Life Is Good!

So I thought it was time for an update... I know Christmas was ages ago (okay, only a month) but I figured I would start with that. We had a good time visiting with all of Gregg's family on Christmas Day and then mine the second weekend of January. Colton received several very LARGE and very LOUD presents that we had to rent another condo to fit them all in- just kidding! There is currently a train table taking up half of our living room, though, and his bedroom is busting with so many toys, I don't know where to put them all. I think next year I'm telling people to get him books and clothes... practical, quiet, and SMALL. I mean really, do people consider the size of our current living quarters before they purchase these gifts? Anyway, I am appreciative of our family's generosity and that this kid has want of nothing. My sister bought him his own V-tech laptop so he can sit at the table just like mom and dad, typing away and practicing his phonics.

I think it snowed 10 out of 14 days these past couple of weeks and I.am.sick.of.it. Not a big fan of winter to begin with, and this just all the more makes me want to move back down to Florida. It's not fun to be stuck in the house. :( Today, despite temperatures in the teens and low 20s, we bundled ourselves up to go to the mall and return a few Christmas gifts. After scoring some great store credit to be used in the future, we grabbed lunch and then splurged on Starbucks coffee, which Gregg & I drank while Colton played in the mall's Kid Zone. It was a nice family afternoon out that I desperately needed.

My little boy is going to be two and a half in only a few short weeks. 2 1/2! Where did the time go? I'm having (mostly) a blast watching him grow up. Colton can say about 140 words now, and his vocabulary has tripled in the past five months. The words are coming so fast these days that I hardly have time to write them down! He's also starting to put three and four words together in sentences and can identify a few letters, such as A, B, C, L, O, and P. Colton is obsessed with trains and Curious George. He asks to watch "mo-nee" every night before bed. He also LOVES to read. Well, have us read to him at least. I borrowed a Curious George book from the library last month that was 46 pages, and he sat there every day (sometimes twice a day) through the entire thing, paying close attention and pointing out pictures. I found that reading together at least once a day has really improved his vocabulary.

We broke down and bought a potty a few weeks ago, but the truth is he just isn't ready yet. And I'm okay with that. He's growing up so fast as it is. I dreaded the "terrible twos", but you know what, two is actually pretty terrific. Colton definitely has his bad days when he's cranky and nothing pleases him, but I've noticed that he seems to be much more socially and emotionally mature than most boys his age. He doesn't grab toys away from other kids, he rarely has meltdowns when he doesn't get his way, and he can adapt pretty easily to changes in routine. I joke that we shouldn't "mess with perfection" by having a second one, ha ha! But seriously, Colton is not perfect- he can be outright defiant at times, tries to run away from me in public places, and gets so worked up if the opposite parent puts him to bed that he pukes all over the place. Last Sunday I was at a baby shower, so Gregg had to put him down for a nap and Colton was anxious about me being gone so much he made himself sick. In the middle of December, Gregg needed to work late several days in a row and wasn't available to put Coltie to bed as he always does, so when I did it instead his anxiety got the best of him... and you guessed it, he blew chunks. I can't tell you how many times we've had to wash the crib bumper over the past 10 months! Thank goodness we've got a front loader.

Gregg and I celebrated our 8th anniversary on January 11. I really can't believe we've been married that long already. We're finding ourselves in a unique place in our marriage these days, in that we are the most financially stable we have ever been. Gregg has wholeheartedly adopted the Vertical Vision mantra (http://www.myverticalvision.com/), and it has radically changed the way we both view our finances and money in general. We have a good budget in place and have a month's worth of money in the bank before the month even starts. We also have savings and an emergency fund. We used to live paycheck to paycheck and were always afraid of running out of money before the month ended. Also, we stopped using credit cards!! The only debt we have now is a student loan and Gregg's car loan, which we hope to pay off within the next two years. I can't tell you how good it feels to be on our way towards financial freedom.

Anyway, I think that's it for now. I want to start posting more often... blogging has taken a backseat to Facebook, house cleaning, and taking care of a toddler, but I think I should make the effort to squeeze it in more!

