Over the river

And through a blizzard to Grandmother's house we go.

Our journey home began last night at 4:45. We were at a dead stop north of Kansas City on I35 due to an accident for nearly an hour. As soon as we passed the accident the snow started. Just south of the Iowa border we were unable to see more than two car lengths in front of us.

The slow travel lasted until we got to Des Moines. North of there, we were able to kick it up to 70 and get going. We finally arrived at my parents place around 2 am. The kids did a really good job for as long as we were in the car. As we were passing Farmington, I thought to call Missy and Jesse and end our drive for the night...but I didn't want to send Missy into an early labor with a 1 am wake-up call.

Thanks to all of those who kept me entertained with text messages and Facebook notes. Whoever thought to make Facebook an application on a Blackberry is a genius. After the kids fell asleep we flipped on the XM dirty comedy channel. They played a clip from Eddie Murphy's "Delirious" which reminded me that I need to find a copy of that DVD.

We are in here in Minneapolis now for close two weeks. We're looking forward to spending time with our family and friends. I just became a hero in my eldest daughter's eyes because I put the finishing touches on a bowling/slumber party with her friends from St. Al's for next week.

Mike and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year. Your love and support over the last year has been more than we could have ever asked for.

There's no place like home

In just one short week we will have been here four months. It really hasn't felt like it has been that long (others may disagree). Maybe it is because we have had a steady stream of friends and family come to visit since our move. I believe that steady stream has made our transition a little easier.

We just said good bye to Russ and Melissa. They came down here so Melissa and I could continue our yearly tradition of Christmas shopping together. For anyone who has been here, I of course took her straight to the Plaza. This weekend has been bitter cold. I think that I have already become thin blooded.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the MU vs. OU stomp fest which some called a football game. The most exciting thing that happened at the game is when the Sooner Schooner broke. As a person who is indifferent to either team I spent most of my night focusing on hold cold I was. Like any other game with my coworkers, we started off tailgating, and as usual, the food was outstanding.

Comments throughout the evening were thrown at me about how cold it was, but how it still must be shorts weather for me. Let me tell you, that at 23 degrees with a sustained wind of 20 mph, it isn't shorts weather for anyone. I had to keep reminding people that yes, I did live in Minnesota my entire life, but we know when to come in out of the cold. I am sure there are a number of die hard outdoor football people in Minnesota that will scoff, but I like to watch football in a dome. It is a nice temperate climate where you can take your coat off and enjoy a beer or two without freezing your ass off.

As with every other Christmas that has passed, I feel rushed. I feel like I haven't had a minute to just sit and look at the Christmas tree my kids took such pains to decorate. My rushed feeling is probably my own fault. We have had a pretty busy couple of weeks.

I was in St. Louis for a work convention, came home and took Sydney to a Cheetah Girls concert with her friend Elle, and her mom. We followed the concert up by attending my work Christmas party. Our entertainment for the evening was Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls. Think Dee Snider in metallic silver pants with a wind machine. Throw in some Christmas shopping, dance lessons for both girls, school parties and a few dinner engagements and here we are at the 21st of December.

My day today is going to be filled with packing and organzing as we get ready to head home for the holidays. We are very excited to see all of our friends and family. We're also excited to spend more than just a hurried weekend in the Cities.

My children never cease to amaze me with what they process and understand. Sydney had been invited to a birthday party and we were on our way home when she said:

"Mommy, tell your boss thank you for me."
"Why, Sydney?"
"Because Kansas is a wonderful place, and I like it here."

Despite their inability to remove 3" of snow effectively, Kansas is a wonderful place, and I'm glad we moved here too. Just don't tell my boss.

Drunco

Every time I have thought to sit down and update my blog, some small task has crept into the first spot om my to-do list. Like right now, I'm pausing to do yet another load of wash.

I'm back. I quick swept the wood floor sea that is the main floor of my house. I have a love/hate relationship with my wood floor. I am sweeping/swifering at least once a day. But enough about that.

We hosted Thanksgiving at your house this year. My parents, Mike's parents and step-parents as well as our brothers, Jessica and Hayden all came down. My coworker, Rebekah and her husband Nick also joined us. Nick works retail and its nearly impossible for him to get black Friday off so they can go home to Arkansas.

I brined the turkey again this year, and I really think that is the best way to do a turkey. My mom brought down two ducks and they were so tasty. After lunch we took the kids on a long bike ride/walk in the 60 degree weather. It was such a beautiful day.


I had to work on Friday since the markets were open...but I left promptly at the stroke of 12 when the market closed. We took everyone out for a KC BBQ lunch at Oklahoma Joe's. It is, in my inexperienced opinion, some of the best BBQ in town. We then took everyone to the Plaza to see the Christmas lights (see Christmas card that is in the mail).

The minute the last guests left on Sunday we were out the door to get a Christmas tree. Without realizing what I had done, I picked a date to host Bunco that was one week after Thanksgiving. When I picked the date, I thought it was two weeks after. Whoops. After getting the tree the girls and I started on the inside and Mike started hanging lights outside. Our neighbors have nicked named him Griswold because of his ambitious lighting display. He did a beautiful job.

I spent every night of that week either kickboxing, cleaning or cooking. I'm trying like hell to battle the 5 lbs I've gained since we moved here. I used to walk nearly everyday at lunchtime. I don't do that anymore and I can tell. Ick. I don't think the beers while tailgating or the wine consumption during Bunco has helped either.

