Sorry, I have not had another opportunity to sit and let myself muse the next bit of my story. The stars were really aligned the other night when I wrote that. The kids were playing, Little Man was asleep and the house was clean. So, I'm hoping that I will get to write again soon.
I did get up and exercise this morning, something I haven't done in a looooong time. It felt really good. H and I are working out an exercise schedule so that we are both assured some workout time each day. He is now in the 190's and I am back below 140, thanks to the long cross-country trip without the luxury of brownies and cookies. My goal is to get down between 120 and 125...and I want to be comfortable in my bathing suit. Of course, I say this as I'm snacking on homemade brownie. But I'm not shooting for supermodel status, I just want to lose a few pounds and still be able to eat the things I like. I love my husband, but I couldn't take on his diet of only fruits and veggies.
Little Man cut his first tooth Saturday and proceeded to bite my chest on Sunday. A surprising "ouch" and "no no" from me stopped that though. He can also climb on low things. This makes me glad that we're not in a house with steep stairs anymore.
Mister is enjoying his classes, has made friends and is proud of the budding hairs above his upper lip. Yep, he's fitting in well at the middle school.
Tiny is still sporadically homesick and misses her BFF. She was invited to a campout sleepover this weekend though. She had a lot of fun.
The weather here is getting VERY warm and I think the humidity is creeping closer to 100% everyday. I'm afraid of how hot the summer will be. The pool is supposed to open soon at our apartments though. Can't wait. Little Man is proving to be quite a water baby. I know he will love the pool.
Yesterday, we attended church and were then invited, along with a few others, to an ice cream social at a church member's house. It was great to meet some new people, chat, and let the kids run wild and play.
Well, I better go before Little Man wakes up. Have a beautiful day.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The beginning of something
The following is something that came out of me when I had the sudden urge to write. Please let me know what you think. This may be the beginning of something.
I walked along the gravel-covered ruts through the cemetery. The stone markers were haphazardly strewn throughout the grass, as if the earth were rejecting their intrusion and the intrusion of those they marked. The wind breathed through the tall grass and stirred applause from the millions of leaves on the trees. I couldn't remember the last time my life was this still. Everything around me was speaking, reminding me that it was all alive.
I almost become lost in their voices until my eyes fell upon the rough headstone. SILVER. "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have...ah, what a load of crap." He always did have a strange sense of humor. Like the time we met. I was staring at a poster for the theater group's production of Moulin Rouge on the community board of the campus when his voice interrupted my thoughts with, "Why go and see that when I can just tell you about it right now. They all sing a conglomerate of 80's pop, fall into forbidden love, and the girl dies a tragic, but beautiful, death. There. Now you have that night free to have dinner with me."
I turned to see a mischievous smirk upon the face of a man who could only be described as boyishly charming, as cliche as that was. But I had heard enough pickup lines to know that I shouldn't give in too easily to a witty remark and its accompanying smile, no matter how cute he was.
"What makes you think that I don't happen to love 80's pop, or that I would go to dinner with you, a complete stranger?" I asked him coyly, using emphasis on the word strange.
"Are you kidding? One, nobody likes 80's pop. At least, not enough to sit through two hours of it. And two, I would think it would much more exciting to spend those two hours enjoying dinner with a complete stranger than any length of time listening to an odd blend of Madonna and The Police."
I had absolutely no comeback to this and he stole the advantage by quickly adding, "Great. I will meet you outside of Henley Hall, 7 p.m., Friday."
"Wait. How did you know I live at Henley Hall? You don't even know my name."
"Sure I do. Barbara."
He waited for my reaction, and must have seen my confusion.
"Sara? Beth?" That same smile spread across his face again. "Ok, so I don't know your name. What shall I call the lady that will be haunting my thoughts for the rest of my existence?"
"Paulette. But you still didn't tell me how you knew where I lived."
"Ah, that I will save for you until our date. Until then, I think I will just let you go mad trying to figure it out. And just so we're not on uneven footing, the name is Charles, Charles Silver." He walked away, slowly picking up speed, but still managed to look back once more with that same grin on his face, like he definitely had a secret, and I was it.
I walked along the gravel-covered ruts through the cemetery. The stone markers were haphazardly strewn throughout the grass, as if the earth were rejecting their intrusion and the intrusion of those they marked. The wind breathed through the tall grass and stirred applause from the millions of leaves on the trees. I couldn't remember the last time my life was this still. Everything around me was speaking, reminding me that it was all alive.
