Jumping on beds...

On Tuesday we left for a short trip to San Antonio to go to Sea world and The Alamo. Barbara and the kids came to get us at 5:00a (or maybe a little later than that), we packed up the car, and off we went. Peter at the wheel; Lyndsy, Karlee, and me in the middle seat; and Levi and Chloe in the back. It was not a bad drive at all.

The two oldest

slept

while the two youngest

didn't

Once we arrived at our hotel, our girls settled in right away! Can you tell what their favorite thing to do ONLY at hotels is?

The girls had a blast jumping on the bed! Poor Chloe, it took quite a few times to get some pictures where she was looking up. We were waiting for Lyndsy to hit her head on the ceiling but it never happened. She did hit her hands a few times but no head injuries!

After a bit we went downstairs to catch the shuttle to take us to Seaworld. I have plenty more pictures to come... 

We have ARRIVED!

Well, a lot has happened since my last blog! I will get to what has happened during the last week in a moment... I want to share that The Chave's are officially Texans now! We arrived Monday, Dec 12th around 7:25p central time. Lyndsy, the dogs, Sophie, and I in one car and Chloe and Peter in the U-Haul. What an adventure it was!


Ok... now I will go back to my last post and fill you in on what all has transpired in the last week.


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3: Peter & I arrived back in Arizona from Poulsbo, WA. We hopped into his car and set off on a road trip to  Texas! We stopped at Walmart to stock up on supplies (food and blanket) for the journey. Well, I am not a big "sleep in the car" kinda girl but, knowing that both Peter & I had been up all day and were going to be driving all night; I knew that I had to get some sleep to give him some relief. I managed to stay away until a little past Tucson, AZ and then my eyes became so heavy, I could barely keep them open (kinda like now). I slept for a bit and when I woke up in El Paso, TX, it was sunny out!


Being the wonderful wife that I am, I offered to take over driving so Peter could get some sleep. He refused and ended up driving the entire way! WOW! I know that I could NOT have done that!''

We drove and drove and drove until we finally reached his parents house. It was about 3:50ish in the afternoon. We unpacked the car and went in to say our hello's. A little later we went to dinner with Peter's parents and sister's family (minus Levi). After dinner we came home, got cleaned up, and went to bed! 

ON SUNDAY, we slept in and then hung out for a bit. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Dinners, family, and getting a few things ready for the move. We flew home on Tuesday. It was sure nice to see the girls after being gone for so long!


The rest of the week was pretty jam packed!

WEDNESDAY morning I had to take Peter back to the airport so he could fly out to Oakland for work and then pick him up later that evening. 

THURSDAY morning I received a phone call from an agent asking if her clients could come check out the house. Sure thing! Chloe's 1st hour class was throwing her a surprise Christmas/Moving Party so, I went so I could take some pictures. It was super cute to see these kids dote on her and not want her to move! Mrs. Bolton cried almost the entire 1st period! The agent and her clients showed up a little later so, Peter and I took the dogs for a walk. Thursday evening the girls and I walked over to the Gwaltney's to play some Settlers of Catan. Good times even though I didn't play very well. =-(


FRIDAY morning Peter and I took the dogs to get groomed, I went back to Chloe's school for the last day! It was not as emotional as I thought it would be! We picked up the U-Haul a little later in the day and then had to cancel dinner with the Japenga's as packing wasn't getting done as quickly as it needed to be! 


SATURDAY morning we met my sister at Verizon to switch her over and then it was Christmas with my family. We had brunch at IHOP then went back to my parents to hang out and then open present! Later we went to RT O'Sullivan's with the Dishman's to watch the UFC fights. GSP vs Koschek! Awesome night of fights!


SUNDAY morning we went to church and holy moly was it emotional! I cried almost the entire service. At then end of the service Mark had us (along with Joanne Edwards - she is moving to Oregon) come up on stage to pray for us on our move. He could barely talk so, he asked Chris to pray. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to leave all of my friends! But hey! We are only moving a few hours away (flying anyway)! Then we came home and frantically started shoving things in boxes. People started showing up around noon to help load the truck. In the end we didn't get everything in and will be coming back to AZ to take the final little bit back. After the truck was full everyone began leaving and I must say... it was pretty emotional saying by to MeL (you too Dave)! Girl I love you like a sister! The drive was pretty uneventful! We stopped at Eegee's for dinner (yummo) and then headed to El Paso to stay the night. 