Memorial Day Weekend

Our holiday weekend started out with Gregg's family reunion on Saturday. Relatives came from different parts of the country to New Jersey for a day of fun, food, and catching up. The reunion was held at an aunt and uncle's home in Northern NJ. Rain had been forecasted all week, but by Friday it looked like we were actually going to have nice sunny weather.

When we arrived, we received goodie bags with the particular color t-shirt that designated which generation we're in. Colton was instantly snatched up by one of Gregg's cousin's wives and introduced to everybody. There were games for the kids and adults, prizes, and enough food to feed another entire family. The rain held out until just after we got through dinner, when we all gathered in the garage for a slideshow of photos showing the four generations of family members.

I'll admit, I was expecting the event to be somewhat boring and I was nervous about how Colton would do being out for that many hours, but we all had a great time. I had already met most of Gregg's relatives on his father's side and it was nice to see them again, as well as meet some others for the first time. One thing I've always appreciated about my husband's family is that they are so welcoming and I have never felt like an outsider. I'm treated as part of the family, instead of just someone who married in.

Throughout the day, I had people willing to help me with Colton or hold him for a little while so I could eat or do something else. And he was just fine the whole time. He hardly made a peep and took two naps, one in a pack 'n play in the back bedroom and the other in his daddy's arms. Whatever I forgot to bring, I was able to borrow from somebody else since two of Gregg's cousins have babies that are close to Colton's age. The babies took turns using a high chair, monitor, and toys. In the evening as things were winding down, I changed Coltie into his jammies and he was asleep just a few minutes after we got him in the car.

The next day, we hung out with the other side of Gregg's family for our niece's 2nd birthday party. Colton woke up at 6:45 that morning, apparently missing the memo that Mommy wanted to sleep in! I stumbled out of bed, made a bottle, fed him and changed him. Then I brought him into our bed and we all fell asleep for the next hour. A few hours later we got ready for the party. We stopped at Target along the way to pick up a gift and arrived ten minutes before it started.

I didn't have a very good time there since it started raining just as we began eating, and Colton was super crabby because his whole schedule was thrown off and I had to wake him up from his nap so we could make it to the party on time. He didn't appreciate being passed around like a bag of chips, either. After eating, Gregg brought him into the house away from all the noise and he was fine playing on the living room floor until it was time for Katelyn to open her presents. During present time, Colton thankfully fell asleep in his stroller. He was still cranky even after the short nap and drinking a bottle, so I suggested leaving as soon as we could get our stuff together.

On Monday we slept in until almost 8 and kept Colton home so that he could get back on his regular schedule and have the naps he needed. Gregg went out for a couple of hours to look at a few apartments, since we plan on moving again within the next month. (Oh, joy!) He came back bearing ice cream for the two of us. After we ate lunch, Gregg ran out again to his brother's house to pick up something he left there at the party. I put Colton down for his afternoon nap and spent some time online. When Gregg came home, the three of us had our own little barbeque and ate outside.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed being able to get out of the house and have real grown-up conversations! Gregg is back at work today and this week should fly by because he only has four days left now. Then on Saturday, my mother-in-law is taking Colton for a few hours so we can actually go on a date! I am so looking forward to that. I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend. :)

Here are some pictures from the reunion:


Our branch of the family tree (from L to R): Me holding Colton, Gregg, Gregg's mom Lynn, his dad Bill, sister Lori, brother Jeff and his wife Liz with their daughter Katelyn.


Our baby wrapped in toilet paper (it was for one of the games- he had a blast playing with it).


Colton looks as if he's plotting to escape the reunion with his hands clasped together like that.


The poor little guy was all tuckered out towards the end.

Heatwave

Who knew we would have a heatwave in April?? It was in the high 80s and low 90s over Saturday and Sunday, and we were completely unprepared for it. I had to go digging in a box for some short sleeves, which I hadn't worn in almost two years since last summer I was wearing all maternity clothes. We finally caved in and turned on the air conditioner yesterday after coming home from Gregg's parents', because the temperature in the house had gotten up to almost 90 degrees!

