Let it snow!

Well, in checking the forecast this morning, I realized that I wasn't in Indiana anymore. Freezing rain that is expected to end up being about a 1/2 inch think coupled with 7-12 inches of snow overnight could be a wintry mess tomorrow. I actually took de-icer to work with me today!!!! I have the speaker to go to tonight so I hope we can still make it out!!!

Therefore, it's obvious that I'm in Wisconsin, close to the frozen tundra and it's cold and wet and snowy! I still can't believe that it's normal for me to carry de-icer with me.

Hmm...

Hi, hello and how do you do?

Hey ya'll!

Guess what I did last night as I cleaned my house? I watched the Britney: For the Record MTV special 3 X's!!! The first time through I didn't get too much done, go figure! Jared kept coming in and laughing at me for being so entranced in the show. What can I say? I just love her and I hope she's taking care of herself. And a personal peeve... I wish she'd spit out that gum!!!

Anyway, my fish and turtle tanks have all been cleaned, the house is all cleaned and we're all packed up. We just have to load up the car and wear out the boys before we head out. I'm hoping to finish our Christmas cards on the way.... I think I'm down to the final 10 though, so I'm almost done.

Oh... by the way.... yesterday I had a total When Harry Met Sally moment. When the door to the elevator was closing I saw this poster on the bulletin board for a speaker/author that I've read. I got so excited. Anyway, after work I trampled through the snow over to the Box Office and got tickets to see him next Monday, 12/8/08! I can't wait. Jared's going with me. This guy authored, A long way gone, memoirs of a child soldier and it should be incredible to see him in person.

Yay!

What should the title be???

Well, I am pleased to announce that we had 4 faces toward the camera when we attempted photos but we decided that it was good enough -- darn Benton! They're still cute, even with Benton looking over his shoulder and Phin's eyes glowing! :) If you get one, you'll see - trust me. I picked the cards up yesterday and I'm hoping for them to be mailed by Monday at the latest. Normally I'm the first out of the gate, but not this year, I've already started receiving cards!!! I need to get in gear! :)

Tomorrow is another long drive to Indiana.... yippee!! Which also means that it will be a long night tonight getting everything all set and ready to go. I've done my best with packing early and getting all the gifts ready but sometimes you just can't do it all ahead. You know how it goes. Plus, I got two shots on Tuesday and I have been so sore and so tired ever since so it's really been a challenge to get going.

Ah, well... you'll have that! So that's what I'll be doing tonight and then tomorrow after work is the drive to Indiana. Get in REALLY late EST, up early for Nick's basketball game Saturday, followed by his birthday party then its the Brown Family Gathering until late in the evening. Sunday means church at our old church (if we can get up that early because of the rowdiness of the night before) and then an "early" birthday party for my sister and my dad!

The Christmas Card Photo

Well, it's Round 2 for the Brown Family Christmas photo. Last year we got lucky. We had two great pictures (one in front of each tree, in different outfits) with all 5 faces facing the camera. Tonight is the night we attempt the magic of 2008. All I want are 5 faces facing the camera... anything else will be accepted!!! I'd like to be able to work on the cards on the way to Indiana this weekend, which is why I am in such a hurry to get our beautiful family photo taken today!

Oh, funny story from the drive home last weekend... we ran over a freshly hit/killed skunk and skunk juice (or something worse) got stuck on the bottom of my car so we had to spend some extra time at the car wash on Sunday... at least its gone now. We couldn't park it in the garage when we got it home.

On a brighter note, I got my favorite Italian dish at my favorite Italian restaurant in Verona. It was great!!! Dinner and then leftovers for lunch.

Today's quiet in the office... the student's are out and my supervisor has been in meetings all day. I need to kick it into high gear. Tonight is picture taking, wrapping and packing night!!!

The Lion King, Thanksgiving and the drive home!

What a super-packed weekend involving 4 families, 3 states, 4 dogs, 2 turtles, 1 airport and 5 days!

Here's the run-down...
Tuesday - I drove to Indiana, unloaded and went to sleep
Wednesday - I lunched with Beth, picked up the parents at the airport, Jared drove to Indiana, picked-up Courtney's present and ate dinner with my dad
Thursday - Had Thanksgiving Dinner with Jared's family in Marshall, IL and shared some family bonding over Christmas decorations
Friday - Black Friday shopping started at 4 a.m., The Lion King musical at 2 p.m., then we ate dinner in Broad Ripple (cheese sticks from Marco's and frittes from Brugge)
Saturday - Thanksgiving Dinner and Party with my family in Kokomo, IN, time-out to see my aunt from my dad's side of the family and then we decided to drive back to WI late on Saturday instead of waiting until Sunday

It was a great weekend, long, but good. My parents had a great flight in and the airport is now nice and clean. I still have chills from the Lion King. And, coming home late Saturday gave me Sunday to put my house back together, get groceries, take a long nap and to go see Four Christmases. Sunday was a nice, lazy day!

Too bad we have another trip to Indiana this weekend! On this weekend's agenda we have Nicholas's basketball game and birthday party, the Brown Family Christmas Gathering and an "early" birthday party for my dad and sister since they'll both be in Arizona over their birthdays.

Sparkling Icing!

We had our first snow accumulation over the weekend and it was beautiful. It was like we woke up to a winter wonderland. All of the trees looked like they had been dipped in icing! They were just beautiful!!! The boys couldn't wait to get outside to eat the snow... Ollie never even got off the porch!!! They crack me up. Anyway, the house looked gorgeous with the snow and our Christmas lights underneath... just gorgeous. Jared and I worked really hard this weekend...raking up all the leftover leaves, cleaning up the backyard (making it free of dog doo and the random toys they sneak outside) and putting up all of our lights and it has paid off. Our curb appeal is a lot higher now and we just love what the Christmas lights add to our home! We also spent some time getting the last bit of Christmas shopping done so now I'm done with the exception of one gift that I need to purchase in Indianapolis -- go figure!

Here comes the fun part -- loading our car for the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm leaving this afternoon with a car load of dogs, presents, supplies, clothes...etc. Jared is leaving with his brother, Josh, on Wednesday afternoon with an additional dog, the turtle, other gifts and supplies that wouldn't fit in my car. Luckily, since we're taking two cars this time we're bringing all that we can -- Christmas presents that need to end up in Indiana, dog items that we can leave until after Christmas, stuff for the Brown Family Gathering next weekend ...etc -- and I am loading each car to the brim! I've basically taken over the guest bedroom and filled with all of the things we need to bring. Last night, we packed up our clothes and I got all of the random items put into bags so I would know what would go to what event or outing. My car is going to be so weighed down today!!!

