Only in Texas.....

Who doesn't love a Texas-shaped fire pit??!?

Westin is ONE

Where do you begin when your blog has been silent for two months?

Instead of playing "catch up", I'm just gonna start fresh. First off, Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Westin who turned ONE! I think this was the fastest year of my life. It's truly hard to believe that one year ago I was in the hospital, terribly sore and exhausted, but amazed at the little life that was out of my belly and in my arms. I can honestly say that being a parent has brought the greatest joy to our lives. There is not one day that goes by that my heart is not so full of love for this little boy.

One is a very fun age. He's not quite walking, but that should happen literally any day now. Westin is a little sponge and he learns new things every day. He will try to mimic most things we do. He loves to give "high-5s", blow kisses, and will even lean in and give you a big wet kiss (with tongue, if you're lucky!). He has 8 teeth and is finally getting some hair, though he's still fairly bald. He's independent one minute, and the next minute will crawl back into whatever room I'm in and into my lap. I love it. He has the biggest laugh that is absolutely contagious. He can also be a little stinker.... our current challenge is keeping him away from the trash can. He knows he's not supposed to play with the trash, so he'll crawl to the trash can, turn around to see if we're watching, and then will giggle and dive in.

He has a doctor's appointment this afternoon for his one year checkup, so we'll see how big he is and how much he weighs. I think he's still in the upper percentile of everything.

Here's to many, many more wonderful years with our son, and our other son that's still in my belly!

Howdy Y'all!

I promise I've never said "howdy y'all" in my entire life, nor has any of my family or Texas friends (that I know of). But hey... I'm a Texan once again, so I'd better brush up on the colloquialisms. I think my favorite is "I'm fixin' to....". I know I used to say this when I lived in Texas 10 years ago, but somewhere along the way it dropped out of my vocabulary. On Friday, I heard it again for the first time and couldn't help but smile. I was setting up a bank account here in Fredericksburg, and one of the bankers told her colleagues she was fixin' to leave for the day. Gotta love it!

So... we're here. The past month has been somewhat of a blur. When Westin and I landed in Houston on September 23rd, I think I was as tired as I've ever been - INCLUDING just after giving birth to Westin! I was out of it for about 2 days. And somewhat emotional. My sweet sisters got the brunt of it. I was near tears for the first 4 or 5 days I was in Texas. At my sister Julie's church the first Sunday I was here, I literally had to leave the worship service because I was crying so hard. I was just sad that I wasn't at my own church, and sad that I might not ever be there again. And I'm sure being pregnant, tired, and hormonal didn't help things either. :-)

I got to spend about 5 days with my sisters and their kids in Houston. Jennie drove down from Dallas with her 2 boys, and all the cousins were together for a full 4 days. It was quite a zoo, and not for the faint-hearted, but it was wonderful. 6 boys under the age of 5 is exhausting, not to mention LOUD. But so many fun memories were made, and I caught a glimpse of the good times to come. Unfortunately, at least half of the boys got sick, my son included. I've never seen poor little Westin so puny and snotty. Jeremy showed up 5 days after I arrived in Houston, and it was great to see him. Life is just better with my husband around me! Julie and Daron were saints and let Jeremy and I escape for one night without Westin. We got a hotel in downtown Houston, and I spent my first night away from our little guy. It was SO needed.


Left to right: Back row - Reid (3), Cade (5). Middle row - Cooper (21 months), Landry (2). Back row - Luke (5 months), Westin (10 months).

And in March, we're adding yet another BOY to the mix! I found out the gender of our baby just a few days ago. What fun these cousins will have as they grow up together.

After leaving Houston, we made the 3 and a half hour trip down to my parents' house in Rockport, where we spent one full week with them. Westin got to know his grandparents, and we had a great time with them.

And finally, 2 weeks after I arrived in Texas, we made our way to our new hometown of Frederickburg. I honestly can't believe we get to live here. It is such a quaint, scenic, and very friendly town. It's in the heart of what's called the Texas Hill Country, and it is gorgeous. We've been to 3 restaurants to far, and they've all been fantastic. There are a dozen or so wineries within a few miles of us, hiking and rock climbing within 20 minutes, and it's clear that this is a cycling mecca in Texas. Does that sound like us or what???

