30 Days

It has been thirty days since we arrived in Virginia. In some ways the time seems to fly by, but in others, it drags. Yes, we have kept busy exploring and learning our way around. Yes, I have almost completely unpacked. Yes, Carson is adjusting rather well, much better than I expected. Life is continuing on....as it always has. I have made a new friend or two. We have attended a new church. I can get to almost anywhere in town, without getting too lost. I know my neighbors on either side. We have found new doctors, therapists, swimming pools, and grocery stores. We have enrolled Carson in school, arranged play dates, hunted firefly's, and played at the beach.

I still feel unsettled. Perhaps it is because there is so much I want to do, that I don't really know where to begin. I want to paint....practically this entire house needs it. It was freshly painted, but done so sloppily that only repainting the entire house will fix it. Perhaps it is because for the first time in all of my married life I do not have an income. Most likely it is this. I am used to having my own checking account and if I really needed or wanted something I would get it. I was able to justify that I am paying for it, not the household account.

So here is the kicker....Wayne do NOT get too excited! I need to do something, when Carson starts school. I have already checked into some schools about a couple of different programs, i.e. getting my Virginia Teaching Certificate. I will not qualify for in-state tuition until July 30th 2009. That's right I need a full year to establish residency. I already have my undergraduate degree in Art and my Master's in Biology. I have experience in cleaning and maintaining aquaria, and have taught second grade. I worked in a nursing home providing activities for the elderly, and I have taught college level science labs. I am a consultant for Close to my Heart, a stamping and scrap booking company, but have yet to get things started here. What am I qualified to do? I really do not want a job that will require me to put Carson in any type of day care program. I do not need to support the family.. so income does not need to be fantastic (wouldn't hurt though). I have even thought lately about advertising to do aquarium maintenance again... but I gave away all my equipment. Wayne for some reason has mentioned several times about real estate... honestly, with the market like it is... I have no desire for that. I don't want to work when Carson isn't in school and that really cuts down what I can do. I have thought about going back to school, again for something in the medical field. Again the tuition restrictions. I have even thought about in home child care...but don't know what the restrictions are in Virginia for that. I have a Master's Degree and have no clue what I want to be when I grow up!

I am praying and would ask that you guys pray for direction in this for me too. I really feel like I need to do something... I do not enjoy just sitting around the house doing laundry and cleaning.... probably my LEAST favorite activity. I would appreciate your prayers in this.... and let me know if you have any ideas.

My SCORE from Sunday!

This is the chair that we picked up Sunday off of Craigs list. I think I did rather good. It has some minor flaws... a cat had clawed it in the back but you really cannot tell. It is comfortable, and it works well with our tan leather that we already have in the family room. The first picture is with the flash, and the second shows more true color.
Petey making sure it was safe and ok to bring in the house.The very best part of the whole thing..... IT WAS FREE! I am looking at a futon for the basement tonight. I can afford to be picky... but I LOVE to be frugal.

It's the Little Things that Make me Happy!

Really it is.... Today was a very busy day... got up early and decided to head up to the church that Wayne had been attending when he first moved here. Carson and I both really liked it. It was very similar to what we were accustomed to in Amarillo and I can see us really getting into it here. It is a bit larger than what we are used to, but that can be a GOOD thing.

Before we left, I checked out Craig's List for some bargains in the DC area. I found a family that just got new furniture due to a remodel. They were giving away a almost brand new microfiber overstuffed chair and ottoman. I immediately posted with my phone number we headed to church. Got a call from the owner and he said it was still available and we made arrangements to get it after church. From the picture posted on Craigs List I knew it was a good chair and FREE made it even better! We loaded up and headed home. Hit a little rain on the way home, but did not affect the chair at all. I will post pictures in the next day or two when I get it moved upstairs.

