New Blog!

I have moved on over to word press, so you can now find my blog at desperatemormonhousewife.wordpress.com 

 After thinking about it, it seems as though my blogger account has become tired and old (much like myself) and a face lift was in order (NOT for myself).
So onto bigger and better things.
I am hoping this change will also inspire me to be more daring and honest in my blogging.  There has been a topic stewing in my  mind for some time, but I haven't had the courage to post it yet.  Perhaps in the near future . . . .

PSSA's

As I was looking at the traffic sources of my blog, some disturbing information came up.

The #1 searched phrase for my blog was "desperate mormon housewife."  

That makes sense.

But the next 4 searched phrases are bothering me.

They all were some form of "naked/nude kids playing pool."

WHAT?

I am pretty sure that there are no nude picture of my kids on the blog.

So if that is what you are here to see, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!

I am quite bothered by this.

Why would my blog show up when those words/phrases are searched for?

I am disturbed.

Onto my intended subject of the day . . . .

The PSSA's began today for my daughter.

(For those not in PA, or even in the USA, the PSSA's are the state mandated standardized tests)

We have 6 days of testing.

I am not going to get into the politics, and the right and wrong of the testing practices.

I would just like to thank our school for making the testing experience a pleasurable one for my daughter.

She looks forward to these tests.

(Yes, that does make her seem a little crazy)

But I think the school makes a big effort to make them seem fun, so that the kids don't worry about the testing process.

They provide all the kids with snacks, like fruit and granola bars.

Then they test until lunch, and relax for the rest of the day.

Plus, they have a different teacher as the test mediator, and I think she enjoys getting to know another teacher.

She made plans to arrive at school 15 minutes earlier than usual.

She was so excited last night for these tests.

I think half of the excitement is knowing that there will be no homework assigned for the next week.

(I appreciate that fact as well.)

So thank you, Selinsgrove Intermediate School, for taking a possibly stressful event and creating fun for my daughter.

Disney Addiction Recovery

My sister recently found this on Pinterest.

I have found it extremely accurate.

We have not been to Disney since September of 2013 and I am still sad to not be there.

I am sad to know that I will not be eating a waffle sandwich while sitting near the Haunted Mansion.

Or that there are no Dole Whip's in sight.

You would think after getting to visit Disney 2 times within a 12 month period, I would be over the Disney craze.

But going there seems to make it worse.

Hi, my name is Nici, and I am addicted to Disney World and Land.

It all started in college.

My BFF was from LA, and so we would take many trips during fall and spring break to her house.

While we were there, we would spend much time at Disney Land.

We would go there from the time they opened and wouldn't leave the park until they closed.

This is how it always starts.

Just an innocent trip to the happiest place on earth.

I started to collect Disney snow globes, and then bought some Disney Barbies.

But then I graduated college, got married, and started a family.

There was no time, and DEFINITELY no money for trips to Disney.

And then, in 2012, my parents decided to take us all to Disney World.

We all had such a great time.

Even my husband, who thought that he would hate it.

He liked it so much that he suggested we plan another trip.

So we did.

Planning the next trip kept the obsession going.

And then we visited the park again, and had a fantastic time.

But now, we have no plans to visit again.

I really need to find a Disney World Recovery Group.

And every time I find out a friend of mine is planning a trip, I get extremely jealous.

It is sad.

I am a grown ass woman (to quote another dear friend of mine) and I can't get enough of Disney World.

Are all the rides coated in crack mixed with pixie dust?

Do they lace their food with an addictive substance?

If you haven't ever visited, you may not want to start.

Because once you start, it is hard to break the Disney habit.

Throwback Thursday

I have noticed that Throwback Thursday is becoming quite popular.  

I have always wanted to participate, but all my childhood pictures are at my parents house, which just happens to be 2000 miles away from me at the moment.

I also just completed a book call "What Alice Forgot."  

It is about a woman who hit her head at the gym and thinks that it is 10 years ago.