Thursday arrived and it was finally the day of the Bunco party. These are all girls that I work with and they are so fun. There were 18 of us playing and by the third round the booze was settling in and we were having a good time. Sydney and Camille had a great time roaming around and getting caught up in the excitement of people yelling "BUNCO". The party wound down around 10:30 for all but I few of us who decided to head to the bar. The alarm going off at 6:00 am really hurt.

Last night we took the kids to Overland Park Arboretum for a candle lit Christmas light walk. It was really beautiful although a little chilly by my new standards. The girls were able to tell Santa what they both really wanted for Christmas.

Today, Mike and I are headed out to do some Christmas shopping. After that, I'm going to a NCAA Big 12 playoff game of some sort. I'm still wrapping my head around college football...standings...rivalries...who we should like, who we shouldn't. Are the Sooners at OSU or OU? There are just so many of these stinking teams to keep it all straight. And Shannon, I'm kidding. I know the Cowboys are OSU.

New Faces

Today when I dropped Camille off at daycare there was a new little girl sitting on a chair by the teacher. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes a little red. Ms. Ann (the teacher) introduced Gracie to Camille. She asked Camille if she would be Gracie's friend. Camille of course, was happy to oblige and ran over to the sad little girl and gave her a hug. She took her by the hand and led her to the back door where all the kids wave to their parents as they leave. As I slowed down to wave good-bye, there was Camille. Madly waving her one hand, and Gracie's hand firmly gripped in the other. I'd like to think that I lead by example when it comes to embracing new people.

I have come to appreciate the new area which is becoming our home. We have found a great school district with high educational standards for their students as well as a tight reign on their spending habits. We have found an excellent daycare/pre-school that helps Camille to thrive like she did with our previous daycare ladies. We joined a very close knit church, discovered an outstanding dance studio and above all, we have started to make new friends.

The people that I work with have been so great to Mike and I since we've moved. I can't say enough about how blessed I am to work for this company. The culture is more like family then it is corporate, and for that I am thankful.

At the new dance studio the dance parents are discouraged from hanging around the studio during lessons...which is quite a switch from NRG. Parent observation night was a couple of weeks ago. Sydney has come a long way in a short period of time. All she does now is tap around the house (Their song is "GI Blues" by Elvis). I hate to discourage her, but sometimes I just have to tell her to stop, especially at the dinner table. Camille loves dance almost as much as her big sister. She wakes up asking if its Wednesday (her dance night).

For the last two months we have prepped Camille that once Halloween had passed, we were done with pull-ups. Potty training this child is truly an exercise in training. We literally have to sit her down every 30 minutes. It is a slow process (as it was with Sydney), but eventually we'll get there. We have almost two years before kindergarten starts.

Sydney has made a new little friend in our neighbor across the street. Emily Kate is so sweet and the two of them play really well together. Sydney had her first dinner at a friend's house on Sunday. The girls were bouncing back and forth between the two houses all afternoon. They were at our house eating a snack when I asked Emily Kate if she wanted to stay for dinner. She didn't like the idea of eating lasagna, so she thought it was a better idea to have Sydney to her house for dinner.

My mom came down a little over a week ago, and that was a lot of fun. We explored the downtown KC area as well as the big suburban mall. Truth be told, the Nordstrom's and Macy's in Minnesota are far better then they are here. Our saving grace for department stores is a new Von Mauer that just opened up, and it's huge! I can't wait for Angela to come down so I can take her there. It must have good shopping because my boss's wife found three dresses and several pairs of shoes there over the weekend. Just thinking about it makes me a little giddy.

Mike went home last weekend and bagged his deer. He tells me that it was bitterly cold with sustained winds of 25 mph. I'll take a mall to sitting in a deer stand any day. He also found out on Friday that he has a job with McAfee (with whom he becomes employed tomorrow).

All in all, we have a lot to be thankful for this fall. Now, if we can just sell that house...

The Last Slice

I am sitting here this morning preparing to head out for another tailgating adventure. I woke-up at 6:30 to put my side dish in the oven and take a shower. Oh wait, I woke up at 5:30. I didn't realize this until I had already gotten out of the shower and had my food in the oven. The side dish came out, but I left the caramel rolls in and then I forgot about the caramel rolls. They smell good but are about as hard as hockey puck. Damn it.

Halloween, oh how I love Halloween! Our first holiday adventure was met with 75 degrees and sunshine. This was the first time we have put costumes on the kids and didn't worry about coats, we didn't even put shirts under the costumes.

Jane and I headed out around 7 with kids (thanks to daylight savings time being shoved back it wasn't really dark until then). We were by far the smallest group at 5. Most packs traveled with at least 10 people. There had to have been at least 200 kids out....if not more. I had walked Sydney, Camille and Hadley up to a house and by the time we turned around, there were at least 20 kids in our view. We couldn't get off the porch. There was no where to go.

The girls were witches this year for Halloween. I was delighted that it wasn't another Disney Princess revival. Miss Hadley was a flying monkey. Camille was very quick to point out to each homeowner that Hadley was a flying monkey. She would put a hand on Hadley's shoulder to keep her from leaving before she had a chance to described her entire costume.

We came back to the house and handed the girls off to the guys who took them down a few more streets. Jane and I sat on the front step and handed out candy (and we started drinking a little wine, I won't lie). The neighbors across the street came home and Sydney ran over to greet their daughter with a hand full of candy. The neighbors asked Sydney to go out and do a little more trick-or-treating. She was delighted to go. Camille and Hadley were perfectly happy sitting on the steps eating candy and then chasing each other around the yard.

