As one could imagine between selling our current house, starting a new job for one, looking for a new job for one, and looking for a new house for two, Kelli and I haven't had a ton of free time lately! Our house has been listed for four weeks now and each Sunday we've had an open house, all of which have generated some interest and we feel closer each weekend to the right person finding our house to be the perfect fit!
Each time we have an open house we load up our two labs and take them either into the dog park for a few hours or down to Grandpa and Grandmas house in Stevensville. This would normally be a fairly routine task as we would load them up in the back of the pick up, inside the topper, and head out. Well we sold my old pick up as my new job brought with it a new work truck that I had a tonneau cover put on which meant the dogs would ride in the back of Kelli's subaru. This turns out to be quite the show for anyone who happens to give us a look as we pass by, Duchess appears to be afraid of my driving, can't say I blame her, so she pings back and forth from side to side yelping the entire way! To make things even close to bearable Kelli has to sit in the back seat and hold her collar and continuously attempt to calm Duchess down, to no avail! Dan and Donna's driveway is exactly 43 minutes from our house, but feels like 4 hours with the dogs, by the time we slid in sideways yesterday afternoon neither Kelli or I could get out of the car fast enough! Kelli opened up the back door and both dogs took off to the neighbors yard to investigate the smells and ten minutes of wrangling later we had them secured in Dan's garage.
It was clear when we walked in the house that we we're slightly frazzled, both of us were mere seconds away from "accidentally" leaving our two dogs at their grandparents! We both settled down by raiding the Dobson's fridge like a couple of college kids, then sat down to watch my Cowboys play. We all know how this ended, in case you missed it, they mounted the best comeback of team history in the second half only to loose the game, literally by inches, as Dez Bryant's fingertips were out of bounds on what would have been the game winning touchdown catch! The heartbreaking losses I endure as a beloved fan of America's team continue to mount, each one stinging sharper than the last.
So we loaded up our dog's, put on some ear muffs, and headed home. The whining continued out of Duchess on the return trip, not nearly as bad though for some reason, and I told Kelli this was the last trip they would take in her car! We knew we could remove the tonneau cover from my new truck and haul them in the open bed around town, but we didn't really want to do this down the highway as Kashi has never rode in a pick up like this and the last time Duchess did she was four and fell out! The girls grandparents were also concerned about this and little did we know Dan was conjuring up a plan as we drove home.
Today Kelli and I got our Christmas presents from her parents a little early, two large dog kennels with insulated camo covers! Now the girls can go any where we go safely! They will be very much appreciated and well used! I don't know if the Dobson's know it or not but they more than likely just saved us on a ton of therapy and medication! Now wether we're just going to Stevensville for the afternoon or for the weekend after we've moved, the dogs have a means of travel that makes everyone happy!
It seems like since we took this new job for me and decided to move we've been caught in a storm that seems to be getting worse. I told Kelli today that we just need to listen to Gary Allen's new song to understand that everything truly will be okay. His new song's chorus says that "every storm runs out of rain", even though we feel like we're smack dab in the eye of this storm, we both know that it too will run out of rain and brighter days are ahead of us indeed!
Remember, someday everything will make sense, so for now laugh at the confusion, smile at the tears, and know that everything happens for a reason!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
A challenge!
This past week brought with it a new adventure for me, while over in Spokane for work both Jill and Ryan had places they had to be at the same time and their number one nanny, GG, was in Arizona helping her parents get settled in for the winter. This meant that by default the only person left to watch Jaxon for a few hours was yours truly. At first I thought no big deal, this will be easy, the J-bird and I get along great. Then Jill reminded me that he was going to have to be fed, and most likely changed, while I had him! The feeding part was no problem, Jill and Ryan have this down to such a science that it took little training to bring me up to speed on what to do. The diaper changing however, thats a bit more difficult! Ryan gave me the once over using one of Jaxon's diapers and Tatums doll, then I gave it a try on Jaxon, under Ryan's watchful eye. It went smoother than I thought it would and I felt like this was going to be easier than I'd expected!
