IKEA!!!!

The kids and I took our new GPS (yes, I think I am in love!! now we can go anywhere and i feel so much more freedom!!) and went to IKEA today...just a 20 minute drive!!! The kids had never been and we had such a GREAT time! You can see that they each got a pet (Cookie and Dustin, respectively). Olivia named hers after my parents' dog, Dustin. He does sort of favor him. They carried those dogs all day through the store! We didn't really have much to buy but just had fun walking around and looking at all the fun things to buy. The kids loved all the little "homes" that are set up and played in each one, I think. They also asked, several times, to play in Smaland, IKEA's playplace. At first, I said no because it is a place where you drop your kids and then go shop for an hour. I just am not comfortable leaving them...things around here just seem so big and foreign. However, the kids were SO well-behaved that toward the end of the trip, I said they could go in. I signed them in and then, like a maniac parent, stayed and watched them through the glass window. I do have to say, it was sort of nice to have a few minutes of quiet to myself. They had a blast climbing, coloring, running, and doing all sorts of activities. They are already to go back again! I am sure they won't have to bend my arm to hard to get me to go to IKEA again! =)

This weekend, Matt stayed with the kids for a bit and I got to go see Donny's office. We have been to the outside of the building and to the fountains to take pictures but it was great to go inside his office building and office to see where he spends his days. It is a pretty fancy gig...I can't say I am any closer to understanding what he does in there, it is way too advanced for me, but I did love seeing it!!

Pioneer Natural Resources Office building and famous Las Colinas Mustangs Statues/Fountains

Picture Update...

On Saturday night, after saying good-bye to Mimi and Papa (my parents) we went with Matt and Rachel to Gaylord Texan. (Donny had to take a minute to get over the name too...) It is a HUGE and absolutely gorgeous resort -reminded me of The Opryland Resort in TN. I have never seen such a fancy schmancy place! The current theme/display is Alice and Wonderland. The kids took part in a Scavenger Hunt with the Cheshire Cat. They had to use little "magnifying glasses" to find 12 clues to solve a mystery before getting a prize. Enjoy the pictures and remember that everything you are seeing is INDOORS!!!

On Friday night, before the infamous rodeo, The Loughry/Lewis Clan went to Boston's Pizza for some delicious g-free (and "normal" - as Liv calls it) pizza...

And this final picture is just for you, Cicely... You see Cicely and I started doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred together when Donny left for TX. I am still "Shredding" and if you saw Cicley's comment on a previous blog she asked how it was going and to see my muscles! Here you go, girl! Now, I expect to see yours on YOUR blog! Ha!

Picture Update...

A Day of Firsts...

It is Saturday, but I am writing about Friday. You see, we didn't get home until 3am this morning...a little too late to blog...

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Yesterday was a day of firsts here for us Loughrys:

• The first time we saw rain in Texas.
• The first time it was in the 80s since we have been here!
• The first time we went to a Texas OUTDOOR playground, due to lower temperatures.
• The first time we attended a RODEO. Yeeeehawww! Ride em' cowboy (and cowgirl!)
• The first time one of our family of four has gone to the ER (yes, that is Emergency Room) and NOT been admitted to the hospital.

That's right. We had a trip to the ER. You didn't think we could make it through a series of months without a hospital visit, did you??

The day started out normal enough...We woke up excited to see Matt and Rachel and have a fun day with the entire Lewis side reunited. Mom and I took the kids to the park where we saw multi-colored ducks swimming in the canal and had fun playing on the playground with the kiddos. Then we headed back to the apartment to meet Matt and Rach. The kids loved showing them around our new "house" and pool. Donny was home early from work since it was Friday and we all headed out to the pool for pool volleyball and lots of jumping and splashing. We had to get out early due to black skies, thunder, and rain drops. I guess it does rain here...

