Marathon Madness

I've been missing from the blog world for awhile and wanted to stop in and say hello!  The past 9 months or so have been tough here and there.  I took a big trip home to Washington at the end of the summer for my sister's beautiful wedding and it was wonderful.  I stayed and played for 6 weeks with the kids and had a good time with family and friends.  When I returned home I had to dive into real life and all the good and bad that came with being back.  It was overwhelming and I was trying to be strong and brave and focus on the good that was still a huge part of my life.  My family and friends were helpful as I knew I was loved and supported.  I felt like I was also often praying for help and confidence as I knew that hard times were coming and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to be strong enough to make it through those hard times.  I was praying for my kids, for my marriage, for my parents and siblings, for David, and for myself too.  I wanted to know if I was going to be able to do the hard things that life was dealing to me.  Everyone has their own tough times, and I felt like my tough times were flooding in and I was just barely keeping my head above water.  When I came back home, I was coming back to a sort of new place (we moved just a few months prior) where I didn't have my roots set yet and didn't have any close friends.  

Then came these two beauties along with a few other people who are now my close friends that I have so much respect and admiration for.  They moved in just before I headed out to Washington and when I got back, they pulled me in and we became quick friends....and then they asked me if I wanted to run a marathon!  I had been praying for strength and asking for help to know I could do the hard things, and I had a marathon on the way WAY bottom of my bucket list for some time so I jumped in and went for it!

Before I had met them, I would go running once or twice a week or play soccer with a group of guys here and there.  The most I had ever ran was 4 miles, and that was really far in my mind.  

I started really training in for my first marathon in October of last year and would run two times during the week for a short distance (3-7 miles) and then on Saturdays I would build up to my long runs.  I would add a mile each Saturday starting with 7 the first time, then the next week I ran 8, then 9 and so on. It was tough each Saturday as that was a new distance record for me each week I added a mile.  It was a beautiful time of year to be out running.  I ran by a few of these bulls around town.  They are all painted differently but I have no idea what the meaning behind them is.   

I ran all around and up and down the Harrisburg area and I was always so fascinated with the river.  It got so cold and froze this last winter and watching it slowly go from slush to 5 foot icebergs was to neat to me.  It has now all melted if you were wondering.  

I ran a 10k (6.2 miles) for a Thanksgiving day turkey trot and by then I had already been running 12 or so miles on my long runs, so I was excited to try and run it as fast as I could and was thrilled that I ran it in 54 minutes!  My first 6 mile run in October that nearly killed me because I was so out of shape was more than 15 minutes more than that, so in just a month of training I was seeing a ton of progress.  It was neat that I was getting stronger and faster!

This run was so so cold and I had a tough time warming up after I was done.  I signed up Katelyn for the kids run and she didn't do it because I was worried it would be too cold for her.  She got a shirt anyways and runs around the house in it as she exercises.  I hope she finds exercising fun and enjoyable!

Once I got into Christmas time, I had a hard time staying with it and started sleeping in too many times and one Saturday I completely skipped my long run....so then I signed up for the marathon.  I thought that if I paid the money to do it, I better not miss any more runs and at least make it worth my money!

I did seem to make my way through the different town parades through December.  The sidewalks were always packed with people watching the parade, so I just ran on the street!  I should have brought candy to throw or worn a Santa hat or something to look a little more festive. One time I even caught a sucker and enjoyed that while I ran!  

I am glad I paid my money before Christmas, because when January came, the snow storms and sub 0 temperatures rolled in and I proved to myself how dedicated I was and got out in the snow to run.  The sun started setting earlier and earlier and it was so cold!  I ran with friends a few times and that was always nice to have company, but I realized that I really like running by myself.  I still liked my friends, and they helped me get out in the cold sometimes when I wasn't going to but I didn't like the pacing part of running with people.  I didn't like feeling like I was holding them back from going faster, or that I was going to fast (rarely) or that if I wanted to walk that they would be annoyed.  They never did care, but I had a mental battle every time I ran with people and the pace matching game makes me a little crazy!

