Greetings from The Last Best Place!

Finally! This was the sign we wanted to see for so long! And aren't you impressed that I was able to take this clear shot from a car traveling at 75 mph??

Entering the beautiful state of Montana....the road leads to such amazing beauty it can take your breath away sometimes. And what they say about the weather is so true....it changes every 15 minutes. It has been so gorgeous here the past few days, but this time last week, we were watching the snow fall and driving thru slushy ick.

This photo of the Bitterroot Mountains (which are visible from our home) was taken a few days ago on our drive to Hamilton, MT, which is about 30 minutes from here.

I love this photo of the family taken when we visited the Badlands of South Dakota. More in a slide show later.

Of course, every kid needs to have their picture taken while riding the giant Jackalope at Wall Drug in South Dakota! ;-)

Natalie: Earning her Jr. Ranger badge at Mount Rushmore

It was a bitterly cold and foggy day at Mt. Rushmore...you probably can't see their faces in this photo too well.

And in case you were thinking our road trip was all sunshine and rainbows, I leave you with these parting shots of the little one (the one who was insisting "I'M NOT TIRED!!") ;-p

We're official Montanians!

Hey there! We made it safe and sound to Missoula last Thursday afternoon. We really did have a great trip and so much fun to see the country....but we were READY to get to our destination. I PROMISE to post pictures, but we've just been so busy having fun that I haven't had time to collect my thoughts enough to make a decent picture posting. (Sorry! I know I'm bad!)

The weather here changes constantly, which is actually nice because if it is chilly and rainy, it doesn't stay that way for long. And also, just because clouds may be hovering all around the mountains, it could be perfectly sunny where we are. It is great not to be hot all the time! (Refer back to this post next February when my arse has been frozen for months ;-)

I kept my promise to Roger and we purchased 2 really nice mountain bikes and all the acoutrements within 24 hours of our arrival (pics later). Roger has been doing research for months on bikes, as that was his "cherry on top" for this trip. I would have been happy with something from T*rget, but no, he insisted I have disc brakes, etc. So he has a "Specialized" brand bike & I have a "Giant" brand. It was worse than car shopping, as Roger wanted to discuss every aspect with the bike guy....oy. I was getting bored after 3 hours, so I went to the car to make a couple of calls. Roger comes out to the car without bikes & said he thought he'd sleep on it.....duh...I don't think so! I told him to get his hind end back in there & buy the blasted bikes & we could go riding that day!!! Yeesh. So he "obeyed" and we came right home and took a short ride. Yesterday we rode a really nice bike trail for an hour & it was a perfect day for it. Ahhh, Montana.

Today we enjoyed our 2nd Little League baseball game....our nephew has been doing a great job & it has been alot of fun.

Simon the cat has been busily attacking the black lab, Duke....who wants nothing more than to play with Simon....Actually I think Simon likes attacking the poor dog & is happily asserting his dominance. Ha!

I cannot get over how nice in general people are. It is an incredible change for us. I really really love that part. But I also really really really really miss my friends :-( And I'm sure as each day passes I'll miss them even more. I think it helps alot knowing that so many friends and family want to come for a visit (and who knows.....they may take a page from our book and ....
LEAP!

Wednesday in Sheridan, Wyoming

Tomorrow we'll finally arrive in Missoula. It has been a long trip, but actually alot of fun. We woke up this morning in lovely Wall, South Dakota.....famous home of Wall Drug Store. We stayed at a mom & pop hotel that looked like something we stayed in as kids.....but it was very clean and nice. We popped over to Wall Drug to have breakfast & the requisite visit thru the tourist trap. I got some great shots of Roger being eaten by a T-Rex, the kids riding a giant Jackalope, covered wagon, trains, etc....

We continued on through the Badlands......wow, was that an amazing place! Oh my gosh.....it is such an alien landscape and incredible. Just incredible. Natalie earned her 2nd Junior Ranger badge there. Then it was on to Mt. Rushmore (Nat earned her third badge there!) Another incredible sight. It was FREEZING up there & foggy/misty....so my pictures won't be great, but I think some will turn out ok.

Then on for another long drive to Sheridan. We're at a brand new Hampton Inn and it is heavenly.....and we had a great meal at a local pub, so that was fun.

Most folks might dislike the trek across the Dakotas and Wyoming, but we found it incredibly fascinating. The Dakotas have enormous farm lands and it appeared very clean and neat. The prairies are so vast. And Wyoming has been interesting too.....it starts out green and with little hills....then turns into prairies, mountains, hills, canyons and every other landscape you can imagine. It changed topography many times. And you can see forever.....and I do mean forever. It is an awesome country we live in.

