Adjusting

Things I love about where I live:

• Large, Beautiful house
• A great backyard for our family to enjoy
• Close enough (as in, right across the street) to Jon's office that Caleb and I can go over any time we miss him
• Jon comes home for lunch every day
• Our truck has left our driveway only a handful of times
• We got our drivers licenses and our license plates the day we applied for them
• The license plates numbers are still stamped on, instead of just printed
• Trees, and lots of them!
• A nice park within biking distance
• Friendly people
• The fire station is just as close (two blocks away) as in Texas, yet I never hear sirens
• The only gunfire I hear is during hunting season
• The neighbor's huge oak tree gives us morning shade
• The neighbor's little dog, Chip, gives Caleb constant delight
• A carport that fits our van
• People stopping by to chit chat when we're outside

Things I'm still adjusting to:

• Wood floors that don't hide all the dirt we accumulate in a day
• No Wedgwood Sunday School class
• 10 hours away from my brother
• 5 hours away from grandparents
• Limited shopping choices
• No cell reception in the house
• Limited childbirth options
• An hour from a major road
• Hot water heater that doesn't keep water quite hot enough
• Refrigerator that doesn't keep food quite cold enough
• A postal system and area code that's got me confused about my own address
• TONS of junk in people's yards
  

Newbie2 Coming This Fall!

Hey guess what--we're pregnant! Newbie2 is due September 9. As with Caleb, most baby info will be posted on the Newbie blog.

Date night!

Jon and I had a great date night tonight! Freebirds and Julie & Julia. Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen used their aunt/uncle magic and kept Caleb happy, fed and bathed him, and got him off to bed with barely a tear! Let me tell you, that makes me quite the happy mom to come home to a good report like that. We were so grateful for the night out! And Momma, you've GOT to find a theater near you that's playing Julie & Julia. You would LOVE it!

Off to bed for now, but tomorrow I just might have to peruse some recipe books....too bad I packed most of them away in an effort to free up room in my kitchen!

More random thoughts!

Jon and I have gone house hunting with a realtor yesterday and today! We talked to the financial people today, and they're supposed to get back with us with an estimate of how much we qualify for. I have a feeling we won't qualify for much. We mentioned to our realtor that we had a nice down payment saved up and that we didn't have any debt or credit card bills and she seemed to think we'd qualify for all kinds of money. However, we're down to one income, and that one doesn't really pay that great--it's sufficient, but not great--so I'm not expecting the number to be very high. It's a little disappointing that we would work so hard on the down payment and financial responsibility and still not get the "house of our dreams." But oh, well. It's a first home, and who knows how long we'd even live there. And who knows if we'll even get a house! Mostly we were just wanting to do some fact-finding, since we don't know how the process works. And it seems to be a really good time to buy.

We'd like to get a place with enough land for Caleb to run and play. That puts us looking at houses outside of Fort Worth, and probably more expensive than we can afford. We'll just see what the financial lady says tomorrow and what our budget will allow! It would be exciting to have a house, and to know that we're actually going to stay for awhile. I gotta admit, as much as I've loved Fort Worth, I'm kind of ready to move on--just because we've been planning to move on for the last year, so mentally I've been prepared to say goodbye and go. But I wouldn't mind staying if I knew we could be settled for a little while.

Jon took a higher-paying position at his security job. He starts training soon. It's a month-long training, and he has to 1) get tazed, 2) endure some kind of pepper spray, and 3) fend off 3 people (in a controlled environment with lots of padding). I'm not looking forward to it at all! But I gotta say I think Jon is! Maybe it's the male/female difference, but I just can't see enjoying that! Once he's trained he'll start new hours at a new post. He's already worked there 4 years, so there have been hints that he'll move up in the company fairly quickly now that he's finally committed to this new position. (His boss has been wanting him to do this for months; they love him there!) So, maybe this is the stability we need for awhile. It would give Jon a chance to continue his studies; he's working on a masters in military history right now, and hoping to get his doctorate.

On a completely unrelated note, some of you know that I finally took my cartilage piercing out last month. 16 months of trying to get that thing to heal and stop hurting, and I just didn't want to deal with it any more. So out it came! It took awhile for it to finally heal. What a relief to lay down at night and not have to protect my ear from my pillow! Two nights ago, though, I tried putting an earring in the hole on a whim, and it went through! Hole's still there, and completely healed! It felt just like my earlobe piercing. How awesome is that? So I kept the earring in for a day and a half, and it started hurting again. Poop. I remember when I got my earlobes pierced that I had to wear gold earrings for years; otherwise the holes would get infected. Maybe I'm dealing with something similar here? So, the earring is back out, and I'm giving it a little bit to heal up again, and then I'll try a gold earring instead of the silver I've been wearing.

