A final farewell, for now at least

Who has the time to keep up with such things as blogs with 2 active little boys running around? Well, there are probably some out there who manage, but I just don't find the time. Plus, we have 2 other active blogs now that we do update. One is an almost daily updated photo album of our boys, and it's password protected, so if you're friends or family and feel like you'd be on our approved list, shoot me an email and I'll add you in to that site. The other site is still fairly new and we're admittedly trying to get it updated, but we're better at that. It's about our fixer upper adventure we've been on since May of last year. Shoot me another email and I'll send you the link for that as well. Blessings to all of you who followed us here for our years of traveling from city to city. It's a time that we hold treasured in our hearts and wouldn't trade it for the world. Now we're on to new adventures across the hills...


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A new home, a new start

We closed on our first home yesterday, and tomorrow we begin moving. This is not an unfamiliar event for us, but we do anticipate that it might actually be the last move for us for quite a while. Onward with adventure traveling.

A small, intimate church

Our view from the top at Calvary Church.



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Catching our breath

So, we made the move the Charlotte, and we have now been here right around 2 months exactly. Who knew that moving would be such an ordeal for these oh, so experienced, TRAVELERS?! Let me tell you, traveling with the minimal amount of stuff we had for the past 5 years, and packing up and unpacking all of the stuff we had not only accumulated in 5 years, but also that stuff we left behind - 2 totally different stories there. Our move took us to 4 locales: northern Virginia, where we were living at the time; Chesapeake, VA, where we had our main storage room; Sean's parents' home in southern VA, who had been storing various and sundry things for us; and my parents' home in northeast GA, where I still had all of my childhood things stored. Whew! Honestly, this was a lot more stuff than 2 thirty-somethings should have. It took us a couple solid weeks of cutting open hundreds of boxes to finally get those out of the house, and then there was the "putting away" phase that lasted too long, and now we've managed to enter into the "ignore the rest of the work" phase that we are going to try to exit out of this weekend, hopefully. We'd love to finally hang a picture or 2 on the wall and make a massive trip to the Salvation Army to donate the pile of stuff we decided we not only can live without, but that we want to live without.

So, even though we probably have missed out on some good stories to relay through our voice here over the past 2 months, we are just now catching our breath and beginning to see somewhat of a life being established in our new city. We really have loved the neighborhood we chose, and we are excited to start feeling more like locals than visitors, which is such a foreign concept to us at this point. We began the process by finally getting our new NC drivers licenses' (that was a pain), new license plates (pretty cool pictures of the Smokies and Appalachian trail), and have even secured a dentist and a doctor to deliver this new baby. Just like locals.

I am even beginning to venture out without turning on my GPS every time I get in the car. Progress!

July 4 fireworks in Charleston, SC

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Our thoughts these days...

New hills to cross

When Sean and I were dating, we talked about what it would be like to be married, and we started making plans for that, as all couples do who are in love and starry-eyed. Being that we were both close to our families and felt the importance of staying in as much contact with them as possible throughout our lives, we concluded that we would eventually love to settle down in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not only did we love the city (place of Shannon's birth too), it was the ideal middle-ground for remaining as close as we could to each respective set of parents.

After marrying in 2004, we fairly soon began looking for jobs in Charlotte, thinking we would go ahead and move down there as soon as possible. We eagerly began applying for jobs, anticipating the flood of offers to come rolling in. Weeks became months, and months became years, and we found ourselves faced with the realization that the time just did not seem to be right for us and Charlotte to converge.

Two years in to our marriage, Sean was approached about the job he currently has, and you all know the rest of that story. This life on the road for the past 5 years has been exhilerating. We consider ourselves profoundly blessed to have experienced all that we have on this journey for these years. Yet four states, eight cities, nine homes, one baby, and "several" air mattresses later, this adventure is coming to a close. With a 2 year old and a new baby on the way, we knew at the beginning of this year that these travelers would need to find a resting spot - a permanent adventure - to spend the next years of our lives.

