What's the Word, Thunderbird?

I love Google. I wanted to use something to title my post about the latest everyday happenings of the Barclays that was a little more original than my "Morning Glory" title. So I googled "What's the word..." and came up with the rest of that saying (I guess) that I could not recall. Smile.

So we survived the move and I'm back with an update to entertain the masses, since I have been reminded that people need something to do to fend off boredom. Not naming any names but...ahem, Terry.

We got out of the hotel and into a rental home just north of Cedar Park, in Leander. If you are thinking of DFW, and Austin is like Dallas, then Cedar Park is like Plano or Frisco, and Leander is like umm...Wylie. There is a Kohl's, Lowe's, and humongous HEB Plus. There are a few fast food places, but mostly we end up driving the 10 minutes into Cedar Park everyday so far. We think the house is great. We're happy to be back in a one-story (no more two-stories, I'm over it!) and we were relieved to find a place that was clean, freshly painted (not white), with brand new carpet, and new appliances, all within the price range we were shooting at. And it's got 4 bedrooms. None of the other places we viewed shared these qualities. Anyway, who knows when I will get pictures posted.

We are pretty well settled in except for finishing up the decor. I still have pictures to hang and we are waiting on reinforcements to hang the curtains, since neither Jeremy or I can stand that. It is challenging with a toddler who gets bored easily to get everything done quickly. I really miss his baby-sitter mornings! We have visited a Mother's Day Out program and I made contact with another lady who does child care out of her home but I am holding off since Noah seems to be adjusting a bit slowly here.

You know how toddlers are. Or maybe you don't. Let's just say that a new sippy cup (he chewed through the spout in his beloved silicone Munchkin cups) or a new brand of oatmeal (can't find his Earth's Best Maple & Brown Sugar with Elmo on the box anywhere--if you see some, drop me a line) are both reasons to have a meltdown in the morning. The kind where you intentionally hit your head on the tile or wall, throw yourself backwards, etc. Life is frustrating when you are 21 months old. So, I should have expected this transition might be harder than past ones. But even in September he bounced back well from our week of travel to Texas. He is doing better now but I still haven't seen him go to bed at 8:30pm and sleep until 7:30am AND take 3 hour naps. Most of those naps have been an hour and a half lately with him waking up in the morning at 6:30am or so. Which used to cause him to sleep later the next morning when his nap was short, but no more. I am holding out hope that everything will return to its former glory one of these days. All I can figure is that it's noisier here with street noise, so I am trying out a fan today in addition to the sound machine. :p

I have been hitting the gym as much as I can to get ready for our big cruise coming up in March with our friends, the Nutts. Although Noah hates the day care and it seems to be traumatic for him, we saw a little improvement during our last visit. We also started Kindermusik last week and he loves it, once he realizes that I am not going to leave him. That is our Wednesday morning activity. I went to meetup.com and found a local playgroup for 2009 kiddos that meets for various activities during the week and we tried that on Friday. We went to a park and had fun meeting some new folks. That's a great thing around here, parks everywhere! Noah is really enjoying that aspect.

We are LOVING the mild weather and get outside everyday that we can. This morning, the three of us went to check out Brushy Creek Park. We did some running on the trails around the lake and let Noah swing for a while. We are already scoping out Craigslist for a BOB jogging stroller and bike trailer. Going to live it up in Austin! (Until the 100+ degree temps arrive, then I'm out for a while.) We also drove out to see the "entrance" to the Hill Country. Not so unlike WV, just a little smaller mountains. And we are visiting a new church every week now until we find The One. Hopefully that will happen soon. I am excited to get involved. We are really happy to be home. Jeremy tells me every other day how much he loves it here. We are going to try to stay longer than the average 18 months to 3 years that a COO typically spends at a hospital. We are in no hurry to go anywhere this time!

Whew! Sorry, I haven't taken too many pics lately and I'm all out of steam now. Enjoy this wonderful weekend!

Hello, Texas!

And welcome back! We are SO glad to be here. Jeremy loves his new hospital and co-workers. He keeps saying how much he loves it here. Especially following dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.

I also am going to love it here. I know it. I have spent most of the week hating moving, however. I HATE moving!!! Whew. Glad to get that out. Unfortunately, moving is going to be my life. It has been a little challenging living in a hotel suite, since Noah gets "hotel fever" pretty bad. And when you don't have an end in sight....well, I got a little antsy during the first part of the week. How many times can you say "No!" in one day? Really?

But, GREAT news! After struggling to find the right rental home, and losing out on one we really liked, the perfect place came up and we jumped on it! Tomorrow we are moving in. This has been a relatively speedy transition and I am super grateful. God has it all laid out for us.

Noah and I occupied ourselves by attending our first Kindermusik class this week and plenty of shopping at Target. (Can't tell you how thrilling it is to be surrounded by so many options again!) I have signed us up for 12 weekly Kindermusik classes at $245. Yikes! But it was painfully obvious while we there that Noah has never been in a structured environment before and I decided that it will be really good for him. (i.e. he was pushing the other kids and pulling their hair. But smiling and being friendly at the same time. So embarrassing.) It was apparent that the other kids were either really good, or used to the gig since it was their last class. So we'll see how it goes.