I almost become lost in their voices until my eyes fell upon the rough headstone. SILVER. "It is better to have loved and lost than to never have...ah, what a load of crap." He always did have a strange sense of humor. Like the time we met. I was staring at a poster for the theater group's production of Moulin Rouge on the community board of the campus when his voice interrupted my thoughts with, "Why go and see that when I can just tell you about it right now. They all sing a conglomerate of 80's pop, fall into forbidden love, and the girl dies a tragic, but beautiful, death. There. Now you have that night free to have dinner with me."
I turned to see a mischievous smirk upon the face of a man who could only be described as boyishly charming, as cliche as that was. But I had heard enough pickup lines to know that I shouldn't give in too easily to a witty remark and its accompanying smile, no matter how cute he was.
"What makes you think that I don't happen to love 80's pop, or that I would go to dinner with you, a complete stranger?" I asked him coyly, using emphasis on the word strange.
"Are you kidding? One, nobody likes 80's pop. At least, not enough to sit through two hours of it. And two, I would think it would much more exciting to spend those two hours enjoying dinner with a complete stranger than any length of time listening to an odd blend of Madonna and The Police."
I had absolutely no comeback to this and he stole the advantage by quickly adding, "Great. I will meet you outside of Henley Hall, 7 p.m., Friday."
"Wait. How did you know I live at Henley Hall? You don't even know my name."
"Sure I do. Barbara."
He waited for my reaction, and must have seen my confusion.
"Sara? Beth?" That same smile spread across his face again. "Ok, so I don't know your name. What shall I call the lady that will be haunting my thoughts for the rest of my existence?"
"Paulette. But you still didn't tell me how you knew where I lived."
"Ah, that I will save for you until our date. Until then, I think I will just let you go mad trying to figure it out. And just so we're not on uneven footing, the name is Charles, Charles Silver." He walked away, slowly picking up speed, but still managed to look back once more with that same grin on his face, like he definitely had a secret, and I was it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
INTERNET...Beloved is thy name.
Not to sound sacreligious (sp?), but I have offered a thanks heavenward for our new internet connection. I've felt a bit cut off not being able to read the news, check my email, and update my facebook. On top of this wonderful development, we have also obtained a washer/dryer, and have finally been paid some of our travel reimbursement money. Things are looking up a bit.
H has begun installing alarm systems and is actually going to try his hand at sales. Sales has always been his preference and he feels that this will fit him better. At this point, the installers can't do anything until a sale is made, so I think he will be able to do more selling. We'll see, but I would request some good thought from you all that he will make a go of it and we may actually see some income. I have faith in him.
Let me tell you a little about my days here in NC. I wake up at 5 a.m. to get Mister up and ready to catch the bus before 6. In our area, there are really only year-round schools. You have to travel to another area about 15 minutes out to go to a traditional school. Well, we toured both versions of the middle schools and elementaries. Mister decidedly resolutely that he wanted to go to the traditional school farther out because they offered more electives and it seemed to be a nicer school. Even after we informed him of the really early bus pickup and even earlier wake up time, he insisted that that was the school for him. So, he is finishing up his first week there and is taking Orchestra Strings (cello), Painting, and a NC myth and folklore class as his electives. The last two were not his first choices, but he's pretty happy with them.
Tiny wanted to also choose the farther away, traditional school, but I couldn't make myself comfortable with the idea of her so far away. Her schedule would also have been 2 whole hours behind Mister's because of bussing. So, I chose for her to go to the year-round school right next door to us. The track she's on will not end until the end of June, and Mister's ends at the beginning, but I felt better with her nearby...and Mister is getting old enough to make these decisions for himself.
So, back to our days, after he catches the bus at 6, I am sometimes lucky enough to slip back in bed for another hour. At 7, I wake Tiny and walk her to school a little after 8. After, H and I have been taking Little Man on morning walks with the dog. We found a great trail with a large pond hidden behind a cemetery down the street. We actually saw a salamander, tons of fish, an easygoing turtle swimming to us, and a mother duck with her ducklings. We see something new each time. We then run errands or I clean around the house. H heads to his meeting and then off to work at around 2 p.m. He usually doesn't get back until after 9 or 10 p.m. I pick up Tiny from school at 3 and Mister usually gets off the bus and is in the house when we get back. We hang out, cook dinner, take walks, and they play. The last few days I have been heading to bed earlier and earlier. Getting up at 5 a.m. is not easy.
