Recap of the last few weeks

I'll try to cover a few of the things that have been happening lately, and I'll start by saying that my life's been very hectic and it's bound to grow in intensity as the month carries out. Last month Rick left for a very welcomed job change. His work is still within the construction field but the job he's currently on offers a much warmer climate than Alaska. It's in Texas! He's been gone for a few weeks now and we hope to join up with him in the next few months. We are looking forward to spending some of the colder Alaskan winter months in a much warmer climate. We are extremely excited that our family will soon take on a more normalized appearance with both parents present and under the same roof. Hallelujah, prayers were certainly answered there! See, for many years now Rick has worked out of town, usually at remote access jobs, where no visitors are even allowed. Our only time together was his off-time which quite often consisted of him resting for days from the long hitch he'd just pulled. Sometimes he would work almost non-stop for 4 to 5 months without seeing his family, come home for a break for 5 days, then back to work again for another long hitch. (It's quite similar to the military life, and I have all respect and gratitude for the great service given by our armed forces members along with the families that stand proudly beside them and their jobs) I grew accustomed to Rick's working lifestyle but it wasn't ideal for our children's sake. They needed their father present in a more consistent manner, which became so much more evident following our adoption. Our new kids didn't understand why their Dad's job called for him to be gone away from them so much. It was a tough few months but the kids did eventually grow to understand and handle the absences better. We're now counting down the days until we meet up! Oh, can't wait for that day!!

Just before Rick got the job in Texas we found out we had a buyer for our house. We have been occupying our time recently in getting ready for the house sale. Clearing out our stuff is presenting a huge challenge! We have entirely too much stuff! I still have weeks of work to be done. One thing's for certain -- I hope to never live in a cluttered environment ever again! (I'm sure that comment got huge smiles from my husband, and my in-laws. Maybe even a good belly laugh.) It's true so just believe me! I have a tendency to allow myself to take on too much anyways, just my nature, but never again will I let things get out of control or to the point that they bog me down! I really am looking forward to simplicity and more organization surrounding me! I wonder, will my husband, my mom, or my friends recognize the new me? I'm sure my kids will find more enjoyment in the new me! I'm mostly looking forward to spending more one-on-one time with my heavenly Father, and these changes will free up more time making that possible!

I've posted a few pictures of Luis after we went to the 4th of July parade. The kids enjoyed watching the parade, especially since each one gathered a full bag of candy from just sitting there looking charming. In their viewpoint, not a bad take for an hour's worth of entertainment. This year we chose to watch the parade instead of walk in the parade with our church as we have in the past years. I thought the kids would find it more entertaining this year to watch than to participate in it and I was right! They especially loved seeing all their church friends walking by either waving or coming over for hugs. I have to admit, I really enjoyed just watching this year too! Probably the most memorable thing during the parade was that a huge bald eagle soared just overhead almost the whole duration. It flew very low and just circled around and around overhead. Just a beautiful sight to see and so significant of a time!

After the parade we went to a free picnic at the community park. Thankfully the weather forecasters had it all wrong and the weather for that day turned out remarkably nice and hot! We even got a little sunburn from sitting in the park enjoying fellowship and free hot dogs as we celebrated our day of freedom!

We didn't do any fireworks this year and the kids couldn't quite understand why not. Very simply put... we live only a block or two from the fireworks stands and the only legal place to shoot fireworks off is in our little community. Why would we want to buy any fireworks when they are all around us? Boom after boom, bang after bang, for days! Just look out any window in the house and you'll find a free fireworks demonstration! For days it's like this, and well into all hours of the night too. It's the one true week I wish I didn't live here! Sleep deprivation and me equals crankiness, no doubt about it! Not to mention I've never really been into fireworks in the first place. Love looking at them but could do without the noise! All in all, the kids understood why mom wouldn't buy them any fireworks after they got their 24/7 fireworks fix for that entire week around that holiday!

I'll have more to report on soccer games because all three (Marissa, Fabian, and Karen) are playing this year, but that's for another post.
God Bless,
Genece