Yesterday, the girls and I ran to Potbelly while we were out doing errands to grab a bite of lunch. We had just ordered our sandwiches and were getting ready to pay, when AC said to the cashier: “We just moved here from Washington, DC” (not really sure why she felt compelled to share this but this was one of the less embarrassing things she’s shared so I was OK with it). The cashier said, “Really? My name is Jim, and I moved here 2 years ago from Chevy Chase!” Quickly, another employee said, “Hi! I’m Carla, and I used to live in VA Beach. It’s so nice to meet you. Can I help you find anything here in The Woodlands? Do you need directions anywhere?”
I was very aware at this point that we were holding up the line. I got my debit card out to pay, and Jim said, “Nope. It’s on us today. We’re just glad to have you here and want to welcome you to your new home.” If this had been DC, that never would have happened. By this time, the Type B personalities in line would have been looking at their watches, sighing loudly and rolling their eyes. And the Type A’s would have been yelling by now. Instead, when I turned around, everyone was smiling, waving “hello” and saying “Welcome!” I was so shocked. It made me smile the rest of the day. I do get a little impatient with how slow things are, but I think it will be good for me.
I cannot believe how much my anxiety level has gone down since we moved. It's amazing. I think this is just what the doctor ordered. :)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
We’re Making Some Progress
We have the top level of the house completely unpacked and everything is in its place. It looks fantastic. We just need to hang a few pictures.
I also finished our bedroom and bathroom, leaving the study, dining room and living room to complete as far as unpacking goes…and we’re almost there. Then, Gary and I need to do a day of picture hanging downstairs and I need to get the curtains I ordered for the kitchen, and we’ll be all set! Pictures coming soon, I promise! (as soon as I find that blasted camera)
In other news, we are having a good time getting settled here...we find a way each day to get to know the area better. Anna Claire is very excited about school starting, and she has decided that she'd like to take cheerleading lessons this fall for her extracurricular activity. They have a league through the YMCA that we belong to and that's how she'll participate. She's SO excited.
Leah is having a tougher adjustment to life in Texas. She is very clingy, very moody, cries a lot, and you never really know what you're going to get when you're with her. She's developed a terrible fear of going to bed at night - she screams for almost an hour, despite many hugs, kisses, stories, leaving the lights on, etc. Nothing seems to really work. She is sleeping peacefully now, but it's been really rough. I'm often at a loss as to how to help her - it's especially hard because she is so tiny and doesn't talk well yet, so she can't really verbalize how she's feeling. Add her hot temper to the mix, and you've got a lethal combination. We're already praying for her future husband. He'll need to be a godly man of unending patience if the mood swings continue!
Leah has also been sick twice just in the time that we've moved...so my next big project is to find a doctor and possibly a naturopath who can help us figure out if she's allergic to something or if she has an immune issue. Although the pediatricians say, "Kids just get sick a lot," my "mommy gut" is telling me that it's just not normal for a child this young to be on antibiotics all the time and it's not normal for her to be sick every 2-3 weeks (seriously, the longest we've ever gone is 26 days between illnesses). I have to think that her being sick is a lot of the bad mood - I'd be in a wicked bad mood if I were sick that often!
Well, I need to head to bed - Anna Claire starts Vacation Bible School tomorrow morning and we have a busy week ahead, including work for me, exercise classes at the Y, women's Bible study on Tuesday morning, and hopefully having the girls' pictures taken this week for Leah's upcoming 2nd birthday. And next week, we head to Oregon for a few days!
Now that our internet service is connected correctly and we're not unknowingly hacking into our neighbor's network anymore, I should be able to post more often. And as Gary discovered by calling the computer repairman, "Happy Wife = Happy Life." :)
I also finished our bedroom and bathroom, leaving the study, dining room and living room to complete as far as unpacking goes…and we’re almost there. Then, Gary and I need to do a day of picture hanging downstairs and I need to get the curtains I ordered for the kitchen, and we’ll be all set! Pictures coming soon, I promise! (as soon as I find that blasted camera)
In other news, we are having a good time getting settled here...we find a way each day to get to know the area better. Anna Claire is very excited about school starting, and she has decided that she'd like to take cheerleading lessons this fall for her extracurricular activity. They have a league through the YMCA that we belong to and that's how she'll participate. She's SO excited.
