So much change for Fall

Fall is going to be exciting around here!  I always loved Fall.  I love the color changes and the welcome of cooler weather after a hot summer.  This Fall for our family will be exciting.  We are building our "Nest" (house) which is long over due.  Most birds fly South for the winter but we are heading North.  Our house will be in Howell MI.  It's a really nice town to raise our girls and I hope our family will be very happy there for years.  Being in Toledo away from family and friends has been hard but I am excited and determined to make great friends in my new neighborhood.  This short year here in this neighborhood seemed like forever.  The "nest" will be done at the end of November.  I can already see where the Christmas Tree is going to be...I actually got excited today just thinking "I finally have my fireplace that my kids stockings can hang from every year".  It's funny the silly things that make you happy after living in Military housing for so many years and having your home change every 3-4 years.  (in some cases ever less then that)  I will make sure we have a big house party to make sure you all know you are always welcome at our home!

Larry's Birthday is next week.  He will hit his big "40" even if he wont admit to it!  He seems to be one who doesn't want to celebrate it too much.  Me on the other hand.  I turn 40 three weeks later and I am all about celebrating.  LOL  I don't mind at all that I am 40.  I will also be in Hawaii so that may help too.  The sun on my skin and a drink with a tiny umbrella will certainly help.  :-)  I get to spend some time with good friends and that is greatly missed.  Patience and Melissa better watch out..we are going to have some fun.  :-)

Abby and Chloe are great.  Abby is in 4th grade and doing so good.  She is so smart and I am so grateful for that.  Chloe is home with me for a few months.  She will go into preschool again as soon as we get into the new house.  I didn't want to put her in one here for 2-3 months and then move her to another in November so we just put it all on hold.  She just turned 4 this summer and she went last year too so I think she will survive.

Matt has recently moved back home for a few months.  He is looking for work here in Toledo and then his girlfriend and him will be moving out together when we move to the new house.  At least that is the plan.  It can be trying at times because our views on thing are so much more different then the kids these days but I am biting my tongue.  He will have his own place and responsibilities one day and will look back and realize the mistakes he made just like we all have.  That's the good thing in life, we are all human and we all make mistakes. 

I want to send good wishes to everyone and let you all know I am thinking of all my friends out there.  Lots of love ...

So the moving DRAMA begins!

Well it's been a while and much has happened.  We drove up and picked out all of our colors and materials and designs for the houses finishing touches.  Only to be shadowed with the death of our poor Major when we came home.  That really took the fun out of house building.  : (  Then a week later we find out the engineers say our house is too big for our Lot of land and the house can not go on it at all!  Well that just about done it for me.  I believe in Karma and that house was starting to give me bad JUJU!  

   We picked a new Lot and the basement should be started in July.  That doesn't put us in the house now till probably DECEMBER.  Not what I wanted to do for Christmas but I guess its a blessing to have a house.  I am hoping we can move over Abby's Christmas break so she wont miss too much school.  I am really not looking forward to the painting though.  The builder paints all the houses White because they have had problems in the past were people changed their minds and didn't want to close until the house color was fixed.  Kinda silly and a pain for me because I hate an all white house and I am not the best painter but we'll do what we have to do.  

    We are getting ready to head to Maryland at the end of this week and we are excited to see our friends.  It has been since October since we seen them.  The girls are going to have so much fun just being with them again.  I know I am looking forward to just sitting on the couch chatting with good friends again.  Then always make me laugh.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and a safe one if you are traveling.  We will keep you updated and will put up a picture of our land when I go up there in May.  Till then XOXOXO
 

Our new "home"

Well as a military member I should be use to saying that but I type it and it seems a little weird.  We are embarking on a new adventure in our lives that will allow us to plant some final roots.  We are excited and a basket case of nerves as well.  We are building a brand new home and MAN IS IT SCARY!  I love that we get to pick out the home layout and colors and material but it sure does have a lot of red tape and fine lines to read between.  A whole bunch of number crunching and fun things like that that we never think of when we started this journey.  I will say if I look up one more granite color, marble color, mantle style,wood floor type or appliance my eyes may fall out of my head and hit the keyboard itself.  After a while you start to get confused and don't know what you like anymore.  :o) 


       So come October we will be living in Howell Michigan.  We are really excited.  I think it will be a great place for our kids to grow up.  In some small ways it reminds us of our life on a military base with the perks it has, close community development, community center and pool.  I love that the kids will be in walking distance from the pool.  That will make teenage years easy for Momma to keep an eye on them.  ;o)  See momma plans ahead. 

   Life for us all has changed a lot since Larry retired the Marine Corps.  He has had to adjust to civilian life and I know he misses the Corps a lot.  My children have had to say good bye to friends that they have gotten close to and move to an area where they can not just go outside an run freely with a dozen kids at any given time.  I miss that the most for my Abby.   The security of knowing my Military family was always watching my children and making sure they were safe as we did theirs in the neighborhood.   You just don't have that in the civilian life style.  I have had to watch friends move away that have become my family that I know I will never live next to as a neighbor ever again and that is hard.  Those women have become very much a part of my family as my blood family is to me.  Coming back to my home town has shown me how much I have grown apart from some people or maybe I should say they have grown apart from me.  I'm still here but I never expected them to go away.  I have had the chance to really reconnect with some family that I feel I've had some strain between us because of living far away so long and that has been wonderful.  You never realize what a sacrifice a person gives to be in the military whether it is the active duty person or the spouse and children.  I surely have a broader look on that subject after my tours with my Marine.  I have sacrificed more then I ever would have imagined I would have been asked to sacrifice but in the end I would do it again because my husband is a WONDERFUL man and my children mean the world to me and so do ALL my friends and Family.  I even love and care so very much for the ones who no longer stand by me.  I'm proud to say that number is small that do not but their absents are still missed and count.  Hold your love ones close and thank those who do give all for you everyday.  Not just military but others like Fireman and Police officers and EMT that even have to go into scary situations at times.  We so don't give thanks enough.