MONDAY morning we got up a little later than we wanted (but we needed sleep) and loaded up and set off on the 2nd part of our adventure. Lots of driving, stopping every couple of hours, and snacking... we arrived in Aubrey at about 7:25p. 


Today is now THURSDAY and I just realized that Lyndsy had downloaded all the pictures from my camera onto her computer so, I can't post any for you to see. I will work on that this weekend and get some posted for your viewing pleasure. =-]


I think you have read enough for one sitting. More another time!

Trip to Poulsbo

Peter had to go to Poulsbo, WA for work the other day and I got to tag along. This adventure was the beginning of a 7 day long adventure that began in Arizona... first stop - Seattle, WA... overnight trip to Poulsbo, WA... next day - Phoenix, AZ again... same day - began an overnight drive to Aubrey, TX... next day - made it to Aubrey, TX!

Sounds exhausting I know! Peter drove the whole way from Phx to Aubrey and hadn't slept since our 1st night in Poulsbo. More on that leg of the drive later. First I have some great pictures that I took that I want to share. 

Our first night in Poulsbo was very, very cold! We drove down to the marina to find a good place to eat. We decided to stroll up and down the street to find some place to eat. Along the way, we came across some pretty cool stuff! See for yourself.

 Old School Telephone Booth

City of Poulsbo clock

The next day while Peter worked I went to the marina again but, this time to take some pictures of the boats and whatever else stood out to me. Well, I got some great pictures but there were too many to post so here are some of my favs! Enjoy!

 An anchor that was taller than me!

 Not sure if these are apartments or a hotel. Either way, I thought they were awesome!

 A few of the many boats docked at the marina

This is by far my favorite picture that I took while at the marina! I love the colors and 

 how the church stands out.

When Peter was done working we began our drive back to Seattle however, Mrs. GPS (that is who I am blaming anyway!) had decided to take us a different route and we ended up going towards the ferry. We (or maybe me) wanted to take the ferry but was told it was kind of expensive. Well at this point, we could turn around and head back the way we got to Poulsbo or keep on trucking and take the ferry. We decided to go the ferry route! Best thing was... it ended up being more than 1/2 the price Peter was told! SCORE!!!! Well, I have never been on a ferry, much less drive a car onto a ferry! Let's just say, "It was pretty cool!" Of course I have pictures. =-]

 Here we go!

 They had a cafeteria style deck! Pretty cool! They even had wi-fi!

 The Space Needle

 

Just a cool pic!

 The view from the car!

That is it! It was a fun trip to Poulsbo, WA and riding the ferry. Best of all was spending time with Peter!

Once we got back to Phoenix at about 9:50p, we hopped in the car and began our next leg in our 7 day adventure. But that will have to wait until another day! I am exhausted!

13 Days!

13 more days left in Arizona and man... just about everyday is jam packed! I am not complaining at all. I get to spend 7 days with my husband traveling to Seattle and back then driving his car out to Texas. 

Peter has a great job and works for a wonderful company! One of the perks of his job is that he travels and for the last several years has earned a companion pass - which means I get to go with him sometimes! I have gone to Reno, New Orleans (my favorite place so far), St Louis, Oklahoma (not sure exactly where; just that is where I was introduced to Maggie Moo's), San Luis Obisbo, San Diego, and plenty of other places! Well, as I said we are flying to Seattle this week and I am excited!

Here is a quick snapshot of our last 13 days in Arizona. Take a deep breath and here we go... Mon & Tues - Peter in Colorado :: Wed - Going away Party at Serrano's :: Thur & Fri - Peter & I in Seattle :: Sat thru Tues - Peter & I drive his car to Texas and take care of some stuff before we move :: Fri - Girls last day of school, Dinner with The Japenga's :: Sat - Christmas with my family, UFC fights with The Dishman's :: Sun - Church at 9:00a, get the UHaul, bribe people with food to come help load, then off we go! 

There is still so much to do but I am no longer stressed about it! It will get done when it needs to get done! Or as a friend says, "It is what it is". =-]

I am becoming more and more excited about seeing where God is leading us! 

Stay tuned! Tomorrow there will be only 12 more days!

