Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! My friend Heather Dahle is a crazy-good photog and she took pictures at the trunk-or-treat. Here are 2 of the pics of the kids.

I can't figure what cracks me up more...V's tongue or P's face.

Be safe tonight!

Apes

A Run in the Rain

I'm a big chicken. But today I did something big...for me. I ran in the rain. A proper 4.5-mile run in real rain. I told Sean I'd run outside if I could have a nice waterproof running rain coat and the man, who is a gem, got me one. It's amazing. Pearl Izumi Infinity Softshell. Pink. Iphone pocket. Waterproof. Windproof. Insanely warm. I've been wearing it...just not to run. I've been running on W/F while Gage is at preschool and today when I dropped Gage off it was raining. A lot. I know, I know. I'm from Washington this should not be a deterrent but it at least has been an excuse not to go. But today I did! I did and it was wet and raining and in my face and AMAZING! As I was running down Chapin road and Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" came on Pandora I felt like I could do anything. It was incredible. I might even have the guts to run in the morning now...in the dark.

Vermont

Gosh it's been forever since I posted. It's been a busy few months that's for sure!

So Crete was a bust. We had a trying 3-4 months there where--well--it was touch-and-go.

We were blessed with this most amazing job opportunity in South Burlington, VT, where Sean is the new CFO of Logic Supply. It has truly been a miracle for our family. He is so happy and I'm happy he's happy.

We left Nebraska the end of July with a lot of fond memories. We miss my parents and Amric so much!! We also miss our neighbors the amazing Tucker's and our wonderful friends the magnificent Miller's.

We found a townhome in Essex and we are close to the school.

Vermont is beautiful right now. The leaves are starting to change. School has started. Kids are in soccer. I'm reffing soccer on Saturday's. No transcription right now. Miss my piano students. Debating whether to teach again here.

I'm grateful for my new friends here in Vermont and how great and welcoming everyone has been. Me thinks we can be happy here.

Here are some pics of our trip to Vermont and our time here so far…enjoy!

The Mississippi. I thought I saw Jim & Huck 

The American Gothic house. It was cool. 

Sean and my dad in Indiana

The Nauvoo Temple

Indian Brook Reservoir. It's amazing

Swimming in Lake Champlain

Our new home

The Vermonster! My first Vermont Girls Night was a success.

Palmyra

Pax at Indian Brook

On one of the Saturday walkabouts Sean does with the kids

Pax is a soccer diva

I'm a ref!

Sean trying to be tough 

Vaughn turns 7 and I learn a little something

I learned a parenting lesson tonight. It's Vaughn's birthday today. He turned 7. I wanted so bad for it to be a good birthday. The only thing he asked me for was books about Deadly Animals. So what did I do? I bought him a Nintendo DS XL with Mario Kart and some dollar items from the Target bins. He opened his presents from Nana & Papi which were amazing! Nana tied him a new blanket which he LOVES and Papi got him some snorkeling fins and goggles for the lake. He was in heaven! He opened up the coloring book, Ritz crackers with cheese and a light-up yo-yo (totaling $3 from the dollar bins remember) more Heaven. Then he opens up the DS and the game and BLANK stare. Totally disregards it and goes back to the yo-yo and his singing Spider-Man card (from Nana&Papi). Lesson learned. I get it. I probably over bought and he doesn't really know what it is and I'm sure if I opened it for him and taught him how to play he would love it and play it all the time. But I think it's kinda great that he doesn't and that he wants to build things and color and create. So I'm taking it back and taking my kid to the zoo and buying him a book about deadly animals.

With the craziness that has been my life the past 3 months patience is something that I have needed to learn and I've still not got a handle on it but I found this quote awhile ago and it's stuck with me and I wanted to share it:

Everything comes in its own time.
Everything comes when you are ripe.
Everything comes when you deserve it
    - this is my experience.

In the last thirty years I have not felt, even for a single moment, any impatience, and I have seen that everything goes on becoming better. Existence itself is involved; we are part of it - there is no need to worry. Even something that looks dark today may prove just the beginning of a new dawn. Before the dawn the night is the darkest.

Just watch life.

-Osho

(Tathaastu Jan/Feb 2012, p. 92)