While we have enjoyed our long journey, we have finally reached the point where Roger and I are anxious to arrive at our destination. We will get up early tomorrow morning, get breakfast here at the hotel and head for Billings, Bozeman, Butte and finall Missoula. It will be about an 8-hour drive. I suppose I'll drive some tomorrow. Can you believe that Roger has driven every single mile of this trip? He has let me unwind and rest and I have appreciated it so much. And those of you who know me will find that amazing because I am ALWAYS the one who drives in our family. See --- I CAN let go of my control! ha! An new life.....and I've already begun!

See you in Montana! And I promise to post some pics or some slideshows as soon as possible.

Kickin' it in Iowa

Hey y'all! (Gotta say that before I lose it :-) Blogging here from lovely Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was a great drive from St. Louis to here (outside Omaha, Nebraska). We left late after a huge brunch that kept us filled up for most of the day (Thanks Brad & Rockie!) We stopped in Kansas City....this was another fun-filled train day for Roger. He's a happy camper!! We spent a few hours at the Union Train Station in KC. It was built in the early 1900's and was the second largest train station in the US. It is so grand! We had a nice late lunch there and then toured the train museum....Roger is truly in heaven.

We then went across the road to the Liberty Memorial...which was so fitting since it is Memorial Day. It was a very beautiful monument erected after WWI.

We hit the road & just before we got out of the great state of Missouri, Roger was pulled over for speeding....darn! He had been watching his speed very carefully & unfortunately got side tracked as I was looking at the map for tomorrow's adventure. He was going 81 in a 70 zone....the policeman was very nice though and knocked his speed down one MPH, so his ticket would be slightly less :-) Nothing like setting a great example for your kidlets as you sit in the patrol car ha!!

We just had a light dinner & I saw this computer available at the hotel....perfecto! I really do love hearing from all of you...it is so nice to know my friends are out there encouraging us (cuz boy howdy do I need it from time to time!)

Hugs and kisses from the creat corn state! Onward ho tomorrow to Sioux City and beyond! Up next is the World's Largest Prairie Dog, the Corn Palace, etc.! And maybe, just maybe, if we're LUCKY....another train station/museum! Woohoo!

Nighty night!


I'll post pictures later.

Paying Homage to the King....

...of Beers :-)

On Saturday, we toured the Anheiser-Busch facility in St. Louis....we had alot of fun, and of course the best part was the beer sampling at the end of the tour :-) I have a much great appreciation for Bud now!

On Saturday, we also visited Union Station train station in downtown St Louis.....wow was that a beautiful place! I can't wait to play with my photos & post some in black & white of the architectural details. It was really a lovely structure. There was also a shopping mall attached...Natalie and Jilly decided to jump on this trampoline/rope thingy. Nat was not exactly thrilled once she got on it, but she gamely jumped for the duration of her ride. Jilly had a great time and jumped higher and higher!

We visited with neighbors on the block & sat for hours visiting during the evening and then into the wee hours....the kids had a great time playing in a gazebo, chasing rabbits, and playing inside a big cardboard box. Who needs toys?

Monday morning we hit the road again, headed for Omaha, NE then hope to make it to Sioux Falls, SD, Rapid City, SD, Sheridan, WY, and finally, our new home in Missoula Montana!

I probably won't have access to a computer this week, but I'll be sure to blog after we arrive. I can't wait for our trips to Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, the Corn Palace, the Ice Cream Museum, etc etc etc. Bye for now! (And thanks for the comments! I love to read them and hear from you!!)

Gateway to the West (Friday)

We arrived safely in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon.....St. Louis is known as the "Gateway to the West", as it was the starting point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We feel a kindred connection to them, as we're making a similar journey (especially evident if you see all the stuff in the car :-) Lewis and Clark journeyed westward from St. Louis - one of their camps was in the Missoula area.

On Friday, we visited the Lewis and Clark Museum, and also visited the St. Louis Arch - known as the Gateway to the West. We rode to the top of the structure in this tiny pod-like contraption. Quite a feat for those of you who know me.....and my intense fear of heights! The good thing about the trip to the top was that it was very fast and there was not a window to the outside heights! Once we exited the pod, we looked out these tiny viewing windows. Incredible views....and an amazing structure. I was in awe of the Arch everytime I looked up at it, or viewed the Arch from a distance. And I was in awe of myself for sumbitting to be hauled up to the tippy top of that thing! And I'm still alive!

