Day 43 and 44

So I haven't had much opportunity every day to use the computer, but I blog when I do!

Yesterday and today have been days of friends and fun in the sun!  I babysat my friends two cute kiddos yesterday and today and we had a BLAST going to the beach and playing at a water park.

Yesterday at Baby Beach down in Dana Point, my friend Marisa met up with us for a couple of hours.  It was fun to sit and chat with her AND as a bonus, Joel's camp came out to the beach and were digging for treasure so I got to see how much fun Joel was having!

Marisa was getting ready to leave and my friend Lindsay came and sat with us for a couple of hours!  It was a rotating friend beach day!  She was such a great help getting the kids washed up and to the car.  I was so happy to see how much fun Connor was having in the sand and he met lots of new little friends at the beach playing in the waves.

Last night as Connor was going to bed, he asked me to tell him a bed time story.  We have been making stories up lately and telling them to him.  So I told about a little boy named "Connor" and all the fun he had at the beach and some BIG adventures he went on.  It was SO cute to see him use his imagination and smile the whole way through the story!

After Connor went to bed, my dad surprised Joel with a Jackalope head lol.  Joel had been asking me about them since we moved to Texas (I guess he thought they live there or something) and I told him they are around.  So he was so happy to have his very own stuffed Jackalope!

Today was so much fun being at the water park with the kids!  Connor had SO much fun swimming in the 2.5 feet of water and going under to catch the torpedoes we brought.  He had a lot of fun playing with friends and I got to enjoy my time with my friend Lisa who stopped by....rotating friends week I tell ya!  We sat in the water and talked about her visit to Europe...how fun!  I think one of my favorite happy moments is to listen to other people tell about theirs and see their faces light up as they remember great times!  One of her favorite times was in Ireland listening to men play traditional Irish music...IN Ireland...doesn't that just sound so fantastic?!  She said she was almost moved to tears....such a beautiful happy moment!

After the water park, I picked Joel up from camp and we went back to my friend's home with her two kiddos.  My friend ordered us pizza and we ate and then the kids played.  I am so thankful for having the opportunity to watch my friend's kids these past couple of days!  It has been so much fun and quite the vacation treat to provide Connor with friends while Joel is away.

I hope you all are enjoying the summer.  It sure is flying by, but stop and take a moment or two to do something you REALLY have been wanting to do this year!  Have a great night all!

Day 41 and 42

Well, still here in California.  Been go go going and these past two days have been relaxing and busy.

Sunday we went to church and then took naps and then dinner, so pretty much my happy moment for the day was napping!  The kids enjoyed church and it was really nice to see so many faces of people that I knew growing up.  It will be fun coming here and visiting my parents and going to their ward to see people I knew in high school!

Today was a busy but good day!  I dropped Joel off at his camp today and he was so excited to learn about the ocean and pirates!

Connor and I went to the chiropractor to get adjusted...always a happy moment to be relaxed and hear my back crack lol.  We ran a few errands that I  had needed to do before moving but just never had time for and now I am feeling FAR less stressed about those things.  Then we met up at a sushi place with my friend for lunch.  I miss her so much!  I am SO happy we got to spend a couple hours catching up, talking about her future travels, and eating some of the most amazing Sushi I have ever had!  Connor loves eating sushi as well so he was happy to dig in with us on our adventurous rolls.

I actually had 20 minutes to sit and talk on the phone with friends and David today.  That was really a happy moment for me.  What made it even more special is knowing I have one REAL for sure friend back in Texas so far.  She called me to ask my advise and talk about our kids. We had a 30 minute discussion and made plans to get together with our boys when I get back.  SUCH a happy moment to feel the friendship formed and laugh like crazy and be able to help my friend in need.  I felt very blessed to have that phone chat today.

I picked Joel up from camp and we headed out for MORE food.  I swear I SO need to get back on track when I get back to Texas because nothing is going to fit me when I am done here in California lol.  We went to one of our favorite Tepan grill places and had a nice family time with my parents and my mom's friend who has never been to a place like that before.  The boys LOVED watching the fire and the volcano ring of onions.  It amazes me to watch Connor eat shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini, and noodles...I don't think I liked any of that stuff when I was little but he sure does!

After dinner Joel went home with my parents and Connor and I took a shopping trip to Target (the place I used to shop when we lived here) oh HOW I love that place.  I bought some food but also did some "window" shopping for future decor in our house...there is some GOOD stuff at that place!

Well, today and yesterday were good days to be thankful.  I am grateful for my little family and the love we have for one another.  I am thankful for the teachings of my church and that when it comes down to it, I can put all that I have learned from my previous 365 days blog into action.  If you live your life with consistent behaviors day after day, when a could-be difficult moment arises, it won't be...because the habits you have formed will have prepared you for that situation.  That can be said about anything really...weight loss attempts, financial situations, and even dealing with someone you haven't seen in 2 years and were totally un prepared to see and had NO idea how you would act if you ever saw them again (not that the last thing there happened to ME today or anything ;-)  )  Well readers, have a good night and blessings to you all!  

Day 37-Day 40

Hello from sunny California!

So I don't know, it just feels like I am cheating on this 365 Days of Dallas a bit blogging from California.  I am supposed to be finding happy moments in my NEW place of residence and seeking out friendships through the difficult first year of living there.  Being HERE, well, not so difficult because I am on vacation baby!!!

It feels SO good to be able to sleep all night long and not wake up with nightmares about what could go wrong tomorrow with the new workman or with something else.  I am sleeping SO much and better than I have in a while.  David and I had been getting to bed SO late every night trying to unpack this, or prepare that.  He is still in Texas unpacking away and I am riding rides at Legoland!  Tonight was my first opportunity to get on a computer so I figured I would blog the last four days in one post.  So here goes!

