We've Moved!

We have moved into our new home. We are renting from a friend of ours. It's closer to Derek's work, cheaper and bigger than our last apartment. We're in a small town next to the biggest little city in the world. So far I like it. This past Friday we got the keys and brought a load of stuff over Friday night with the help of Derek's parents. When we got here we found that the keys didn't work in the locks. I called my friend and she realized that she gave me the wrong set of keys. This was about 10pm, and very dark out. She got on her way to bring us the right keys, but in the meantime we decided to break into the house. I tried to open a window and fell to the ground. That was my last attempt. Derek found a doggie door and somehow squeezed through it. I couldn't stop laughing! I didn't think he was gonna make it because he's such a big guy, but somehow he squeezed through. At the same time Derek's parents found a window they could open in a bedroom and my Mother-in-law got in about the same time as Derek. They let the rest of us in and we started unloading stuff. Our landlady came soon after that and we tested out the keys to be sure we got the right ones this time. It was all just a very funny situation. so far we like all the people that we've met. I have one person who lives near that I've known for years since she we both used to live in another town. The kids have already started school. Actually, Emmy's only done an assessment. The kindergarteners start a week later than all the other kids. Andrew's been doing well so far in 1st grade. He still hasn't learned any kids name, but he has friends that he plays with everyday.

Midnight Premier

So I let my sister-in-law talk me into going to the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 last night, which was actually this morning. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I've never gone to a midnight showing for any movie before, so I didn't know what to expect. Earlier in the evening I went to the theater to buy my ticket and I'm glad I did because the 2D theater I wanted was selling out fast. When we got to the theater last night at 10pm there was a long line that went around the building on three sides. We were at the end of the line for a long time until finally one other group was behind us. The theater started letting us in around 10:30 and we went and found some seats in our theater. I think I had to show my ticket about three times on my way to theater number 3. When I went to the bathroom I made sure to take it with me just in case. So, I like to sneak snacks into the theater so I don't have to pay the outrageous prices at the concession stand. The downside to that is I get no popcorn, which is almost essential to movie watching. Derek and I had gone to a store to get some snacks. We both got a liter of soda and a bag of munchies and some candy. He said there was no way I could fit all that into my bag. When we came home I made a really big shoulder bag and everything fit just fine. Of course then it was very heavy. The thing that I thought was very funny about the whole midnight premier thing was how many people came dressed as Hogwarts students. Some of the costumes were pretty good and some were kinda lame. There was this one girl who did her white blonde hair in big loose curls and she was skipping around in her Ravenclaw student attire. She totally looked like Luna Lovegood, except she was a little too tall. Another girl had on two ties, one Gryffindor colors and the other Hufflepuff colors. I thought she looked pretty good with her robes. Some girls in the bathroom had awesome wands. I almost asked where they got them, but I chickened out. I wish I could carve my own wand. I think it would be neat to carve things out of wood.
So now I'm so tired. After we came home at 2:30am I was still awake so I watched Big Brother online. I think I fell asleep around 3:30 and the kids woke me up at 7:30. I don't know if I'll ever go to another midnight showing after this, but it was fun.

I Hate It!

You want to know what I hate? Moving. I hate moving. I hate packing all the boxes up and taking them away in a truck. You know what I love? Unpacking. It's like getting a whole bunch of gifts! We are moving in a couple of weeks. As I pack I'm finding things to sell at a yard sale. Unfortunately the keep boxes out number the sell boxes. I wish it was the other way around. I only have one box of books to sell and about four to keep. Also, I've only found two games so far to sell. I'm not even halfway done with the game closet though, so hopefully I'll find some more I can bear to part with. While I was in the game closet I realized that I need a refresher course on how to play Mah Jongg. It's been to long since I played and I was never very good to begin with. I remember that I enjoyed it, though. So, we are moving to Sun Valley which is by Sparks and Reno. I need to get the kids enrolled in that school and figure out how I'm going to get their school uniforms. I don't know if I have to buy them from the school, or if I can get them anywhere. The lady I need to talk to won't be in the office until next week, so I really don't know much about anything yet. We'll be close to the school, so we may walk most days while it's still nice. I'll have to see how long it takes us. If I remember right the school is about 4 blocks away. School is starting before our vacation to Indiana, so we don't get to go. I don't want them to miss that many days, and since our vacation was supposed to last a couple weeks it isn't feasible do take it. I'm really bummed about it, but I'll get there sometime. It's been 4 years since I've been back in Indiana and I miss it, but Nevada feels like home. I guess home is where you hang your hat. I've lived in Indiana, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. They all have pros and cons, but I've enjoyed myself in all those places. Anyway, Sun Valley looks like a nice place for us. It's closer to Derek's job and we'll save lots of gas. Plus the rent is cheaper than this apartment I'm in now. I'm looking forward to it and also not enjoying the packing.