But I have found some great blessing in our early mornings. I am able to chat and spend time with Mister while we wait for the bus and I get to chat with Tiny on our walks to and from school. I find that I am enjoying my family a lot and counting my blessing more. We live in a great area and the weather and landscaping are incredible. I am really liking it here.
I will post some trip picks in my next post and some of our new surroundings. Take care and hope you are all doing well.
H has begun installing alarm systems and is actually going to try his hand at sales. Sales has always been his preference and he feels that this will fit him better. At this point, the installers can't do anything until a sale is made, so I think he will be able to do more selling. We'll see, but I would request some good thought from you all that he will make a go of it and we may actually see some income. I have faith in him.
Let me tell you a little about my days here in NC. I wake up at 5 a.m. to get Mister up and ready to catch the bus before 6. In our area, there are really only year-round schools. You have to travel to another area about 15 minutes out to go to a traditional school. Well, we toured both versions of the middle schools and elementaries. Mister decidedly resolutely that he wanted to go to the traditional school farther out because they offered more electives and it seemed to be a nicer school. Even after we informed him of the really early bus pickup and even earlier wake up time, he insisted that that was the school for him. So, he is finishing up his first week there and is taking Orchestra Strings (cello), Painting, and a NC myth and folklore class as his electives. The last two were not his first choices, but he's pretty happy with them.
Tiny wanted to also choose the farther away, traditional school, but I couldn't make myself comfortable with the idea of her so far away. Her schedule would also have been 2 whole hours behind Mister's because of bussing. So, I chose for her to go to the year-round school right next door to us. The track she's on will not end until the end of June, and Mister's ends at the beginning, but I felt better with her nearby...and Mister is getting old enough to make these decisions for himself.
So, back to our days, after he catches the bus at 6, I am sometimes lucky enough to slip back in bed for another hour. At 7, I wake Tiny and walk her to school a little after 8. After, H and I have been taking Little Man on morning walks with the dog. We found a great trail with a large pond hidden behind a cemetery down the street. We actually saw a salamander, tons of fish, an easygoing turtle swimming to us, and a mother duck with her ducklings. We see something new each time. We then run errands or I clean around the house. H heads to his meeting and then off to work at around 2 p.m. He usually doesn't get back until after 9 or 10 p.m. I pick up Tiny from school at 3 and Mister usually gets off the bus and is in the house when we get back. We hang out, cook dinner, take walks, and they play. The last few days I have been heading to bed earlier and earlier. Getting up at 5 a.m. is not easy.
But I have found some great blessing in our early mornings. I am able to chat and spend time with Mister while we wait for the bus and I get to chat with Tiny on our walks to and from school. I find that I am enjoying my family a lot and counting my blessing more. We live in a great area and the weather and landscaping are incredible. I am really liking it here.
I will post some trip picks in my next post and some of our new surroundings. Take care and hope you are all doing well.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Alive and Well
We are still alive. We made it to North Carolina and it is beautiful. Green and trees everywhere. I told H that this state probably started out as a land of endless trees and they had to clear patches just to build each new place. Our apartment is really nice, brand new and fits us well...especially with 90% of our stuff in storage in Utah. We don't have internet yet, so we have to traipse to the library right across the street to use it or I can access a few sites on my phone. The kids are getting underway with school and we are settling in. H should be starting work any day and I am trying to get our apartment in order.
The people here are really friendly and it's a great neighborhood. I am, however, experiencing a little bit of culture shock and homesickness. I'll live...which is a good thing because that means I will be back soon with lots to update you with and pics from our cross country trip. Take care, all!
The people here are really friendly and it's a great neighborhood. I am, however, experiencing a little bit of culture shock and homesickness. I'll live...which is a good thing because that means I will be back soon with lots to update you with and pics from our cross country trip. Take care, all!
Thursday, April 02, 2009
FYI
We are in the great state of Idaho until the weekend. That is why I am so sparse. Is that even grammatically possible? Anyway, I'm not sure if I will post again before we take off on our long adventure to North Carolina. If not, take care and I will post pics of our trip as soon as we settle in. Later.
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