If you are new to a neighborhood, Halloween is the perfect time to get to know your neighbors. We had a few over for drinks after the kids were done going house to house. I think this is going to be a really fun neighborhood. The guy down the street has Guinness on tap...if I ever can't find Mike I will know exactly where to look.

After our neighbors left, we decided to order pizza. In my true fashion, I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up at 1 am, I asked where the pizza was. Mike kind of looked at me and didn't say anything. "Is it all gone?" I asked. Dead silence from Mike. It was! The whole pizza was gone, and Mike, Shannon and Jane didn't save me one piece.

The next day it turned into a "it wasn't me-fest" when the issue of no pizza when I woke-up was brought up. And then to top it off, I went to get coffee and was sidetracked by one of the kids needing something. When I got back to pour it, there was Mike finishing off the pot. Seriously. First the pizza and then the coffee. I guess after 10 years of marriage all bets are off and its every man for himself. Maybe if I keep Guinness on tap Mike will love me like he does the neighbor. I bet he would have saved a piece of pizza for that guy.

Surprise!!!

This week has been filled with little surprises here and there. On Monday I was asked to help the recruiter in our office with interviews at the University of Chicago. The surprise was that the plane was leaving that day at 2. Since our social life is slow to take flight we had the week open. I helped to give the presentation to the college students and then sat down with six of them the following day for interviews into our merchandiser training program. I love Chicago. It's a town that I would move to in a heartbeat.

We had Camille's Halloween party for her school on Thursday night. It was really cute. The staff did a great job of putting it together. The kids especially loved the face painting.

On Friday we packed up and headed back to Minneapolis for my Godson, Trentin's birthday party. It took us less than 6 hours to get to Lakeville, so that was a nice surprise in and of itself. The kids were so excited to see each other when they woke up Saturday morning. After Trentin's party we headed to the north side of town.

We decided to crash our friends' Halloween party on Saturday night for a couple of hours. Every year Dave and Jenne (friends from dance) throw a huge party for the kids. Some parents stay, some parents drop their kids off. The parents that stay hang out in their porch and drink beer. We had told Connie, Chris, Tiffany and Jeremy that we'd stop by, but we asked them not to tell anyone else. Aren't we sneaky? People we were so surprised to see us and it was nice to see a number of people we didn't really get a chance to say good-bye to.

One of my favorite moments of the night is when Polly and Brent arrived. Polly was so excited to see me that she actually screamed a little bit. It was a moment that made my heart smile. It was really sweet to see their daughter, Gwyneth in Sydney's Dorothy costume from last year.

We rounded the night out at my mom and dad's house. Dad was off hunting so we didn't get a chance to see him, but at this time of year, it wasn't a surprise.

Whirlwind Weekend

This weekend has been in the works since about the time we said we were moving to KC last winter. We confirmed our relocation to a few of the people at the dance studio we had gotten to know really well and Jeremy says "We're coming down MMEA weekend". At the time, we hadn't decided on a house yet, so that comment was inspiration to get serious about looking.

Jeremy, Tiffany and their girls were the first to arrive on Wednesday night...or rather, Thursday morning. I had to work for awhile on Thursday, so our guests laid low around the house and were able to get some nap time in.

Connie, Chris and their two kids arrived around dinner time on Thursday. Connie had told me months ago that she would teach me how to make ricotta, and of course, me being me, I held her to it. I don't think the engine had even cooled down on their truck before I had her at the stove showing me the ins and outs. Not that I doubted her, but she had told me that it was easy, and she was right. Now I can make homemade ricotta for anyone who wants it! It is all part of my plan to eventually become the best non-Italian, Italian cook. You laugh, but I'm serious.

Chloe and Camille helping cut mushrooms for my spaghetti sauce.

On Friday morning I took Tiffany and Connie to my new Mecca, better known as the Plaza. We spent over an hour alone in Anthropologie. It is quickly making its way into my top 5 favorite stores. I found a beautiful cashmere sweater for $50, on sale from $250. It was damn near free.

We had the boys meet us on the Plaza with the kids for dinner (KC BBQ style). We told the kids that if they all ate well, and behaved even better, we'd take them on a the horse drawn Cinderella pumpkin carriage ride. Sydney and Abbie were determined to get in that pumpkin because they were the first ones done with dinner, completely eating the meat portions of their entrees. Camille needed a little cajoling to eat her BBQ chicken, but mentioning the pumpkin carriage 800 times was finally enough to inspire her. Of course, it helped that a lit up one rolled by halfway through dinner and the kids just about lost their minds at the sight of it.

Getting ready to ride on the Pumpkin Carriage

The guys went golfing on Saturday morning and we took the kids to the Kansas City Zoo. What a zoo (on both accounts)! They have so many animals at this zoo that we don't have at either zoo in Minneapolis. The set-up of the zoo is really cool as well. One side is Australia, with all of the kangaroos, wallabies etc. and the other side is Africa with all of the chimps, hippos, zebras etc.


While at the zoo, I was able to show my friends some of Missouri's finest. We were crossing the bridge from Zaire to Botswana when we happened across this interesting family. The boy (aged 10) had a switch blade that he was randomly stabbing everything in site with. That in and of itself made us drop back about 15 paces. The rest of the kids were all over the place (not to say ours weren't) and would randomly stop walking which just pissed the parental-type members of the party off. We finally get across the bridge (10 or 15 minutes have gone by) when a lady with a small child walks up to this clan and asks if the small child belongs to them. What I assume was the mom from the family in front of us says "Yeah" and takes the little girl by the hand. That's it. Not, "Oh my God child where have you been" or "THANK YOU we've been desperately searching for her". But I guess looking back at it, if she was concerned about the child's whereabouts, she wouldn't have been leisurely crossing the bridge.