This evening Wayne got around to hanging my quilt rack. This is not just any quilt rack, it is very special because my Dad made it for me when Wayne and I were first married. It is solid oak and I love it! I love that it showcases some of my most treasured items. There is another bar that crosses the front, but I need two more little holder things as one broke a while back and I must of lost one in one of the moves. (Dad this is a MAJOR Hint) Anyway it is also special because I LOVE quilts, I especially love ones that are old and made by hand. Every one I have is made by someone special. My Grandmother hand pieced two of them and my Mother-in-Law made several more. I love that each piece took them time, love and patience to cut and put together to create beautiful patterns and that they each tell a story. I have the Lone Star Quilt (yellow background)made by my Grandmother, she told me that she actually used some of my Aunts and my Dads clothes from their childhood in that one. Then I have two double wedding ring quilts, both made by May, my dear Mother-in-Law. One was hers from her marriage, and one she made for Wayne and I that fits a king sized bed. While it is only 11 years old or so, she made it for me, and I love it. There are several others that I don't have the names of, but I treasure all of them. I would love to have some of the ones from my Great-Grandmother someday too! I also have a bedspread that my Grandmother crocheted for me when I was a baby. It is made out of cotton crochet thread and she once told me it took her over a year to complete. She also crocheted a strand of my hair in the corner of the bedspread. It very heavy and sooo amazingly beautiful. If there was ever a fire in my house the first non-animate things I would grab would be the quilts and bedspread. I would toss them out the window and grab the scrapbooks.

My New Addiction!

I absolutely HATE paying full price for anything....I will shop until I find the best deal, use coupons etc... I discovered Craigs List a while ago, but In Amarillo the listings were sparse. Here in NOVA there are hundreds of postings a day. Wayne actually found the house we are in on Craigs List. Since we donated so much stuff before the move and all at the last minute, we are a little short in some furniture areas. But I don't want to get anything expensive. I have been scanning CraigsList and Freecycle looking for deals. It has almost become a game to see who can get something first. Yesterday I found a medium sized entertainment center for....$20.00. It is not fancy and definitely worth the $20.00. It looks good and has extra shelving with it to boot. We are going to use it in our Master bedroom so we can get the TV off of the dresser. I am currently on the lookout for some bookshelves for Carson and for the basement.

IF you haven't found Freecycle yet... it is really neat too... everything is free...some good stuff...some cr@p. It is a yahoo group so search Yahoo groups for your area and join. It is like garage selling from your computer. I donated a bunch of moving boxes on Freecycle... saves me putting them in trash or recycling and helps someone else out.

Christian the Lion

This makes me cry almost everytime I see it. Enjoy!

Ok...I Feel Silly...

In my post from this morning, I mentioned that I was missing the charger for my point and shoot camera. I specifically remember packing it in a safe place... who woulda thought I would have packed it in......get this... the camera bag! DOH! I know I looked in that bag at least a dozen times...Oh well I am charging both cameras as we speak... so expect some new photos soon.

These are some pictures from last week when we went swimming.... This was at another of the county pools. This one is an Olympic size with a large shallow end. Carson met a few kids and they played catch for a while. We may head back that way this afternoon.

Just so you don't think it is all fun and games here, yesterday Carson and I headed out to get his new pediatrician and therapists all line up. I had previously made contact with a pediatric practice accepting new patients, so all I had to do for them was drop off his records and they would get us an appointment. Here, Carson has to have a complete physical to start kindergarten, so I definitely needed to get that scheduled. His therapists were a whole other story. Our insurance gave a list of all participating providers, so I started calling, no one was accepting new patients until October or November. I finally found a practice and when I called them I realized that it was the clinic for the medicaid and without insurance group. No biggie right... they accepted our insurance... so off we go to the clinic. I fill out a ton of forms, they want our complete financial history... and all I kept telling the girl is that we will be covered under insurance. Finally get all the paperwork filled out and a new medical history as well. Turn in the papers and we are told we have to wait to see the billing supervisor, because we actually have insurance, but they have to verify it. So we wait and wait and wait some more. We spent the better part of the day getting a new therapist and pediatrician. But I have appointments for Carson the first week in August. It was a real eye opener, while we were waiting yesterday to see the billing lady, the police bring a gentleman in in handcuffs, he is a psychiatric patient and needs to be committed, and it seems that this clinic is the place to do all that. Carson being Carson wanted to know what that man did to make the police lock his hands. Then he wanted to know if this was the jail and was he gonna be locked like that too. Of course he doens't ask quietly, he blurts it all out loud and within earshot of the man in handcuffs and the police. I wanted to crawl under the chairs. So I called this morning and got on the waiting list for the therapist that can see us in October. We will keep with the clinic until then.

