The Washingtonian

So, the kids come home from school, do their homework, then they are out the door. We are lucky enough here to have some woods they can play in. I remember as a child playing in the woods, pretending that was our house, just as my kids are doing now. Boy, That makes me feel old! They are coming back filthy, which I always say is a sign of a good time. I got them walkie-talkies so they can contact me or vise versa. They are still learning how to use them so I over hear Julia saying "hey, you guys hungry? My mom can bring us a snack." Then Maggie uses it as a microphone, so I hear her version of "Apple bottom jeans". We have been busy with some fun Halloween activities around here. The weather is really nice and cool. I've started volunteering at school here and there. That has given something to do and get me out of this house. We have met a lot of our neighbors at some gatherings. They have all been super nice and welcoming. Speaking of gatherings, there is thi

Well, it hasn't quite been a month yet and we are getting settled in. I have not one curtain hung but as far as boxes go, I'm in good shape (thanks, Pam). I've managed to find all of the things that I blamed the movers for "losing" and I have a listing on Craigslist for free boxes! Please someone take them off my hands and save a tree while doing it. I'm kind of at a standstill with decorating. We have not painted anything or hung one picture. I think with that comes a real ownership (well, the mortgage is real) as if to say... This is home. Not sure if I'm ready. Every other time I've moved I have been in such a hurry to do those things. I'm not feeling it this time. I'm really homesick for all or any of my old homes, anything familiar and comfortable would be nice. My old friends, too, mostly. Miss Margaret was sick this week. She finally went back to school today. Our pediatrician (cvs doc in a box) said it was viral, but it hit her hard

This will just be a little short update. I have the feeling that this week I'll be buried under a few hundred boxes and may not be able to post. Closing is supposed to be tomorrow! We went to NY over the weekend to finish things up with the house. It took us 7 hours to get there. Way too long! The girls had a little bit of a hard time seeing the house all packed up, but then they went down the street to see their friends and that was the end of that! We had a great time in NY but had to leave early yesterday to get back in time for Religious Education. It was our first class. The girls recognized some kids from school, so that's always a good feeling. Well, have to go get the kids from school. They are adjusting better and better each day! Thank God for that!

Hello all, hope that everyone is doing well. Seems these days we are dealing with weather issues all around us. Either it's fires, droughts, floods or tornadoes. Not too far from here in Maryland there were some tornadoes that touched down the other night. Our nice cleaning lady told us that piece of info! In Woodstock, Ga. where I used to live there was one probably not even 5 miles from our old house. It did some damage, but no deaths. There are road closures everywhere up here because of the flooding. Dave drove down yesterday to be with us and it took him 3 hours to get to Manhattan and usually takes 1. As for Texas, we have family dealing with smoke and poor air quality. Not to mention the extreme heat this summer. I wish I could share some of this rain with them! I have not seen sunshine since I left NY! The girls are finishing up their first week of school here. It was a tough week and they really deserve a relaxing, fun weekend. We thought DC might be a good idea because

"Mom, are you crying?" "Yes, Maggie" "Do what I do and motivate yourself" "How do you do that?" "You pay attention to other things because crying doesn't change anything" "Ok, I'll try that, thanks" That was as we drove out of our neighborhood in NY yesterday to head to Maryland. The girls made some really good friends there. I did too. Not many, but the ones I did make are special. We just did it 9 months ago so it's like the wound is open again. The drive was uneventful. It took us almost 7 hours. Longer than it should have but we HAD to stop in northern Maryland for Popeye's chicken. The girls love the mashed potatoes there, ok, mom does too. The rain and tolls also slowed us down a bit. The girls were a little wired last night. Maggie slept in the car for probably 3 hours. They have been playing pretty hard all summer, staying up late and getting as much time in with their friends as they could. I

