The Big Move

Well, where do I start? I think we are starting to feel at home after a month of being in the new place. We are very happy to be close to our family and old friend's but we really do miss our lives we left in MI. I miss the little things that you rarely take notice of day to day. I miss seeing Carol in the yard and our conversations, I miss the kids being able to run from yard to yard and playing with all of their friends (Heather, Natalie, Brandon and Aiden) without a planned play date. I miss seeing kids ride their bikes down the sidewalk. I even miss the sound of UPS/FedEx (for a court of seven houses we all had a ton of deliveries) truck driving by. I miss looking out of the windows at night and seeing houses, lights and I even miss my cats. We also miss our activities with Elsie and Reid. Anna and Max have been playmates with Elsie and Reid since they were four months old! I still talk to everyone but it isn't the same as seeing them all of the time. To all of you in MI, we miss you very much! Please come and visit us! We will be out around Christmas time.

Now, there are many things to love about NY, so please don't think we aren't happy to be here. The kids love being able to run around their 5 acre yard. I on the other hand am scared to death of the coyotes that I hear howling at night. I made the mistake of looking up online all that I could about them and I am now fearful that a rabid one will come after my kids! I need to learn to be okay in the country again. :) I do love how beautiful our yard is--just need to stop looking at woods as if something is going to come charging out at us. I love that Grandma's and Grandpa's can and do stop by often for visits with the kids. I love that Anna and Max no longer need time to warm up to their Grandparents and run to them with open arms. I love that we actually have so many friends near by that we have known since first grade! I love that I will be getting gas, shopping or just out and about and someone from my past will come up to me and say hi, Dawn (Maiden Name). That can only happen when you return to a place where you grew up. I am just so amazed that you can be away for fifteen years and come back and have it feel like home. It is a feeling that I cannot describe but it feels really comfortable.
Anna and Max start at the new Montessori school next week! They will go three mornings a week and seem to really like their new school. They had a Popsicle social last week to meet their new classmates and to also give the parents a chance to meet one another as well. They will be in a class with two to five year old students. We are very pleased that they will be here. What a hard time we had finding a school that worked for us!

I guess I have rambled on long enough and now that we are settled in, I hope to update you all more often. Below are a few pictures from our "moving day".

Oh, I have to give one quick mention to the story of the missing cats (Zoe and Olivia) in the hotel room and how we had to call an exterminator and a animal control person for advice. This actually delayed our move by an entire day and additional overnight in said hotel. Was this move meant to be??? I ask this because the morning our life arrived in the big semi truck we were greeted at our front door with two men telling us there was no way they could get the truck up the driveway and that we would need a "shuttle service" which meant more time and lots more money. Luckily, the driver wanted to get back to his family and he tried one more time from the other side of the driveway and came up full speed taking out one large tree limb. Oh boy did we scream with excitement and amazement over this joyous sight! Maybe just maybe the rainbow that greeted us near the New York State line was a good luck rainbow. Only time can tell.