Despite the heat, we still managed to have a pretty nice weekend. On Saturday we went by my mom's for dinner as planned. Colton didn't have a good nap in the afternoon (figures), and earlier that day he ate one too many Cheerios or something and threw up his entire breakfast all over himself, me, and the high chair. Then about an hour before we were supposed to leave, he was sitting in his bouncy seat and rocked back & forth so hard that it went over and fell on top of him. He wasn't hurt thankfully, but he gave himself (and me) a real good scare. Needless to say, we're not using the bouncer anymore. I felt like I deserved the world's worst mother award that day. I almost called my mom to tell her we weren't coming.

But around three, we ended up leaving anyway. Colton was cranky from the second we walked in and dinner wasn't ready until shortly after six, even though my mom had gotten several Italian covered dishes which only needed to be reheated in the oven. It was so uncomfortable in their house since she wouldn't turn on the air, but kept insisting that all of us go outside on the deck where there was a breeze.

While I was eating, my mom came over and offered to babysit for Colton sometime when Gregg and I want to go out. I looked at her like she was crazy. In fact, I almost said those very words out loud. My mother's house is not baby/kid friendly at all. She is never of any help to me with him, either when we go there to visit or she comes here. When we still lived in PA and she was visiting for the weekend, she admitted she didn't even know how to feed him a bottle or put him in the bouncer. There is no way I would ever leave Colton alone with my mom because she doesn't know how to take care of him. I'm really surprised that my sister and I actually turned out as normal as we are.

The only saving grace of this visit was getting to see my sister and stepsister. Since my mom unfortunately always makes Gregg feel so unwelcome at her house, it was good for him to interact with my brother-in-law, Bill, and Willie, my stepsister's husband. Colton enjoyed the attention he got from everyone, especially my stepsister's kids who played with him and fed him Puffs. After being passed around like a bag of chips for three hours however, he desperately needed to go to sleep. We left a little bit after seven since we were also both pretty spent ourselves, and took a plate of desserts home since we didn't get to eat any there.

Yesterday afternoon, Gregg's aunt, uncle, and cousins joined the usual Sunday dinner crowd at his parents since we were celebrating two anniversaries and two birthdays. It is amazing the difference between my mother's home and my in-laws'. Since my MIL watches our two year old niece, she has a crib, a high chair, and changing table which is fully stocked. She even has a supply of formula, diapers, and baby food for Colton so we don't have to bring all that stuff with us every time we come. It's hard enough to pack up a baby and go somewhere without worrying where you're going to change him or where he'll take a nap. The time we were over at my mom's in February, she said we should come more often. My response to that was, we would if you'd make your house a little more baby friendly!

During the visit to my mother's Saturday, both my sister and stepfather asked when we were going to have another baby. I told them both the same thing: probably not for another two years at least, please let me get through this first year with Colton. I am nowhere close to wanting a second child right now. To facing another nine months of nausea, constipation, soreness, restless sleep and irritability that will end with another painful surgery. And possibly another bout of depression and anxiety. Only this time it will be with a toddler in tow.

I never wanted to be that woman who poo poos the idea of having a second kid after only one. Sometimes I wish I could be like Mrs. Duggar, and wholeheartedly embrace the idea of having 18 children (and then actually have all 18 of those kids). Yes I agree with her that children are a blessing from the Lord, but that doesn't mean I want to have 18!! I'm struggling with the concept of having two.

Anyway, it'll be a while yet before I have to think about being pregnant again. Currently I'm sitting here in the air conditioning hoping this heat breaks soon. I wanted it to get warmer, but not like this!

One of Those Scattered Posts

As I sit here looking out the window, I'm wondering what this weather is up to... it seems like it's 60 degrees and sunny one day, and then 40 and rainy the next! I can't wait until it's consistently warm and bright outside. I did take advantage of one of the really nice days last week by taking Colton for a walk in the stroller. It was almost 70, and as we walked up and down our street I envisioned us being able to go soon to the park or zoo as a family. I am really looking forward to all the warm weather activities we can do with our little boy. I can't believe he'll be 8 months old next Tuesday!