We all headed to Boston's pizza for dinner and then to THE RODEO in Mesquite, TX!!! (The pictures are on Mom's camera so I will post them once I get them...) It was actually quite neat! We saw barrel racing, bronco riding, steer wrestling, and calf roping. We also saw Dash for Cash where any kids who wanted (not ours of course) went down into "the pit" to chase two calves with ribbons on their tales. Whichever kids got the ribbons got $20. However, the real thrill of the night, which Donny thinks MUST be illegal, was Muttin Bustin'. This is when they choose 8 kids (ages 4-8) to put on helmets and get on a Muttin and try to ride it out of the shoot and into the arena without falling off. All but one kid cried when they were thrown from the big sheep. Many were trampled. It was funny and horrible all at the same time!!

Just as the bronco riding, the final and most awaited for event, was about to start, Boston said, "Hey, Mama." He was sitting on the bleacher next to me with his bottom on the seat and his hands and feet on the bleacher in front of us. As soon as I turned to look at him, his bum slipped off the bleacher seat and his neck and then head hit the bleacher seat HARD! It was heard for miles, I think. The man behind us and I grabbed Bos and pulled him off the floor. He was screaming and it was horrid. Matt went to get ice and I took Bos out of the arena to try to calm him down. To make a long story short, the "arena boss" wanted us to see the paramedics who wanted us to go to Children's (Dallas' big Children's hospital). Bos never threw up or really went unconscious but he did go to sleep while moaning and it took a while to get him 'back to." We decided it is always better to be safe than sorry so we went ahead and took him. We spent many hours at the ER and Boston is fine. He has a mark near his hairline but other than that he is just fine. We are all a bit sleepy but so thankful that, once again, God has taken care of one of our babies...

Finding Our Way Around Las Colinas...

It's hard to say where we really live...our address is Irving, TX which is a large city between Dallas and Fort Worth. In fact, when you are driving, you can't really tell where one ends and the other starts. However, within Irving, we live in this section called Las Colinas, which my dad discovered means The Hills. Shannon, is that right? :) Not sure why because if you have ever been to TX you know there are NO HILLS here! Flat as can be!!

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Between yesterday and today, we have tried to find a few more places in Las Colinas. I think I told you about the library...

...and it is "my pleasure" to remind you that we are so glad we can eat items at Chick-fil-A and play in the air conditioned play places!

Today, my dad had the great idea of taking the kids on the Las Colinas Area Personal Transit System. It is a free above ground tram, like a monorail since it is up high on a track, that almost circles Las Colinas. I am not sure how it is funded since it is free and we were the only passengers on the 10:30 tram but we had a great time! We got to see Donny's office building from up high, look at the clock tower up close, get a great view of the canal and Lake Carolyn, and even see a gondola (the boat kind) and its passengers on the canal! The waterfalls were beautiful as well. However, the best part of the trip for all of us was when Mr. Larry, the tram driver, asked the kids if they wanted to DRIVE the tram!! Boston got shy, yes, I did use Boston and shy in the same sentence, but Liv jumped right up and sped us around the track!!

We had a fun morning together, seeing the "sights" and becoming a bit more familiar with the layout and history of this part of the city. Mr. Larry gave us many tidbits of trivia that we wouldn't find anywhere else!

Boston and Olivia with Mom and Dad

(the hat Liv is wearing is a gift to Dad from Matt...I will be talking to Matt about it tomorrow when he arrives...ha!)

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I had to do some minor home repair today (felt like Robyn!!) and change a toilet seat when we got home. Girls, I laughed when you gave me that extra long screw driver as a joke saying that everything is bigger in Texas, but let me tell you, it came in HANDY today so I didn't have to get close enough to smell "potty smells!" Both of my parents commented on the screwdriver when they walked by the bathroom and saw me standing up, 3 feet away from the toilet, unscrewing the lid! =)

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I read more today in Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson...WOW! If you haven't read it, do so, now! I think it would be more helpful for me to highlight the parts that DON'T apply to me or stand out to me because my book is quickly getting marked up!! Thought provoking to say the least.

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We ended the day with swim time, pork chops, and Family Movie Night #2! I don't know if I like Toy Story or Toy Story 2 better...perhaps once we GO SEE (Liv, especially is excited about that part) #3 at the TheAter (Liv's pronunciation) I will have a better opinion. So far, the kids said they like #2 best.

