e. - realtor commissions paid, moving expenses, bonuses for selling the house, etc) for something that might only last a month or two? Were we willing to take that risk? Unfortunately, we're not so financially well off that's it's easy to walk away from what equals tens of thousands of dollars so...we were thinking that we'd keep the situation the same - Jeremy living with his parents while he works, the kids and I staying with the house, and hoping to live together as a regular family soon. You can probably guess how depressing making that decision was. But, you know, deep down we're hopeful people and we realize that things could be much worse...we have a house, Jeremy has a job that he loves, we've been kept safe and happy here, and we have lots of supportive friends and family that have been willing to help us out at the drop of a hat. No reason to complain. Disappointed, yes, for a few days. But, complain? We just can't.

So, now the good news. Jeremy heard from someone today that because he could actually end up being in this new position for another year they are going to try to convince the company to give us another relocation package - allowing the house to be sold and allowing the company to buy the house if that doesn't happen. This isn't set in stone and there's a good chance they won't agree to reopening his original relocation contract but I can't help but get my hopes up again. Because things always work out in the end; sometimes we just need a little patience. So, if you could keep your fingers crossed, keep us in your prayers, maybe loan us a wish or two, it would be greatly appreciated. We're ready to settle in together, to put things back to the way they were, to see each other on a daily basis and we can use all the help we can get :)

Road Trip

One of the unexpected benefits of Jeremy's prolonged training is the fact that sometimes the kids and I can visit him and spend the night with him in whatever town he happens to be in. They love staying in hotels and seeing him. And, honestly, so do I. A week ago we went and hung out with him for a night. The time passed too quickly but our trip back home was like a miniature road trip. It was a pretty perfect day - breakfast at Waffle House (Noah's first time there. Olivia, of course, is an experienced waffle orderer..), a stop at Dinosaur Land (Noah's comment - "cheesy but fun", Olivia's? "The best park I've ever been to!!!") and then a side trip to Skyline Caverns where we went through a mirror maze and rode a miniature train. After a leisurely lunch at KFC we hit Skyline Drive for some of the trip home. The kids got to scale boulders, run down skinny deer paths, count chipmunks, see a wild turkey and be amazed by the doe and newborn fawn we saw laying in the grass not 20 feet from us. We got home exhausted and happy and anxious to spend more days like that this summer.

Happy Birthday, Noah!

9 years old ago today we were thrilled to meet our baby boy. I can't believe how much has changed since then. I think back through all the stages and I'm stunned at how quickly time passes. There's no way we can really be parents of such a big kid, is there?

This year hasn't exactly gone as planned. When we had Noah's 8th birthday party we were sure it would be the last one he'd have here. But, we were wrong and last night we had the pleasure of hosting 5 of Noah's friends overnight. I will officially state for the record that I think I might rather have an entire class of preschoolers at my house than 6 older boys in my backyard. Those kids are crazy!! We insisted that they stay in their tent after 11 and still some of them didn't fall asleep. If I could bottle that energy...

Maybe it's insane but I'm assuming this will be the last birthday Noah will celebrate in this house. That makes 6 that he's celebrated here - everything from big family get-togethers to pirates and pinatas to camp outs. I hope his memories of this place are as good as mine. And I can't wait to celebrate number 10 with him wherever we go from here.

Happy Birthday, Noah! I love you :)

Waiting By The Phone

I'm not sure if we're acting more like teenage girls sitting by the phone waiting for the perfect boy to call or if we're more like expectant parents hoping the first contraction will come soon. The call could come any day now letting us know the location of Jeremy's relocation. There are 22 states to choose from and we don't have a clue what the likelihood is for any of them. For a chronic, obsessive list maker like myself this has been a difficult 17 months. I can't make a list about our new home if I don't know where it will be!!! Arrrghhhh! So, for 2 months now we've been expecting "The Call" any minute, our invitation to The Show, The Majors, The Big Time. We're all anxious to live together like a regular family again, to be able to tell people where we're moving when we get the daily "Do you know anything yet?" question, to settle the kids into a new town before school starts. But, for now, there's nothing to do but sit and wait and hope that our patience will pay off. Noah has 3 more days of school and after that we're ready to follow Jeremy wherever they send him...