Wishing you and yours a hippety-hoppity new year!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Housing Update
Well, it's been quite a while since I've been on here. I've logged on a few times, but gave up because I'm not sure what exactly to say. Biggest problem? I don't have any darn pictures to put up. Who wants to read a bunch of words without pictures? But I got a gentle reminder tonight from a dear friend in Chicago, asking me to update, so here we go!
About 10 days after we moved here, we came home to a notice of foreclosure taped to our front door. Yep, our landlord was not paying his mortgage, and the notice let us know the house would be going to auction in September and we'd be out 60 days later. Of course, our landlord was telling us that was an old notice and that the home was protected under his bankruptcy. Well, he wasn't about to start telling the truth then, so for the next 4 months we lived in total uncertainty. We kind of unpacked, never knowing if we would have to pack back up in 60 days to move to another rental. It made feeling settled here very difficult.
In order to understand our rights in all of this, we ended up hiring our own attorney. Jeff seemed to be in constant contact with our attorney, the bank attorney, and our landlord's attorney. Really, we were just trying to figure out if we had some rights to continue our lease if the house was sold. Finally, the auction of the home came on November 18th. Our attorney let us know that when it was sold, we would indeed have to be out in 60 days. Moving over the holidays...anyone jealous? Jeff went to the auction that morning, on the courthouse steps. (really, just like in the movies) Unexpectedly, the bank bought the house back at auction, and the bank rep turned to Jeff and said, "You may as well rent from us through the terms of your lease."
We were so thrilled to not be homeless! It had proved impossible to find another rental within our school and church boundaries, so we were truly thrilled to hear we wouldn't have to move! The very next day we had all the locks changed on the house and really felt settled for the first time since setting foot in WA.
We really thought we were doing the most responsible thing by renting. But, it has actually been a nightmare. So, we actively started looking for a home of our own. One we can pay the mortgage on every month, and not worry about being kicked out of!
Well, one thing's for sure, those basements of the Midwest and East Coast sure have spoiled us! Nothing here has basements, and it just kills me. I can't figure out where all the kid "stuff" is supposed to go. My kids spent so much time in our basement family room and I haven't been able to get used to them using our main family room so much. So, we were on the hunt for a house with a basement. Here, the only way to get that is to buy a house on a hill with a walk out basement. There haven't been too many of those to pick from, so we made a surprising (at least to me) choice...we've decided to build one!
This building thing is so new to us. We're excited about it, though. We are so happy to have a basement, once again. However, our lot is so steep, it'll feel like we live in a tree house. I don't think we'll barely have much of a back yard, however, we asked the kids if they wanted a basement or a backyard and basement won the vote. It sure hasn't rained much since we've lived here, however, we hear once it starts it doesn't quit. So, I think we'll get much more use out of a basement than a backyard, anyways.
I never thought I'd build a house. It's never even appealed to me. However, I think I'm excited about the process. The house should be done by June, which is the exact time our lease is up, so the timing should work out perfectly.
As far as what else has been happening for us? I'll save that for another post. Not because there's anything super exciting to report. Just because I have a feeling this post is long enough at this point.
About 10 days after we moved here, we came home to a notice of foreclosure taped to our front door. Yep, our landlord was not paying his mortgage, and the notice let us know the house would be going to auction in September and we'd be out 60 days later. Of course, our landlord was telling us that was an old notice and that the home was protected under his bankruptcy. Well, he wasn't about to start telling the truth then, so for the next 4 months we lived in total uncertainty. We kind of unpacked, never knowing if we would have to pack back up in 60 days to move to another rental. It made feeling settled here very difficult.
In order to understand our rights in all of this, we ended up hiring our own attorney. Jeff seemed to be in constant contact with our attorney, the bank attorney, and our landlord's attorney. Really, we were just trying to figure out if we had some rights to continue our lease if the house was sold. Finally, the auction of the home came on November 18th. Our attorney let us know that when it was sold, we would indeed have to be out in 60 days. Moving over the holidays...anyone jealous? Jeff went to the auction that morning, on the courthouse steps. (really, just like in the movies) Unexpectedly, the bank bought the house back at auction, and the bank rep turned to Jeff and said, "You may as well rent from us through the terms of your lease."
We were so thrilled to not be homeless! It had proved impossible to find another rental within our school and church boundaries, so we were truly thrilled to hear we wouldn't have to move! The very next day we had all the locks changed on the house and really felt settled for the first time since setting foot in WA.
