It's Not the Heat, it's the Humidity

We've been back in the Lone Star State (or as my sister and friend refer to it - the Promiseland) for about a week, and I can say with a high level of certainty that it has nothing to do with humidity and it's all about the heat. And, I mean heat. Wow. It's really hot when Texans say, "man, it's hot today." Oh my. The average high temperature the last six days has been 101 and the low has been in the 80's. Matt keeps saying "I better be playing golf in November."

We leased a house here until what we now refer to as our "summer cottage" in Bloomington sells. the house we are leasing is great but ridiculously big. The neighborhood has a community pool which we have yet to visit, but we've visited Aunt Jill's pool once already. Aunt Jill and Uncle Jimmy are spoiling Maggie and Angus pretty good.

I need to take photos and post but haven't yet. I will but until then, here is a photo of the front of the house.

Being back is great and it will be even better once Matt secures his job. He has been sending out resumes and interviewing so hopefully soon.

We have also indulged in a fair amount of bbq since our return and I already have a new favorite. And, low and behold, it's Randy White's. It's really, really good. I have also forced Matt to have Tex-Mex too. I could eat Tex Mex every day. I love it. Matt is only a so/so fan of it. So, he's been a great sport to go not once, not twice, but three times for Tex Mex. The first two places I had never tried before and were mediocre at best. The third was Uncle Julio's. One of my top five all time favorites. It didn't disappoint.

There is also a shopping mall nearby (within 10 minutes) that has everything from Nordstrom to Dillards to Cheesecake Factory. And, we've only been to Sears and Dillard's thus far. Some great shopping so close. I have to stay away. The rumor is that there is a carousel inside. I am sure Maggie will love that. We also hit IKEA too.

We also have the Double AA affiliate to the Texas Rangers five minutes from the house as well as Arena Football and pro soccer - all within five minutes. That will be great.

Angus is adjusting well too his new surroundings. He won't get to go to daycare but for special occassions because it's so expensive here. He has tried sunning himself on the back patio a few times, but can only stand it for about five minutes before he comes in - it's too hot.

Maggie finally has her two top teeth coming in. She still just has the one on the bottom so it looks pretty funny.

I am rambling now and should get some rest. Thanks for all your emails, phone calls, and texts to check on our progress and to make sure we made it safely. We really appreciate it!

One for the Road

We're knee deep in boxes, not quite ready for the movers to show up at 9 am, and pretty tired. This may be my last blog update for a few days, unless we get internet on the road. We hope to make it to Rolla, Missouri tomorrow, but that mostly depends on the movers and what time we depart Bloomington. It is so weird to think that we're headed out tomorrow and won't be back for a long while. It is really weird, especially since we haven't sold our house yet. It is now also up for lease so if you know anyone, send them our way. We'll miss Estate Drive terribly. We now refer to it as our "summer cottage" given that we will now be paying for two residences. Yikes.

In keeping with my goal of the thank you's . . . .

Wes, Erin, and Elise: We will miss you and we will miss the wee ones playing together and sharing in all of Elise's firsts. We're counting on ya'll to visit.

I am so tired I am changing topics again without a transition - tonight I packed my office at IU. I waited until the very last minute. I just didn't have the heart to do it yet, but I had to pack it tonight. How in the world did I acquire so much stuff in four years? I have no idea. I think I moved like two boxes into that office and moved out 8. Matt thinks I packed them so poorly that the movers will just rebel and not load them on the truck. My office didn't have a window, but it did have a back door which opened to the study hallway. I missed seeing outside, but that back door was fantastic. Tomorrow, I turn in my keys and my laptop, update a few student files, and then say a tearful but fond farewell to my colleagues. It won't be easy. Luckily, I'll have so many things to finish tomorrow, that I won't have time to be too sad until later.

I'll post more pictures when we get settled. Have a great week!

It's not the Place - It's the People

In keeping with my goal of updating more often (and because my brain needs a break from the Tetris game of packing), I was thinking today about the people we'll miss when we leave Indiana. What will we miss most about the Hoosier state? It's definitely the people. But, we're hoping we'll still see these people as often as we can. This leads me into my continued list of those we want to acknowledge.

Charles and Marieke: Awesome friends, colleagues, and neighbors. The basement has always been open for me to hide out in during storms, and our house is always safe when we're away because ya'll always checked up on it. We will miss walking down to your house to say "hi" and we'll just altogether miss seeing ya'll in the neighborhood and at the office. And, the party was great - THANKS. I am going to find some Hill Country bike trails and lure ya'll down for a visit.

The Perry's: Another great set of friends and neighbors. Affectionally deemed "Perry Park" by their good friends, Jen, Roger, and Jacob have been nothing short of great to us. From the signature brownies to the many conversations, and letter of recommendation for Angus, we know we'll never find another "Perry Park" that is as great as yours.

