Hallo-Weekend! ~Friday~

 Friday, after the bittersweet dealings with selling the lake house in the last post, we returned home and got ready for a Halloween party at a friend's house. Scott got work off until midnight, so that was nice.

Pixie was Tinker Bell. As if she could be anything else! I'm pretty sure this was the only thing she would wear. Have I mentioned she is already picky about what she wears? Yeah, at 2 1/2. I'm in for it!

 She was upset that the slippers wouldn't stay on, so we wore regular shoes. Pink of course!

 Scott was an old west sheriff (or could pass as Walker Texas Ranger!) and I was his squaw.

 We stopped by Becca's so she could take pictures of us. Pixie did not like leaving her cousin.

 One of the guys from our ward. He's actually the YM President, but this obviously wasn't a church party! This is one of his twins. They were Micky and Minnie Mouse.

 Pixie had a blast running around the yard. It was dark and cold out, but they had swings! She never complained of the cold.. She's getting so much more used to people and will play with other kids now. It's nice. When we pulled up I saw all the scary decorations, music, masks, etc and thought she would freak. She didn't cry once!

 I decided to warm up by doing a fire dance.

 We didn't plan on Scott having the kiss on his cheek, but I was trying out my red lipstick for my second costume and gave him a kiss. We decided to leave it and just say he was in a saloon.

Funny thing was, Scott ran into Walmart after the party and completely forgot about the kiss on his cheek. When I reminded him, he remarked how that's why he was getting smiles and nods from everyone in the store!

Goodbye Lake House

 We had only a few good times there, but they were good times. We bought the lake house when I was pregnant with Pixie. Scott and his brother fixed it up the whole summer while Pixie was an infant, then the next year we actually got to use it. This year however, it flooded in June. Our house was above the flood plain, but besides the heavy rain and flooding, the levy at the lake broke. 

I can't seem to find any inside pictures, but it was seriously nice. And we had nice leather furniture. 

Here's one of our good times up there, posted here.
The boy scouts in church used it a lot for camp outs. I got to take the YW up there in spring for a pre-camp.
The saddest part for me is that my parents would have loved it, but never got to see it. And neither did some of my best friends!

 The siding was almost done. The inside was near perfect.

Here is the inside after the flood. After they scrubbed the walls and threw out all the moldy furniture.

Living room.

 Kitchen

 Our bedroom with the awesome huge window and beautiful view.

 Micah and Stephen's room.

 I'm sure I have the nice inside pictures saved on a  backup disk somewhere. I'll post them when I find it.

There are so many 'what-ifs' on this. What if the flooding came a week later? We were just having the property appraised and it would have been covered. One good thing that came out of this, is that the commercial property we had got flooded and the insurance completely paid it off. Boy was that nice! Now if we could find a buyer to buy that place, it would be nice.

So, we had a hard time letting the Lake House go. We bought it with the dream that we would fix it up to use as a vacation home for our family, then pass it on to our children. It was hard only getting one summer's use out of it too, and to see all Scott's hard work go to waste. But, a cash buyer came to us that wanted to fix it up for his grandchildren, so we sold it. It was the right thing to do, but was a little sad. We just don't have the time, money, and effort to put into it. Besides the fact that we don't know what direction our lives are going to take us in the near future. We went up on Friday morning before the closing to get some things and say goodbye. We got to see the blue heron that lives on the lake. He flew by like he was saying his own goodbyes. Thus closes that chapter in our lives. The feeling of letting it go is bittersweet, but has a hint of excitement. It feels good to let it go.

Now maybe we can plan a vacation with the money that isn't going to go to the upkeep of it....in the next couple of years. :)

A Walk, Photo Session, and Vehicle

 On Saturday, the 16th, we walked with our group Autism Unity for the Walk for Autism Speaks at the Kansas City Speedway. We walked with and for our little nephew, who has autism. Sam was in town and visited with us before the walk. She got some good pictures with her fancy camera, I'll probably post some when I get them. It was the perfect day for it. It was windy enough to keep us cool on our walk....er..run for Pixie. The little squirt ran the whole thing, then almost half over again. All the other kids were hitching rides in strollers or on their parents about half way through. She just kept running.

 

 She started out with her a cousin that's less than a month older than she is. He is much bigger!

 

 

 Then they're off!

 Afterward we got some pizza and headed to a park to visit with Amy and Michael, and their family. I thought we got a picture of the other three of us, but maybe that's on Amy's camera.

Jumping forward to last week, we got to spend most of one day with Sam. She did an awesome photo shoot with us in the downtown area. I am so happy with the photos and can't wait to see them all. Then frame some! Here is the link to some highlights from Orange Photographie.

It was great seeing Sam again. I miss that lady. She has always been with us for big events and it just so happened that after two months of searching, the day we were with her we bought the car we  had been looking for! After scouring the internet, in multiple states, I found the SUV we had been looking for....right in our own backyard. We got a 2006 Toyota Highlander Limited, with only 15,905 miles on it. Yes, that's actual miles! An old couple owned it here in town and traded it in for a new Cadillac. I am in love. It has all wheel drive (a must for the winter here), heated leather seats, third row seating, a moon roof, etc.

Scott has a boss that installs car stereos and the like. He said that he would charge us wholesale on any installations we want. Hmm..navigation, dvd, bluetooth, remote start.....I could fill a few years worth of Christmas and birthday gifts! :)

Enjoying the Nice Weather...While it Lasts!

We've just been enjoying these last days of our indian summer.

Two weeks ago we visited the Deanna Rose Farmstead. It was perfect weather and there was a lot more to the park than I thought. The best part is that it's free during the week. You just pay for feed or rides.

