Visit to St. Louis

After I returned from Colorado I had a brief visit with my nieces and nephews, and then went to Innsbrook for a few days to be with my family. My dad and I were able to go fishing for a day and we had a great time laughing and making memories like we always do. A pontoon boat was the new addition at Innsbrook this year which the kids loved jumping off of into the lake. The boys pretended they were Navy Seals and came up with all sorts of drills and rescue missions. The day we left Innsbrook Andrew and Brooke decided to get sick so I got to spend 10 (supposed to be 8) hours in the car with sick kids. Lots of fun!! But we made it safe and sound to Matt only to hear him tell us that that was the longest drive time EVER and that HE drove it in 7 and a half hours! Of course that was by himself!!

Colorado

I can't believe that it has been 20 years since high school. Sometimes it seems like yesterday, but when I think about how many places I have lived and all we have done it can actually seem like much more than 20 years ago. I went solo out there since we had just moved. My parents had the kids at Innsbrook and Matt was able to join them for a long weekend. I had a blast spending time with family and old friends. I was able to hang out with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins in beautiful Evergreen, spent time with Jen and family in Denver, and then headed to Pueblo for a fun reunion. I stayed with Sandy and family in Pueblo and we even got to go white water rafting down the Arkansas at the Royal Gorge. It felt so good to be back in my favorite state and I made sure to inhale as much mountain air as I could. One of my favorite smells on Earth!! I just wish Matt and the kids could have been there. We WILL live there someday!!!

Kids triathlon

The boys couldn't wait to do another triathlon this summer so we found one in Dayton that even Brooke could participate in. It was great because the whole event was just for kids. They did a great job training and even though Brooke was nervous, once the race started she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. And she smiled during the whole race!! We also got a workout trying to cheer and follow all three kids. We found another one in Cincinnati the following weekend, although this one proved to be more challenging because of the heat. My mom was in town so she was able to cheer on the boys (Brooke was too young for this one) which was fun because she used to be the biggest cheerleader at my triathlons when I got into the sport.

Skateboarding and Fancy Nancy

Before we moved to Columbus I was seeking out activities for the kids to do when we arrived. Luckily, I found two of my kids' favorite things. A skateboard park for the boys and a Fancy Nancy class for Brooke! And they were right next to each other. I couldn't believe my luck! So Brooke would go be fancy and the boys would try their hand at mastering the skate park. Luke actually ended up taking a week of skateboarding lessons which he loved. His teacher was awesome and Luke had improved by leaps and bounds by the end of the week. I don't think Brooke could have learned to be any fancier than she already is, but she had a great time!

4th of July

We moved in and five days later Matt's best friend from high school came in for a visit. I had arranged for Pat to surprise Matt and it was a success! Matt was very surprised and they had a great time catching up. It was fun to be able to surprise Matt since he has pulled some great surprises on me in the past. We also spent one day over the weekend bike shopping for me. I had been riding on the same bike I purchased when I was 23 years old and it was time for a new one. I got it just in time to do a 4th of July triathlon. It was awesome being out there, even though I hadn't really trained. It is never as much fun going to a triathlon by myself but I met another triathlete who had just moved here days before as well. It was nice to know I wasn't the only crazy lady doing a triathlon the week of moving. I came away with a 2nd place in my age group which the kids are always excited about.

New House

Well, here is our 7th house in 12 years. One in Baton Rouge, two in Houston, one in Copley, OH, one in Clifton, Virginia, another one in Copley, OH, and hopefully (but never say never!) our last one in Columbus (that is until we retire and move to Colorado!). Matt and I looked at about 90 houses over a two and a half month span. In the past we have only had a weekend to choose a house, but this time we had a lot more time to look since Matt was already here. We are very picky to begin with and this time looking with the hope that this could be the house we will be in for awhile made us even pickier. We actually found our neighborhood when Matt was just interviewing for his new job in November. We were driving around with the kids on our own and came across this neighborhood and thought that it seemed pleasant and we liked all of the mature trees. We saw a house for sale and when I got the flyer for it we were immediately disappointed because we realized that it was way out of our price range. When our agent brought us back through the neighborhood in May, we remembered it and when she led us through this house (in our price range) we knew that this was the one! We love it and hope that we live in it for years to come!!!

Spring sports

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing baseball and football this spring. Andrew and Luke were on the same baseball and football team and Matt was able to coach his last season of I9 football with the boys and their friends. We were hoping for a championship wim but that didn't happen. They all had fun though! In baseball both boys were able to try pitching this year. Andrew enjoyed pitching more than Luke. Luke preferred to be catcher. I don't know how he could stand to be in that position for so long!

Our Ebenezer Stone

As with any move things can get stressful. We had only had our house listed for about 8 weeks and hadn't had any bites and although 8 weeks doesn't sound very long, we have always been blessed to sell our houses in a matter of days so we were getting nervous. I was beginning to feel my faith being shaken. Matt began his new job in January and here it was the end of April and we really wanted to all be together in Columbus after school ended.

In 1 Samuel chapter 7, Samuel sets up a marker stone and named it Ebenezer to commemorate God's help in the Isrealite's victory of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 7:12 - Thus far the Lord has helped us. One of my favorite hymns, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," has these words.

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Here by Thy great help I've come

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home

So the kids and I brought wrote Ebenezer on a large stone and placed it in the front flower bed of our yard. We praised God for His blessings on us and prayed that we surrender to His timing for our house to sell and for our Faith to abound. Afterwards, I felt a great sense of peace and you can probably guess the rest of the story. Two days later we got an offer on our house! It is amazing what happens when you trust!!

Matt's 40th birthday and our going away party

Matt turned 40 on June 5th! I don't think it was too painful as he was surrounded by lots of friends. Our friends gave us a going away party on his birthday and even though it poured buckets, the kids had a blast getting drenched while running around in the rain. Matt's favorite gifts were a vase of 40 shotgun shells given to him by his shooting buddies (because he is such an excellent shot!), a jar filled with 40 dog treats for his BFF, Macy, and a Matt and Macy's magical moments grab bag filled with 40 dog toys. He and Macy spent the rest of the day bonding!