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Matt and Rach come tomorrow for the weekend. I am ready to see them. Sometimes in KY we go 2 weeks without seeing them and it doesn't seem odd, but for some reason, being this far away, makes me miss them more. We are trying to decide what to do with them...I will keep you in the dark for now and let the blog explain as the weekend unfolds! :)

Well, I did everything in my power to stay out of the pool today just because I am a bit tired of the kids, the pool, and me each and every day. However, we did end up there around 5:00. The kids just love it so much and I really didn't have a reason to say no. Donny got home and took over at 6:00 so I could go in and make dinner. We met an Indian Family who wondered if we sent our kids to school to teach them how to get along with each other! Ha! Guess they caught the kids at a good time! :)

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This morning, we took Mom and Dad to a car rental store and then they headed to Grandpa's for the day. Then the kids and I ventured out to the library. We have 6 to choose from in Irving and I think I did NOT choose the best one. I chose it because I knew where the street was and I am SO TIRED of having to look up directions on the computer before going anywhere! However, there just weren't many books there, at least compared to our great library in Jessamine County. We got a library card though and now we can go try some other locations later on. On the way there, the kids spotted a Chick-fil-A with a play place so we stopped there on the way back. Bos quickly "made knew friends" whom he thanked God for in his dinner prayer but he couldn't tell you their names or really what they looked like! :) Sweetness!

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One thing on my mind today has been differences between here and home. The kids were mentioning things too. Here are some of them:

• The seat belts get SO "BURNING HOT" (Boston's words) after the car has been in the sun for a bit.
• At the Chick-fil-A drive thru, there is a person standing outside with a laminated menu who comes to your window to take your order during the lunch "rush hour."
• The population of Nicholasville is 30,000. The population of Dallas is 2.5million. Just a small difference...
• You don't leave the house without a drink because you are always thirsty!
• U-turns are a way of life here because of how the roads are set up. The kids call them "curly turns." I call them "pains in the neck" because my car does not have the best turning radius!
• The lizards here are FAST, you know, compared to all those lizards climbing on the outside walls in Nicholasville! :)
• EVERY sign is written in both English and Spanish.
• Much to the kids' amusement, the grocery carts at Tom Thumb have TVs in them which play Mickey Mouse shows.
• The grocery carts at Aldi cost 25 cents to use and you have to bring your own bag for your groceries. This fact is not a problem IF YOU KNOW AHEAD OF TIME! You should have seen us carrying our produce, meat, crackers, etc. to the car in our arms! Does that say "out of towners" or what?!
• There is just no use of wearing make-up when you will just sweat it right off. This has been rather freeing, actually...
• You'll get a kick of out this one...as do I...NOW...you have to really read closely the free magazines near the exits of grocery stores to see what they are about before just picking them up. The other night, at Whole Foods, I saw one called Dallas Spice and thought it looked like it would have good places to visit or good coupons in it. I started looking through it the next day and the first page I turned to was an ad for men's skirts! Yep, I had picked up the "Dallas Pride" magazine! Donny and I had a good laugh over that one!
• It gets pretty lonely when you only know the people that live in your house... We sure miss you all!

Indians Be Gone... (No, this is NOT a page filled with prejudice! Keep reading...)

Robyn, my dear loyal follower, I wanted to post several different times today just so you would have something to look at each time you logged in! Ha! Cheers to you, dear friend! This picture (above) is for you! This morning, when Boston woke up, he asked for a drink. I brought him a drink in the cowboy boot cup you gave us! I hadn't showed it to him yet and he just looked at it and laughed and thought it was so funny! He never would drink out of it though! :) (Tell Mindy thanks for the cup!) Now the kids just want to play a joke on anyone that asks for a drink and give them that cup!

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The kids once again slept til about 7:30, I think all this playing in the pool is wearing them out! I know it is sure tiring ME out and I am not doing as much jumping in as they are. After a long, good, and encouraging phone call with Mel, the kids and I headed to the hotel to pick up Mom. (Dad decided to stay there for the day and do his own thing.) We spent the morning at Target and Kroger and headed back for lunch here.