Jon taught Sunday School yesterday, and did an awesome job as always. Our class has a teacher rotation, and I always look forward to Jon's teaching more than any other! (Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think so!) He planned a time of purification and worship, coordinated with the guy who leads music for our class. It was a very neat time. Husbands and wives washed each other's feet and prayed for each other, and then we worshiped with very good songs of dedication and sacrifice to our Lord. I'm thankful for a husband who will put so much time and effort into his teaching, not because he's getting paid for it or because he wants to look good in front of class, but because God has something to teach each one of us, and Jon wants to facilitate that in any way he can. Yeah, I know...he's awesome. :)

How do you like our family portrait that Karen took for us? Aren't we a handsome family? Jon and I are in constant awe that God would bless us with Caleb. He's such a great kid; we can't get over how much we love him!

Random Thoughts for the Day

1. My kitties are snuggled among the neatly folded stacks of laundry on my bed. They're so cute.
2. Today I scrubbed, sanded and painted a freezer we bought for $50 on Craig's list. I had to wait 'til evening when it was cool enough to paint. I got the first coat on before it was dark. It will definitely need another coat. Now I have a freezer with wet paint in my front yard. Didn't really think ahead on that one. I need to figure out a way to get it back in the garage before I go to bed, or someone else will have a freshly painted white freezer! Maybe everyone will realize it's wet paint and they won't touch it. The june bugs didn't get the memo, though. I had to pick two of them out of the paint already!
   
3. I've also been working on a ghetto cat scratcher. It's a revamp of the ghetto cat tree. Pictures to come!
4. Full-time-mom-hood has been a transition for sure, especially given the crazy last month. I'm hoping August is much calmer!
5. The beach was great. Definitely ended July on a high note.
6. Jon finally accepted the higher-pay position at his current job. He'll start a month of training in a couple of weeks. It's been kind of a disappointment for us; we were sure he would have found a job by now, and are confused about God's timing of things. However, we recognize the blessing of a job, and thank God for it.
7. Jon got pulled over on Saturday...and got off with a warning! The police officer asked him what he did for a job; Jon told him he was a security officer. The policeman told him he needed to be on the police force and even wrote down a web site for him to check out. As we drove off, we mused that perhaps this was the clear direction we'd been praying for. We'll ask God someday, "Why were You silent when we asked for Your will?" And He'll tell us, "I sent a cop and pulled you over to tell you what to do in life. What more did you need?" Despite that, we don't think the police force is in our future.
8. You cannot make chocolate milk by mixing hot chocolate mix with cold milk. The chocolate powder stays mysteriously on top of the milk, no matter how hard you stir.
9. When I was a kid I loved reading Nancy Drew books, but couldn't read them at night because they gave me bad dreams. I've been reading a mystery series lately, and found that I am still a weenie. Even my fairly docile mystery books are giving me bad dreams.
10. Nothing else to say, but couldn't leave it with just 9. Good night all!
    

July: Cut or Keep??

Let's do a little running tally of the goings on this month.....

4th of July visit with Grandma & Grandpa: +4
One very bitter wasp: -1
Check engine light on the trip: -1
$600 mechanic bill: -3
5-day trip to visit Nana & Granddad: +4
Check engine light on the trip: -1
Mosquito making a buffet of my ankles the whole trip home: -1
Started working out: +1
Strep throat for 4 days: -4
Cancel plans to see Leanna and Mawmaw: -2
Mom comes to help out: +2
Worst rash I've ever had: -3 (potential to lose 2 more points if it's not gone before the beach on Saturday)
5 days no air conditioner: -5
Caleb gets to play with his friend Noah for 3 days: +1
Stomach bug bites Jon: -3
Stomach bug bites Caleb: -1 (so far not bad, but potential to lose more points if the bug makes it to me, and even MORE points if we're not healthy by aforementioned beach vacation)
Finally celebrate KarenN's birthday: +2
Brand new air conditioner installed: +4 (potential to gain more if it's more powerful/efficient than the last one)
Beach vacation: remains to be seen, but I'm gonna give it a +6

So how do we end up? Let's see.... Well, we're at a -1 right now. But you just never know what good things could come. :)

Happy Fourth!