Anyway, I'm leaving work at lunchtime, driving home, doing the last minute loading, grabbing a quick bite of lunch and heading out! Right now its sunny and beautiful, I hope it stays that way for the drive. I want to be through Chicago before sunset... that's my goal. I've driven in Chicago lots of times... but with my pups in the back, a carload and traffic, I'd rather get through before the sun goes down. I'll be one happy camper if I'm in Crown Point, Indiana, when the sun sets. Jared's hoping to make similar time tomorrow on his way.

Hope everything has a blessed Thanksgiving full of all the things you're thankful for! I'll try to post some funny Thanksgiving stories and Black Friday mobbings. I'm starting at 4:00 a.m. on Friday -- and I don't even have anything left to buy!!! :)

My Changing Mentality

It's kind-of interesting when you look back and realize what changes you can already detect. It's like I'm cognizant of the way my mentality is changing, just from Indiana to Wisconsin... here are a few for instances...

1. My walking commute distance is over 3 x's as long as my longest at Butler was. I complained all the time at BU if I had to park there and I haven't complained once about my walk here.

2. In Indiana, it would be common to drive 30 minutes to get to the Super Target, Petco, Hobby Lobby...etc. and we'd willingly do it even on work nights. Here, once we're in for the night, we like to be in. My work commute is half of what it was in Indiana and I'm already thinking that it is SO long! :)

3. My cold weather gear that I used to have, I'd whipped out in October. Needless to say, I've invested in a new hat, scarf and another set of my favorite mittens!!

4. I'm looking forward to the holidays so much more than I have since I was like 10! I already have butterflies in my stomach before bed each night because I know that in only 5 days I'll be heading to Indiana and seeing EVERYONE!! I'm just so excited about little things and I think I cherish the time I get with my family so much more than before!

Wrapping Central

So, I get in the holiday spirit early and last night ABC Family started their Countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas with 2 Christmas movies I'd never seen. So, Jared and I watched 4 hours of Christmas movies and wrapped almost all of the Christmas gifts we've acquired so far. It was an ugly mess for awhile but now all of the presents are beautifully wrapped with ribbons and bows and stacked with the respective family (all wrapped in a particular color wrapping paper for easy identification). I am too anal, I know, but with all of the traveling this year, we needed an easily identifiable solution. It feels so great to have so many gifts bought, wrapped and under the tree. Once I get through this weekend, I should be a whole lot closer to being finished as well!

Fa la la la la - la la la la!

A Big Deal!

It's funny now; what things seem like a big deal and what things don't. Well, one thing felt like a big deal for me the other day.... changing my radio stations in my car. I'll tell you - it felt like I was cutting all of my ties to Indiana once I set the last one. Funny, you know, what will feel difficult and what won't. How about them lemons!!!??

We also got the boys nails trimmed and ears cleaned last night. Then we did a quick clean-up around the house since we're going to be out of town this weekend (going to the in-laws). I hate coming home to a dirty house so now we have clean sheets, trashes emptied, floored cleaned and vacuumed, house dusted, laundry caught up and shiny sinks throughout the house! I also got the pups all packed up and I laid out all of Jared and I's stuff but he's going to pack it when he gets home today.

This weekend we'll be in Sterling. I want to go to the Tuff Dog Bakery and Jamie's Candle Loft as well as the Farmer's Market to get pork burgers and I have put in a request to eat at the Candlelight Inn for Saturday's lunch. We'll see. It seems that Jared and I going to Sterling has turned into a family affair as now Nick and Josh are also coming. I guess we're popular.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend, too!

Oh, what a night!

Last night was quite a night. Phinnie woke us with all night long with whimpers and I continually took him out where he had continual diarrhea. It was awful. I felt so bad for the little guy. One time he couldn't make it all the way outside and he had an accident on one of our tree skirts... we just threw it away and I'll get another sometime soon. Then he came in another time but he forgot to potty and he dribbled on the bed so I took the boys out (this is like 2 a.m. mind you) and Jared and I changed the sheets. Needless to say, we didn't sleep much and I'm still worried about him! I just hope he feels better today but he still had diarrhea this morning so I don't really know. One thing I do know is that I'm exhausted and I can't wait to take a nap!!!! I'm actually ready for snow... I'm getting sick of the rain and the muddy paws the rain causes.

It's Cold...

I know it may be funny to say, but it just that, COLD! It snowed on and off all weekend and it atcually struck me as hilarious. I think it kind-of hit me that it was going to be cold and snowy from now until late March and that this was home and that I just needed to get used to it.

I woke up Saturday morning when we had our first bit of snow accumulation and it was still flurrying and I told Jared, "It's Christmas!" Which, in turn, put me in the mood to decorate for Christmas so that's what we did all weekend. We watched Christmas movies, listened to Christmas music, decorated the house and drank hot cocoa! We had a blast. Just the two of us and the pups Christmas-ing the house! Now I wake up in the Christmas mood and we have more time to enjoy it.
I'm almost done with Christmas shopping and I'm excited to start wrapping. Each family has their own color/type of wrapping paper and ribbon so that I can keep it better organized now that we're traveling so much this year.

My goal this week is to get a library card, finish the book I'm reading, put up outside Christmas lights, find a great dessert recipe for Thanksgiving and start wrapping presents!!!! Whew. This town is beginning to feel like home. I think the Christmas trees help!

Benton's Boo-boo!

My middle baby boy, Benton, got a boo-boo this morning. I let them out while I finished getting ready this morning fpr about 10-15 minutes and when Benton came in he had a little gash out above his eye. I put them in their beds so the others wouldn't lick it, but I was still worried so I called Jared to come home from work to help me put ointment on it because I couldn't alone. Anyway, we've deduced that it had to have been some sort incident outside... it doesn't look like anything one of the other boys could have done because of its shape and location, but I also didn't play or see them being rough outside either (I peek at them from my screened in porch off of my bedroom). Anyway, Jared thinks he got stuck by a sticker bush or caught on something when he was climbing around. Either way, I've just been a little worried about my boy. We gave him medicine and Jared's going to give him more at lunch. I just hope it heals up soon and it doesn't give him too much pain.