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Liv was beside herself with excitement because this afternoon was her playdate with Brissa. We were sure to be out there at precisely 1:00 and then we waited, and waited, and waited, and FINALLY little Brissa arrived. (Her mom said they had been trying for a long while to get her little sister Lucy to nap...) The girls played for hours just whispering and swimming and giggling. It was so fun to watch Liv just be a little girl. I spent that time playing with Bos and picking Brissa's mom's brain about where to get a pedicure, where to go shopping, etc. Yvonne grew up here in Irving so she knows all the ins and outs...

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We chose not to pay for cable and do not get any TV channels so the kids spent some time on the computers this afternoon. Liv emailed Palmer and Boston played Curious George games on pbskids.com. They are both pretty handy with the computers! Makes me laugh when I think of the first computer we got, when I was in 8th grade, with a big green cursor! Anyone else remember those?! Carmen Sandiego, anyone? :)

thoughtful pondering of how to answer Palmer's email...

estimating how many balls in Curious George's bucket

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After showers, tacos, and rice (Jennifer-Boston LOVES your "red rice"!!), we all headed to the Grapevine Mills Mall for a little indoor, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. The kids picked out clothes with lots of white on them so the black lights would reflect and had a great time playing. There were 3 courses all in the same huge room and really no other players so our kids just had the "run of the place."

Besides Boston continuously asking/whining for a drink...over and over and over and over and over (get the picture??)...we had a great time.

...finally...Bos got his drink and the rest of us got peace!

The scores haven't been added yet, but I am pretty sure I won!! Not really. :( I had a few poor holes that I am pretty sure put me out of the running for first place. I WAS, however, the only one who won a FREE GAME for next time by getting my ball in the 'special orange hole' at the end of the course...Yahoo!!! Not sure we will be going back, but at least it leads to bragging rights. :)

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We ended the night with ICE CREAM, at last, and the kids falling asleep on the ride home. Something about Texas air...they never fall asleep in the car in Kentucky!

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Oh! I wrote this down on the back of my Target list to tell you...just so cute! Boston always tells us how much he loves us by comparing things such as , "I love you all the way to Texas" or "I love you to the moon and back." Well, you know we watched Toy Story the other night? Today at Target he told me, "Mom, I love you to Indian be gone!" (Get it? ...to infinity and beyond!!!) How great is that?!

Just Another Manic Monday...

It really wasn't that crazy of a day, but what better title for a Monday post?! :) After not really sleeping much last night due to just having too many thoughts (those nights drive me just crazy!), we got up to do our exercising and were able to finish before either child woke up. In the Loughry household, it is very rare that either child sleep past 7:00, especially since sharing a room. Having them sleep 'til 7:30 today seemed like a little ice cream treat with a big pile of real whipping cream on top!

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Donny left for work and the kids and I scrubbed the apartment floors on our hands and knees since we didn't bring a mop along and it seems funny to buy a new one for such a short stay here. (Jennifer, I forgot to give you my old one for your front porch. Get it out of my laundry room!!) Then we just piddled around until it was time to head to the airport to get my parents! They arrived today for a week's visit with us and my grandpa. We made it successfully to the airport and back without a hitch and to their hotel...we just don't have any room here in this little apartment for overnight guests.

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Since it was another hot afternoon, you guessed it, Mom, Liv, Bos, and I got changed and went for a swim in the hotel pool. Once again, we were the only pool goers and had a great time swimming, splashing, and jumping in. Boston realized that he could use the railing that goes into the steps as a slide into the pool and spent a long time sliding and laughing! =}

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Dinner was homemade g-free lasagna, a favorite of ours around here, and leftover BANANA PUDDING! (Don't worry, it's gone now so I will be done talking about it!) We talked a bit at the table about Donny's job and TX and what all that means for us and then got the kids to bed and mom and dad back to their hotel before crashing onto the two pieces of furniture in our living room! Time for a movie or something quiet...Sleep well!