Today we've enjoyed an excellent 4th of July at my parents' house. Barbecued chicken for lunch, grill bratwurst for dinner...Caleb swam in a pool just his size on Grandma's back porch...now we're watching our third fireworks show of the evening on TV. They're pulling out old favorites to perform--Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. Sadly, Barry Manilow is the only one of the three who can still sing! That was a bit of a shocker. Other than that small disappointment it's been a great day!

Oh, except for the wasp who attacked me. I got my first wasp sting ever. And then two more, just to make up for lost time I suppose. Jon tells me that if I weren't jumping up and down and screaming like a banshee then maybe the wasp wouldn't have kept stinging, but I'm not sure about that! We tried a few home remedies: ice first, then an onion slice, then back to the ice, then some pennies taped on the stings. Add some Benadryl spray, Neosporin and an antihistamine and voila! I'm in pretty good shape. :) Don't ask me what helped the most!

Hope everyone had a great 4th as well! We don't realize how blessed we are to live in this free country!

The time has come

When I was a freshman in college, I sat across from the career counselor in her office, hoping she could somehow see the promise I held and guide me down the professional career path of my dreams. She asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. I stuttered and stalled for time.

Ten years? Didn't she know how much could happen in ten years? How would I know where I would be? I tried to think of what was really important in life. Where did I see myself...?

"A mom. I see myself as a mom."

I'm sure the career counselor wanted to sigh and ask me why the heck I was in her office...or in college, for that matter. She instead let me know that I was suited for a career in audiology and sent me on my way.

Almost 10 years later, I have enjoyed a 5-year career (if you can call it that after only 5 years) as a graphic designer and am now leaving it to be the thing I desired so long ago. A mom.

I've had the blessing and privilege of working at home with Caleb these past 6 months, but the time has come for me to focus on being the best mom I can be, and to enjoy these moments of babyhood that I know will be so fleeting.

Moving from full-time employee to full-time mom is going to be quite a shift, and I'm sure I have learning and frustrations ahead, but I'm so excited! I can't believe I'm going to be able to fulfill what I saw so many years ago.

Check out this dish!

For our anniversary, our parents gave us a new set of dishes! I love them! My first meal was a breakfast of champions.

ConGRADulations

If you didn't know, I'm now married to a master! Master of Divinity, that is! Jon has officially finished his seminary education. I'm so proud of him! Every semester there were hard classes, useless classes, inspiring professors, challenging reading, and grueling papers. I was so impressed to watch Jon pace himself throughout the semesters, starting his research for papers well before the due date, and working daily on his languages. Tests never (okay, rarely) took him by surprise. For a procrastinator like me, all of these things were an inspiration.

And, to top it all off, Jon was honored at the end of his last semester regarding a paper he'd written. His history professor submitted Jon's paper discussing the British East India Trading Company and it's effect on missions during the Enlightenment period to the Baptist Historical Society, and it was one of five chosen to be presented at a symposium! It was Caleb's first official outing, and we got to see Jon read his paper before a panel of society members, and then answer questions from that panel as well as from the audience. I was so proud of him!

Jon, your quest for knowledge is inspiring. I know that this degree is not the end of your pursuit, and I look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn. I love you!

I didn't get to take many pictures of the event, but here is what I have....

Four generations

Grandad with Caleb

Travis Avenue

All the professors wore cowboy hats in honor of the seminary's 100th anniversary!

How to find Jon? The tallest one in line, of course!

Jon after receiving his degree

Great Aunt and Uncle with Caleb

A great celebration lunch

Great Grandpa with Ian

Great Uncle George holds Caleb

Grandpa and Caleb at the end of a busy day

Check the pigs for wings!

Well, it's finally happened. Jon has come out of his 6-month blog hiatus! It's common knowledge that getting the two Jo(h)ns of the family together will inevitably lead to a spirited debate. My brother (John) has been working on a paper for class about Darwinianism and its effect on the church. I'd be very interested to read the paper. In the meantime, John posted some questions on his blog to initiate discussion. I left my meager response in his comments, but Jon wrote two posts on his own blog in response. So check it out! And then add your own thoughts!

And on the sixth...

