Monday, August 27, 2012

I'm not dead yet (quoted with a Monty Python accent)

So it looks like when June hit I fell off the face of the earth.  It was something like that.  Leah and I survived the rest of the semester doing Connections Academy and got her moved up to fifth grade.  We celebrated Naomi's birthday and baptism (which deserves it's own post) then the school year ended.  Dad and the girls came home and the next day I started working full time at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  I worked for Sharpshooters Imaging, taking souvenir pictures, editing, printing and selling them.  I also got to take pictures of Sea Lion Kisses several times a week.  It was fantastic!  My birthday came and went with a sweet celebration with my little family and at the end of July my brother Andrew spoiled us with a visit! 

While we were plugging away at day to day life, changes were brewing under the surface.  Lars and I have been dreaming about Lars writing a book...someday.  We decided to make "someday" today.  Since he would no longer be teaching in Waldport it was completely pointless to live there.  We decided Corvallis (an hour east of Newport) would be a great place to live.  It's a great community with fantastic schools, an hour from the coast and an hour from Portland.  This is where Oregon State University is located so we wanted to get moved in before all the students came back and scooped up all the housing and jobs.  We started looking on line in June for places to rent.  In July I found this great little duplex that we have since moved into.  It's at the end of a long private drive so there is no traffic, plenty of room for the girls to ride their bikes and has a great fenced in yard.  It's really an ideal place for us!   

We loaded up a moving truck at the beginning of August and left Waldport at 63 degrees to arrive in Corvallis at 93 degrees!  You could say it was a shock to the system.  :)  The girls had all dressed as they normally did in pants and long sleeved shirts with a jacket.  When we got out in Corvallis, Emilia burst into tears and said, "What is this?"  Heat.  "I don't like it!!"  I do.  I LOVE it.  I want to marry it.  Despite the warm weather several families from our new ward at church showed up and helped us unload the truck, brought us goodies and got us settled in.  We have been so warmly welcomed that it has been an easy transition. 

The only part that hasn't been easy (for the girls) is that we couldn't bring our cat with us.  I told them it came down to having a place to live, or having a cat.  After quite a bit of consideration, they finally agreed that it was probably more important to have somewhere to live.  Thankfully our friend was able to take Ramses and told the bawling girls that they could come visit him any time they wanted.

Well, I'm going to stop this post here and put the rest of my disjointed thoughts in another one.  Cheers.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

A Vote of Confidence

Heidi's birthday is fast approaching.  To say she's excited is a vast understatement.  This morning Heidi decided she was going to make her invitations.  I decided I was going to take a shower. 

I turn on the water.
Heidi asks for paper.
I shampoo my hair.
Heidi asks for tape.
I shave my legs.
Heidi brings me a towel.
I get out and use said towel.
Heidi tells me to put on my undies and my clothes.
I ask her why.

"Because Mom," she answers, "My friends will see you with no clothes on...and your bum...and they will say, 'EWWWWW!  Let's have your birthday party somewhere else,' Just like I want to say."

Party canceled.  I'm going for a run.