Leah is having a tougher adjustment to life in Texas. She is very clingy, very moody, cries a lot, and you never really know what you're going to get when you're with her. She's developed a terrible fear of going to bed at night - she screams for almost an hour, despite many hugs, kisses, stories, leaving the lights on, etc. Nothing seems to really work. She is sleeping peacefully now, but it's been really rough. I'm often at a loss as to how to help her - it's especially hard because she is so tiny and doesn't talk well yet, so she can't really verbalize how she's feeling. Add her hot temper to the mix, and you've got a lethal combination. We're already praying for her future husband. He'll need to be a godly man of unending patience if the mood swings continue!
Leah has also been sick twice just in the time that we've moved...so my next big project is to find a doctor and possibly a naturopath who can help us figure out if she's allergic to something or if she has an immune issue. Although the pediatricians say, "Kids just get sick a lot," my "mommy gut" is telling me that it's just not normal for a child this young to be on antibiotics all the time and it's not normal for her to be sick every 2-3 weeks (seriously, the longest we've ever gone is 26 days between illnesses). I have to think that her being sick is a lot of the bad mood - I'd be in a wicked bad mood if I were sick that often!
Well, I need to head to bed - Anna Claire starts Vacation Bible School tomorrow morning and we have a busy week ahead, including work for me, exercise classes at the Y, women's Bible study on Tuesday morning, and hopefully having the girls' pictures taken this week for Leah's upcoming 2nd birthday. And next week, we head to Oregon for a few days!
Now that our internet service is connected correctly and we're not unknowingly hacking into our neighbor's network anymore, I should be able to post more often. And as Gary discovered by calling the computer repairman, "Happy Wife = Happy Life." :)
Ten Things I Love About Texas
1) The neighbors are very friendly
2) Egg and cheese whole wheat kolaches
3) Pappadeaux
4) Our local YMCA
5) Our new home - we have so much space!
6) Blue Bell ice cream
7) How inexpensive everything is in this area
8) We already have friends here
9) I only have to work part-time
10) Our new church
OK - what I really don't like about Texas - the cockroaches. They're HUGE. I'm telling you, I could slap a saddle on one of these suckers and ride him down to the market to pick up some dinner. Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. And the timing is uncanny, because while I was in the middle of typing up this blog post, what crawled across the desk? A cockroach. I nearly fainted dead away.
So, I'm happy to tell you that one cockroach was fatally harmed (actually maimed and drowned) in the making of this blog post.
And I'm callin' the pest control service at 8 am tomorrow. As my little brother said when he was a toddler, "I be back when bug gone!"
2) Egg and cheese whole wheat kolaches
3) Pappadeaux
4) Our local YMCA
5) Our new home - we have so much space!
6) Blue Bell ice cream
7) How inexpensive everything is in this area
8) We already have friends here
9) I only have to work part-time
10) Our new church
OK - what I really don't like about Texas - the cockroaches. They're HUGE. I'm telling you, I could slap a saddle on one of these suckers and ride him down to the market to pick up some dinner. Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. And the timing is uncanny, because while I was in the middle of typing up this blog post, what crawled across the desk? A cockroach. I nearly fainted dead away.
So, I'm happy to tell you that one cockroach was fatally harmed (actually maimed and drowned) in the making of this blog post.
And I'm callin' the pest control service at 8 am tomorrow. As my little brother said when he was a toddler, "I be back when bug gone!"
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Has Anyone Seen My Stuff?
We've been here almost 2 weeks, and I have yet to find the following items:
1) Leah's crib tent (which keeps her from crawling out of the crib)
2) My Zyrtec (did I mention I take this for a heat allergy, which causes me to break out in hives? And have you noticed where we're now living? Sure - it's TEXAS - in the SUMMER!). Sorry to be cranky - I'm just very itchy.
3) My pink flats (Debbie, you may have to send me yours since I know you have the same pair)
4) The bedskirt for Leah's crib - obviously not as important, but her room does have an unfinished look without it.