This morning Westin and I kissed Jeremy goodbye and sent him off to his first official day of work as an RN. Our new lives have begun.

Loading Day

Today is THE day... the day we load up our worldly belongings and put them on a trailer. We're beginning to say goodbye to North Carolina.

Sunday was a surprisingly emotional day for me. I honestly didn't see it coming, but I wept at church. It all started during the very last song before the service ended (gee thanks, Stephen!). It was a very powerful song, and I just started to be overwhelmed and sad that we are leaving this amazing church community. I have never been part of such a Jesus-seeking, down-to-earth, people-loving community of people before. It's powerful stuff. We had decided at the start of the service to seek out the pastors to say goodbye, but at the end of the service when my emotions were so raw, I sort of just wanted to run out of the building and not come back. I knew that I'd be a mess saying goodbye, and indeed I was. Fortunately, everyone was very gracious and sweet with my tears.

Now we're just tired and ready to have this over with. Westin has woken up at 5am the past 3 mornings... not sure what that's about, but we haven't enjoyed it. Oh well. Maybe it was a good thing today, as it got us up and at 'em earlier than we would have thought (hence, blogging at 7am while he's down for his first nap and before I get heavy into the crazy day ahead).

My next post will most likely be from Texas!

Goodbye, North Carolina. We have loved you, and we will miss you.

Packing

It's Sunday morning and we are t-i-r-e-d (it doesn't help that Westin decided to wake up at 5:30am this morning - what the heck???). We've been neck deep in packing since Tuesday morning. Fortunately, we got off to a great start when 3 angels named Christine, Becky, and Pat graced our home and spent 3 hours kicking some serious packing butt. They helped a TON, and they got me motivated to continue on. Then, yesterday (Saturday) my dear friend Stephanie came over and we knocked out a whole bunch more. She is a workhorse which is so good for me! So really, all that's left is the garage (Jeremy's job), Westin's room (my job) and some last minute things. We are very pleased with the position we're in. The moving trailer gets here Tuesday morning. We hope to start loading shortly after lunch on Tuesday.

(AND WE HOPE TO HAVE LOTS OF HELP, FOR THOSE LOCAL FRIENDS WHO ARE READING THIS!) :-)

Westin did his best to help us pack, as you can tell from the pictures below.

Uh-oh

This was the sight Jeremy and I beheld as we entered Westin's room after his nap 2 days ago:


That's the first time he's ever stood up in his crib (that we know of, I guess!). We're in for it now, huh?

Texas bound

Man, oh man have we been busy.

Lots to be grateful for:
- We sold our house, and are closing October 6th.
- Jeremy got an RN position at Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, TX and starts October 12.
- We sold a car and bought another one in a week's time, and were able to get an older but very nice SUV that we paid cash for.
- We have a healthy baby growing inside me that is due March 14th.
- Westin is 9 months old and is the most precious thing.
- We got to spend a week in Oregon with Jeremy's family.
- We'll get to spend a week and a half in Texas with my family before Jeremy starts his job.
- We had a going-away party given in our honor last weekend with a lot of our church friends that was very sweet.

Now it's all about packing. Yuck. My least favorite part of moving.

I haven't spent a lot of time dwelling on the fact that we're moving away from a place we'd grown to love over the past 6 years. There are so many memories here... of friends, of adventures, of milestones, of growth. I'm sure when I allow myself to really stop and feel all of it there will be some tears, but not right now. I'm all business at the moment.

We're out of here on September 23rd. That's a mere 8 days away. I better go pack......

Lots

What a difference a week can make!

Since last Friday, we've had 4 showings, and 2 more are scheduled for today and Saturday. One of them is a second showing, which is encouraging! From our feedback, at least 2 buyers are interested in the property. I think we finally have found the right price range, which is exciting.

