Catching Up. . . July 2007

We started off July with a fun party - Gracie's birthday party! She really wanted to have a party with her friends in New Mexico, so we put on a water party in the backyard. It was a bit early, but at least it's in the same month as her birthday! Most of the kids that came were from the neighborhood, but Josh from her kindergarten class came too. She did wonder why a bunch of the kids weren't there. Ah, the dreaded summer birthday party woes. We had hot dogs and chips and other picnic fare, and I pulled out back issues of Family Fun magazine and found every water game I could for fun. All in all, we had a good time.

We were hoping that we would make it to Oklahoma for the Fourth of July, but my drywall repair guy didn't show up, so that put us a week behind schedule. We spent the third (when Farmington has it's fireworks) at a neighbor's pool party and picnic, and then did sparklers and watched the fireworks with all our neighbors. We went to the parade on the Fourth, and the girls got some cotton candy.

The next few days flew by as we returned library books, emptied out the safe deposit box and did all the other miscellaneous things that must be done when you are moving. Finally on 07/07/07 I got the kids, computer and cat loaded up in the van and we headed to Oklahoma. We got on the road at 8:00, and after stops in Cuba, Santa Rosa, a rest stop in Texas and Elk City, Oklahoma, we made it to the apartment at 10:30 PM. We were back together again!

Since this was the big goal that I had been working towards, I hadn't thought much farther than getting to Oklahoma and unloading the car. I have to admit that I felt very overwhelmed once I was there and started thinking about all the things that were next. We pretty much tackled them one at a time, and also did lots of family activities. We took advantage of the apartment's pool, hit Chuck E. Cheese and saw Ratatouille the first week we were there. The second week the girls spent at Nana and Granddaddy's house.

Terri was in OKC visiting her aunt, so she volunteered to take the girls back home with here for the week. They were all ready for that, so I met her in south OKC and handed over the kiddos. I was not prepared for the lost feeling I felt as they drove away. It's been two years since they've gone for more than a night at a time, and I really didn't know what to do with myself. Of course, the huge list of things back at the apartment got me back on track!

That night that the girls left Jerry and I went on a walk. As we approached our apartment we could hear a bell ringing, and hear sirens going off - turns out it was the fire alarm on our apartment building! The apartment above us had the automatic sprinkler malfunction, and her apartment was flooding, and the water was coming down into our apartment! We got all our stuff off the floor before it was damaged, and the fire fighters came in with their water extraction equipment and spent about and hour and a half getting the water out. Thank you station #2!

Amy and I met for our scrapbooking weekend the next weekend - she had called to tell me she is expecting again, and I got to be there when she told Terri and Dad. We had a good time, and I got a bit done in the girl's school albums. I like to have the prior year completed before the current one starts!

After much looking at houses, Jerry and I decided it was time to cut bait on the 25th. We had to have a place to live to register the girls for school next week! I found a rental - the only rental I could find, and signed the lease - without Jerry even seeing it. It's a place to live, but I can't say much nice about it. The people that are in there now are slobs, so it was kind of hard to make the decision, but it had to be done. At least now we know where the girls will go to school. With the way Jerry talks about work sometimes, it may be better that we are renting for a year!

For Gracie's birthday Jerry took off the day and I tried to put everything else aside for the day. We did all the things she wanted for her birthday - Chick-fil-a for lunch, the Noble Museum to see the dinosaur bones, top-your-own pizza for dinner and a cake for dessert.

The girls spent the next weekend at Mimi and Pepaws. Being in Oklahoma has it's advantages!

For all those who think my kids are so well behaved: I took them with me to get my hair cut - halfway through my haircut, the receptionist walked up and said, "I hate to disturb you, but the little girls are wrestling on the couch, and one of them has the other in a headlock." So much for well-behaved!