Oh and if you were a charger for a camera, and I put you someplace safe for the move... where would you be??? I can't find the charger for my point and shoot...I have missed a few photo ops because the camera is dead.

Saw Something Today...

That I haven't seen in a while...WIND... yes you heard me right. I was out on the back deck and all of the sudden I realised that the wind does blow here...just not very often and very hard. Back home in Texas, you get used to the constant 30mph light breeze. You get so used to it that when it doesn't blow, it is almost a holiday. Here there is hardly ever any breeze and believe me there are times I would almost kill for a small breeze to help cool things off. The weather men here talk about strong sustained winds of 18mph as being windy.

We are not adjusting very well to the weather yet. The temps have not be high by Texas standards (mid 90's) but the absence of a breeze, and factor in the 987% humidity, and it is drenching. The air conditioner never seems to cut off.... I am really dreading the bill when it comes. I used to live in Virginia, twice as a matter of fact. As a child, until the age of 13 and again as a college student. I really do not remember the humidity being this bad, maybe I forgot that part, maybe it is because I am way older now. Either way, I sure hope we can adapt. Carson on the other hand has no problem whatsoever. He was out yesterday with Wayne at the park, playing hard and dripping wet, with his face beet red, but he wanted to go back out. We wait until dusk, to do ANYTHING outside.

Yesterday afternoon we took off on a Sunday afternoon drive. We headed out west this time and of course we took back roads. We drove through some of the prettiest country ever. Through some beautiful horse country, large pastures with the standard white horse fence and green rolling hills. There are some very large horse farms here that have produced several racehorses. Anyway, we got a little lost, but had fun doing it.

In other news, I am almost completely done unpacking. We unpacked all the crystal, china and milk glass yesterday. Just need to rearrange the china cabinets to get it all in there nicely. I actually hung curtains today too, in the dining room and living room as well as the kitchen. The garage is the only thing that really has not been tackled, but.... guess what ? I am not touching that one.

Success!!!!

The whole family is on board....YES! My father started their blog last night, my sisters started theirs on Thursday and Friday, and my brother has an old one he never updates! Just have to get him rolling. They are all posted on my blog roll and until I hear otherwise from them, they are available for viewing.

The response to the challenge.

The challenge went out and so far I have two new family blogs.... Hayden my nephew has started his own blog and my sister Wendy started a blog as well. Both are linked in my favorites on the side. Haven't heard from the brother or the parents as to whether they will join me in bloggerland. My other nephew...Zach(says he's my favorite)...said he will be starting the Fields Journal (This would be a great blog name by the way) sometime this weekend. I tell you it is addicting. Wendy even posted a short video to Carson from her kids... so her is one or two right back at ya. Carson was sitting there waving and talking back to them, but of course when I had him on camera... I couldn't get him to say much. The first is for Momo and Papa, and the second is for Hayden, Hannah and Hunter. Excuse the sound quality....I couldn't hear it when played back on the camera, but when downloaded... it was kinda loud...so forgive me for making the boy shout.

A Challenge to my Family Specifically....

