New York City

How in the world is today only 18 hours old? I’ve never done so much in one day. 

My alarm went off at 4:00. At 6:00 all of the trucks were loaded with household goods, extra food, cleaning supplies, and bedding, and after six years, we said goodbye to 1587 Edgewater. We drove to Fort Campbell to store the trucks/goods behind a locked gate and headed straight for the airport.

We drove down 24 with, surprisingly, no incident and made it to the airport just in time. At 1:00 we landed in New York City! We took a taxi to Fordham and got Evan registered for his summer seminar. 

We unpacked his clothes, made his bed, and ran off campus for some great pizza! Gosh I hope this experience is positive for him! 

After good-byes, Wes, Keagan, and I took the train to Grand Central Station, took the subway 47th street, and walked the block to our hotel. I so lucked out with this Priceline deal! Our hotel is just perfect! Keagan took a short nap, Wes studied the subway maps, and I was just so darn happy to not be pulling a fifty pound bag up stairs, down stairs, and across town.

We grabbed sandwiches for dinner and then took the subway to The Empire State Building for views of more tall buildings. 

I will be honest and say I was underwhelmed. We window shopped at Foot Locker (Keagan is with us after all) until the sun set, picked up cakes at the corner bakery, and toasted to a great day one. 

Eight more days of horns, sirens, smells, and unusual people await us. 

Toole Family Weekend

Ketchup dares + Pool time + Prank telephone calls + Wrestling in the hotel + Work outs in the gym = Cousin time

Toole Family Celebration

We celebrated Nana’s 95th birthday today in hot, humid Arkansas. 

Toole great grand children minus two

Toole grandchildren minus two

Toole children

Toole Family

Amy, Nana, and Wes

Happy Fourth!

This is as festive as our Fourth of July got. 

Exactly six years ago we were unpacking and moving into our new house in Tennessee. Apparently my long term memory is fuzzy and I’ve forgotten the anxiety and stress that comes with moving because here we are moving again. While cleaning out the kitchen, I came across this light up flag. I knew Keagan would find the perfect way to celebrate with it. He did not disappoint. 

https://youtu.be/mQkcLHQq3zc

His interpretive dance is spot on.

Between moving, cleaning the house, and cuddling with a scared dog, this is all we could muster this year. We didn’t even watch the neighborhood fireworks because the dog was crying and the mosquitoes were biting.  

Next year I’ll be sure to medicate the dog, and from my mosquito free screened porch, I’ll watch the fireworks show without a care in the world! This year’s sleeping on air mattresses and eating PBJ for lunch will be a distant memory. 

Another Milestone

Highschool. Homecoming. Drivers ed. First car. ACT. They are all teenager milestones, and today we added another to the list. We spent the better half of our afternoon at the bank getting this. To mark the occasion, he took his girlfriend to Sonic and bought her ice cream. 

The summer leadership program suggested we send him with spending money. There was no way I was sending him to NYC with a wad of cash, so a checking account with a debit card was the next best idea. Now that he knows how to pay for his gas with cash 😉, he now gets to learn how to use his own card and his own money. 

Now we cross our fingers he doesn’t lose it or leave home without it.

The Great Packout

Today is the day. Let the great pack out for move #10 (and the very last) begin. But before the moving company arrives, make sure you pull aside the essentials: pots, plates, peanut butter (you have to eat this week), the lock box, cleaning supplies, the iron, the mop, Hunter’s Christmas gift, pet food, blankets (you will sleep on the floor once the beds are packed but you still need bedding), soccer gear (we still have training), travel documents, towels, toilet paper, and clothing for 19 days. Then be sure to clean out that last closet at 10:30 that Keagan was supposed to have done last week because there is no need to take more than you have to. Lord help me! Please remind me to never do this again!

Texas Trip

This past week was our annual summer trip to Texas. It was only three days, but it was three days packed full of family, food, and fun in the most beautiful place in Texas - my parents’ house. Keagan told me he sat outside on the porch with Opa every morning and finally figured out why Opa made that a part of his daily routine. “It’s the birds, Mom. They make so many different sounds.”

My mom made enough food to feed an army. We never have to worry about going hungry. 

Keagan living his best life as a “Paul” drinking a smoothie and working on his tan. 

The cousins spent endless hours in the pool and were still swimming in the evening when the coyotes came out to hunt. 

My aunt brought my grandmother and Eirick for the day. Before arriving, they stopped at Euford’s in Pittsburg to pick up my favorite peaches.

And when it was time for them to go, Evan scooped the baby up so he wouldn’t burn his feet walking to the car.

Until next summer.