• The flight to California was one of the smoothest and easiest I have been on in a LONG time, so many many thanks to all of the prayers sent up on our behalf...they worked and I appreciate each and every one!
• We had a great time at Legoland and Legoland Sea Life Aquarium.  We went on Wednesday and Friday and the boys had so much fun going on rides they have been begging me to ride for a year now!  We had passes but let them expire last year.  It was fun to see Connor so much taller and able to go on more rides with Joel.  Joel LOVED going on rides with his brother when the ride permitted and I was a single rider a lot of the time.  That was fine with me because I encourage brotherly love at every moment!
• There were so many special moments at Legoland this time, but seeing Connor SO excited about seeing crabs and lobsters in the aquarium, and not because they are his favorite animal, but because he wants to EAT them was pretty hysterical!
• We got to see the world's LARGEST Lego structure.  It is truly amazing to see over 5 million Legos put together to form a Star Wars x-wing.  We had pictures taken with it and I will treasure those moments of awe!
• Eating at the Legoland Hotel was a major highlight for us.  The boys have wanted to stay at the hotel for a while now, but we are about a year and a half away from doing so, David doesn't have much vacation time and that is a MUST DO with him, but the restaurant in the hotel was amazing and the kids had a great breakfast and a side of fun!
• On our day off of Legoland, we went to Chuck E Cheese's and to see the movie Turbo with my mom.  I am very thankful for some Grandma time with the boys and I hope they treasure the memories of doing things with their grandmother as much as I treasure my memories of movie time and play time with my grandparents.
• Today was a day of going all over.  Visiting my dad's work, going to our favorite mall (and of course the Disney Store while there) and then Joe's Crab Shack in Newport Beach with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and their cute kiddos.  Family time is always HAPPY MOMENT time and the JOY that came to Connor's face while eating all that crab....priceless!
• On the way home tonight, I was at a stop light and my friend and neighbor that I grew up with was in the very next car!  She was headed to her mother's home so we met up on the street and had a wonderful chat!  She is in town for a couple of days so I am looking forward to some girl time with her...what are the ODDS both of us, who live away, would be heading back home at the same time...that was fun!

I am thankful for a much needed rest and break from our crazy Texas time.  I AM meeting friends out there and I hope to make a few more when I head back and head into the start of school.  Hopefully I can plan on some Mom's Night Out there soon when I get back as well!

For now I am thankful for the fun times we are having!  Church tomorrow and happy moments to be made!  So thankful for the opportunities of happy moments so far...I will keep them coming.....

Day 36

Good evening all!  Well I am busy packing away for the kids and my trip to California tomorrow, but I thought I would stop in, blog, and get back to packin!

There was lots to get done today and for the most part we did it.  The kids are just SO tired of shopping with mommy for the house and having mommy on the phone to fix the most current housing crisis lol.  I had them running up and down a shopping center at one point today just to get them OUT and doing something.

Today some of my happiest moments were spending time with my dog.  I love my Ginger!  She is so sweet and NEEDY sometimes but that is ok.  She gives me unconditional love just like Daisy did.  She loves to sit and be pet and show how happy she is by barking and wagging her tail.  There are fewer joys in this life than playing with a puppy....even a BIG puppy!

I made brownies for David tonight so he has some chocolaty goodness to enjoy while we are gone.  I hope he has a nice time with the dog and kitties...I am going to miss them! AND David of course!

I heard a man talking on the phone with his son today at the restaurant where we ate lunch.  It was heart breaking.  The man just kept saying over and over "well son I just want you to know that we love you and your family but you need to respect you mother as a MOM."  He was obviously having "in-law" issues with his daughter in law and he talked about how his wife was confused and she didn't know what she did wrong and how he hopes that his little grandchildren won't be taught to hate him and his wife.  But at the end of the conversation, with all the conviction of that man's heart he said to his son, "Son we LOVE you, do you hear me?  Do you understand what I am saying?  I pray for you guys every night and we LOVE you, I know you are mad, but please, please hear that."  Well if that doesn't just make you well up with tears!  It broke my heart.  I don't like saying things to people after listening in on their conversations...it really makes you look like a crazy person lol (and if you have never listened in on someone's conversation.....well, not sure what to say, I do it all of the time because I am interested in human behavior).  But this time I felt every string in my heart pulled and my mouth just sort of opened and said "Sir!"  He turned and pointed and mouthed, "are you pointing to me?"  He walked over and I told him I just wanted him to know that I heard part of his conversation and that I will be praying for him and his family to find peace and that I have BEEN where he is and even thought it took a good long while, things came around and my children LOVE their grandparents.  Oh how I hope it is the same for that man in his life.  So I don't know that this is any happy moment, but sometimes in life you feel compelled to help someone out, and I want to remember this so I am writing it down.

Well, I am getting on an airplane with two kiddos tomorrow.  PLEASE pray for our safety.  I hate flying...I usually take happy pills to help me fly, but with two kids I am probably not going to be able to do that so just pray we have a nice smooth flight eh?  Have a great night all and many many more happy moments to come in California!

Day 35

I am getting to bed before 10:30 tonight people!!! HAPPY MOMENT!

So today was another day of balancing putting things away and letting the kids enjoy their summer.  Joel is kind of getting the short end of the stick this summer because he got out mid June and then starts school here in late August.  But, I am doing what I can to keep it fun and make some summer memories with them!

Today we hung out in the morning and the boys helped me make eggs and toast.  We got a good laugh out of Connor "gently" cracking the egg.  He is a giant of a child and I don't think there is much his hands will ever do "gently" so smashing the egg w one hand into smithereens and then letting it seem through the cracks was his style of getting the egg in the bowl.  He wasn't happy that Joel and I were laughing, but it was so cute!

After being on the computer a while trying to figure out how to get a Texas license for my line of work, still don't know how, I took the boys out and we got to drive "Hailey" the new car to McDonald's.  We sort of have a Monday McDonald's thing going on right now and the boys love getting the new Despicable Me 2 toy each week.  The place we went to today had an amazing play area and I think we will be back to that one again sometime.  The boys had fun meeting new friends and playing on the play area.

We headed to the grocery store and had fun shopping there.  I tell  ya, there are SO many grocery stores in the area it really IS fun and is a genuine happy moment to shop at them.  Today we did an organic grocery store and had fun picking out things for our salad with dinner tonight.  We came home and played and I began dinner.  Joel is getting so grown up!  He helped me cut the celery, cabbage, lettuce, and grate the cheese.  He loved it in the kitchen and was so proud to tell David how much he helped me with dinner.  He now clears the table and cleans it after dinner as well...so nice!

