Merry Christmas!

So the stockings are no longer hung, in fact they are quite empty. And there are no longer any piles of presents under the tree - they have all been torn open with much glee this morning. The cookies are starting to get more crumbly with each passing day, and I am quite tired of preparing large dinners! We've watched "A Christmas Story," assembled lego kingdoms, played John Madden '07 football (some are still playing...), eaten
cinnamon pastry, egg bake, bacon and fruit salad for breakfast. I've read at least 9 stories (including the Christmas story), some more than once, and Kevin has read a few too. The girls (me too!) enjoyed watching "The Little Mermaid" this morning (I have to confess to a bit of shut-eye sometime after Ariel got legs until about the time those nasty eels tipped their rowboat over and delayed her first kiss with Prince Eric--after all, we were up QUITE early this morning with some excited kiddos!).

We've sipped hot cocoa and egg nog, and hot Chai tea (guess which one I had?!), and munched on leftovers at lunch. Olivia has been playing with her new electric keyboard. A lot. And Katy has had great fun with her Animal Rescue Center. The fighting over new toys has been minimal. Oreo has thoroughly enjoyed his cat nip mouse and cat nip sack and endured much affection from Olivia. Ryan continues to wiggle his loose tooth on the bottom, but has finally given up on the notion of it falling out before Christmas. Our new goal? A new tooth by the new year! Hmmm, we'll see. It's not THAT loose yet...

The rain has not stopped since some time last night, and the lake is higher than I've seen it in some time and quite muddy as I look at it from one of the windows in my scrap room. I'm trying to decide what to have for dinner (have I mentioned that I am REALLY tired of preparing elaborate holiday meals?!), and the thought of Chinese food is sounding quite appealing... perhaps I can find some dogs to eat up our leftover roast chicken from last night?

All in all it has been a wonderful, relaxing, intimate Christmas day with our little fivesome. I miss our families, but look forward to seeing everyone in a few more days (some for the 2nd time this month!). And as I sit here, I am hearing strains of yet another showing of "A Christmas Story" from below--you've gotta love TBS! So, Merry Christmas to all of our loved ones. I hope your day has been as special as ours. See you soon!


P.S. Sorry for the rambling--just was trying to capture everything as it was running through my mind.

December 12th

December 12th. It's a day that changed me in so many ways. On the morning of Saturday, December 12th, 1998, I officially began miscarrying Kevin's and my first child. I had been spotting for several days prior, but my OB wasn't willing to call it a miscarriage just yet. But on that morning the spotting became too heavy for me to believe that this baby would survive. The miscarriage was confirmed the following Monday. The grief I was feeling was incomparable, yet I buried that grief in preparation for a holiday Open House that Kevin and I had planned at our home for that evening. I know that may sound cold, that you may wonder how I was able to function to prepare all that food, and get the house ready for nearly 30 guests, but it actually really helped to be so busy. It allowed me to not think about what my body was doing to me. How it was betraying me. And to not dwell on the thoughts of "what if..." What if I'd never get pregnant again? What if this was my punishment for the "choice" I made nearly ten years earlier? So I cooked, and I didn't have to think. It makes me chuckle to think of how I identified with Izzy and her muffins from Grey's Anatomy. Sometimes it is so much easier to focus your energy somewhere else.

Around 8:30, the evening of Saturday, December 12, 1998, I received a phone call from Seattle, WA in the midst of our Open House. When I first saw the number on caller ID, I almost didn't answer the phone. After all, we were having a party, and I would just call Dreama back the next day. But then I decided to talk to her, I wanted her to know about what was going on--that I had gotten pregnant, and that I was having a miscarriage. So I went upstairs to my bedroom, but when I answered the phone it wasn't Dreama on the line. It was Rick. Her boyfriend. And he was saying something about how she had died. I didn't know what he was talking about. I thought he and Dreama had put together some prank to make me feel bad that we hadn't spoken for a few months. But then he got through to me when he started crying. This wasn't a joke. And he detailed the events of her final week, as I sat there dumbfounded, speechless, uncomprehending. How could a vibrant, amazing 28 year old just die so suddenly? How could the person who I had shared so much of my life with during the previous ten years just be gone? How was I ever going to make it through this day?