I know that most of my family reads this blog, if not daily at least somewhat regularly. Now that we have moved away... I feel that it is only fair that since I am posting about what is happening in our lives.... you should step up to the plate and start a blog as well. Heck, Hayden did.... you guys can too. We are not the best at remembering everything that goes on in our lives to let the infrequent phone calls keep us all up to date. BUT...we are all computer savvy enough to post about it. Take it from me... it is quite addicting. My blog is not private, and I don't expect you to make yours available to just anyone... but please consider starting one just for family. It is so easy to do. Use Blogger.. it is by far the easiest and allows for both private, by invite only and public blogs. I am using mine also as record of happenings during the year for us. I can go back and look at the end of the year and see what we did and when... sure makes keeping things easier. Plus I love to post pictures on mine... and again the simplest thing possible. I don't want to resort to begging... but I will.. if I have too! So Mom and Dad, Holly and family, Brad and family, and Wendy and family.... I am challenging you to start one. PLEASE! Oh and it wouldn't hurt to leave a comment once in a while either! :)

Ramblings...

Just wanted to drop a short post about how good God is. I am going to admit that I was really not happy about moving to Virginia. I wasn't dead set against it, but I never really voiced my concerns. I was afraid that this would be a huge mistake, that we would never be able to pull ourselves out of this cycle of moving that we seemed to be in. I would pray every single day for something, anything to happen so that we would not have to move. Then once I realized that there was no getting out of it, that we really would be moving 1600 miles away.... I started the rationalization that it will only be until Wayne gets a good job back home. After all it happened before when we were first married. I moved to Wichita, Ks. and after a year and a half Wayne had a job in Amarillo.

Now this is HUGE for me... I can honestly say that I really really am enjoying living here. Carson LOVES it... he loves going out in the evening and catching fireflies. He loves all the trees. He loves the green. He loves his school...we registered yesterday. I love all the windy roads. I love that it feels like we are in a small rural community, when all I have to do is drive 10 minutes and I am in some of the best shopping ever. I love exploring and finding a new way to get somewhere. I love picking a direction and just driving, knowing that I will hit either I-95 if I go west or the water if I go east. I love the beauty of the water. And I love that my son is getting to do some of the things that I got to do when I grew up in Virginia Beach, like playing in the woods, and building forts, and sweating as soon as you walk outside because it is so stinking humid. I love that we have neighbors that are open and friendly and most of all welcoming. I love that while we haven't found a new church yet, I know that God has the perfect fit for us. I love that Wayne is loving his job, and he is actually excited to spend so much of his day commuting on the train. He is getting to do some pleasure reading for a change. I love that he usually gets home in a good mood.

One thing I really am not loving is that fact that while all this is good and we are settling in...I miss my family and my friends. It is much easier nowadays with the Internet and phones and such. But I wanted all of you to know I do miss you, Carson says daily that he misses his Momo and Papa, his friend Caden and his teachers, Ms. Heather and Ms. Denyce.

Haircut & Scraproom Beginnings

I mentioned in my last post that we had finally convinced Carson to get a haircut. I really think it is my favorite cut on him. He wanted the top longer than I normally get it cut and the sides shorter... and I wanted it off his ears and trimmed neatly in the back. This cut suits him so well and he likes it. Plus with the top longer, I don't have to worry too much about sunscreen on his scalp.

For the past two days I have been unpacking the basement, which includes Carson's playroom, and my office/scrapbook room combo. We purchased the Ikea Expedit on Saturday. We got the medium sized one, and it did not take me long to realize that I should have bought the larger one. Anyway, I was really wondering where I was going to put all my stuff. I remembered that in the storage room in the basement there was this really neat old Art cabinet from a local school. It is huge and heavy... but oooh so full of potential as a cool place to store all my stuff.

I convinced Wayne that we needed to move it, and it was really simple really. The unit is in two pieces, so we took the top off and slid it on those moving pads (awesome by the way and worth their weight in gold). Moved the base the same way and Wayne bolted it all together. There were sliding glass doors, but I could not get them to close if I put the paper up there, so I took them off and stored them.

