Settled....Not Really

Every day for the past two weeks I've thought, "Today I need to take time to blog about our new house." But we have yet to be completely settled and, with the new school year beginning this week, I am running around like a wild child every day, trying to get it all done. This morning I decided to slow my roll until church and just enjoy a relaxing morning. 

We moved in a little over two weeks ago and we have a never ending To-Do list that has us falling into bed, exhausted, every night. But it's a happy exhaustion. We are working as a team to complete projects. Rob is teaching P how to build a backyard fence. It's almost done so the dogs will be able to be outside all day instead of the mud room. (I even got to help dig holes for the fence posts!) P has also learned how to use the riding lawnmower so he gets paid to mow the lawn every week. E has spent the weekend pressure washing the driveway. Together, as a family, we helped the landscaper clear out and trim back the bushes in the front yard. Rob is constantly cleaning up areas and now has a big project to turn the dilapidated barn into a storage shed for our lawn equipment. He's also going to clear out the abandoned greenhouse so I can plant veggies this Winter.

Watching TV has always been a bone of contention between me and Rob. But, since moving here, I've actually had to tell him that maybe he should go sit down and watch TV. He's going to have neck surgery in the near future and pushes the limits daily with doing projects. We are so busy that the TV is only turned on for a very brief time before we all go to bed. That's the only thing I've missed since moving here- the family time at night, after dinner. But, once we get into a routine with the new school year, I'm sure we'll get back into that routine.

It's not that we haven't had family time. In between house projects, we make time to do fun things together. Last week we had dinner on the water and enjoyed a concert by an up and coming country artist. Yesterday we took the boys to the Wildlife Extravaganza. It hasn't been a Summer full of vacations but the boys still seem to be enjoying it. They ask to stay home all the time because they love our new house.

My favorite part of our house is our front porch. Yesterday Rob surprised me with a beautiful new porch swing since my other one was too big for our front porch. I've gotten in the habit of enjoying my morning coffee and devotions on the front porch every morning while the dogs run around and explore. That's my favorite part of the day and I am not looking forward to rushing that in the mornings now that school is about to start.

Speaking of rushing, I need to go get ready for church so I'm not rushing to get it done. 

Goodbye LA

We moved to Louisiana a little over 9 years ago. We've lived in our current house longer than I've lived anywhere since I was 17 years old. But yet, this still doesn't feel like home. That being said, there are some great people here. I have made some wonderful, lifelong friends while living here. We've created priceless memories. And I wouldn't trade that for the world! Today is our last official day living in Louisiana. So, if someone came up to me and asked what I'll miss most about LA first and foremost I'd say my friends. But here are a few other things I will miss as well:

1. The way the energy comes alive any time "Callin' Baton Rouge" is played. Whether it's at a ball game or at a race or at a parade, the crowd takes it to a whole new level that you can't understand if you haven't lived here. 

2. Seafood boils at the Deslatte'. I've never understood the fascination with crawfish, but I sure love all the veggies Cory puts into it. Actually, scratch that. I love all the get togethers the entire Larch Ct invites us to. They are an awesome group of people and I love watching them bring together a BBQ, party, seafood boil, etc.

3. The Tiger 10k. I've done a lot of runs in my life but this one is a favorite. I love that the boys run it with me and it's a family event. I love that there are always so many people I know running it. I love running across the finish line at the 50 yard line of Tiger Stadium. I love it all!

4. Cate St. We didn't discover this delicious restaurant until a couple years ago. It quickly became our favorite because of the sushi. But, in reality, everything on the menu is great. P and I went there the other night for a mother/son date and he asked if he could sign a dollar bill to hang in the restaurant, something they are known for. So we left our mark on one of our favs.

5. The sense of community SELA has after a natural disaster. When the flood of 2016 hit I was overwhelmed with all the people who had lost everything but were still reaching out to offer help. Then Hurricane Laura hit and a year later Hurricane Ida hit and people continued to help their neighbor. The sense of community here is probably something I will never experience again and I'm so thankful that I've been able to witness it, to know there are still a lot of good people in this world. 

6. P's youth group and its leaders. That is one thing I wish we could take with us. The youth leaders pour themselves into making the youth group the best it can be and, more importantly, they pour into the kids. Both of the youth leaders called P last night after youth group to let him know they are only a phone call away if they're ever needed. One of them prayed over our family as we embark on this next chapter. We are blessed, knowing P is doing as well as he is with his Christian walk, because of prayers and, in part, awesome youth leaders.

7. Our neighborhood. I have loved that E's best friend is only a few houses down from us. I love my evening walks around the neighborhood with our dogs. I love the different houses in our 2 street subdivision. I love how quiet it is. And my favorite, is being able to walk over to my friend Melodie's house to chat. 

8. The sunrises and sunsets. My favorite part of the day is when I come out of our subdivision in the morning. The sun is coming up and the whole sky is bathed in orange and yellow. In the evenings, I try to go out for a walk around sunset so I can watch the sky once again light up as the day comes to an end.

9. You know I can't write my Top 10 Favorite Things without mentioning my gym. A year and a half ago I made a lifechanging decision to join Fit Body Boot Camp. Over the past year and a half they have become more than a gym. They've become a family. I will miss the coaches and my gym friends tremendously!

10. Last but certainly not least, I will miss my 5th grade team at LVE. I have worked with some awesome people over the years. And I have been part of some really great teams. But this one takes the cake. We meshed and gelled and never once had drama. The cohesiveness we had was phenomenal. I knew they had my back and I had theirs. A one of a kind group of ladies! (And sadly, we have hardly any pictures together.)

That concludes it. My Top 10 Things I'll Miss Most about LA. On that note, it's time to finish packing before the movers show up. Peace out, LA!

Summer Shenanigans

 When our Summer break first started, we didn't know when we'd be moving. So we didn't plan a lot for this Summer. Usually we are on the go so much that the start of the new school year is when we actually get to slow down and relax. Ha! This Summer is much like our 2020 Summer without a lot on our calendar. We've gotten together with friends for BBQs, the trampoline park, baseball and dinner dates for me. But we've also had a lot of down time at the house....and WAY TOO much screen time for all of us.

The highlights of our Summer was P going to church camp, his 13th birthday celebration, the end of E'a baseball season (with a couple wins!!) and our trip to Cali. We went to Cali at our usual Summer time  but this time we didn't stay as long due to uncertainties with E's baseball schedule, P's church camp and our move. On the way to Cali we had a long layover in Vegas so I paid way too much in Uber/Taxi fees to take the boys to see the strip for the first time. We watched a snipit of the Bellagio water light show and saw some of the famous casinos. Then we made our way to NorCal to visit my parents, where we fished, fed fish, went to a small town parade, ate great food, swam at the lake and went to a baseball game. Then we topped it off in SoCal with my brother and his family, going to Disneyland for the boys' first time, touring the USS Midway, looking for shells on the beach and eating great food. As my mom likes to say, "We crammed a lot into the little time we had together." We always love our Cali time, but I especially loved spending extra time with my brother and his family this trip!

Once we got back, I went to into "move mode". We also celebrated P's birthday. A friend of mine made a custom Ole Miss cake for him, which is probably the best red velvet cake I've ever eaten. We also grilled steaks and corn on the cob at his request. Then, a couple days after his birthday, we celebrated with a few of his friends by going to the movies to watch Top Gun: Maverick and then having dinner at his favorite local Mexican restaurant. It was a low-key, but fun, way to celebrate our boy becoming a teenager.

Well, I'd write more but I'm off to pack more before doing a photo shoot and then watching E play baseball on a friend's team. Happy Saturday!