On another note, the three of us in attendance loved our election results party. We spent a lot of time in front of CNN with our pizza, popcorn and sodas. We had fun...even if no one else wanted to come! Also, I think it is quite amusing that I leave Indiana and it turns blue...when did that happen? Anyway, here's to hope.

Ba-Rockin' the Vote!

Well, I voted today! I was fully expecting a few hours of waiting this morning because not only did I have to vote, I also had to register (In WI you can register to vote at the polls). However, when I walked in I sat right down with someone who registered me to vote and then I went straight over to get my voter ticket and ballot. It took me 16 minutes from the time I left my driveway to the time I turned out of the polling place. I thought it was extremely fast! The funny thing is that across the street was another polling place and they were lined up three deep outside and wrapped half-way around the church. It looked like a madhouse with people assisting with parking and photographers taking pictures. I was very grateful to be voting at my polling place! Whew!

Anyway, hold onto your hats. Tonight should be an exciting night. We're having an election reults party starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. with pizza, snacks, sodas and candy! I have these super cute decorations, blank maps of the US that we can color in when states are called for a candidate, and each TV will have a different station on it... CNN, ABC, CBS...etc. I'm excited for CNN, popcorn and soda tonight. I hope our party is fun...I hope people come!

Oh, another fun fact. On the night of the last election ('04) I was slated to be the next Panhel President. I just can't believe it was FOUR years ago. It feels like yesterday...

I voted, did you?

Recognized

It's so funny to move from a place where you usually run into people you know... it's like you expect it and now you're in a place where you think that no one will recognize you. But it happened just outside Target yesterday. Someone screaming, "Hey, you guys...." and then, again, (because no one could be yelling at us) "Hey, guys!" Then Jared decided to peek and low-and-behold, it was ourt vet assistant. She recognized us! It was so funny. We both laughed at ourselves because we kind of thought that we'd never get recongized here.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that Daylight Savings has been great for our family. We did SO much in that extra hour yesterday and now my mom is an hour behind us and my sister/nephew are an hour ahead of us. It's much better. The dogs gets up still at 6:03 a.m. (which used to be 7:03 a.m.) so we're getting up earlier, getting more accomplished and it's great! Anyway, in that extra hour yesterday, Jared gave all the boys a bath, I cleaned all of the fish tanks and the turtle tank. We also decided where Phil would be staying ... we found his forever home. Downstairs (with a TON of natural sunlight) on our pub table. We think he likes it, plus he's out of reach from the dogs... or, well, Phinneas because Phin is the only one to notices him. :)

Be sure to vote tomorrow... you'll feel big and strong!

An angel on the bus...

Today I saw an angel on the south loop bus.... and then there was a cat in the elevator. Did I mention that I almost hit a (real) squirrel this morning, too? Wow - it is Halloween!

I hope you're all enjoying the Halloween spirit. It's my LEAST favorite holiday, but Jared and I do like handing out candy to trick-or-treaters and eating the pumpkin shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. We also watch witchy movies... Sabrina's Halloween episodes, Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown Series, Beetlejuice...etc. We love staying in with candles lit, movies on and pizza in our bellies. But as for the whole get dressed up, being scary thing... it's not us!

But there's a huge Freakfest tomorrow in Madison and OAR is headlining. We were so excited to see OAR but then we realized that we already had plans to be in Chicago for a family get-together. We're going on a coffee tour, a Frank Llyod Wright house tour and out to dinner. Then we're heading home late Saturday. It should be fun, but a busy day.

What else, what else... oh, today is the first ever fall Open House at Butler. I'm actually sad deep in my heart that I'm not there... planning it, working it and just being there for it. I know that it was time for me to move on when we moved here but I still miss my old job. Someday I'll have a new job that I love as much as I loved that one.

Happy trick-or-treating!

What a wonderful world...

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world...and a wonderful week...

Well, I'll say, it has gone from a bad/sad week to a great week with the help of some extremely amazing and supportive friends. I am so blessed to have such amazing women in my life!

The sun is shining, the colors are rich and beautiful, the flavors are strong and vibrant, my relationships (from all over the world) seem to be flourishing, I've been able to start spreading joy in and around Madison, I feel so supported from my husband, friends and family, I feel like I'm starting to find myself all over again in this new place I call home. It's funny how a move makes you redefine who you are, what you like ... etc. I don't think I expected that but I'm definitley embrasing it.

Hope all is well, wherever you are!

Reunited and it feels so good...

It might not be quite that corny, but my last night I saw my long, lost sorority sister/old roommate/mom in the house - Mandy! She lives in Alaska now but she was home doing some recruiting for her company at UW-Madison. While she was home she gave me a call and, luckily, I was free! I spent a few hours with her and her family at her parent's home in Verona! It felt so much like being with my own family. They were all so welcoming and loving and just overall so much fun to be around. It's been a rough week for me and I think it was just what my heart needed yesterday.

Also, I want to say a quick word to anyone from Butler's Admission Office who may be reading this... GOOD LUCK! The Fall Open House is on Friday, October 31st, and it is the first of its kind! I'm just hoping for record numbers and smooth sailing for the event ahead. I wish I could be there but at least know I'm thinking of you all!!!

Walking in the Whispers of Snow

Walking to my car yesterday felt like I was walking in the whispers of snow. There were little snow flurries all around and I couldn't help but just smile... well, more like beam. Again, no snow stuck, but it was beautiful. It's what I always want on Christmas morning. Thousands of tiny snow whispers dancing through the air! It was a great way to start my evening.

Also, for those of you who know how indestructible my laptop is, I think it's nearly done. The milk, mountain dew, routine drops and hard wear and tear has finally caught up with it. Yesterday it took me FOREVER to get online and several of my keys quit working. In the past they've stopped working and then started again but all last night I could get them to start again. Jared keeps trying to get me to use his Dell so last night I did and I kind of liked it. It was really fast and it seemed to hold up with my wear and tear - aka Phinneas on top of it!

I wonder if its snowing in Indiana...

The First Wisconsin Snow

Oh yeah, I wanted to be sure to document the first snow of the year. Of course, nothing stuck to the ground, but it still snowed. I'd forgotten how funny the dogs got around the snow. Benton wants to fight it. When I let him out to potty while it was flurrying, he kept running in circles and looking up at the snow like he was going to fight it! It was the cutest thing ever.