Well, it is 10:25 so I need to be heading upstairs to get in bed pronto lol.  I am grateful for a day with tiny happy moments to help me along my way.  Our house is becoming a HOME for us and I am thankful for that as well.  Have a blessed night all!

Day 34

Happy Sunday all!  It is almost midnight so going to bullet this and hopefully head to bed!

• Church was great today.  I was a sub for Connor's class and it was SO fun to teach his little 3-4 yr old class.  What an INCREDIBLE difference from the 3-4 yr class in California.  All of these little ones sat, sang, and were quiet.  For the most part in class they listened, they participated, and were so so sweet.  I taught the 4-5 yr old class back in California and I had to have a team teacher because the kids were so out of control every week.  I am so grateful we live in an area where the kids are a bit more mellow, not really sure why that is, but I will take it!
• We came home from church and had some nice lunch and then ALL of us went down for a lovely nap!  We all slept for about 3 hours and I think we all felt much better.  I don't know why we aren't sleeping a lot here...possibly having repair men here every morning, boxes everywhere, and can't find anything, but ya know...one day at a time!
• We had a nice dinner around the dinner table tonight and then went out to the back yard to play with Ginger and we played a round of "HORSE" with our basketball and hoop.  It was a really fun time and Ginger was SO happy to have fun with her family in the back yard!
• We came inside for ice cream and watched Return of the Jedi in our family room with our surround sound speakers....wow that was quite the Star Wars experience!
• After Star Wars, we got the kiddos ready for bed.  I must say, tonight was the easiest getting the kiddos ready for bed in a long time.  They were so sweet to one another, they were happy to pray, and they were so sweet as we gave hugs and kisses for bed.  It was so precious!

So today was a perfect Sunday.  I am so thankful for my cutie pie boys and my furry daughter.  Everyone was so loving today.  The boys had their moments in Sacrament meeting today but church at 9 AM after not sleeping well will bring some interesting attitudes but the naps brought about much different kiddos so that was good!  Alright, time for bed and the dawn of a new week!  

Day 33

Hello all!  Hope you are enjoying this beautiful Saturday.  It has been a really LONG day for us, but one filled with happy moments!

• I went to a nail salon in town and got a manicure and a pedicure today.  My nails look fabulous and I met some people from church there!  We had a lovely visit and I left feeling like I made two more friends today!  HAPPY MOMENT!
• When I came home, I showed David a couple of cars I had found while getting my nails done and he said we should go look at them!  So after our couches in the bonus room got delivered, we headed out to Arlington Texas on a car hunt!
• We were at the dealership for almost 4 hours, but after wheeling and dealing, test driving, signing a lot of paperwork, meeting new people, laughing, and saying goodbye to our old car, we drove off in our new Ford Explorer!  We are happy with what we have and looking forward to the many adventures that we will have in the years to come!
• We ate at a new restaurant called Saltgrass Steakhouse.  It was SUPER yummy and the kids were STARVING by the time we got done at the dealer.  They ate ALL of their food and even dug in to a carrot cake David ordered for dessert.  The boys were so good at dinner and fell asleep on the ride home in their new car.
• I am so thankful for my new car and all of the bells and whistles it has.  We got it for a really good price and I am grateful for the navigation system in it that got us home!

Well, it is almost midnight (SOME day we WILL get to bed before 10 again!) Time to head to bed and looking forward to church tomorrow!  I hope all of you enjoy your Sunday day!

Day 32

Things got a little bit sunnier today!  I was able to talk with a lot of people from the moving van company today and I think they are working on a resolution.  It is still sad we don't know what happened to our belongings, and we may never know, but being able to replace some of them and hopefully re-make another will help us move on.

Today was a very busy day again.  I feel so bad that the kids and I can't get out of the house or do lunch until really late, but I did all of the laundry and packed up a box and shipped it to California for our visit next week.  It is actually cheaper to ship a box instead of carry a suitcase on a plane these days...sad.

It is so beautiful here in the summer!  We have had summer storm after summer storm and I am thoroughly enjoying the ROLLING thunder!  The rain was amazing as it washed down my car.  We drove around town doing errands and being amazed by the rain today!

After errands, we finally made it to a place in town for our lunch/dinner.  The kids and I really enjoyed eating our sandwiches and watching/hearing the weather some more.  I love sitting at the dinner table talking with my boys.  I get all kinds of questions asked at the dinner table.  Connor LOVES to ask questions about rides at Disneyland.  Mostly which rides are fast, which rides we will do next time, which rides are my favorite.  He asks these questions pretty much at every meal.  Joel likes to discuss the latest video game he has been working on or talk about Ninjago or Star Wars....I live very much in a little boy world.  Around my dinner table there isn't any talk of Disney Princesses or Barbies lol.

We all made it home to be with Daddy for a few hours before bed time.  After the kids went to bed, David and I set up our favorite date night meal of artisan bread, balsamic vinegar, peach balsamic vinegar (both from Ojai Olive Oil Company....many thanks to them) and our favorite sodas.  We sat down and watched Sharknado together.  We both got some REALLY good laughs out of that show!  The best one by far was when a wall of water and sharks rained down upon a guy and you hear him yell, "OW!"  Again, after a wall of water and sharks fell on him lol.

So that is pretty much my day.  Excited for the weekend and happy another week has passed and at the end of it, I am feeling hopeful for more happy moments! 

Day 31 and one month down 11 to go!