Obviously, since I am typing this blog entry 8 years (eight YEARS?!?) later, I managed to survive that day through God's grace, and my husband and family's love and support. And I am a stronger person because of it. I have been blessed in so many ways the past eight years--3 healthy, beautiful children, several new close friends and a new best friend. But each year on this day I feel a little twinge as I think about what might have been. I wonder who I would be if things had worked out differently on this day in 1998. And I feel regret that I didn't get to share these years and these blessings with my friend Dreama. I really miss her.

Getting Ready for Christmas

I have had such a good time decorating our home for Christmas this year. It is usually an enjoyable process, but I guess since it's a new house, all of our old stuff somehow feels more new too as I figure out where it should go. We have WAY fewer shrubs at this house than our old one, so I don't have quite as many lights outside...this year! But I'm prepared for when we do more landscaping! My big investment in decor this year was on red berry wreaths to hang on the inside of all our windows on the first floor. It is so cheerful to see all those wreaths--I'm going to be sad to take them down. Who knows, perhaps some will stay up year-round?

For the first time ever, we have room in our family room for a Christmas tree. It is so nice to be able to sit by the light of the tree while watching TV in the evenings. We're actually enjoying the tree so much more than in the past when it has always been in a living room, which tended to be away from our daily activity. Of course, its home in our family room has had a down side--the girls have been much more interested in it and we have lost (and when I say "lost" I mean "broke") 2 of our ornaments so far this year... Ah well, such is life. They weren't ones that I absolutely loved! I also justified the purchase of a large mirror for over our fireplace as a "Christmas decoration" although I am going to keep it up all year long! I got it for $45 at Ross, and love finally having something large and substantial above the fireplace.

So now that the house is decorated, I've moved on to the Christmas card project. I can't believe that it's only December 6th and I already have all my cards made, the letter written, and the pictures taken and developed. Now all I need to do is sign them, address the envelopes and stuff them. Sigh. Still a lot to do, but at least it's the 6th and not the 16th!

Mom and Dad are coming down to visit us on Friday now, and we have some fun things planned for while they're here: we're going to visit Santa (it'll be interesting to see who sits on his lap this year...), build and decorate a gingerbread house, bake cut-out cookies, and mom is going to teach me to make yeast bread. It should be a fun visit for all of us.

And two days after they leave I'm hosting our neighborhood's cookie exchange! We're up to 10 definite participants with three days left to RSVP to me. Given the fact that I only invited 24 other women, I'd say that's a pretty good response. So I'll be dusting off Aunt Melanie's egg nog recipe, whipping up 7 dozen cookies to exchange and a variety of appetizers for us to munch on (changing it up a bit this year). I think Kevin's looking forward to the exchange even more than I am, cookie monster that he is. Imagine his disappointment when he discovers that I've turned into the cookie nazi and am not allowing anyone to bring chocolate chip cookies this year!

And as we prepare our home for the holiday season, I am also working to prepare our hearts for the celebration of our Savior's birth. What an exciting time of year!

Leaves, they are a Fallin'

I've always felt a bit sad that my children haven't been able to really enjoy frolicing in fallen leaves around our homes. The only time Ryan had ever really played in a pile of leaves was at my parents' house, several years ago. I have so many great memories of playing in the leaves as a child. And while mom & dad (mostly dad), have fought "The Battle of the Leaves" with vehemence over the years, I still was excited about the prospect of leaves at our new home on a partially wooded lot.
As you can see, the kids are really enjoying this new outdoor pastime. Ryan was a bit camera shy at first, but once he began playing I was able to snap a few fun, natural shots of him too. I particularly like this one, taken from above him as he tossed the leaves up into the air. I know you can't really see his face, but the effect looks really cool to me, and definitely shows the exuberance he is feeling.
It seems odd to be talking about playing in the fallen leaves in the beginning of December, but they've only just started falling around here in the past week. Although after the winds we had a few nights ago, not many are left in the trees. And while I enjoyed the effort involved in raking up a nice pile for the kids to play in, I believe that we are going to need to invest in some type of leaf-blowing device in the near future, because I got this huge pile from the small area on the one side of our driveway--not even touching the back or front yards. For sure we need to get at least another rake!

Thankful...