But wait... there's more! As I type this, Jeremy is on an airplane, flying to San Antonio, Texas. Last Friday he applied to several hospitals, one of them being Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is a little town of about 10,000 people, sort of equi-distant from both San Antonio and Austin. It's in a beautiful part of the state, and is just a really neat area. Well... on Friday afternoon, he got a call from them, and they asked if they could fly him out for an interview today! (He said yes, in case you're wondering.) So, he's on the plane now and will interview this afternoon and fly back tomorrow evening. So exciting!

But wait... there's still more! Within the past 2 weeks, we sold my car (the Mitsubishi Galant) and bought a new one (an Infiniti Qx4). Gotta love Craigslist. We sold our car and found our next car on that site. We needed something bigger, so we bought a 2001 SUV with only 62,000 miles on it. I love it, even though I labored over the color. (If you're on Facebook and want some entertainment, go to my page and read all the comments regarding the survey I took about whether or not to buy it even if I didn't love the color.) It has worked out beautifully, and I really do love it now, color and all!

But wait... there's EVEN more! One of the main reasons we got a bigger car is because Baby #2 is on the way! I'm due March 14th, and I am very happy and excited. So far I'm feeling just fine. I've been pretty tired, but that's really the only symptom I have. We've had 2 doctor's appointments so far, and things are looking great. I'll have another ultrasound on September 14th. Westin and Baby #2 will be 15 months apart. My sisters and I are really close in age too, and they are my best friends, so I'm hoping that will be the case with these two as well.

Lots going on... and lots to pray for if you're so inclined. Thanks!

Praise

Most of you already know this, but Jeremy took the NCLEX on August 10th, which is the national boards exam for his RN license, and PASSED!

After you take the test, you have to wait 48 hours and then go online and pay $7.95 to get the results. He could check it around 10am on the 12th. That morning, we went out to breakfast so Jeremy wouldn't have to be sitting there thinking about it. It was a nice distraction. Once we got home, Westin immediately went down for a nap. Then Jeremy got nervous and didn't want to check the results himself, so I checked it for him while he sat on the floor with his back to the wall and his head between his knees. I saw the result and said "Congratulations, Jeremy Hansen, RN!". And the dam opened! We both cried... it was a moment of beautiful release. Jeremy has spent 4 long years getting to this point, and now it's official. We praised God, hugged, cried for a bit, and then Jeremy was exhausted the rest of the day (understandably so!).

I couldn't be prouder of my husband. Now the house selling and job searching intensity has been raised, and we're going to get very serious about both. We already dropped the price on our house a significant amount, so we hope that will draw in some lookers (and a buyer). Thanks for your continued prayers!

Waiting...

Our house has been on the market for almost 7 weeks now. In those 7 weeks, we've had 8 showings. Of the 8 showings, 5 gave feedback afterward. Of those 5, 4 said the exact same thing: they didn't like our floor plan. Ouch. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that, but it's what I feared would be the trouble with selling our home. We have a split level home, which means when you walk in the front door, you step onto a landing and you either go upstairs to the living room, dining, room, kitchen, laundry, and master bedroom, or you go downstairs to the additional bedrooms and bathroom. We've come to really appreciate the floor plan, but of course not everyone is like us. So, we're waiting for just the right buyers, and in the meantime, we're going to do some painting and change up some colors to see if that helps. Oh, and we'll drop the price a good bit too.

In light of all the uncertainty about our house selling, I thought I'd answer some of the most common questions we're getting asked and clear up any confusion.

Question: When do you plan on moving to Texas?
Answer: We don't know.

Question: What will you do if Jeremy gets a job in Texas but your house hasn't sold yet?
Answer: We don't know.

Question: If your house doesn't sell, will you just decide to stay here in NC for a while longer?
Answer: We don't know.

Question: Would you consider renting out your house?
Answer: We don't know.

Hopefully that helps you understand exactly where we are with our move. Clear as mud, right? :-)

Just a normal morning...

