A Vacation!

So, it's been a while since I've written. My parents came up to Oklahoma for two weeks to help get things done around the house before we moved our stuff in. My dad worked nonstop for the entire two weeks: painting, wood floor installation, propping up a sagging counter, installing gas valves, fixing GFCI outlets, and the list goes on and on! My mom spent a lot of time cleaning, painting, and helping me install shelf liner. Then when our stuff got here, my mom and John's mom spent the week unpacking and helping me put things away. Whew. Our house would still be a disaster if not for our family!

At one point during the move-in I took a little trip to the hospital because of some abdominal pain and pressure. I have to say, two hours in a quiet, dark hospital room with no moving issues to deal with (once I knew nothing was wrong with the baby) was a nice break! I wasn't dilated, wasn't having any regular contractions, didn't have any kind of infection, and was just a bit dehydrated. Easily fixed.

Once our family left, John and I enjoyed two days by ourselves in the new house before I headed out to Seattle to visit some friends for a week. What a glorious break!

Of course, I had to have some Beecher's mac and cheese:


We had one clear, sunny day while I was in town, and the view from the Columbia Tower was awesome!




That beautiful clear day (also happened to be the birthday of the friend I was visiting!) ended with a gorgeous sunset.


Mostly I just enjoyed being away from home, visiting with a good friend, spending time with her sweet girls, and seeing the brilliant autumn colors that a place with trees offers!

I'm not going to lie; it's been a hard adjustment coming back here to Oklahoma. Sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out to live here. This house is bigger, the city is smaller, things are spread out across a flat plain. Something about it is not cozy. I realize that the adjustment to a new place takes a while. I'm sure as I meet more people and make friends it will help. And there's always the let-down of coming back after a vacation...back to real life.

However, I'm so grateful I got to take that break. Before I know it we'll be off again to visit my family and I'm sure the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will take up plenty of space in my mind and time.