And we move... again!

Grandma Bennie and the kids 2006

In November, Jeff’s Grandmother passed away.  This was the only blood Grandmother he ever had the chance to know.  We made a trip to New Orleans for her funeral and Jeff shared stories with me that he’d never shared before.  Bennie was a great lady; she always made me feel welcome and had a passion for cooking.  Although she wouldn’t hesitate to tell me that I’d gained some extra pounds (LOL), she really had the sweetest heart.  Our kids adored her and loved to play cards and Bingo with her.  We all miss her very much.

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Closing on our house in Firethorne went smoothly, thank God.  The buyers put us through the wringer towards the end after their final walk through but it all worked out.  We did the final repairs that they insisted on and although it was very frustrating (considering our tools, paint, etc. was all in storage so we had to buy new stuff) it’s all done and behind us.

We moved the weekend before Thanksgiving so the holiday is a complete blur to me.  A huge thanks to my Mom and some of the guys who work for Jeff, we basically did it all in one day.  The majority of our stuff went to storage so it was quite easy… well, for me - not for them.  We have some heavy stuff and it was cold and rainy but they were great. I took several loads of stuff to the new place in my truck early in the day so when Mom arrived, she helped us pack up a few more items and then she and Taryn went to  and unpacked and put away the entire kitchen and bathrooms before we even got the truck half loaded. I don’t know what I would do without her!

Now, we are living in an apartment.  There were not any 3 bedroom apartments available for us so we had to get a 2 bedroom.  It’s not ideal but it’s not terrible either, especially since its temporary.  We had a talk with the kids about it and Jayden said he wouldn’t mind camping out in the living room of the apartment.  I don’t know why I was so worried about living in an apartment. I actually love how small it is and if I could just change out some of the creepy neighbors, it wouldn’t be that bad. Well, getting groceries sucks, just getting them from the car to the apartment sucks then I realize I’ve bought way too much for this little fridge and pantry so we end up with food all over the place, not a terrible problem to have but I hate clutter and it makes cooking quite difficult when there is no counter space.  I also don’t like the noise coming from the people who live above us but again, its temporary and we are not here that much anyway.

Christmas was uneventful and quite boring this year.  We spent Christmas Eve with our dear friends and had a great time (and great food) hanging out with them.  We were even able to be part of the Melby Christmas Eve celebration at Aunt Loretta and Uncle Russ’s house thanks to FaceTime.  Christmas morning with the kids was great, well, after they finally got out of bed at 9 am…  I just love how they are so excited for each other and want to take turns opening their gifts.  Kiarra and Jayden are very patient with Taryn and allow her to take the time she needs to dwell over every detail of the gift she’s just opened.  We typically go oldest to youngest or vice versa but not this year. Jayden insisted that ladies go first which was very kind of him.  They all loved their gifts, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and had some special worship time and then we made a huge breakfast together.  I love the mess of Christmas morning, the wrapping paper, boxes and twist ties… I just felt so blessed this year to be healthy and to be able to provide for my family.  They each wanted practical and simple gifts this year which made it that much more special.  I really missed being with my family in Iowa though; there is just something about being around family all day (for days and days…) that helps make the holiday so much more of a celebration.  I think it’ll be tough to keep us in Texas for another Christmas, we are all about family and extended family so this year, we will be with family for the holidays….and it better snow!!

We brought in the New Year with some amazing friends.  It’s really great to bring in the New Year with people who would absolutely do anything for one other.  We had a great time catching up with each of their families, grubbing on Chris’s delicious gumbo amongst all the other snacks and of course popping fireworks.

All too soon, it was time for the kids to go back to school.  This was the first year in very long time, maybe 14 years that I have not taken off the last few weeks of the year to be with them.  I’m working on a very complex, high profile course at work and knew this would be the only time to catch up and get ahead of the game since the majority of the company would not be working.  Most days I worked from home or worked 1/2 day in the office and the remainder from home. I’m blessed and very grateful to have a flexible boss who allows us to do this.

We are in full swing of club volleyball for Kiarra and basketball for Jayden.  It’s a busy but fun time of year, and I’m looking forward to all the great things God has in store for us in 2014!!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!