The visit with Nick and Steph was even more fun than I expected. We had a great time hanging out, enjoying each other's company, exploring the Dells and bringing our baby turtles home. I was really sad to see them go yesterday, so were the boys. Oliver is still upset today. We'll see them in a few weeks for Thanksgiving... that's what I keep telling myself!

Phil the Turtle

We got a turtle. His name is Phil!

He's awesome. He's about the size of a silver dollar. He lives on our kitchen counter for the moment until we make sure all of his equipment is working (filter/heater). He loves walking around out of his tank but he is afraid of Phinneas (who I think wants to eat him).

I'll post a picture soon!

HIgh School Musical 3 and Other Fun Activities

My nephew and my sister are visiting this weekend. They are actually arriving today around 3. I'm actually looking forward to it. As I said before, I've tried NOT to plan but I have a little bit anyway! :)

Here's what we've got...
Tonight we'll go out to dinner, show them around town and just hang out. Then tomorrow, I'll let them sleep in. We're meeting Jared for lunch at Epic and going on a tour of his office since its so unique. After than I think Nick and I will take Ben and Fin on a walk to the park near our house for awhile. Then I think we may go out to dinner and to see HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL #3. (I told Jared that he could go see something else.) Saturday we're going to the Farmer's Market and we're going to see if we can get some less than face value tickets to the Badgers game... fingers crossed. If so, we'll go to the game or we may go to a pub and watch the game. Usually that's a lot of fun anyway! But both Nicholas and Steph LOVE football so I thought it would be fun! We may go up to the Dells on Saturday as well. I know Nick would like some of the stuff up there and it would be a nice day trip. We'll see what we end up doing... Then Sunday we'll get up, have brunch, get them loaded up and then they'll head out pretty early. They lose an hour going home and Nicholas has school on Monday.

I think it'll be fun!

Visiting Avenue Q

Jared and I visited Avenue Q last night and we had a blast. It was really hilarious. I made sure to get a magnet for my magnet collection! Jared got this mousepad that says, "The Internet is for PORN," to proudly display at work. If you've seen it you know how funny the Trekkie Monster is.

Anyway, today we're back at work but I accidentally overslept. The pups must've been sleepy because I had to force them up at 7:33 a.m. today! At least 45 minutes later than they normally wake me up. Today it's kind of gross here, but that's OK. I don't have much on the agenda I'm just going to spend some time getting the house ready for my sister and nephew's stay this weekend. They'll be here by the time I get off work tomorrow! I'm going to roll with the plans (which you all know is hard for me) so I don't overschedule them while they're here. That reminds me, I need to call her tonight... note to self!

My parents left for Arizona yesterday. They called me around 7 pm and said that were stopping for the night in a small town on the far side of Oklahoma City, OK. They're hoping to make it to the western edge of New Mexico tonight so that they only have 4 hours or so tomorrow morning. They've had rainy weather along the drive but they have been able to fill up for $2.25/gallon and $2.19/gallon so they aren't complaining. I'm excited for them to get there because I know how much they love it. I'm already excited for some new old people stories.

Oh, by the way, Heather, Jason and our Goddaughter, Aubrey, are coming to visit for nearly a week over New Year's. I am so thrilled. This way we can just hang out, stay in, do whatever we want and just catch up. Everytime I see her it seems to fly by TOO quickly. This visit should give me some much needed catch up time.

Happy Hump Day!

My favorite, Lemon

It is with a sad heart that I must inform you that my fish, Lemon, passed away sometime during the night between Saturday and Sunday. I discovered him early Sunday morning as I let the pups out to potty. I woke Jared to have a quick service around the "porcelin God" because Jared is in charge of getting the fish out of his tank. I get too emotional if I try, plus I was crying and it was hard to see. I was extremely sad to see him pass on, but as I told Jared, God must have needed a beautiful, loyal and loving Betta to add to his own aquarium.

Lemon (as the title of the post mentions) was my favorite Betta. I had been able to being him back to good health after two major illnesses. The first was bloat (or dropsy). It's unlikely to cure a betta from this, but we did. After a few weeks of special water treatments, cleaning and medications, Lemon was as good as new. Then, a few months later, the pups were running around the house and their toy flipped up and smashed Lemon's tank. He, his water and glass shards went all over the floor and the end table. Luckily, I was able to find him flailing on the floor and get him into water before it was too late. He seemed to respond quickly to the water and he acted fine except his back fins had been torn or cut off by impact and he was bleeding. I don't know how bad the bleeding was because of the size of him. Anyway, by evening the bleeding had subsided and he was OK. Months later, the fins had begun to grow back. By the time he died, they were 3/4 back to the original size. He was a remarkable fish, pet and friend.

I get attached to my pets (as silly as it may seem) and I was very upset all day on Sunday. Jared said he would get me a new one but it wouldn't be the same. I said that once I was done grieving that maybe I'd want another one. Only time will tell. I do miss him every morning. I used to talk to him every morning and night when the pups were outside pottying. He was a great fish.

The Art of Threading.

This post is way overdue but I thought of it as I was walking to work this morning so I thought I should still share it with you.

Well, it was the day of my mom's 60th birthday party. I needed to get an eyebrow wax, which I frequently get. Anyway, my mom suggested threading and she assured me that you barely even notice that the woman is doing anything. She just spins the thread in between her fingers and mouth and it moves so quickly that you don't have time to feel anything. Long story short, I agreed to go. I went ahead and had her do my whole face so that I wouldn't have any face hair fuzz anywhere. I wait as my mom gets done and then its my turn...

The MOST PAINFUL EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! I was in tears and the problem with the threading is that it just keeps going. Waxing is so quick, although the arch may not be as perfect, it is instantaneous. The threading took easily 10-15 minutes for everything and I promise you it just keep getting worse. In between pieces of thread she would dab my eyes with a cotton ball so my tears wouldn't slip down my cheeks. It wasn't like I was crying but that my body was producing tears in my eyes constantly due to the pain and the length of time it took. The worst were the itty-bitty hairs right around the lip/mouth area... OH MY!

Anyway, it's going to take a lot before I thread again... I may just be a wax kind of girl. Sacrifice the arch for the lesser of two evils!

Avenue Q

How sweet is my husband?!? He surprised he this morning with tickets to see Avenue Q next week... just me and him and a room-full of puppets! I've wanted to see it for a long time and it's pretty out of the ordinary that it came to Madison, so I'm thrilled! So, next Tuesday, we will be enjoying ourselves on Ave. Q!