I found it interesting.

So, my version of TBT will be to write a bit about what my life was like every past 10 years.

2004: 

 I was working at OC Tanner in Salt Lake City, UT.  I was also pregnant with my first child.  I can remember being so excited, and yet terrified at the same time.  

It took us quite some time to get pregnant with her, and I was so afraid that something would go wrong.

The pregnancy ended up being rather uneventful, and I did give birth to a very beautiful baby girl.  

(I seriously cannot believe she will be 10 this year.  Kind of freaks me out how old I have become.)

1994:  

We had recently moved from Tulsa, OK to Bogota, Colombia.

  It was a moved I had looked forward to, since Tulsa was not my favorite place.  

Bogota ended up being one of the most favorite places I have ever lived.

I could write a whole post just on the wonderfulness of Colombia.

Dancing, beautiful green mountains, vibrant city, DELICIOUS food.

1984:

My memories get a bit fuzzier the further back I go, but I do know we were living in Muscat, Oman.

My best friend was Lesley.  We did just about everything together.

My family spent a lot of time a the beach, and wadi bashing when possible.

I was also British for this period of my life.

(My sister and I attended a British school, and we both spoke with British accents)

We also had to opportunity to travel extensively (Paris, London, Singapore, Denmark, India, Thailand, New Zealand, to name a few).

And that is as far back as I go, because I wasn't born in 1974.

Perhaps 'Flash-forward Friday' will be the next thing.

So tomorrow I should consider what the next 10 years will bring . . . 

(Oh crap, that means my youngest will be turning 18 and graduating!!!!)

Hockey Weekend

I have talked about teachers, and coaches in past posts.

This time, I would like to talk about teams.

The players, their families, coaches, and everyone who contributes to the team.

My son plays hockey. 

He LOVES it.

He loves it so much that he has decided that he must be Canadian, since hockey is so popular up there.  

(He is serious about being Canadian.  He cheered for them all during the Olympics, and asked to learn the words to their national anthem.)

My point is that he LOVES hockey.

He has been playing for 2 years here with our local team.

Hockey is not a big deal here in Central Pennsylvania.  Most people don't even know that we have a hockey team.

Last year, we attended a tournament in State College, where we had the chance to play against other teams of the same age.

We were decimated.

I can't remember how many games we played (it had to be over 10), and we won 1.

And the ones we lost were not close at all.

I likened our team to the Mighty Duck (from the movie) or the Bad New Bears.

This year, there were many parents who noticed our lack of support and really stepped up.

This past weekend, we attended another tournament, this time in York.

My only hope for this tournament was that we didn't end up in last place.

We started on Saturday with a loss.

But then we won the next game, and Caden actually scored some goals.

(He is not usually a big scorer.  He is definitely not one of the superstars.)

We played 6 more games and only lost one more time.

We were all so thrilled.

We ended up placing 2nd with our cross ice team.

Our half ice team played for 3rd.

This was one of the most intense games I have ever watched.

We came back from 1-5 to win in overtime 7-6.

I was almost in tears.

It was just so amazing to see how far all the boys have come in the past year.

And to come back from a 4 goal deficit took some serious heart.

They really left it all out on the ice.

One of the reasons I think our team played well is that they really functioned as a team.

Our boys (for the most part) did not try to take it to the goal every time.

They passed well, they played smart.

I have really loved these past 2 years getting to know all the other hockey families.

And I love going to the tournaments with them, and getting to know them better.

I look forward to many more years of hockey with all of you.

I am having trouble writing all that I am feeling (I am NOT a writer), but just know that my heart was made so full after this weekend.  

I am still grinning.

Teaching Reliance

While sitting at my kids' gymnastics lesson last night, I had a conversation with my friends about cooking.

Not what we were going to cook, but about letting our kids cook.

I immediately felt panicked, thinking about letting my kids near a stove.

And knives, don't even get me started.

