The next chapter.....

New Schools....

The girls actually started school that first week we were here. Olivia is in Kindergarten at VanBuren Elementary School. Her schedule is different than it was in NY and we are still adjusting to it. She goes a half day on Monday and then all day Wednesday and all day Friday. She loves being there full days and enjoys having lunch there. She's doing great and has made some new friends but still tears up when she talks about Elden and all of her wonderful friends there.
Ava is in preschool at St. Michaels Academy for the rest of this year. She attends Tuesday and Thursday mornings and enjoys it. She has really transitioned well but still misses and talks about Mrs. Mason and all of her friends from her WOL class. She also wonders why she can't just go over to her NY friend's homes and when she is on the phone with them, tells them that she will see them in a few days. Tough for her to grasp how far we really are. Tough for me, too!

Curt is enjoying his new position at Cooper and is adjusting to going into the office everyday instead of being out on the road...

As for me..I am adjusting. Honestly, it was tough at first being at home full-time again and not going to work. But with the girls' schedules the way that they are right now, it works out for the best. And I am enjoying spending this time with the girls..before I know it, their schedules will be too full for mom.

Dog walkers....

It has been somewhat of an adjustment walking Zoe and Riley several times a day. They have been used to a fenced in yard for almost their entire 10 years. But they have been doing really well and the girls enjoy pretending that they are "dog walkers". Except on the really cold, blizzardy days..then I'm on my own. But Curt really is the official dog walker when he is home and I am very grateful for that!

Apartment Living

Welcome to our apartment! It's been a couple of weeks and it has been going really smoothly. Our apartment is 1200 sq.ft., so it really has not been hard to adjust to. Everyone still has there own space...3 bedrooms, 2 baths, laundry room, big open living/eating area, small (the biggest adjustment) galley kitchen. Apartments really have come along way since those college days!

January 29 ~Moving Day~

The Big Day....sigh



Well, it was a typical Syracuse wintery day. The temps were in the single digits and the wind chill made it crazy cold. The movers finished up around 3:30. Curt and I cleaned..and cleaned..and then loaded up. It was around 6:00 pm when we finally got on the road. Curt took the trailblazer, the girls and the carrier and I had the dogs with me. As if it hadn't already been the most exhausting day and week, we had an 8 hour drive ahead, and that is in ideal weather conditions. I almost cried when we got on the thruway. The roads were treacherous and there were white-outs in areas. It took us forever to get to Rochester but by the time we hit Buffalo, the weather improved and we were able to make up time.
We made it to Findlay around 3:00 am. Wow..not quite sure how I did it but don't want to do it again! The movers actually arrived the next day and it went smoothly from there. Much easier moving in...and we were settled by Sunday night.

January 24 ~Moving Week~

What a crazy, insane week that was! Now I can look back and say "we survived". But at the moment, I had my doubts. It all just happened so fast and we had so much to think about, plan for and do in such a short period of time. And the move itself went as well as it could have. But the act of having to decide what we would need for the next 6-9 months for the apartment vs. what would go into storage (in the state of Delaware) was a bit overwhelming for me. So I was a madwoman for the week, trying to maintain some control over our household. As many of you have experienced having movers, you can understand the feeling of having your house taken over. It really is no longer your home at that point and you are at their mercy. And wow..the emotions and feelings that you experience. I know that change is hard for me and that I become attached to everything and everyone around me (to the point of being somewhat territorial), thus making the moving process even more difficult. Even when the move is positive and for the best, it's tough. But throughout this process, I was able to let go and move forward.

Curt was a rock throughout the process and although there were some arguments and tension, we worked well together for the most part. And we are still married....

Through the chaos, the girls were troopers. Thanks to the help of friends and neighbors, they were able to avoid a lot of the madness. Kids are so resilient and I believe that they do adjust better than we do. The dogs also did well under pressure and have transitioned well.

We miss you already....

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. Thanks to all of our wonderful friends and neighbors who have made it memorable and who helped us to survive the madness! We could not have done it without your support. It was sad saying goodbye to all of you and we miss you already! We are so grateful that we were given the opportunity to live in CNY...who knew what wonderful people we would meet and awesome opportunities our family would have over the past five years. We will never forget the times and memories we've shared together.

During those last few weeks as we were getting ready to leave, the girls were able to enjoy some fun activities with their friends and it helped to take their minds off of the chaos that was going on in their home! I also enjoyed some girls nights with my awesome friends that helped to fuel me for the stress and chaos that I faced in that last week (Thanks Ladies!).

Snow, Snow, Snow

Okay, I know that it may sound crazy...but I really am going to miss the large amounts of snow. Ohio does get some snow, but definitely in smaller amounts. I love watching those large, fluffy flakes of snow and seeing the snow-covered trees out of our back window. However, I really would be fine with the snow lasting only a few months, say..December and January! Olivia loves playing in the snow but Ava is still hesitant around it not wanting to get all snowy and wet. But they always look so darn cute all bundled up...even though it takes longer to get them ready than the time they actually play!

The Big Move

Well, for those of you who don't know... we are on the move back to Ohio. It all came about rather suddenly in the fall when Curt was approached about going back to corporate in Findlay with Cooper Tire and Rubber Company. He's been a Territory Manager for Cooper in this region for 5 years now. So it's a wonderful opportunity for him and good timing for our family to make the move. So we put our house on the market after Thanksgiving and it sold fast! Although bittersweet, the quickness of it all is definitely a blessing so I don't have to be a single parent and our family can make the move together. Needless to say, everything is on fast-forward for us. The moving truck will be here on the 27th and our official move date is the 29th.

I'm finally doing it!

Well, now that we are moving I figured that I had better jump on board and finally create our family blog. That way all of our great friends that we have met in NY can keep track of us. So here goes...