Since many of our family and friends live far away, I thought I'd post a video of "regular Westin". This is a pretty good sampling of his personality and his little babblings. This was taken just yesterday morning. He's very camera-aware, so he tones it down a little bit, but it will still give you an idea of what he's up to these days. Enjoy!

Beach!

It's been a while since I've posted. Jeremy's sister Angie and her family recently drove (yes, DROVE!) here from Oregon. They're in the midst of a 6 week cross country road trip with Angie and Chris and their 3 kids, Maddie (10), Levi (7) and Lucas (6). They spent over a week and half with us, and we had a wonderful visit. We spent a full week at the beach, at Pine Knoll Shores. We rented a condo with a pool right outside our door, and the beach was less than a minute's walk away. It was a fantastic way to spend a week, and everyone had a great time.

Westin got to spend time with his cousins, who totally doted on him. He LOVED having so much attention, and Angie's kids were very sweet with him. Westin also really loved the water - both the pool and the ocean. He did so great, and we'll be taking him to the pool a lot more often over the summer.

Here are a bunch of pictures. I'll post even more on Facebook, since most of my blog readers are also on there.

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we took a trip to the NC mountains, in the Boone/Blowing Rock area. The idea was to get away so that when the onslaught of home showings came, we'd be out of dodge and wouldn't have to clean the house every time. Unfortunately, the onslaught never came - we only had one showing. But we still had a great weekend, and we really needed to slow down and catch our breath. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Here are some pictures from our trip. This first one is a view of the mountains from our hotel room. Not bad, huh? (And yes, I cut all my hair off... I'm still getting used to it but it is SO easy now.)

It's ON!

As of today, our house is officially on the market.

Here is a link to the page on Realtor.com:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/804-Bristol-Blue-Street_Apex_NC_27502_1110338585

We are weary, to say the least. We feel like we've been non-stop with house projects for weeks and weeks. We're hoping to go away for a couple days next week to rest and recuperate.

We'd appreciate your prayers for our home... that just the right buyers would find us, and that it would sell quickly. Thanks!

A week of firsts

Little Man Westin had quite a big week last week.

For one, he got his first tooth! Bottom front. He has been in a great mood ever since... makes me wonder if he was just hurting for a while. Poor little dude. My sister Jennie just said to me the other day that if adults grew teeth like babies, we'd be on morphine for the pain. Good thing babies are tough.

Also, he is just starting to learn the art of the shimmy/schooch/snake slither/army crawl. He puts whole body face down on the carpet, almost like he's kissing the ground, and then you see his little feet push off the carpet and he moves forward a few inches. Hilarious. I haven't figured out why the head down position is important, but it must be, because he won't move any other way. I need to capture it on video.

All that tooth and crawling stuff is great and all, but let's get down to the most important "first": he went on his first BIKE RIDE! Yes, Westin and Daddy had their first biking experience together, and I captured it on film and video. Westin absolutely loved it. I got my bike out too and we all 3 rode a few blocks together so Westin could see me and not be scared at all, and let's just say I didn't even need to be around. His eyes were so wide and he just took it all in with this huge smile on his face. Priceless. Jeremy was proud to say the least.

He's changing so fast... who know what next week holds. Stay tuned.

More projects galore

Just when we think we're getting close to being "ready" to put our house on the market, we come up with other things to do. I'm sure some people would say we don't need to do half the things we're doing, but we figure if we do as much as we possibly can, our home will hopefully sell faster. If we spend an extra $1,000 on projects, but it sells in one month rather than 3, we've come out ahead in our book.

As I mentioned before, it's rather sad that our house will be so nice and we won't get to enjoy it. I can't believe we haven't done some of these things before.