So Gregg recently had his 90 day review at work, and they are so pleased with his performance that they gave him a raise already!! In a time when companies are laying off people and cutting back spending, my husband was given a pay increase. We are both blown away. God just keeps showering us with blessings.

This past weekend we decided to cruise through some neighborhoods that we'd like to move to so that Gregg can cut down on his commute. He wanted to show me where he works so we went there, and then ended up stopping by my dad's place on the way home and surprising him. We took him out for a bite to eat and talked for about an hour and a half. It was a really good visit, and I know that he appreciated us taking the time to come around to his neck of the woods.

On Sunday we went to the second service at church so we didn't have to rush around trying to get ready. During service, I was reminded of how I should be reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for me as this week leads up to Easter. After church, we went to Gregg's parents' like usual. We stayed for a while after dinner was over and talked while Grandma played with Colton.

On the way home, we stopped to look at some apartments. They were nice, but too expensive. The cheaper one was kind of small and I really just couldn't envision us actually living there. Unfortunately, the rent in this part of the state is ridiculous. We have to rent right now because the house prices in NJ are still too high even with the housing market in a slump. Then you add property taxes and insurance which are both through the roof. We're hoping to find something decent that doesn't break the bank. Wherever we go, we plan on staying for a number of years so the school system also has to be good.

It would be so much cheaper to live practically anywhere else, but then again Gregg wouldn't have the kind of job he has now and we wouldn't be close to family. I'm feeling once more that desire to be settled. I'm tired of moving and getting used to one place only to be uprooted yet again. I just have to focus on and remember all that the Lord has done and is doing for us. It's so easy for me to become disgruntled.

What Christmas Is All About

Recently I've been feeling sorry for myself that, because of our current financial situation, I can't afford to buy Colton a whole bunch of cute outfits and toys for Christmas. Not that he would even know the difference, but as a parent I want to be able to give my child nice things. Yesterday while perusing several of my favorite blogs, I stumbled across this blog, by a young mother whose son went to be with Jesus just sixteen minutes after he was born. It changed my whole perspective on everything.

While I'm not able (right now) to give my baby boy the material things I would like, I still have him here with me. I still get to see and kiss his sweet face every day. Take in his sweet baby smell. I get to witness his smiles and giggles that make my heart melt.

This mom won't ever be able to hold her son again. Her posts moved me to tears, and suddenly the burdens that I'm facing faded away. I can't even imagine the depth of grief she's experiencing.

In this moment, I feel incredibly blessed. I don't think I'll ever take one minute with my family for granted again. I'm so grateful God has given me a beautiful, healthy son and wonderful husband. I'm also grateful for the recent interviews Gregg has gone on, which I'm thinking one at least will certainly turn out fruitful. Gregg received a phone call back today from the VP of a company he interviewed with last Thursday, saying he wants him to meet tonight with the owners who are in town for only a few days. It looks really good for him to get this job, and this is the one at the top of his list too.

Saturday we were able to spend some money to purchase Christmas gifts for our families. We had agreed beforehand with Gregg's brother and sister that all of us buy just one gift for each family, which is a huge cost savings since his sister has four kids! We ended up getting my sister-in-law's family a game for their Wii and my brother-in-law's an outdoor activity set that our 18 month old niece will mostly enjoy. I bought an Italian food cookbook for my sister, and we went with the photos of Colton for our parents and Gregg's grandfather. We actually used pictures we already had and edited them in Picasa. We then ordered a bunch through Snapfish for only $3.40!

I feel really good about our inexpensive purchases, and I'm looking forward to giving them on the 25th. Giving and receiving pricey, elaborate gifts is not what Christmas is all about anyway. We should be focusing on the birth of our Savior, who was and is the best present we could ever receive.

It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming

It's taken me an entire week to finally getting around to posting pictures of Colton's first Halloween, but here they are. Didn't he make an adorable Eeyore?