Isn't this COOL.... I love the storage that this has... I can hide a multitude of cr*p in it. Plus the four drawers are going to make organising easier too.This is looking down the hallway from the playroom area. To the right is the restroom and wet bar area (not shown) It is a disaster.... so forgive the mess.The picture below is from down the hall... this is a huge room. The previous owner used this as his media room, and art studio. The indentations in the walls are spotlighted and where he hung some of his artwork.

Anyway... I have been busy and am no where near done as this picture attests to. The place is still a mess, and I will post pictures when it is all completed. This picture is looking back toward the playroom and shows the ledge where the previous owner kept the media projectors etc.

While we were waiting for Daddy to come in from the train, Carson practised his hula hoop ... he is actually getting very good at it.

I Went with the Black One....

We headed up this morning to IKEA and got THIS. I am hoping to have the downstairs all unpacked and ready to scrap in soon.... I really really miss scrapbooking! I haven't really been able to do any since the last week in May. Wayne even got it all assembled by himself. I am so glad that I got the black.

We were finally able to convince Carson to let us get his haircut. I bought a set of clippers back in the Spring, and started to trim his hair before we moved, and got the back trimmed and shaped, and started to trim around his ear on the right side and must have touched him with the clippers or something. He would not let me finish... so for over a month he has had one side with the hair trimmed over his ear and the other side was still long and shaggy. Fortunately for Carson the "shaggy" look is in. He is quite particular lately about his hair. He wants it long like Cooper, a little boy from his preschool class. He wants to shake his head and have it wiggle. Go figure ...little boys! Anyway I meant to get a picture of his new do... but he fell asleep relatively early tonight... so I will have to get one tomorrow. He looks so grown up with this cut. Makes me kinda sad....

We had planned on heading to the National Zoo tomorrow, but we are trying to teach Carson an important lesson about consequences. He has made a new friend down the street, and I have told him several times that he is not to go to Joey's house without permission. This afternoon he disappeared and I found him at Joey's. They are only three houses down, but he was warned. He was rather upset, and knows that he can earn it again by good behavior and helping around the house. Hopefully this will be something that he will remember, as he was really looking forward to the zoo. At least I get to work on unpacking downstairs, and getting the rest of the house organized.

Not a Whole Lot to Report

Been a busy day getting things organized and planning what we are going to do this weekend. One thing that we have wanted to do for a couple of years is hit the National Zoo. Turns out that this week the baby Giant Panda Tai Shan turned three CLICK HERE. We are thinking of maybe heading up on Sunday afternoon and checking him out. We most likely will take the metro from somewhere so we can at least park. Realistically we know that parking is going to be impossible on the weekend. So stay tuned and check back in later this weekend, I will have a ton of pictures I am sure.

We are also going to do our big Costco shop... get all the necessary things like 784 rolls of TP and paper towels...plus we need to get stocked up on groceries... we bought the bare minimum to get through the week... and I can't scrape another meal out of what we have in the freezer. Now if you want Ramen noodles.... I can feed you... but they get real old, real fast.

I have also decided what bookcases I want from IKEA... and we are headed there on Saturday. I am getting the Expedit in white most likely...although the black is sharp looking too. If you have an opinion on black verses white leave me a comment... I really could go either way. Before we moved I literally donated ALL my scrap booking furniture... kept the tables, but have nothing for storage. Anyway this system is expandable... but I want to start with the med size for now. We also want to get some bookcases for the basement at some point as well.

Well I have blathered on for too long... and Carson is sound asleep...I STILL am not accustomed to the time change...news at 11 p.m., and all programing starting at 8 p.m. I hope that we acclimate soon, although Carson IS going to bed much earlier, as it gets dark a lot earlier here too.

It's Not SPLASH!...but it's Still good Mom!

"This is Better than the Splash Dumpter!!!"