I joined a gym so that I would have no excuse about running in the snow, but then sometimes it snowed so much that they even closed the gym! I still stuck to my training schedule for the most part though.  I ran about twice a week at the gym or outside if it wasn't icy or frigid, and then on Saturdays I would try my best to be brave and run no matter what the weather was like to get my long runs in.

I trained and trained and even made it on the news!  The video is archived now and wasn't all that impressive.  It showed me getting beat by my friend as we finished our run in the snow.  And then it showed me standing and just smiling next to my two friends for a second or maybe two seconds if we round up.  We were just emphasizing that we know we were crazy for running in the snowy conditions!

I trained and trained some more and then it came to race day.  The most I had done was one really good 19 mile run, one miserable 20 mile run (on top of packed snow), and two tough 18 mile runs.  I was nervous about how the race was going to be, but I was pretty confident that as long as it didn't snow, I would be alright!

The race started at 7:30 and the sun was just rising and it was a warm 45 degrees!  Perfect for race day!!!  The three of us set off and I was very clear that I did not want them to run with me.  I knew they were faster than me and I knew that I don't like running with people and trying to pace at their pace.  I just wanted to run my own race...so they let me!

The first half I felt really great!  I probably started a little faster than I should have, but I was sort of optimistic that the energy of the race would help me to keep up that pace.  

The second half of the race was definitely tougher.  More hills and less energy.  There were rolling hills that seemed huge, but were probably not really that bad, but after running 20 miles ANY hill is twice the size ;)  This was a Rock 'n Roll Marathon and they advertise that there will be bands every other mile and cheerleader squads throughout the course too.  The bands were all volunteer and their music was too loud and not that great.  My favorite entertainment along the course was the two homes that played music from their porch and had a dance party in their front yard while they cheered everyone on!

I kept plugging away and the miles kept on passing by!  I had a mental battle in my head of "Awesome, I am at 20 miles, only 6 left!" and then not more than 5 seconds later, "Oh no, I still have 6 miles left! ugh!" and it went back and forth at every mile marker.  People always ask if I ever hit "THE WALL"...the dreaded wall.  I want to say no, but I think I have to say yes.  From the start, I told myself that I was going to walk at every water stop...there was a water/gatorade stop every 1 1/2-2 miles.  So I walked each of those partially for a break, mostly for the reason that I can't run and drink without a sloshing mess!  I also told myself that I was going to walk the uphills.  I didn't realize how many there would be and I didn't specify in my mind what  steepness counted as an acceptable uphill, so on some of the "flatter" hills I would run up half of it and then get my walking break the second half and then take off again for the downhill.  I probably walked more than I thought I would. So maybe you could say I hit "THE WALL" like 20 times with all the drink stops and uphills :)  But I sort of planned for these so I could have some breaks to look forward to along the way.  I never had any moments where I felt like I just couldn't go on, I always felt recharged and ready to run after my walking breaks that were probably about 20 yards.

It felt as good as it can feel physically.  I was worn out.  I put all that I had into this race, and was very ready to be done.  It was great to cross the finish line...a much welcomed sight!  I did it!

I earned my chunky medal and my foil superhero cape...and best of all, I got my chocolate milk at the finish!  That is my favorite post-run thing and I am so glad they didn't run out!  

Now that it is over and I am no longer achy or sore, I am actually planning for my next one!  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do another, but then David got a little whiff of the incredible awesomeness that was coming from my shoes ;)... or something... and decided he didn't want to be outdone by his wife.  All this running talk over the past 5 months has rubbed off on him and he has caught on to the running bug!  We are going to do one in October and I am not going to let him give up on this...or let him beat me!  This next race is supposed to be considered a "fast and flat" course so I am hoping to cut a big chunk of my time off too!  I am also going to have to hire a better cheering squad ;)  I beat my own fans to the finish line...except for my two friends who finished the race ahead of me.  We celebrated with a big juicy hamburger and ice cream at the Shake Shack.  Besides my chocolate milk, a burger and ice cream was my second request!

