2 wheels are better than 4

Today Halle learned to ride without training wheels. She did amazingly well, and picked up the basics of 2-wheeling faster than either of her older siblings. She can already ride at break-neck speeds and turn around without stopping (perhaps not both at the same time). Of course, she celebrated this new achievement by riding smack-dab into the rear quarter of my van. We have a couple of scratches to buff out now.....

Joel decided he should take off his training wheels as well. He can ride for short distances, but hasn't gained full confidence in himself yet. None of the other kids started this young. He and Halle make the youngest 2-wheelers in the family. I'm glad... sometimes it's hard for the babies of the family to do anything "new." They showed what they're made of today.

Old Faithful

The kids and I drove about an hour or so today to see our first geyser. Here's Old Faithful of California as she erupts. She was on an every 20 minute or so schedule today.

We also saw some Jacob Sheep, Fainting Goats, and Cockatoos. Interesting note about the goats.... they don't really faint, but when they get startled, their muscles lock up, which often causes them to fall over (faint). At one time they were used to protect sheep. If wolves or coyotes attacked, the sheep could run away and the goats would fall over, providing an easy meal for the predators and saving the sheep.

I think the kids were more interested in the llamas they saw there, though. Emily had to snap some pictures and then of course we all had to sing "The Llama Song."

Saturday stuff

Here we are.... our 3rd Saturday living in this house. The 2 big boys (hubby and Noah) are off for the day (or part of it) to Infineon Raceway. One of our friends from Nebraska was a big NASCAR fan and got Noah interested in it. With this place nearby, Brian figured it was a good opportunity for some male bonding and to see what all the fuss is about. Hope the boys have a good time.

I don't know what the rest of us will do today. Laundry???

The memorial service for Sarah Neal begins back in Omaha in a few minutes. I have been thinking of her and my church family there a lot this morning. I was telling Sharon earlier that I don't know if my reasons for wanting to be there are wholly unselfish ones. The grief is so intermingled.... grief for what we lost when we moved, and grief for what her family lost when someone took her from them. I'm praying that the memorial service provides some comfort and closure for my church family back there.

Making sense of things

I suppose the post title can be taken two ways. Things around the house are finally closer to being together. We only have a couple of rooms (plus the garage) to fine tune and then I won't be too embarrassed should someone want to come inside. We've lined up another church to visit this weekend.... I am in anticipation of that. And I received some info on local homeschool support groups in the mail today. I am VERY glad to have that.

But in a more sobering vein, I am dealing with the news that a 16-year-old girl from our church back in Omaha was murdered 2 days ago. How does one make sense of that?? It happened during the day, in her home... the media (if we can believe what we read) says there is a suspect, but police aren't saying whether he has been questioned or not. Apparently he was released from jail the day it happened.

Pray for the Neal family. Sarah was their only daughter and the baby of the family.

Not sure why I'm posting...

other than I think there are a few of you out there maybe waiting for me to say something. I don't really feel much like blogging these days because I'm just not in the best of spirits. This move has been really hard. The house is still not put together. We aren't having a lot of luck in the church-hunting department. Right now the thought of being here for 4 years is incredibly depressing.

I don't feel like I can even put words together to explain how I'm feeling.

Writing from home

Yes, I am actually writing from my very own computer!! Our DSL was activated today. One small glitch; the phone jack under this built-in desk isn't working. I have the cable run across the room into Emily's bedroom so we can have the connection. Our landlord will come fix the jack soon (I'm hoping that means by the weekend.)

The kids' bedrooms are finally in order (Emily is still working on hers; it meets her standards, but not quite mine). Still working on the living/dining room. Being short 1 bookcase makes it a bit challenging to get things put away. I have to work on our bedroom and closet as well.

Hopefully I will get a little more regular; I suppose it depends on whether I make blogging the priority or putting the house in order. Hmmm.... decisions, decisions.

I'm looking forward to getting back to reading blogs again. I haven't read in ages!

Are we done yet?

No... not even close. Everywhere I look, there are boxes to open. Or piles of boxes that have been opened and are full of packing paper. It is slow going. The kitchen is the only thing fully unpacked, and even it is not done; I have to figure out how to organize the ginormous 24" deep floor-to-ceiling pantry.

Lemme break down the stuff from the last few days into good and not-so-good:

Good

***Emily's, Noah's, and Joel's beds are all assembled. Noah and Joel slept in their beds last night. Emily picked out a mattress today that will be delivered tomorrow so that she can sleep in her room tomorrow night.

***Campbell is happy with his new home and yard. A happy dog is a good dog.

***The weather has been very nice... only in 70s during the day, and we often need a jacket at night.

***The majority of our furniture arrived unbroken.

***We are now Costco members.

***We had additional insurance on our household goods.

Not-so-good

***We are missing an entire bookcase and the Brio train table my husband made for the kids. Stupid movers.

***My Yamaha digital piano fell over after the movers placed it; the front legs broke and the cover broke off as well.

***Various other items had dents and gouges.

***We still don't have internet service at home. I am blogging from the tiny little library a few blocks from our house. I get 30 minutes a day until my new card is active in 24 hours; then I can have up to 4 30-minute sessions.

***SBC will not activate our new DSL service until June 16.

***This library is only open 4 days a week.

***If I want to check email any other day, I will have to drive to the base, 20 miles away.

***I still have a crudload of unpacking to do. Better get out of here and get back to it.

We're here

After 3 long days, we arrived yesterday afternoon. We met the landlord at the house, unhitched the UHaul in the garage, and headed back to base. Had a nice dinner at the Hungry Hunter before crashing at the TLF.

I was so glad Jim offered to help us by driving one of the vehicles. He drove our Yukon, towing a 6'x12' UHaul. We had more than a few steep grades to climb and descend on our journey; he handled them all like a pro. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery; the kids saw their first snow-covered mountains.

Saying goodbye on Wednesday was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I left behind probably the best friend I have ever had. Thank goodness for free long distance on cell phones, and for email!

Brian took Jim to the airport this morning and is headed to the house to start unloading the trailer. We have to get it returned today. Our household goods arrive on Monday. Not sure when we'll have internet service at the house, but I will try to get over here at least every morning until then in order to check emails.

Thank you to all who offered good wishes and prayers on our behalf. I'm off to the commissary now to pick up some food for the family. The cupboards in the TLF are woefully bare!