Hello there, well...here I am...on my happy moment blog...going to dig deep tonight folks.  Today was a day that I am hoping can direct your attention to being kind to others.  "Be kind and friends will follow."  I don't know when I first heard that quote, but I have tried to live it each day.  I tried to do that in my hospital bed time and time again with each nurse I met back in the day.  I tried to do that with real estate agents as I worked on selling my home in California and moving here to Texas.  I have tried ever so hard to do that as, for the last month going on two now, National Van Lines has held our personal belongings hostage in a storage facility in California with no driver, then brought our items to Texas only to have some of the most important ones get badly damaged or lost and then tell us there is nothing they can do for us.  Today was one of those days that I reminded myself over and over again to be kind.  To remember that the voice on the other end of the phone was another human being with possibly a family, with friends, and someone who deserves to be treated fairly.  Today my readers I was pushed to the edge of kindness and bordered on rudeness, but I did not cross that line, and I will not cross that line.  We are doing everything we can to get answers and to do what is right, but it has been a difficult day. Days like today and I truly do appreciate our family's mantra of "Find the joy."  It helps to remember to smile and to go do something fun amidst the stress.

So today the boys were eager to find the playroom less full of boxes and more full of their unpacked toys and legos.  Connor was so sweet as he eagerly jumped around and cheered with joy over his Duplo legos being available to play with once more!  Joel was happy to find some of his Star Wars Lego kits and began building them this morning.

We didn't get out of the house until a bit later because of lots of phone calls today, but we ate at one of the local hamburger places for lunch.  I had a chocolate milkshake (yes, stress eating is something I do VERY well lately) and it was delightful!  It was so creamy and cold it tasted like I was drinking a marshmallow concoction that had some dark chocolate ribbon mixed through it.  The boys enjoyed helping me drink our dessert as well! We headed home and I had a nice time on Facebook chatting with some friends about events.  I am so thankful for the friends that I have.  I hope that I can make just as good of friends here in Texas as I did in California.  I am so thankful for the friends tonight who have dropped me off at the hospital to have surgeries, who have picked me up post surgery, who have been there for me as a single mom for six weeks and shed tears as we navigated single mom stuff together.  I am thankful for the friends who click "like" when I share something that is meaningful to me and are as passionate about certain subjects as I am.  I am so grateful for my friends who lend virtual shoulders to cry on because they are not here with me physically but absolutely here with me in my heart.

I headed to the mall and did some retail therapy and saw a goofy movie.  How I wish I would have had my dear girlfriends to come with me tonight to continue to talk to and with me do some great shopping.  I have only lived here a month so having meaningful gal pals is going to take a bit longer, but I so look forward to our trips to the mall and laughter in the future!

Thanks for reading dear readers.  I am so grateful for the happy moments of losing myself in a movie or feeling pretty in a dress.  I am grateful for a husband who, without one single debate, sends me out the door for some "me" time and doesn't ask me if I got around to accomplishing my long list of errands I still have for tomorrow.  I am grateful for the people who know me, who have read the previous 365 days blog and understand that I KNOW roadblocks like most people should NEVER have to know roadblocks.  And that I can get through this...for this too will just be another day in my new 365 day journey I can look back on in tears soon and think, "HOW did I get through that day?!"  Pleasant dreams all!

Day 30

Good evening!  So today's happy moments will be brought to you via bullets...shall we begin

• Went back to the kid play place we previously visited a couple of weeks ago.  The boys had fun playing in the floor to ceiling play area.  I think I had more fun visiting with other moms and getting to chat.
• We went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  It was close to my doctor's office and I have missed eating at that place.  Eating there with the kids...not as much fun as with girlfriends, but they love eating there too and were very well behaved so yea for that!
• The doctor said my toe is almost healed and in two more weeks it should be fine to start working out!  Hey, it's only been a few months, what's a couple more weeks?!
• Connor and Joel both took really good rests today so I could unpack for 2.5 hours!  I got so much unpacked!  My bathroom is looking good and a lot of the bonus room is looking more like a playroom and media room now!
• I made dinner and we ate at home tonight!  It is so great to sit around our dinner table, talk about Daddy's work, ask the kids questions, and enjoy a home-cooked meal.  I look forward to many more!

After dinner we unpacked like crazy again.  The house is coming along and should be in much better shape before we leave for our California vacation next week!  Looking forward to seeing friends and Legoland in just one week's time!  Hope everyone is having a joyful time where ever you are!  Take care all!

Day 29

Hey all!  So happy to be blogging away tonight!  Today was FULL of happy moments!  From beginning to end we did a lot and laughed a lot.  Don't you just love days like that?  Now as for being productive and me unpacking....well....not as much today, but hopefully tomorrow I will knock out my bathroom for sure!

This morning we were up and out the door with Joel, Connor, and Ginger in tow to the local park.  Ginger had THE best time running around and rolling in the dirt....dogs.  She was so happy and tired when we got back home she passed right out!  The boys and I took a break and had some lunch and then we went out for snow cones at a new place today, since the regular place in town seems to ALWAYS be closed lately, and got our same Tiger's Blood with Watermelon flavor (don't knock it till you've tried it!)  We headed over to the AMAZING park in town built for physically disabled kids and able bodied kiddos.  The boys had non stop fun playing and running around.  This park is SO big that each time we go, we discover a new thing!  Today it was tight rope walking and holding on to these ropes while climbing from post to post.  We left there sweaty and happy for sure!

We came home and Connor went down for a nap and Joel and I played some Candy Crush together.  He loves helping me play that game and gets down right annoyed when I don't do a move he suggests lol it cracks me up!

After naps and after David came home from work, we headed over to a party for new ward members.  We had THE best time getting to know new people in the ward and some people who have been in the ward a good long while.  The boys had a great time playing and making new friends.  I was able to talk to a lot of new people and make new friends, and David made a friend who is a physics teacher at a high school!  So exciting!  So we all had a lot of fun meeting new people and making plans for the future to get together.  I am so happy for David most of all.  In our old ward he was so busy working, going to school, helping ME, and other stuff that he didn't have a lot of time to make friends with others in the ward.  It really didn't help that our kid was the only one going to the elementary school on the other side of town either.  This time is different and we couldn't be happier!  It has been so great to jump right in and make friends and learn names and not be afraid if we forget people's names (because that is going to happen a lot in the next few months).  I am so grateful for our up and at it attitude and our desire to make friends out here.  Tonight was full of happy moments and friend making for our entire family and I feel so blessed for that!  I am so thankful for our home out here and I am so grateful for such happy wonderful people!  Well, time to head off the computer and start watching the season premier of Suits!  SO excited for that!  Have a great night y'all!  