5) The furniture attachment to my vacuum
6) My Bible
7) My Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" CD
8) My digital camera
9) The Johnson & Johnson Head-to-toe Baby Wash I bought before we left VA. I have two very smelly chillins who need a bath…
If you know where I might find some of these things, I'd appreciate it. I really miss them.
1) Leah's crib tent (which keeps her from crawling out of the crib)
2) My Zyrtec (did I mention I take this for a heat allergy, which causes me to break out in hives? And have you noticed where we're now living? Sure - it's TEXAS - in the SUMMER!). Sorry to be cranky - I'm just very itchy.
3) My pink flats (Debbie, you may have to send me yours since I know you have the same pair)
4) The bedskirt for Leah's crib - obviously not as important, but her room does have an unfinished look without it.
5) The furniture attachment to my vacuum
6) My Bible
7) My Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" CD
8) My digital camera
9) The Johnson & Johnson Head-to-toe Baby Wash I bought before we left VA. I have two very smelly chillins who need a bath…
If you know where I might find some of these things, I'd appreciate it. I really miss them.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
New Beginnings
Howdy! (as you can tell, we're in Texas now)
Sorry to leave everyone hanging - we obviously made it past Tennessee. The computer in Mississippi didn't work, and once we arrived in Texas, we were going at full throttle trying to get moved in, unpacked, and put things where they're supposed to be. We still have a lot of that left. As I type now, there's "miscellaneous stuff" in every room, hallway, nook and cranny. And now that I woke up early and surveyed the house while it's still quiet, I'm pretty convinced that this "stuff" is having babies at night. There's WAY more of that stuff now than when I went to bed. Ugh.
My parents were absolutely AMAZING through the entire move. You wouldn't have believed the physical gymnastics they performed to help us get packed, moved out, loaded into the trucks (yes, truckS - we had to rent two to get down here), unloaded, moved in, unpacked, pictures hung on the walls, curtains hung, boxes flattened, clothes washed, shelf liner laid, etc. And in the middle of all this, they managed to also keep the "fun quotient" up for both girls by readily administering kisses, hugs, baths, fun snacks, reading stories, swimming in the pool, etc. They were incredible and I have no doubt that they'll spend the next few months sleeping to catch up.
We had a great drive across the country. Dad and Gary each drove a truck, and Mom and I drove the cars. We had a great little caravan going. Thanks to my dad, we also each had radios so we could all talk to each other. Anna Claire was particularly fascinated with this part of the trip. I'm happy to say that the drive was completely uneventful and went just as planned. Well, except the fact that I packed 10 DVDs (for our fabulous new DVD player in the minivan) for the girls to watch, which subsequently got packed in another box in the moving truck. Bummer (more for Momma than for the kids). I will say that since I had the girls with me most of the time, I'm really tired of the Hairspray soundtrack - it was the only thing that Leah would listen to without screaming and pointing at the radio. We made it to Meridian, Mississippi before I waved the white flag and just could not go another mile listening to Hairspray, so I ducked into a Sam's Club quickly and bought 2 DVDs...and the rest of the trip was heavenly.
Leah is definitely showing more of her personality lately - and feels free to share her thoughts/desires/demands with anyone at any time. Terrific Twos, here we come! She is a very opinionated little girl, and is either very happy or very mad/sad/frustrated/hysterical (insert any negative emotion here). No grey area for her! But she adores her Papa (my dad) and Nana and is so proud of herself that she can now say their names.
Anna Claire was much more easygoing and we had a great time chatting, playing Travel Bingo, singing, etc. She loved riding in the "big trucks" with Papa and Daddy.
We have been so blessed with friendly neighbors here - 3 have already come over to introduce themselves - and they all have little girls! People are so amazingly (and genuinely) friendly here. We also have some dear friends who brought dinner over for us last week - what a godsend, and it was delicious. We're very excited to finally live near them and have more opportunities to see them. It's also been fun to see Gary's family and know that we're living nearby now.
We visited a great church on Sunday and felt very comfortable there. We'll definitely be going back again for a few weeks to see if we'd like to make it our church home. There's a great Bible study offered for women there - "After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On" - I plan on attending when it starts in the fall.
