Just a little update after a brief absence

We are still just trying to get situated here. I can't believe we have been in the house two weeks already! Some days it feels like we have only been here hours and others years!

I am completely worn out most of the time! I know - waah, waah!

Lauren has made some new friends at school and some even live in our neighborhood! She has been riding her bike to and from school and is LOVING that! Mom only followed her once! :-)

Here is a smilebox I made of Lauren's room (and one guest room picture). It is the only room that is really finished - although I keep finding boxes and don't know where to put them in here!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I will try to get better at just posting throughout the week. I feel like I need something to write about, but I guess a blog is really just what's going on even if it is nothing. I am hoping to get settled and then have some time to really learn this blogging thing. I really hate the background and want a new cool template. My friend Michelle (The Dream Team) has one and so does my friend Loni (Dog Eared Digest).

Anyway, Directv is coming in a few minutes to get us set up so I best be welcoming them so my hubby can have his football tomorrow!

Good news and bad news...

Good news - we will (hopefully) close on our house on September 12 (yep, this Friday). Lauren and I will stay here in Tucson until this weekend. Shane will sign papers and fly in on Friday night and we will pack up and head to the new homestead on Saturday evening. Lauren starts school on Monday, the 15th. Perfect timing! God is good!

Bad news - I am 14th on the list for the crime lab job. The odds of me getting it at this point are slim to none. I need 13 people to drop out or not pass a background check! Not great odds... Back to the old drawing board. Once we are in Vegas for good, I can really start the job search in earnest. Really, though 14th out of over 100 people isn't too shabby, but not quite good enough!

I need to learn how to put little pictures and stuff in my blog so it will look cooler and be more fun to read! Any advice would be helpful!

Some odds and ends and other random thoughts...

Today is mostly about getting out of working, cleaning, etc...

I did clean out the fridge, freezer, and pantry and gave a bunch of unstorable and underused food items to Amy. I believe it forced her into a cleaning frenzy to figure out where to put it all. The new house has a pantry the size of a linen closet, which is about half the size of our current pantry. That said, I have to downsize greatly in the amount of food I store in our pantry. I may have to start buying foods we will actually eat now! Novel thought...

I packed up some various items in Lauren's room - that is really all that is left in the house - various items. Some will go into the garage and some will go with me to Vegas for now. The garage is packed with the TV (which better be there when we get back to pick it up - Nicole, Amy!), couches, and boxes. I did not do a great job at labeling boxes, so it will be a lot like Christmas when we move in to the house. I am hoping it will not be Christmas when we move in!!!

We haven't heard anything on a close date yet, but our agent is thinking it should be relatively soon. We have everything done on our part so far, it is all on the bank now. Shane will be coming back to Tucson (maybe Lauren and me as well) to pick up our stuff from the garage.

I have been researching churches near us to find some we can "try before we buy". I found one that really looks a lot like our current one, so I am hoping to give it a whirl soon.

The Crossing : A Christian Church Las Vegas : About Us

It looks like a lot of fun for all of us. I may even be able to start a Vegas "Dinner for Six".

I am also trying to research GPS units. I want one for the car, but am also thinking we may start geocaching as a family hobby. Is there a unit that will be good with both? We aren't looking for extreme geocaching, just some easy hikes and such and possibly on road trips. I was reading you want a waterproof one because it will get wet...yeah, right...I am pretty sure my kind of geocaching will not involve forging rivers for trinkets!

Smilebox

I LOVE Smilebox! It is an online scrapbooking tool. Even though I have literally thousands of dollars in actual scrapbook material, I have little to no time to scrapbook anymore. It is so much easier to just download my pictures and drag and drop to the proper location! It was $39.95 for a year and they add new scrapbooks all the time. The downside is you can't print them (at least as printable scrapbooks), but I am quite content they are in the computer! They are also sendable via email, you can add them to facebook, and you can add them to your blog...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Here is our house (I hope I did it right...) in Vegas. We should be in it sometime this month. We are hoping sooner rather than later. Let's see if this works...

Just getting started...

After a good many of my friends have started blogs and have "encouraged" me to start one, I have decided to give it a try. We shall see how long this lasts (hopefully I can stick to it). I am hoping Shane will get involved at times as well, but that may or may not happen.