But after talking for a while, I realized that I have been doing a disservice to my kids.

By taking care of every little thing for them, I have hampered their ability to be self-reliant.

OK, I don't do EVERY little thing.

They do make their beds every morning, and recently have started to get their own breakfast.

On occasion, I have let them pack their own lunch.

But I wash and fold and put away their clothes, wash all the dishes, cook almost every meal, clean. . . 

I am basically a housewife from the 1950's.

But I like it.

It makes me happy when my son tells me that whatever I have made for dinner is the best meal he has ever eaten (he says this a lot, which makes me doubt his sincerity, but I still love to hear it).

But when they ask to help, I politely decline.

Yes, that sounds really sad, and not something that a very good mother would do.

And I have my reasons, which are all dumb (they will probably break something, or they won't do it right, or it will just be faster if I do it myself, etc.)

So last night I let my daughter cook for the first time.

She made pancakes.

(From Bisquick, not from scratch)

She read the recipe from the back, got out all the ingredients, and mixed them up.

I did not help once.

I did help by telling her at what level to have the stove, and she needed a little help with the flipping of the pancakes.

But she mad the whole batch, and the house did not burn down.

I am resolving to have her cook more often.

(I still did the dishes for her, but that will be another lesson for another time.)

Life After St John

So, when I last left off, we were in St John.

(It turned out the swimmer had died from a heart attack, and not from drowning.

Still very tragic.)

We have since returned to PA.

Cold, wet, icy, snowy PA.

It makes me miss the beach.

We had a fantastic Christmas. 

As usual, it was just the 4 of us; no extended family, no visitors.

We ate out at our usual Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day with some great friends (who will soon be leaving us, so if anyone else wants to join us for Chinese Christmas 2014, let me know!) and just hung out at home.

We celebrated New Years with friends as well, but didn't make it until midnight.

Since then, things have calmed down, and the regular routine has started.

This consists of: school (for the kids), work (for Rocky and somewhat for me), hockey (for Rocky and Caden), gymnastics (for both kids), and cooking, cleaning, errands, etc (for me).

One new development:

There is a semi-truck driver that has started parking next to our house.  

He doesn't live in our immediate area.

But just likes to park there.

This is annoying for many reasons.

1.  When pulling out from the alley behind our house, you cannot see the oncoming traffic.

Beside being dangerous for us the in car, the kids tend to cross the street there because there are friends whose house is right across that part of the street.

2.  It is loud.  He has begun to start the engine at all hours of the night, and leave it running for at least 30 minutes.  I know there is a reason for him to do this, but it wakes us up every time, and I can't go back to sleep until he either drive away or just turns it off.

And when I say "all hours of the night," I mean all hours.  Sometimes it happens at 1 am, 3 am, 5 am, 6am.  Plus at random hours during the day.

3.  I hate looking out my windows and seeing a huge, ugly semi parked there.  This reason is less of a problem than the first 2, but it is annoying to not be able to see anything beyond our fence besides a truck.

We are at a loss as to what we can do to better the situation.

Rocky did call the cops one night at 3 am when he left the truck running for almost an hour.

But he continues to park there, and start it up whenever.

We have tried talking to him as well, but to no avail.

So we are going to have to get tough.  

There apparently is no ordinance (currently) to prevent him from parking there.

But I would think that common sense would just tell you that parking a semi in the borough is not the best idea.

St John, Day 1

For Thanksgiving, we are spending the week in St. John with family.

We arrived last night, and today was our first day on the beach.  

My poor, deprived kids have never seen the ocean, so today was a pretty big event.

We arrived at Trunk Bay, and found a nice spot.

As we were getting everyone covered in sunscreen, we noticed a gentleman floating in the ocean face down.  He was wearing snorkel gear, so it looked like he could have just been snorkeling. 

It soon became apparent that he was not.

Some other swimmers pulled him out of the water, and others went to flag down the lifeguards.