I'm starting to adjust to my new life here...the lonely moments do come and I desperately miss my girlfriends in Virginia. It is bizarre to be back to work already but not have any reason to get dressed and go somewhere. Not coming into the office and seeing all my amazing work friends is really tough. I had an incredible network of people I loved there and it's a huge hole in my life not to have them with me "in person" anymore. I also was really sad on Sunday morning not to see the members of our Small Group at church - the lonliness hit hard then. I know I'll meet new people - and I'll even become very close to some of them. It's just not the same.
I have to admit, though, that I do love Texas. The people are friendly and helpful, my home is beautiful (I will post some pics as soon as I can eradicate all of that "misc. stuff"), I get to work part-time, the food is great, the area we live in has lots of trees and is pretty, and the shopping is fabulous. I can't wait to discover more of this new land that we now call "home."
Sorry to leave everyone hanging - we obviously made it past Tennessee. The computer in Mississippi didn't work, and once we arrived in Texas, we were going at full throttle trying to get moved in, unpacked, and put things where they're supposed to be. We still have a lot of that left. As I type now, there's "miscellaneous stuff" in every room, hallway, nook and cranny. And now that I woke up early and surveyed the house while it's still quiet, I'm pretty convinced that this "stuff" is having babies at night. There's WAY more of that stuff now than when I went to bed. Ugh.
My parents were absolutely AMAZING through the entire move. You wouldn't have believed the physical gymnastics they performed to help us get packed, moved out, loaded into the trucks (yes, truckS - we had to rent two to get down here), unloaded, moved in, unpacked, pictures hung on the walls, curtains hung, boxes flattened, clothes washed, shelf liner laid, etc. And in the middle of all this, they managed to also keep the "fun quotient" up for both girls by readily administering kisses, hugs, baths, fun snacks, reading stories, swimming in the pool, etc. They were incredible and I have no doubt that they'll spend the next few months sleeping to catch up.
We had a great drive across the country. Dad and Gary each drove a truck, and Mom and I drove the cars. We had a great little caravan going. Thanks to my dad, we also each had radios so we could all talk to each other. Anna Claire was particularly fascinated with this part of the trip. I'm happy to say that the drive was completely uneventful and went just as planned. Well, except the fact that I packed 10 DVDs (for our fabulous new DVD player in the minivan) for the girls to watch, which subsequently got packed in another box in the moving truck. Bummer (more for Momma than for the kids). I will say that since I had the girls with me most of the time, I'm really tired of the Hairspray soundtrack - it was the only thing that Leah would listen to without screaming and pointing at the radio. We made it to Meridian, Mississippi before I waved the white flag and just could not go another mile listening to Hairspray, so I ducked into a Sam's Club quickly and bought 2 DVDs...and the rest of the trip was heavenly.
Leah is definitely showing more of her personality lately - and feels free to share her thoughts/desires/demands with anyone at any time. Terrific Twos, here we come! She is a very opinionated little girl, and is either very happy or very mad/sad/frustrated/hysterical (insert any negative emotion here). No grey area for her! But she adores her Papa (my dad) and Nana and is so proud of herself that she can now say their names.
Anna Claire was much more easygoing and we had a great time chatting, playing Travel Bingo, singing, etc. She loved riding in the "big trucks" with Papa and Daddy.
We have been so blessed with friendly neighbors here - 3 have already come over to introduce themselves - and they all have little girls! People are so amazingly (and genuinely) friendly here. We also have some dear friends who brought dinner over for us last week - what a godsend, and it was delicious. We're very excited to finally live near them and have more opportunities to see them. It's also been fun to see Gary's family and know that we're living nearby now.
We visited a great church on Sunday and felt very comfortable there. We'll definitely be going back again for a few weeks to see if we'd like to make it our church home. There's a great Bible study offered for women there - "After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On" - I plan on attending when it starts in the fall.
I'm starting to adjust to my new life here...the lonely moments do come and I desperately miss my girlfriends in Virginia. It is bizarre to be back to work already but not have any reason to get dressed and go somewhere. Not coming into the office and seeing all my amazing work friends is really tough. I had an incredible network of people I loved there and it's a huge hole in my life not to have them with me "in person" anymore. I also was really sad on Sunday morning not to see the members of our Small Group at church - the lonliness hit hard then. I know I'll meet new people - and I'll even become very close to some of them. It's just not the same.