Last Friday, we paid a surprise visit to New Jersey to see our families. They really enjoyed seeing Colton in his costume! We stayed through the weekend and left on Sunday afternoon. Colton got to visit with his cousin Katelyn, who is 17 months old. She was so sweet with him, calling him "Coltie" and giving him kisses. While we were up there, we decided to visit also with our friends who just had a baby girl at the end of September.

Here is a picture that Gregg's mom took of us on our last day in NJ. I think we may use it for our Christmas card this year.

It was a very nice trip, but it threw Colton's schedule off so he was pretty cranky most of the time. I enjoyed having time off from work, and it only made me want to stay at home full-time all the more. This past week I really struggled with being there. When I'm at work, I feel crummy that I'm not with my baby, and when I "work from home" I feel badly that I'm not really getting any work done because I need to take care of Colton.

I have just been a wreck lately. I'm not able to concentrate, I get irritated over the least little thing, I feel like crying most of the time. I'm frustrated we haven't found a church yet, unhappy at my job, just unhappy in general. My moods have really been all over the place. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I have post partum depression. I think I'm still reeling from the plunge in hormones that happened right after Colton was born. I go back on bc Sunday, and I'm hoping it makes me a little more stable.

Ramblings

I thought I'd give an update on how our church hunt is coming, amongst other things. We kind of put it on hold with being away a couple of weekends in July and then preparing for the baby's arrival. We haven't been to church in a couple of months, and I feel really bad about it.

We went from being at church practically all the time since Gregg worked for King Street Church, to not going at all. After Gregg left his position there, we both looked forward to attending church services and other special church activities together. I had felt disconnected from him on Sunday mornings, since he couldn’t be a part of the worship experience right along with me, because he always had to work. Our church hunt has been very frustrating for us, though, leaving our desire for spiritual closeness unfulfilled. I still really want to be connected to a church body somewhere, especially now that we have a child.

Another reason we’ve put our church search on hold is that for a few months we have seriously been considering moving to Charlotte, NC. That’s right; I said moving. As if we haven’t done enough of that in the last few years.

As I’ve mentioned before, we’re not crazy about the area we live in and only moved here for Gregg’s position with KSC. There’s not much to do except “watch the corn grow”, and not a whole lot of potential for Gregg career wise. The school system isn’t the best either, and while it will be five years until Colton is ready to go to school, it’s something we need to consider. Can our family thrive here long term?

I’ve thought many times about the prospect of moving again. I told Gregg I would do it if it meant he could get a job that would allow me to stay home with our son. He’s had a few interviews down there, but nothing has panned out yet. I’m all for it if I sense that that is the direction God is leading us in, and if it will ultimately end up being the best for our family. But it would mean starting all over.

Gregg’s sister and my stepsister both live in suburbs right outside of Charlotte, so it’s not like we wouldn’t know anyone. I’m not really close with either of them, though, and they have their own friends and families. It took me so long to actually get used to living here and settling in. I probably questioned every day for months whether we should have left Florida to move here, and now I’m actually comfortable in this environment. I know my way around, I have good friends, we have a great family doctor, and a nice, spacious place to live. It would be wonderful to be a SAHM though. I understand that with any move towards a better life, there’s going to be sacrifice. I’m just tired of having to lose things along the way in order to achieve this.

I go back to work in two weeks, which I’m not looking forward to. I’ve really enjoyed my time off with my baby. My short-term disability period will be up on the 25th, but since this is a Thursday, I’ll start again the following Monday instead. I tried to get more time, but my doctor’s office said that unless there were complications with my C-section, all they sign off on is 6 weeks. I still have some paid time off built up, but I have to come back to work before I can use it. I only used three days since my last day of work was August 8, and Colton was born on the 14th which is when disability started. I’ll probably just save the PTO to use around the holidays, since we usually visit our families up in Jersey at Christmas.