CPR was started, and he was worked on continuously until the paramedics arrived.

I wish I could say that we saw him come back to life, but we did not.

The were still working on him while they loaded him into the ambulance, so perhaps they were able to revive him later.

Of course, our kids saw the whole thing and were very upset. 

Ciara burst into tears and refused to get near the water.

She wouldn't even play in the sand until they took him away in the ambulance.

Caden was less traumatized, but it took him a while to get in the water.  

Things eventually calmed down, and they did get to enjoy the beach.

But I don't think any of us will forget today.

I still don't know what the outcome was for the gentleman.

And I don't know that we will ever know, but I hope he felt the prayers of my family, and probably many others on the beach.

Hectic Life

Where does the time go?

It feels like we just got back from Disney, but that was a while ago.

Life continues to move at it hectic pace, and I feel like I am always trying to catch up.

Will I ever feel on top of things again?

I blame a lot of it on the business.

I am definitely not cut out for this.

But I have to find a way to make it work, because this is Rocky's dream.

My dream would be to have him work for a large multi-national corporation that would transfer us all over the world.  

Anyone out there own one of those?

Are you interested in buying a small firm in the middle of PA?

NO?

Well, maybe one day.

Until then, I will continue to try to keep up with it all.

Quick kid update:

Soccer is done (Ciara)

Girl's on the Run is still going (Ciara)

Hockey has started (Caden)

Both kids are enjoying school, friends, etc.

So I guess the glass is at least half full.  :)

Food at Disney

 Now, onto the FOOD!

I love eating at Disney. 

We have done the meal plan both times we have visited, and I would do it again.

Yes, it is pricey, and you get a TON of food.

But I love the convenience of eating wherever we want, and getting the kids snacks when they request it.

Yes, there are ways to eat more cheaply, but non quite as convenient.

Over the 2 trips, here is a list of places we have eaten, with a small review after each.

Table Service:

California Grill  (Contemporary Resort)- Not worth using 2 meal points for this restaurant.  We will not return.

O'hana (Polynesian Resort) - Good food, but WAY TOO MUCH!  It reminded me of a Brazilian Steakhouse.

50's Prime Time Cafe (Hollywood Studios) - Great experience!  The kids loved eating here.  Our waiter was wonderful, really got into character.  The food was very good (I think the pot roast or fried chicken is the best).  Plus, the brownie sundae is over the top.

Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge) - Good if you like African/Indian flavors (which we do).  My husband preferred this one over Boma.

Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge) - I enjoyed the variety of food (it is a buffet).  The soups were delicious!

Coral Reef (Epcot) - I would like to go back to this restaurant.  I was so full before we ate that I hardly got to enjoy anything we ate.

Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom) - Rocky's favorite.  Thanksgiving every night, and they bring your more of whatever you want.

Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge) - Again, great experience!  Make sure you ask for ketchup.

Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom) - Will not return.  Mediocre food, and poor service.  The only reason to visit is to see the Winnie the Pooh characters.

Chef Mickey's (Contemporary Resort) - Standard breakfast with the standard characters.  

Tusker House (Animal Kingdom) - Standard (safari) characters, with a good breakfast.

Our group at Chef Mickey's.

Quick Service: 

I can't remember all of them, but I will write the ones that were memorable.

Sleepy Hollow (Magic Kingdom) - Best waffle sandwiches!

ABC Commissary (Hollywood Studios) - I LOVED the quinoa salmon salad.

France (Epcot) - Great dessert and fancy grilled ham and cheese.

England (Epcot) - Delicious fish and chips.

Morocco (Epcot) - LOVED all of the food.

Last, but certainly not least, BE OUR GUEST!

We were unable to get in here for dinner (where reservations are required), but I waited for 45 minutes before they opened so we could at least have the lunch experience.

It was worth it.

We sat in the West Wing, which is dark and stormy.

Make sure you watch the portrait of the prince when a petal falls off the rose.