Our St. Louis friends are so dear and sweet to us....they have welcomed us with open arms and we've had a wonderful visit. She is quite the gourmet cook, so we have been completely spoiled rotten by the fabulous meals she has served....everything home made....eggs benedict, fresh fruit, pancakes, quiche, pecan pie, pork roast with mashed potatoes, and on and on! Yum! Tonight's fare is an artichoke appetizer, a great-smelling meatloaf and veggies, to be followed by a creme brulee. Heaven.

And nothing like being greeted with fresh flowers in every room. They're so sweet to us!

And nothing like having your children play together with their daughter....running for hours in the grass and playing "restaurant" outside. I love that the girls are being creative and running off their energies.

We're having a great time.

Loaded down and truckin'....

.....and my computer is the last thing to be loaded on the truck. The kids are at their last day of school for the summer....the moving truck is almost finished being loaded (the last stuff is the ABSOLUTE worst!).....then tons of errands today to be finalized before we head west tomorrow morning.









So far things have gone pretty smoothly....which is kinda scary. Hmmm





Leaving you with a few parting photos.....see you on the flip side!!

- Natalie and Anna at N's hip hop dance recital -

- Natalie on her way to her last Brownie campout -

- Anna at our last trip to Fairhope -

.

Later!

Whew! What a Month!!

Where o where do I begin? The past month has been a complete blur of activity!

Let's catch up (if that is even possible!) Hmmmm.....let's see where I left of eons ago...oh yeah....we're moving to Montana. Our house sold the first week on the market, and closed a couple of weeks later. That meant packing....big time. I finally got that first box packed amd then we were on a roll. It is not easy to do all this within a couple of weeks (we never thought our house would sell so quickly, but that's always the case for us, so we SHOULDN't have doubted it...oh well).

TaDa! Box number one....finally!

We decided to go ahead and ship all our stuff to Montana.... no chance of changing our minds now! Not after that ka-ching outlay of cash!!!....well, not to mention that a certain relative threatened a tourtuous death to us if we didn't move! So, all of our belongings are now safely stored in a storage facility in Montana, just awaiting our arrival.

Once we got the move over, we had to take up temporary residence with my mom. Oh, what fun it is for the 4 of us to be together in one bedroom! Luckily the room is quite large and we do fir quite nicely with a queen bed and a couple of air beds for the girls...and the second bath is attached to the room, so that helps. And it is easier to help mom pack for her move too, since we're all here.

Last week was Natalie's spring break, so we decided to take advantage of the time and make a trip to Florida. We started our trip in Vero Beach, FL to visit Roger's parents. It was perfect timing, as his mom just had major knee surgery, so we were able to help her out with the transition at home and help his dad get accustomed to the things he would need to do to help her get around during her recovery. It was a nice visit and perfect timing to see R's sister, who flew in from San Fran to help the folks for a few weeks.

Next stop, Orlando to visit long-time friends (fun for us grown ups) and also to visit the Mouse (fun for the kids :-) I still have the long-held belief that purgatory is an eternity in Disn*yWorld. In August. I'm glad the kids had fun, but I have to tell ya.....ugh to the touristy, over-consumption, etc.... Not a fan of the crowds, the noise, the expense, etc. Looking VERY forward to visiting national or state parks for vacations, and enjoying the road LESS travelled. But still...it was nice to see the kids so excited. Anna was VERY happy to be tall enough (barely!) to be able to ride Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster ride! She's a BIG girl!

We visited Kraft Azalea Gardens in Winter Park....where we were married many years ago.

It was an absolutely beautiful day...much like our wedding day.

Final stop was visiting more friends in Tampa. It was such a relaxing few days and we so enjoyed visiting with them. Natalie took up with Isabel like they saw each other every day! Isabel is N's oldest friend, as they were orphanage mates as tiny babies. Our families adopted the girls at the same time, and even lived in the same area for several years. We hope to see them for a visit to Montana very soon!

And here we are....back in AL. Back to work and school tomorrow. Back to packing. Back to planning the next stages of the final move. Good thing I'm actually good at the logistics of a move like this!

Hope to be keeping up to date more regularly now ) I know...I always promise that, don't I? Thanks for being patient with me!

The End.

The Last Best Place

So, here it is......we are moving all the way across the country. 2,332 miles to be exact.

"The Last Best Place" has called us, so we have heeded the call to completely uproot our family and move to the Big Sky Country of Montana.