I have learned my lesson and I have proved to myself that I really CAN do the hard things!  I didn't qualify for Boston (my time was about 4:40) and I didn't win first place, but I did something that was physically and mentally tough!  I surprised myself how dedicated I was getting up during the week to go to the gym or run outside before the day started at 5 AM, and ran in terrible weather because I needed to get in my long runs to stick with my training plan.  I got healthier in so many ways...I cared about how much sleep I was getting so I was sleeping more, I could tell when I was eating well and fueling my body with good food, and I tuned in to my body and my water intake (I used to only drink during meal times) and I had to manage my time well and make good use of my running opportunities even if they were only at 5 AM...and I even ran off 10 pounds of my jiggles!  I did it and I proved to myself that I am strong and I can handle the hard things.  This process has been a wonderful time of self reflection...and running over 300 miles or so  means there is a LOT of time to think about a lot of things.

I feel stronger.  I feel more confident.  And I am proud! 

9 Months In, 9 Months Out

9 months plus a few days Davy was cooking ini my belly, and now a few days past his 9 months out of the belly date and we are right on track!

His eyes are shaped like mine!  That's all I can confidently claim so far, but it is more than I can with Katelyn!

Davy is growing and growing!  We are loving this little big guy to bits!  He is the most content baby in the world.  He will just sit and be happily entertaining himself often or just people watch.  For example, I went to get my haircut as I was running around town doing this and that and I realized he fell asleep so I thought it would be fine if slipped in and got a quick chop before he woke up.  The second I sat down, he woke up.  I thought, "Great, this isn't going to happen.  He's tired, and I can't hold a squirmy baby while getting my haircut."  But he just sat in his car seat and watched the whole hair cut and style!  He was an angel!  He does this often and will happily sit back and enjoy the view.

He is a late-ish bloomer probably because he is so chill.  I am not worried he is too slow with things, but he definitely isn't seeking any awards for being the first to hit the milestones.  With all of the milestone events of a baby's first year, he has tended to show no interest.  He didn't roll over very early on as most times when I would lay him down to practice he would just lay there and look around.  Sometimes he would cry but he would just give a helpless cry and lay his head down like it was just too hard.  It was very pathetic in the cutest way possible.  He did roll over a few times here and there, but it wasn't a constant thing.  Whenever I would try to show David he really could roll over, he would just smile and was happy to have both of us paying such close attention to him and didn't care to roll over and show off any of his tricks!

Blowing raspberries is a slobbery mess!

He is about to start crawling any second now.  He is so stinkin' close that it is so frustrating to him.  He gets up on all fours and rocks and wiggles that chubby...meaning solid of course ;)...body of his as he stares down his toy of choice, but all those wiggles and rocking doesn't make it happen.  He does a lot of push ups and will walk with his arms backwards, but that is frustrating to him because he really  wants to go forward!  

He gets a kick out of playing peek-a-boo and it is Katelyn's favorite thing to do with him.

He moves around with a combination of rolling over, scooting while he sits, backing up in push up position, pulling himself up to stand (just for a second or two...any longer and its as if he's scared and his legs get shaky!) and has now figured out how to get from laying down to sitting up. 

I feed him all sorts of mixes of baby foods that seem like they would be pretty terrible...like carrots, blueberries, spinach, sweet potato and chicken, or we have done pears, cauliflower, peas, strawberry, and squash...but he doesn't seem to mind and will gobble them up.  Some are just too far out there for him and he will full on gag and refuse to eat it, but adding a mashed up banana or some cinnamon always fixes those ones!  He has had a couple tastes of my ice cream and Rita's Italian ice and was annoyed he only got a couple licks!  

He used to be a wonderful sleeper...I miss those days.  Once he hit 5 months he got a cold nearly each month that stuffed him up and made his sleep patterns disappear and he though snuggles from mom at night were pretty nice!  So all of you that were jealous of my sweet sleeping baby don't need to be jealous anymore!  I am not a zombie most days though and seem to be able to function off of interrupted sleep.  The hard nights are when he decides that 3 a.m. is when he wants to try out his plethora of tricks in his crib but keeps cornering himself!  He gets very irritated like I put him in his crib so he'd be trapped in there or something ;)  

He is such a happy guy and we love how he lights up when we enter a room.  It is great on our self-esteem!  Imagine having someone celebrate your presence with claps, giggles, shrieks of joy, and a giant toothless grin.  Pure joy and excitement!

