Waiting

You know what I hate?
Waiting.
For anything.

No one has ever accused me of being a patient person, I know. But this is getting ridiculous. I sit around my house for hours at a time waiting for something to happen.

I wait for friends to call.
I wait for the mail.
I wait for Mike to email.
I wait for Sammy to get ready.
I wait for Jon's martial arts class to end.
I wait for my Bed, Bath & Beyond gift cards to arrive.
I wait for the UPS truck to arrive with our approved (hopefully) visas.
I wait for the movers to come.

I'm tired of all this waiting.

Street Signs

Pop quiz...
Do you know what this street sign means?
The other day we were driving and Sammy pointed out the window at this sign and asked, "Mommy, does that mean you can't go pee there?" I laughed so hard! Now it has become a family joke. I love her interpretation of the world. Always uniquely Sammy.

Access denied

Bad news.
Our visas were denied today.
This means we have to reapply.
This involves...
(1) getting our fingerprints scanned in Indianapolis again
(2) collecting the appropriate documents
(3) sending everything via UPS
(4) paying another $1200
(5) waiting to be approved (hopefully)
How frustrating.
I keep telling myself that there must be some reason that our applications were denied. Like perhaps someone is ready to buy our house and I need to be here to take care of that. Who knows? All I know is that we won't be leaving for England as planned.
It's just a waiting game now.

T-shirt Quilt

A sneak peek for Dad of the quilt I created for him out of old Harley Davidson t-shirts.
Can you believe how many shirts he had that he was willing to part with? and he still had another 15 or so in the closet!
I love how it turned out.
Warm and memorable...
The perfect combination.

They make me smile...

I love these plates.

They make me smile when I serve meals using them.

They are so cheerful and fun.

I am so excited that I own them.

Although purchasing an entire set for 8 was more challenging that you might think...

I ended up buying pieces at five different stores across the country.

I bought 8 dinner plates, 6 salad plates and 4 bowls in Woodbridge, Virginia.

I bought 2 salad plates and 2 bowls in Richmond, Virginia.

I bought 2 bowls at a random mall in Ohio.

I bought 6 mugs in Greenwood, Indiana.

And finally, I bought 2 mugs in Bloomington, Indiana.

You might think this was a lot to go through to buy a set of dishes.

It was.

But I love them and they make me smile, so it was worth the effort!

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

Many years ago, gosh I can't remember how long ago, my brother, Paul, decided to grow his hair into dredlocks. I looked everywhere for a good picture of his hair, but this was the best I had. And it's mostly covered up with the bandana.

Over the years they got longer and longer and kind of became his signature look. When dad called me and told me that Paul had cut his hair, I couldn't picture his new look. What fun it was getting to see him (and his new haircut) when we visited in Virginia this week. Check out his new look.

I love this photo of the kids with their Uncle Paul. We had such a great time hanging out and being silly. He was a regular riot and the kids loved every bit of it. Thanks, Paul, for teaching my kids to goof-off in public...

Motorcycle rides

It's been a tradition for as long as I can remember.
Grandpa takes the kids for rides on his Harley when we come to visit.
This visit was no different. Despite the extreme heat and blazing sun, he humored the kids and took them for motorcycle rides today.
When they were younger, Dad would just take them around the block a couple times. Now that the kids are older, they could be taken all over town. Sammy had so much fun that she said, "I think we should have motorcycle rides every day!"

Fantasy Park

When the kids were little we used to spend hours at the park playing on the equipment. One of our favorite parks is Fantasy Park in Virginia, so when we went to visit we took a trip to the park to play.

Something occurred to me today while we were at the park.

Things have changed.

Most of the kids at the park were under two feet tall.

Most of the kids there were toddlers with their parents.

Most of the kids there were still in diapers.

My kids walked into the park looking like giants. They didn't run all over the place playing on the equipment like they used to. Sammy found a shady spot and started sorting out "pretty rocks" off the ground. Jonathan posed for some pictures for me and climbed on top of the playground. He's such a monkey. We only lasted about 30 minutes.

Things sure have changed.

Saying goodbye

I love my Civic.

I think it's because I was the one who researched the car, made all of the decisions and most of the payments. So I have a greater attachment to it.

I know it's silly, but I really love my Civic.

So today was a sad day for me.

Today was the day that someone bought my Civic.

I am going to miss how easy it was to park.

I am going to miss the sunroof.

I am going to miss the great gas mileage it got.

I am going to miss everything about my car.

I just hope the new owner loves it as much as I have.

Things we will miss

Things we will miss about Bloomington...

(1) The beautiful fall colors.

(2) Our friends from school and church.

(3) The location - not too far from family.

(4) The small town feel but with the conveniences of a big city.

(5) Our home, when it sells.

(6) The kids' teachers.

(7) Our backyard and the wildlife we see there.

(8) Target - nope, they have no Target in England.

(9) The proximity to State Parks - we love to go exploring.

(10) Clear Creek Trail.