I'm starting to think it's me. All in one year; record snow, record heat, an earthquake and a hurricane. Believe me, I can handle the heat, but the others combined with moving twice in one year are about to put me over the edge. We were in the basement having the house inspected in Maryland when the whole house started to shake. We ran out after the initial thought of "what in the hell is happening?". The trees and patio furniture continued to shake just as the earth did right under our feet. We realized shortly after the first rumble it was an earthquake but people in that area immediately thought terrorist attack. Then it occurred to us that if it is an earthquake and the epicenter is in the ocean and my kids are at the beach...oh no! Well, the phones were not getting cell service but we were able to text. It wasn't long before finding out that they felt it too but they were safe. Thank God. Then there's Irene. Knowing what my family and friends went t

Well, I came to NY kicking and screaming and that's how I'll leave. I'm finally just grasping the idea of all of this. We should close on our house in Maryland in mid Sept. Until then, I will be living in a hotel with the children (when they start school) while Dave finishes work here in NY. We did the hotel thing when we moved here...not fun. Anyway, let's back up. Without going into too many details, Dave is taking a job with a distributor in D.C. Not as exciting as NY you say? I say that too. But, the good thing is this job is there and that's it and that's that. We will not be moving again. And that my friends, is a Good Thing. We will be living outside of Annapolis. Is that really where I want to plant roots? Not sure, mostly because all of this is happening really fast. I kind of have a bit of an attitude about this whole thing as you may be able to tell...but it's almost 1 in the morning and I had too much coffee tonight and can't sleep so that gi

Today is the last day of Camp Kiki Wanna Kiki for the girls. They are so sad. I am going to try to show up early to take some pictures of them. I'm sure they will be embarrassed. Last week I held a piece of paper out of the window in the carpool line with their names on it. This mortified Maggie. She was pretty upset. I guess I need to start being more aware of how I act in front of them. They are getting at "that age". Dave had some "work" in Montauk over the weekend. We did a pub crawl Saturday afternoon and then went to a nightclub that night. Montauk is on the very tip of Long Island. It was gorgeous. We watched the sunset and applauded and cheered as it dipped in the ocean (or bay, I forgot what side of LI we were on) from an old establishment called Montauket (see pic to the right). It is definitely deserving of applause. Simply stunning. The whole island was beautiful. There were old windmills. There also was an old light house we wanted to go into but r

Well, a lot has happened since I blogged last.  We have had more visitors and got to do some more sight seeing. We have loved every minute of it. It has given us the opportunity to go to the city many more times than we probably would have minus the company. The kids have wrapped up the school year.  We have been to more social events with neighbors and friends.  Living life and enjoying it! I finally got my BAYOUGRL licence plates in the mail. I am so proud.  BAYOUGRL was not taken.  WHODAT was,  LSUTIGR was.  I think BAYOUGRL is perfect!  I felt really uncomfortable driving around with the Georgia plates. I just new the horn blowing and cutting me off had something to do with them.  Southerners do tend to move a little slower than northerners.  That holds true with me except for my driving. I fit right in up here. Speaking of the south and the bayou, we had quite the experience grilling shrimp.  I bought them from the freezer section at the grocery store.  They were from Guatemala.

It has been almost a month since I blogged last. We have come a long way in that month. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable in my surroundings. I don't feel so overwhelmingly out of place. I still use the garmin while driving. I'm still trying to work out little things. Like finding a dry cleaner that won't charge me $81 to dry clean Dave's work clothes, for example. I am feeling confident enough to take the train into the city by myself. I met a friend down there for dinner. That was fun. I was excited to do that (and a little proud of myself). Finding a good fabric store is on my list. I still need to get a NY driver's license and plates. We are back to wearing coats today and may have more snow tonight. Happy spring, right? Dave is lighting us a fire as I type. Most of you have probably been sweating at the ball park all day. We had just a couple of days of nice weather. I'm not bitter. Speaking of nice weather, you know where they have beautiful weather

