Go Midwest Young Woman

Well...I like to think I'm still young at age 36. 

So, this East Coast gal has moved Midwest...again.   I like the Midwest.  It's hard to get used to being so far west that it's still bright, sunshiny daylight at 9:00 PM.  

The move went about as smooth as could be expected.

Except for the one last minute doctor's visit for Elsa who woke up last Wednesday with her eyelid almost completely swollen shut.  Dr. Google said it was periorbital cellulitis (a very serious disease) but thankfully her real doctor said it was just a stye.  It's all back to normal now, even without ever giving her the anti-histamine medication the doctor prescribed (because that's the sorta mother I am). 

Our drive up was smooth and uneventful and we even survived driving through the longest, hilliest, most carsick inducing roads ever in West Virginia.  Ben was a rock star for driving the Penske truck up and down these steep mountain roads.

Thanks to a TON of help from my family we got everything packed and cleaned up back in VA (and we even get our security deposit back....a minor miracle for us) and unloaded and unpacked here in our TINY house in IN.  We are 4 kids, 2 adults, 1 cat and 1 guinea pig in a 2 bedroom home...with no dishwasher, no central air conditioning and smelly, sulphur-containing well water.  The lack of air conditioning is about the only thing that bothers me (and it's not even that hot yet).   Supposedly the sulphur containing water is GOOD for you. and the price is right, so here we are for the time being at least.  

We're all really hoping this is our last long-distance move for...well....forever.  We are so ready to settle down.  I know we'll be moving locally again...but really hoping for no more long distance treks.  Three long distance moves in the span of 13 months is just TOO MUCH.  I am DONE. 

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Greta just walked into the living room carrying a bunch of boxes and informed me that she was packing to move to Kansas.

Well..it was nice knowing you kid.

Apparently,  Kansas is in the backyard and there is a beach (sandbox) there.

Who taught that kid her geography anyway?  Someone is slacking here. 

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For the first time in about 9 years we have a landline phone with long distance (because we bundled it with Internet and it saves us installation fees...blah, blah, blah). .  I tried to call someone today and actually FORGOT that you have to dial 1 before dialing long distance.   The little operator lady who lives in the phone had to remind me.  Who forgets that you have to dial '1" first?

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So...here we are. 

Living near family is nice...it's nice to be able to visit and then go back home again.  It's so much nicer than living super far away. 

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Still asking/begging for lots of prayers...for Ben as he takes the Indiana bar exam and for his job search as he really needs to find a good lawyer job.  Please, please, please.  Thank you. 

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And, since this is an update post of sorts...I'm linking up with Jenna for tl;dr.  I'm not really sure what that means, but I think it stands for something like too long, didn't read and is a way for bloggers to update about their lives, so all their slacking readers can catch up with what's going on.  Not that any of my small handful of readers are slackers or anything. 

My Life is Crazy and Other Quick Takes about Sleep, Lent and Random Questions.

1.

Linking up with Jennifer Fulweiler who says that when she evaluates opportunities she decides if it makes a good story or not. 

Well....this ought to make a great story...some day.  For those of you don't know....it's a long story but my husband was a teacher for 10 years when he decided to go to law school to become a lawyer.  So, off he went to law school....with a lovely wife (that's me!) and 3 darling children in two.  He graduated last year, he  took the bar in Virginia, passed it and moved to Virginia with his lovely wife and now 4 darling children.  However, he was unable to find a lawyer job so ended up going back to teaching. 

Well, he decided that taking the Virginia bar was so much fun, that he's going to take the Indiana bar this summer.  Just finished the application process (which is long and involves basically telling your entire life story in minute detail to the law examiners) . Of course, he's still looking for a job here in VA, but also looking in Indiana.  

Why Indiana, you may be asking?  Don't worry, I'm asking the same thing myself.  Actually, I grew up in Rhode Island, but this past September my parents moved to Indiana.  Ever since then, they've been trying to woo us out there with promises of plentiful Catholic home school groups, cheap living, low traffic and tall corn. They didn't mention the oodles of free babysitting they will provide, but I know they meant that too.  Anyway, who can resist the lure of tall corn? So hi ho, hi ho...maybe it's off to Indiana we go.  Or maybe not....depending on if he finds a job here. 

Anyway, this a long way of pleading, begging, or stealing prayers for us.  For our discernment, for the bar exam and for him to PLEASE find a lawyer job so he doesn't have to spend another year trying to teach Spanish to a bunch of teens who don't believe in school or studying or homework or anything like that.

2.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the worst sleeper of them all?

3.

Actually she's not the worst sleeper.  She's just the worst alone sleeper.  My other kids were taking like 2 hours naps at this age (18 months).  Not Elsa.  If she sleeps for 45 minutes, I consider it A VERY LONG NAP.  And, nighttime...well she's gotten better.  Let's just leave it at that.  If it weren't for co-sleeping, I'd be a walking zombie.

4.

Let's compare.  Here is a picture of all my kids at around age 1.5. 

Heidi

Greta

John

Elsa

Why, oh, why, oh, why is it only the boy that has any kind of hair to speak of?  Although Elsa is doing better than Heidi and Greta were at the same age.  She still has nowhere near the hair John had.  I mean, he had already had a few HAIRCUTS by that age.  Why does the boy get the best hair? 

5.

Is it still Lent?  Anyone else feel like this is the LONGEST LENT EVER. Maybe because Easter is so late this year, but I feel like we should be done by now.  Or maybe my life is just one, big, long Lent.  That could be it.

6.

Or maybe I'm just too melancholic which is why I say exaggerated things like My Life is One Big Long Lent, when really compared to most of the world, I have a very easy life.

7.

I can't think of a last quick take, so I'm going to make this a slow-take and answer Kendra's questions.  Now, I can double link-up. 

1. Where do you live? And why do you live there?

See take #1

2. What's are you currently watching and/or reading?

Reading: The Theology of the Body for Beginners (Christopher West)

Beyond the Birds and the Bees, Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids (Popcaks)

Watching: I gave up watching alone for Lent.  So, I just watch Psych with Ben.  Except I usually fall asleep, so I end up not watching much and never finding out who the murderer was. 

3. What kind of Catholic are you: cradle, or convert? (Or considering?)

Cradle

4. Can you point to one moment or experience that made you a practicing Catholic? (Or want to be?)

Well, I was raised Catholic, but it was through attending Youth 2000 Retreats in College that I began to understand the Catholic faith even more and grow deeper in my faith. 

5. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

1 pair of tall boots

1 pair of sneakers

3 pairs of flats

2 pairs of sandals

1 pair of high heeled pumps (I haven't actually worn these yet, I just got them for my brother's upcoming wedding in May). 

Hmm...that seems like a lot, but it really doesn't feel like that much. 

6. Are you a good dancer?

No. 

7. Who usually drives, you or your husband?

My husband, usually.  He says I'm a bad driver. I'm really a very good driver, except for the fact that I learned to drive from my dad.  Anyone who has ever driven with my dad knows exactly what I'm talking about. 

8. What's your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?

Any holiday we spend with friends or family. 

9. Which is correct? Left or right?

Left

10. Do you have any scars?

I have a scar on my right ankle from a roller skating incident when I was a kid.  I also have three scars from where I had three (non-cancerous) moles removed.

11. What's the most famous thing you've ever done? 

Well it's a toss-up between this decidedly un-famous blog or having my name published as one of the authors on a scientific paper published in the Journal of Dairy Science.  Clearly, I am not that famous.