Otherwise, it's Friday and you can tell... there isn't a sole out on this campus today. I guess the cold, dreary weather coupled with the Friday morning of Homecoming = a lot of people oversleeping!

Alright, well I have a meeting at an area hotel in a few minutes so I need to get going.

Wishing you a happy weekend.

Morning Routine!

I almost forgot. I wanted to share with you my morning routine. This is actually saving my life... I feel much more organized, my house is cleaner, I have more time to spend with Jared and with the boys! It's great!

Here it is:
Get up
Let out the boys
Throw in a load of laundry
Work out on the eliptical for awhile (15-45 minutes)
Unload dishwasher
Feed the dogs
Feed the fish
Feed me
Give dogs medicine
Give me medicine
Reload dishwasher
Reboot laundry
Shower
Ready (make-up, hair, dressed)
Hit shower cleaner
Swish and swipe the bathroom sink, mirror and toilet
Make bed
Put boys in their beds
Grab lunch and coat
Go

I love having my morning routine in place. I feel lost without it. Kind of silly, I know, but I do. It gives me stability and I love having the place picked up and fairly in order when I get home from work.

So much to talk about...

I feel the need to give you a long laundry list of an update about the visit from my parents, the cheese days festival, brussel sprouts from the farmer's market that are easily my favorite food right now, last night's debate, the election night party Jared and I are hosting, a job update ...etc. But, really, what I want to tell you the most is that I learned how to make coffee today - all by myself. Who knew that I'd have to move to Madison, WI, to learn to make coffee. I did. But anyway, it was easy. I was kind of proud of myself. :)

Also, I have joined goodreads. It's like facebook but for readers... if you're on there, add me as a friend so we can share reviews of books. I told Jared that it is serving as motivation. You can list what page you're on of certain books and I feel the need to constantly read to keep moving it ahead. I have 18 books on my "to-read" list and I alerady own 16 of the 18!!!! So I shouldn't need to purchase a new book for a long while although I did purchase 3 new books last night alone. I shouldn't be allowed in Half Price Books... jee whiz! But, two of the books were only $1.00 each and they were authors that I've wanted to try but were leary of. So I thought a buck was an easy start with the author. Not a lot wasted if the relationship doesn't end well. :)

This weekend we have a free weekend so we're going to hang out, carve pumpkins, get more brussel sprouts and, hopefully, sleep in. Alright, well, I need to get going. Work calls. But things are going well this week. Kind of a busier week than normal but that's OK.

Make sure you take time to enjoy the beautiful colors of the falling leaves.

Alright, well

The Visit

Thank God it's Friday! What a week! And.... drumroll please... my parents come tonight!!!! I couldn't be happier -- think the song from Wicked! They should arrive just as I get off of work and they're staying through Monday morning before heading home. Then, a week from Monday, they leave for Arizona. I don't think that we have much on our agenda but it should be a beautiful fall weekend here in Madison and I think we'll take advantage of that. I know we'll be at the Farmer's Market on Saturday and I think we may go to a pumpkin patch with horse-drawn hayrides! I love carving pumpkins and last year Jared, my dad and I all carved pumpkins the night we brought Phinneas home from the shelter in Ohio! He was so tiny and I had no idea he'd be my best friend and kindred spirit. (Last night we watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch - The Movie together!) Anyway, I thought it might be fun. All I want this weekend is a cup of hot apple cider and a lot of hang out time with my mom and dad. We might even paint the garage... we'll see!

By the way, no luck in finding Dan last night... we'll look again on Monday.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Today's Sour Lemonade

I knew it was inevitable... the first time that I really didn't like it here... it happened last night and it has been carried over into the funk of a mood that I have right now. Blah! Anyway, we have this neighbor, Dan, who came over last night around 7:15 pm. He asked us if we could hear our dog. He was talking about Benton because Phinneas and Oliver were both asleep near me on the couch. We said yes, because we could hear Benton outside playing and barking and he told us that if we couldn't keep him quiet he'd have to resort to calling the police because of our dog's obvious distress. I don't know the rules here in Wisconsin yet but he was safely within the privacy fence of our backyard, the times of barking was between 5:15 and 7:15 pm. The dogs are well taken care of, sheltered, fed, bathed...etc. I understand that he isn't happy about it, but Border Collies like to herd, protect and bark. I don't know that Benton cannot NOT bark, you know? Anyway, it just put me in a sour grapes mood that I can't shake yet. Jared and I are going over to Dan's this evening now that we've settled down to see what would be a compromise. We thought that not letting them out later than 9 pm and not putting them out any earlier than 7:30 am was pretty considerate, especially when the noise ordinance doesn't start until 10 or 11 pm. Hopefully I'll feel better about this whole thing tonight but right now I just wish I were in Indiana, working at Butler, in my old house with my neighbors who love(d) the boys and their barking habits. I told Jared that if someone did manage to take away our dogs he would regret the day he ever moved us here. I'm just sick about the whole possibility. Blah blah blah.. like I said, today I have some sour lemonade.

It's Official - We're Godparents!

Little Aubrey Lynn Selmer was baptised on October 5, 2008, at a small church in North Judson, Indiana. Jared and I were there to hand her over to the pastor for the actual baptism. After she was baptised and her parents had promised to lead her to God and teach her of God, she was handed back to Heather and Jason. After the service was over, we had a full blown photoshoot with the whole family and congregation. Then we had a gathering over breakfast and baptism cake! Aubrey was so blessed with wonderful fellowship, support, love and even gifts! Jared and I are so honored to be Aubrey's Godparents and it was such a beautiful thing to be a part of her baptism. She even wore the handmade christening gown that Heather's grandmother made for her when she was a baby. It was nearly 26 years old! What a cherished family hierloom!

The best 60th birthday party!

Above is a family of my immediate family surrounding my mom and her birthday cake at her party! It was a huge success with over 65 people there. My decorations and the cake and corsage I ordered all turned out perfectly. I was extremely pleased by the whole evening.

There was so much love cramped into our party area that it was simply overflowing. My mom was just radiant. I was so full of joy at the success of the party. I did get her a few gifts, but like I told Jared, the party was 200% better than any other gift I could have given her for her 60th!

In the 40's...