Day 28

Good evening all!  Well today was a pretty slow day with all of the rain, but we managed to make happy moments indoors!

We ran errands and had fun going back and forth to the library.  There is a puppet show are and the boys love playing puppets there.  We went back later in the afternoon to watch a show sponsored by the city.  It was a science show and the boys loved it!  It was so much fun to watch the boys get excited about it!

Joel checked out a library book for the first time from the library and is looking forward to reading some of it tonight.

We met David at a BBQ place for dinner because I was so tired from the day and the rain and the unpacking.  It was a nice dinner and both boys behaved really well!  We came home and relaxed.  We said prayers and then the boys wanted to watch David play a video game for a while.  It was so cute to watch the boys snuggled next to their dad watching him eagerly play.  It was a great happy moment to have everyone in the family room and see what life will be like once all of the stuff is unpacked and life calms down a bit!

David and I got to watch a season finale of one of our favorite television shows downstairs as well.  I made a large cup of my cozy chamomile tea and drank it and watched....such a quite, wonderful, happy moment!
Today was full of quiet happy moments.  I am so thankful that my laundry room got painted, the boys gave me some quiet times playing in our back yard, and that we enjoyed some nice family time together.  Looking forward to tomorrow!  We have our first party to go to!  Always fun looking forward to a party!

Day 27

Hello hello!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday!

I went today and got a couch and a coffee table for our media/game/playroom.  I found THE perfect coffee table.  We were looking for something that was big and square, that had space underneath for baskets, and could be used as a train, lego, entertainment table.  Nailed it!  This table has all of those functions and I just know we are going to love it for years to come!  It was nice meeting new people at the store and I am so thankful for the break I got from the boys for a few hours.  I love my kids, but having some quality ME time really does make me a better mom!

David and Joel went off to a sports game tonight so it was just me and Connor hanging out.  We had fun watching games, playing alphabet games, and having mother/son fun.  I am worried about him though.  A lot of the stuff he learned this last year in preschool, he seems to be forgetting.  I am going to make lots of effort this summer to re teach and hopefully get him to retain the information for school this coming year!

After Connor went to bed, I unpacked a few more boxes (7-8 I lost count) and made a fruit salad for tomorrow for dinner.  I am making teryaki chicken and sides for dinner AT our home!  I have unpacked enough kitchen stuff that we can do that.  Everyone is super excited!  The fruit salad is so darn easy to make and the kids gobble it down.  Fruit like raspberries, grapes, strawberries, pineapple...mix it up and put two tablespoons of vanilla (this time I had French Vanilla so I am doing that) over the fruit, mix and then serve!  They don't want dessert after eating that!

Well, it was another productive day today!  Hoping to find a couple more things that I am missing along the way, but I DID find the boy's church shoes so they don't have to wear flipflops or tennis shoes tomorrow lol WOO HOO!  Have a wonderful night all!

Day 26

Happy Friday everyone!  Today was a day of staying home and unpacking!  David is off every other Friday from work (one of the many perks we like about his new job) and it was great to have him home fixing things, putting things up, and taking dumpster runs to the local apartment complex (seriously, if you haven't thought of taking all your boxes to a dumpster, think about it now because we have a tiny trash can that would take WEEKS of filling over and over to get rid of our boxes!)  Our city doesn't have special hauls so this works for us.

I unpacked a really good portion of the kitchen and I am finally figuring out where things should go.  It is a big happy moment in a woman's life to unpack her kitchen and put things where she thinks they should go.  I close my eyes and think, "Where am I going to look for...." It has worked out pretty well so far!

I got my oil changed today and loved it!  Where we used to live in a place called Brea, California, they had the most amazing oil change place called Oil Can Henry's.  They would let you stay in your car and give you a bottle water and a USA Today newspaper.  I LOVED changing the oil with baby Joel because I didn't have to get him out of the car and entertain him...he stayed in the car and played with toys for the 20 minutes it took to change the oil.  Well, they have a place here similar to that where you can stay in your car, they will give you water or a soda, pump air conditioning into your car while you sit and wait, and let you watch any channel on a large screen television!  I did have to go in while my car was being inspected and inside the place they had a free soda fountain, newspapers, and TVs...I am in LOVE with that place!

Later on this afternoon we finally got my car registered here in Texas with Texas plates.  We found out I can get special plates like I had in California so we will be looking into that soon!

After the car place, we headed to dinner to an Italian restaurant we found online and oh my was it good!  I was feeling a little sad about not being able to find a decent Italian restaurant around here (yes I am a food snob because I am British, German and Italian by blood....can't help loving the food I love!)  This food was delicious and the marinara sauce was an actual tomato sauce that had cooked tomatoes right in it!  We had a cannoli for dessert and it was fantastic! (You can tell really good Italian restaurants by the taste of their cannoli....little hint for you out there)

After dinner, we went and visited a Cabella's for the first time.  What a neat place!  We found a lot of neat things in there including organic Boisenberry jam!  It is so sad that the jams at the grocery store are loaded with corn syrup these days.  Not this jam!  Sugar, berries, and pectin woo hoo! We also went to the local organic grocery store to pick up some more fruit and Sasparilla (my husband is hooked on the stuff lol).

We headed home, the boys are in bed, and David is working on putting up one of the two TVs that did NOT go missing from our moving van.  It is the smaller one, but who cares?  At this point I am grateful for what we have.  Still hoping we will hear something back from the moving van people though...hopefully Monday.  Well, have a fantastic Friday night all!  So happy to be in my home, on my couch, typing away.  Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and unpacking some more!  The goal is to have the kitchen mostly done so I can cook a nice meal for us on Sunday...fingers crossed!

Day 25

Well, the day is over.  It was a long hot one today here in the Dallas area.  We DID get a thunderstorm with some rain in the late afternoon and since we are only allowed to water our grass once a week here, that was a big happy moment to get a free watering in!

