Update from NC

Hey there!!!!  Well, yes we are settling in and loving it.  So it was a rough start at first.  We got down here thinking that we were going to live in an apartment in the town where I work so that I'd be close while we were checking out other areas.  Well we got down here the day before we were scheduled to move and the lady let us go ahead and stay there that night.  So the apartment is all janked - like couldn't open a single drawer in the kitchen because they hit the stove handle or fridge.  So the whole time I'm just repeating to myself - its only 6 months, I can do anything for 6 months right?  So that night we decide to go out to Walmart to get a few things.  WOW culture shock.  like we were like 5 of the 20 white people in the store.  So we are like "well, maybe we just went to the walmart on the wrong side of town"  So the next morning the guy shows up to do our internet stuff and we start talking to him and he says it is like that everywhere and that Rocky Mount is not a good area.  So we are starting to freak out but still kinda like "only 6 months"  I'm standing in the kitchen and we are talking and Charlie (cat) starts digging in a hole in the cabinet by the dishwasher and I FREAKED out that if a mouse came out .... cue the movers showing up and ask if we are ready to start unloading and I look at Aaron and just say "I can't do this"  So we go over, cancel our lease, tell the movers to take everything back to storage and high tail it out of there towards Raleigh, and get a hotel.  Ended up being in a hotel for a week.  Got a realtor to help us and ended up finding a townhouse to rent in Wake Forest - and we LOVE the area!  Thank god we can be a fly by the seat of your pants people and adjust!    So Wake Forest is wonderful.  The perfect town for us.  I really don't see a reason we would ever leave.  We've made friends with our neighbors and some other people in the neighborhood - but still isn't like the friendships we had in StL, but it will just take time to get to that comfort level.  Work is pretty good.  Still kind of feel like a fish out of water and trying to get my bearings, but that will jsut take time too.  I have about an hour commute, but carpool with a girl at work that I get along with super good, so it goes fast and it is a really easy drive.  Aaron had an interview yesterday for a teaching job.  We are sooooo hoping he gets it.  He signed up and is doing a flag football league and loves that. The boys started daycare this week.  it was just driving everyone crazy that they were home all day and Aaron couldn't really do much to look for a job while they were there.  They love goign to "school".  Turner started in karate and does that 3 days a week.  He loves it and is really good.  Austin has kind of turned in to our devil child and makes us crazy right now, but that is just a stage!  But I am already dreading him being a teenager.  The boys just box, tackle, dress up as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (transformers) and fight, do karate - ALL DAY LONG.  I mean literally they never stop some form of tackling. Mackenzie is adjusting super good.  She loves school, has made two friends in the neighborhood that she is inviting over or going to their house all the time.  Even had a sleepover already.  We are looking for a place now for her to start back up in gymnastics. This weekend we are heading to the beach again.  It is only about 1.5 hours away so easy day trip.  And it is beautiful.  We also have a huge lake like 5 minutes from us that has nice beach areas and campground.  We have a camping trip planned with the girl I commute with and her husband and son for October 9th, and some other neighbors might join us.  you know us, the get-together organizers and social butterflies of the bunch! So yeah - I can't believe that we've only been here for less than a month.  We've transplanted well.  And the cool thing about here is that everyone is from somewhere else, so everyone is a transplant.  We are ready for visitors anytime!  I wish I could just talk you all in to moving down here with us.  It is so much better than the midwest.  I just can't even describe.  Just soooooo many cool things in like a 4 hour radius, and even a ton just in Raleigh and right around us.  It completely fits us.  Like i said, unless it was for a big promotion or something, I could see us living here for a long long time.

We are moving...in 2 weeks!!!

Not sure how many people have heard the news, so I’m sending this out across the board…..

 

Last Friday I flew in to North Carolina for a job interview with Hospira (pharmaceutical company).  Aaron went with me, assuming I’d have a quick interview on Friday morning and then we would head over to the coast and have a little mini-vacation.  Well, I ended up being at the interview a little longer than expected, and then I was told I needed to go back and meet with the HR lady again before I left.  She asked if I could come back in later that day to conclude things because they wanted to offer me the job and so we started talking salary, start date, benefits…  So I leave with a verbal offer and verbal counter, they end up calling me with a final #, I say yes, and boom I’m back in doing my drug screen.  CRAZY!  So I didn’t get all done there until about 4:30 or so, so at that point Aaron and I decided it would be better to spend our time seeing the area since we would be back in two weeks anyways to make it to the beach!