Oh, Happy Day...

What a day this has been to say, "Happy _________" to people! We want to say "Happy Father's Day to both of our dads (Rick and Don), Happy Grandfather's Day to my grandpas, and Happy Birthday to cousin Jonah, Buddy Nico, and Good Friend Becky!" Lots of great people to celebrate...but...around here we mostly spent the day celebrating the GREAT DAD that lives in our house!The kids and I started our day with a trip to Walmart and a much needed car wash while we let Donny sleep in and exercise in peace. When we returned and carried our groceries UPSTAIRS in the 100 DEGREE heat Donny decided he wanted to spend the day...at the pool. So, we decided to save our "surprise plans" for this coming week while my parents are here and head out for another afternoon of fun in the sun.

Olivia was so excited to see a little girl, who come to find out is also seven, playing in the pool. I was SO PROUD to watch her ask little Brissa to play. What a big step for her-this has been such a "growth in confidence" year for her! The two girls spent the next several hours playing and swimming in the pool together and set up another play date for Tuesday afternoon. Once again, God showed that He is here and answering the prayers of those of us in our thirties and those of us who are seven.

Liv and I also made that delicious banana pudding I mentioned in yesterday's blog for Donny to enjoy. We ALL were glad to help Donny enjoy it after dinner and despite the fact that I didn't bring any "fancy" dishes down here, it still tasted wonderful!

(Donny IS wearing clothes...hehe!)

We ended the day with a Family Movie Night on the living room floor. Liv and Boston set it all up and we all got in our jammies to watch Toy Story. We figured that if we want to go to the theater to see Toy Story 3, we should probably see the first two! (For those of you who REALLY know The Loughry ins and outs, you know that we haven't taken the kids to the theater yet...gasp!...we are just so picky about what they watch and what they hear...and we have wanted to save some special things for special times. We figure this is a special time...) We loved cuddling together and laughing at Buzz and Woody.

The kids are getting in to this blogging thing and asked to be the ones to take pictures of our movie night so I will end with their take on the night...enjoy!

Just What a Saturday Should Be...

So this morning Donny got up with the kids, letting me sleep in for the first time in over a month! (Not because he doesn't ever let me sleep in - because he has been gone! Just wanted to make that clear! Hehe!) I know for some of you who either get to sleep in often or who think sleeping in is a waste of time that me getting to do so today seems like nothing to blog about, BUT for us mom's who just need a moment's break or a little extra rest now and then, it IS something to write about! =} When I woke up around 9:00, I heard someone knocking on the door. The apartment was quiet so I figured Donny and the kids must have been outside. I got up and went to look out the peep-hole only to find Liv in the living room watching a movie and Donny asleep on the couch. Boston was nowhere to be found and there was no one at the door. However, the knocking continued. I followed the sound to the kids' room (they are sharing for the summer) and discovered that the knocking was coming from the closet. I opened the door to find, well, just look for yourself...

Boston had found a "spot", his sweet little spot! For those of you who know Boston well, you know that he needs a space to call his own. This was actually something I had been praying for since I knew the kids would be sharing a room this summer. For the last month or so, he has been spending time alone in his room now and then just sitting or talking Andrew, his beloved baby, and his animals. The day before we moved here he spent many long times in his room with his door shut wanting to be on his own. Then, the morning that we were leaving, he wouldn't come out of his room. When I went to check on him, he had built a blanket fort under his easel and was inside it. He wouldn't come out, no matter what. One of my most precious memories of all time is of him and Mel sitting under that easel just talking that morning. It was enough to send me to my closet for a "moment" too. (Thank you, Jennifer, for making me come out! I guess...) So anyway, a mom's prayer was answered today as Boston has found his spot to just sit and "be." I am so thankful God answers all "sizes" of prayers. (Thanks to each of you who has been and continues to be praying for us!!)