So Jill fed him and left for work, then Ryan put him down for his morning nap. Just before Ryan took off he said, he should be good now for a couple hours when he'll need fed again. I wish he wouldn't have said anything, 12 minutes after the door closed Jaxon was up. And he remained awake for almost the duration of my watch! I tried everything in my bag of tricks to keep him happy until it was time for his next bottle, Jill said I should try to keep his feeding times the same so his schedule doesn't get all messed up. So I anxiously watched the clock and as soon as it was time I fed him, to my surprise though this didn't make him too much happier. I decided that maybe he needed changed again so I went in and changed the third diaper of my career and it was bone dry! I swear J-bird laughed at me as I struggled to figure out what it was he wanted. I saw Jaxon rub his eyes briefly and like a light bulb I realized he hadn't slept at all this morning so I laid him down and he was out instantly! He slept hard for the next hour, until Jill got home, and like any first time sitter would do I got up and checked on him four times in that hour to make sure he was okay!
Just like that my first experience at keeping another human alive all by myself was over. I had successfully kept him breathing and happy! I was feeling like such a success that I even offered to babysit both Tatum and Jax some night so Jill and Ryan could have a date night, now that I think about it though I might want to wait to do this until Kelli is there to help me, I don't think I could handle it unless her and I can play man to man defense!
Remember, often the most difficult challenges turn out to be the most rewarding!
So Jill fed him and left for work, then Ryan put him down for his morning nap. Just before Ryan took off he said, he should be good now for a couple hours when he'll need fed again. I wish he wouldn't have said anything, 12 minutes after the door closed Jaxon was up. And he remained awake for almost the duration of my watch! I tried everything in my bag of tricks to keep him happy until it was time for his next bottle, Jill said I should try to keep his feeding times the same so his schedule doesn't get all messed up. So I anxiously watched the clock and as soon as it was time I fed him, to my surprise though this didn't make him too much happier. I decided that maybe he needed changed again so I went in and changed the third diaper of my career and it was bone dry! I swear J-bird laughed at me as I struggled to figure out what it was he wanted. I saw Jaxon rub his eyes briefly and like a light bulb I realized he hadn't slept at all this morning so I laid him down and he was out instantly! He slept hard for the next hour, until Jill got home, and like any first time sitter would do I got up and checked on him four times in that hour to make sure he was okay!
Just like that my first experience at keeping another human alive all by myself was over. I had successfully kept him breathing and happy! I was feeling like such a success that I even offered to babysit both Tatum and Jax some night so Jill and Ryan could have a date night, now that I think about it though I might want to wait to do this until Kelli is there to help me, I don't think I could handle it unless her and I can play man to man defense!
Remember, often the most difficult challenges turn out to be the most rewarding!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Fall changes
Fall weather always brings with it many different changes, this fall has brought more changes than expected for our family! Decreased hours at my job, combined with the fact that I was getting a little tired of crawling underneath trailer houses, has led me to a revised career move. I've taken a full time claims adjuster position with the same crop insurance company that my Dad and brother-in-law both work for. As you may know I did this for about a year before moving up to Great Falls to be closer to the love of my life:) This new position brings with it another move for our family as we will be relocating to the Spokane area so I can be closer to my new work area.
This move will be number four for Kelli and I as we seem to be keeping up with a once every three years average! I know it may seem like we are semi-nomadic, which we are, but we have made many great friends through the years in our different moves and I'm sure we will do the same with this one. I told Kelli the nice thing about this move is we can continue to move every three years, we'll just do some in-town moves now:)
We both understand that this move will be a big one, but we truly feel as though this is the best move for our family right now and we only hope that it all goes smoothly. I have been commuting back and forth for the last couple weeks as we try to sell our house in Missoula. Once it is sold then we will move over and Kelli will be on the search for a new job. As you all know every time you move there is a whole bundle of little things that arise but Kelli and I feel like we're pretty well prepared for anything it throws our way!
We are sad to leave the Missoula area as we have made many great friends in our short time there and Kelli's parents now live in the area also. We are sad to leave them but at the same time 2 1/2 hours is still MUCH closer than we've ever lived to them, sure beats the heck out of the 8 hours we had before!
So as the leaves begin to turn color and we await the first snowfall of the year, Kelli and I are packing our bags once again, eager to take the next step in our lives! We've had many big changes in our lives and so far not a single one has been a bad move, I know this one will be no different. Someday we will look back on these moments in our life together and understand that each one of them helped define us as a couple!
Remember, as long as you continue to move forward, no move is a wrong move!
This move will be number four for Kelli and I as we seem to be keeping up with a once every three years average! I know it may seem like we are semi-nomadic, which we are, but we have made many great friends through the years in our different moves and I'm sure we will do the same with this one. I told Kelli the nice thing about this move is we can continue to move every three years, we'll just do some in-town moves now:)
We both understand that this move will be a big one, but we truly feel as though this is the best move for our family right now and we only hope that it all goes smoothly. I have been commuting back and forth for the last couple weeks as we try to sell our house in Missoula. Once it is sold then we will move over and Kelli will be on the search for a new job. As you all know every time you move there is a whole bundle of little things that arise but Kelli and I feel like we're pretty well prepared for anything it throws our way!