 

So now our life is a complete whirlwind.  Trying to have the house on the market this weekend.  Searching on-line for an apartment to move in to there – temporary until our house here sells and we get a lay of the land.  My last day at Pfizer is August 26^th, first day there is September 13^th.  We are SUPER excited, and SUPER busy, and edgy and tired, and stressed, and happy and…..  You name it, we are feeling it right now.  But all in all – we are mostly excited.  We will be in/near Rocky Mount.  That is about 1 hour East of Raleigh, 2.5 hours from the beach, 3 hours from the mountains, 3 hours from Washington DC….so many fun things to do.  We haven’t heard a single negative comment from anyone on North Carolina, so I’m sure we will love it.  Can’t wait for the new adventure.

 

We are planning to have a BBQ at our house on Friday the 27^th – everyone is invited, kids and all.  Bring something light (side/dessert) if you want, if not, just come and show up.  Saturday we are having an adults-only goodbye at a bar somewhere, Aaron hasn’t hammered that out yet.  I assume we will be changing cell phone numbers and all that once we get there.  For now, just switch to using my personal email so we can keep in touch.  Jllively2@yahoo.com  If anyone wants to meet up any other time over the next 2 weeks, just let us know time and place and we will do our best to schedule to be there.  Yes we have a lot to do, but more we want to make sure we see everyone.  And by all means – COME VISIT us for a nice beach vacation!!!

 

Our perseverance is finally paying off.  Now let’s just hope this house sells and everything works out well.  

 

Thanks for all of your support!

 

Jennifer L. Lively

jllively2@yahoo.com

awlively2@yahoo.com

 

Potty Training

Well, I've been having a hard time lately with rejection after rejection on the job front. It is really taking its toll, but I have to keep reminding myself that it must be part of the grand plan so I am open when something better comes along. So this past weekend we went to church, and it never fails that it is like the lesson is written exactly for me. Now I'm no super religious fanatic, but our trials over the past year along with a great church that we all love to attend on a regular basis has had quite an impact. So this weekend, Saturday night I break down in bed crying..."I just wish I would learn the lesson already, I don't know if I can take this anymore"..yada yada - you know the break-down. So Sunday we walk in to church and this was what the teaching was based on -

James 1: 2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be complete, not lacking anything.

Chills ran down my spine - I mean, were those words written just for me?! So I've been trying to take a different viewpoint this week and will keep this verse close.

So since I haven't been succeeding in anything else lately - I decided to finally work with Austin on potty training. Aaron was sick last week so I was home a few days, so we started on Thursday, and by today I think he's got it! I feel so proud. Yes Austin is our third child, but really only our first that we can claim all the glory for potty training. With Kenz and Turner Nany was the main person in charge. Tonight Austin went with me to get my hair done and he went, on his own, 5 times while we were out. Even said he pooped one of the times - and it did smell like it although there weren't any skid marks (thank goodness!), so I don't know for sure. And then we went to Walmart and he told me as we were walking through the store that he had to go and held it until we got to the bathroom. I'm so proud of him, and myself. FINALLY, I have succeeded at something!

Getting ready for another interview in North Carolina on Friday. Maybe this will be the one, maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see. But Aaron is getting to come along, so at the least we will get a short vacation away and a chance to see the ocean!
Only 2.5 weeks of work left!!!

so many updates

Gosh I don’t even know where to begin with this.  Ok – 1 thing at a time.

The weekend of June 26^th Aaron and I got out of town for our anniversary celebration.  This was his year to plan so I had no idea where we were going.  We ended up in Tunica, MS.  Of course we had a great time – I mean any time I’m away with my best friend all by ourselves it is a great time!  So nice to have those moments when we just get to be Aaron and Jen, not always mom and dad.  This is one of my favorite things we started in our lives and I’ll look forward to our “anniversary weekend” every single year of my life!

Austin had his half-birthday since my last post.  Didn’t do too much since he doesn’t get it too much yet.  But we did sing to him and he loved that!  He is such a monster these days and wants exactly the opposite of what you are getting ready to do that he just told you he wanted 2 seconds ago, but still just has a smile to melt my heart.  He talks a mile a minute, mimics his big brother in everything he does (uh oh, we could be in trouble here!) and still looks more like his daddy every day.  He is such a daddy’s boy. 

Went to Moberly a few weeks ago to visit the grandparents and give Aaron some quiet time to work on school stuff.  Allen and fam also arrived the same day so it was awesome to see everyone.  A little fishing with Grandpy, dinner out with the family, sitting with Granddad, breakfast with Nannan and sleeping at Grandma’s….it was good for the soul for all of us.