The life insurance company paid out my disability all in one lump sum, which was very nice. They sent a check shortly after the first of the September, and I received more than I was anticipating. My health insurance paid all of my hospital expenses, too. They sent a statement the other day with all of the expenses that were incurred, and the grand total for my 56 hour stay: $13,000. I thought it was going to be more like $20,000. I suppose if the hospital were in a more metropolitan area, the amount would have been closer to this figure. $13K is still a buttload of money. It seemed like I was charged for anything and everything. There was a labor room charge, which I find odd since I never even went into labor! Both the hospital and my doctor each had their own separate charges for the circumcision, too. Crazy.

Sorry this post was so disjointed. I’m finding it difficult to form coherent thoughts lately, let alone coherent posts!

A Letter to Our Son

To my precious baby boy,

You're almost here!! Your Daddy and I, along with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends are anxiously awaiting your arrival. It doesn't seem possible that these past nine months have gone by as fast as they did, and now we are counting down days instead of weeks.

It's like I just blinked and it was August already, the month we've been anticipating since we learned you were on your way. Around the middle of December last year amidst the flurry of Christmas preparations, I began feeling just a tad bit strange. A home pregnancy test confirmed my suspicions: we were going to have a very special reason to celebrate that holiday! Your dad cleverly came up with the perfect way to tell our families on Christmas Day. Both grandmothers received as their last gift a small box containing a made-up back order notice, stating that one precious package was still in processing and due to be delivered on August 21. You were the best Christmas gift we could have given them.

Three weeks later on our 5th anniversary, we saw your tiny heartbeat for the first time and received our first picture of you at just 8 weeks old. You appeared as a tiny jelly bean then, but a few weeks later at another doctor's appointment you had already grown hands, feet, arms and legs! We saw you move around for the first time, too. At 14 weeks, we finally got to hear your heartbeat nice and strong.

On a rainy April morning, we had our big ultrasound and learned you were a boy. The girly girl, who can't stand bugs & dirt and has a closet full of pink clothes, found out she was going to have a boy. And I couldn't have been more thrilled. Already we could see your little personality unfolding on the screen. Everything measured perfectly, and we were relieved that you were healthy and developing just as you should.

It looks like you are going to make your grand entrance into the world a whole week early, being that your feet are still pointed downward. That's just fine with us, since we are so excited to meet you. I wonder if you'll have green eyes like mine, or brown like your father's. Whether you'll be an athlete, a musician, an artist, or if you'll tinker with technology like your daddy. Whatever you decide to be, I know that you will fill our lives with great joy. We're looking forward to watching you grow and experiencing life with you.

You are truly a miracle given to us by God, who loves you more than even your dad or I ever could. He created you in His own image, to be special and loved. I pray that you will have an abundant life and make the most of every opportunity. That you'll realize your full potential in God's eyes and never settle for second best.

Everything stands ready for your fast approaching arrival. It won't be long now before we lay eyes on our delayed Christmas gift! I can't wait to hold you in my arms for the first time and welcome you into our family.

Love,
Mom

Wonderful Weekend

One that you want to last... It started off with the amazing experience of seeing our son in utero via ultrasound. I took the rest of the day off on Friday, and besides calling everyone to tell them what we're having, did laundry & packed for our trip up to New Jersey. We left shortly after Gregg got home from work and arrived at his parents' around 10pm.

My sister's bridal shower on Saturday was a huge success. It was a lot of fun and great to see friends and family I haven't seen in a while. Already the proud mama, I showed off my baby boy's first pictures which everybody oohed and aahed over. I got a lot of comments about how good I look.

The next day, Gregg & I had Sunday "dinner" with his family before leaving to head back to PA. That's one of the things I miss about living in Jersey- my MIL's home cooking! I filled up on roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, homemade bread and chocolate cream pie with ice cream. My mother-in-law took my measurements for the dress she's making me for my sister's wedding. I've gone from a size 8 to a size 14! We found a nice pattern together on Ebay, based on the style I wanted.

Now it's back to the daily grind. I had to teach a foster parent training class this morning, which I worked on until 11pm last night. This was the first time, believe it or not, that I put a powerpoint presentation together. Thankfully, my technologically savvy husband showed me what to do. The class actually went pretty well, and I received some compliments on how informative it was.