After the zoo we came home, put Halloween costumes on the kids and got them ready to go to the Children's Farm Halloween Party. It was complete with trick-or-treating, non-scary hayrides and a dance! The kids had a blast, and who wouldn't with a trick-or-treating opportunity on the 18th of October?


Sadly, our friends left around 10:30 this morning. The weekend went so fast, and I had so much fun. It wasn't one of our drinking nights (I still laugh about our antics the first night we went out for sushi and a "couple" drinks) but it was still a great weekend. Thank you guys for making the trip down here and for cleaning your bathrooms before you left (which you didn't have to do!).
I'd gladly have them all back down anytime, they were perfect house guests!!

Pepe Le Pew

Every now and again I hit a brick wall with my weight. I have this proverbial 15 lbs that I have been trying to lose since I had Camille...which sadly was over three years ago. So here I am again at my wall. In lieu of parking myself in front of the computer to pay bills, manage checking accounts, work or catch up on emails (and who am I kidding, FACEBOOK) I've decided to start working out.

It is nice in the evenings so I've been going for walks after the girls go to bed. I was out on Sunday night after getting home from a wine/beer weekend with the McComas' trying to reverse the weekend damage. I am trucking along to my iPod with one eye over my shoulder since it is dark when I head out (you never know who is lurking in Suburbia). I am rounding the corner when out of a shrub jumps a skunk. Yes, a mutha effing skunk. I felt that panic that I imagine the people "feel" in horror movies when they are faced with certain death.

My mind immediately races back to living with my college roommate Anna, who had that stupid dog. Emily, Jenna, Angie and I were getting ready to go to a study group (aka keg party) when we let Monster (dumb dog with a well suited name) out. Anna was of course MIA as usual. Wouldn't it just figure, that in the middle of Duluth that stupid dog found a skunk. Monster was sprayed and I drew the short straw as the person that had to stay home and deal with it.

Back to present day. Pepe and I are locked in a stare...he sees me and takes a defensive stance. I am unarmed. I have only my iPod and my cell phone...neither of which I risk smelling like skunk so I take off running in the other direction...running people. It wasn't pretty. If any of my neighbors saw me, it probably just confirmed to them that the lady from Minneapolis with the stay-at-home-husband and all of the Halloween decorations really is crazy.

I pass a neighborhood cat on my way and hear it meet the skunk. I don't think things went well for the cat. I wonder if the skunk tried to seduce the cat like Pepe did in the cartoons.

Needless to say, I'm changing my walking route and filling my pockets with rocks before I leave.

I have to share this link with you: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ It is one of my favorite computer passtimes lately. Mike and I just giggle everytime we check this lady's blog.

Friday Night Lights

Sydney cheered at the homecoming game for our high school with the cheerleaders. It was quite an experience for all of us. The information sheet told us to be to the high school by 6 pm (7 pm kick off). We were there and the bleachers were about a third full. After about 10 minutes in our original seats we realized we were in the student section. We high tailed it out of there and into the parents section.


It was in our new seats that Mike noticed that the field wasn't grass. It was AstroTurf! These people take their high school football seriously. The marching band was there in full uniform too. The cheerleaders spend an entire week making the banner the football team breaks as they run out on the field, the fans stand the entire game. I was so amazed at the AstroTurf that I texted Jane. She told me that we had nothing on Texas high school football. By a quarter to 7 the stands were packed.


We left right before half time when Sydney was done....I don't think either kid had it in them to watch the whole game.

In an hour or so, Ron and Marilyn will be arriving for the weekend. They are going to take the girls to a hotel tonight and Mike and I are going to head to the Plaza with our friends, Pedro and Susan. I think we are going to try and get a table at re-Verse.

This past week I attended my first big BBQ function at Kemper Arena with my colleagues. We were there the Thursday night before the American Royal kick-off. I'm told it's the largest BBQ competition in the nation, but Pedro said that's only because they let anyone with a Weber enter. We had beef tenderloin and enough wine to sink a ship. The tenderloin was indescribable it was so good.

It's going to be 80 today so we are most likely going to take Ron and Marilyn to the Steamboat museum and then on a small driving tour of the area (steering clear of a road named Prospect since that seems to be the scene of murders every morning on the news).

Note to self....

Don't wear black when you are going to walk in a parade and it's 92 degrees out and don't wear jeans tailgating when it's 85.

This is a picture of Camille at a children's farm that is part of the park system in Overland Park.

Sydney practicing her dance moves.

Who is from here?

Over dinner the other night, Mike and I discussed how most everyone we know at home is from either Minnesota or Wisconsin (with the exception of my mom, Mike's dad and step mom). We ran through the list...Hutchinson, Cloquet, Duluth, Amery, Albert Lea, Minneapolis area, Bemidji etc. Here in Overland Park, it is a completely different story. This is a transient town. I have only run across a handful of people that were born and raised in Overland Park. This is what you would truly call a melting pot area. I've discovered that a large number of people are from Arkansas. Maybe it has something to do with the name.

Yesterday, Mikey and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We hired our babysitter for a few hours and went down to the plaza for sushi. We were chit chatting with our waiter (never know where you'll find a friend) and it came up that we were from Minneapolis. He said "Now that is a cool town. It's fun here, but not as cool as Minneapolis". I agree. It is nice here, and granted we haven't been out on the town, but Minneapolis is a cool place to live. Maybe that is why so many people we know never leave. There isn't a reason to.

