Guess What...You're Here

Get going where you are (New Jersey)....not where you are not (Texas).

This was one of the points the pastor made yesterday at church.
I got it......and I am working on it.

The First Day of School....I am suddenly very home sick

Oh- the home-sick bug has finally hit me. Things were going so well up here in good ole' New Jersey....everyone is so friendly, the weather is nice, and we are having fun.....that is, up until Alli started Kindergarten. Alli's first day of school was yesterday. Prior to Alli starting school, we had decided that Alli would take the bus to and from school. Taking the bus is what everyone does here. When I went to register Alli, I swear the ladies in the office looked at me funny when I said I would be taking her and picking her up. Her school only goes up to 1st grade so there are not any big kids on the bus. And they do not have a carpool line! You have to get out of your car to walk her in and pick her up. So anyways, since her school did not have a 'Meet the Teacher' night, I wanted to take her to school so I could meet her teacher. Thursday finally gets here and Alli is very excited. She tells me she is most excited about taking the bus home. So we talked about her taking the bus and how I would always be at the bus stop waiting for her. Pete was in a meeting in PA, but he was able to leave for Alli's big day. So we all head out the door to her school. We left a little early so we would have plenty of time to get her settled in her new classroom and time to talk to the teacher. We are super disappointed when we get there and they tell us that we cannot walk her back to the classroom and we cannot meet the teacher. She is to be walked to her classroom by one of the teacher's aids. And we can meet the teacher at Back to School night on Monday. So I am frustrated, but Alli is ok. She is still excited. She walks off waving goodbye and smiling. I am happy that she did such a good job, but still just completely frustrated with the whole thing. I know schools have these policies for security reasons, but come on! This is the first day! The worst part was picking her up at the bus stop. I had my camera ready to snap some photos of her coming off the bus. I see her through the window and wave. And then the doors open and I hear her. She is crying hysterically! Alli was confused about me waiting for her at the bus stop. She thought that I was going to be at the school to watch her get on the bus. And then while on the bus, she said she did not think the bus was going the right way. The bus driver said she was "very upset and has been crying the whole time." OH- THE HEART ACHE! I have a hard time staying calm. I know it is not the thing to do as a mom, but I can't help it- I am emotional. So Alli and I are both sobbing! My heart hurts now just thinking about my poor sweet girl thinking she was on the wrong bus and how scared she must have been. So of course, we took her to school today and picked her up. Pete was home from his meeting so he is the one that actually took her. He went into the office to let them know that Alli would not be taking the bus and the ladies were rude to him! I don't want to go into detail about it, but it has not been a pleasant experience for us. I know things will get better. She has only gone two days. It is just so frustrating to me because I am hearing about all the great experiences all of you are having back in Texas! And seeing pictures of you in your child's classroom!!! But I am in New Jersey now and I will do as the New Jersians do......but I am not happy about it!

Nine Wonderful Years

Today Pete and I have been married nine years! They have gone by quickly! I remember the early days of our marriage so clearly. My-Oh-My, how things have changed! Things are a little more hectic these days. I am enjoying this part of our lives so much. Though, I will admit, that I often think of our days back at Fort Hood when we had nothing better to do than hang out with our friends. Now, those were some good times! But nothing will ever compare to our lives now that we are parents. The three little girls that God has blessed us with have brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined. I am so thankful for Pete and my girls. They are my life.

In celebrating our nine years, I will share nine things you may, or may not, know about Pete and me.

1. Pete and I have known eachother for 17 years.

2. We dated in highschool on and off for a couple of years. We started dating again in 1996 while he was a cadet at West Point and I was a student at Southwest Texas.

3. We saw eachother once a month the last two years of college. I would drive my roommates crazy with all my "counting down" until we saw eachother again.

4. There was no such thing as "unlimited long distance" back then. I would have to work an extra shift just to pay my phone bill.

5. We did quite a bit of traveling our last year in college. Besides spending time in New York and Texas, we traveled to Shreveport and New Orleans, Pensicola and Panama City Beach, and Fort Bragg, NC.

6. We were engaged in 1998 on Valentine's Day in Austin, Texas. Pete waited until the end of the night to ask. I had already made up my mind that he was not going to ask that night.