Here are some pics from the shower:

My sister with her bow bouquet and obligatory silly shower garb.

The cake, modeled after the invitation and our theme, which was "April Showers bring July Weddings"

Me and my mom

My dad with his girls, the bride to be and the mother to be

My sister, Valerie with her fiance, Bill

Me and hubby

And here's my 19w5d shot:

A Hodge Podge From the Last 2 Weeks

Okay since I haven't written in like, forever, this is my attempt to catch up on the goings-on of my life over the past couple of weeks. So what's new and exciting? Well, I started my new job last Tuesday. I'm still not sure what to make of it. There's a ton of stuff to learn and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But the people I work with are pretty nice and have been very helpful so far. My supervisor is great, too.

I get the impression though, that things in our department/program aren't all that organized and there is miscommunication & bad feelings between them and administration. Definitely things I need to work on while I'm essentially the middle man (woman) there. My commute in the mornings is about 40 minutes and almost an hour going home. Could be worse, I suppose. I'm grateful to have a job which pays me fairly. Hopefully I'll be good at it.

Gregg and I are still looking here and there for another place to rent. We've discovered some strange things about the house we're currently living in, which are also pretty amusing. The light switches in most of the rooms seem to be placed illogically- like the one for the kitchen is out in the hallway and the one for the master bathroom is in the bedroom. There is also carpet in all of the bathrooms. Ew, I don't even want to think about what kind of grossities are just hiding and breeding between the fibers. And then there's the air conditioning- the master bedroom has ten vents in it alone, freezing us out every time we go in there, while the rest of the house cooks from the massive amount of floor to ceiling windows. None of the features have been updated since the house was built in 1985, so it is literally like being trapped in time. We have traveled in the Delorean from Back to the Future and are eternally stuck in the 80's. Mauve colored carpet sprawls out in every direction and brass plated fixtures adorn every bathroom.

And the piece de resistance: Monday night as I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the bathroom faucet and no water came out. I checked the faucets in the other bathrooms and kitchen- no water. I told Gregg and he went down into the basement to investigate. Our landlord had "fixed" this problem before we moved in (apparently it is a recurring problem that the water stops flowing to the house) by doing something with the water pressure, but it didn't work. Gregg concluded that it was a clogged pipe, but didn't want to fix it himself since this isn't our house to "mess around with", and said he'd call Mr. Stouffer in the morning. So with no running water to brush our teeth or take showers with, we had to improvise. Gregg went out to his truck and brought in one of the gallon containers of water he used for Tess on our trip up here from Florida. There was still 3/4 left, so I used it the next morning to wash my face and hair in the sink. Forget the 80's- we were now back in the 1800's! Oy.

We are getting an incredible deal though, by staying here. It would be nice to actually unpack, oh I don't know, one entire box and really get settled in our own place. There are still several boxes with our stuff sitting in the garage, some opened, some not. We have a few good leads that we're pursuing and hopefully they'll allow a dog.

On May 21 our niece, Katelyn Elizabeth, was born to Gregg's brother and his wife. She arrived a day early by C-section. So that makes a grand total of 6 family members now, between the two of us, who have birthdays within two weeks of each other. They couldn't spread them out more?

Last weekend, we had a very nice visit with my mom and sister. The last time I saw Valerie was Christmas of 2005. Gregg and I took them on a tour of Chambersburg and showed them around the massive house, we took turns looking at each other's pictures, then went out for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Val left that night to go back home and my mom stayed over and went to church with me the next morning. I made a pot roast in the afternoon for an early dinner and for dessert, we got ice cream. Memorial Day wasn't all that spectacular. In the morning, I did laundry and ironed. That afternoon on their way back from North Carolina, Gregg's parents met us right off of 81 for a late lunch at Red Robin. We caught up and his mom showed off pictures of the new baby. It was a nice time.

So hopefully it won't be another 2+ weeks until I post again. Before I know it another month has just flown by.