Here's a list of the improvements we've made (the ones that I can remember at the moment):

Outside:
-Turned an ugly eyesore on the side of our house into a flower bed with a retaining wall -Pressure washed the entire house
-Replaced our doorbell
-Mulched the entire front and back yard
-Planted flowers
-Hired a lawn company to fertilize the yard regularly
-Replaced the top railing on our back deck -Stained the back deck
-Paint our shutters black (haven't done this one just yet)

Inside:
-Replaced thermostat with a newer digital one
-Stained all of the cabinets - kitchen and bathrooms
-Painted the master bath and the guest bath
-Installed hardware on every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen and bathrooms
-Replaced all doorknobs on the main level
-Replaced 3 light fixtures with newer, more modern ones -Replaced entry way chandelier with a modern one
-Put tile in all 3 bathrooms (it's actually vinyl tile, but it amazingly looks exactly like tile) -Replaced the master back huge mirror with 2 stylish, modern ones
-Replacing downstairs carpet (will be installed sometime next week. We did the upstairs last summer.)

We're also getting a small storage place nearby to "declutter" our home.

So, if you know of anyone looking to buy a very well cared for 1700 sf home in a fantastic Apex location with a relatively big back yard, please spread the word. And if you're so inclined, please pray that we can sell quickly!

Our 6 month old

Westin is 6 months old today. Time has flown by and our little guy has changed so much and seemingly so fast. He went from a teeny little newborn (well, not THAT teeny I guess... he was 8 and a half pounds after all) who couldn't control his arms and legs, to a baby that is busy busy. He grabs at everything in sight.... eyeglasses, coffee cups, cell phones, the remote, Daddy's goatee, my hair, etc. He can roll over, sit up, and is now eating vegetables. He seldom sits still and his little legs are in constant motion. He has a sense of humor, he loves music and is developing a very cute and funny personality. He melts our hearts every single day.

Happy 6 months, Little Man. Mommy and Daddy love you very much.

Projects Galore

We're right in the thick of trying to get our house ready to sell. For those of you who have asked if it's "official" that we're moving... here is our prepared answer: We are making plans as though we are moving to Austin, and unless we encounter some kind of roadblock, we are moving. We have truly been praying and seeking God's will in this matter, and for now we feel like we have the green light to go ahead with moving. In the bible, the apostle Paul made plans to go into a couple of places (Asia and Bythinia) and the Holy Spirit wouldn't let them (Acts 16). I don't know exactly what that all means, but it at least tells me that Paul made plans, moved forward, and then when the doors closed and he was stopped, he changed his course and concluded God's will was moving in a different direction. This is how Jeremy and I plan to proceed.

We've talked to to some realtors, and now we need to officially decide who we're going to use. It is a really tough decision. I've been fortunate, as a mortgage broker, to work with many good realtors through the years, and it's hard to pick "the one" we want to use to list our home. We've narrowed it down to 2 realtors, and they are both pretty equal in experience, in price, in personality/temperament, and in likability. We might just have to flip a coin to decide who to use. :-)

It's a bummer that we're getting our house looking so good just in time to move, but I guess that's the nature of selling a home. Here are some before and after pictures of the awesome transformation of the side of our house. It has been ugly for many years, and Jeremy did a fantastic job of building a retaining wall and turning it into a flower bed. I will be planting some bushes there soon.

Westin Meets Balloon

This makes me so happy every time I see it! My father-in-law entertains my son. Or.... I guess I should say a balloon entertains my son.

He Graduated

Jeremy graduated from nursing school on May 1, 2009.

I'm so proud of my husband! Here are a few pictures from his graduation. Jeremy was one of two class representatives, so he got to do the invocation at the ceremony. It was a truly beautiful prayer and he got many comments from his classmates afterward on how touching it was. Congrats, my love.

So Much.

Wow, it has been forever since I've blogged. A whole has happened since I last wrote.