Hung out with the kiddos today.  My productivity level was pretty much at a zero since I have this huge wrap thing on my foot and was told to stay off of it for a while.  I am hoping to unpack at least half of the kitchen tomorrow.  David is off work and so we can take turns entertaining the kids.  I did get to sit and watch TV shows on the laptop with the boys, we went to an amazing park and played for a while, and then we came home and took naps!  It felt SO good taking a nap today!

Tonight I bought a toaster oven to replace the one the movers broke.  The other one was about 7 years old so it wasn't a horrible loss.  It will be nice to put it on the counter and have something to make waffles in now!

While giving the boys a bath tonight, they were fighting like cats and dogs.  Honestly I think my cats and dog fight LESS than the kids did in the bath tonight lol.  So instead of getting angry I attempted a different tactic and it seemed to work pretty well....for this time anyway.  I stopped them, made them hold hands, and had them say a prayer together.  I then put Connor to bed because Joel was carrying on how stupid the praying was and how he hated praying.  I think he was trying really hard to get a bad reaction but I just walked away.  I put Connor to bed and he said the sweetest prayer for Joel!  I know Joel heard it and I thanked Connor and told him how nice it was that he loved Joel so much and how much I loved them both.  Joel for sure heard that because he came into my room and told me that he didn't like himself.  So I told him to just go into Connor's room, apologize, give him a kiss, and maybe he would feel better about himself after that.  Well it worked wonders.  He came out of Connor's room skipping and beaming and laughing.  He said he felt better and headed off to bed a happy kid!  I am a pretty happy mom and very thankful that the little lesson we went through tonight worked.  Could I have just yelled and sent them to bed right away? Of course, and that would have taken much less time as well, but the lesson they both learned tonight would not have happened and I am really hoping that carries with them for a while.

Well, off to dream land!  Blessings to you all through whatever hardships might find you.  Hopefully you have found a moment or two to find the joy through it all!  Have a wonderful night!

Day 24

Good evening all!  So sometimes, as before, my blog posts don't always post and I have to go back and post them again.  So yesterday's post just got put up, but I wrote it last night....hmmmm technology....

Today was a good day!  I unpacked my goal # of boxes, made phone calls for more people to come in and get this place made into our "home", and all with 2 little kiddos in tow!

After our morning chores, we headed out to our weekly pool meet up with people from the ward and neighboring wards.  It is always fun and Connor and Joel enjoy swimming so much!  We had a great time playing and getting to know more people today.  I am so grateful there are new people there each time to meet!

After the pool, we ate lunch and headed to a supermarket called "Aldi's."  What a neat place!  What great prices as well!  I got three whole grocery sacks full of food for 35 dollars....35 DOLLARS people!  I am talking bananas, bisquick, freezer french toast, bacon, canned pumpkin and other things like those that would usually cost an arm and a leg at real grocery store chains.  We will be back for sure!

So, not sure if it is the blog or what lol, but I went to the doctor today...did I post a while back that I tripped on our garage?  There is a lip going into the garage from the driveway that I didn't see and I hit my big toe pretty hard.  There was a shock wave effect and my ankle was pretty sore as well.  Nothing I can really post as a happy moment, but today I went to the doctor and discovered I DO in fact have a broken toe.  I just thought I might as well post it. Just couldn't get another 365 day blog without a broken bone of some kind I guess....I am just REALLY praying this isn't the beginning of some long journey we are about to take again.  Because I came home and cried today.  I mean REALLY cried.  And like I said before...I don't cry anymore lol!  But I just sat down and let it all out.  It could have been the fact that I went upstairs after the doctor and took 20 minutes to get a skirt on over my boot only to find out that David and the kids had already eaten dinner without me.  It could be the fact that I am not a fan of broken bones.  My sweet Connor came up to me and gave me kisses and said, "Oh my poor Mommy!"  It was very sweet and helped me to get a bit better.  So yes, I know have a lovely boot as an accessory for the next week for my foot.  Happy moment, I didn't shave my legs so my leg and ankle that are wrapped won't itch like crazy for the next week! Random, but happy!

So off to bed I go.  Joel and I just spent a lovely hour playing a game called Candy Crush.  It is a good one let me tell you.  If you need to waste time, or keep your 7 year old talking about his day while you figure out your next move, just start up a game of Candy Crush!  AND, I passed the level in 1st place for the first time tonight!  Joel ran all over the family room yelling, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, go Mom, go Mom." He was so proud of me and I loved every minute!  Well all, I am pretty sleepy, so I will sign off for now.  I hope you all had a day with happy moments to find.  It can be difficult at times.  David and I feel so deep under these emotional burdens lately.  But we remind ourselves of our family mantra and all that we have gone through before.  It IS hard and like I told him tonight, I knew it isn't supposed to be easy, but it IS supposed to be worth it.  So hold on to that dear readers, that it WILL be worth it at some point and that there IS a light at the end of every trial.  Night all!

Day 23

Well, today was a day of unpacking and running errands!

I finally went to the Costco here in town and it is a really nice one!  The boys enjoyed the samples and looking at all of the stuff and I enjoyed all of the organic food they sell there!

We went to McDonald's for lunch....there are 3 so far in town and so we tried a new one.  The play area was nice, but smaller than the other ones.  Joel and Connor had fun, nonetheless, running around like Monkeys!

We came home and played some video games and enjoyed some down time!  David came home and we headed out to dinner for some pizza at a pizza place we found in town that is make your own.  The boys had fun choosing the crusts and sauce and toppings.  Joel cannot wait to go back because he got to order a kid's sausage pizza and usually off any pizza menu, they only offer cheese or pepperoni, so his night was made!

The kids went down to bed early tonight and David and I made our bed in our bedroom!  We actually get to sleep on OUR bed for the first time in quite some time!  All of the animals of the house are also quite excited about this as the cats are hissing at the dog who is sleeping next to me lol.  Well, looking forward to a good night's sleep and some more happy moments in the morning!  Night all!