Well, I have not blogged in a while.  This week is winter break, as if the kids have not had enough days off of school!  They are downstairs playing in the basement with Skipper. They spend a lot of time doing that these days.  They are still enjoying school and loving their new home.  I have been adjusting fine.  I have to admit, I have had my moments. Like the one moment when I ran out of the drycleaners begging the police officer to not write me that parking ticket. I'd say that was a 'moment'.  And driving around aimlessly not knowing which way to go to get home, another 'moment' or two.  But overall, I'd have to say I'm getting used to it.  I am checking into a newcomers group to join, I also signed up to teach CCD at church.  I will teach a third grade class across the hall from Julia.  She opted out of being in my class, I can take a hint.  My sister and her kids comes to visit in a couple of days.  We just got a fresh snow (5 inches or so), just what

I had a wonderful start to my day.  I got up and went to lie down with Julia in her bed. Out of her window she has the best view of the sunrise.  The sun came up over the horse farm. In Woodstock, we had the best view of the sun set from our deck. The sun goes down over a ridge.  In the fall the trees are so vibrant. Today is Saturday! Yay for Saturday!  I have plenty to do but that's okay.  Maggie just vomited so that kind of makes today a little less fun  :)  Especially for her :( She has fever to go along with it. I guess it's the same thing that Julia had but Maggie has a much weaker stomach, so there you go. Dave is working in the garage, organizing again.  It's so cold out there.  He is looking for a certain tool and can't find it! It's driving him crazy! It's got to be in there somewhere. The girls had some friends come over after school yesterday.  It was great. I think it was the first time I felt normal since we moved.  It was a warm feeling in the

Today is a "normal" day. The girls are off at school, Dave is at work, and I am at home.  I'm glad to have some routine again! One of the pros about this move was that Dave would be home more and not travel as much.  We are so thankful for that.  There was so much that he missed at home because he was always on the road.  I did not have to cook as much, though!  It was much easier feeding the 3 of us....leftovers, ravioli, Pam's house! The girls got off to school great.  They stayed up a little bit later last night because of the Super Bowl.  We went over to one of Dave's coworker's to watch the first half of the game. The food was fabulous! We had a good time! His coworkers and families are super nice.  Other than the Super Bowl, our weekend was pretty low key. Dave worked in the garage organizing junk.  I worked inside unpacking junk.  The kids played in the snow.  I found a sled at the Goodwill for $4!  I love a good deal. They had a blast with it.  The t

Well, a lot has happened since my last update.  We moved in last Sunday.  I am still in awe by how much stuff we have.  I was not there when they packed the house in Woodstock, so I had no idea how many boxes were on that truck.  I guess that is what 10 years of marriage and 2 kids will do to you!  We are still tripping over boxes.  I am hoping to get a lot done this weekend.  Julia has been sick all week, only going to school on Monday.  We found a pediatrician that we like. We had 2 more snow days this week so she did not miss that much school.  It is snowing again now with more in the forecast for Wednesday.  Really?  I would love for the kids to go out and play in it so I can post some pics.  I don't know if Julia is ready for that. Skipper has been challenged by the snow when going to the bathroom.  For a few days his legs immediately sank in the snow, putting his bottom right on the snow.  This, obviously causing a problem.  Then we got another few inches, so his legs sank

What an eventful week!  Snow and more snow and more snow and more snow. It is just crazy.  They never have this much snow.  Outside of a seafood restaurant they built a big snow lobster and spray painted it red.  It's just like building a sand castle...NOT! Wednesday the roads were really nasty.  We decided to stay at a friend's house in Somers after I picked the kids up from school.  We know them through Dave's job.  The wife so graciously took us in and fed us.  We are so blessed to have them.  I was scared to death to ride on these slushy, icy roads. Not to mention these hotel walls were getting to me, so I was happy to have a change of scenery. This is where we got our first lesson in snow shoveling.  I will post a picture of my car buried.  Luckily, the driveway was plowed for us. The snow is so thick, when Maggie walked in it yesterday she lost both of her shoes. They had a 2 hour delay at school that morning.  Maggie caught the bus with her children. The bus driver

