Need some good ideas

So I mentioned in the last email how the bishops wife in PA (sister Daniels) went up and looked at the house for us. She was so willing to help out even though she had no idea who I was. She even offered a place for us to stay when we came down next week. I know this would be hard considering she is a mother of 7. But she was willing none the less. She also invited us over for dinner one night next week when we fly up. I can't help but feel so grateful for an ally in this move already. If I could, I would have sent a hug right through the phone to her. Everyone knows I have a hard time getting to know new people, but she has been so helpful and extra nice I already feel accepted.

So here is where this good idea headline comes in, I really need an idea on what to get her as a thank you. If I could bake cookies in the hotel room that would be one thing, but since I can't I need an idea for something that will let her know just how much I appreciated everything she did for me. So here is where all you lovely readers come in. I have no idea how many actually read my blog, but I sure could use your input. If I don't know you, that is ok. Someone that willing to go out on a limb for a stranger deserves a nice thank you.

I'm still alive

Please don't worry, I am still breathing and alive. I don't have pictures because my hubby packed the camera cable and we have NO IDEA where it might be. I am currently surrounded by thousands of boxes and I feel so unorganized. But I can't complain. Things have been going so smoothly for us. We have been blessed.

I wish I had a picture because Haily is up on her hands and knees a lot now. She still can't sit very well, because she prefers being on her belly and up on her hands and knees. She squirms all over the floor now. I wish I had my camera to take pictures, but that will have to wait till after the move.

You already know we sold our house. Closing is set for the 24th and there have been no hang ups. Yes we had things to fix on the inspection, but it has gone pretty smooth. So everything is set for turn off and we are moving into my parents house for two weeks tomorrow. Good bye first house!!!

Corey also lumped on my shoulders the responsibility of calling for rentals. They are outrageous out there. Costing way too much for us. So we started looking in PA and we found a three bedroom two bath house in a little town called Waynesboro. It has under 10,000 people and it seems so cute. The house is located in the old part of town, but the guy has totally redone it and it looks amazing. So through lots of calling, (and yes even calling the bishop's wife in the area to go and actually look at it), we finally signed the lease today. So we have our place already. It will be nice to go up next week and looking at it and going to the school to get the kids all ready to go. Plus it frees up one full day so we can go somewhere to site see. I want to go to Gettysburg, so we will see.

I am kinda sad to see our little lives here in Tulsa come to an end, but at the same time I feel excitement at what will happen in PA and how this will change our lives. There is just a small Ward there in Waynesboro, so I am sure we are needed there more than MD. I will take lots of pictures and post them as soon as we get up there and get everything set up. I have attached a couple of photo's the landlord sent to me. I love the refinished hardwood floors through out the whole house. The bishop's wife says the only bad part is the scary basement where I have to do laundry. But I will take one of the boys down with me to protect me. It also has an attic with the old staircase that goes up with a door. Makes me think of Flower in the Attic for some reason.

Inspired for next year

I already did a 15K race in 2007 here in Tulsa. And I loved the sense of accomplishment I felt from that. I trained really hard and I felt I did a great job. I still love my metal I got and I have to steal it back from Lexie who thinks it is a toy. Well at my parents house today my dad was watching a Triathlon for women and I finally felt inspired to do something about it. It is a lot of training, swimming (which I am not fond of) and the fact I don't have a bike yet. But I have already found a triathlon located within 30 miles of where we are moving in MD. So I think this was the final decision for me. I can't officially register for the 2010 race till September but I plan on doing it early so i can't back out.

I plan on starting my training schedule in January and then I should be ready by May. Hopefully MD will have a place for me to train in the swimming pool part of the race. Like I said, I love to swim for fun, but swimming long distance really wears me out. If you want to check out this site I found which gives you free training logs and race information nationwide I have included the link. http://beginnertriathlete.com/

I still have plenty of time before I start to freak out here, but that will give me what I need to find a decent bike and save up for it. Along with all the gear I will need for this. When I actually start training in January I will post my workouts and how they went. I figure since I am blogging about it I can't back out right?

