Surprise Alex!

We went to Grand Junction to surprise Alex for his birthday and we did surprise him. Misty took him to a Tepenyaki restaurant and while they were waiting at the bar we came in behind him. I touched his back and he turned around and was so confused. Totally seeing me out of context and unexpected. It was fun. We had dinner and Saturday looked at houses. They were told last week that the house they are renting is being sold and they have to move by the first of next month. We looked at 7 houses and they found the perfect house and are under contract!

6th grade

Time goes so freaking fast that it terrifies me. Don is 60, Carter's on the 40 side of 30, Sean is going to start jr high next year.

Fast week and AJ PASSED HIS LAW EXAM!!!!

Our week went really fast. I think it helped AJ take his mind off the stress of his test. At least occasionally. It wasn't at the front of his mind every second. The great news is HE PASSED. He got his results yesterday. I am so, so, so happy. That was such a stressful time for them. His job, their house everything was in limbo until he passed that test. He didn't take his exam until after we left and he had to wait 4 days for the results. 

Vally in her daddy's sweater. They found it in a box when they were unpacking. It was 95 degrees and 95% humidity. There was no need for any sweaters while we were there.

Sleeping with her Polly

At a trampoline park

My heart is right there with those three kids.

We are under contract for a beach condo

Don took a red eye flight that was delayed by 6 hours.  We drove to a town called Carabelle and spent two nights in a "cabin."

We had breakfast at a place called "My two brothers". The waitress was so shocked that Sean had never eaten grits that she brought him a bowl. He's not a fan.

Khloe got bit by some very aggressive, nasty ants. She had a fear of ants that she had overcome. I'm guessing it will be back with good reason.

In the cabin

Eating at a place called the "Fisherman's wife."

And behind me is our condo. We are pretty excited. If all goes as planned it will close the middle of September.

A nest of turtle eggs between the condo and the beach.

Florida trip

Don doesn't have a lot of vacation time because he is saving it for our big trip in November so Sean and I flew ahead of him to Fla. We spent a week, Don spent the weekend.

My babies, oh how I've missed my monkey's.

Sean decided he wanted to sleep in the closet. That only lasted one night.

We went house hunting. The first day we went to Alligator Point which was a bust. Pretty beach but a nothing town and I mean nothing!!! I have no idea what you would do there if you don't fish and we don't fish.

Lunch break

Ah, the second day we went to St George Island. Now that's a beach with the feeling I was looking for. We looked at 7 or 8 houses. Some were strange. There was a really nice condo someone built on top of the subway restaurant. You could buy just the condo or the building. What would happen if we bought the condo and then the republican party decided to put their head quarters down stairs. Just too risky. Fun location right next to town but a no. We went to a house that was 3 stories straight up! Crazy stairs, that was a no. By the time Don arrived on Friday we had it narrowed to two complexes.

Our first lunch on the island at the Blue Parrot

Outside the restaurant.

The water is so warm and there are actually shells!

Packing up the lake

We have everything out of the lake house. It was supposed to close tomorrow but has been pushed back to Wednesday. Don is sadder about leaving the lake then I am. He loves his boat. He doesn't want to sell it so he will keep it in the garage he rents for his excess cars and we can still take it out to the/a lake. We spent a lot of days at the lake but not very many nights. I will miss the big family gatherings there but I definitely feel the need to move on. Lot's of memories there. My mom was there, Don's mom, Don's sisters, exchange students, teachers, cousins, nieces, nephews, all the kids and their friends..... Lot's of people have spent time t our lake house and on our little yellow boat.

All the memories are off the wall.

I'm going to take the lion that scares everyone to our next water property.

Happy 60th Don

Man life flies by. Don is 60 and I'm getting close.

Yes he used a blow torch to light his cake.
Yep, that is David in the background. He and Kendra did not like Cambodia and it was a very short stay. They were gone less than a week and Kendra didn't even start her job. Kendra just started a new job. David is working at a call center and applying for jobs. They are going to move to Lehi after they save some money. They are staying with Kendra's mom right now.

24th of July

Kylie and Brie spent the week of the 24th with us. We went to the fireworks at the elementary school. They were amazing but we were too close and ash and sparks were raining down on us.

Jennie came over with Jack and the kids spent time at the pool and then playing with Jack at our house.

The only constant in life is change

AJ passed his boards and off to Florida they went to begin his career. Everything was going well and then there was a big hiccup. AJ didn't pass his Florida pharmacy law exam. That has put everything into a stress mode. They weren't able to close on the original house they wanted. They stayed in a hotel for a couple of weeks. On the 1st they moved into a house they can rent until they close after AJ passes his test. AJ can't start work until he passes his test so the weight of the world or at least the weight of his family is all him. As a mom it's pretty awful (and for Steph and everyone else who loves him) because there is nothing any of us can do to help him. It's all on him. He's studied and studied and he missed the stupid thing by one point. Now he's taken the test again and it's all down to waiting and hoping like crazy that he passed. A lot of stress in their lives. Stress of getting through pharmacy school, stress of finding a job, stress of passing boards, stress of moving. All those stresses were going pretty well until BAM, flunking that test. I know in the large scheme of things it's a hiccup but right now it's all overwhelming for them

The girls room before they packed it all into a Uhaul or sent it to the dumpster or DI.

All their suitcases ready to leave for a three day road trip to Florida.

Into the file cabinet

Khloe had this little countdown of days until they moved to Florida hanging on her wall at home. It's been next to my printer since they left. It is now scanned and filed. I had a bunch of the girls pictures hanging on my bedroom door and I thought seeing them would make me smile but mostly it just makes me cry so they too have been sent to a folder in the file cabinet. Maybe it's just worse today because I'm stressing over AJ's test results. 

The week before they left I was sad so Khloe drew me this picture of her, Vally and me. This of course made me cry and Khloe said "It was to make you happy." Yes, it made me happy but it still made me cry.

Art work by Vally

Khloe's princess

More by Vally

I know we will go to Florida to visit but I miss hearing the front door open and the girls voices saying "GRANDMA" Once AJ has his test passed and their life is more settled I think I will be less stressed about it. I know AJ will be less stressed.