More on Spring...

Before the new flower bed...

Finally the trampoline is set up! Savannah loves it - even Bear jumps on!

After the new flower bed!

Spring Perennials grow in the yard...

Rhododendrons (below)- I'd never seen these before and they are just pretty!

These are just some of the things we've been doing and enjoying at our house this spring....finally the flower bed is done! Next we will work on our water fall here...

Other happenings:

While we were doing the flower bed, Bear caught a rock that looked like a ball in his mouth and chipped his molar. He is okay now, but he thought twice about fetching for a couple of weeks after it happened.

It was a nice Memorial Day weekend - we had some friends over for beer and brats and mom's "famous potato salad" - and most of all it was nice to share our home with everyone! I love it! We also took Savannah to the De Pere festival to ride some carnival rides - we didn't ride much as we had plans to get yard work done that day but it did make me itchy to get to Bay Beach soon to ride more as well as the N.E.W. zoo and Egg Harbor fun park. The kids and I went swimming at Tundra park last week and really enjoyed the water there even though it is an indoor water park. This summer weather has been so mild so far, and I am not complaining!

Savannah starts summer school next week and Boys & Girls club activities. I am excited for her in that they have so much to offer the kids in the community at little to no cost. It is a great community for that. On another note I am really learning to love my new job at Conger and am getting to know everyone so well and feel like I am really wanted again. Michael and Brooke are still working to save to come out here, I hope they can come by fall time, it would be great to have a BBQ with all my kids again some day (especially since I can't have my brothers and sisters and parents on a whim when I am in the mood...) Jacob plans to move forward to living in Oshkosh and working at Whitefield permanently...I hope he gets the job - he seems to love what he is doing.

All in all we are doing well settling in. I still have my bad days where I am pretty sad and weepy, but they are fewer and farther in between - some of it has been feeling old, still missing my dad, and most of all due to adjustment of changes (I never get home sick for Utah but rather I do get "family" sick). Things are moving forward and life has a steady pace again.

Spring has sprung!

It has been a long winter but now that the ground has come back to life Charlie and I have really dug in and started some spring projects. Of course he has done most of the work with all the rotor-tilling and digging and building the rock wall but it is up to me to dig in and plant new life in that dirt! Look for pictures to come...we hope to be done soon!

I get excited seeing all the ferns coming in and filling the bare spots. Everything is so green and lush and we don't even have to water anything! Our next project is to create a water fall flowing down into a new pond at the bottom of our hill. The previous owners had the right idea with the pond and small fall at the top, but it just needs finished. Add some coy and we're all set...more on this to come!

Jake has been tinkering with his new hobby racing and vamping his RC truck. He may be moving out this summer, we aren't sure of the details yet, but it will be better for him to be closer to work and his chances to get a permanent job will also increase.

Charlie's band has played at a few gigs and thus far they seem to be doing a great job. They may even go to the state fair to perform...that would be fun as our whole family could go see him play and make a day out of it. He has had kind of a rough time keeping up with the band what with training at work and everything else going on, but I think it is a good release for him.

The pets are also enjoying the weather. Buddy goes out and hunts for small prey and, well, let's say the things we find around the yard are not pretty. But he is happy this way and then always comes home and naps for the day. At least he keeps the mice and other pests away...what a typical outside kitty.

Today we are going to Green Isle park for a picnic, the weather is awesome and the park is so close. Once we are there it will feel like being in the mountains again. Almost. Eh, at least there are tons and tons of trees, growth, and water around - so a lot of life. I am amazed at all the different bugs and birds and animals we see out here that I have never seen before. There was a beaver crossing the road this morning and I am always finding chipmunks and red cardinals in our yard. It is awesome! The one thing I don't like is finding house centipedes - the first time I saw one of these it literally scared the crap out of me and Savannah and we couldn't sleep without opening one eye for a while! (shivers)

Hope you are all enjoying your spring!

Feeling Old

I came across a song by Incubus today while reading another's blog. Wow have I gotten old. What is this all about?

I decided to look back through my blog over the past 6 years from when I began blogging. Reading it I even sounded younger back then too. Even my picture today looks old compared to the one that I had taken a year ago with my nephew.

This isn't a pity party, just a realization the life really goes by too fast. Reminiscing my memories make me miss so many things - my little boys, my baby girl, the feeling I got with the sunshine and birds chirping has even changed. Most of all I miss my younger self when I was so much more carefree than I am today.

Wow. That is all I gotta say. Been going through this for a while now but am going on the downhill side. Midlife crisis I guess. But not necessarily a crisis (on most days that is). Just mid-life I think.

Just some thoughts here...yes...imagine me thinking out loud? Heh.

I miss my dad.