Many have wondered what has brought us to this place where we would consider such a move. We're certainly not wealthy, we have no specific jobs waiting for us. But we do have family there. And the fact that it is a beautiful part of the country helps, too.

The bottom line is we want a different lifestyle for us and our 2 girls. We want to be able to do more activities outdoors. And yes, we are aware that the winters in Montana are "slightly different" than the winters of coastal Alabama. But we find that living in the south, we are so hot and miserable for 5 months, the girls are eaten alive by mosquitoes, we don't go to the beach very often, and we find that we don't get outdoors much. We want to experience 4 seasons instead of 1.5. We want to hike (5 minutes away), learn how to flyfish, snowboard, ski, iceskate and sled. We want to learn how to shovel snow. Well, maybe not that, but I guess it is good exercise :-) We want to have our children grow up in a more highly educated city. And we want to share our lives with our family.

I had an epiphany last summer after we visited Montana. I have had a couple of other "epiphanies" in my life. One resulted in our adoption of Natalie. And the next one lasted years and told us to wait on our desired adoption of a second child....I had signed two adoption contracts, started several homestudies.....but "something" kept telling me to stop. I finally made the conscious decision to put everything on hold with a second adoption until the reason revealed itself to me. And it did. In the Fall of 2005, I kept having this nagging dream....it said our next daughter was between 2 and 4 years old, with a heart condition. Well, it kept nagging at me, although we had never considered a toddler adoption, much less one with a heart condition! Finally a few months later I'd had enough of the nagging sensation....so I started researching the SN adoptions. And voila! There she was! The instant I saw Anna's picture, I KNEW she was the reason I had been holding back. So I fought for her and we were able to bring her into our lives in 2006. She was almost 2 1/2 when we adopted her. And she had a mild heart condition. Check.

What was the Montana epiphany? It was again, a recurring, nagging, loud voice in my dreams.

"Leap and the net will appear"

That's it.....it was under the surface for weeks until finally it was clear one morning (like someone had yelled the phrase to me). Duh! Well alrighty then. So here we are. We have leapt.

I sure hope that net appears!

SOLD!

After 8 long days on the market, we have sold our house! Yippee!
But wait......the new owner wants to close in.....

TWO WEEKS!

Ack!

Head....is....spinning.....

We'll make this work, but boy do we have our work cut out for us!
Anyone want to help pack?

Achoo! We've had the flu!

That's right......good 'ol Type A Influenza has been rampant at our home....beginning with Anna. I soon descended that slippery slope to illness, and then Roger, who has been hit the hardest with it. Fingers crossed, so far Natalie (our tough girl!) has managed to escape the flu's evil rath. Anna recovered quickly, but Roger & I are hacking our way through the days and nights.....dreaming of the day we'll be cough-free.

Lots to report.....but more to follow......

Teaser/Newsflash -- our 1908 bungalow is now up for sale. So, if you know anyone who wants a really cute, completely restored bungalow in our historic area, send them our way! Let's get this thing sold!! Wish us luck!

After 2 1/2 LONG years.....

I now have....

not ONE...

Not TWO....

Not THREE......

....but FOUR!

Yep, that's right....FOUR painted sides to our house!!!!

Hallelujah! I was beginning to think I was forever going to have the lovely green on the front, and peeling beige on the sides & back house for the rest of my days. After MUCH insistence on my part, my extremely picky DH (who thinks no one can paint as perfectly as he can) finally found some painters who were up to the task of grinding (to the bare wood), priming, caulking, glazing windows and top coating to DH's high (make that HIGH) expectations. We are very pleased with their work & so happy to finally have it done that I have actually convinced him to hire them to finish the interior painting (which is "only" trim).....but that includes taking down and sanding 8 doors, as well as picture molding, 10" baseboards, 12 windows with 6" molding & all those corresponding door frames. It never gets done by us because he is so busy restoring his clients' homes & making them lovely....while ours just sits here waiting for the love. Oh well....you know how it is with the cobbler's kids & their lack of shoes :-)

We've also been busily cleaning out & purging....starting with the girls room......too many toys! So we took everything out of the toy closet, under the beds & all around the room. We managed to fill the entire full-size Tundra truckbed with goodies for Goodwill. Can you imagine? Yeesh. Now the only thing on the floor is furniture feet.....this has been for 10 days now!

Breaking news! Anna's hair seems to be growing! And SHE is growing too. We measured her just a few days ago & she was the same height as she was on 12/8/07....but today she was over 1/2" taller than a week ago! As she says...." I'm NOT a baby! I'm a big girl!!" She gets extremely annoyed with being referred to as anything smallish....and will burst into uncontrollable tears in an instant if she feel insulted. Too cute.