So, here's the deal:

Open your pictures folder

Go to the SIXTH folder

Go to the SIXTH picture

Publish it to a NEW POST and tell the story of the photo.

Technically, this is the third photo in that folder, but it makes for a great story. This was March 16 of this year, my birthday. We were all at John and Karen's house to celebrate birthdays (their birthdays are right before mine). Jon and I had a little secret (and a big announcement) that day. Holding our then-one-month-old nephew, Ian, Jon's winking because no one knows that we'll be returning the favor of a nephew before the year is out!

And, to satisfy my obligation, here is the sixth photo:
Though it does slightly look like a method of torture, this is how to burp a baby when he can't yet hold his head up. John's cradling Ian's head while patting his back.

Following

My in-laws just started up a blog! On it, they had an interesting gadget in the sidebar called "Followers." So I looked into it, and added it to mine, as well! If you read this blog a lot, you can add yourself as a follower. Then my blog will appear in your blogger dashboard like an RSS feed, I guess. And your picture shows up on my blog! How fun is that! Anyway, check it out, and become a follower! :)

What's been going on

I owe you a post here, for sure! I've been posting on my baby blog, and that seems to be just about life-consuming these days! I asked Jon this morning, "What can I post about that's not baby-related??" Well, I'm not really sure the answer to that question, but I'm going to try anyway. If baby topics come up, oh well! :)

Jon's started back to school. His last semester! It's very exciting, but also very challenging. This is his third and last semester of Hebrew, and I know he will be so glad when it's done. He's also taking a history class covering the Enlightenment, which has TONS of reading which isn't so fun, but he really enjoys the class itself. And then his last class is fairly easy, and they go over stuff like how to baptize, because I guess there's a trick to it! All in all it's a demanding schedule, but with few enough hours that it's doable.

He's also working on his resume and has a couple churches in mind where he'd like to apply. I'm sure he'll have applications all over the place before it's all said and done!

Bonnie & Clyde are our constant entertainment. They charm everyone who comes in the door. If you stay long enough, you'll get in on the game of musical chairs as the two go from lap to lap. Clyde loves to jump. He jumps from the couch to the computer chair, to the top of my monitor, then to the top of Jon's monitor, then to the printer, and then once he's made it he meows at the wall. Bonnie sticks to the ground, mostly, but loves to explore. Inside shelves, boxes, bags, she finds pens, paper clips, and her favorite: the Scrabble stickers from Subway. She's got a radar for those things.

I went to an Arbonne Mercedes event with my mom yesterday. A lady had made it to a certain level in the company where she is given a white Mercedes, and this event was to celebrate that. I admit that I went into it with a slightly jaded perspective. I mean, if you know me, you know I have no desire for a brand new white Mercedes. I wouldn't even have a white car myself, except that it was the best car I could find for $6,000. Buying new doesn't make sense to me, and having a Mercedes really doesn't make sense to me. So, to go to an event all about a Mercedes, with people packed in to ooh and ahh and be inspired by the Mercedes...meh... To top it off, everyone there was dressed professionally, and while I tried, I just felt quite pregnant.

Well, it turned out it wasn't so bad. It was definitely an atmosphere I'm not used to or like very much, but the ladies I spoke with were very genuine. The ladies were not so much there to be inspired by the Mercedes, but by the speakers and the success of other ladies just like them. The speaker, despite her multi-million Arbonne business, still shops at Target, which I can respect. And she also asked for a discount at a hotel (she was just there for a few hours to change, go over her notes, etc.), which I thought was funny. I guess, in a similar situation, I would have changed and gone over my notes at Starbucks or something, but I can grant her an extravagant pit stop since she did ask for a discount. And then, after heading to the event, she promptly forgot the name and location of the hotel where they left all their stuff. Oh, how I can relate! She did a really great speech, and it didn't focus on the white Mercedes at all. Instead, it focused on being able to have an overflow of money to give to others. That's something that's always been important to Jon and I--budget and stay out of debt so that God can use your finances when needed--so I appreciated the speech.

Overall, it was an exciting event, and I can't wait for the day when my mom is handed her own set of keys to a brand new, white Mercedes! Just remember, mom, the lady yesterday took her family to Cancun to celebrate! (wink!) Seriously, I know she can do it, and I know that Arbonne is giving her the financial freedom to do what she does best: gift-giving! Whether it's money to missions, clothes for a family in need, trips to visit family and adopted family, or diapers for her grandbabies, my mom has been given the gift of generosity, and Arbonne is allowing her to reach her full potential in that.