It's kind-of unbelievable that it's been in the '40's the past two days. I wore a sweater and a scarf yesterday morning only to find that I was FREEZING! I felt like such a sissy, especially when these college kids were still wearing shorts or t-shirts with jeans. Today was just as cold so I whipped out the fleece jacket and the scarf...mittens in the pocket...just in case. :)

I started my new job yesterday and it's going well. I'm learning a lot about their new system...peoplesoft meets RP... not too hard but different. The people seem nice and parking (go figure) seems to be my only major problem. Who wants to pay to park??? Especially $8-10/day?? See my delima? I'm thinking about riding the bus but I have to get up the nerve to try it one day. It would save me a lot of money though because I get a free bus pass with my UW ID not mentioning the gas I'd save... so I'm debating.

I head to Indiana TONIGHT and I couldn't be more excited. I have my mom's 75 person 60th birthday party tomorrow night, followed by Nicholas's football game Saturday morning, a close family friend's wedding Saturday afternoon and my god-daughters baptism Sunday morning. An overall whirlwind weekend but it will be so nice to be surrounded by my family for the whole weekend. And I hope my mom loves her party. I'm already so anxious that I hope I make it through the day!!!!

Temporarily Employed

Well, I wanted to share with all of you that I have accepted a temporary position with the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the Center on Education and Work. I am going to be working for them full-time until mid-March as a Conference Assistant for a large career-centered conference that takes place in Madison at the end of January. I'll be 1/2 of the conference team with the exception of student workers. I just got the job offer yesterday afternoon and I've decided to take the position. I was a little bit of a committment-phobic with this job and with a lot of support from my family and friends (thanks, Beth!), I decided to go for it. The worst it can do is keep me occupied, give me some extra money and help me learn my way around. The best it could do would be to help me network and meet new people. You never know. I am excited about having a job, having somewhere to "be." I start on October 1st!

Today

Hi all,

Today has been a good day. I had another interview that went well, but we'll see. They gave me tests to complete as well as the interview itself. I like interviews like that. I don't know when I'll know something but we'll see. I really liked those that I'd be working with.

Jared has been working the huge conference this week so I haven't seen him a lot during the past two weeks. It makes me a little more lonely but it also makes me more excited to see him. Today I explored downtown a little more after my interview. It's been so cold here for over two weeks that I couldn't wait to take advantage of this gorgeous 75 degree weather. Although, I had to go to the doctor for my cold this afternoon and I rushed home to see Stephenie Meyer on Ellen. I really wanted it to last longer but what can you do? Call Ellen and have her spend more time with particular guests!?!?! HA!

Not a lot more to report today. We watched Speed Racer last night for our pizza and movie night. It was fun just to hang out with Jared and the pups.

I hope all is well in Indiana. I am hoping to go to a pumpkin patch this weekend... who knows? Jared may have to work.

As promised...

Here is my red hair. Hopefully it'll give you some idea of how it looks!

Sorry for my lack of writing recently but I've been busy reading the Twilight Saga. I honestly feel sad now that I'm done with the books... like an old friend is gone or something. Oh well, Stephenie Meyer will be on Ellen tomorrow and I'm just looking forward to the Official Guide! Why did it take me so long to read those books!?!??! I just love them!!! Wow. Jared keeps saying that Edward is my boyfriend. :) Oh, so funny!

Anyway, now that they're read I'm back to the land of the living. I went to a career fair today. I made some contacts but nothing quite fit - at least not yet. I have another interview tomorrow at UW-Madison as a Conference Assistant. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fingers crossed!

Things I love about Wisconsin

Here is a short list of some of the things I've come to love about where I live...
1. Country roads - long, winding and hilly roads - less than 5 minutes from home
2. Seeing Jared every day at lunchtime
3. Fried cheese curds
4. Waltham Park - maybe two minutes walking from our house
5. Fresh flowers weekly at the Farmer's Market
6. The Farmer's Market in general
7. The hills...everywhere...even in my neighborhood
8. My backyard - it feels like your in the woods when you're really in my backyard
9. My screened in back porch with rocking chairs
10. Sweater weather, already!!! I've worn sweaters every day for the past week!

Rejection

For those of you keeping up, I wanted to inform you that UW-Madison is no longer interested in pursuing me as a candidate for the position I've previously mentioned. I'm more sad than I let on, but I know that the right job/career path is out there somewhere even if this wasn't the right direction for me. I have a career fair next Tuesday that I'm going to attend which will hopefully turn into something more.

In the meantime, I've been kickboxing, jogging on the elliptical, reading, applying for other jobs, taking care of my household and meditating. My yoga classes are going to start tomorrow, I think. I've narrowed it down to two studios and I can't decide which studio to go to.

My Outdoor Spaces

This new house comes complete with a beautiful cedar stairway/deck and a screened-in porch off of the master. We have begun to LOVE our new spaces so I thought I'd send you a picture or 2 of our new outdoor spaces! Sorry for the sideways pictures... I'm using a new operating system that Jared loaded on the laptop.

Pictures

Jared and Aubrey in Jared's office! Look how big she is!!!! She gets baptized in a month!


Phinneas' new habit is to sit with his nose under your elbow during meals so that all you can see of him is his little nose and whiskers. It's hilarious. Here's a picture of him just so you don't forget what he looks like! He was on the blow-up bed in the guest room before our stuff arrived.

Benton's favorite hang out while we were unpacking. This particular paper trail was in the doorway of our kitchen/dining room.


This is Oliver's new favorite napping spot. It's the small bay window next to our dining nook in the kitchen. He loves to bark at people (and their dogs) walking by.

Red hair

Oh, by the way, I dyed my hair a dark auburn red with some blonde/copper highlights. I cut 2-3 inches off and I love it. The lady tried to give me some bang-type things so I'm still getting used to them. I'll post a photo soon!!!!

And then there was TV!

So, we finally got TV hooked up at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. I watched a full hour of Sabrina yesterday and I TiVoed another full hour of it! I had missed it! The only problem is I'm on Central time so everything starts at 7:00 p.m. not 8:00 p.m. so I've missed the beginning of several shows so far. I wonder how long it will take for me to remember that!

I've also started planning my mom's birthday party on October 3rd! I have the venue booked and invitations out. I even bought a dress already but I'm keeping the tags and reciept in case I decide to take it back - or if I find a better one! I need to focus on the CAKE and on the decorations. The rest of the food will be easy because we're only providing snack-y foods. The colors are black, gold and ivory and I think I'm going to have ivory linens and ivory cala lillies. I can't decide on all the rest yet... we'll see!