So it was with utter amazement on February 9, 2011, that a friend of Sean's sent him an email with some details of a job that he had heard about. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Working with a church. Using the very same experience that he's accumulated these past 5 years, but also using his seminary degree to boot. Sean has been going though the interview process for the past 7 weeks, and he was officially offered the position yesterday. We couldn't be more exited. We've discovered that God has been working in this long before we were ever even aware of the job, preparing the way both for Sean, as well as the church. We've made a trip to Charlotte and secured housing, so we'll be moving pretty soon.

We'll be sure to update you here with updates of our new adventure. I'm sure there will be many stories to tell in Charlotte. But we wanted to make sure that we thanked all of you, our faithful and loving family and friends who have been on this journey with us through Virginia (3 x's), Pennsylvania (2 x's), North Carolina (2 x's), & Tennessee, and many places not found on a map, but in the heart of soul of each of you. We literally couldn't have done it without you.

Change

Oh my, how time flies these days. I declare, the day was inordinately longer back when I was 10 years old than it is now. I remember making our family car trips to Georgia to visit my grandparents, which was about 5 hrs away or so, and thinking that it lasted ALL DAY LONG. Oh, the drudgery of those hours. Especially when I had to stay within my "lines" in the backseat, lest I fear the wrath of one of my 2 older sisters for crossing onto their territory. ;)

But these days, I don't know where the days go, much less the hours and minutes. We are all just resurfacing from some sick days of various colds and bugs; and low and behold, as I peek my southern nose outside, the chill in the air is starting to get ever so less chill, making way for what I anticipate to be a beautiful spring in northern Virginia. And even though we lose an hour of sleep tonight, I also welcome in the extra hour of daylight each evening. There's just something about sunshine that makes it all seem warm and cozy.

But one thing is certain, change is in the air. There are things churning in our humble household that may have to wait for another blog to disclose (not so long this time, I promise), but I can share our most exciting news. We're expecting baby #2 in September and are blissfully anticipating it. After having our son with us for 2 years now, we are more aware of the reality of what having a child means, and with that I include the pretty and the ugly of it, the sane and the insane, the holy and the mundane, the tender and the terror. It's been such an incredible blessing, and we know that blessing will only grow (along with the chaos and laundry.) So, as we continue this journey across these hills, we're excited to be sharing it with one more little soul. And we so welcome it.

First snowman

We've had some serious snow up here in northern Virginia. So much so that we were able to build our boy's first snowman - and mine too, as we never had quite enough down in Alabama. The temps are frigid, staying around the freezing mark for our highs most days. Brrr. Spring is right around the corner, right? Please?

Georgetown

I went on a trip to Georgetown with friends the other day, our tourists destination being Georgetown Cupcake, the site of TLC's reality show DC Cupcakes.

We decided to get a half dozen, so I could bring one home for Sean, and they could take a couple extra home too. I ended up with the Chocolate3 (surprise, surprise), and I got Sean the peanut butter fudge. They were all delicious!

We also walked down M Street, which is apparantly THE place to be, as well as The Shops at Georgetown Park, a fancy mall right in the center of it all. Georgetown is supposedly the Hollywood of politicians, and we were not disappointed, as we walked right past Joe Lieberman and his wife. I'll keep an eagle eye out for any more "politibreties" (yes, my own coined word) and next time try to get my iphone out faster to slyly snap a pic. Stay tuned!

Eating fast, eating well

As we wrap up our time in Richmond this week, we are faced with the same dilemma that we always encounter at the end of a project. Finishing up the food in the refrigerator. Usually at about 2 weeks out, I realize that we still have enough food in there to feed a small army, and we frantically begin eating meals that will use up these ingredients, random as they sometimes be. But one nice result that comes of this need is that I am forced to cook that food that I was ambitious enough to buy, yet never inspired enough to make. So we also end up eating very well these last few days. Tonight we're having steak, shrimp, waffled fries, broccoli, and mac & cheese.