Yesterday Carson earned an afternoon of swimming. He has minded rather well the past week and we have been promising him a trip to the pool. Within 30 miles from the house we have 4 major water parks...but they all have major prices associated with them. There is a YMCA right around the corner from our house that has a water park similar to Splash, but we haven't decided if we are going to join it or another one yet. Stafford county has several pools that are available to county residents and they are open year round. They have large bubble structures that they place over the pools for the winter months. Most of the pools have Olympic size pools with smaller play pools for the kids. The one we went to yesterday had a splash pad too. I had never been to a splash pad, and thought Carson would really love it, especially if there was a dumper tank. I was right, Carson had a ball... he came up to me and said that he liked it better than Splash, because it had 5 "swinging" dumpters. It had alternating fountains that came up out of the ground, 3 water cannons, 3 seat sprinklers, and lots of other COOL stuff.

Waiting on the dump tank to dump

Some of the assorted fountains.

We are going to try out a different pool next week until we find the one that is just perfect for us.

All Aboard...Choo Choo...

I have now officially become a real commuter - I ride the train and the subway daily to get to work and back home. The distance one way is 60.3 miles, 1.5 mile from house to train station, 53.1 miles on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) train and 5.7 miles on the DC Metro (subway) so round trip I'm doing 120.6 miles a day or 603 miles a week. I get the VRE at the Leeland Station and get off in downtown DC at the L'Enfant Station where I walk 1/2 a city block to the Metro station and grab the Orange line towards the Ballston Station which is right in front of the building I work in.

Let's do the math...603 miles a week divided by 18 miles per gallon (what my 2001 Ford F-150 with 103,000 miles on it gets) = 33.5 gallons (tank holds 24 gallons), 33.5 gallons times the current unleaded rate in our area of about $3.92/gallon = $131.32 /week times 4 weeks a month = $525.28

VRE Monthly ticket fare from Leeland Station to L'Enfant Station = $ 237.00 (daily round trip tickets cost $17.10 times 20 work days a month = $342.00 buying a monthly ticket results in a $105.00 savings).

Metro ticket $100.00 face value - subsidized through my company = $ 75.00 (company underwrites 25% of fare).

Total Monthly Cost to Commute = $312.00 which results in a $213.28 dollar savings over driving.

Now lets look at the time involved, it takes approximately 78 minutes to go from the Leeland Station to L'Enfant Station there are 9 stops including L'Enfant. Then about a 10 minute walk to get to the Metro Orange Line platform, then about 20 minutes on the Orange line to go 10 stops.
So that makes it 108 minutes not including about 5 minutes to go the mile and half from the house to Leeland Station, ok so that is about 113 minutes in total, or just under 2 hours one way, or roughly 4 hours a day. Considering the amount of vehicles on I-95 and I-395 I would anticipate that going the 58.8 miles would take at a minimum 2 - 3 hours one way, so I believe that the train is the best option. It goes through some of the Virginia back country, one of the stops is at Quantico, which is a large Marine Base, at times it parallels the coast line and you can see the water and boats, and crossing the Potomac River train bridge yesterday I had a view of a airplane on approach into Regan National Airport, that was quite a sight to see. Due to DC being flight restricted the southerly approach into DCA brings you south right down the middle of the Potomac with a very low and hard right to line up on final - the bridge is just about where the planes make the hard right for final, so this aircraft was probably about 500 feet about the Potomac as he passed over us.

You might think that is quite a long time but if you have read some of my prior posts when I was living in Woodbridge you know it took me as short as 50 minutes and up to 2 hours to only go 22 miles. In addition to the favorable financial impact of not having to drive I will arrive home in a much better mood which is beneficial to both Kari and Carson, and me too. I'm also saving 603 miles a week on my truck that should significantly extend the life of it.

I'm going to enjoy riding the train - maybe one of these days, Kari and Carson will be able to take it too, I know he will enjoy it.

Crabs! and Scenery!