Tomorrow we are going to tailgate with some of my coworkers before the Chiefs game. I don't even know who they play...and I really don't care. I'm excited to tailgate in 80 degree weather. I loved tailgating with the Haugens and Luecks, and I intend to wear my purple shoes that I bought with Angela tomorrow. My old boss, Mike, who moved down here 2 years ago, didn't seem thrilled with my plan. In fact, I think I got a "look".

Apparently, the guys down here really do up tailgating. They have a special van they purchased just for this purpose. I hear it is always a BBQ feast accompanied with a lot of beer and wine. I am glad that we were able to find a sitter so that both Mike and I can go.

It is funny how quickly you fall into a routine, despite a move. We have a pretty busy day today. Sydney is doing a cheer leading camp with the Blue Valley High School Cheerleaders this morning and then next Friday she is going to cheer with the girls at the home game. We drove by the high school last night on our way home...and good Lord! The cars!!! They were everywhere. We passed the field and it was packed. I have never seen a crowd like that at a high school football game in my life. Our babysitter told us people go well over an hour early to get a spot. Yikes!!!

I'll make sure to bring my huge lens (or maybe talk Jane into meeting me halfway to borrow one of hers) so I can take pictures of Sydney where you can actually see her!

Camille has a birthday party today at a little farm for my co-worker's son. The two of them are like peas in a pod. I imagine they'll find trouble in the years ahead.

As most of you know, Mike's company was bought by McAfee on Monday. They won't close the deal until late in Q4. Worst case, he'll get severanced out and look for a new job. He's not worried, and neither am I. What he does is so specialized and in high demand, that he shouldn't have a problem finding something quickly. Hopefully though, he will be able to keep his job. He really likes the idea of working for McAfee, especially if he can do it from here. We'll see how it all shakes out and we'll keep you posted. It was only a matter of time before he went through an acquisition, I've already been through 2.

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

Our last two weekends have consisted of unpacking and organizing, and slowly getting acquainted with our new surroundings. We seem to be in an epicenter of fast food chains. There is Chic-fil-a, Popeye's, Sonic, Whataburger and all the usual suspects. Of course, being true Minnesotans that fear change, we haven't strayed far from McDonald's. That is where we discovered that you can buy sweet tea. However, we aren't far enough south for Mike to be able to order fried chicken livers at KFC (ick).

I'm settling into a large office setting again. I have been so used to working around 7 people who know me better than I sometimes know myself to being one of about 100 people. Mike is also adjusting to working at home quite well. I don't have the attention span to do it. I would be off cleaning something instead of sitting at my desk if I worked from home.

The weather here has been crappy. It has rained at least 12 of the 16 days we've been down here. Normal rainfall for the entire month of September is 3.5", and as of the 13th, we were at 7.5". When we moved here I noticed these giant storm drains. As my dad observed, you could easily fit a small child in one. After the intense rain we had on Friday, I now understand why the drains are as large as they are. It was like having a small rapid river on our street.

Today it is not raining, but it is only 59 degrees. Mike is using this break in the weather to thatch our waist high grass. The model homes on both sides of us still have their sprinklers on, so we have a moat slowly forming around our property. It is supposed to be in the 80s for most of next week...but I'll believe it when I start crabbing about the humidity.

On our way to church we saw a couple out walking. She was sporting ear muffs. I can't wait to see how people dress around here when it gets down to 30. I put light coats on the kids when we went to church so people wouldn't call CPS. Mike is outside in a t-shirt and shorts (it is still humid despite the cooler temperature), our neighbors are out in jeans and sweatshirts.

This past Friday, Mike and I went to Sydney's school for a new parents breakfast. We met the principal, and learned a little bit more about the learning standards. When Mike picked Sydney up from school, he mentioned that he had coffee with her principal. Her eyes got really big and she sank into her seat "WHY???". I absolutely love the obedience of this child. It is so refreshing compared to the rule breaker of a second child we have.

My dad has recently thrown his hat in to the ring to be the Mayor of Greenfield. After Mike gets in from thatching we are going to start working on his campaign website. I think it would be an exciting adventure for both he and my mom.

I'll take some pictures of the house as we have it decorated and email those out soon. Even though we don't have much of a social life yet, we are managing to stay rather busy. We did find an awesome babysitter in my co-worker's daughter. The girls just adore the heck out of her. The babysitter told her mom that Camille wore her out. I hope Camille hasn't scared her off.

Tonight's menu has a touch of southern flare to it. Fried chicken (thanks to my new co-worker for this awesome recipe), which I will peel the skin off of (thanks to Weight Watchers for ruining food for me), creamed spinach, squash and cornbread. Don't be surprised when my kids come home next and they have a southern drawl. HA!

Kansas City or Bust

It is very surreal to watch everything you own pull away in a moving truck. After 11 long hours of packing and another 8 hours of loading, our entire house pulled away from us a week ago Tuesday.

The last few days have flown by in a flurry of activity. We raced down here on Wednesday to make a 3 pm walk through. On the way down, the girls found a stamp pad and stamps in a little travel kit that I didn't notice. From the back comes a tiny voice "Mommy, I need a napkin". Camille actually needed about 5 gallons of paint thinner to get all of the blue ink off of her. Sydney wasn't too far behind in her need of paint thinner either. We managed to miss our walk through appointment by about 45 minutes.