He is still our heavy man...he is right around the 80% range for weight and 90% for height, though I don't remember how tall he was.  I could go measure him, but I think everyone will be okay if I don't.  If you really have to know, come visit me and measure him yourself...I will even let you use my tape measure :)

9 months-20 pounds 10 ounces

6 months-18 pounds 1 ounce

4 months-16 pounds 14 ounces

1 month-11 pounds 8 ounces

Newborn-9 pounds 10 ounces

He is a chunk but not an overflowing chub chunk...well most of his squishiness stays in place!  

He loves those two fingers and those are his pacifier when he is bored or sad.

He is loving to clap lately and it started with either playing "Pat-a-cake" or from learning to sign "more" but he loves the attention he gets when he claps so he does it all the time. 

We sure do love this sweet boy and he loves us and shows it with his mighty hugs and attacking kisses.  He gets so excited when we get close enough for him to hug and he even pats my back like I do to his.  I love the tight squeeze he gives with his squishy arms around my neck.  It makes the night time wake up calls a whole lot better!

I Can't Stop Giggling

Long ago, katelyn decided she could dress herself and she needed a lot of help when she was starting this new independence phase as a 1 year old. Now she has learned that the tags go in the back and she doesn't need much coaching. We were headed to the pool yesterday and I asked her to get her suit on. She put it on all other own and returned confused and uncomfortable. 

Her backwards suit had me laughing and all I could think to do was grab a camera! I am such a good mom. She was constantly picking the never ending wedgie and her tan lines and belly hole were too funny. She's a silly girl and by her confusion, I know she didn't do it on purpose! Who knew there was a front AND a back to this suit?!

Beauty Rest

This girl...

She takes a nap nearly every day and I am always a giggling mess when she wakes up. She usually likes to sit with me and be snuggled for a bit as she waits off the grogginess and I am always impressed with what her nap has done to her hair. 

Her nap on Saturday was a good one.  

When she went down for her nap, she had her hair in a pony tail...just a simple one like this...

I love her hair lately! She rocks the pig tails, pony tails or it looks cute air dried with her natural curls that she likes to fluff on her own ;) 

Anyways....she went down for her nap and opted to sleep on the livingroom floor. She woke up and then leaned against the couch (which I snagged out of a dumpster!) and fell back asleep for like half an hour! Looks comfy huh? And Davy is creepin' as it looks like he is calling for help as the cozy couch swallows him whole!

Here is a look at the damage done this time.  Remember her smooth pony tail? The rubber bands always disappear and I never find them again and now she is sporting a voluminous curly fluff mullet on this side...

...and here's the other side that got a bit kinky! She is a sweaty sleeper and once she's out, the water works start up and so that seems to be a "helpful" factor in this nap time hairstyling.

She takes her time waking up.  She is always up for a snuggle and loves to be loved, but after nap time she is very sensitive and soft-hearted and gets so sad if she can't have that snuggle with me. It is a tender moment that I have to drop what ever I am doing because it is a special time to her that she needs me for those few minutes and I love it too!

It isn't long before she is awake and ready to go and full of her smiles! 

These kiddos are great! I enjoy Katelyn's wild hair when she wakes up and it is growing long and those stray kinky curls usually find a way to wisp and tickle my face like crazy. It just adds to her spunk and I like calling her Einstein...she's got the hair and the wit!

....and Davy wins all the awards for the most chill baby in the world. You have to watch out for him though...if you get close enough he is like a Venus Fly Trap and will snatch you up and pull you in and sink his toothless gums on you leaving his trail of slobber.  And you can't put him down because he will stare you down with his beautiful eyes with super long eyelashes! He knows exactly what my weakness is. He's such a stud!

25 Wishes

I just turned 25 and it is one of those birthday milestones that make me feel like I am getting old!  I know it really isn't that old and I have been realizing how I still think of myself as a lot younger than I am.  I see people graduating high school that seem like little babies to me.  I mentioned that I graduated in 2006 and that was 7 years ago!  What?!