Jeremy's parents are arriving tomorrow to help us with Noah while we get settled into the new place. So excited!

Saying Good-bye Part II

Here are just a few of the jewels I will miss from the great city of Lewisburg, WV!

The Wild Bean.

Everything is vegetarian, organic, local stuff. They have the best. coffee. ever. I brought 2 little bags of it to Texas with me and will miss it when it's gone, though I probably could order more. I especially love their Peppermint Hot Chocolate. They make the best "Fakin' Bacon" burritos around. Walk inside, and you come out wearing a semi-permanent cologne of coffee and grease. ;)

The Irish Pub.

I only went in here once maybe, but its still a cool place.

Honnahlee.

The toy store. I have purchsed several gifts here, along with things for Noah. They carry some unique toys, and a nice selection of Melissa & Doug.

The Hardware Gallery.

One of my favorite shops. My Blenko pitcher and Fiestaware spoonrest and butter dish came from here. (Did you know that Blenko glassware and Fiestaware are both made in WV?) I also have a "Cinda B" purse and messenger bag from here. The messenger bag makes for an awesome purse/diaper bag.

The Sweet Shoppe. :)

Site of much mountain jigging on my 30th birthday.

The Bakery.

My special place. It was hard working right next door. Best pizza and bagels in the world. I liked to buy fresh eggs from the farm from here too. Somehow, eggs are a million times better to me when I know they were laid by some local hens. I like them in various colors and sizes, not all white and equal in size. (How can those sorts of eggs be real?) I digress...

Studio 40.

Owned by Mary Chappell. She opened this store 2 years ago and opened the other store in the Art Colony at the Greenbrier 30 years ago. She is kind, generous, and has more energy and determination than most people I know. It was a delight to be a part of the store for even just a little while. And I was able to puchase some really neat American made items at great prices!

A map of Greenbrier County hanging in the beautiful new Visitors Center.

I never bought any shoes here, but here is the Yarid's Outlet. The "real" Yarid's is in the Greenbrier and I cannot afford it. I believe Jeremy bought my "something leather" here for our 3rd anniversary. It was a Brighton bracelet with charms.

Harmony Ridge Gallery.

Probably my favorite shop of all. Such cool and funky things! Jeremy bought me a beautiful pottery veggie steamer here and I bought plenty of gifts here as well.

This concludes our tour of downtown Lewisburg. I also have taken plenty of pictures of the Greenbrier, Carnegie Hall, the River Trail, Beartown State Park, and the Farmers Market along the way.

Noah had to say good-bye to Freda, the baby-sitter that has taken care of him since he was 7 months old. I think she was a little sad. Noah is a particular kid and not one to follow the crowd nexessarily, so they had their moments but ended up with a sweet relationship. I am most feeling guilty about taking Noah away from her. She is the only baby-sitter he does not mind being left with. :(

The morning before we flew out, Jeremy and I took Noah to the John Deere store, just for fun. He totally would have gotten this tricycle for his birthday! He cried when we took him off.

Lewisburg, you will always hold a special place in my heart!

Sandstone Falls

I realized that I neglected to post some pictures we took on our trip to Sandstone Falls on November 14. I believe this is the New River.

Saying Good-bye Part I

Why is it so hard for me to let go of houses? I have been so sad about leaving both of the houses we have owned, each time we've moved. Really, they are just buildings. Imperfect buildings at that. So many things I have changed or would change about each one. (I suppose all houses are like that, unless you are able to customize every detail of the place before it is build.) But, they are still home and endear themselves to my heart like a close friend. Let's take a little tour of our latest residence, shall we?

102 Mackle Lane
Lewisburg, West Virginia 24901

So cozy in the snow, with its new black shutters, don't you think?

We prefer the warmer spring weather, personally.

A formal dining room, though mine is more on the casual side.

Great kitchen.

Probably the best room in the house.

The back living room, as we called it. It is joined, completely open with the kitchen. And we added a ceiling fan since this photo was taken. :)

Noah's little room.

Our master bedroom.

Master bathtub, which I found to be a fine selling point.

Much to my chagrin, I don't think I ever took formal pictures of the guest room, "playroom", guest bath, front living room, entryway or powder room. Too late now! That place is empty, as of today. It sure is nice having somebody else pack you and move you. However, it is also like a brief migraine.

I am declaring my prayer here, before all 5 of you that might read this. :) I have asked the Lord for a miracle. Houses tend to sell very slowly in Lewisburg and I have been regretting our decision to purchase this home for a while now. I wish someone had knocked some sense into me and told me to rent! It was all just pride anyway. Lesson learned. We will be renting in Cedar Park. However, I am asking God to sell our house and do it quickly! We won't be in a bind, since the company helps with these expenses, but it will be wonderful to have the burden off our backs, just the same. So will you pray with me?

Anybody need a house?