I’m Back!

I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I posted here! Cameron has been asking me to start blogging again because he loves reading about his childhood. I’m absolutely doing this for my kids!

So....life is truckin’ along in WV. Nate’s job is going SO well. He changed jobs a year ago and now works for the Board of Pharmacy. Last summer he was promoted to a supervisor position. WV pay is still pathetic, but it’s way better than when we first got here. We aren’t flailing anymore....but still hoping for more financial stability someday...  We’ve thought about relocating again for a better paying job, but he’s just so happy with what he does. So we’ll see....

Cameron is in 6th grade at DuPont Middle. He really likes it and has found a nice group of friends, despite being the only LDS kid in the whole school. I’m so glad! It gets tougher to find kids who share your values, and I’m grateful my baby boy is being watched over as we send him out into the world each day!!  He is also in the Con Brio choir, which is a part of the Appalachian Children’s Chorus. His best friend, Jacob, is in it with him, and they love it! They have a festival in June and are so excited! 

Girlies are doing well. Allie is top of her 3rd grade class. She was the only student with straight A’s last semester, and she has been given special privileges from the school librarian for extra reading. She is still obsessed with animals and art. Claire is the best reader in her 1st grade class. I attribute that to our nightly scripture reading. She LOVES gymnastics and placed 2nd in her first meet earlier this month. 

I am....well, some days are better than others. The thing that keeps me going is everything I wrote above. Everyone is doing SO well here. That’s what matters most to me. I love seeing Nate and the kids happy. I can put aside my own hang ups and focus on them. 

We are still trying to sell our home and move closer to town. I think that’ll help! It’s been a rough 6 months. We keep seeing the houses we want get sold....or we fall in love with houses we can’t afford. It’s been a test of faith for sure! 

My plan is to blog more often now. I let Instagram take over, and while the photos are fun, I miss the writing. Cameron wants me to journal again, so here we go! ❤️

Spring in WV

Well, they weren't joking.  West Virginia gets GREEN!!!  Nate's parents came to see us last week.  We had so much fun!  We did the same day trip that we did over Spring Break, and it was amazing to see it all green!  We also took a tram ride down to the river and went on a jetboat ride.  It was really fun!  

Spring Break 2016

DeAnn and her kids drove down for Spring Break last week!  We had a fun time letting the kids play and touring more of West Virginia.  I cannot believe how many wonderful things there are to see just within an hour of Charleston!  I love it here so much!

We saw Hawks Nest, New River Gorge, Cathedral Falls and Kanawha Falls.  Apparently, by May, everything is going to be GREEN!  We can't wait to go back and see it all.  Because we live here!  It still boggles my mind some days that we aren't just on vacation.  Haha!

West Virginia, we love you!

Our Canadian Family

I opened my messages late last week and there it was:

"Becca, we're getting in the car next week and just driving.  We think West Virginia sounds good!"

Darren and Lesley came to see us!  The timing could NOT have been better.  I had such an awful week with all the home repair stuff.  I NEEDED this!

They arrived late on Wednesday night and stayed until Saturday morning.  We went to the gym, ate omelets, Fran and Darren bonded, we toured the Capitol, ate lots of steak, watched movies and just had a really nice time visiting and laughing together!  It was really just what I needed to boost my spirits!  They may swing back by on their way home from Mississippi later this week.  And then DeAnn and her kids come next week!  Yay!

It was really cool to explore Charleston a little.  I seriously fall more and more in love with this place with each passing week.  It's so beautiful, calm, quaint and feels like home.  I cannot believe that after all we went through, we were so blessed to end up here!  

YAY Homeownership!

One night last week, I finished a load of wash and noticed water slowly seeping out from under the washing machine.

Uh-oh.  

Once we dug up the corner of the flooring, we found that there were a grand total of SEVEN layers of flooring, and underneath all that was gorgeous wood.  So we decided to spend a LOT of hours and a LOT of calories pulling up the entire kitchen floor.  

But in the middle of this, we had a major rainstorm and suddenly our ceiling was dripping water.  

Uh-oh.

So now we get to pay for that instead of dealing with sanding and sealing and staining the floor.  Bummer.  The laminate will go back on, and we will do it later.  Boo.

We're tired and sore and just done.  Praying for added patience (and a surprise raise....haha).  The floors turned out so pretty!  I can't wait to get back to them someday.  Charlie's tired, too.  He gets it.

Happy

I've had several people say, "Your posts and pics make you seem happy in WV, but how is it REALLY going?"

Well, sorry to disappoint, but it REALLY is great!  I have always been pretty simple in my hopes and dreams for my life.  I wanted a house, a yard, some pets, my family, and an unshaken testimony of Christ.

Life is good here!  We are staying busy fixing up the house, playing with the kitties, working in the yard, swimming, lifting, scouts, church, friends, school and work.  No, it's not perfect, but it's really good!

We finished the New Testament as a family a few weeks ago!  Since May 2010, we have now read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and the New Testament.  Two columns (one page) at a time.  We have recently started reading 2 pages now that Allie and Cam are both good readers.  I am proud of us for sticking with this for nearly 6 years!  We started the Book of Mormon again.  I love it!

We finally got rid of Cameron's hot pink curtains!  Nate and I made some for his room, since his windows aren't a usual size.  Pretty crafty!  It was fun.  We got living room curtains hung too.  I'll post a house tour soon!

7,000

In nearly 42 years of practice, my dad just delivered his 7000th baby!  Amazing. He is retiring this summer, and it will be hard for him.  He loves his job.  I am so proud of him and have learned so much about service, kindness and selflessness from watching him throughout my life.  I love you, Dad!

What is Snow?

I talked to several people in West Virginia before we moved here.  ALL of them said, "It hardly ever snows here, and when it does, it doesn't snow much and doesn't stay around."

Awesome.  Sounds just like Oregon, which I loved.  I don't like snow.  Driving in it gives me almost as much anxiety as flying!

Well, 3 weeks after we move here, Charleston gets its worse snowstorm in TWENTY years!  Hahaha!  We measured several hours ago and were at 19 inches.  It's still snowing.  Luckily we are all safe and warm and cozy.