Okay, so is it sad that the thing I'm most thankful for right now is that Thanksgiving weekend is over? The past few weeks have been unbelievably busy around here. Stephanie and I went to Williamsburg to scrap for a weekend at our friend Julie's mom's house. Julie and Teresa joined us--the first time we've ever had anyone other than our two semi-neurotic selves on a scrap weekend. It was such a good time! Julie and Teresa are such special people, and I only regret that I didn't realize how special they were to me until just before we moved to NC. We are planning to make our November trip to Williamsburg a tradition as a foursome. And we're trying to figure out how to convince the hubbies to let us stay a bit longer...

Then there was Ryan's art fair at school. I signed up to help, and became the coordinator for his classroom. This wouldn't have been bad, except that I inadvertantly scheduled Ryan's 7th birthday party for the same night as the art fair. Um, hello? Have I EVER heard of that modern invention called a CALENDAR?!? Apparently not. So I didn't think it was really that big of a deal until he burst into tears TWICE about not being able to go to the art fair because of his PARTY. So I called all of the parents of the children who had RSVP'd 'yes' to his party, explained the situation and we all agreed that Saturday, the 18th, would be acceptable for his party.

Needless to say, framing the art for his class (did I mention that it wasn't ready until THURSDAY?!?!), setting up the display, attending the art fair and then breaking down the display was big fun for mommy on the 17th. My favorite highlight of the afternoon was all the complaining from my dear little son when I brought him with me to set up the display.



Anyway, the party on the 18th was a complete success. It was our first "drop-off" party--no other parents were there. Kevin and I had total control over the activities and their timing, with no obligation to entertain any adults. Cool. The kids had a blast. Ryan had requested a pirate theme, so as each child arrived we got them dressed up in pirate garb, complete with facial "hair" makeup if desired. They

battled with their swords for a while, and then moved on to decorate their treasure chests. Next up, pizza in the kitchen on a table covered with pirate loot (thanks to Livvy and Katy's dress-up 'jewels'). Then we had a treasure hunt. The kids had a blast hunting down the 12 clues and discovering the chest filled with bags of 'gold.' Kev and I corralled them upstairs to the attic for a movie where they first got to spend their gold coins on movie fare (popcorn, candy, soda). The kids
got a kick out of counting out their loot to buy their goodies. And when the movie was over, we had some cake and opened gifts. Everything went so smoothly, but by the time it was over I was exhausted.

The next morning, Sunday, Kevin woke up with a nasty cold. He had a mid-grade fever, and lots of coughing and congestion and spent the day curled up on the couch under LOTS of blankets. I cleaned up the mess from the party, and tried to keep the kids out of his way (in the middle of the family room. yeah, that went well). I thought to myself, that it figures that we've all been healthy up until now, and now that we've got these big plans for Thanksgiving, Kevin's getting sick. Please don't let anyone else get sick!

Monday was fine. Kevin worked from our bedroom and kept away from the children. Then came Tuesday (Ryan's birthday).
All three children woke up with fevers. Sigh. So they all stayed home from school for a nice pajama day in front of the TV. I pumped the fluids and added more vitamin C to their diet. Ryan and Katy seemed to be feeling better by Wednesday. Of course, that would be the day that Olivia began throwing up and I developed a fever. So, Thanksgiving travel plans were cancelled.

Sigh. Yet another turkey-day spent with a bunch of sickos.

By Thursday we were feeling a bit better. No fevers, but I was thoroughly achey and just tired. The kids were whiny. So we went to Cracker Barrel for our turkey dinner. Kevin and I were thinking the kids could have breakfast for their dinner, but all they were serving was the turkey platter. So much for no whining during dinner! At least the turkey was really moist and yummy, and the pumpkin pie was amazing. But how I missed the cranberry casserole and the broccoli casserole and the yummy sweet potatoe casserole and all the family around us.

We were starting to return to normal on Friday, except for Olivia's fever. Ryan
spent the day playing with his new Wii (a birthday present that we obtained through a freak chance of someone not returning to Target the previous Sunday and Kevin being in line at the exact right time). I tried to work on disinfecting the house, but was still dragging. Fortunately, by Saturday we were starting to all feel better and I began working on decorating for Christmas. The weather was amazing and I figured that I better take advantage of the warm temperatures to put up our exterior lights. Livvy and Katy got some nice snotty noses and an ucky cough, but seemed to be feeling okay and still enjoyed some fresh-air time outside.

