This is what I'm doing

I might not post for a while, we will be finishing up the final touches on cleaning the house, going on a camping trip, flying home, then spending some time with family, then going to Texas to get everything moved into our little home there. I'll try to post while I'm at home. There should be lots of tractors and farmers to post then.

Texas A&M

It just hit me. I'm moving in less than six days. I don't know how this snuck up on me so quickly. I've been ignoring it for so long, I guess I just got really good at it.

I haven't posted about our move because Scott made me promise I wouldn't until he had talked to his boss at work to let them know he was leaving. Something about how he had shown the blog to some co-workers and didn't want his leaving to be made known by way of blog. I gave him a hard time for quite a while, because this is where I talk about all the stuff that's going on in my life. I guess since I haven't been able to blog about it, I never really let myself believe we were leaving.

So, this is the official blog post. Scott and I are moving away from New Jersey to live in Texas. Scott will start a PhD program in statistics. He doesn't like it when I say "PhD". He would rather I say "grad school" so it doesn't sound prideful. But I have to say, I'm pretty proud of my husband. And since I had to wait so long to write this post, I'll just say things how I want to. :)

We're heading to Idaho and Utah for some family time before we head down to Texas. By the end of August we should be moved into our little home (which I'm still looking for) enjoying the blazing heat and humidity of College Station.

Give us a call if you want to come roast marshmallows over the sidewalk.

Country girl

I drove into the Bronx on Friday to look at a car for my little brother. It was a great deal... online. When I actually got there, it turned out the car didn't even exist but was only a ploy to get people like me to come in and find my dream car that cost three times the amount I intended to spend. I didn't fall for it.

This post is actually about my experience before I got to the car dealership. I got lost in the Bronx, with a GPS. Well, not technically lost, I just couldn't find where I wanted to be. Is that lost?

Anyway, while I was driving around trying to find said location, I drove through a neighborhood just as school was getting out. I spent a lot of time in traffic and stopped at red lights, so I had a lot of time to observe these kids. As I watched them running down (and through) the streets, dodging cars, getting on buses, catching trains... all I could think about was how they just didn't know what they were missing.

These poor kids didn't have a horse to go home and ride. No dog to greet them as they got off the school bus. No cats with kittens hidden in haystacks that needed to be found. No lone chicken that lost feathers to the dog on a regular basis. They didn't have motorcycles and old pickups to take out into the desert. They didn't have rivers to swim in (sure there's rivers, but don't touch those with a ten foot pole). No caves to explore. They didn't have room to roam and discover new beautiful things in the countryside around them. These kids just didn't even know what the rest of the world had to offer. If only they could have the childhood I was blessed to have.

Then it hit me, these kids probably could care less about all the stuff I loved as a child. They probably thrive on the city and all its cityness. The honking horns, the ambulances and fire trucks that are always on there way to someplace. The people selling things on the side of the street. The sounds of brakes that are worn out from stopping at so many stop lights. All the noise that relentlessly reverberates off the tall buildings. They probably didn't even mind the garbage and dirty feeling of the streets. And people say "there's always something to do in the city."

I'm just glad I grew up on a farm, in the sticks, with nothing to do.

New Hampshire (day two)

This was a really cool gorge that is so narrow that there is no walkway up it, so they built a wood one attached to the side of the cliff. It was beautiful and we made the two mile hike with both boys. Jeff walked most of the way and Nate rode in his fifteen-dollar umbrella stroller the whole way. That stroller is worth its weight in gold.

New Hampshire

We rode a coal burning steam engine to the top of Mount Washington (the tallest peak in New England). It take you strait up the mountain and at one point you are on a 37 % grade (most steep roads are at about 7%). It is deemed by the Guineas Book of World Records as the most treacherous train ride in the world. Once at the top, you can see for miles and miles and miles. Jeff was enchanted the entire time. He would have gone for another three hour ride if we would have let him. It was so beautiful to see things from that perspective. Scott and I decided right then and there that we are going to hike the Appalachian Trail, which starts in Georgia and ends in Maine (depending on which way you go).

Maine

We had a great day in Maine at the beach. Jeff never let his feet get wet, but had a lot of fun throwing random objects into the ocean. Nate was more adventurous, he would have gone for a swim if we had let him.

Boston

We spent a morning in Boston. We visited the Children's museum there. They have all kinds of fun things for kids to do and learn. It was great! Scott and I were both pretty sick, so after that we just decided to drive to our campsite in Maine and take it easy.

Because they're cute...

Memorial Day Weekend

In a nutshell, this was our weekend...

Friday, camped out in the back yard with our new tent. The boys loved it, Scott loved it, I loved it. So much fun to pretend to be camping. Can't wait for our New England camping trip next week.

Saturday, spent the day at home cleaning, playing with the boys, and then cleaning up after the playing.

Sunday, enjoyed church and met some new friends. Had said friends over for dinner, then had other friends over for the night to play Settlers. They stayed the night so we would have a jump-start on our Memorial Day plans. We talked till midnight (which is late for a girl who usually goes to bed at 9:30).

Monday, we woke up early and went out to breakfast. Then we went to a cemetery. We didn't plan on it, but the cemetery was on the route for the parade so we taught Jeff how to say "more candy!" We'll be eating that stuff for months. After the parade it was nap time, then a BBQ with some of our friends, which included a baseball game. Then back home to plant the garden and have another BBQ with our neighbors.

It was a fun filled weekend and I'm pooped. We all cried when Scott went to work today, but in a week we'll be out camping again, so we'll survive. Life is so much more fun when he's around.

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Jeff's new skills

Jeff never ceases to surprise me. Today, I was getting ready for church and I heard him in the other room singing "I am a child of God." The line he loves to sing over and over again is, "help me find the way." I was so touched by his sweet singing and the wonderful spirit that filled the air.

A few minutes later he called to me, "Mom, watch!" This is his new favorite phrase. I went into his room expecting to find another amazing new thing that he had learned how to do. I was taken back when he showed me that he could make himself burp. He was very proud of himself and I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't a good thing to do.

Boys.