I have to admit, though, that I do love Texas. The people are friendly and helpful, my home is beautiful (I will post some pics as soon as I can eradicate all of that "misc. stuff"), I get to work part-time, the food is great, the area we live in has lots of trees and is pretty, and the shopping is fabulous. I can't wait to discover more of this new land that we now call "home."
Friday, July 11, 2008
Greetings from Tennessee!
We made it to Bristol, TN! The trip today was pretty easy - though we are definitely tired. There were a couple of funny things that happened today...
As I was exiting Fairfax County Parkway and getting onto 66 W, Anna Claire said, "Momma, where are we going?"
I said, "Remember? We're going to Texas?"
She replied, "Oh. Will we be shopping along the way?"
Also, we stopped for lunch in Harrisonburg. We went to Chick Fil-A - a favorite of ours. I completely forgot it was Cow Appreciation Day - apparently if you dress like a cow, you get a free chicken sandwich. Wish I'd brought our cow costumes! You wouldn't have believed how many people were dressed like cows. It was so funny! My mother had never been to Chick Fil-A before, so for this to be her first impression of it was especially amusing.
We also got some great news today as we were leaving VA - Gary received a phone call informing him that he's been hired at the school of his choice - he got a job!!! We are so thankful to God for providing once again...a fitting last day for us in Virginia.
Please pray for us tomorrow - it's our longest day of driving and I feel like I'm coming down with Hand, Foot & Mouth again (I had a VERY bad case of it about 4 weeks ago and was really sick with large blisters in my throat). I'm taking lots of Vitamin C tonight...
I'll blog again tomorrow night from Mississippi! :)
As I was exiting Fairfax County Parkway and getting onto 66 W, Anna Claire said, "Momma, where are we going?"
I said, "Remember? We're going to Texas?"
She replied, "Oh. Will we be shopping along the way?"
Also, we stopped for lunch in Harrisonburg. We went to Chick Fil-A - a favorite of ours. I completely forgot it was Cow Appreciation Day - apparently if you dress like a cow, you get a free chicken sandwich. Wish I'd brought our cow costumes! You wouldn't have believed how many people were dressed like cows. It was so funny! My mother had never been to Chick Fil-A before, so for this to be her first impression of it was especially amusing.
We also got some great news today as we were leaving VA - Gary received a phone call informing him that he's been hired at the school of his choice - he got a job!!! We are so thankful to God for providing once again...a fitting last day for us in Virginia.
Please pray for us tomorrow - it's our longest day of driving and I feel like I'm coming down with Hand, Foot & Mouth again (I had a VERY bad case of it about 4 weeks ago and was really sick with large blisters in my throat). I'm taking lots of Vitamin C tonight...
I'll blog again tomorrow night from Mississippi! :)
So Long, Virginia
Well, our journey here in VA has come to an end. We spend Wednesday packing, then loaded the truck yesterday. We had so much stuff we ended up having to get ANOTHER truck, so we now have two moving trucks, a small SUV, and a minivan. Good thing we have 4 drivers - otherwise we were going to have to quickly get Anna Claire licensed to drive!
Spent last night in a hotel near the house - where Leah proceeded to figure out in about 5 minutes how to get out of the hotel room, unlock the sliding glass door, turn on the TV and take off her clothes so she could have a bath. Then she repeated most of it at 3:45 this morning when she woke up and walked around the hotel room for about 45 minutes. To say that we are tired doesn't even cover it. But we're together, we're healthy, and we got the old house packed up and emptied - which is basically a miracle!
We're off to Tennessee today - I'll blog live from our hotel tonight!
Thanks for all your prayers - we need them!
Spent last night in a hotel near the house - where Leah proceeded to figure out in about 5 minutes how to get out of the hotel room, unlock the sliding glass door, turn on the TV and take off her clothes so she could have a bath. Then she repeated most of it at 3:45 this morning when she woke up and walked around the hotel room for about 45 minutes. To say that we are tired doesn't even cover it. But we're together, we're healthy, and we got the old house packed up and emptied - which is basically a miracle!
We're off to Tennessee today - I'll blog live from our hotel tonight!
Thanks for all your prayers - we need them!
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