I just brought the girls to school again.  Maggie is still very nervous, forcing her to get sick in my car this morning in car rider line right before the teacher opened the door.  She is not my nervous child.  She is the kid that is so laid back.  Nothing ruffles her feathers. I don't get it.  Believe me, she is entitled.  It's huge to be the new kid.  So we are taking it day by day.  Julia loves it and is not nervous a bit.  We were invited to a birthday party last night. Maggie was in school for one day and received the invite.  She was thrilled to be there. It was at an ice skating rink. The girls surprised me. The were just as good as the locals!  We will definitely go back.  They had so much fun.  I was able to meet the parents and children in her class.  Again, everyone is so nice. I am sorry to complain about the weather again, but this morning it was negative 5 degrees. When I said last week that the cold was the worse I've felt. I take that back. Today wins the

The low tomorrow is 2 degrees. The cold here is a bitter cold. It is like nothing I've ever experienced.   As long as the windchill is above 15, the children go out to recess at school.   When I grew up in St. Bernard, you could wear shorts most Christmases. So it is quite different. Even in Georgia, Maggie wore a bathing suit under her clothes year 'round. You never know! It is now the weekend. Dave had to be in Atlanta last week for work and has to be there this week coming for the movers so he just decided to stay.  The girls and I are in the hotel going a bit stir crazy.  Don't get me wrong, I have not made a bed or taken out the trash in 2 weeks. I could get used to that! Yesterday was ok (they had a snow day, AGAIN).  That makes 3 snow days in the last 2 weeks.  More than usual for this area. Even the locals have had enough of the snow. The kids played here and I watched tv all day. Partially because I was bored but partially because I needed a distraction from bein

We woke up this morning to the news of our new school being closed for a snow day. It was actually the ice on the roads that was so dangerous. My Cherokee County friends are familiar with that! I'm really nervous about driving up there. I definitely do not need ice in the mix. Julia was disappointed, needless to say. We will try again tomorrow! We walked to Target today.  We are beginning to have cabin fever!  There was freezing rain and we did not pack an umbrella.  One thing that I am not accustomed to is paying for parking. I disagree with it in certain places...a mall, target, a grocery store. I understand paying for parking at a special event, but everyday errands is a bit much.  I think it is downright crazy. Well, you know what is craziER...walking to Target in the icy rain without an umbrella!  I now know why people pay to park at Target! Lesson learned! Just fyi, we bought umbrellas for the walk back. Now we are ready!

We are at Dave’s office in Stamford, CT. Corporate world, at least for Dave’s company, is awesome. There are tv’s, couches, a kitchen and even a bar! I remember once when I was student teaching, my teacher friend had to eat her salad on a coffee filter because the teacher’s lounge had no plates! Funny how things are different in different fields! The girls think that this is the best!   It might have something to do with the unlimited snack supply! We will hang out here while he works. No one is here today because it is a holiday but he needed to get a few things done. There is a mall connected to the office building so I’ll take the kids for a walk and go to get Julia a few school supplies at a Target nearby. Yesterday we enjoyed the company of some friends. Dave’s co-worker had us over for dinner and to have the kids play.   They have 2 boys. They got along great. They had a blast in the snow. They built forts with tunnels and went sledding down a bunny slope!   Dinner was fabulous!

Today we went down to the city.  We walked from the hotel to the train station.  There started the observations/people watching.  We were sitting waiting for our train and a guy loudly tells the woman next to him "I'm waiting for my friend, he's coming from Grand Central...." and he goes on.  She ignores him and scoots over. He then makes eye contact with me and repeats himself. I am thinking to myself, do I look away now and take that womans lead, respond to him, what should I do? What do I know? I am not from here. So, like a true southerner I smiled and said "that's nice".  Then he got Dave's attention and he went on to tell us about his birthday and where he grew up.  He then gave us a map and told us that he did not have any snacks for the girls but he can show us on the map how to get to the American Girl store because he thinks they will like that.  He circled on the map where we should go. Interesting. Nice guy. We then got off the train at

