These Days

These days:

School is in full swing in our house much to the complaint of some young men who live here.

Soccer tryouts for the high school team have finally arrived. They will be held Monday - Thursday of next week. Friday the kids will know if they made the team or not.

Andy has been practicing at 6 am this week. It has been a blessing because it forces me to get up and begin my day at 5:30 am. I like getting up that early. The morning here is quiet and beautiful.

The food budget is going well. Although I am no fool and realize that I am only 4 days in...

Josh's first soccer practice of the year begins tomorrow. After a lot of drama and many weeks of uncertainty regarding tryouts he knows which team he is on and is ready to play.

Sarah has scheduled two more horseback riding lessons. She is thrilled as am I. The every other week schedule will be good for her. Plus - she is paying for these lessons with her own money, so that is all that she can afford.

Gymnastics is going well for both girls. Elizabeth finally seems to have found something she enjoys doing. It is amazing to watch Sarah tumble around and do all that she does on all the apparatus.

The girls have decided to share a room. So, instead of a 5 bedroom house all we really needed was a 3 bedroom. The possibilities would have been so different if we had known that.  Oh, well. Live and learn, right?

I am spending $500 to fix my hot water tankless heater. On top of the $3500 for part of a new roof we installed several months ago. This house is becoming a money pit and with all of the things still left to repair we now realize that buying it was a bad choice especially if we are going to be shipped off somewhere new sooner rather than later. Again, live and learn...(Good thing I am saving money on groceries!)

The girls came to church with me for the first time two weekends ago. They have gone twice now and love it. They attend Sunday school while I am at the service in the main sanctuary. They are in different classes which is wonderful.

Ever since I got back from Ohio in the beginning of June I have really been struggling to see the beauty here. I was seeing it every so often, but not consistently like I was for the first 6 months after we moved. I was afraid that this place was going to become a prison for me, but thankfully I am beginning to come out of that fog and am finding the beauty I originally saw.

Bob is going to be traveling a bit this month. He leaves for a few days next week, comes home for two weeks, and then heads out for another few days. I don't like when he travels, but the exposure for him and the opportunities that may open up by him doing so is worth it.

As much I as I am trying to soak up all of the beauty that is here in some ways I am ready to go to the next place. We will most likely be in the next spot for a bit longer and I am finding that roots are so important for my family. I need to be able to settle down somewhere with them for an extended period of time while they are finishing their growing years and then beebop about when it is just Bob and me. My kids need a community of friends that they know that they will be around for a while. They know that we will only be here for a short time and that is affecting how close they choose to get to the people they have met here.

I am so excited for the football season to begin. I love football. Lazy Sunday's eating comfort food, watching Peyton Manning kick some butt, listening to Bobby complain about how bad the Browns are (again), and then listening to him talk about how next year will be the one that they win it all are all the things I am looking forward to.

I am missing my dad a lot lately. Because of his work schedule and ability to take time off  (or lack of) my kids haven't been able to see him as much as they have our other relatives. He isn't much of a talker so phone/Facetime aren't the best of options to communicate with him. It is best just to be with him.

Sarah will be visiting her doctor at the Cleveland Clinic when we go back to Ohio in December. I am looking forward to the visit for many reasons,

Fall is coming and I cannot wait. Even in the desert, fall is my most favorite season. I cannot wait to turn off my a/c and open the windows and feel the breeze.

We are clamping down on electronic usage in the house. We are all getting foggy brains from our excessive usage, and I need to stop the madness now before it gets really out of control. It will be a rough week, but just like with the food, it will be worth it in the end.

Bobby and I went out for margaritas and chips the other night. It was fun to have some time alone with him. We decided though that we can save ourselves some money by just having a drink at home.

One of my most favorite things that Bob does is edge the grass. I love having grass with an edged line. He did that today for me. Made my day.

And that's about it!