I just found the USB cable for my point and shoot camera, and remembered that there were some pictures from last week that would be blog worthy.

While we were PATIENTLY waiting for the truck to deliver our stuff...we spent four nights at a hotel. So every evening we would find a different place to eat, and kinda get a feel for the area. One night we found a Joe's Crab Shack... I know that there are tons of fresh seafood places... but at the time we did not know where one was. Anyway...Carson always eats my crab legs whenever I get crab legs, so tonight we ordered him some of his own. He had a great time eating and learning how to correctly crack crab legs. He ate every last one... and wanted more.

The next day, Carson and I spent the day learning the area while Wayne was at work. I found a road that led to the coast of the Potomac. It was a stunning drive, through the backwoods region and very winding and canopy covered drive. I had seen some signs stating that there was a beach area about 12 miles down the road.... and Carson being Carson wanted to play in the sand. At the end of the drive there was a restaurant on a pier in the water by a boat slip area. This was a little resort type area called Fairview Beach, Tim's 2 was the name of the restaurant/bar. The sign as you walk up the boardwalk to the restaurant says welcome to Maryland. The state boundaries are right at the water's edge... so realistically as soon as you put your foot in the water, or on the boardwalk you are in Maryland. Anyway I was telling Wayne about our travels that day and we decided that 12 miles from our house is not too far to travel to Maryland for some fresh seafood. We headed out and soon realized that this was the same route that we took two summers ago when we went to Pax River for a Vacation before heading up to D.C. Anyway we ate at Tim's 2 and it was actually very good. I had a crab cake sandwich, and Wayne had humongous fried clams.

After supper, the sun was setting and Carson and I headed out on the pier itself and took some pictures. This is looking S. towards the Chesapeake Bay

This is NW looking up river and the point in the distance is part of Quantico Marine Base.

Just a nice view of the opposite side of the river into Maryland.Carson Playing in the sand along the bottom of the pier

Exploring the Area....and Lovin What we See!

We kinda took the day off from unpacking and decided to explore the area some. Where we are living is five miles from the large bend in the Potomac River.... only short hop to the Chesapeake Bay. Then water is still very salty and believe it or not... there are beaches. Carson has been after us since we got here to go to the beach, meaning Virginia Beach. Since we don't really have the time to take that trip right now...we decided to see what these beaches had to offer. This area is called Aquia Landing and is a Stafford County park, with lifeguards and full facilities. There is a cardboard boat regatta next weekend we might check out too.

This is looking across the river into Maryland. It was kinda humid and hazy today, but it is about 3.5 miles across. That is a duck blind... I think.
The boy enjoying the sand... he said he really liked this beach because it did not have big waves.
Looking downriver at some of the landscape.
When we left this morning, we headed up North to Woodbridge about 15-20 miles. I had my very first experience at IKEA... and I will tell you I can see myself doing some serious shopping in that store. I loved the fact that they have drop off babysitting... Carson loved it also. They have a restaurant inside... that was actually very good. All three of us had a hot meal for about $14.00...including drinks. It wasn't typical fast food either... it was Swedish Meatballs and mashed potatoes, bread etc. Kids meals start at .99 cents. Anyway... we did some window shopping...trying to find some bookcases and stuff for the new house.

After IKEA we ran next door to Costco... again a new experience... very similar to Sam's... but a lot of home style stuff, and seemed to have a broader range of products. We also have Sam's club and BJ's wholesale club too. The shopping is definitely something to look forward to.

We Have to MOVE Mommy!!!!

Yesterday morning Carson all of the sudden realized that there wasn't a fireplace in this house. He was panic stricken to say the least.... he is soo concerned that Santa won't be able to come to our house this Christmas. He did not understand that Santa of course can come through any opening in a house and we were finally able to convince him that Santa will find him, and that he will make it in through the vents in the wall. He did tell Wayne that he will have to take the grate off the air intake so that Santa can get through. We will have to watch the Santa Clause movie again to remind him that Santa always gets in, whether there is a fireplace or not.