July 8th

Well, the moving van arrived today!  Happy moment indeed!  This journey thus far with this blog and getting to Texas has been more emotionally trying in a lot of ways then my journey with a broken arm.  With my broken arm, I knew what the situation was day in and day out.  I knew I had an arm bone split in half and that it wasn't healing.  With moving here, each new day brings some new bad news or emotionally trying event that pushes our whole family to the edge.  Not a lot of crying involved...since the broken arm incident I don't cry as much as I used to...what is the point?  It is still there, still broken...no point in crying over it...the point is to DO something or find the joy or something else...crying is a lot like aimlessly surfing the internet...a time waster for me but sometimes emotionally good :-)  So we have a few things missing that were not ON the moving van...not so happy but hopefully I will be able to post on here that they FOUND the items!

We were pretty much home all day today.  After the guys unloaded the van, the four of us headed out to dinner (since we pretty much skipped lunch).  We ate at a burger joint in town that officially has some of THE best hamburgers!  I had a kobe burger that was so juicy and Joel, Connor, and David loved their meals as well.  Since there was almost no one in the restaurant and we were sitting in the back, I broke my rule and let Joel and Connor run around a bit.  They were so happy to move their feet and burn off a little energy!

After dinner, we went to the movies and saw Despicable Me 2.  It was SUCH a cute movie and the boys were so excited to see the Minions and they laughed and laughed!  David and I got a good laugh out of watching THEM watch the movie at times!

After the movie we went outside and ran around on the large grassy area in front of the theater.  We wore the boys out because they went right to bed!

I am so thankful for this blog helping me to find happy moments in days that are long and trying.  Time to settle down and make this place my home!  Have a good night all!

July 3-7th 2013

I am a bit more loose on this blog than the last.  We had such a great July 4th time but I didn't get around to blogging it all everyday.  So I am going to just lump our trip out to the family lake house in one big blog!  Bullet points included and I might jump around a bit from day to day, but the trip was an amazing one with tons and tons of family time....really good quality family time that we haven't had in a long time!

• We started out our trip with the boys sleeping for the first 3 of the 6 hour drive because we went and played at a splash park with new friends we met out here.  I let the boys go for 3 hours of playing and boy did it pay off on the drive to Louisiana!
• We had THE best time each day swimming in the lake, riding jet skis, and hanging out with family.  I was so proud of Joel and Connor as they both slid down a large water slide into the lake over and over again!  Even more amazing was them getting on jet skis with me, their dad, or their 14 year old cousin and riding around the lake!  They loved splashing in the waves and we got some really cute video of them riding by!
• Connor took THE best naps each day because he played so hard!  We would wake up, get to eat amazing breakfasts made by David's Uncle Stephen, then head out to swim and jet ski.  Then we would dry off, make lunch or eat another amazing meal prepared by Uncle Stephen and the whole house would go down for nap time....how I LOVE the south!  Then we would wake up, swim some more, watch some television, and eat dinner around 7.  A couple of days after dinner we would watch fireworks from the pier outside.
• One the third day of our visit, we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed out on an adventure!   Mississippi is so close to where the lake is, and there are so many historical places to visit!  We usually go to Vicksburg and see the Civil War battlefields over there.  This time we decided to drive to Mississippi a different route and we drove down to Natchez instead.  That place is LOADED with history!  There is a historical route called the Natchez Trail that you can walk all along the Mississippi river and find out what happened in certain spots.  We ate lunch at a place right on the river that had a few information posts.  We read about the first steam boat pulling away from right there as well as Jerry Lee Lewis performing for the first time ever in the bar right behind us!  Then we drove through a National Park that is a road 444 miles long called the Natchez Trace.  What a beautiful place!!  The grass was SO green on the sides of the road it was almost NEON in color!  The trees were so tall and the air was so cool.  It was one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken!  We saw deer, David saw a wild turkey, and the kids even took a nap during one of the long stretches.  We stopped at historical parts along the way that were marked off on the map we got.  We can't wait to go back and drive the whole thing someday!
• I had so much fun being stress free and sitting and watching TV with my kiddos.  Usually if they are watching TV it is because I have to get something DONE right then and I am using it as a babysitter....yes...I do that .....guilty as charged.  We had so much great snuggle time and David had so much fun swim time with them!  It was a really relaxing place and I am so thankful to be a part of that fun loving Mann family!
• On the road home to Texas, I heard a song that is absolutely the theme song of my life right now.  For different parts of my life there have always been theme songs.  Some of them I don't think of too often anymore, and others the second they come on I swear I am transported back through time to the place and the people that remind me of the song!  The song called "Home" by Phillips Phillips  I found the link to a great video of it http://youtu.be/HoRkntoHkIE  I hope you enjoy it!  It just gives me goose bumps after all that we have been through to get here to Texas!  It was so great to drive home and get to listen to it while driving into Texas from Louisiana.  Well, the moving van arrives tomorrow...what WILL that adventure be like??  Night all!

Day 16

Good evening all (or...you...if just one person is reading this lol).  Happy moment bullet style this evening I think.  Lots to get done for tomorrow and I won't have internet for the next few days so I will have to post on here my days once I get it back.  How I used to do it was just a sheet of paper and bullet my happy moments from that day...same as on here and it keeps me going AND I really enjoy writing down a few things that made me happy or that I am grateful for that day....it makes for a much kinder me and a much more grateful me.

• Took the kiddos to Whole Foods today.  Back in California, that is one of our favorite stores and it is a bit smaller than the one there, but it didn't disappoint with the kids getting their kid's club goodies of an organic juice box and organic raisins...I know...you are probably thinking...what about the cookies like at other grocery stores?  Now you know why it is one of my favorite stores and the kids are JUST as excited about Organic OJ as a cookie....kinda proud of that!
• I chose more colors today.  So the laundry room and Joel's accent wall now have officially been assigned and I am so excited to see how everything turns out this week!
• I realized today that I am just DAYS away from the moving van getting here....will be a really BIG happy moment when that van rolls in on Monday!
• I took the kids to McDonald's for dinner (yes, complete opposite of organic food but really we were just there to get the Minion toys from Despicable Me lol).  So the kids ate and played for about 45 minutes and then it was home to bed and they both went down pretty easily tonight!  
• My mirror for the mantle went up and I unpacked one whole box of DVDs...YES!  I am trying to unpack what I can right now.  I know that next week I am going to have oodles of boxes, but for now trying to clear a path and get everything cleaned up for those boxes!