Besides the atmosphere (which is PHENOMENAL), the food was great (especially when compared with other quick service options).

Outside Be Our Guest before the doors opened.

In front of the rose (again, not sure about the gang signs).

The beautiful mosaic on the way out.

 As far as snacks go, there is one that is a must have - the Dole Whip.  

I stood in line for about 30 minutes to get one, and it was totally worth it. 

I got the float with a vanilla pineapple ice cream swirl.

I dream about those at night.

Disney 2013

We have been back from Disney for almost a week, and I still find myself in a post-Disney depression.

If I could go back right this instant, I WOULD.

While in Disney, everyone was happy.  We ate at great restaurants, and who doesn't like to start their day with a roller coaster ride?

Plus, it is a place I can have a "yes" week with my kids (say yes to most of their requests), as opposed to the "no" days of home.

I know that there are some Disney haters out there, and that is fine.  

You can think I am crazy.

But we all had a great time.

Here is our week in review:

We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside hotel (a Disney property).  

The rooms were fine, amenities were fine.

But the resort was so full of people, it kind of made us crazy.

We used the Disney bus system to get from park to park, and for some reason, the lines from a park to our hotel were horrible!  No other resort had as long of lines as ours did.  Still can't figure out why.  So we have decided if we ever do return to the happiest place on earth, we will NOT be staying at the Port Orleans again.  

Day 1: Hollywood Studios.

My kids love HS.  They are both tall enough to go on the Rock'n'Roller Coaster, and it became a favorite of Caden's.  

In front the the Rock'n'Roller Coaster.  Not sure what the gang signs are for.

We also did the Tower of Terror.  Caden loved it, but after 2 times, Ciara decided it wasn't for her.

So we went and found some characters. 

We saw Wreck it Ralph and Venellope, and Sofia the First.

Ciara and Sofia

We stayed to watch Fantasmic, which is the HS night show with water, characters, and a few fireworks.

I had been told that this show was better than Epcot's Illuminations or MK Wishes.

I disagree.  

It was a good show, but I didn't find it as impressive as the other ones.

During the show, they have 2 families answer trivia for prizes, and we got to be one of the families.

The kids were able to answer all the questions correctly, and we won a LOT of popcorn.

They were joking around with what the prize was going to be, and at one point they said we had won a night in Cinderella's castle.  You should have seen the look on Ciara's face!  It took a lot of convincing on my part to get her to understand the truth.

 Day 2: Epcot

Epcot is not our favorite place.  There are only a handful of ride the kids enjoy.  

I, however, LOVE the world showcase.  

I love the food!

(I will do a food review in a separate post.)

We did run into Mary Poppins in England.

Ciara and Mary Poppins.

 Day 3: HS Again

The kids wanted to return and do the Jedi Training again (we did this last time when we were here with my family for Thanksgiving).

We rode the roller coaster and Tower of Terror again, many times, over and over.

Caden also began purchasing swords in almost every store we went to.

Day 4 and 5: Magic Kingdom

This is my favorite place.  It just makes me so happy to see the castles.

We saw many characters and princesses.

While doing Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ciara was selected to act out the part of Mrs. Potts.  She was so excited!

We went on just about every ride, some more than once (Space Mountain), and discovered that my children are HORRIBLE drivers.

Caden learning how to fight like a pirate from Jack Sparrow.

Ciara with Prince Naveen and Tiana.

The kids with Aladdin and Jasmine.

In front of Rapunzel's Tower.

We left the next day after a yummy character breakfast with some great friends (actual friends, not the characters).

From NYC To Disney!

Last weekend, we had to opportunity to meet up with my mom and aunt in New York City.

They fly in every year to attend the US Open.

Usually, they drive out to see us, but this year we decided to drive in to the city to spend some time with them.

Upon heading into the city, I had entered in the address into the navigation in my car.  