I do feel like I am growing up a little though...that's a plus!  

Here's my wish list for the year of being 25...

1. I feel like I need to get back into playing music...and more than the recorder (I have that one "mastered" already right?)  :)  I want to get back to playing the piano and I would love to learn the guitar.  
2. Exercise...this is a tough one.  It is easy to forget, easy to sleep in, easy to let a day pass and tell myself I will make it up on Saturday.  But I have been doing really good for the last 2 months exercising 5 times a week!  I go running through my neighborhood, or do Insanity workouts at home if I don't wake up early enough to go on a good run before David heads off to work.  Pushing 2 kids in the jogger is intense...and there are not enough flat places around here!  AND there's Soccer!  There is an informal group that meets up every Wednesday and Saturday to play and I had to retire my cleats from high school to get a new pair and they have been heavenly!  My feet are thanking me!   It is so fun to be playing again even though I am usually the only girl.  I sweat like a man, so I might as well play with them...TMI?
3. Make time to keep the house in order.  I have never and probably will never be a spotless home type, but I get too frustrated when I can't find things, or when I feel like I am drowning in our own stuff.  Sometimes I live with the mess and I should care more and clean it up, but sometimes it is tough to keep up with the mess!  I just want to make time for more order.
4. eat well...I want to make healthier food choices, but also I need to remember to feed myself. When I realize at 3:00 that I haven't had anything for lunch and then decide that a peanut butter and nutella sandwich heated for 15 seconds in the microwave is a good idea...this is a problem area.  I do so much better with a plan.
5. get to know people...I am in a new place with new people.  I want to seek out some good people and find out what makes them who they are.



Katelyn's Favorite...Alice the Fairy

6. read...read the scriptures, read with my kids, read the scriptures with my kids, and read fun books without falling asleep after the first paragraph.
7. serve others...I want to get to know people so I can serve them.  It might be my time just chatting, it might be my time making a meal for them when they are sick, it might be my time watering their plants...My mom says that she is happiest when she is serving others, or something like that.  My family counts too...I want to do more for them too!
8. I am realizing how parenting requires so much selflessness.  My bad days are nearly always linked to days when I am selfish with my personal space and time.  I am trying hard to give my time to these kids and take my full-time job as their mom.  Katelyn and Davy need me.  They are capable of learning and doing so much and I don't want to just "get through" each day, but I want to dedicate more time to nurturing them and enjoying them.  
9. blogging...this is my family journal.  I love having our life documented and seeing the things we do and the phases we go through and I want to keep track of it all.  I love it when I keep up with it!
10. take a ceramics class...I loved the year I did in high school and I wasn't half bad either!
11. Quit throwing food out!  I hate it when food goes bad...especially produce!  It is a pet peeve of mine and I want to pay attention to what I've got, or meal plan better...something.
12. Sew for myself...I started sewing a dress for myself this week.  I made up the pattern from a dress that I already have.  It is fun to create and I have a bunch of ideas for more dresses and skirts for me. 
13. Save money...I want to simplify so that we can save more and do more with the money we have.
14. I can be such a home body and part of it is because of laziness, and sometimes I just like to be home where everything is calm and contained.  But I want to be outside more.  Go on walks and just talk, let Katelyn ride her bike, go have a picnic at the park, go explore, or anything like this.  We all love it and I like spending time out and about together and want more of it.
15. I dyed my hair blonder...I wanted to do it and I like it.  My hair has been getting darker and darker with each kid...or maybe just time going by and me getting older.  I missed my blonde hair and now I have a head start on the summer blondeness that comes each year.  I have a feeling part of me did it because I want to feel younger, and I am okay with that.  Changing my hair wasn't that big of a change (I didn't go crazy with the blondeness), but it was a big thing for me so even though I already did it, I am putting it on this list :)
16. Memorize the Articles of Faith.  I challenged my 8 year-old primary class and I want to make sure I know them all too.  I remember most of them, but I have some iffy spots that need a tune up.
17. Pay attention to birthdays and anniversaries.  I love it when people remember and acknowledged my birthday and anniversary, so I want to make an effort for others too because they might like it too!
18. Paint something.  I have had a blank canvas for over a year now and I want to paint something on it, but I am not sure what. I think I want to paint Katelyn's face in a way that I saw my friend, Terryn, do her son.  I think I could make it look like her...if not, then I will take a picture of it and then paint something else.  
19. Date my husband.  Too often we spend time on our laptops, phones, or iPad or in separate rooms doing our own thing.  I want to focus on the time that I do have him home and have fun with him.
20. Have more game nights...We have so many good games and we need to have people over to play or just play with our own little family.  Katelyn is figuring out UNO and Trouble and is loving them.  We all love games!
    
