Sunsets

I thought about trying to capture each and every sunset after we moved in but quickly decided that would be pretty impossible. But, I do watch them every night and when it is camera worthy I drag out my constant companion, my Canon DSLR.  Last night we had a big thunderstorm come rumbling through late in the day.  There was lots of rain!  Afterwards, this very unusual sunset occurred.  It was incredibly gorgeous!  I find myself watching the clouds constantly throughout the day as the vantage point is perfect for cloud watching.  This sunset was the best!

We're here!

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but huge progress has been made. After spending 75 nights at the Holiday Inn, we are outta there!

I came back from SC on Thursday and Mark’s plan was for me to return on Thursday, help move on Friday, with the final move taking place on Saturday, before he left Saturday night for Australia. After getting bent out of shape about him possibly moving in without me; me moving in without him didn’t seem right either! So I bumped our move in date by a day and we cleared out of the Holiday Inn and got to the house Friday evening. We stayed up till 1AM watching the night sky, then continued moving furniture in on Saturday morning. He left for the airport Saturday night, but had to return after leaving his passport in his office and missing his flight (have I stated that we’ve had too much going on lately?)! Flight rebooked for Sunday and we were able to get some more things moved in on Sunday morning. Now I’m here along with Gus and Lucy enjoying the peace and quiet and trying to sort through the plethora of boxes in the garage. There are boxes from GA, boxes from Richmond Heights, boxes from two classrooms, and boxes from the Holiday Inn. It is the first time that all of our possessions have been in one location! Sadly, after living with very little in the hotel for two months, we have wondered why we brought so much stuff with us to the new house. Things are staying outside until they get sorted, cleaned up, dusted, Lysoled and polished. We’ve gotten the furniture in our bedroom, the bed downstairs, and very little else into the house so far. The builder is still here finishing up little details, which he probably will be for awhile.

I had the best of intentions of taking photos of the entire house before we started moving in, but….it didn’t happen. I also had the best of intentions to take a photo of the overstuffed garage before we started emptying it, but…it didn’t happen. Missed moments, for sure.

Exterior of the house.  Final grade still needs to be done, but we've got to decide how we want the dirt sloped, what to do with the rocks, etc.  Then it is time to plant grass!

Downstairs bathroom.  We still need vanity mirrors, towel rods, shower curtains and doors, etc.

Downstairs guest bedroom.

Living room.  The slate tiles in the corner are where the wood burning stove will go.

North porch

West porch

First night's sunset

Babysitting!

Several months ago Sara and Ryan scheduled an anniversary trip to Colorado for June.  Ryan's mom, Nancy, and I both agreed to babysit for the little munchkin.  We figured two eyes were better than one for keeping Emery safe!  I drove down a day before they left and Nancy came up that evening.  We had a blast spoiling Emery rotten while they were gone!  We took her to the Children's Museum, the zoo, and the park before things got so hot that we didn't want to leave the house.  We also spent plenty of time playing in the sandbox, the pool and checking out the garden.  Nancy and I also enjoyed getting a chance to visit together.  We can't wait to talk Sara and Ryan into another trip!

Nancy and Emery watching Baby Einstein on Nancy's computer.  Emery got so excited!

Emery loves her bucket of balls!

This was the toddler play area in the Children's Museum.

This contraption was like a giant Light Brite for children.  It was so very cool!

Playing in the toddler water area...

Picking out groceries...

The next day we went to the zoo.   Emery was brave and sat on the lion!

I never got the opportunity to feed a Galapagos tortoise while we were in the Galapagos, but we were able to feed this gentle giant at the Greenville zoo!

This might be my most favorite picture of my trip (at least so far!).  Emery and I were outside and it was her snack time, so Sara gave her a container of cut up cucumbers for snack.  Here's Emery just hanging out while she's eating cucumbers.  Note the necklace and the laid back appearance....life is good!  Emery loves most fruits and vegetables and just like her Uncle Austin, she will eat blueberries till she turns into one! 

We also went to the park, and Emery had a good time, although it was scorching hot. When we decided to go home we found out that the heat index was 97 degrees! Too hot for us! After that, we did early morning outside activities and spent the rest of the time indoors.