We are sad to leave the Missoula area as we have made many great friends in our short time there and Kelli's parents now live in the area also. We are sad to leave them but at the same time 2 1/2 hours is still MUCH closer than we've ever lived to them, sure beats the heck out of the 8 hours we had before!
So as the leaves begin to turn color and we await the first snowfall of the year, Kelli and I are packing our bags once again, eager to take the next step in our lives! We've had many big changes in our lives and so far not a single one has been a bad move, I know this one will be no different. Someday we will look back on these moments in our life together and understand that each one of them helped define us as a couple!
Remember, as long as you continue to move forward, no move is a wrong move!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A true test!
Kelli and I walked into our friends, Bryant and Haileys, last night with our Cowboys gear in full flair and eager to watch Americas team take on the Bears in Monday night football! Hailey prepared a delicious salad for dinner and as we filled our stomachs, kick off began and hopes were at an all time high for the night!
You see there are two types of Dallas Cowboy fans in the world, there are the fans who have a closet full of jerseys but only bring it out on game day and if the team is doing well, then there are the types like myself and Bryant who wear the gear all year long and maintain faith in our team no matter the circumstances! Every one who falls into the second category is exactly like I am while watching a game, we begin with high expectations and as the game progresses we start to loose a little hope but our faith for our team remains strong.
Shortly after halftime Tony Romo was stripped of the football while trying to escape a sack and it fell right into the arms of the Bears linebacker who returned it for a touchdown. Hopes were officially crushed from here on. The Bears went on to win easily and my emotions had been exhausted to the point of staring at the television quietly in disbelief. After the game we drove home and Kelli found herself in an all too familiar role, trying to comfort me following another loss, and I told her that I think my Romo jersey might be bad luck. Some people would have called me crazy for saying this but she's known me long enough to know that I am highly superstitious when it comes to the Cowboys, so she understood when I told her I'm throwing it away. So when we got home I immediately took off the shirt and threw it in the garbage, I imagined the garbage man laughing in the morning when he notices whats in the can, although finding Cowboys gear in the trash following a game probably isn't that uncommon.
When I came inside Kelli told me one more time not to worry, it's still early in the season and I told her I wasn't worried, that my team was going to be just fine! It was then that I realized something, this has all been a test. I told Kelli I think God has discovered the most difficult test ever for an optimist, make him or her a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan! It stretches me to my limits almost every game but I remain optimistic that we are the team to beat, not only in the NFC east, but in the whole league! I am already planning my true blue fan club Super Bowl party, I think I might be passing the test so far:)
Remember, GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
You see there are two types of Dallas Cowboy fans in the world, there are the fans who have a closet full of jerseys but only bring it out on game day and if the team is doing well, then there are the types like myself and Bryant who wear the gear all year long and maintain faith in our team no matter the circumstances! Every one who falls into the second category is exactly like I am while watching a game, we begin with high expectations and as the game progresses we start to loose a little hope but our faith for our team remains strong.
Shortly after halftime Tony Romo was stripped of the football while trying to escape a sack and it fell right into the arms of the Bears linebacker who returned it for a touchdown. Hopes were officially crushed from here on. The Bears went on to win easily and my emotions had been exhausted to the point of staring at the television quietly in disbelief. After the game we drove home and Kelli found herself in an all too familiar role, trying to comfort me following another loss, and I told her that I think my Romo jersey might be bad luck. Some people would have called me crazy for saying this but she's known me long enough to know that I am highly superstitious when it comes to the Cowboys, so she understood when I told her I'm throwing it away. So when we got home I immediately took off the shirt and threw it in the garbage, I imagined the garbage man laughing in the morning when he notices whats in the can, although finding Cowboys gear in the trash following a game probably isn't that uncommon.
When I came inside Kelli told me one more time not to worry, it's still early in the season and I told her I wasn't worried, that my team was going to be just fine! It was then that I realized something, this has all been a test. I told Kelli I think God has discovered the most difficult test ever for an optimist, make him or her a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan! It stretches me to my limits almost every game but I remain optimistic that we are the team to beat, not only in the NFC east, but in the whole league! I am already planning my true blue fan club Super Bowl party, I think I might be passing the test so far:)
Remember, GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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