And speaking of gifts, my mom gave me a sea salt bath soak and lotion for attending, which I enjoyed thoroughly when I got home! Even today my skin feels very nice. I was hoping for a miracle, but no, my stretch marks did not disappear. Still, the sea salts are supposed to soothe sore muscles, which I'm sure I'll encounter more of as I make it through this last leg of pregnancy, so I'm thankful to have them!

And with that, I'm done with the post. I didn't go too overboard talking about pregnancy. Turns out there is other stuff going on after all!

Goin' on Vacation!

This summer has been kind of hard for me, because my work doesn't give paid maternity except for the vacation days I already have saved up. So, considering I only have four weeks saved up, and I want to take six weeks maternity, every day I take off is yet another day unpaid in the future. Knowing that I have NO days off has been very...depressing. No vacation, no visiting family or even long weekends. All I have are the company holidays, which is one day every two months. Ugh.

But I'm still getting to go on vacation! After work on Wednesday, I'm heading to the most relaxing place I know to spend a few quality days. Yep, I'll be at my parents house. And since I work at home, and "home is where you pick up internet," I'll be able to work on Thursday like normal, and enjoy Friday and Saturday with my family.

I'll miss Jon while I'm there, and I told him he'll think my belly's grown so much when I get back--maybe not from Newbie but from good cookin'! I can't wait. My parents have made their home--inside and out--such a peaceful place, and I'm looking forward to the visit.

Uncle Jon

We got to see my family over Memorial Day weekend. Ian, like most babies, loved to hear Jon's voice.
What a cutie! It makes my heart melt to see how babies love Jon. I love him, too! :)

Secret's Out!

I just told my boss, so everyone can know now! Secret's out!

The details:
13 weeks along
Due November 21st
Check out the blog for the Norvell Newbie!

Happy Birthday!

We all celebrated at John & Karen's house. Bekah made the cake and it was SO yummy!

My dad laughed because he got to hold Ian first.

My mom looking upset because she wasn't the first to get a hold of Ian.

Little did either of them know that Jon and I got to hold him first!

Ian working on tummy time!

Look at how high that head is coming up!

Jon and I headed for the Stockyards today.

This horse was beautiful, and the longhorn was NOT wanting to do the walk around the block they do twice a day.

This guy was really pretty.

My handsome man! Taking me to Riscky's BBQ for lunch!

...and 5 pictures later....

I, however, never tire of the camera.

I'm so distraught about being in jail....and did I mention I dyed my hair red?

This little girl was the cutest, riding the bull like a pro!

How it happened (from my point of view)

Just in case you wanted more Ian stories, and to complement Karen's account....

Thursday, February 21, 2008 was like any other day. I'd been mostly packed for Ian's arrival for two weeks. The day before, I had fully packed before heading to Waco, just in case Karen went into labor. She didn't, but I'd kept everything in my bags, only pulling out my toothbrush and face wash. As I prepared for my marketing class on Thursday morning, I contemplated taking my things with me. But, since that involved two overnight bags, one camera bag, one video camera bag, plus my laptop for class, and since I would basically pass right by my house on the way to Waco in the event of labor, I decided to leave everything at home. Of course.

I made it to UTA at about 9:00, made the trek from the parking lot (where I realized I had the wrong parking tag....maybe they won't notice....) to class, and settled in and started taking notes from the first powerpoint slide. At 9:30, I could see my professor start to gather his thoughts for lecture. Then my phone rang. It was John! "Hi. It's time. We're at the hospital." Just about as deadpan as they come. Like this moment wasn't the beginning of the biggest challenge Karen had ever faced, like this wasn't going to change the rest of their lives. "What? Are you serious? You're kidding me!!" After he reassured me that he and Karen had been in the hospital since 8:00, I gathered all my stuff in my arms--not taking time to put my notebook or pen away--and started down the steps of the lecture hall. I dropped my phone, the battery fell out...sheesh.

With all my things still in my arms, I scrambled for the battery and phone pieces. As I rushed out the door, I explained to my professor, "My sister-in-law is in labor. I have to go!" He yelled a congratulations as I swept out the room. As I headed to the car, I put the phone back together to call John back. Karen answered (she was as calm as he), but handed the phone to John because the nurse was putting in an IV. Oh my gosh! It's really happening! I hung up and called Jon to let him know that I was heading out of town. At that point, I made it to my car...only to realize I'd left my purse in the classroom. Dang!! Forcing myself to calm down a little, I stopped and put my notebook and pen away, then headed back to class for the purse, passing the campus policeman writing tickets. I hoped he wouldn't make it to my car....