All the goats were mauling her to get to the bottle, so Scott and I cornered this one and acted as a barrier against the jumping others.

 Those are all the farm pictures I have. I forgot to bring extra camera batteries!

This has been Pixie's favorite play time activity lately. She is obsessed with Kipper the Dog. She likes to go around the house with a blanket as a cape and say she is "Wonder Dog". Sometimes she says she is "Super Girl" that's to the rescue, and puts glasses on a stuffed animal to be Wonder Dog. In one episode of Kipper they start reading a scary book over and over again, but keep getting interrupted. She now likes to recite the book and play with a flashlight, under this blanket. 

Saturday we went to PumpkinFest for about an hour. It's a small redneck festival, so we never stay long. They did have a llama, wallaby, cavy, and other interesting animals in the petting zoo area though.

We found out that Scott's group is definitely going to be addressed for positions in the October 18th FAA panel, for air traffic control. It's still a long shot, mixed with luck, but we'll be praying that he gets an offer. All prayers for this effort are appreciated!

Sauer Kraut and Mister Snake

Lunch conversation with a two year old. 

I overhear from the kitchen "I like a the sauer tout". I sit down with my dear toddler and she continues. "It's so awishious". Next is a bite of crunchy lettuce "mmmmm". She tries only one bean from Aunt Becca's BBQ baked beans. We were lucky enough to get that one bean in her, she won't accept any more. Even though they are yummy to me. Seitan is gobbled up, but surprisingly not as much (or as fast) as the sauer kraut. Definitely my daughter. Random Kipper quotes are spouted and I decide to record the rest of our exchange. 

P.S. Mister Snake varies in different forms day after day.

The Chocolate Tantrum

A few days ago Pixie asked for chocolate while I was making lunch, I said no. How horrible of me! She started throwing a fit, spreading toys and stuff everywhere, then she plopped down in the middle of it and well...this is what happened! I missed the first few minutes, which were hilarious!

A change of pace? Yes, please!

I know I've been missing from the blog scene this summer. I hate writing when I don't feel uplifted. Making myself find the silver lining in life, in writing, isn't my thing. I would rather deal with it, then look back and say "I'm pleased with how I handled that, and I'm so glad it's over!".

Late Spring into Summer was filled with the flooding of all three of our properties. Our basement flooded multiple times, just after we finished Pixie's room down there. We were able to fix the gutters a while later, but it set us back a lot. We had to rip out the lower part of the newly painted drywall. It is still unfinished today. Some good news on this house though, the leaks associated with the roof are contributing to our insurance giving us a new roof! That will be done in the next little while. The other properties have started to take care of themselves, either through insurance or us listing them to sell. We're not sure if we are going to sell the lake house, but we are taking offers right now.

I enjoyed a calling as the 1st Counselor in Young Women for 4 months this year. It was my favorite calling by far. I even got to go to most of Girls Camp and a day of Youth Conference. I developed a relationship with some of the girls that has carried over, even after being released. I am still asked to be a part of activities, when they need volunteers. I  am now the 1st Counselor in Primary. It is a pleasant calling, even though I wasn't sure it would be, but it's turning out to be a fine place to be.

Our city in which we live has lost it's appeal for me. Due to changes in the social dynamic in our ward and area. Dear families have  moved out, and less desirable people have gathered to the area. I have been hoping for a change for a while now, and now I am all but hanging on to that hope. The FAA process for air traffic control is finally moving forward. Scott submitted his geographical preferences the beginning of this month, and we are hoping they are going to address his group at the mid October panels. We nearly put MO as our second choice, but I said that we could not do that, with my family here it had to be first. We chose NC as our second state and now we wait. If we don't get a rejection letter by Thanksgiving, there is a good chance Scott will be offered a tentative offer. There are also panels happening in March. The government sure does take it's time! The hiring chances right now are reportedly slim, so we're not holding our breath on this one.

The alternative to this job is that Scott would get in touch with real estate appraisers in the area. This is something he would really enjoy doing, but you need a sponsor to do it. I have been applying to entry level financial positions for him, just in case something did come up. There has been a loop of dialogue running in my head that says "we have to get out, we have to get out". Out of this city, out of this job...I don't know if it's just me, or something is going to change. I need it to change!

Our SUV bit the dust last month. With Scott's work schedule, I am without a car from Sunday until Wednesday. It has not been good for us. Pixie and I go bonkers. We are almost ready to be able to find another vehicle. That should be fun, after all the researching we've been doing. We have to get an AWD or 4x4 for Scott to get to work in the winter. They don't just shut down these places! I am dreading the winter. I do not want a repeat of last year. Seasonal depression is a horrid thing. I wish we could move to NC now....and take my family with me. There are so many fun things to do out there. This area is so...lacking in anything I find amusing.

After a very trying week, and a good long month, it's safe to say that Pixie is toilet learned. She has gone for weeks without accidents, and then had a couple in the last week, but that's to be expected. She also does well about 2/3 of the time at night. Naps are almost always dry too. It is very nice and strange at the same time. Strange to have one child...a 'kid'...and not a baby. We've been wanting to take her to somewhere she'll appreciate more now, like the zoo. It hasn't worked out so far with our schedules and sicknesses, but I'm hoping we can do that before the weather takes a turn to the bitter cold. In spite of my fear of the winter weather, Christmas should be a fun one this year. Pixie is old enough to really get in on the festivities, and very much knows what presents are. That is one thing I am really looking forward to.

And that is what we have been up to, for the most part. Maybe Autumn will bring a more relaxing, fun, and exciting season for us!