Oh! This is in our town right now! It is very exciting and we hope to be able to see the final result on Friday. The house is only a few miles from us.....1100 square feet, 3 br, ONE bath for 8 people! They whisked the family of 8 off to the SuperBowl for the week & they'll come home to a new 3500 sq ft house with full furnishings, etc. Can't wait! Go Ty!

More later on that subject, hopefully with pics of Ty & the new house, etc. Isn't it amazing that they can bulldoze a house....have the foundation poured at 6 a.m. and the framing done by 7 p.m.? wow.

Flying, bikes and moon pies

Bullet posts:

• Natalie and I have been recovering from bronchitis the past two weeks. I'm feeling human today, but sadly was disappointed last weekend when I could not pull myself together enough to go to the Bruce Hornsby/Ricky Scaggs concert we had tickets for :-( Oh well....next month is Keb'Mo. Surely I'll be well enough then!
• Last night was our first Mardi Gras parade! R's niece fly in for a visit from the Big Apple, so she had first-hand knowledge of how her "country-cousins" spend their evenings :-)
• Natalie has finally conquered her bike! It is like she woke up with balance one day & now she's a natural....thank goodness! We're so proud of her. And Anna can almost ride Nat's old bike with training wheels....she's just about 1 inch too short ... but "I'M A BIG GIRL!" she will proclaim.
• It is so cold & dreary here today...I've been praying for snow, but it is just a teensy bit north of us. Dagnabbit!
• It is so interesting to hear about cousin Lauryn's life in Manhattan. Apartment living in the Big Apple and life in general is SO different than life anywhere else. And N had it right when she exclaimed that we live in suburban area & Lauryn lives in a VERY urban area....right she is. I'm happy to see that she does pay attention in school.
• Speaking of school, N is still making A's......good girl!
• And Anna is SO smart and a very fast learner. A bit on the sassy side, but hey, what's life if you don't have TWO sassy sistas in your household??
• OK, gotta scoot....Roger is pushing me out of the way to do some online shopping at LLBe*ns.

Out with the old....in with the new

As I tossed the fortune cookie to Roger the other night,

I had no idea it held this inside.

2008 is going to be the best year.....I just know it.

After all, we have the fortune cookie to prove it.

Christmas 2007 Memories

Changes

Well here we are....another rush to the finish line.....I absolutely hate this feeling of rushing, etc. It is ridiculous & I long for a simpler life. That is our family's goal this coming year. I hope that in one year we will attain the simplicity and peace in our lives that we so long for. I want the girls to want less and give more. But as their parents, we are the ones responsible for trying to instill that in them. So....time for us to step up to the plate and make the huge changes in our lives. As Gandhi said...."You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

Pitiful poster...

...that's me.

I cannot believe I have not posted one time since Thanksgiving.

Pitiful.

Bullets to quickly catch up a bit, then I promise to post some pics and maybe even a video:

• Mom is much better & went home from the hospital the day after Thanksgiving.
• Roger survived (barely) his 12 hour drive to Florida alone with 2 kids, but it was not easy on him. Imagine being a man, alone, with a 3 year old girl and an 8 year old girl....how about those bathroom breaks? Hmmmm. They got it figured out, but again....not easy.
• I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping, baking.
• Some day I'm going to have a truly pleasant and relaxing December. Promise!
• Natalie is an amazing basketball player! First game, she scored the first basket, and several others, including a freethrow shot. Second game, she scored several baskets & has become quite a scrapper (read agressively stealing the ball & grabbing the rebounds for a fast break!) This is my baby who could not bounce a basketball 2 times in a row a couple of years ago.
• Natalie is also still making A's.
• Anna is going to be a gymnast I think. She is freakishly flexible I'm discovering. She can sit on the floor with her legs straight out in front of her. She tells her toes to "go away toes!".....then she points her toes so far that the soles of her feet are flat on the ground! No bended knees. I guess she has no ankle joints. Very odd.
• I suppose our new "tradition" (meaning...done it one time) of grilling steaks for Christmas dinner is now a firm tradition. Natalie drew a picture depicting our family at Christmas....including a drawing of Roger, donning his steak tongs (or is that a pitchfork) over a grill of steaks :-) He is also sporting a lovely "Don King" style coif.

OK.....at least I have posted SOMETHING. I hope to post again more regularly and include all these pics I've been collecting.

Hugs to all....and to all a good night!