It's the end of the year and I know it!

December 29, 2013
Well, we squeezed in one last trip this year. The past two days we spent in Washington D.C. I really wanted to see the White House and the Capitol. They were big and grand and totally worth it. I had to listen to a Disney movie soundtrack the entire drive ( 4 hours ) there and back. I also got to listen to lots of screaming, tattling and name calling. However I got to snack on chips and peanut M&M's which I really only allow myself on car trips. It is a special junk food treat that makes all of the above mentioned a little more bearable. We saw a LOT of interesting people, saw a lot of armed guards and secret service officers and even got to see the Capital at night with a lit Christmas tree in front of it. It was awesome. I still can't believe we live close to these places.
Thanksgiving weekend we took a quick trip to Charleston SC. What a cool city. I loved the architecture and the food. I enjoy visiting states south of us a bit more than the stogy northern states. They are very crowded and old and a lot less friendly. Give me some southern hospitality and fresh baked biscuits any day!
It has been a great year though. We have had a lot of changes, I started working full time, we moved again ( hopefully we will stay put for awhile), Ellie started middle school and Tate got braces. I feel like my kids are growing up so dang fast. I am grateful I still have a little dude I can baby from time to time. He is a mama's boy and still keeps my attention focused where it needs to be. I love him for that. I'm really looking forward to 2014 because I'm hoping it will be a year of settling down and settling in. I want to run more, worry less, be more organized and keep my house a little more tidy. :) It'll be easier if we aren't always packing or unpacking...right?
Happy New Year and thanks for reading. xo-Kari

Exhausted

Here's the thing, I love my job. I'm super grateful for the opportunity. However I'm pooped. It's been a lot of work trying to refresh the art studio. I've been working 6 days a week. Thanksgiving weekend we all had a break so we got in the car and drove to Charleston SC. The southern charm was thick and beautiful. The food was awesome. We didn't stay long but we will definitely be back. 

Charleston Turkey

Well we are on our way to Charleston SC this Thanksgiving weekend. I've never been but have heard it's a pretty cool place. 

Thanksgiving is a strange holiday when you are far from home or family. We were invited over to a friends house which was so nice. However I found myself looking for my moms gravy and disappointed when the pie was served without whip cream. The laughter and company made up a little for the emptiness in each of us. Once we got home I tucked Ellie into bed and layed by her while she cried. 

We decided to make Thanksgiving weekend an adventure to look forward to so this weekend we are checking out Charleston. 

I'm happy to have a little break from home, from work and from laundry. 

Today I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. We love our new house, I feel so blessed to work and do what I do and this Thanksgiving I wasn't sick about where I was going to find the money for a fancy meal. 

To cap it off we just are at Cracker Barrel which would make anyone thankful. Our waitress had the cutest southern accent and she kept the hot biscuits coming. Two more hours and all my turkeys will be in Charleston. Here's to more blogging! 

Stormy Summer

Well it has been a bit since I posted, yikes. I just noticed my last entry was when it was freezing outside. Opposite! It is hot and humid and I can only wear my hair in a pony tail. Occasionally I get tired of it back and think it won't be so bad. The humidity and my hair is so bad. So Bad! I can't stand it even for 10 minutes.
Lately I have been thinking of that quote, "The coldest winter I ever had was a summer in San Francisco". I think of that because the rainiest summer I ever spent was a summer in Raleigh NC. It doesn't sound as nice but it is so true. It rains every day, not Oregon drizzle. Instead the day starts out sunny and hot and progressively the heat gets heavier and heavier. Typically after I finally get to crawl into bed the sky starts cracking. The thunderstorms here are outrageous. Last night I watched my room light up for an hour, it looked like a strobe light. The thunder shook the house and within minutes I had a bed full of little boys. I was secretly glad to have the company because they still scare me. I'm hoping the fall is nice and sunny and the thunderstorms go away.
Aside from the weather there have been some big changes around here. Chance is now attending preschool and loves his new teachers. I'm happy he has a fun place to go now that I'm working every day. I have taking over at a local children's art studio and so far so good! It is a lot of work and a big change but I'm glad to not be sitting around this stupid rental house every day. There are squirrels in the attic.

A cold weekend in Raleigh

It seemed I should document what locals say is a rare around here. Snow, freezing rain and temps below 20 degrees! I will need to look back at this when its 100 degrees in the summer! Lets hope it killed off some of the mosquito population.
The boys found some swim goggles to put on. I might have told them it was so cold it'd freeze their eyeballs. I suppose proud of their problem solving skills!

Do you know what Oregon makes you? A water snob. I'm sure it makes you a salmon, coffee and knitted hat snob too but for me it has made every other state I visit unpalatable. We have been trying to get used to it but I threw in the towel today. We will be getting Le Bleu bottled water on Thursday. phew! 
Now that I've got that super important update out of the way it is on to the latest. I'm eventually going to post all the pic's from December but I think I did enough of that on FB. It was a very fun break and a very long road trip. We spent a long time in southern Texas and now Chance refuses to wear anything besides his beloved boots. ( extra cool because they were handed down from his buddy Mason) 

Our life is back to routine. Here is little man getting the paper for me after we drop the kids off in the morning. 

We spend the day cleaning up after everyone and have decided to retire this bike trailer for good. Here is Chance helping me get it ready for a Craigs List photo. Look closely. 

This is also the first winter in a very, very long time that I have seen so much of the sun. We have had our rainy days, cold days but also....70 degree days. Its going to take me a very long time to get used to this! You know what you get with the sun? Sunsets. I was driving home from dropping Ellie at ballet and turned to my left to check traffic. I sat at this intersection for a long time. Isn't this beautiful? I had to explain to the kids what it was exactly. 

Oh yeah and I turned another year older last week. It was a dreary week and I pinched a nerve in my neck which made my entire right arm have shooting pain for almost 5 days. I felt old and fed up and decided to change it. The benefit of having a birthday at the beginning of the year is that it is a perfect time to make changes and new beginnings. I started a FB group that provides a place for women to share their 'get healthy' tips, questions and ideas. It has given me a new place to connect with old friends. I am also filling out paperwork to get a license to teach art in schools here. I am faced with the reality that my little buddy won't be here forever. He is a 'big boy' and those are his words. For future posts I promise to keep it a little more current. My good friend Jodie is posting a picture a day on FB and it has been something I look forward to seeing. She has an amazing nack for capturing the simple beauty in life. Until next time!