I don't really know where to start

So, I've been absent from my blog lately. Not because I didn't have anything to say, quite the opposite in fact. There has been ALOT to say, I just wasn't free to say it.

Today, I am.

We are moving to San Antonio. Lance has accepted a job as student minister at a church there.

This is a BIG change for us. We've lived in BCS for almost 9 years. Our lives are here, friends, jobs, house, schools, everything. We are very excited and it's very clear that this is where God wants us next. But....we still have lots of emotions to process. This is where our children came to us - that alone makes this community a special place!

Yesterday, we were able to tell our church and that was a huge weight lifted from us. It's hard to keep things from people you worship and do life with.

They were so affirming to Lance yesterday and that was nice. Now, we begin the next phase of our transition - trying to sell our house and saying our goodbyes.

So, if you know anyone who'd like a 2-story, 4-bedroom home in Castlegate, send them our way!!! (sorry, shameless plug there!)

I'll write more in the days to come as we process life in transition.

Here's my sign

Okay, some of the "punch" is lost looking at it sideways, but the fact is, this is an award I never thought we'd receive! :)

We have a lovely sign in our yard declaring us Yard of the Month for Castlegate and now I'm highly motivated to keep the yard weed free and well cared for while Lance is gone! And maybe this is why we really won. They've seen what happens to our yard during the summer while Lance is gone and it's HOT outside. Yeah, MommaJen tends to not really care.

Still here

I'm still alive. Things have been a wee bit chaotic these first two weeks of summer!

Most normal people relax and slow down during summer vacay! At our house, it's the opposite. Lance's busy season is summer and so is mine, so our kids don't have the hazy,lazy days of summer that I did growing up.

Plus, the kids have spent the last two weeks in swimming lessons; N had Space Camp this week and we had VBS every night! The exhaustion has arrived!

But, Lance leaves town tomorrow morning and the kids and I have exactly two things planned for the weekend: playdate with friends and church on Sunday and THAT IS IT. I'm beside myself with excitement at the lack of things to do. Although, I'm sure a few loads of laundry and some vacuuming may have to be squeezed into our weekend of laziness!

We're cutting edge over here

So, this article talks about the "up and coming" jobs that pay well and are in demand.

How awesome that N wants to be a volcanologist since it's on the list.

'Course things could change in the next 15 years while he finishes his education! But, I'm glad he's looking at this job than say, a typewriter repairman or a seller of rotary dial phones.

It's an odd number, really

So, I turned 37 yesterday. 37. It's not a multiple of 5, it's not almost a multiple of 5 - it's just sort of there. Nothing to get too excited about, just one of those numbers you have to pass thru to get to another more exciting (though bigger) numbers!

I had a good day, but you can definitely tell, I've reached that really grown-up age where it's not that big a deal to me to have a birthday. Unlike my younger days when I thought a birthday was a good excuse to not make my bed, go to school or work, or ya' know do anything I didn't want to.

So, my day yesterday consisted of the entire family oversleeping! L woke us all up at 7:15 and panic began! The little neighbor girl rang the doorbell at 7:20,so we were scrambling!

I did enjoy a nice lunch with friends yesterday and when I arrived home L and the kids had some beautiful flowers for me. Dinner was a salad and then we went swimming. A very simple day, but just what I wanted!

My Big Shot arrived last night too! So, hopefully, I'll have some time this weekend to start playing with it!

I got several nice gifts and cards including a blog post from Emily! That was sweet! The card from the kiddos? A singing card that plays Johnny Cash' Ring of Fire --picked out by N -- it was funny!

And today is the last day of school for N! So long 1st grade! Yeah,summer!

Gone Country

We had our wonderful family reunion this weekend in Louisiana. My aunt and uncle have a fabulous place in the country. It is so unbelievably quiet, relaxing, and beautiful and the weather was wonderful. It didn't really get hot until Sunday afternoon.

My kids enjoyed riding a horse, swimming, playing in a playhouse, and searching for arrowheads (that may or may not have been prearranged for them to find). I'm pretty sure they were prearranged, 'cause what are the odds that the 3 children looking for arrowheads would stumble upon exactly 3 arrowheads?!?

I enjoyed visiting with my cousins and their families - it was a great time to catch up and discover that although we live very different lives, we have lots in common! The same basic values that have been passed down to us from our parents. Good times!

And now, I'll share a fun little video with you that has nothing to do with our trip, but is funny nonetheless:

Big Shot

This post is mainly for all my "crafty" friends.

I need some input on the Big Shot. Tell me what you love about it; tell me any negatives (if there are any). I'm debating asking for one for my birthday, but want to hear exactly what it can do before I decide for sure!

Also, related to crafting, we had Card Club Tuesday night at Ellen's house. She came up with the cutest original design of a beach scene complete with sandpaper for the beach. You can check it out on Jennifer's blog. I really enjoy the evenings of visiting with friends and having someone else come up with the ideas and do the clean up!

Oh, and check out this blog for a great idea on looking at all the SU! colors. Some of you may already have a system for this, but I always have to pull out all my papers to find new color combos! This is a genius idea! Already printed out my templates.

The fam is headed to a family reunion this weekend and not a lame-o one, but one where we actually know all the people! I'm excited to see my brother and my cousins and their families! My aunt and uncle are graciously hosting us at their place and it's paradise in the country. Much relaxing, great fun, and delicious food are on the agenda for the weekend!

I hope you all have something fun and special to kick-off SUMMER!