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After exercising, me "Shredding" and Donny "P90Xing" (and us both doing the Ab Ripper - ouch!), we headed...to the pool! You will get tired of me saying it, but it is a blessing to have it so close! (Actually, I sent the kids with Donny out to the pool and I got things cleaned up as I had a good chat with a dear, dear friend. Not sure why these chats make me so happy while I am talking and then sad after I hang up. Doesn't mean I don't want you to call though!) I headed out to the pool to join my family for an afternoon of Family Fun. Liv just about has swimming down and is able to make it about half way across the pool! I am not sure if she then loses stamina or realizes she is swimming and freaks out!

After swimming, we came in to eat at what Donny and I refer to as our "ghetto table." (We decided that instead of buying another kitchen table and then having to get rid of it when we leave the apartment we would buy an outdoor table set so we could use it later...we did figure though that we didn't need to put the umbrella up yet!) Then it was time to get ready for church. (Yes, we know it is Saturday!!!) We decided to try a new one this week - Donny has been to Irving Bible church twice, and last week we went with my grandpa. This week we went to

in Grapevine, TX. It is a church that is bigger than Southland, I think, but reminded us of SCC in some ways. However, it is NOT Southland. I know that it is not about the building, it is about God...but...we think so highly of our pastor and know his heart is in the right place and trust him and trust those that are teaching our children and like being already involved and like knowing the people we sit around and like...well, you get the picture. When you have attended the same church for 15 years (college included) it is hard to find another... After the service and walking all around and visiting the children's wing, we left thinking we may try it again but also thinking we would be okay to try another church. Is it okay to talk about church like this? I don't like the idea of "shopping around." Tonight we let the kids choose whether to go in a class or stay with us and they, surprise, surprise, chose to stay with us. I was JUST FINE keeping them within an arm's reach and they were so good. Boston actually fell asleep - no reflection on the pastor - the pool is just wearing his little body out!

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Anyway, we ended the day with a trip to Whole Foods (I did not take a picture of it because I don't want to be too much like Jennifer's mom and her video camera!) to get g-free nilla wafers to make Mel's Banana Pudding that Donny loves so much. You know, Father's Day is tomorrow and what better way to celebrate than by baking something special?!?!

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I know this is long, and for your FOUR :) dedicated followers, I thank you for hanging in there, but I just wanted to tell you to be sure to scroll to the bottom to see a new picture I posted of Boston from a few weeks ago. It is just too precious not to share! Love you all!

Celebrating Successes!

I've always admired children because it's the little things in life that make them happy. Well, today, it has been the little things that have given ME joy. Let me start at the beginning... Getting around Dallas is not as easy as Nicholasville or even the thriving metropolis of Lexington especially when the roads have names like ours...North O'Connor Road because then you have to decide whether to go north or south on them!!! Anyway, with 10 lanes of traffic, yes, I did take a moment while in rush hour tonight to count, driving around here and getting from one place to the next can be a bit hairy...

However, I woke up this morning with a renewed sense of adventure, or at least a need to get to Target (a girl has to go to Target!!!) so with my brave and positive kids in tow, off we went. I am proud to say...we found Target, the grocery, and the gas station WITHOUT getting lost or having to do any unnecessary U-turns! When we made it back to our apartment complex, I cheered and Olivia said, "Mom, why do you always say that when we get back home?" I told her it was because there was always a chance that we may not make it back here! :)

The entrance to our apartment...

After celebrating with some delicious g-free mac-n-cheese, we excitedly got ready for some pool time! Donny gets out early on Fridays so he was able to swim with us for the afternoon! I am not sure why, and perhaps when we end the summer covered in warts or some sort of odd rash we will understand, but NO ONE uses the pool! It is like we have our own private pool. We had fun playing Marco Polo, jumping from the water falls, and helping the kids practice their swimming. This is what memories are made of!

After our afternoon in the sun, protected with 50 SPF, of course, we pre-made dinner and a cake and headed to Ennis to celebrate an early Father's Day with Grandpa. Rush hour traffic made the drive a bit longer and, as you can see (if you turn your computer or head sideways!!!), the kids were tuckered out! =)

Dinner with Grandpa went well and, for the most part, the only living creatures we saw IN the house, were humans. =) I got to have a long overdue chat with Mel as I cleaned up the kitchen until the kids decided they had just had enough and it was time to go.