Black Friday

About a week ago I received the Best Buy 'Black Friday' ad and after looking through it a gazillion times; I compared two cameras and decided that whichever one was available when we got to the store is the one that I would get. Well, after not sleeping too well last night and waking up at 3:00a to find that my alarm was set to go off at 3:15p, I reset the alarm to reflect 'a' and tried to go back to sleep. Before doing so, I nudged Peter to see if he still wanted to venture out so early in the morning. He said, "sure, if you want". Heck no! is what I thought. I want to stay cuddled up in my warm and cozy bed not out in the cold waiting to get into a store. Who does that? I guess I do! I got up (not at 3:15a but at 3:30a) and we walked out the door at about 4:25a. We met MeL and Dave there and being such wonderful people they are... they let us cut in front of them. Not too long after we were able to get indoors to warmth and The Dishman's went one way and The Chave's off to the camera area. We asked a very friendly employee (NOT) where to find the camera I was hoping to purchase and she promptly said, "all bundle cameras are at Customer Service." So, we set off to Customer Service praying the line was not long and that they had what I wanted. Well, the line was 1 person deep. We got to the counter and told the very helpful employee what I was looking for and he handed me a camera bundle. Unfortunately it was the more expensive camera that they were advertising and not the exact one I wanted. They did have my 2nd choice and I was more than willing to purchase that one but, my husband suggested we get the other one. With much hesitation, I agreed and we made our purchase then set out to find The Dishman's. They found what they wanted and we stood in the Disneyland style line (without the fun payoff at the end) and chitchatted until it was there turn. And to think... when we got out of the store, it was still DARK!

Next was breakfast at IHOP and then Old Navy. We got some good deals at Old Navy, headed to Target to get a Christmas present, and then home. We were home by about 8:30a. 

I played around with my new toy for a bit, taking picture after picture of Molly and then Chloe once she got up. 

 This one of Peter was one of the first ones I took. I think it turned out pretty darn good!

 This is Molly (or Mo Mo's).

After a bit, Chloe and I headed out again to go get a few things I needed for my Scentsy Home Party tomorrow and to go to Old Navy again. I couldn't believe that the line was still very long at Old Navy! Oh, well!

A quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few groceries and then back home to work on flower/coffee pens and dinner.

It has been a long day and I am officially ready for bed!

NIGHT!

I am Thankful for...

I am so thankful for many things right now! My husband - he is my best friend, the love of my life, he makes me laugh, and so much more! Lyndsy - she is beautiful, smart, and feisty! Chloe - she is beautiful too, smart too, and caring! My family - has helped mold me into the person I am today! I am thankful for great friends - you know who you are!!! I am thankful for this opportunity to move to Texas! I am thankful that Peter's parents are willing to let us live with them for a little while. I am thankful for Peter's sister and husband - that they are excited we are on our way. I am thankful that I have Jesus in my life! I am thankful for my friends at bible study. You have taught me so much!
 
This is our last Thanksgiving in Arizona. We spent it with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law.

The morning started out with finishing the cornbread stuffing and Chloe making her veggie tray. Chloe did a great job making it! We loaded the car with all of our goodies and picked up my parents. 

My sister made turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, and another kind of stuffing. My mom made a ham and of course we had my cornbread stuffing. We ate well! Then we ate pie! Ande's Mint, Pumpkin, and Apple. 

We have 17 more days until we leave and I can't believe how much we have to do in that time! We have dinner plans with several great friends, trips to Seattle and Texas, a going away party, Christmas with my family, and our final UFC fight night with friends! On top of all of that I have to finish packing. It's all good tho! I know it will all get done!


Well, I have to get ready to go to bed... getting up early to hit Best Buy for Black Friday! I am hoping to get a new camera!

20 Days!

20 is the number! The number of days left in AZ. I am getting SUPER excited and can't wait to see Peter's family! I am super excited about not having to drive down Hunt Hwy anymore! I am excited to learn about my new surroundings. I am excited about a lot of things. I am also sad about a lot of things, but I will save that for another day. 

