Monday, May 28, 2012

Home again, Home again, Jiggedy Jig

After nearly three weeks of being away attending various activities with my family, I am home. Home! Yay! I have loved being with my siblings, attending weddings, helping them move, traveling to new and different places and meeting new people. It has been wonderful. It is also wonderful to be home. We are all safe and sound in the places we are supposed to be. We had a fun cookout at the Hillman/Stanford home in honor of our safe return and to commemorate Memorial day today. We visited a little, ate a little, planted some of the garden and  unloaded a few things off the moving truck. I do so love my family.

This week we will anticipate the arrival of my daughter Jessie and her husband Todd, and their baby Evie, as well as Tamara and Benjamin. We will celebrate the bridal shower for Tamara, celebrate their Idaho reception, and anticipate the arrival of my sweetheart, Tad, on his rotation home. We will have parties, cookouts, celebrations and much time together. It's going to be a party! I do love my family.

Monday, May 21, 2012

36 Hours and Counting...

I'm here in Las Cruces, helping my sister, Jennifer, pack her household to move back to Idaho. It's boxes, boxes everywhere, and tomorrow we will pick up the truck, load their stuff and then we'll leave Wednesday morning. We will make a pit stop in Mesa while her husband attends a professional conference, then we will hit the road to Idaho. Mesa will be phase 3 of my out of state adventure. It's been fun to be able to attend the wedding of our little sister, Tamara and her sweetheart, Benjamin. I've enjoyed being here in Las Cruces, getting to know my little niece, Mavis, and it will be fun to return to Mesa for a few days. I will admit, though, that I miss my own little family and my sweet husband, and I will be glad to see them again, and to get to hug and kiss my kids and grandbaby.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Let the fun begin!

I'm pretty sure I don't like the changes that Blogger has made to their dashboard format. I don't agree that change is always better.

This is it! This is the week that starts all the fun! I will spend the next 3 days preparing for my trip--haircut, color, laundry, packing, final instructions to my kids, cleaning--so that I can leave Thursday morning. I'm headed south, to warmer climes, to attend the wedding of my dear little sister and her sweetheart. Our whole family will be there--all my sibs, my parents and several members of our extended family. It is going to be wonderful! We will all be there for a family cookout, the sealing ceremony, the wedding luncheon, the reception and any other reason we can think of to gather. We will also celebrate mother's day and our parents' birthdays doing what we do best--laughing, eating and being together. I wish that I could take my sweetie and our kids with me, but jobs and school prevent their attendance, but they will be with us in spirit.

Once next Monday rolls around, I will go with another little sister and her family to help them pack their belongings and move back home. They are moving in with our parents to help with the house, yard and daily life. We will spend the second week of May getting them ready to go, and then will pick up the moving truck and load it up and they will finish all their final workshops, conferences and obligations so we can head north. I'll be riding with my sister and their little girl, to help with driving, distracting Little Cutie, navigating and anything else she needs me to do. It'll be a fun time to chat, share ideas, rant, encourage and be sisters.

We will roll back into town on Memorial Day and get their truck unloaded. I'll have 3 days to put my house back together while they attempt to combine their belongings with Mom and Dad's, and then the family will start to gather up here, in Idaho, for phase 2 of the wedding festivities. My daughter and her cute little family will arrive Thursday evening, the newlyweds will arrive Friday morning and we will be hosting a bridal shower for them with all the Idaho cousins and relatives. After the shower, we'll have another family gathering and cookout, with more laughing, eating and being together. The wedding open house will be Saturday evening. Sunday and Monday people will start to leave for home, and things will start to settle into our summer routines.

We have a busy summer ahead, filled with summer jobs, birthdays, YW camp, EFY, my sweetie's rotations home, and the birth of our little tiny granddaughter, when we will go out to visit and attend her blessing. That will be the perfect ending to a wonderful summer. I can't wait to get started!