Ok, more details to come. Oliver and Phinneas need attention and they keep putting their paws on the keyboard and messing me up!!! - they're on either side of me on the couch right now. :)

The Selmer's Visit

Heather, Jason and Aubrey came up Thursday night for the Labor Day weekend and we had a great time. Jared worked on Friday so we just slept in on Friday, played with the baby, went out to lunch (I only got us slightly lost once!) and we talked and relaxed in the afternoon. Friday night we took everyone to Jared's work where we posed for some pictures and walked around. Funny enough we bumped into Jared's twin, Josh's, best friend. It was so funny to bump into him. After that we decided to grill out at home. We stayed up late playing games, watching tv and just catching up. It was so nice to be surrounded by people you know and love.

On Saturday, we got up early and went to the Farmer's Market. Heather and Jason got some cheese curds to take home. I got some fresh cucumbers (for my cucumber and allouette sandwiches that Pam has me hooked on) and a bouquet of flowers. We stopped for brunch at a restaurant on the square called The Old Fashion(ed?). It was so nice to share our favorite restaurant with them. I just want them to know all about my life here so far. After that we walked all the way down State Street to the UWMadison campus. Heather bought herself a shirt and she bought baby Aubrey a little shirt. As we walked back, I found a kelly green North Face fleece on same for 1/2 price. I fell instantly in love and since buying me a North Face was part of the moving agreement, Jared bought it for me. I love it. Bring on the sweater weather! I also found two GREAT stores with random, awesome items to buy. I'll def. go back there! So the morning was VERY productive.

After that we ran to the grocery to get stuff for dinner. We were making grilled chicken and stuff. I think we just stayed home most of the rest of the evening. We played more games, cooked dinner, chatted, watched the Cubs game and just hung out. Oh, then we went out for ice cream after dinner! It was good.

They decided that they needed to go home on Sunday to get ready for the week so we got up Sunday morning and went to the Great Dane's brunch. It was $15 but so worth it (at least to me). They had a TON of food and we were all stuffed when we left. After that they got loaded up, took a few more pictures and they got on the road.

I was pretty sad because it had been so nice having them here but now I just have all the more reason to look forward to Christy's wedding the first weekend in October.

My Interview

Well this is late in coming but I had my interview at UW-Madison last week and I think (I hope, too) that it went really well. It was move-in day on campus so the energy was awesome but that also meant that I got up and went really early! I had purchsed a new red button down dress shirt for my interview and Nate and Courtney got me a beautiful gold necklace from The Loft for my birthday that I wore with my black suit. I definitley looked the part.

I had a whole bag of goodies for my presentation segment, full of samples of invitations and save the date cards, schedules, communication flows and timelines. I had created 10 folders for those interviewing me that consisted of all of the information above with a copy of my resume and a business card. The folders were black glossy UW folders with a red glossy embossed logo. I also had a sample packet of what the counselors would receive complete with UW information that I received on campus when Jared and I were walking around as well as a bunch of goodies... a mug, Bucky the Badger cheese curds, a UW lunch box, a badger pennent for their office, a pen and a black glossy folder (same as the others) all inside their own Bucky the Badger gift bag that held all of the above.

I had a red glossy folder with a silver embossed logo that held extras as well as my materials. I also had my black portfolio for the interview segment. So walking in with my bag of goodies and black briefcase bag, I kind of looked the part.

I really, really liked who I interviewed with. I think I answered everything as honestly and professionally as I could.

In the presentation, I think I did really well. Although I was the first to interview so I don't know how others will measure up. At least I set the bar, hopefully high.

Anyway, I hope to hear soon! I'll keep you posted.

Let's ust

Monday

It's Monday and I'm trying to get my house in order once and for all. I've been navigating the office all morning long - seemingly getting nowhere. The dogs have been in and out all morning trying to find the dog that lives in the cabinet (Oliver's reflection) and the shiny speck that floats around near the back door (the sun's glare off of their shiny bell). They're fun to watch. :)

I'm planning on working around the house this morning and exploring a little this afternoon. I especially need to locate when my interview will be ASAP.

My one and only funny story from this weekend was that while at the Farmer's Market, I purchased 5 beautiful sunflowers. Wehad the bottoms wrapped so they'd stay fresh until I got home to put them in a vase. Great idea, so I sat them between my legs on the ride home but we decided to stop at Hobby Lobbby along the way. That's when I discovered that the bag had been leaking and I looked like I had peed my pants. What a great way to start my life in Wisconsin. Oh well, they still look beautiful in my kitchen!

Our First Storm

We had our first storm last night. Luckily, the boys slept through most of it except they wanted me to let them out around 3:30 a.m. That wasn't fun but at least they slept through the worst of it. This morning the guys were wet and a little muddy, but that's OK. They don't have the muddy area here like they had at our old house. It's one of those mornings where I woke up tired.

Today I'm going to the Farmer's Market, a little shopping around town and spending a little time working on my interview materials. I need to create a timeline, invitations, confirmation letters, menu lists, sample packet and an itenerary for the day.

Tomorrow is Jared's mom's birthday and we're meeting somewhere in WI/IL border area for lunch tomorrow. It'll be nice to see everyone.

Last night we spent a lot of time reorganizing the garage - we can now fit in 2 cars again! I can't wait for trash and recycle day to come. Then it should really clear out. We also loaded up the shed and met more neighbors. Overall, it was a productive night but I still didn't get enough one-on-one time with Jared. Hopefully today maybe.

Shout out to Christy who's shower I'm missing today (you're card/gift is in the mail) and to Pam who's having her first housewarming party today! I am so sorry to miss these special events in your lives. I can't wait to see pictures and hear how successful they were.

Alright, Oliver and Phinneas keep shutting my laptop because they want me to play with them so I'm going to get going.

And then there was Internet!

Whew... the Internet is finally working 100% of the time. Cable and phone are still iffy but the Internet is all set.

So, my life has been insane since my last post. Let me start from the beginning.

