I'm not mourning VA I'm just missing some things.

You know when you move to a new place and you have to rediscover things. Where do you buy your food? What parks do you go to? What kinds of gyms do you enjoy, where do people run/shop/go to the dentist etc. That is my favorite and least favorite part of moving. Favorite in the sense that there are new things to be discovered, least favorite in the sense that "what if it is crappier then my old (fill in the blank). Well I'm more comfortable now and I'm starting to adjust to life without certain things. So far I love GA and I am glad we are here but let me tell you the things I am really starting to miss.
1. Wegmans. Is there a better grocery store in the USA? I tell you no. I've been to groceries stores in WA,OR,ID,CA,UT,VA,FL,GA. Most of them are your same run of the mill, regular old grocery stores. Until I discovered Wegmans. Where does one begin? And then what do you say? Feel free to help me out. I guess the things I loved the most were; I felt like they took pride in the kind of establishment they were. They didn't try to keep up with other stores, they were way more awesome, they weren't going to come in second place if you know what I mean. The products were great and so were their prices. They had a great store brand and you couldn't beat their prices. Those are just a few of the reasons Wegmans should make their way down to GA. PLEASE!!!
2. Cox Farms. I love Cox Farms. As long as I have had children I have been able to take them to Cox Farms every fall. The place was amazing. They knew how to have a fall festival. Slides so high I got giddy going on them. Hay mazes for the kids, swings, things to climb, animals, hay rides, apple cider for the drinking, pumpkins and oh so much more. I have to admit that I might be more excited about going to Cox farms then my kids (well Makenzie got pretty stoked as well.) I like it better than Disneyland, that is the only feeling I can compare it to, its kind of like Disneyland for me. I love it that much.
So I guess those are the 2 biggies. Friends you don't count because of course I love you and miss you the most that is intended. In fact I love and miss you so much that I am now going to give you a list of reasons you should join us in GA.
1. No suburban traffic. Remember how getting 1 mile across Chain Bridge can take you up to 40 minutes in the afternoon. There is none of that here. I can get pretty much anywhere I want, any time of day and it still only takes me a few minutes. It is glorious. (the actual Atlanta commute is much like D.C.)
2. Maybe this won't motivate you, but I sure love it, life seems just a little bit more relaxed down here. People aren't in such a huge hurry to get to whatever they think is so important. In fact, when we first moved in I bought some lawn chairs at Walmart, I was trying to finagle them into the car when this nice lady comes up to me and says, "hey, I've got a big pick up would you like me to throw those chairs in the back of my truck and follow you home?" I almost died of shock. In D.C. Someone would have given me a dirty look just for trying to put lawn furniture in my car. ('Stupid woman, doesn't she know lawn furniture won't fit into a sedan') So we did just that, she followed me home with my chairs in her truck. Talk about southern hospitality. And I find myself being nicer, why not say hi to random strangers, they say hi back. Everyone is quick to strike up a conversation in the grocery store. Its all a little shocking really, but in a good way.
3. This place is family friendly USA. Not only that, everyone here has a family. It's weird. I thought only Mormons had young families, turns out we're not the only ones. Its kind of nice.
4. The weather, I love the sunshine, and so far I've seen it everyday. It is great. It's 2 days before Halloween and it is perfect weather, you could wear shorts, you could wear pants, whatever you want to wear you could probably be comfortable in it. Lee thinks we've discovered paradise. Still curious to see how it is all year round.
So if you're considering that job relocation to Atlanta and you can live without Wegmans and Cox Farms, by all means join us! We'll find a great spot for you in the neighborhood.

Where have we been? I'll tell you where we've been.

So longest post ever right here. I AM BACK!!!! After moving from DC to Atlanta, a trip to Seattle, a few weeks at my new house, and throw in a Ragnar Relay, I am finally able to blog. Not to mention that it took me going out of town for 4 days for Lee to finally set up the computer. So all my big stuff is over and my new life in Atlanta can officially begin, without interruptions. But what a great adventure we have been on. There is so much to say and so much to talk about but I want to hit it all so it will mostly just be the highlights of life.

1. We moved, and so far we love it! We love our place, we love our neighbors, we love our ward, we love the area, we love the weather. I think we are going to be really happy here. We miss our friends, and we miss familiarity, we miss places we used to go etc, but we are excited to keep exploring this new phase of life.




Our new place.

2. My baby boy turned 1. I cannot begin to tell you the joy Austin has brought into my life. He came into this world as a happy kid. He is nothing but a ball of energy, love, and joy. He balances my life. He knows just how to defuse the bomb (Makenzie) and he loves her and makes her forget all her cares and sorrows. He has been exactly what our family needed and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. We cannot wait to see the wonderful person he becomes.