I am honored to say that I was tagged with this award by Kari Christie Not only do we share names.... we are Close to my Heart Sisters. It is always a pleasure to talk with her. Plus her artwork is Fantastic!

So the rules for this award: 1) The winner can put the logo on her blog.2) Link the person you received your award from. 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4) Put links of those blogs on yours. 5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated.
So the 7 I am going to nominate are:Carri Kassie Nicole Sandra Nicole Christine Amanda

*Happy Fourth of July* Lots of NEWS

Lots of News in the past couple of days. When we were about 45 miles out from our final destination on Sunday night. I get a call on my cell from Carson. He was all excited because he pulled his tooth in the car with Daddy. He still can't whistle... but he sure sounds cute with that little lisp. He also discovered today that his top tooth is loose too...the boy will seriously be a snaggle tooth then. He thinks that he really will whistle then. Thursday... this was a welcomed sight for us... our truck 4 days late... but there all the same. It took the four guys about 6 hours to unload. As they were finishing up... I asked if they were going to set up the beds and assemble the tables etc. They told us that they were not supposed to set up anything. I was a little upset... and I guess it showed on my face, because the next thing I know... they were in the house assembling the beds. I guess they felt bad for me.. or realized that they needed to get it done. This is last night after I have unpacked 50% of the kitchen boxes. I am going to put my boxes on Craig's list and see if I can get rid of them. We are in a mandatory recycle area... and I can't see putting all this out for the recycling trucks to pick up. This one is this morning... I can actually see counter top in this picture. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out where to put everything in the kitchen. There are lots of cabinets.... but there are only half shelves in each one... not the best storage options... but anyway... I will get it done. This is looking from the kitchen into the family room. Boxes everywhere... and more than I want to think about unpacking. I have run into a few that were packed at the end of the move, and they are always fun... finding the bathroom stuff with tools from the garage. Just trying to fill boxes.
Look closely at this picture. Carson has had more fun playing in the packing paper. It has really been a great babysitter for us. The pile is actually about half again as tall, and even more fun now.Finally tonight being the 4th, I cooked the first meal in the new house. Hamburgers on the grill, potatoes and onions in foil(hobo potatoes) and baked beans. Since we used charcoal we had hot coals for quite a while so Daddy went to the grocery store and got the fixins for S'mores. They were really good, and ohh so much better when marshmallows are toasted over charcoal. Then at dusk we went out front and lit our sparklers, and watched all the neighbors shoot off fireworks. Carson was really impressed because they were shooting them off right in their driveways. We have met some really nice people here already. It is the kind of neighborhood that everyone sits on their front porch at night or walks the neighborhood and chats with everyone else. Something we have not had since I was a child. Carson has met a little boy down the street named Joey... he has invited us for a play date one day next week. He is really excited because he has a new friend already.

If there is one complaint I have about this house... well two actually..the landlord or previous tennants were not the best house keepers. I have found congealed food crusted on the top shelves of the cabinents....grease buildup in the range hood and on top of the microwave. However, the biggest complaint I have is that when ever they painted the walls etc... they never taped off the trim or the molding... or put down drop cloths. These are things that Wayne would not look for, so I cannot blame him for that...Every single door frame in the house needs to be repainted and cleaned up a bit. I know that I will be busy getting all this done to my standards...Anyway... it is late... we are EXHAUSTED... and have a ton to do tomorrow!

At Least I have the Computer....

Today I spent several hours at the house waiting for the computer guy to get the phones and the internet hooked up... I am up and live... same email address.... new phone number... Anyway at least I have internet instead of using Wayne's work laptop at night. Kinda a bummer laying on the floor typing... but it beats twidling my thumbs. Tomorrow I am planning on deep cleaning this house and getting it ready for the furniture on Thursday.

I miss everyone back home... but have met the next door neighbors and they are very friendly and welcoming.