Super excited for the 4th of July coming up!  I can't wait to see what the fireworks look like and I am excited to get to spend some fun times with my kiddos and David since he is off that day.  I hope you all have a great night and are making some fun Summer happy moments of your own!

Day 15

My children are driving me nuts!  I belong to a very exclusive and special club called "the two boys" club.  If you have two boys....three doesn't count now because you are just giving them more friends...but if you have TWO boys, you understand what I mean by I never thought I would behave the way I do sometimes.  Yesterday at the mall there was a woman who had two boys and was looking around Pottery Barn.  She kept saying, "guys just a second I need to look at this." Over and over again she said the thing that I have said so many times.  I welcomed her to my club lol and she totally got it.  She said to me, "You know, I have friends with girls that look at me like I am nuts sometimes because I am just so tired and frustrated all of the time because I have TWO boys!"  Oh yeah, she got it.  So that was one of my happy moments was having another woman understand my craziness that I live day in and day out with TWO boys.  I try to be kind and nice and soft spoken like other mothers.  It lasts for up to half a day sometimes!  I try to show loving guidance to my children....but sometimes I just end up screaming "JUST DO IT ALREADY!!!!!"  So to all you ladies out there in the two boys club...I feel ya!

But we did have quite a bit of happy moments yesterday.  As I said before I took the kids to the mall. We had the best time eating at a sushi restaurant with sushi coming out on a conveyor belt.  It was SO funny because as we were eating, people would walk by and stare, take pictures, and even point lol.  The sushi was good and the kids really enjoyed their lunch!

After lunch, we headed out and rode the carousel and visited the Disney Store.  The carousel was so much fun as the boys pretended they were charging off to battle on their horses.  I made it out of the Disney Store without buying anything! WOO HOO!  After that, I took the boys to Pottery Barn and bought a couple of things.  Specifically a vase that my stager back in California used quite a bit in my home there.  I came to love that vase so much as I would add flowers to it and put it around the house.  At one point I had two bunches of flowers added to it and I put it in my bedroom.  It was so lovely and made me so happy each morning waking up to those flowers.  I was so sad to give the vase back and I had no idea where my person who staged my house got it.  So to my wonderful surprise not only was it there at Pottery Barn, but it was 40% off!

We ate dinner at a really fun restaurant called Mellow Mushroom last night.  Mostly organic foods (if not all...I wasn't exactly sure about that) and it was so tasty!  We had this amazing hummus and pita appetizer.

After dinner, I headed over to my neighbor's house to watch The Bachelorette.  It was so wonderful to get to watch it with her, her daughter, and even her son!  That show is SO much better watching it with others so you can all laugh at the ridiculousness of the situations!  My neighbor's daughter had made some amazing chile verde salsa as well so we got to try that during commercial time.  It was a great time had by all and I can't wait to do it next week!

So tonight was a great way to end the day and I am thankful for the break from my family.  I love them, but it is SO nice to have David home to give them baths sometimes and put them to bed without me.  Hopefully it will give me more than just a half a day of patience with the kids tomorrow! Night all!

Day 14

Well, we have lived here for 2 weeks now!  WOW that went fast!  It was a beautiful Sunday here today full of happy moments.  Sundays usually begin (especially when church starts at 9) with a bit of rushing around and trying to get the younger boys of the house to focus and do things like get their socks on in less that 15 minutes.  We actually did make it to church on time today (because Joel wore flip flops due to his closet being taped and having a plastic cover lol).  I would like to think we were on time because of my great time management skills, but really it was just luck that everyone was ready to go when they were today.

Church was good and it was nice to sit in the soft pews!  I really enjoyed the last 2 hours of church because David got to sit with me during Sunday school AND for the last hour where we learned about FamilySearch.org and if you know me, you know I am in love with that website and all it does!  Did you know even if you are NOT a member of our church you can go online to that website, click on Family Tree, and input your very OWN family tree?  Here is the really really cool part that our church has done lately.  If other people have already input your family (because it is theirs as well) you can link up to them and get even MORE family on your tree.  The site now has the ability to upload photos of your ancestors AND....best part ever here folks....STORIES of the people!  If you are at all curious about your family or ancestors, you should try it out...because you can also SEARCH for family from your own home on FamilySearch.org!  I am telling ya, this stuff is happy moment after happy moment for me.  I love my ancestors.  I cherish the stories of my great-great-great-great-grandmother.  I have been to her grave many times and it is exciting to have that link to my past!

After church we tried a pizza restaurant in the middle of City Hall area.  It was pretty good!  The weather was so nice that after lunch, we decided to walk around on the other side of City Hall which has become a historical center.  The historical museum was even open so we decided to go in and walk around.  What a neat place!  We met a nice German woman who was a volunteer there that was talking to the kids about the late 1800/early 1900 section.  She was saying how all the objects in the parlor (a room they had period piece furniture in) you don't see in homes anymore.  LOL well, there was a push pedal organ there and my parents have one in their living room so Joel and Connor both chimed in that "yes we do!" It was pretty cute.  I explained to Joel that since we have seen several of these in MUSEUMS now, hopefully he has a better understanding why Grandma freaks out when he tries to play it lol.

The museum was such a fun time and we were there for almost 2 hours!  After that, we finally stopped at the frozen custard place in town everyone has been telling us has the best cold stuff around.  We sat and ate and then it was home for nap time!

I think everyone but Joel took a nap, but we found several boxes of his bedroom books David had taken with him so Joel sat upstairs and read book after book.  The other family members snuggled down and took a REALLY nice nap!

When we woke up, some ward members came over for a visit and to drop off some more things for us to use while our moving van is still MIA.  They brought cookies as well and that was a big hit with Connor who danced around and around singing a cookie song.

Well, those are the happy moments of the day!  Looking forward to starting this week and getting the paint done in the house, heading out to visit family for the 4th, and coming home and having just ONE day to go until our moving van arrives!  Have a fantastic evening all!