Sunday was spent finishing up the Christmas decorating. Our tree is up and decorated, and 14 tubs of decorations have been generally emptied and distributed around the house. I've refilled several of those tubs with non-Christmasy decor, so things don't feel cluttered. I'm looking forward to getting the house vacuumed to get rid of the dust and pine needles that have started to cover our floors, despite having switched to a fake tree (who knew they would shed almost as much as the fresh ones?).

And so here I sit reflecting upon the past year and what I have to be thankful for, and sadly I keep thinking that I'm mostly thankful that Ryan is at school (his behavior recently has been a bit on the testy side...), and that we are no longer a bunch of sickos. Seriously, though, the past year has been one full of blessings for our family: selling our home for a great price just before the northern VA market went flat, generally good health for all of us, a fairly easy move to Charlotte, NC, having Kevin around our house and so much more a part of our family as he works from home, a beautiful new home with lots of land where our children can play, new friends and neighbors in addition to our amazing former neighbors, a network of family and friends who have supported us through our move, a new niece who is as precious as she is adorable, positions at the YMCA's preschool opening up for both Olivia and Katelyn, and a new group of supportive women that I've met at Morning Grace. All in all it has been an amazing year.

So while at this particular moment I am reveling in our return to "normalcy" after a brief period of craziness and sickness, the reality is that we have been so blessed this year, and I am truly, completely, thankful.

Election Day

So this is the day where my political science background/fascination rears its head. I love election days! I wear red, white and blue, and dress the kids too. We fly our American flag. And we all go to the polling station together so that my children can witness democracy in action, and so that I can talk to them about how important it is to vote. And then I pop popcorn and watch the returns shows and political commentaries all evening. What a geek!

I am particularly interested in local elections, and saddened by the fact that so few people bother to vote in them. Of course, it is pathetic how few people bother to vote in Federal elections too... In Virginia, all local and state offices were decided during odd-numbered years, so the turnout was even lower. North Carolina includes their local and state positions on the Federal ballot, so I'll be interested to see if that impacts the percentage of voters on these local issues.

I find local politics so engaging because these are people who make decisions that will have such an immediate impact upon my family's lives. School board members, the sheriff, town council and planning commissioners, these folks determine how crowded the roads are, the quality of our childrens' education, our safety and so much more! And state and local judges make decisions that are just as important as those of the U.S. supreme court, just not as far reaching. So why wouldn't people want a say in who fills these offices?!?

So if you need me tonight, just look for me curled up on the sofa with the fireplace going, a bowl of popcorn in my lap, a glass of wine by my side, and the remote control in my hand! Happy Election Day!

Oh, the drama.

Never let it be said that life with a three-year-old is free from the fits witnessed during the "terrible twos." To be perfectly honest, my children really didn't go through the typical "terrible twos." Sure, there were the occasional battles over who was in charge, but they resolved quite quickly (okay, not with Ryan, but he's in a category unto himself, and even at two, he wasn't nearly the challenge that he became at three...). At any rate, in my experience, three has been the age of distinction when it comes to throwing tantrums.

Look at the rage and frustration on Katy's little face, as she throws herself to the floor and kicks in my general direction! Just because I turned the TV off! Okay, so maybe her frustration level was heightened by my laughing at her and taking her picture? But seriously, it was just too funny. Just imagine how difficult it must be to have so much emotion running through such a tiny little body--no wonder they throw fits! But the part that I found really funny was that as soon as I suggested going into the playroom to read a book together, the tantrum stopped. Instantly. The tears magically dried up. The grimace turned into a grin. Talk about mood swings. Hope this isn't a window into what I have in front of me in about 10 years...

Exercise is Fun?

Oh, if only I could share my children's enthusiasm for exercise! These pictures were taken on Saturday at Ryan's final flag football game. His team, the Saints, won their final game of the season in a 2-1 shocker by capturing one of the opponent's flags just before he crossed the goal line in the final seconds of the game. The team has not had the best record this year, but the boys all had a great time, and never lost their enthusiasm. In fact, they've really looked good the past 2 weeks, just in time for the season to end...