3. I visited Seattle, it was good to see family and old friends and go to old stomping grounds. There is nothing like going home. If only for a little while, just to remember, breath familiar air. I don't know what it is. I went back to the house and peeked in all the windows. It was weird, just another reminder that life goes on.

Katie, Laura and I. It was so good to see you girls PS why does this always happen to my pictures, why don't they flip?

Avery, my stinkin cute niece.

Laura and I, BFF!!!

4. I ran another Ragnar. It was the best!!! I had the most fabulous team. TEAM CHICA (SHOUT OUT!!) We had so much fun and we worked our butts off. I can't begin to describe the fun we had and the friendships we made. The experiences that we went through etc but we really grew close in those 2.5 days and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to run that race with some of the most spectacular women I know. Thanks Ladies!!! The best part was just being a part of the Now DC Ragnar Famous "TEAM CHICA." I think everyone knew who we were by the time the race was over. You know you rock when other teams are coming up to you saying "you're a member of Team CHICA, we heard about you!" HA. Or when Bill from USA Today stalks your team taking pictures and video taping your runners only to end up in a full interview and then telling us to look for the article in October before the Tennessee Ragnar. Wouldn't that be awesome if we made the paper?!! If anyone sees it let me know.

Team CHICA

Van 1 Minus Melissa who is actually running

The whole team menos Catherine who is also running

How freaking awesome is my team?!!

The whole crew, after 36 something hours of running we did it!!
Now I am back, adjusting to normal, whatever that is, I still have to figure that out. Life sure has tossed us around this last little bit but we are happy to have each other, and be on a new adventure together.

Oh the Children

I just wanted to post some pictures mainly of Austin because I don't think he gets enough play. Makenzie seems to make her way into most of these pictures. So eat your hearts out.

Go Cougs!!

Love this kid!!

My little buddy.

This is how we beat the heat on our deck. This is an activity better suited for a yard, but when all you have is a 3rd floor deck, you make it work.

Goobers from the get go, I think these children belong to me.

This is the Place.

This is our future home. We just got the approval today!! I am actually really excited. Even though it isn't as big as we wanted, and even though it doesn't have a garage I am really happy and feel at peace. We actually didn't even walk through this home, we walked through others in this complex but I found this one on craigslist when we got home. When I opened it, I was like, this is our home. So I started the process right away. I am happy to because this one is nicer than any others that we saw in the complex and it is cheaper!!

Funny story about this house, as soon as we decided to act, I called the Bishop of the ward we will be attending. I was asking him about the area, and the ward etc. He had great things to say, which made me really happy. But funniest random fact, I told him the address, and he said, yeah I know exactly the house you are talking about, the "X" family just moved out. HA!! We tend to follow members when renting our houses. PS, another LDS family is moving to our current house as soon as we leave, so local friends, be on the lookout for this new family. They have a little 3 year old girl, and their little guy is 1 just like Austin. Funny.

So the Bishop told me that there are a ton of young families in the ward. He told me (I didn't mention anything about running) that there is a whole group of moms that run together and are training for a half marathon in November. Maybe I'll fit in?

One of the selling points for me on this house was this cute little back yard. Most of the other townhouses in this complex don't have fences, its just open. I wanted a little privacy and love the fact that the back gate opens to the Huge grassy foresty area in the back. Couldn't be happier that we back up to grass and trees. We also have two pools in the complex. Did I mention I am stoked to be in an end unit?

So its not the house of our dreams or anything, but as a rental we are pretty happy, and its great to be paying a 3rd less for rent then we do now for something bigger. Gotta love the south. We'll we hope to anyway. We sure have loved D.C

Life is nutty

Well, we've been pretty busy. With Lee gone every weekday for the past 3 months, and us relocating to Atlanta in 2 weeks, throw in a house hunting trip and just a little hint of summer heat and you got yourselves what I call "our summer vacation." Not too impressive. I'm not sure if the worst is over (Lee gone all the time) or if it still lies ahead (moving). But luckily I have a hubby who loves me more than anything because his grand plan is yes... get this.. send me to Seattle while he drives the kids to Atlanta and moves in all our stuff. Do husbands do nicer things for their wives? Don't think its even possible. So while I'm with fam and friends, he'll be with kids and boxes. Lee, I love you! So our days in Virginia are numbered. We put in an application on a tiny little town home, (not buying, not yet at least) and we hope life will move forward and that we will learn to love Atlanta as much as DC. We'll miss friends and family, but we look forward to new adventures, and new friends. That is life right now, and this is probably all you will get until late September when I return for... dun dun dun RAGNAR!!!! Can't wait, I'm seriously getting excited.