But he did. Back in my car 10 minutes and one ticket later, I called Mawmaw, who told me I needed to sit down, get something to drink (preferably not caffeinated) and calm down! I did decide to be responsible and not call anyone while I was driving. I felt the same way I felt after I was in my car accident--jittery and a little surreal. I had no idea I would be such a flake when "go time" came!

The trip to the hospital was uneventful, and a good time to calm down. By the time I got to the hospital, I was excited and ready to cheer Karen on until the baby came. By the time we made it to the 5th floor, the passengers in the elevator knew I was going to be an aunt! I got out, made it to the waiting room, and waited. And waited. And waited.

You know, after all that morning's excitement, it was a little anticlimactic. I didn't even get to see Karen (evidently searing labor pains don't make people very social) except for a brief hello. John was doing his duty well in keeping us out. It wasn't until 3:00 that we got to fill the labor and delivery room. Karen's parents, my parents, me and the nurse....with Karen feeling much better with the epidural, we had a good time visiting. Still...as lovely as that was, I think we were all wishing Ian would come! Karen's fever was a concern, and the time between her water breaking and the delivery was getting longer, meaning more chance of infection and complications.

At 9:00, the nurse decided, even though Karen wasn't quite fully dilated yet, that it was time to push. And push we did! The men left the room (John stayed, of course), and the women all held our breath as Karen pushed...willing the baby to come! It was so exciting, and Karen was a champion pusher. My birthing hero! Despite the different techniques and our efforts at "willing," Ian just wasn't coming.

Enter the doctor! With the skillful use of the forceps, and an epesiotomy that still makes me cringe, Ian came into the world. (I'd like to mention here that I was the only one that cried at this momentous occasion. That obviously means I love him most.)

He was beautiful, with a good hearty cry. And he wasn't nasty and bloody like I'd expected. I've always had a fear that I wouldn't want to hold my baby right at first, because he/she would be nasty, but this was not the case with Ian. After Karen got to hold him, a nurse transferred him to the warming table for cleanup. We all oohed and ahed from a distance until the nurse said we could take pictures. And that we did! Then we set down our cameras and each took our turn holding Ian--so tiny and precious, and so loved. What a blessing to come into a family that has loved you for 9 months, that will drop everything and drive anywhere to see you arrive, and that will pray for you and support you as you grow up.

Ian, that's exactly what you have.

My family

This Christmas, Jon and I were able to enjoy all of our family. Since they all came to us last year, we went to them. We started by traveling to East Texas where my family lives. Jon drove, so I got to take advantage and get beautiful sunset photos. I really love landscape shots, I decided. And sunsets. Maybe they're cliché, but I like them.

My family's Christmas consisted of food and chit chat. LOTS of both! One of the highlights of the weekend was the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment. All of us "kids" got Mentos in our stockings (which we got to open Christmas Eve--a first!). Jon opened his first, and it was the, "Oh, thanks...." kind of response, until my dad informed him of the 8 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke he had on the back porch. Jon's eyes lit up and he reiterated his thanks, but this time much more sincerely!

Our Christmas meal wasn't traditional, since it wasn't really Christmas day, and we'd be having that meal with other families. So we had a wonderful pork loin. That, plus a puzzle and games and movies made a perfect weekend.

It was so much fun to have all the family together.

On Monday morning we got up while it was still dark to head up to Silver Dollar City (SDC), near Branson, MO. SDC is a Norvell family favorite vacationing spot, and Jon and his brother have many childhood memories there. Jon was like a little kid as we finally neared our cabin (and I heard Dave was the same). That night we opened stockings--a first for this side of the family as well (you parents are getting weak in your old age! Haha!). The next day we managed to cook a full Christmas meal in a tiny kitchen (Mary cooked/sliced the turkey before coming...otherwise we wouldn't have made it), and it was delicious. The next two days we spent in SDC, enjoying the Christian atmosphere there as we celebrated the birth of our Lord.

By Friday, we were ready to come home. I drove the first leg, and we had the tiniest bit of snow, though it warmed up as we headed back home.

We were home, tired, and happy. What a great week!