It's Too Early

What is an acceptable time to start installing new carpet in an apartment above somebody? This morning I was waked up by banging and booming sounds. I thought whatever they were dropping on the floor up there was gonna come down through my ceiling. Then there was just an awful lot of hammering. I couldn't figure out what they might be doing. Derek somehow figured out that they were laying new carpet. That makes sense, but did they have to start so early? This was maybe 8am. Couldn't they have waited till 10am? Maybe I just wanted to sleep in since I had a restless night and all. Andrew wasn't feeling very well yesterday. He had a fever and wanted to be near us. I slept on the couch so he could sleep next to Derek in my bed. Yesterday Emmy went swimming and went to a movie. She saw "Rio" and seemed to like it. Andrew didn't get to do either of those since he was feeling sick. He was pretty bummed. He did get some licorice, though. We always sneak snacks into the theater, and even though Andrew didn't go, he still got a snack. We stayed home and watched Star Wars. He picked it. It makes me so proud to see his good sense.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Wow, I guess I've been slacking. I haven't posted in a couple weeks. Well, I had a birthday this past Monday. I got great presents. My mom got me the first two Narnia movies and helped my kids get me "the Singles 2nd Ward". All very good. My sister-in-law Heather got me the book Emma, which I've been wanting to own since I borrowed it from someone else. My mother-in-law gave me the next two books in a series that I've been reading. They're the Culinary Mysteries: Lemon Tart, English Trifle, and Devil's Food Cake. I'd gotten the lemon one before and liked it so she got me the others. There's two more after those, so I look forward to that. We went to Derek's parents' house on my birthday and played cards. It was fun. Unfortunately, I've been battling a cough and so have the kids. Emmy didn't come that night because she wasn't feeling well at all and stayed with my mom. She's a nurse, so there's no one I'd feel more comfortable leaving a sick child with. Yeah, that's right, I ended that sentence with a preposition! Whatcha gonna do about it?

The "Tea" Party

What could be better than a nice lunch?



A nice lunch with good company.



My niece Kyah had lunch with Emmy and me. We had cucumber and cheese sandwiches, various berries, salad, and pudding for dessert. A very fun time was had by all. Derek took Andrew and our nephew Charles fishing.

Summer is (almost) Starting!

Andy's last day of school is tomorrow. The two very best days of school are the first one and the last one. I don't think he quite realizes that he'll be done with school for the whole summer. Emmy's birthday is this Saturday and a friend of hers is having a birthday party that day. This year Emmy finally gets to go to this girl's party because Emmy isn't having a party. Their birthdays are so close that every year their parties have been on the same day. Emmy will be having a birthday dinner this Sunday at Nana and Grampa's house. She's very excited. My brother EJ is coming to visit for a couple of days. We're looking forward to that. As of now he's still driving. He's bringing his girlfriend so we'll get to meet her. I don't know anything about her, and I have no idea what's been told her about me. Lately there's been a lot of visiting going on. One of my sisters was here this past weekend with her three kids. Last night two of my nieces and nephews came to town for a month long visit. They are staying with Nana and Grandpa, so we'll see them frequently. I'm not going anywhere till August when I go on vacation to Indiana. Two of my siblings live there and most of my family will be there for a family reunion. The kids and I are really looking forward to it. As of now, Derek will not be going with us. It's been a few years since he's come to a reunion with me. Once I went to his family's reunion without him. It's not that he doesn't want to go, it's just that it never seems to work out. Secretly I think he thinks we're all a bunch of weirdos. Well, maybe it's not so secret. Anyway, that's my update for now. We're enjoying the niece and nephew, ages 10 and 9. Maybe I should take pictures of fun things so their parents can see them. I'm sure their being greatly missed.