7. We were married in San Antonio on Kelly Air Force Base. Our wedding started about 25 minutes late because the MP's at the gate would not let me through. Apparently, there was some mix-up with the wedding list.

8. We have moved seven times in the last nine years.

9. This past month in New Jersey has been one of the best months of my life. I am so happy to have my family all together. I love hearing the girls ask Pete if he will eat breakfast with them in the morning. And I love seeing the girls run to him when he comes home in the evening.

A Day in NYC

Lisa, Grant, and Alli

We drove about an hour to get to the city. I still cannot believe we live that close to New York City! We started off at Pete's oldest friend Lisa's apartment. They went to elementary school together in Germany and ended up going to the same high school. Lisa and Pete graduated together in '91 and her husband and I graduated together in '93......too funny! Living in the city is so foreign to us. We were very intrigued with her lifestyle. I think it is SO COOL! I was so interested in talking with Lisa about living in the city and learning how she does every day things. Can you imagine life without a car? How cool to be able to walk everywhere! So we walked to lunch and then we walked to the fairy to get to the Statue of Liberty. Wow- going to the statue with three young girls is a lot of work! It was fun though. And she, Lady Liberty, is truly amazing to see in person. I am sure I have seen her picture hundreds of times. But to see her in person was truly memorable. She is huge! It is pretty cool to think about how she came to our country and how they actually stood her up! The girls were more interested in playing at the park we passed on our walk to the fairy, but I am sure they will appreciate her one day. And then, of course, there was traffic!

Finally.....here are a few photos from our trip here. And some pictures that we have taken the past few weeks her in New Jersey.

Road Trips in the North East

Driving four hours in the North East is a lot different than driving four hours in Texas. I cannot believe all that we saw! We passed through Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC. And most of the drive was nice, except for the 55mph speed limit! Now, what is up with that? And the crazy thing about it, no body drives the speed limit. Which is completely fine for Pete. But on the way home I drove, and I do not like to speed! But I did! I think I was more scared of all the other cars zooming passed me than getting a ticket.
We are getting a little settled here in New Jersey. We registered Alli at school. She will start on the 6th of September at 12:40pm.......half day Kindergarten. Now, I am very excited that I have another year (if we are even here that long!) before I have to rush out the door every morning. But half day kinder is only 2 and 1/2 hours!! Does that mean I will be doing A LOT of teaching at home to ensure that Alli is learning all she needs to learn in Kindergarten? I mean, how can she possibly learn all that her friends back in Texas are learning in just 2 and 1/2 hours? And, the student/teacher ratio is not even that small. There will be 16 to 18 kids in her class.....I am sure she will be fine, but the concept of 2 and 1/2 hours is just weird!
The girls are really liking the house. Alli thinks the "basement is a blast!" But, of course, she will not step foot in there unless her mom or dad goes with her. She is still scared of everything. Tori will go down to play and not even care if she is by herself or not. Katie is mastering the stairs very well, but we still have them gated. There are still a lot of little things to do, but, for the most part, we are moved in! I am finding my way around thanks to the GPS! I would be lost without it! There are some crazy things up here like jug handles and round abouts. I have some pictures I would like to post, but I seem to have misplaced the little thingy to download my pictures. So just picture three cute little girls sitting on the front steps of their new home!

Hey Y'all, We Are Yankees Now!

We are finally here in NEW JERSEY! I cannot believe how beautiful it is up here....everything is green, there are tons of mountains and the people are so nice! I am being serious! It really is so pretty here and everyone I have met has been super nice. I will post pictures when I get a chance. This is actually the first time I have had a chance to get on the computer since moving in......if I was not so busy, I would have been having withdrawals! Sorry, Shana and Lisa, no time for Bug Cafe yet! And I really do not even have time to blog right now. Pete and I decided to get the girls out of this box invaded home to go see his parents tomorrow. It is really hard to pack a suitcase when a lot of our stuff is still in boxes. But the girls need it and definitely deserve it. They have been so great during all of this. We are going to leave early tomorrow to go to the Manassas County Fair with Nana and Papa. Pictures to come.