Marcia Lynn McClure

So I have to do a blog entry all dedicated to my most favorite author in the whole world. Yes I have read all the classics, and I do love to snuggle down with a blanket and read some Charles Dickens on occasion. But these books by Marcia are amazing!!! I have all of her print books and I cherish each and everyone. I have read each one at least four or five times and each time it is just as good. I really haven't read that many books where you can just read them over and over again. Well if you haven't read one of hers, you really should. She is an LDS author who was tired of the smutty romance novels floating around out there. And if you are like me, and love a good romance, then you will love her books. She says on her website that the kiss is the most romantic part about a relationship and after reading her books I have to agree. My mother-in-law introduced her to me and I have been grateful every since.

The other amazing thing is if you shoot her an email that you can get from her website she will email you back herself. I have sent her a couple and each time I get one back always with the information I need. That is a personal touch that you just have to admit is pretty darn neat. The only bad thing is you can't find these books locally. You have to usually order from her website. Which I am a frequent user of. So check her out and give one of her books a try.

http://marcialynnmcclure.com

Ah ha moment

Don't you love it when you are reading or thinking and you realize something that has been said to you numerous times? My husband always points out my aw ha moments and says "I have been saying that." I finally got my ah ha moment today and I was in desperate need of it. I think being a woman is enough pressure in itself. You are expected to look a certain way and act a certain way for you to be accepted. Even in my church where things like this shouldn't matter, it is the one point most women decide to hang over and talk about over and over again. I am constantly feeling the pressure to look that awesome fabulous and to be more attractive than I was before my last baby. Not that taking care of your body and eating right are the wrong way to go, I am not saying that. But the obsession over our bodies is getting just down right annoying if you ask me.

So what am I going to do about it? Well I am not going to obsess about everything I eat. I am going to try and eat healthy and make good choices. Not because I want to squeeze in my size four pants, but because it will make my body strong. I will not over exercise and feel like I need to show off to my friends saying, "Oh I went to the gym four times today and ran 8 miles." But I will continue to do the things I love and be active to keep my heart healthy. I think we need to realize that there is more to us than our pants size and how we look on the outside. I have more work to do on the inside then the outside. But it seems no one obsesses about that.

I also read the article in last months Ensign talking about dressing morally. I have to admit some of my bathing suits could be considered risque, and I have put on a bikini a few times. But after reading this article, which was directed not only to the youth, but the women of the church, it made me realize I need to take a closer look at how I dress and what I want to present to people. And more importantly what I want my little girls to think about me and how I dress. I want them to emulate me and dress appropriately. So I did go through my dresser and revamped. Not that I am going to wear cardigans and full length skirts for the rest of my life. As my sister in law Sally has shown me, you can dress in fashion and still dress to our morals.

Please don't think I am aiming this post to anyone in particular, this is just how I was feeling about myself and my surroundings. Now I hope to work on more important things like faith, patience and making sure my children know how important the gospel is in our lives and the role it should play.

Going Once, Going Twice...SOLD

So we did it!!! We sold our house. With it only being on the market two and a half weeks. I feel so truly blessed for this. I know that Lord is truly looking after us and our needs at this time. We even negotiated and got a better deal than we thought we were going to get. We even close the weekend before we planned on leaving anyways. So everything has worked out perfect. Now I have to start getting this house cleaned out and packed up tight. I am thinking a garage sale is in order. I was also thinking maybe we could do a combined one if anyone else has stuff they need to sell. That way we could offer more. But I have to get through cleaning first...ugg. We are just beyond excited.

It Is Official.....

That is right, Corey has officially been offered a job with Hilti up in Frederick Maryland. He has accepted and we are now really scrambling to get everything ready. If we could just get our house sold, things would be a lot easier to plan. Corey will probably start work September 1st, or right after Labor Day. So we have just a month and a half to get this house sold. The company is paying for us to fly up to Maryland next month and check things out and find a place. It will be a nice little break for us and a time for us to get to know our surroundings. We will only be 30 minutes from DC and so there will be lots of stuff for us to see. Corey is so excited to finally get this move up. This is only a temporary position so we know we will only be there between 12 and 24 months. Then he will try and get his own warehouse. So we plan on renting during our stay there. I will try to keep everyone updated as to how things are going.

I really am excited about moving to a new place. What I am not looking forward to is the snow and cold during the winter. But I think the kids will love it. Wish us luck.