It's All Relative

I never thought I would live in a city, but now that I'm here - it's not all bad.  I will say (ahem) that the people in Searcy are a lot friendlier.  It may be that city folk as a whole aren't as friendly as town folk, but I do miss those friendlies in Searcy.  I will have to spread some of that hospitality while I am here.

In other news, you can't live in this part of Tennessee comfortably without a pool.  We only put in an above ground pool, but it is enough for us.  And Ethan was really excited for it.

He has been swimming every night for the last two weeks.  He is having a ton of fun.

Perhaps a little too much fun.......

Phil and I are enjoying the evenings outdoors without all of those nasty mosquitoes Arkansas liked to dish out.

I can hear cows mooing in the back and the sounds of birds settling in for the night.  L.o.v.e. I.t.

The bad part (ahem) is apparently the yard work.  I woke yesterday with a swollen face (I will spare you the gory pictures) and a rash all over my arms.  I don't know if it was poison ivy or what, but I will definitely be more careful.  I had to go back on another dose of steroids (sigh) - my body is never going to recover!

One definite perk is living close to family.  Ethan spent the afternoon on the lake with his cousins.

They took him out on the jet ski several times - he had a blast!

We are just enjoying the dog days of summer!

Here's a link to some live action.

Back Online and....Where is the World is Jordan going??

It can take FOREVER to get services when one moves.  I finally, FINALLY have internet again.  I am too dependent on the web for everything - from shopping to billpay and banking.  Yikes, it is good to be online.

We have moved into our house - after tremendous frustration at our movers for the extremely poor job they did in moving us.  (vent, vent)

But, a week later, we are somewhat out of boxes, can cook in our own kitchen, and realize just how much junk we have.  It is total declutter time.  We left a huge house with tons of storage to a mid-size house with no storage.  I know, I know, I should of looked around some more - but I think I bought it for the acre size back yard that is surrounded by trees and a farm on the other size of those trees.  I can sit on the back porch at night, pretend I am in the middle of nowhere (because you can't see any neighbors from the back yard) and listen to the cows mooing.

That is my idea of paradise.

In other news - Jordan has finally gotten his mission call (after getting lost in the mail for a month).  It got delivered next day after contacting the church and telling them we hadn't received it.  It came right in the middle of the movers unloading - so we had to wait until a quick lunch break to open it:

Jordan's Call

Headin' Out

Yes, that's right, Mother of the Year Award - bring it on.  After all, they were on sale, and they are gluten free.  So why not snack on cheetos as you leave one home and travel to another?

It was, perhaps, the longest drive we have ever taken to Chattanooga.   We knew we would never make that particular trip again and it was endless.

Ethan immediately hooked up with his "buddy."  Never have two friends been more happy to see each other.

"Bro" showed up, too, of course.  The condition of my car after being in his hands for nearly three months warrants its own blog post - if I ever stop seeing red, that is.

This is our new normal - whether at my mom's house, my sister's, or my own.  Cows and horses are in abundance.  Ain't nothin' cuter than babies.

Hello, Chattanooga.