Unbeknownst to me, our hotel address (569 Lexington) has 2 NYC locations:

One in Manhatten (where the hotel is actually located)

and the other in Brooklyn (where my car took us).

We had a lovely tour of the city before we actually made it to the hotel.  

At one point, we passed a place called "Two Bros Pizza."  

There was only one guy working there at the time, so Caden asked, "What happened to the other bro?"

He continued to mention the "other bro" for days, speculating on what may have happened to him.

The next morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel (where Kohlschreiber was also eating!) and then headed out into the city.  American Girl was our first stop, followed by the Nintendo Store, Lego Store and FAO Schwartz.

After that, the girls headed to Broadway to see Newsies, and the guys headed back to the Nintendo Store.

We had such a great time!

 Rockafeller Center

 Playing the giant piano at FAO Schwartz.

Newsies!!

And the coming week, we are taking the kids to DISNEYWORLD!

I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself.

The kids still don't know, and we aren't planning on telling them until we just load them into the car.  

I hope they are as excited as I am!

Summer Pics and the Beginning of School

Fun with Kippy (one of our favorite lifeguards) on the last day of the pool.

Caden and Kippy

Kippy and the girls.

Caden at Dunkin.  I have to question his fashion choices sometimes.

First Day of school (2nd and 4th grade)

 Ciara has had an easy transition to school.  She loves her teacher and seems to enjoy her classmates.

Caden has had a more difficult time.

For the first week, he cried every night and every morning and begged to be homeschooled.

This is not normal for him.

He LOVED school last year.

But I think his teacher last year set the bar so high that no one else will ever measure up.

If I could somehow bring back Mr Hostetler and make it so that he could just teach Caden for the rest of his school life . . .

In the meantime, Caden has gotten a little better about going to school.

But I do think one of his big problems is that he is truly bored.

He says all the books are too easy, and the math is really boring.

Since he was doing times tables last year and his math this year has consisted of adding 4+7, I can see why he is bored.  I am hoping things will pick up in the coming weeks.

If not, then I will have to do something about it.

Summer In Review

I can't believe summer is almost over!

This is our last week of official summer vacation.

We have school orientation tonight and Wednesday night.

And then school starts next week.

(And we go to Disney in less than a month!)

But I really can't believe that another summer has gone by, and my kids are in yet another grade.

This is Caden's last year at the elementary school (the elementary school only has K-2), and in 2 years Ciara will be in middle school (which terrifies me to no end).

Things I will miss about summer:

lazy mornings

the POOL!

feeling carefree (most of the time)

not having a schedule

Things I look forward to with school starting:

back on a schedule (I can only handle not having a schedule for so long)

not taking the kids to work with me

getting involved in their classrooms

school supplies (I just love notebooks and pencils)

So, here's to another great year of school, soccer, hockey, baseball, etc!

My Ode to Teachers

This isn't really an ode.  

It isn't lyrical.  It isn't poetic.

But it is my attempt to put into words the feelings I had at the end of the school year.

So last year wasn't the best year for one of my kids.

It was the first time I ever considered home schooling my children.

But this year was different.

We had a GREAT year!

Not only did both of my kids have the BEST teachers, they also had some really great kids in their class.

Everything was so great, it was so hard to see it end.

The phrase, "It takes a village" kept running through my mind.

Because I do what I can from home.

But my kids are in the care of others for about 7 hours on a weekday (school starts at 8:20 and they get out at 3).

So for 7 hours, their safety, health, well-being, etc. are in the hands of someone else.

Someone, who at the beginning of the year, is most likely a complete stranger.

For the most of us, our kid's lives are pretty safe while at school.

But there were 2 events this year that proved that safety in school is not always a given.

Newtown is the first incident.

This illustrated just how much my children's lives are in their teachers' hands.

And again with the tornadoes in Oklahoma.

From all accounts, in both cases, it sounds like the teachers did everything they could to protect their students, even if it meant the teacher sacrificed their own life.

