That's one of the deal-breakers.....

Several people made comments that they pictured my house differently, and that is actually one of the deal breakers of why we are not going to buy this one. We ARE living in the South, for crying out loud, so I definitely don't think we should have a house that looks like it could be my parent's neighbors house or something. I want one with a big ole front porch, and DB has his eye on a house on the way to school that looks like Elizabeth Swan's that he really wants. When we do buy, we will not let you down.....we will get one that is appropriate for the South.

Our house

Okay, enough of the nagging! Here are some pics of our house. It has been a lot of fun to get settled and even have space to spare. I don't have a pic of the kitchen because, well, I don't like the kitchen, but I still have extra cupboard space. Also, we have an entire room dedicated to STUFF! It is actually our computer room, but I keep stashing stuff back there that I don't know what to do with. And as you can see, half of our great room is set aside solely for the time out chair, because that is the only piece of furniture we have to put in that part of the house! I don't think we will be buying this house, there are just some things that are deal breakers for a buy, but it is perfect to be renting while we figure out this area and see how Ben's job goes. Love y'all!

A couple pics of the drive....

So I finally downloaded some pics from our drive.....these are from that fun restaurant we stopped at in Amarillo, TX. It was a perfect stopping point where we had some fun and stretched our legs. There is a 72 oz steak that you can have for free if you eat it all plus a salad, 4 shrimp, and a dinner roll. 3 guys from Michigan tried it while we were there, and DB was fascinated because they had to sit up on this elevated table and had a big timer behind them (you have to do it in 60 min...) They couldn't do it. bummer....I'd hate to have to pay for that sucker!

One of those days....

My sweet DB got off of the bus today and solemly said, "Mom, today was the longest week EVER!" Poor kid, I have had some of those days in my life! I couldn't help but giggle.

Settling In

Well, we have sorta made a home for ourselves here in TN. It was unbelievably cold earlier this week and I really thought I might die. I haven't seen weather that cold in a long time. I had started to have second thoughts about this whole relocation thing, but then it warmed up a bit, and I decided that things aren't so bad here. It is awesome to have a house (with a backyard!!) and have utilized the space already. The ward has been unbelievable, and has fed us well this week. I think I MAY have to start cooking this week though, we have worn out our welcome as far as that goes!

We are still all sick, and are going through tissues like water around here. DB has been able to remain healthy enough to go to school, though which is good because He is going to have to go every day if he is going to get used to the new routine of full day Kindergarten. If I put him on the bus in the mornings instead of taking him myself, he is gone 9 hours a day!!! For Kindergarten!!! So I usually drive him there myself and save an hour away from my little buddy. The only tears I have shed since we have gotten here has been for the adjustment my little guy has had to make. We haven't seen hide nor hair of any kids his age around our neighborhood, he is behind at school because he hasn't been going to school even half the time as these kids, and it is hard to learn all the new rules and routines of a new classroom. The other day he couldn't remember his code to get lunch and he had a substitute that day who didn't know his code either, so it was kind of a big deal to figure out if this kid had paid for lunch already and he came home a bit upset about it. Now, don't get me wrong, he doesn't come home crying every day, just tired. He has always been relatively adaptable so I am sure he will be just fine. It is just the overprotective mommy inside of me that just wants everything to be wonderful and perfect for my little man.

Anyway, we are all good, one of these days I will get some pics on here.....

Southern Hospitality

We got to our home yesterday afternoon, pulled all of our c-r-a-p out of the car and went down to Sears to get ourselves a fridge. We ended up being there forever, because the salesmen just wouldn't stop talking! We got invited to 3 different churches, and everyone was just so nice! We came home to our empty house (which stinks, by the way) and hung out for the rest of the night.

Then we were able to go to church this morning. The overflow of the chapel is being refurnished, so the seating was very tight, and we were there late because we got lost in the first place, so we got to go in late to sit in the choir seats......helllllooooo, everyone! Here we are! The new people! Anyway, everyone was very nice, and very accommodating. We even had someone offer to go get our fridge for us tomorrow instead of having us have to rent a u-haul, and we had another family invite us over for dinner so we wouldn't have to break the Sabbath. (don't worry, our Sunday Dinner Amigos, nobody will EVER be able to replace you! They weren't HALF as awesome as you are!!!!!) I struggled a bit during Relief Society, although we sang the song How Firm a Foundation and I really liked the part "Fear not, I am with thee oh be not dismayed. For I am thy Lord and will still give thee aid." How true this is. I am suddenly surrounded by nothing that I have ever known--there is no Costco nearby, we had to DRIVE to our friends' house for dinner tonight, and who knows when our stuff is going to show up. But all is well. We sang the same songs in church, and that was a great comfort.

One thing I forgot, when we were picking up the keys to our house, we were reviewing our lease and the landlord mentioned that we are responsible for the upkeep of the lawn. Without even thinking, I asked if there was a sprinkling system installed or if we needed sprinklers. She looked at me like I was from Mars, and politely reminded me that we get enough rain here that it shouldn't be a problem. Gotcha. Just mow, no sprinklers. Check. Next crazy thing.....the house next door is currently being rebuilt after a tornado wiped it out last year. Yes. Rebuilding from the foundation up. Right next door. Yikes.

So, tomorrow we've got to get DB registered for school--which is another thing....suddenly my baby is in FULL day school. No summer preparation for this, he is suddenly in full day school. What am I going to do tomorrow afternoon without my buddy around?