As soon as we got in the house, the girls were up the stairs to seek out their new rooms. They both shrieked when they hit their new spaces. I wish I would have had my camera with me to capture their faces, but our car looked more like a mobile trash can then a mode of transportation.

On Thursday morning we stopped by my office so I could do a few things before the closing. Sydney largely hid behind me, while Camille stuck her right hand out to anyone who came over to say hello. "I'm Camille Wallick" she'd say as she'd grab the right hand of the greeter. The action garnered a number of laughs, so Camille kept doing it (of course).

We had a very quick closing (34 minutes to be exact...Thank you, Chris!) and we were back at the house to meet the movers. Luckily within 15 minutes we had the go ahead to start moving in. The movers that unloaded our belongings were great. They showed the greatest of care with all of our stuff, and I'm happy to say that outside of the holiday boxes I have yet to go through, everything made it in one piece with no noticeable damage.

My coworker stopped over a couple of hours after the movers were done and brought us some beer. I heart beer. I invited him and his wife over for dinner on Sunday, and he looked at me like I had 7 heads. I am quite sure he believed that I could not have the house ready by Sunday. He obviously didn't know what my mom and I could accomplish.

Sydney loves her new school. She came home today with an award as the "Art Student of the Day". I'm a little fuzzy on what she did to get the award, but I'm sure it was something just short of a painting a Monet.

Camille loves her new daycare. I called to check on her during her first day. When I asked how she was doing the director told me "Just great! She's been an angel". I paused..."Camille? Short brown hair?". The director laughed a little. The joke will be on her when she gets to know Camille and her temper a little better.

Thursday is trash day in our new hood. We still don't have a trash can, but trash is an HOA deal, so when Mike noticed that everyone was just throwing bags of trash at the end of their driveways, Mike did the same thing. We differed a little bit form our neighbors because we had about 20 large lawn bags of trash and a large stinky cardboard box (our freezer died 3 days after the move and the stink resulted from paper towels that were used to clean out the old freezer).
Much to our surprise the trash people took everything Mike put down there. Way different then the trash Nazis we dealt with in Minneapolis.

After the movers come to pick up the cardboard and mountain of paper that have taken over our garage we might actually be able to put our cars in the garage!

House Be Gone

I admit, I'm a little nervous about not having sold our house yet. I've tried a few things to help the process along. I've buried St. Joseph upside down in the yard and I've taking some Feng Shui tips and put them into action. I've also employed some Colombian rituals into the mix.

I picked my sister and her three friends up from the airport last week when they got back from Arizona (its a popular vacation site for my siblings and I in the off season). My sister's friend shared a couple of things they did upon the recommendation of a coworker who was from Columbia. Their house sold a week after doing it.

1) Place a red item in the foyer of the house you're trying to sell.
Check. I have a red vase on an occasional table.

2) Place something yellow in your kitchen.
Check, check. I put a yellow silk flower in my centerpiece on the kitchen table.

3). Write "SOLD" on a black polished rock (river rock), wrap it in red ribbon and place it on the right most corner of the house (right as you are looking out of the house). Before you place it outside, hold the rock and say "I'm ready for the house to sell"
Check, check and check. I even had Mike hold the rock and say it. Again, I don't think he was real impressed with me (see post about walking around the house with a candle).

I did that last Thursday and my week is quickly coming to an end here. Nuts.

This past week has been a busy one for our family. Our friends from school threw us a going away party on Saturday night. It was a great night for a BBQ and bonfire. We are forever indebted to Shelly and Kent for hosting such a great party. The families also gave us great gifts to remember our home state by. My favorite was a beautiful framed picture of the Minneapolis skyline at dusk. Sydney received a stationary set from her friends so she can write letters to them when we move. I believe the art of sitting down to write a note or letter has gone by the wayside in lieu of emails and blogs. This gift will be an opportunity for Sydney to learn an old fashioned form of communication.



On Sunday we had Camille's 3rd Birthday parties. We had a little party for her and her friends at the community center pool. It was a beautiful day for a pool party. After that party we quick went home and got ready for our families and Camille's Godparents to come over for a BBQ. I was hoping that by actually planning an event at our house that would almost guarantee a showing. No such luck. Nuts again.




Last night I had dinner with my dear circle of girlfriends (minus 1). All of which I will miss terribly when I move. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in town, Salut. It occurred to me as Heather, Melissa and I were cat calling (sorry about the window lock Heather) Amy, Devin and Anne as we were driving away that these days are numbered.

Change is inevitable and this is my first real lesson in what big change is all about.

T-Minus Three Weeks and Couting

Back in February when I took this job in Kansas City, the end of the summer seemed like a long way off. But here I am, knocking on the door. The contract with the movers is signed, the good-bye parties have started; we have less then three weeks before we leave this great state. I have a mixed bag of emotions going on...sometimes I'm excited and sometimes I'm scared out of my gourd.

I had dinner last night with some old friends. They are girls that I hadn't seen in years, and three of them I hadn't seen in almost ten years. 10 years. Every number takes on a new meaning for me now. I used to think that having a friend for five years was a long time, but now, I measure friendship lengths in decades.

This particular group of girls went to a different high school then I did. We met through orchestra. I don't know how it started, but we began having slumber parties. The slumber parties were all night chat sessions that ended with breakfast at Perkins. There wasn't much that we didn't discuss. We were thespians, musicians, dancers (well not me...I can't dance), teenage girls with big dreams and big crushes. I bared every bit of my soul to them. And even though some of us hadn't seen each other in years, I felt that there was so much I could still confide in them. Before I knew it, it was nearly 11 pm. Gone are the days of the slumber parties...