It was a huge reminder of how the simple act of letting my kids out of my sight was literally putting their lives in the hands of others.

And the hands that took care of my kids this year were, well, I really can't find words to describe them.

I feel like I have a pretty great "village."

It's no wonder I get so attached to the teachers, you guys are basically helping me raise my kids for most of the year.

So thank you.

(and I am so glad so many of you are on facebook, because then I can still keep you in my "family")

My Mormon Unicorn

By now, most of you know that I have moved a lot in my life.  The longest I have stayed in one place is 5 years.  So I am used to the packing, unpacking, leaving friends, and meeting new one.

One thing I am NOT used to is people leaving me.

This does not happen to me.

At least, it didn't.

Until now.

My friends just keep leaving me.

On Monday, my PA BFF leaves for CA.

Which just basically sucks.

Replacing her is impossible.  

Mormon's are a pretty conservative group (to say the least), and when you aren't conservative yourself, you can feel a little out of step with everyone else.

She was really the first liberal Mormon I have met and connected with.

I have connected with many of the conservatives as well, and cherish my friendships with them. 

As do I cherish my friendships with my non-Mormon friends, liberal and conservative.

But finding someone like her has been like finding, well . . . . 

a Mormon Unicorn.

I know that finding another one is next to impossible.

It is hard to find someone who understands what we believe, but who also leans to the liberal side.

And I think people know that I am having a hard time because they keep coming up to me, and with the sympathetic head tilt, say, "How are you doing?  Are you OK?'"

So, instead of wallowing in my grief, I am going to take a proactive step to thwart my depression.

I will be accepting applications for a new PA BFF.

One of the main requirements is that you are not allowed to move for the foreseeable future.

You also have to have a sense of humor.

I will be creating an application for this, so just contact me if you are interested!

Pet Peeve

I used to be a big fan of Glee.

But I stopped watching because of one small thing.

It was when Emma wouldn't move with Will for his new job.

And then something similar on The Office happened.

Pam didn't want to move for Jim's new career.

This bothers me. 

A LOT.

I am guessing that since I moved so much growing up, I don't see moving as such a big deal.

It is an adventure.

It is usually fun.

And so for these married/engaged couples to just throw away what they have because of a location, I find it wrong.

(Yes, I realize that they are not real couples, and they are fictional characters on the television.)

I hate that they don't find a way to compromise.

That since one wants to move and the other doesn't, they just go their separate ways.

STUPID.

I didn't stop watching The Office because Jim and Pam didn't call it quits.

Jim came back because he realized his family is more important.

Thank you for that Jim.

I was disappointed at the beginning of the finale to see that a year down the road, Jim was still working at Dunder Mifflin.

It made me disappointed in Pam for not supporting him in doing something more.

Luckily, by the end of the show, Pam did do something that was totally redeeming.

Thank you, The Office, for ending Jim and Pam in that manner.

When people grow, they don't always have to grow apart.

They can grow and move on together.

Soccer

Yes, it's soccer season again.

With both kids playing on different teams (and different age groups), this time of the year can get pretty crazy with all the games and practices.

Luckily, Caden will be giving up soccer next year.

Ciara, on the other hand, LOVES soccer.

No, she is not good at it in any way.

Ciara is by FAR one of the least coordinated players on her team.

She is also the smallest.

But I think one of the reasons she loves it so much is because of her coaches and teammates.

Let me tell you about Saturday's game:

We started out slowly, but by the 3rd quarter had built up a decent lead.

For the 4th quarter, Coach Fred put Ciara out front and told everyone to pass it to her so she could score a goal.

Any time another player had the ball, all the girls on the bench would yell, "Pass it to Ciara!"

Even the girls on the field would yell with them.

And they would pass it to Ciara.

And she would try her hardest to score.

She never did.

But that didn't stop the girls from passing it to her.

Someone from the other team tripped her at one point, and they gave us a goal kick.