Knowing that the number 20 is only going to keep getting smaller, you would think I would be frantically running around the house packing boxes, but NOPE, not me! I have decided to take a different approach and be a slacker. =-] I have set up camp on the left side of the couch and play on FB or on my iPod. That seems to be pretty productive, right? Ha ha, it does while I am doing it! Today was no exception. I did do something a little productive today. I did some stuff for my Scentsy party this weekend, went to lunch with my main squeeze, read 1 Corinthians 12, made dinner, offered up 4 FREE tv's on FB, and well... now I am blogging. Sounds pretty productive to me!

Tomorrow is the day... The day to pack the loose stuff I have been putting in the living room. Then once the girls get out of school, we will be running some errands and then taking advantage of our free appetizer at Red Robin. Then the girls are off for the rest of the week. Woot Woot! I get to take advantage of their being home! Tackling to do lists!!!!

Well, my friends it is time to watch some TV with my main squeeze. Night!

For Sale

There is a For Sale sign in our front yard, boxes packed in the living room, stuff needing to be packed in the living room, stuff needing to be packed in several other rooms, some empty rooms, clean bathrooms, and a little bit of dusting that needs to be done. The questions are... Will the house sell before we move? Will everything EVER be packed? The answers are... With lots of prayers - YES! (for both questions)

I am getting more and more excited to move as each day passes however, it really doesn't feel like we are moving! I have been packing for well over a month and still do it regularly, but for some odd reason, I don't feel like we are moving. I know that once we have it all packed in the U-Haul and we are saying bye to all our friends, it will be a little more real. But until then... 

The countdown is now to 3 weeks and 5 days. I really only have 2 weeks to get the rest packed and ready to go since Peter and I will be going to Seattle on Dec 2 & 3 for his work and then we are driving his car out to Aubrey on Dec 4 and coming back on the 7th. While there we are going to get our storage unit, mailbox, register the girls for school, and do whatever else we can in that time. Then we come back and have a few days to finalize stuff here. We are celebrating Christmas with my family on Dec 11. Going to church on Sunday, bribing people to come help load the truck with pizza after church, and then leaving. More on that after it happens. =-]


Well, I am hoping and praying for my phone to ring with a potential buyer wanting to come look at the house. Ring, Ring, Ring!


That's it for today... need to clean up some things just in case.

To Do Lists

I am a fanatic about To Do Lists! I find it very rewarding to make a list (especially if it is a long one) and highlight the things I have completed!
 
Well, today was no exception. I made a To Do list and it had 27 things on it. Mind you, some of the things to do were simple while others were, well, a nightmare!! With the help of the girls (I let them ditch school today) we were able to mark off 14 of them. 

As you can see... I have only been able to mark off the first side of my To Do list. I plan on working on the first part of the back tonight and then tackle the rest tomorrow. That will be a BIG job in itself!!!

Here are the 'after' pictures from today (the before pics are on posted on another days blog). I even vacuumed! =-]

I can't tell ya how great it feels to have a clean desk, just a few final things to go thru, and all but 3 boxes put downstairs. 

Today's To Do list was quite long because my wonderful husband kinda threw me a curve ball and now wants to put the house on the market. Great! was my original thought, until I realized how crazy out of sorts the house is right now!!!!!!! Knowing now that someone may actually want to buy our house... I have to get in gear and get things packed (also doesn't help that there is only 5 weeks and 6 days left until we move), cleaned, and cleaned even better. I think that my To Do lists are going to be this long for a while longer. Oh, well! At least it prevents me from sitting on my butt doing nothing productive. =-]


Ok... time to start on the back of my list!

Motivation... I need some!

Motivation... let's see. I need A LOT of it! I see piles of stuff all over the house yet, I just can't seem to plunge thru it. We have 6 weeks left until the big moving day and I know it will all get done... somehow. I get distracted by Facebook, my iPod, or whatever else. Maybe I need to ground myself from these distractions!

God, help me get thru these piles!

On a higher note, the piano will be gone tomorrow which I think will help me a lot! There will now be more room to put all of the boxes and furniture. Now, I just have to sell our bedroom furniture and I will be a very happy girl!

Ok... I am a little bit more motivated after venting.

Giving In!

Well, I have given in to the blogging world! 

I have decided to embark on this venture to share what is going on in the lives of The Chave Family. We have a lot going on right now and this is a great tool to fill everyone in at once. So, I hope you enjoy sharing in our lives.

Stay tuned to hear about our trip to The Grand Canyon...