Back Streets Back Alright!!!

Well I'm not 17 and its not the turn of the century, but last night it may as well have been. That is right, I attended a Back Street Boys concert in the year 2010. They are still around you ask? Turns out they didn't stop making music after I graduated HS. Who knew? When I saw they were coming to town, my first thought was, are you kidding me, they are still performing, my next thought was, Oh I bet I can get some girls to go with me. So I did. I rounded up some friends and we were going to go and sit on the lawn seats and be 17 again, but due to their popularity lawn tickets, and almost all tickets sold out quite rapidly. So April, Julie and I bit the bullet and payed double the money to buy a seat. Which I actually don't regret at all because can I say this. The concert was AWESOME!!!! It was so fun.

I had no idea what to expect, was it going to be a bunch of washed up almost 40 year old guys on stage doing a little singing, heck no, never underestimate the power of a boy band. They had all the same moves, and a few new ones, all your classic songs, great costumes, a great stage setup, fog, strobe lights, hot dancing girls (not that I cared so much about that part) but everything you would have expected from a boy band concert in the year 2000. Only this time they were a little older, AJ was practically bald, Nick Carter wasn't some scrawny little blonde anymore, he was the biggest guy in the group. Brian looked a little older, and Howie, well his hair wasn't as stupid looking as it used to be. Overall, it was good times, I wish I could do it again tonight, it was great to feel young again. I realize I need to take all the opportunities I can to seize the day, because when I saw BSB on stage and they were a lot older than they were 10 years ago, I thought man, life is passing by, I need to take a hold of it because it is just too short. So again, if anyone has any seize the day type of moments, count me in!


Signs that either I'm getting too old for BSB, or BSB is getting too old to perform when:
1. Brian Littrell's son is the one who introduces them onstage.
2. They make fun of themselves on stage mentioning how the only way to be this successful for 17 years is to have great fans like those in the audience. Some of whom, weren't even born yet.
3. During the concert I am thinking, I hope I don't get home too late, because my kids are going to have me up at 6am.
4. While they were dancing my thought was, how are they still doing that, don't their knees hurt?
5. When their hot dancer girls came on stage April turned to me and said, "Yeah I bet those aren't their wives." HA!!
6. While I'm singing along to all their songs memories of HS particularly Laura A, Laura Y, Katie, Rachel, Brynda, Eric, Cam, and EFY come flooding back to me. I felt like I was going to drive home to the plateau and go walk back into my old house. Sigh, bittersweet memories!

Where to start

We're not dead, I'm just lazy.

Its been so long since I've seriously blogged, or even stalked for that matter, I feel like I've forgotten how. And what do I share? I used to go through life experiencing moments and thinking to myself "this is going to make a good story for the blog." Have I run out of stories, or have I forgotten how to blog, become so wrapped up in other things? In an attempt to redeem myself I was going to tell some awesome story accompanied by some truly amazing pictures. But I realized I didn't have either, so this is a simple summary of my life in a nutshell, accompanied by a few cute pictures of my kids. Take it or leave it, this re-blogging thing is going to take some time.
Life in a nut shell:
1. I got so excited when my 20% off REI coupon came in the mail because my mind is consumed by two things right now. Moving to Atlanta and the Ragnar Relay. I spend every spare second (and also the ones I should probably be playing with kids) on the computer looking up reflective vest, LED lights, head lamps and houses in Atlanta. You can bet I saved 20% off my led lights, now if only I could save 20% on a house.

2. Summer is here, bring it on, bring on the heat, the pool, the BBQ's, just bring everything, I dare you.

3. I run, a lot. I like it, most of the time.

4. Family? Just kidding, my kids consume my almost every minute and my husband continues to provide for the family in a new setting, he's working hard so that hopefully we can have a better life soon enough. Austin is a dream child, the kid literally lights up my life with sunshine and laughter and an overwhelming love. Kenzie lights up my life in a different kind of way, she and I share moments every once in a while where I think, I really love you. Otherwise we just try and make it through. Today we had a moment, I was giving Kenzie a bath and Austin crawls in and a minute or two later I look beside me and he is standing up looking into the tub on Makenzie. She and I look at him in shock (he's never pulled himself to standing before) and Austin starts laughing hysterically, and so does Makenzie. They did it for about 3 minutes. It was great.

Super Hero Babies

Love at the fountains. They really are such good friends, it has been a blessing in my life, they make each other so happy. I'm in trouble in a few years when they team up against me.