I did get to watch (or rather, hear) my daughter and her little friend, Jordyn chat until nearly 11 pm this past weekend at the cabin. They laid in the bedroom and giggled. They giggled so hard they didn't make noise at times. Fun hater that sometimes the mom has to be, I had to break-up the party and insist they go to sleep. After I did it, I smiled, and I wondered if Malia's mom smiled the same way I did thinking about her slumber party days as she warned us to be quiet.

One of the things I promised myself we would would do more this summer was go to the cabin.

We were on the last 40 miles of the drive this past weekend. We had finally made our way past most of the people that believe it is their God given right to regulate traffic. Mike put the hammer down (good boy). We were going to make up some of the time we had lost on that stupid detour out of St. Michael. I could see the "Welcome to Akeley" sign but I also saw a car hit the brakes and do a nose dive. Uh-oh. The 5-0. We couldn't even use screaming kids as an excuse for the excessive speed. The three of them were zoned into "Robots" on the DVD player. I started to giggle. Mike cursed out loud (the kids were wearing headphones). He had the cruise set on 75.

"Sir, do you know why I pulled you over tonight?"
"I was speeding"
"I clocked you at 75. When was your last ticket?"
"When I was 16"

I stifled a giggle because that was the honest truth. I'm the one that usually gets the speeding tickets. As the trooper was walking back to his car, Sydney spins around in her seat and says:
"Daddy's in trouble!!!!" The cop came back, gave Mike his ticket. He knocked it down to 65 so it wouldn't go on his record. Which I thought was pretty nice of him. It saved us $50. We can use it to buy groceries in KC when we have no money because of two mortgages. I hope to perfect my weenie-water soup recipe and serve it as the main course for all that come to visit.

We were 5 stinking miles from the cabin. That's it. And in the 22 years I've been making that drive, not once have we ever gotten pulled over. Maybe it was the cabin's way of saying good-bye.


Camille caught her first fish this weekend (actually set the hook and reeled it in). She hopped around the dock "My fishy, my fishy". As you can see from the picture, it wasn't quite mountable, so we went ahead and threw it back in for the Pike. Besides fishing we went up to the headwaters of the Mississippi and saw the largest white pine.





It was a little overcast while we were visiting the mighty pine and the mosquitoes did a good job of chasing us right back to the car (for all of my dancer friends, note that Syd is standing in "dig").

The Good and The Bad

I fondly remember driving back from St. Olaf with my friend from high school (we had gone to check it out our senior year) thinking that I couldn't wait to be an adult. I couldn't wait to make up my own rules, to answer only to myself. Oh how wrong I was about being an adult.

It is easy to look back and feel a sadness towards the time I wished away. I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but I do sometimes wish I could go back to those days...where my biggest concern was getting back home before curfew.

The last month of my life has been filled with such a high level of stress. It doesn't have so much to do with the move, but more with the people that I love around me. I know I internalize other people's problems more than I should, but its what I do. It's also a big reason why I'd like to run screaming back to my high school days.

My dad had a biopsy about a month ago, and I was so consumed with that, it was nearly impossible for me to concentrate on anything else. We have friends that are struggling in relationships, friends that have lost jobs, lost parents....the list seems endless. Why do all of the bad things in life seem to pile up? Is it because people only share bad news? I've silently vowed to share more good news. Well, it was a silent promise until just now.

Now, for a little bit of good news. The girls are doing great. Sydney and Camille are both taking swimming lessons and loving them. Sydney is doing really well in her intensive ballet class (we think that we have found a good studio down in Overland Park). I just sent off the registration papers for Sydney's new school and Camille's new daycare. They are both really excited to start their new adventures.

My parents just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on Monday. That reminds me that I am yet again 34. Dang it.

And the best news of the day, Mike's last day of school was today. He is officially a college graduate with a BS in Computer Science. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him, and everything that he has accomplished while being a full time employee and married to me. ha!

If you chose to comment, I invite you to share some good news.

Beer Girl

I'm a beer girl. I always have been (and I'm not talking the 22 year old scantly clad beer girl behind the tub of beer at a college bar). And if I have any hope of making a night out last more then two hours, I need to drink only beer. This isn't a new concept to me, but it's one that I need to relearn from time to time.

I traveled to Washington and Oregon this past week for work and for whatever reason I decided that I was a vodka girl. If any of you have ever seen my husband fall into a vat of vodka, it pretty much has the same effect on me. When we went to Arizona last week Mike literally passed out standing up at the center island. Ask Mike about the new dance he made up that night. It will be a very vivid funny memory for me until the day I die.

Sadly, I love martinis, cosmos, and vodka & sours, they just don't love me back. Take for instance this past Thursday night. I met my coworker in the hotel bar for a couple of drinks before we met a third party for dinner. A couple turned into 4 before dinner (I should ask the people that make Jolly Ranchers to develop a Cosmo flavored one, and then I can get my fix that way). I also found that cosmos + red wine + gnocchi + white shirt = a REALLY bad idea. That white shirt is in the wash right now, I pray for its survival because it is a piece from my current favorite outfit.

Last night our friends (THANK YOU Missy and Heather!!!) organized a going away party at O'Garas for Mikey and I. We watched our favorite local band play (it's our favorite because our friend is in the band, I won't lie). I stuck to beer and was still standing at 3 am as we ate Taco Bell in our kitchen.