I really should do this more often... Maybe next time.


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It's time

It's that time of the year again - time to look for a new place to live in a new city. We found out recently we're moving to the nation's capital: Washington DC. Sean has a project starting in January in the neighborhood of Georgetown. We're really excited about the prospect of taking our boy to all of the museums, attractions, the zoo, etc., so now it's just a matter of narrowing down a neighborhood to live in. No small task for the DC area. Will keep you posted!

Big change

Last year I told my niece, Allie, that if she'd cut her LONG hair and donate it to locks of love, I'd do the same. I didn't know that little spitfire would actually do it mere days later! So, for a year I've been feeling guilty for not keeping up my end of the bargain. Today, though, I made good on my deal, and now I'm the proud owner of a 12 inch donation. Here I am minutes before:

And here is me now!

My hair hasn't been this short since about 8th grade, so while it is going to take some getting used to, I'm really enjoying the change!

Traveling with a toddler by air

My boy and I took a trip down to Georgia recently, marking his first plane trip. While the anxiety I had previous to the trip wasn't matched by the actual experience of the trip, I still learned a lot of tips and tricks about the best ways to air travel with a toddler. Here are my pearls of wisdom:

1. Make sure that all of your liquids and electronic devices are accessible for easy removal for the security patrol at the airport so that they don't have to paw through all of your carefully packed carry-ons. Clear, plastic bags, people!
2. Strollers are a necessity. It's most helpful if the one you bring can be broken down/set up with one hand, as that is all you will hope to have free during the whole trip. You can't stroll the child through the security gate, so this becomes paramount of importance.
3. Too early is better than a little late. It's harder to rush through the airport with a diaper-bound youth.
4. Toddlers 2 yrs and younger can sit in your lap, fee free (for now), but be prepared to be sitting by a myriad of personalities. And pray for an empty seat next to you. That is your mecca.
5. Which brings me to this one: I was instructed by friends to ask the flight attendant before the flight if you can have any available seats that have an extra seat next to it. I was lucky enough to be on 3 out of 4 full flights (!), so I hope others have better luck with that.
6. Bring toys galore, preferably some he hasn't seen before, as these keep them interested the longest. I got a good tip from a friend to go to the Dollar Tree and buy up a bunch of cheap toys, and bring them out, one at a time, only when a new, fresh toy is needed. Worked great!
7. Portable DVD player & favorite shows. Make sure it's charged. Enough said.
8. Snacks. I got another good tip to not overdo it on the fruit, as that can be... problematic. Snacks that are easy on the crumbs and goo are best.
9. Pacifiers or drinks to sip on during take off/ landing help with the ear popping. It didn't seem to even phase my son.
10. You can check strollers and car seats for free. Check the car seat in a sturdy bag to prevent it getting gross. GATE CHECK the stroller as you'll need it around the airport. And hope that they don't end up stashing it below anyway.
11. Bring ONLY what you need as carry-ons. Carrying too much stuff while trying to entertain a toddler is totally exhausting.

Well, that's what I learned this trip. I'll be much better prepared next time around, although by then, I'm sure my darling son will have a whole new set of needs and desires to work with. The "How to's" of childhood really is the river of which Heraclitus spoke.

Goodbyes, Sunshine, and Reunions

I recently returned home from a weekend in Florida spent with some of the friends I made when I was getting my masters in counseling in Virginia. Some of us hadn't seen each other since I got married over 5 years ago, so it was really good to see old friends and to catch up on our lives. Some husbands and children and new jobs have been added since I last got to hang out with these girls, so we had a lot to talk about.

It also marked the first time I left my little boy for more than a couple of hours, so I was rather anxious about that. Thankfully I have an extremely adaptable and well-adjusted little guy because I don't think he even missed me. While I loved the time spent with the girls, my reunion with my husband and son was very sweet.