    
    
    
21. FHE...we are very sporadic and I want to be more consistent.  It is healthy for our family.  I like having time to set goals for the week, and Katelyn is soaking up so much of how this world works right now and I want her to know this gospel so that she can love it and know that I love it.
22. See more of the east ...Niagara Falls, Gettysburg, Pittsburgh, Philly, Palmyra...there are cool places out here!
23. PLAY...I love roller coasters and water slides!  I am not pregnant this summer (my parents won't ever believe me again since I tricked them last summer when I got off the plane nearly 7 months pregnant)  and there are so many fun theme parks calling my name out east and out west!  Hershey Park, Silverwood, Roaring Springs, King's Dominion...I "need" to go!
24. Do some Family History.  I want to get some people's stories recorded before they are gone!
25. Convince myself and David that it is worth it for me to be in Kennewick for Gold Medal peach season because they might be good enough to leave my husband stranded for a couple extra weeks while I get my juicy peach fix!

My birthday fell on a Wednesday...a Wednesday that David was in Baltimore (for the whole week) and I wanted to feel bad for myself since I was home alone with the kids another day and it was my birthday, but that's part of being a grown up.  I decided to make it a good day with a walk through the neighborhood finding flowers that were being towered over with weeds...

The kiddos both took a nap at the same time!

I made my favorite dinner...Breakfast!  Crepes with strawberries and cream!

And I skyped, texted, emailed, called and was facebooked from so many wishing me a wonderful day and it really did turn out to be a great day! 

That weekend, David and I left the kids with the Iwaasa's and went to play...laser tag (David out-scored me 3/4 times), mini golf (David won by 2 strokes...maybe only one, but I can't entirely remember, so I will let him have 2), and my favorite...go carts!  I was so stinkin' fast!  I figured out how to hit the brake around the corners to get my go cart to do a tight u-turn and I snuck past David every time with that trick.  We did a lot of mini races between us which meant I had to keep stopping and letting him catch up to me once I got far enough ahead to say I beat him that round ;)  He probably won't admit to that, but I was good!  And those go carts had the speed I was hoping for.  My hair was flying horizontal and would whip around the corners with me...loved it!  It was a fun date! 

We ate "Better Than Anything and Everything Cake"  with Brittany and her family...it was her birthday the day before...and David made it for me.  I might have forced him to make it for me, but he did an awesome job!

Birthday's are good...and this one has been good to me!

Home #7

We are having a hard time settling in and calling a place home for too long before we pack up and move on to the next place!  We keep hopping around and it is a lot of work! We have been married for 5 years now and this is the 7th place we have lived!

We moved here back in April and it was a good one.  We are able to save more money since rent is much cheaper here, and we are enjoying the smaller feel of Harrisburg compared to the Baltimore and all of its beefiness!  Does anyone know that Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania?  Honestly, most people (even you Mayrlanders just a state away) think it is either Philly or Pittsburgh...and for the longest time, David would say that he worked in Harrisburg, Philadelphia...that drove my Elementary Education Bachelor's Degree mind insane and it wasn't ok!  C'mon people, don't you remember your states and capitals?  ...Or even just the states??? :)

The moving day went as smooth as it could thanks to awesome member of our new and old wards.  I even told my brother that he didn't need to make the hour drive to help, since we were going to have plenty of help...Sorry for turning down your offer Chris!

