November Leftovers

What happened to November!?! I guess I need to recap most of the month....

The first couple of weeks we kept busy with unpacking, moving stuff around, buying stuff so we could unpack more stuff, and just getting comfortable with our new place and neighborhood. Darius finished up his job training and so far is enjoying his work.

Our couch is officially broken in. It looks as if we've had it a year already.

We joined our local YMCA and are happy to be adding regular workouts to our days. We love the facility and all its amenities. It's especially nice that we can take the boys with us. They very much enjoy playing in the Child Development Center while we workout. They ask us almost everyday if they can go to the Y and often scream bloody murder when it's time to leave.

Zach got his first black eye. No dramatic story here, just horseplay with his brother. Blankets over the heads...one head meets the other's face. Zach had fun telling his aunts he had a shiner.

For Thanksgiving we joined the Bacons at their home for a delicious feast. The past couple of years it was just our little group of 4 for the holiday, so we were happy to be able to spend the day with our friends!

Our Thanksgiving Day entertainment....poems read by a turkey.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like a post dinner nap.

I didn't really have plans to do any crazy, late-night, pre-Black Friday shopping, but Patti had a few stores she was going to hit Thursday night, and I was eyeing a great deal on a sewing machine and kitchen mat, so I decided to tag along.

This was my first experience at Black Friday madness, and it definitely didn't disappoint! Darius and Michael had gone ahead to scout out Walmart to see if any lines were forming for a certain item Patti and Michael were looking to buy. Turns out we hadn't planned to leave soon enough, so we headed over to meet up with them. Darius had been busy checking stuff out for the boys and found some awesome deals, so I unexpectedly ended up stalking some ride-on toys for a couple of hours before the clock struck NUTS! I can't even describe the madness that ensued. I ended up leaving with all limbs in tact and the boys Christmas shopping pretty much all done.

Black shopping is definitely not for the timid, and although I'm not a shopper at heart...and no where near a competitive shopper, I must admit I found it strangely fun. Patti said it best..."it's an adrenaline rush"...so true.

We've been transitioning into Christmas mode this weekend, and we've got our tree and lights up, but we can't seem to move past that yet. I'm kind of preoccupied with baby shower stuff, and I guess with that and Darius' birthday coming up next weekend, I'm content with putting it on the back burner for now.

This is the part that obviously plugs into the wall, and where did I put it? Yep, at the top of the tree. Doesn't everyone have an outlet on the ceiling?

Moved in..mostly and FOOD!

It's been just about a week now, and we're almost there with the unpacking. Last Tuesday was our move-in date, and the Bacon's were awesome to help us out. Michael helped Darius with the heavy lifting, and Patti watched the boys for us while we unpacked the first day and a half. I started running out of steam after about the third day, and those final few pesky boxes are still lingering, and I'm still avoiding them! I guess I kind of got sidetracked by some post-birthday fun the last couple of days.

Patti, Michael, and Dylan gifted me with a visit to Epcot for their annual Food & Wine Festival. Michael, Dylan, and Honey watched the boys while Patti took me to spend the afternoon sampling world cuisine and drink. It was SO much fun! They know me well, and the route to my heart is much like the way it is to a man's...through the stomach!

We started out with a stop to the Craft Beers tent where I sampled the Full Sail IPA. We killed some time at a couple of shops while we waited for an afternoon rain shower to pass, and by the time we finished our sampling from Greece (Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki...YUM) and Moosehead Beer from Canada, the rain had stopped and we enjoyed perfect weather the rest of the day. We moved on and tried a cheese plate from Ireland, (Yes Carrie....Ireland does have delightful dairy!) a 16th Anniversary Festival Beer from Samuel Adams, a Harissa Chicken Roll and Baklava from Morocco.

We perused the shops at the different countries to give our food time to settle before moving on to Schofferhofer Weizen beer from Germany's Brewer's Collection, to warm caramel popcorn from the Werther's Original sweet shop, to a Strawberry Lime Margarita from Mexico, to a Beef Empanada from Argentina, to a Frozen Rock Coconut Mojito from the Caribbean (RIDICULOUS!), to Mahi Mahi with Coconut-Lime Sauce from Brazil, to a Lamington from Australia, and finally one last stop to the Craft Beers tent before we called it a day. Note: My sweet friend is carrying some precious cargo and was unable to indulge in the drink with me. I think she wishes she could have though...especially that insane mojito! Next year Patti....

So I know what you're thinking now...."Wow! What a lush little piggy you are Ruth!" Hmm...yes a little, but in my defense I was drinking 6 oz pours, eating small samples, and doing a lot of walking inbetween, so it's not nearly as bad as it sounds!

It was such a fun outing with my dear friend Patti....thank you, thank you, thank you! My belly and I thank you (and all the other Bacon's too)!

As if that wasn't enough culinary fun to last me for a year, I got another treat today. Darius took the boys and I into the restaurant he's working at for a nice belated birthday dinner. I'm embarrased to admit it, but I wasn't looking forward to our meal tonight....and not because I didn't want to try the food, but because I was a little freaked out by taking the boys into a really nice restaurant. I should have just relaxed and enjoyed myself more...it was dinner, the boys were fine, and the restaurant was still standing when we left.

Darius works at a really nice place! Ocean Prime has some unbelievably good food, and I can see why Darius was anxious to take us in to try it. We had Ahi Tuna Tartar for an appetizer. Darius had Chilean Sea Bass with Whipped Potatoes and Champagne Truffle Sauce, and I devoured the Blackened Snapper with Wilted Spinach & Jalapeno Corn Tartar. The boys had their fill of Macaroni and Cheddar Cheese with glazed carrots, and Mini Sliders with shoestring french fries. They also got to try OP's homemade strawberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream. There wasn't room for dessert, but I knew they had this ridiculous 10 layer carrot cake, and I was happy to take it home after a few bites.