Jared left on August 10th to come to Madison for good. He brought 4 of our fish with him and I waited behind to finish working and wait on the movers. The movers packed us up on Thursday and then on Friday they loaded all of my belongings onto the largest semi I have ever seen. It was unbelievable to think that nearly all of my earthly possessions it onto 3/4 of that mammoth semi. So, Saturday morning my mom and I got up, went to my nephew's football game (he's the defensive captain or something where he gets to call all of the huddles - not sure, but I'm so proud of him - he looked so grown up) then we loaded up the pups and remaining fish and hit the road. We stopped by IKEA on the way up making our crowded van even more crowded. It was actually a huge relief to finally make it and unload the car. Jared and his brothers had worked all afternoon to get the backyard ready for the boys because the fence company wasn't available until today (Friday) to finish the small section of the fence. I can now happily report that the fence is complete so Phinneas won't be able to break out anymore - he has succesfully gotten out two times in a week!

Anyway, the movers delivered our things at 9 a.m. on Monday morning. It was mass chaos even with us putting the boys in their "beds" while they were unloading our stuff. The broke our desk so the office really isn't done yet but most other rooms are getting there. As soon as I find my camera cord, I'll post photos of the house in progress. Luckily, my parents stuck around most of the week to help me make sense of most of the rooms. I still need some curtains and small things but other than that, we're mainly moved in. After tonight I hope to have most things in their place.

In the craziness of all the moving, I got a call from UW - Madison to come in for an interview. I was thrilled when I found out and I'm in the midst of preparing for my interview next Wednesday. Wish me luck! I have to come up with a 10 minute group presentation/proposal. I think it'll be fun but it's just a lot on top of moving in and getting used to Madison. Even though I think I know how to get around I'm still to chicken to go anywhere on my own. The dogs love it but it gets kind of lonely. I have met a few awesome neighbors. Each fairly young couples with tiny kids/babies. It has just been refreshing to meet new people and everything. Hopefully I'll make friends soon. Last night we went to Red Robin and a bunch of girls were eating dinner together and I got all teary because all of my dear friends are 5 hours away. I keep reminding myself that I still have all of you in Indiana and that now I'll get to make additional friends here.

What else, what else? Oh, I finished reading Something Borrowed. My friend Beth got it for me on my last day at Butler. It was so sweet of her and it has really kept my mind off of everything going on when I've needed it to. I'm now onto either Baby Proof or Belong to Me. I guess I'll start on whichever one is easier to find amongst the rubble! Anyway, thank you, Beth, for the great book! I could hardly put it down and I love Rachel! :)

I also really appreciate any cards and emails and notes and calls that everyone has been sending. I promise I'm not ignoring you but the past week has been insane! I'll be a better friend very soon.

On another, even more sad note, I don't think I'll be able to visit Indiana this weekend for the shower/housewarming party. Jared needs to stay here for work/dogs/family stuff and I was going to try it on my own but I'm just exhausted. If I get a burst of energy I may change my mind but I am still so overwhelmed and I don't feel like I've seen my husband at all.

If you're reading this, then you can probably assume that I miss you terribly!

It's about time...

So I just realized that some of you may not know that much about me, or Jared or our life. Therefore, I thought it might be beneficial to take a TV timeout to give you some specifics about our life.

Here goes...

Jared and I were both raised in Kokomo, IN and we graduated from high school in 2002. We went to different universities for college but started dating in October of our freshmen year. We've been in love ever since and we got married in January 2007. Soon after we bought our first home in Carmel, adopted 3 dogs and 7 fish, joined a church and started graduate school for our MBAs.

Let me backtrack here - I went to Butler University where I graduated in May 2006 with a BS in Marketing and a double major in Journalism. I am an Alpha Phi and I was the Panhellenic President my junior/senior year at Butler. I love being Greek. I was also extremely active all over campus doing a variety of things. Anyway, after graduation I accepted my first job in the Office of Admission at Butler planning their events. It has been an incredible job and now I'm anxious on where I'll land in Madison.

Jared started at IU-Bloomington in the Kelley School of Business but after a year he decided to transfer to Indiana State in Terre Haute. He decided to major in Business Administration, Business Education and Information Design End-User Computing (or IT, for us less techie folks). He is a member of Pi Omega Pi and worked dillegently through college in their computer labs doing Help Desk type stuff. He graduated in December 2006. After graduation he started working for Legacy Financial Group in Kokomo, IN.

Now, we live in Carmel (for a few more days) in the house we love that we've only lived in for a year and a half. In that house we have our 3 precious babies (or dogs, you know, whatever!); Oliver, Benton and Phinneas. We adopted them only months apart and they all just celebrated their first birthdays. We had a huge joint birthday party for them at our house but we've also celebrated their individual birthdays as well. Oliver is a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix who is tender, sensitive and gorgeous. He gives the best kisses and is the object of his Uncle Josh's affection. Benton is a border collie mutt. Jared commonly refers to him as our black and white dog. He is the best at playing fetch and he can outbark just about anyone in the neighborhood. Phinneas is my kindred spirit... he's a black lab/cocker spaniel mix who has stolen my heart. He is the baby of the group but also the biggest (by 6 inches and 10 pounds). He will eat ANYTHING but he loves to snuggle and he is so sweet.

So that's a quick rundown of our life! Things are about to get crazy!

Epic Proportions

Hey all. I'm happy to report that Jared made it safely to Madison on Sunday evening. He did manage to forget his Passport and SS card the first time he attempted to leave so he returned, got the items and headed out again.

I haven't been able to talk to him long since he's been up there but he seems to really like it. He said he's met some nice people but for the most part he's just been sitting in meetings. Welcome to orientation!

Meanwhile, back at home, I've been trying my best to start packing up the few precious items that I don't want the movers to pack ... think my wedding bouquet, jewelry, medicine ... etc. It isn't a ton, but boy, getting ready to do it is hard. Since Jared left the boys have been acting a little crazy and take up nearly all my time. When I'm not cleaning or dealing with them, I try to pack but I've only gotten one cabinet packed up. I guess it'll get done one box at a time!

Anyway, I don't really have much more to report. It should get more exciting once we get moving.

My Lemonade

I'm starting a blog to chronical my move to Madison, Wisconsin, with my husband. He's accepted an incredible new job with Epic Systems and he begins working on August 4th! He's moving on my birthday - talk about those lemons. Anyway, then I will follow with our little family on August 13th. Luckily, we do have movers to help us get out of our first home and into our new home. We've already purchased our home in Madison (on the southwest side) and we're trying to get excited about the move but we are sad to leave the house that we've made a home in Carmel, Indiana. It was our first home and we have truly made it our own but I keep thinking of the ways that we'll be able to make this new home ours as well. I'll start posting more consistently once we get moved but I wanted time to get it up and running before we hit the road.