We spent the entire day outside, soaking in the gorgeous autumn weather. The day started off crisp and cool (almost cold), so my Pumpkin Spice Latte (skim, no whip) really hit the spot. The girls actually started off watching the game sitting on their little chairs snuggled under a down blanket. But as the morning progressed, the temperatures rose, as did the girls' activity level. As you can see from the pictures above, they are thoroughly engrossed by watching the game, and rarely, if ever, divert their eyes from the field. Right! Fortunately they are really good sports about tagging along to Ryan's games, and I will be sure that he tags along to their activities to show his support whenever possible. I don't know what we're going to do if they all decide that they want to do different activities. I guess we'll have to look into cloning Kevin or myself. Hmmm, I wonder if I could make my clone be the one to do all the household chores...

By the afternoon, it was so warm outside that we all shed our sweats in favor of T-shirts at the end of season party at the coach's house (our neighbor). We spent the entire afternoon outside, playing basketball (Ryan & Kevin), running around (Olivia & Katelyn), and taking pictures (me). Topped off with wings, salads and margaritas, and a Virginia Tech football victory, the day was pretty darn good!

A Guinea Pig????

Warning! Do not allow your children to watch "The Wonder Pets" on Nick Jr. I was under the mistaken impression that this sweet show about a little duckling, turtle and guinea pig who go out and help other animals by working together "we're not real big and we're not real tough, but when we work together we've got the right stuff!" was a nice show for my preschoolers to watch. Wrong. I now have a totally adorable little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl begging me, mercilessly, for a guinea pig of her own. "No, not 1, mommy, 2! No, how 'bout we get, um, 5!" She is convinced that I can pick one up for her the next time I go to the grocery store... And when she got up from her nap this afternoon, the first thing she asked was whether I'd been grocery shopping yet. Silly me, I thought she was hungry and wanted a snack. Nope. She was wondering where her guinea pig was! How am I gonna get out of this one?!? I'm afraid that this is going to be one of those alien invasion situations--resistance is futile...

It's official. I'm addicted to Scrabble...

I always knew that I enjoyed playing Scrabble. It is one of the games that Kevin and I love to play against each other. But now that I have a computer version of the game, I am thoroughly addicted. The best part? Now when I play against Kevin, I beat him more than he beats me! I've learned all kinds of new "words" that are in the official Scrabble dictionary: qi, aa, ka, za, to name a few little ones that have scored me some big points recently. And I've gotten quite adept at making multiple words in a single turn (thanks to those little 2-letter words).

I must say, that I debate whether some of these "words" should actually count, though. Recently, while playing against the computer, the computer played the word "alamode." I'm sorry. That is NOT one word. That is THREE words. And they are French words. But if I try to use "oui" it disallows it. Hmph. Of course, if given the situation, don't doubt that I will also use "alamode" and score a BINGO if possible!

Laundry.

I know that I should be thankful for the fact that I have all of these wonderful clothes for my family to wear. I know that I should also be thankful for my super cool new washer and dryer. Finally, I know that I should be grateful that my laundry room is on the same level as our bedrooms so I don't have to lug the laundry up and down the stairs.

That being said, I am not feeling very thankful for the 6+ loads of laundry that require my attention today. I've been putting off this job for several days now, and those dirty clothes just keep piling up. Merciless piles of clothes that require sorting, washing, drying, folding, hanging and putting away. And if I don't do them soon, they will only continue to multiply. Like tribbles....

Perhaps I shouldn't have procrastinated about putting laundry away last week. Maybe then the job wouldn't feel quite so daunting? Because if you add the 4 loads of folded clothes stacked oh so neatly in the corner of my bedroom to the 6+ loads that have been sorted in my hallway and laundry room, that's like over 10 (TEN!) loads of clothes that need to be put away. Scary!

So I need to get back to my chore so that tomorrow I can feel thankful again for clothes, washer, dryer and upstairs laundry rooms, and most especially for all the clothes that are clean and finally put away! And as for the clothes that will start to accumulate again as soon as the kids change for bed, well, I don't need to think about them for at least a week...

Kid Parties

So my life seems to revolve around kid's parties of late. We're either taking Ryan to a friend's birthday party, or planning Ryan's upcoming party (Pirate theme--complete with treasure hunt, swashbuckling attire, pirates grog and a movie), or helping to plan the Halloween party for Ryan's first grade class (I'm one of the room moms), or helping new friends with getting ready for their kids' parties... And then there are the kids parties that we're unable to attend this year thanks to our new geographic location, but we still want to send a fun gift. I'm ready for a grown up soiree! Today's kid party (for Liam, pictured above with Ryan) is also a costume party, so we will be getting the kiddos dressed up pretty soon. They are all quite excited to be wearing their Halloween costumes.

