Tumbleweed

I have this really bad habit of getting antsy when I have lived in one place for more than...oh...two years. Antsy like I have little creatures who normally live in a hill marching around in my underpinnings.

In fact, we move around so much that we have our own moving crew. And our own T-SHIRTS...and everyone knows that having your own shirts makes you legit. For reals.


And so I talk about it. And talk and talk and tallllllk. And plan. And Graham mostly looks at me like: girl's crazy. And then I talk some more.

We have lived in Connecticut for a little over a year now...so (although we still have another solid two years here) I am all bored with it and ready to go someplace new. Here are my top choices:

Los Angeles: *THUD* That was the sound of my mom hitting the ground somewhere in the Metro Atlanta area from the coronary that she had when she read that. But, I mean, Southern California is just so beautiful...and sunny...and beachy -- all of the things that I love the most. And my favorite place on the planet, Pepperdine, is there. And, well, if I ever got the opportunity to teach there it would just make me jump so high that I would be the first official Grad Student to ever orbit the earth without a space-suit.

Nashville: I lived in Nashville for a few years and it has this great balance of city and country. Plus it has the Puffy Muffin. And Baja Burrito. And Mazatlans. Mostly I would want to move there for the food. Obviously.

New York City: Everyone likes a happy spouse. And moving to Manhattan would make my husband the happiest human being on the planet. ON. THE. PLANET. Plus I have always wanted to live in a truly, truly walkable city. And the take-out options! Geeze-Louise!

Atlanta: There will always be a pretty hefty chunk of my heart traveling, in a little heart-shaped-vehicle, up and down 400 and around 285; because that is just how much I love this city. It is where I grew up and where all of my very favorite people live.

Where would you live if you could move anywhere?

Our New Home

Well...we are in Connecticut and, after a little over one week of moving, cleaning, arranging, painting, and more cleaning, we are about settled in. I am so thankful to everyone who has helped us with this move...my mom and little brother came out to help with the hard work of moving the furniture from Atlanta to Connecticut, Graham's parents helped us move and have been here for about a week helping us with the finishing touches, and Grandma is making us all sorts of goodies!

Here are some after pictures...there is still a good bit of painting to be done, though. More pictures to come later.

Our kitchen...this is one of my favorite parts of the house...I actually have extra cabinet and counter space.

The kitchen again

The TV room
The TV room again, the frames with the plates in them were my favorite projects

Foyer...this piece of furniture used to be brown

Upstairs hall after...we need to get some of Graham's photos framed for the wall

The neighborhood is so nice and the people are extremely friendly. Last week we went out to pick blackberries and then made cobbler...it's like living in Mayberry. Needless to say it is a lot different than California. We are really excited and feel very blessed.

It has been a busy week elsewhere in our family, too...as Graham and I have two new baby cousins. Jake and Mallory were born yesterday - Congrats to J. and Allison!! We are so excited for y'all and will be praying for your new family...whoa, long post...sorry...but it has been a while and MUCH has happened.

Changes

I am sitting here getting ready to move to Connecticut in 5 days, I am reading blogs from various members of my family, and I am mulling over things in my head.

Suddenly, it hits me. There must be a name for this year: the year when FOUR (yes, four) new babies will be born into our ever-growing family, David will have bid farewell to a fruitful 30-year career with AT&T just as Ryan says hello to a new career in teaching (yay!), we will have moved across the country from West to East, and Lauren and Josh will have moved across the country from East to West.

"The year of the change", I think, is an appropriate title for 2008. I am so blessed and thankful that all of these changes have been welcome ones. God is good and faithful.

There's Snow Place Like Home

Over the past few days I have been talking to a lot about our impending move and I am getting very, very excited for our relocation to Connecticut. I haven't lived in a place where it snows since I was in the 4th grade. Now, I am sure that opinion will alter slightly after I strain my back shoveling my driveway for the first time...but, for now, I am really looking forward to it.

This December my little family will have our first white Christmas. Last year I wore flannels for the sake of wearing flannels...but it was probably about 70 degrees outside...now don't get me wrong, I certainly miss California, but that is one thing that I will not miss. This winter I will be wearing flannels because I need to. Chances are I will not use the phrase "unseasonably warm" even once!

We have been so blessed to have the opportunity to live in so many different, exciting places. Life should be an adventure, after all.

Prisoner of Bore (dom)

*note: this post includes pictures which are not eco-friendly...if you are passionately ridin' that green wave all the way to a new earth, please go no further...as it might burn your retinas, cause you to hate me or, worse, make me lose a page visit!)*

Boxes, tape, packing paper all around us (and "Where's that blasted Sharpie?")...sounds like moving season is officially upon us. We have taken the last month to say goodbye to our favorite LA spots, beloved friends and coworkers, and lastly to our uniquely apartment-like popcorn ceilings. All there is to do now is put everything in boxes. Usually this process isn't a dangerous one...but, alas, today there was some collateral.

I know, wasteful, and plastic of all things...but I just couldn't resist...