Here is a brief list:

- Flew to Dallas, Texas with Westin to visit my sister Jennie who had her 2nd child, Luke. I've never been able to be in town when either of my sisters had their kids, so this was special. I also spent time with my girlfriends for our annual Posse Reunion. It's a group of 9 women who met at a Christian sports camp called Kanakuk about 15 years ago. We've had a reunion every single year since then. It's an amazing group of women, and I am blessed each year when I see them.
- Hosted Jeremy's parents for his graduation.
- Planted flowers in our front yard, with the help of Jeremy and his parents.
- Attended Jeremy's graduation and got to finally meet some of his classmates and instructors. (He gave the invocation at his ceremony, and it was a beautiful prayer.)
- Played tennis with Jeremy's uncle and aunt, who also flew in from California to attend his graduation. They're in their late 50s and kicked our butts, but it was a blast.
- Threw a party for Jeremy with about 40 people in attendance. We had a good 'ole southern barbecue with all of the fixins'. Good stuff.
- Worked intermittently and somehow still put a whole lot of mortgage loans in process, in spite of a crazy schedule.
- Got a babysitter and attended a birthday dinner in North Raleigh for my friend Stephanie's 40th birthday. I also make a "book of blessings" for her, with letters from about 25 of her friends wishing her a Happy 40th. It turned out pretty good, considering this is not at all a strength of mine.
- Observed a rash grow on Westin, and finally took him to the doctor on Wednesday when it has spread over most of his body and he had a temperature of 101.8. The doctor thinks it was "contact dermatitis", which probably came from laundry detergent. We switched back to his old detergent, and the rash is going away (and fever is gone).
- Rode my road bike for the first time in about 11 months. It felt GREAT!
- Bought a new desktop computer and set it up. It's a MUCH nicer one than we had, and will let me work from home much more efficiently.
- Finally caught up on my favorite TV shows, Survivor and Grey's Anatomy. I was several weeks behind, due to our crazy schedule.
- Pressure washed our entire house (okay, Jeremy did this, but it's still list-worthy).
- Mulched our entire yard (yep, Jeremy did this one too. Looks great, honey!)

Whew. We have a lot more on the horizon too, with Jeremy taking his NCLEX (national boards for his nursing license) and us getting our house ready to sell. Busy, busy.

Getting close...

In 2 weeks from today, at this time of evening (5:40pm), Jeremy will have graduated from nursing school. WOW.

The Shack

The Shack is one of those books that I knew I'd eventually read, because it's one that so many people have been talking about. It has been on the best seller list for nearly a year. I first heard of it about 7 months ago or so, when some women from my church Life Group were discussing it. Ever had an experience where you hear of something once, and suddenly you feel like you hear about it all the time? The Shack is one of those experiences for me. For a while it seemed like it was coming up in conversations everywhere I went. My in-laws kindly gave me the book for Christmas, both of them having read it and loved it. But with a newborn, my time for reading books has been, well.... absolutely non-existent. Until now. Westin is finally in a great sleeping pattern and I actually have some evenings with free time.

In case anyone hasn't heard of it or doesn't know the premise, here is what the back of the book says: "Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book."

So, I've started reading it. But... I'm stuck for some reason. I'm only about a fifth of the way through it. You see, I am not an overtly emotional person on the outside. I'm pretty even keeled, and I don't get too excited or too angry over anything. No one would describe me as especially expressive, and most of you have probably never seen me cry. But - I AM emotional on the inside, and for some reason it really comes out in books and movies, and heck, sometimes even commercials. I internalize the character's plights, struggles, emotions, etc. and fully engage in the story. In fact, there have been a few movies that have flat-out wiped me out emotionally, and they're not even movies that you would think would have that effect on me. ("Girl, Interrupted " is one of them... so is "Love Actually". I wept during both of them, and the weeping even continued long after the movie ended. Odd, I know.) And I don't like scary movies at all because, well... they scare me. Bad. So, knowing this about me, I've been very apprehensive to read about an innocent little girl getting brutally murdered and a father dealing with his grief. I have a small fear that it will be too much for my frail heart and that it will mess me up. I'm sure I won't regret reading it, and I'm certain that I WILL read it... just in tiny bits. I just recently got through the girl's abduction and the proof that she was murdered. And then I stopped. Gotta take a breather. I'll come back to it again another night.

So, if The Shack comes up on conversation, and I'm asked if I've read it, I probably won't be able to say YES for a while. We'll see. If you've read it and loved it or hated it, feel free to comment. I've heard lots of opinions on both sides. I'll let you know what mine is once I'm done with it.