Yup, I think I'm good and full for the next few days...or maybe at least until the carrot cake in the fridge starts calling my name. It's been fun to indulge and enjoy some really awesome food the past couple of days (and weeks)! Time to get back to getting those last few boxes unpacked, and time to add a solid workout to my daily routine!

Have I mentioned yet how good it is to be back?!

A Spider, Dinosaur and Ninja.

Halloween finally arrived after much anticipation from the boys but mostly Zach. He loves everything to do with Halloween from the decorations, to the costumes, to the candy! He's been in and out of his costume for nearly 2 months now, and he and his brother had a blast trick-or-treating with Dylan tonight.

I'm not sure how it started, but Zach has been on a Darth Vader kick lately. He's never seen Star Wars, but I guess because Darth resembles a robot to some degree he immediately became hooked. Out shopping earlier today, Zach saw a Darth Vader pillow and begged us for it.

The funniest moment of our walk through the neighborhood tonight actually involved Darth Vader. There was a man dressed up as Darth sitting in front of his home with a light saber and a bowl of candy. He didn't budge an inch, and at first I almost mistook him for a dummy. Zach, Ben and Dylan made their approach. Zach was super excited and talking up a storm, but the man remained absolutely still. Finally 10-20 seconds later he moves his light saber across his body and asks the boys if they want candy. I've never seen a kid do a 180 and split as fast as Ben did! Obviously not funny to him at all, but the rest of us were howling. Here's the look on Ben's face as he turned to run....

Later when we all got back to the Bacon's house, we passed out candy to a group of kids and mentioned something about the man dressed as Darth Vader in the neighborhood. One of the little girls in the group piped up and told us that was her daddy. They got a good laugh out of Ben's reaction too.

How fun it was to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood with the Bacon's tonight! And how awesome is it that the boys could go swimming a few hours beforehand?! It's great to be back!

Double Digits

I've been in the double digits now for over 20 years now, but my young friend Dylan just reached his first decade today! I love having a birthday buddy, especially one as awesome as Dylan. I'm so happy our travel plans fell the way that they did, so that we could be here in Florida to celebrate our birthdays together this year.

The Bacon's went above and beyond to treat me to a great birthday as well as my own little family. Patti volunteered to watch the boys for Darius and I, so we could do a little shopping. It was definitely a little overwhelming! I forget just how many people (and tourists!) flood shopping centers around here. I struck out, but Darius was able to find what he needed, and we very much enjoyed our day together.

For dinner there was beef-o-plenty! We had awesome steaks and baked potatoes and the yummiest margaritas ever. Dinner was awesome and the key lime pie for dessert made me a very happy 33 years-young lady!

For Dylan's birthday today we got together with their family and friends at the local community pool/park/clubhouse, which is awesome! We enjoyed a great party and beautiful weather that I can't get enough of! We're so happy to be here!

I think the sweetest thing is how much Zach is all about Dylan. He likes to keep tabs on him, and I think I have heard him tell Dylan everyday that he loves him. He even sang Happy Birthday to Dylan all on his own...too sweet.

Thanks to all my family and friends for the birthday calls/emails/cards! I appreciate you all so much

And, Happy Birthday Dylan!! We're so happy we could be here to celebrate with you.

Roll the Credits

After making such a big move which involved such a long trip, I feel a great deal of gratitude for our safe arrival. I would feel like a jerk if I didn't give thanks where it was deserved all before, during and after our arrival...

Bill & Ann for the meals they brought us the last couple of days before we left Cordova, and for all the other things they've done and are still doing to help us out. They are such good people!

To all those people who helped us out by buying a bunch of our stuff before we moved...you all bought us a bunch of gas.

To Ben & Karla for putting us up and feeding us when our ferry cancelled.

To Subaru who makes a mighty fine Outback which got us here safely with no major problems.

To Garmin who puts out a great GPS which helped us find our way out of a very confusing downtown Edmonton late at night, and for helping us right all the other wrong turns we made.

To all our family in Utah that put us up, fed us, made the effort to meet up with us, took me to an awesome concert, and for all their prayers during our trip. As Zach would say..."I so love you....very much!"

To Tim the mechanic who fixed some minor things on the car while we were in Utah, one being the cruise control....so huge!

To Holiday Inn Express which is our favorite place to stay when we're on the road and we desperately need to wash a load of clothes, some of which are borderline ready to be thrown in the garbage.

To our family in Louisiana who also put us up, fed us, bought us pumpkins, and prayed for us on our trip. We so love you too!

To our awesome friends, the Bacons, who have anxiously awaited our arrival since we announced our move. For putting us up until we find our own place, for picking up all our stuff we shipped, for being the best friends we could ever ask for....we so so love you all too!

To all our family and friends who came along for the ride with us, followed our progress on the blog, sent us notes, wished us well in our travels. We appreciate all of you!

So many sincere thanks to all for whatever part you played, big or small, to support us in this move. Forgive me if I have missed anyone!

And last and most importantly, personal thanks to my husband for checking the oil each and every time we fueled up, for checking all the other fluids, belts and hoses. For making sure he did everything he could to keep us safe. For keeping the boys fed, watered, and entertained when it was my turn to drive. For making me laugh. I loved our time together on this trip!

And to the most awesome 3-year-old long distance travelers parents could ever hope for. Ben and Zach, you guys totally rock. The things your crazy parents subject you to! You roll with it whatever it is. We're so happy to give you the opportunity to play outside more often (in your bare feet without jackets or coats), to take you to the beach, to give you all the fresh fruit and veggies your bellies can hold....and those occasional trips to the golden arches. You are our super troopers and we love you most of all!