We just got back from Michigan for a little vacation and the Walker family reunion.  Had a great time of course.  Always do with that side of the family.  Stopped by Lake Michigan on our way home and the kids had a blast.  It was overcast that day, but didn’t phase them a bit.  They loved playing in the “ocean”.  It was whirlwind trip.  We had to mix in some business with our pleasure.  I had 2 interviews throughout the trip.  One on our way, one while we were there.  So mentally and physically I had to keep changing my mode of operation from family time, interview, play time, worry about work stuff.  I’m glad that it worked out for me to see the company so I can be confident in my decision, but do regret that it had to take away some of my vacation.  Maybe I’ll just negotiate in an extra week for that! Lol  So I’m still waiting on an offer – and driving myself nuts, but I’m pretty sure one is on the way.  I just hate waiting and running through a hundred different scenarios through my mind.  I want to finally be able to act upon whichever it is.  

Tonight I get to see Ellie.  She is staying at our house with Ann and Branson for the night so they can catch an early flight in the morning.  Can’t wait to see her and have her in my home, around my table, part of my family.  I can’t believe she is already 8.  We are so incredibly blessed and lucky to still have her in our lives.  Open adoption is a beautiful thing.

I need to down load more pics, but here are a few to tie over till then….

 

Wish Upon a Star

Last night I took the kids out on a late night walk.  We’ve been so busy this week between VBS, soccer camp and school that I was missing my babies.  So as we are walking Mackenzie sees the North Star, and it is the only star in the sky, so she suggests we make a wish – GREAT idea sweetheart.  So we all stop,

“I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight” squeeeeeeze our eyes shut and make our wish.  

We start back walking and I say, “guys I think my wish has already come true because I have all of you in my life.”  To which Mackenzie responds that her wish came true a long time ago – to have the very best family in the universe.  Yes sweetheart, I think I can confidently say that both of our dreams have come true.  I love you all so much. 

Link to Pictures

Here’s a link to the pictures we got taken recently.  I don’t see how anyone could not look through the progression of these pictures and not be smiling – so I hope it starts your day with a smile!  

 

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=f0611a8b-cbae-4275-bc78-e774bbb2c12d

 

Memorial Day Weekend

We had such an amazing Memorial Day weekend!  The weekend started off getting the kids pictures taken.  I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now, it has been almost a year since our last session so we were well overdue.  They turned out soooo cute (of course!).  Then we had our garage sale – made a little extra money, could have done better, could have done worse – but at least we had spending money for the weekend.  But more importantly, it also marked a big milestone – Mackenzie’s first Lemonade Stand!  She did it for charity, so sweet.  So after the garage sale, we packed up and headed South for Mo’s baby shower.  Always good to see them, and Mo just looks so darn cute all super prego.  Christian will be here anytime now!  We ended up staying there and hanging out outside for a couple drinks and pitched the tent Saturday night.  Around the time we got the tent set up, we noticed we had a flat tire – great, what a way to start off the long weekend.  So Sunday we got up, packed back up, put on the spare and headed in to town to get it fixed.  Thankfully we didn’t have to buy new tires and we only ended up having to pay $10 for the fix – awesome.  While the tire was getting fixed we walked up to Sonic to get Aaron some breakfast and the rest of us got ice cream.  I gotta say – I like getting ice cream for a mid morning snack.  Sitting out there, giving the kids a treat, feeling the breeze – got is back in to a good mindset for the rest of the day.  Left there and drove down to Johnson Shut-ins.  Drove through the campground and got the only campsite still available…our luck was changing.  So we set up camp and took the kids down to the river.  We had a blast.  Then back to the campground, had a 15 minute downpour to endure – but it cleared up and we kept everything relatively dry, showers, food, and back out to do a “build a volcano” activity at the campsite.  Kids thought it was so cool, and fun getting their hands all dirty.  Yeah we had just had showers, but you can always clean up again, so I just said go for it!  Got back to camp and roasted marshmallows and then we all headed to bed.    

Monday morning woke up and packed up and headed to Tom Sauk Mnt.  We all went up in the observation tower.  I was so proud that the kids were brave enough to go up – always up for an adventure!  It was a beautiful view.  Then we loaded up to make our way back home.  Stopped off at Cracker Barrel for a good lunch and games of checkers.  Mackenzie darn near beat Aaron – they came down to each having a King against each other.  We truly didn’t want to come back home.  I could have stayed out camping for the week.  It is amazing how much it relaxes me and washes away my stress and worries, and re-centers me.  I guess just being out with just the basics and being so happy makes me know that as long as I’ve got my family, I don’t really need much else to be happy.  

Tuesday after work we met up with friends for the first concert of the “Free concert in the park” series.  This is one of mine and the kids favorite activities during the summer.  We pack up a picnic dinner and listen to the music while the kids play on the playground and do the free activities.  Aaron has had softball for the past few summers on Tuesday nights, so he hasn’t been able to join us – but we just love it.  

Not sure what we have up our sleeves for this weekend yet – maybe more camping, church carnival, bike riding…who knows, but I’m sure it is going to be another great weekend.