Carrie, Ryan, Conor, and Laszlo: Carrie, along with Donetta and Georgia, invited me to my first accountability breakfast about a week after my first semester began here at IU. It was a great breakfast, and we've had fun with our respective pups and now our toddlers. We'll miss the dinner, playdates, and conversations big time. Can't wait to see ya'll soon.

Okay - this is getting long again and I need to start posting pictures as often as I post now. I will do that soon, but just give me a bit to get in the hang of updating more regularly.

Off to pack more boxes. Maggie is outstanding at "unpacking" so this should be easier on the tail end in Tejas.

Appreciation, Sadness, and Many Thanks

My cousin Molly studied abroad for most of the last several months and is now studying in California. Molly also keeps a great blog of her travels at http://www.mollyherod.blogspot.com, and before she returned from Paris this spring she wrote a great post entitled "Measure Your Life in Love" in which she thanked all the people who made things great for her. I am going to steal Molly's idea and do the same as we begin to look back on our time in the Hoosier state and look forward to our new beginning in the Lone Star State - yeehaw! There are a ton of people we want to acknowledge so it will take me several posts over the next several weeks - but that's okay. And, it's in no particular order - but I need to get started because it will take me a long time to finish - which is not a testament to my inconsistent blogging but rather a testament to the all the great people here in the Hoosier state.

So, let us begin with (in no particular order), my tennis friends. Gaye, Ute, Barb, Sandy, Randy, Betty, Carmie, Bieneke, Sunny, Donna, Pat, Brenda, Joan, Debbie, Sarah, and I am sure I am leaving someone out so I apologize profusely. Ya'll have been so great. After about 10 years of not picking up my racquets, I joined the IU Tennis Center and began playing singles flex leagues. Through the IUTC, I met these fantastic ladies who welcomed me to their team and reminded me how much fun it was to play tennis again. Weekly get togethers on the court proved to be a major stress reliever for me and I will miss all the tennis. But, mostly, I will miss all of you. You've been so great to us and you've been so great to Maggie too. THANKS and know you'll be missed and always on my mind.

My students, in particular my doc students. (again in no particular order) Ryan R., Antonio, Ty, Sydney, SangHak, Young Ik, Katie, Pat, Greg, Andrea, Coyte, Erin, Galen, and Won. Ya'll have been a great group to work with. Working with ya'll has been one of the many highlights of being here. It has really been something I looked forward to each day.

I think this is getting long so I will update again tomorrow!

Texas: It's Like a Whole Other Country

In just over a week, we'll be heading down to the Lone Star State. We'll be living in Frisco, Texas. It's in the northern suburbs of Dallas Fort Worth. (See the map below). I'll be sending our new address and contact information in the next week. We're very excited for our move and are hoping that we sell or lease our house in Bloomington soon.

It has been 8.5 years since I've lived in my home state, and I will have a little bit of culture shock. I think Matt will have a little too. Maggie will adjust well - we think - and she will start her new "early toddler preschool" in late August when my semester starts. To check out Frisco, go to this website http://www.visitfrisco.com/


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Toddling Along

Running around town with a toddler is a bit different than a baby. We don't have as much stuff to bring with us, but keeping up with Maggie is a bit more challenging. Maggie is not much on confinement, whether it be a stroller, car seat, or shopping cart. She has a good 15 minutes in her, and then, she lets loose. So, we are finding new ways to try to occupy her. As long as the cart or stroller is moving, then she's okay. But, when it stops, we must find things to distract her. We're hoping this is a phase and she'll learn to sit still soon enough.

Mags had her 12 month well child check (4 weeks late due to the doctor's schedule), and here are her digits: 21 lbs. 6 ounces; 29 3/4 inches tall; 46 cm head circumference. This puts Maggie in about the 75th percentile. Dr. Laughlin said Maggie is slender. He said after 12 months, their growth slows and they start to get taller and more slender. He said this is the case with Maggie already. She's still above average on height and weight, but slender too. He also said that she is currently working on about 5 teeth. Oh my. He says they should appear soon. This should make the confinement issue even more pleasant to deal with.

She is a very adept crawler now. She is off her bottle and soley uses her sippy cup. She is trying all sorts of new foods, but isn't a fan of new textures. She is trying to walk. Shes is an unbelievable stair climber but just doesn't quite have the confidence to walk yet. Last night, she finally decided to just stand from the sitting position on her own. She did it three times. This was likely the influence of her little friend Conor, who is a great walker and stander.

Happy 1st Birthday Maggie

Maggie turned 1 on June 6th. It was a great evening. We celebrated with dinner with family and Godparents at Domo where Maggie was provided with a hibachi cake.

We then had a small party the next day at the house. It was hot and flooded all around, but we had a fun time. Maggie had her first refined sugar and loved it. She didn't really smash her cake. She was pretty delicate with it, but ate it very fast. Enjoy the photos and I WILL update more often.