It is a perfect fall day today--started off in the low 40's for Ryan's football game. We actually had to turn the heat on this morning to take the chill off. By this afternoon it is in the low 60's -- nice and crisp with an amazing blue sky--not a single cloud. The leaves are starting to change down here, but since there are so many pine trees, the effect isn't as dramatic as I've grown used to seeing. It's still quite pretty though, lots of brilliant red trees interspersed through the pines right out my window as I sit here typing. It's so strange to look out windows and see so much natural stuff around me. I'd grown so accustomed to having houses on top of us over the past 10-15 years (19 if you count college dorms and apartments). This is the first place I've lived in some time where it feels like home, and not a temporary resting place...

New habits don't always come easy

Hmmmm, so it's been over a week since my first ever blog post, and here I finally am with another one... but I will not give up just because I'm slow off the blog, I mean block! As I emptied the dishwasher this morning, I couldn't stop thinking how thankful I am for a dishwasher that works so well. It wasn't long ago that this chore included picking baked-on food off of my dishes and wiping all sorts of spots off my glasses. Now it's just a straight shot from the dishwasher to the cabinets. Nice.

Stephanie and the kids are coming to visit this weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing them! I'm especially looking forward to having someone to scrapbook with. I just can't seem to get as much accomplished when I'm scrappin' by myself. There are always so many distractions (like the computer...). In fact, I'm supposed to be working on finishing up journaling on pages now so that the pages can go live in an album instead of in my drawers. So perhaps a blog is a new way to procrastinate?! Hmmm, I'll have to be sure to use this on a page some day, then my journaling will already be done! Bought the new Memory Makers precision rotary trimmer today--it is amazing. Hands down the best paper trimmer I've ever had the pleasure of using. So all my Fiskars trimmers are now relegated to the kid craft area.

So Katy was walking past me today on the way upstairs and the following conversation took place:

Me: Come over here and give me a kiss!
Katy: Why?
M: Because I love you!
K: Why?
M: Because you are my Katy and I love every little bit of you!
K: Yeah. But not inside my butt, right?

That girl just cracks me up! Seriously, though, she gives the best, sweetest, smooshiest kisses I've ever gotten. What a sweet girl she can be, when she isn't being a stinker.

Ryan continues to push Kevin and I to our limits. The boy really has a way of pushing our buttons. I'm chalking it up to his "fall funk," a pattern which I finally noticed last year after several challenging autumns with him. It usually clears up some time soon after his birthday, and then he's such a sweet kid for the next 9 months. But if I have to hear that snarky little voice one more time today, I can not be held responsible for what I might do... Good thing he's been asleep for over an hour now!

Hello!

I've resisted blogging for some time now, but was inspired by my sister to jump into the world of blogs with one of my own. I suppose it's a natural extension of my scrapbooking hobby, so we'll just see how this goes... Hopefully I will do better at maintaining a blog than I was at keeping any type of written journal or diary! After all, it is much easier (or at least faster) to type than to write.

So, what does "ROK'z mom" mean? Well, I'm mommy to three kiddos - Ryan who is almost 7, and twins Olivia and Katelyn who are 3 1/2. The initial for my last name is a Z, so I have been using the screen name "rokzmom" for some time now. In my head, I hear it as "rock's mom" but my sister always calls me "roxy mom" which I kind of like too! I've wavered a bit about using a screen name that defines me as being someone's mom--it somehow seems limiting? But at the same time, that is so much of who and what I am nowadays. My life revolves around my kids to a large extent, however I also have plenty of "me" time.

I am an avid scrapbooker, and I'm becoming a better photographer as a result. I really enjoy photography, and as a digital photographer, I'm also dabbling in digital scrapbooking. Hoping this blog will help stretch me in my journaling on my pages. Perhaps it will motivate me to write down those funny little conversations with my kids more often?

My husband, Kevin, is now a work-at-home dad, and we are all loving having him around the house and as much more a part of our day-to-day lives. To enjoy this working arrangement, we have recently had to relocate to Mooresville, NC, which is a great community north of Charlotte. I really miss my friends and family, but also love our new home and am starting to make some friends down here.

So, who knows what this blog will contain?! I'm being optimistic about this whole new venture...