Even though there were many he could have picked to take the shot (and many who had a better chance at actually MAKING the shot), Coach Fred told Ciara to take it.

Again, no goal.

But no one minded (at least, not outwardly.  I am sure some of them were groaning on the inside).

They still continued to feed Ciara the ball for the rest of the game.

She never did score, but she was so proud that she ALMOST scored.

And I, being the emotional wuss that I am, tried not to cry as I heard all the girls cheering for my daughter.

During the fall season, we had a similar experience.

One of our better players (Maddie) told Ciara where to stand.

She then said that she would pass the ball to Ciara so she could score.

And even though it took about 20 tries, Ciara finally scored.

So, I just want to express my gratitude for Coach Fred and Coach Adam who have made my daughter love soccer.  And for all the Paw Prints who have helped build her confidence.

I am so sad that we won't be able to play next year with you all (Coach Fred and Coach Adam will only be doing club).

If club weren't so competitive, I would consider having Ciara play there just to stay with her team.

For now, we will just enjoy our last weeks with the best team ever!

Vacation?

With summer approaching, I am starting to think of the summer trips that we could possibly take.

Since we have moved to PA, the kids and I have made the trek back to SLC every summer.

This has been getting more and more expensive every year.

I used to be able to find ticket for under $400 (as long as we drove to Baltimore or Philly), but now I can't find anything under $500.  

So, for the 4 of us to just fly to SLC, it will be over $2000.

I have been doing some research on other vacation options, and we could do a lot of different things with that money.

After talking about it for a while, Rocky and I realized that we haven't had a vacation with just the 4 of us in a long time.

Or ever, for that matter.

Every time we go somewhere, it is with other family members.

(Not that I am complaining, we always have a great time with everyone!)

And then (to my utter shock and amazement) Rocky suggested we go back to Disney.

(If you know my husband at all, you will understand what a shock this is.  I thought he would HATE Disney World the first time we went, but apparently he had a good enough time to want to return within a year.)

We could plan a decent Disney trip with the $2000 saved from not going to SLC.

I even found flights from HARRISBURG to Orlando for $130 round trip.

Or we could even drive.

Ahhhh, the possibilities.

I know our families will be upset if we don't visit.

And I will be sad not to see everyone.

But when we moved out here, we specifically talked about how we didn't want every vacation we took to be visiting our families in the west.

We wanted to take the opportunities we had on the east to explore.

And we have done some exploring (NYC, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia).

But at what point do we stop using all of our vacation money to visit family?

(Just so we are clear, our family does visit us pretty regularly.  My parents have been up once this year, and are returning in a few weeks, and Rocky's parents were just here for Easter.  It is extended family, and siblings that we don't get to see that often.  My kids only have 2 cousins, and if we don't visit, they will only get to see them once this year.)

We are also planning a trip to Williamsburg, VA to see some friends, and to hopefully visit the beach.

And then our Thanksgiving trip with family to St. John.

So maybe that should be enough vacations for now.

Fleeting Moments

I honestly can't believe all the change that seems to be coming this summer.

None of it is happening directly to me, just to people surrounding me.

People moving, changing jobs, adopting babies, having babies, etc.

I am filled with such conflicting emotions about everyone's change.

Then I go back and reminisce about the big changes in my life (babies, moving, new business).

And life does continually change.  

I mean, the kids just keep getting older.

And I hate that.

Can I stop them?

I hate that Ciara is starting to get an attitude.

It doesn't happen all the time, but on occasion (usually when she is tired), this other girl rears her ugly head.

She is shockingly rude, and snotty.

I feel like this is just a glimpse of what is going to happen in the near future.

Great.

(that was said sarcastically)

And every milestone that Caden reaches, I am just reminded that this is the last time I will get to experience it.  And it breaks my heart a little.

Even the puppy is growing at an alarming rate.  

I left for work one morning, and I swear she had grown about 2 inches by the time I got home about 3 hours later.

SLOW DOWN, LIFE!