SO, to wind things up, it was the little things today that made it such a success - not getting lost, having family time in the pool, watching the kids' heads bob up and down as they slept in the car, playing 20 questions on the drive home, and eating cake with my grandpa...

That's not to say that I am not missing home though, our K-Y home, as Liv calls it. I think it hit harder today because twice Liv mentioned wanting to go back - once because she missed her friends and once because she left toys there she wanted to play with. Again, it's the little things like a Glo Doodle that sometimes make all the difference between feeling at home and feeling just a bit out of place...

Is there ice cream ANYWHERE around here?

I know ice cream is not great for you and that it is even worse late at night but it is our tradition to celebrate Liv's report cards, all (8!) of which have been good, with ice cream. Since Donny hadn't been home when she got it this spring, we brought it here to show him and celebrate. We decided tonight was the night. We stopped at Big Lots to buy a patio table that for now will be our dining/kitchen table in our apartment (pretty good idea, eh?) and then headed to find an ice cream place. Any place would do - Baskin Robbins, DQ, TCBY, Cold Stone, really, we aren't too picky. Nope. None. Nada. Zilch. In this big city, there are no ice cream parlors to be found. We walked into one place that looked promising called Bombay Sweets and Treats but it really did have sweets and treats from BOMBAY! So, after 30 minutes of driving, and only seeing places selling tacos or egg rolls we settled for Chick-fil-A milkshakes and headed home. Guess this is a prime example of when a GPS or iphone would be handy but you know us...no cable...rabbit ears on the TV...just gave in to texting... :)

New Beginnings

Well, I'm doing it...giving into peer pressure...setting myself up for potential failure...starting a blog. Why anyone would want to read this is beyond me but I do think it is a great way to record memories for my kiddos and to share life's happenings with friends and family.

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Starting this blog is not the only reason for entitling this post "New Beginnings." You see, we have decided, as a family, well, I guess as a couple and Liv and Bos have sweetly followed along, to spend the summer in Texas. Why would we go to one of the hottest places in the U.S. during the hottest time of the year? Well, because I am married to a man who is so intelligent and who succeeds at whatever he puts his mind to. That's why! :) Donny is in the midst of getting his PhD in Geology at UK. He applied to and was accepted for a 3 month internship at Pioneer Natural Resources here in Irving, TX. We prayed and felt that this was a great opportunity for him career-wise and an adventure for our family for the summer...so here I sit...in a two-bedroom apartment in the Las Colinas section of Irving, Texas.

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Donny left a 5 weeks ago to come here and start this new job. The kids and I tearfully said good-bye to him as he pulled the little U-haul trailer out of the driveway and drove the 15 hours here. Then, the three of us finished up the school year, me teaching 3rd grade, Liv finishing 1st grade, and Boston enjoying time at Mrs. Gina's. On Friday, June 11, with the help of Mel and Jennifer, we finished loading the car (there wasn't much to do thanks to my sweet brother) and started driving...to Texas...for the summer...away from friends, Southland Christian Church, our home, and everything familiar. When we got to our first stop sign I told the kids we needed to stop and pray for our trip. I got choked up and teary as I prayed. Boston asked if I was about to cry. When I said yes, he said, "It must be hard for them to let us go." His words fit the exact feelings that we all had that morning...

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7 hours later, with two AMAZING kids in tow, we pulled into our hotel in Memphis where, that night, DONNY WOULD FLY IN TO MEET US! We were all excited and had a hard time falling asleep as we waited for him to arrive via hotel shuttle. When he texted that he was there, even the kids knew, they were wide awake and ready to give their daddy huge hugs.

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I will spare you the details from the next day's drive but although we continued to drive away from home the feeling of being together, a family of four in the same car again, was priceless. I think God knew we (should I say I) needed that time apart so that when we were together again I would remember that it is better to be in a new place and together than at home and apart.