On the house front (the whole reason I started this blog) everything went well with the inspection. We handed the fix-it list back to the seller who agreed to what we wanted done and signed off. We will be leaving for Overland Park on the 27th of August.

The Desert in July

We are closing on the house on August 28th. I called to book the movers today and she suggested we pack and load the house up on the 22nd. I didn't know it would take 6 days to move our belongings 6 hours south. After I questioned it, she said she'd call me back, and that it may work to pack the house on the 24th instead. She estimated that we'll probably take up an entire moving truck.

This revelation totally took me off guard. I never thought of myself as a pack rat. In fact, I embrace the Feng Shui concept of keeping the chi moving by decluttering on a regular basis. You should have seen the heaps of trash we took to the dump and the countless piles of donations we left on the front step for Lupus and the Vets. I have another small, yet neat pile (because you just never know when someone might actually want to look at this place) started in the basement for the next charity scheduled to roll through our neighborhood.

Mike and I took a break this past weekend and met friends down in Scottsdale for a long weekend. The guys golfed as much as they could while the girls did as little as we could. We took a day trip to Sedona, Jerome and Prescott (up and down the mountain), but the best thing about this weekend was that I laughed so hard it hurt, and it happened several times. It's the kind of laughter that lights up a restaurant and makes others wish they were part of the conversation. They are some of the friendships that I am most thankful for. Thanks to Jen, Ryan, Jane, Shannon, Jenn and John for making it a wonderful wonderful trip.

I also learned that you can't go out without sunscreen at 3 pm down there...you still burn.

As soon as Jane sends some pictures I'll post a couple here. We saw some wicked storms roll in (Monsoon season in Arizona) and Jane took some great shots.

I did get the opportunity to see my great aunt and uncle, and my cousin briefly while we were in Arizona. As I walked into the house to give my aunt and uncle the groceries we didn't consume, my Aunt Florence says "Now, did you put all the furniture away, clean up after yourselves, leave the place better then you found it?". I felt like I was about 10. I no longer question why I am the way I am about having everything in my house just so. It comes at me from both sides of the family.

Even after reassuring my Aunt several times that I had cleaned up I still don't think she believed me. If they still had a car, I bet they'd have been on their way up there the minute we left for the airport.

We're Off to See the Wizard...

"Jo, is Kansas in South America or Europe?"

This is a question that Sydney posed to one of our daycare ladies. The poor kid thinks she is moving somewhere exotic. I hate to be the one to tell her that Kansas is actually the epicenter of fly over country.

The big news of today is that we bought a house! This move is now a reality. At least it'll be a reality when we get the signed copy of the purchase agreement from the seller.

The Ants Go Marching

"Do you own two homes yet?" This is a common question from a few of my soon-to-be-coworkers in Kansas City. I think it has become a bit of running joke in the last week.

I don't have any updates on the house we are trying to purchase. We are in this odd holding pattern while we work out a few of the ever so important minor details. I have really lived a sheltered life when it comes to buying a home. I've had the good fortune of having my Mom and Dad "just make it happen", so I actually feel a little bit clueless at 34 (this is the first time I have referred to myself as 34...I don't like it). My greatest anxiety comes from not knowing when we will sell the house we are in now. I'm trying not to waste a ton of energy on something I can't control.

A wise man once said "Money just has a way of working itself out", and largely, I believe that to be true.

I've enlisted some people to help us sell the house. Because I am one of faith, I decided to put a statue of St. Joseph in the ground. I have another statue tucked in a corner of the house and I have another statue ready to go. I have also consulted my step-mother-in-law (SMIL) for some Feng Shui tips. I've walked through the house with a candle and will have Mike do the same in the upcoming week. He doesn't know it yet. I'll let you know how he takes the news.

I fancy myself a clean person. Maybe I'm too uptight about always making sure things are "just so" before I leave. But recently, I don't feel so clean. There are these little ants that have taken over a small area of my kitchen, by the back door. I know they are just stupid little sweet ants, but they are really starting to get the best of me. Tonight I found myself on the floor with a container of wood putty filling in whatever little crack and crevice I could find on the garden door. I could see the little bastards scurrying about, trying to figure out how to march their little piece of dried bread they collected from the rug underneath Camille's chair (I know, I know...I should vacuum more) back to the Queen.

Mike and I had brunch with my old boss and his wife and my parents when we were in Overland Park looking for a house at the end of May. Terri (the boss's wife) told me that Minnesota has nothing on the bugs I'll see when I move to Kansas. I almost lost my appetite (and I was in the middle of a really good piece of bread pudding, so that says a lot). Maybe I'll be wishing for the little sweet ants come this time next year.

Here we go...

For whatever reason, I thought maybe it best to try my hand at blogging. Maybe I think it'll be a nice way to keep in touch with everyone after we move without sending the pesky "look at my kids" emails. If you still want those, I'd be happy to oblige. I wouldn't get my mother of the year badge if I didn't at least offer to do it.

But with the blog, you are welcome to stop by at your leisure. We all have tons of leisure time, don't we?

Mike and I put in an offer on a house. I am really freaked out at the prospect of having two mortgages, but it seems inevitable. It would figure that I would pick the bottom of the market as a time to sell a house. Oh, how I seem to be a case study in bad luck and bad timing. Don't be surprised if you get a call when you are coming in town and we ask you to stop by the grocery store for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.

We are in that "counter offer" stage of the negotiation process, and I don't have a strong feeling either way as to whether or not we'll end up in this house. Outside of a couple of houses way out of our price range, this was the only house that felt like home.