Today we went up to tour Julia's school. We met with the principal and he showed us around. There are about 800 kids there for just 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Julia is excited. She has the opportunity to play a string insturment this year. When we got home (or got to the hotel), my phone rang and it was Julia's teacher introducing himself.  He seems very nice.  She is excited to have a male teacher. She's never had one before (besides for specials).  I drove myself today, I made a few wrong turns, but the Garmin got us back on track.  Dave got back from Philly (I spelled it right this time) and we went to dinner at a hibachi restuarant around the corner. It was very good.  Maggie says at dinner "It's so amazing to see their talent" speaking of the hibachi cook as he builds his onion volcano. I hope she is always able to see the good in people.  I think that is a gift she has now as a child. I teared up a little at dinner. I just really miss my home and normalcy.

I did not blog yesterday because not much happened here.  Today marks the 27th day that they children have not been in school.  I have been doing some work with them here and there, but as Julia said last week "we need an education and fast". Today we went up complete the school registration. I am not sure what takes this process so long, but it does.  We have everything turned in and now we are waiting for a phone call from the school.  I drove myself and the girls to Somers, which btw is where they had 16 inches of snow on Tuesday night.  My first time driving here.  Had only 2 minor incidents, so that is good. You really need to be ready to pull off when the traffic light turns green.  You almost need to be moving already when the light turns green. Then I was yelled at by a pedestrian because I had pulled up to far and blocked the crosswalk.  Ooops!  I'll learn. I got a phone call from the car service that is supposed to transport my car up here.  Dave told me to as

This morning was brutal waking up at 7...but we got a lot done tody.  We went up to register the kids for school. We are still working on getting some paperwork to them.  This snow storm is really holding us up. I needed info from schools and dr's in Atlanta and everything is shut down there.  We will get the storm tomorrow.  Everyone at the school office was very nice and cooperative.  Maggie still wants me to homeschool but I'd rather not. I think she is just a little nervous...and for anyone that knows Maggie, that is not like her. She usually walks in a place like she owns it!  We came back to the room for a bit. Dave went into work and the girls and I decided to venture out again. We had passed a Walmart getting to the hotel several times, so I knew it was there but when we turned the corner.....there was a Barnes and Nobles and Target!!! A bright light shone on this building for me, I swear. The Target was underground, which was neat. Dave failed to mention that those 2 p

 Dave went in to work early. The girls and I slept in a little bit and almost missed breakfast!  Oh no! I called down and they said we could still go even though we were 30 minutes late. We needed to fuel up for our busy day.  We had breakfast and then the girls swiped 4 apples, 2 donuts and 2 yogurts for later. We got a map from the hotel and ventured out to find the mall.  We walked the city streets of White Plains. I'm sure not even comparable at all to the streets of NYC but way more urban than we are used to. We are still on a mission to replace some of Julia's clothes. We got some after season deals at Macy's.  We met Dave back at the room and then drove up to Somers to see the house! Wow, it is beautiful and I can't wait.  One thing I am looking forward to is a bath.  I LOVE baths...and being in a hotel, that is just not happening...eeww!  Her real estate agent/ son-in-law/ our new neighbor said that the owner (his mother-in-law)might move out a week early, which

"Today is the big day" Julia said as we woke up bright and early. She had a huge smile on her sleepy face. Maggie walks in with a smile and says "I've been praying". We asked her for what and she says "praying that we have a good day in New York".  Amazingly my children have maintained a positive attitude about this after all we have been through and after all of my anxiety and tears.  I am so thankful for them.  Early this afternoon we landed in White Plains, a small airport.  A car picked us up and the the driver was so nice and welcoming. He said he was so excited for us because he knows what this town has in store for us. That was comforting. He actually lives in the same little town that we will rent in.  Super nice, his wife owns a dance studio and he is a comedian (and driver)!  He dropped us off to Dave's car that was parked not far away from the airport. This is where we lost Julia's luggage, I think. Losing her luggage was not the hig