To be (in Texas) or not to be (in Texas)?

I think it's common knowledge by now that Jeremy and I are considering moving to Texas this fall, once he graduates from nursing school in May. We've always known that we would not be in North Carolina forever. In fact, when we moved here in 2003, we didn't know how long our "stay" here in the state would be. We committed to giving it a year, and then to reevaluate things from there. The reason for our move here was for my career, so I could give the mortgage business a shot. My dear friend Stephanie had been trying for years to convince me that I would love this business, and so finally in 2003, the timing seemed right (we fully believe God led us here), and we made the move from Colorado. Fortunately, she was right: I love the mortgage business, and I can't imagine doing anything else for pay. And now, it has been close to 6 years that we've been in the good 'ole Tarheel State.

When you live somewhere for 5+ years, you grow roots. And our roots here are deep. We have some fantastic friends, and the most amazing church community. We live in a perfect location - I am less than 2 miles from my office, and less than a mile to restaurants, grocery stores, Westin's pediatrician, and the list goes on. The weather is nice, the scenery is pretty, and we're just a few hours away from the ocean AND the mountains. When you put that all on paper, it looks like we truly have it made here. So why on earth are we considering leaving?

In a word.... family.

The fact of the matter is, we love our families, and we believe the Lord wants to use us to encourage and serve our families as much as we can. And that will happen much more effectively if we actually live somewhat near them. Right now, my closest relatives are 1,200 miles away, and Jeremy's are 3,000 miles away in Oregon. We could practically fly to Europe in the same amount of time it takes us to get to Oregon by plane! So, if we live in Texas, we'll be within a couple hundred miles of most of my relatives, and a short plane ride to Oregon for Jeremy's relatives.

Moving will not be easy. Quite frankly, we're choosing the harder road by leaving here, even though we'll be going where we want to go. Again, it's that roots thing. We are settled here, and when we move, we start over. And I don't love the thought of starting over. But.... in my life, I've grown the most when I've been stretched, challenged, and uncomfortable. So in light of that, if I truly want to grow, I should welcome this change.

I do look forward to being back in my home state, and being closer to my family. And I REALLY look forward to going to a Texas Longhorns football game, among other things. A girl's gotta have some priorities, right?

More thoughts to come on this subject.

My rock star

My sister recently gave me her old jogging stroller. (She sent it on the airplane with my other sister who came to visit me.) When we opened it up, we found a few presents that were accidentally in the stroller: an old towel, a burp cloth, and a pair of kiddie sunglasses. The other day, I was goofing around with Westin and I put the sunglasses on him. Here is the result. I was so tickled at how mellow he was that I was literally crying with laughter!

Proud to be Irish

I'm Irish. And not just "hey - it's St. Patrick's Day - everyone's Irish, right?". No, I really am Irish. I'm even an Irish citizen, which is pretty cool. This was my first St. Patrick's Day since officially obtaining my citizenship back in September, so I wanted to celebrate with family and friends. My sister Sharon was visiting from Houston, and my nephew Kyle is in the Navy, currently stationed in Virginia, so he drove down for the weekend and we went to an Irish pub to celebrate our heritage together. My friends Stephanie and Katie also joined us.
















Westin is wearing an outfit my Aunt Abbie (who is also an Irish citizen) sent him. So sweet. (And NO, my son did not drink any beer, lest any of you scold me. But his mom did have a pint of her favorite Irish beer, Smithwicks - it was delicious.) The only bummer was that Jeremy wasn't there. He was sleeping and recovering from his night shift at the hospital. He was very missed.

I have no idea how this happened.

Today Westin played for about 20 minutes on his playmat. He was making cute little noises and obviously having a good time, so I used that time to get a few things done around the house and wasn't really watching him all that closely.

I still can't figure out how a 3-month-old that can't sit up, can't crawl, and really can't even control his arms and legs could have done this....

Here is where he started:

And this is where he ended up:
Obviously, I'll be a little more attentive in the future!