I had wonderful help from my visiting teacher, Tyese, one day.  It was coming close to moving day and I was starting to feel overwhelmed and she came over with just an hour of her free time.  I thought of how little I was ever able to pack up in a hour and was a little bummed, but then she got right to work and packed my ENTIRE KITCHEN!  She was fast!  I didn't realize how much she could do and had to find some essentials so I could feed the missionaries that night. Tyese was awesome and I am still in awe of how she did it!

Then the missionaries came over and offered to help and came back the next day.  They were great help too and helped pack up the odds and ends and do the finishing touches with me before the big move the next day.

That Saturday, the 13th, the crew arrived ready to pack!

They loaded everything in the truck, didn't eat enough of the donuts we got them, and then they were off to move another family.

The sister missionaries (anyone know that brown haired one...she's from the Kennewick East Stake!) Jace Martinsen, Steven Davis, Adrian Stanger, and a guy that we barely know but was a beast in hauling boxes! Someone tell me his name, please?!

 David headed off to Harrisburg and got to the new place ready and hoping he would have help unload the truck!  I had mentioned to some people in our new ward that he would need help and the new ward responded letting us know that the ward had just been split and that they would try to find out who was in the ward that could come help, so were weren't really sure if we were going to have any help.  We were delighted to have a whole crew that unloaded the truck in half an hour!  I stayed behind and fed the kids and then drove up to the new place, and in the 30 minutes it took to feed the kids I had missed all the action!

We are so grateful to be here in Harrisburg!  The part about David not having to make the drive every Monday and Friday from Baltimore to Harrisburg and back has been so nice....I think our poor car was getting worn out from that drive too!  Being together as a family EVERY night instead of just on the weekends has been such a treat that I never thought to be grateful for!  David had one week of training that he had to head to Baltimore for the week leaving us here, and I was reminded of how terrible, tiring, and stressful it is to have him gone during the week...and we lived like that for nearly a year!

Brittany was this girl here in Harrisburg who was in a Relief Society presidency and she was told that I was going to be here off and on staying in hotels and that I might like to be added to the playgroup emails she sent out.  We emailed back and forth and then one day we met up at a park and got to know each other.  It was sort of odd to plan to meet someone at a park, but she was being very nice and friendly and I was bored and tired of taking Katelyn to the parks and libraries to play by herself.  I knew she was a member of the same church, but she didn't know that.  We met at the park and chatted while our kids played and it was great!  We were heading back to the hotel for lunch and she offered to let Katelyn keep playing and invited us over to her place for lunch and swimming.  We must have seemed normal enough!  I took her up on that offer and we hung out and chatted the day away!  I never got in contact with her since I didn't head out to Harrisburg with David most weeks and when I did, I wasn't sure if I would be a bother or not which I wish I would have called her up!

Britt's good-bye party...she's the tall blonde beauty next to me!

When we found out we were going to move here, I talked to Brittany and found out the ins and outs of the area she lived in because another friend said that it was the perfect place.  I called or emailed her every other day with all of my questions and then we ended up moving in across the street from them!  The day we moved in, I didn't have a jacket that I left out for the day and she ran home and let me use hers for the day!  She is one of those people that is always ready and willing to help and has really been so incredibly helpful!  We have loved our new place and I loved being so close to her.  We hung out nearly every day since we moved in and it was the first thing Katelyn would ask for in the day.  They just moved out...not because of us ;)...but because he finished his schooling and they are heading back west to settle in with a first job and a new home!  We are bummed that we couldn't be close neighbors for longer and we loved having each other so close by that now we have to go out and make new friends!  Brittany and I were so similar in way too many ways and  we realized that we both married similar guys too...funny and ironic.  We miss the Iwaasa's  and I am not too excited about having to stretch myself and go out of my comfort zone to get to know the neighbors around me when it was so easy and comfortable to be friends with her.  That's life though!

One random side note...it drives me crazy that I have very few pictures with me and my friends!  We hang out, watch each other's kids, take pictures of our kids playing together, but rarely take pictures of us being friends.  I am friends with them on facebook, so I can stay in contact with them, but I just want pictures of us adults together.  Silly and random, but it matters to me a little bit :)

Harrisburg is home for now and we feel settled and ready to conquer this place!  It sort of feels like living in Boise again, and we liked Boise so we are bound to love it here!