We really thought we were doing the most responsible thing by renting. But, it has actually been a nightmare. So, we actively started looking for a home of our own. One we can pay the mortgage on every month, and not worry about being kicked out of!
Well, one thing's for sure, those basements of the Midwest and East Coast sure have spoiled us! Nothing here has basements, and it just kills me. I can't figure out where all the kid "stuff" is supposed to go. My kids spent so much time in our basement family room and I haven't been able to get used to them using our main family room so much. So, we were on the hunt for a house with a basement. Here, the only way to get that is to buy a house on a hill with a walk out basement. There haven't been too many of those to pick from, so we made a surprising (at least to me) choice...we've decided to build one!
This building thing is so new to us. We're excited about it, though. We are so happy to have a basement, once again. However, our lot is so steep, it'll feel like we live in a tree house. I don't think we'll barely have much of a back yard, however, we asked the kids if they wanted a basement or a backyard and basement won the vote. It sure hasn't rained much since we've lived here, however, we hear once it starts it doesn't quit. So, I think we'll get much more use out of a basement than a backyard, anyways.
I never thought I'd build a house. It's never even appealed to me. However, I think I'm excited about the process. The house should be done by June, which is the exact time our lease is up, so the timing should work out perfectly.
As far as what else has been happening for us? I'll save that for another post. Not because there's anything super exciting to report. Just because I have a feeling this post is long enough at this point.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Boy
How did he get this old? Really, though...how?
And, a shout out to my Grandpa Cox, who reads my blog! Who knew? Hi Grandpa! Thanks for checking in on us!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Quarterback
Jackson has found himself as our team quarterback this fall. He has somewhat a love/hate relationship with the whole thing, but I think it's been good for him. We haven't managed to get any great pictures, yet, but this is a video that someone else got of his best pass so far this year.
This video, and Vimeo account, does not belong to me, so please don't comment on the video. If you have something to say, please say it here on the blog!
This video, and Vimeo account, does not belong to me, so please don't comment on the video. If you have something to say, please say it here on the blog!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
New School, New Year
First day of school for the big kids. You can tell how thrilled Addie is that her playmates are leaving her.
The kiddos have been in school for three weeks now, so I suppose it's time to get the pictures posted! There was a lot of anxiety going into the first day of school. New school, teachers, friends, everything! There was probably more anxiety on my part than theirs!
Jackson has done wonderfully. Jeff and I joke that, these days if you're Jackson Clark - life is good. He has really found his groove here and has been finding friends easily. He still misses "home" but is happy every day.
Delaney has been a bit slower to adjust, but she's finding her way. We have yet to find that one friend who is always sweet and kind, but she is making friends and also comes home happy every day.
Addie attempting to make a "P" with her hands, for preschool.
Addie has been loving preschool. She loves her new backpack and comes home everyday with some pearl of wisdom from her teacher, Miss Jana.
The latest? A few days ago Addie was singing along with the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song, when the DVD was playing in the car. She was singing it much louder and with more confidence than she'd ever done before. I told her how great she sounded and she said,
"Miss Jana says to sing it like you're proud!"
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Coast
Since we've lived up here, in the Northwest, we've only had one rainy day and three cloudy days. And they all came this week. Crazy thing about this part of the country is that it rains all winter, but it's a drought in the summer. So, we figured if we were going to the Coast, now was the time!
We packed us all into the Jeep for the roadtrip. Crazy with 5 people for a 90 minute drive, but what's the Jeep good for if not having it at the beach???
The scenery absolutely did not disappoint. There are major rock formations jutting out of the ocean. It reminded us a lot of Hawaii.
However, the water is so cold, it hurts your feet. The first morning we were there, Jackson wanted to boogie board (not yet knowing just how cold it was). So, $20 later he had himself a boogie board that ended up being the worst $20 spent all year. No way could he go all the way in the water. In fact, those who were in the water were in dry suits and boots. Crazy!
So, they had lots of fun digging, building sand castles, and getting their feet wet.
Just to prove how cold the water is--here are the kids posing next to the ocean for a pic.
Delaney could only stand being that close to the water for 60 seconds and then...
Everything about the coast was gorgeous, though. It reminded me so much of our annual trips to Nantucket, growing up.
The gray, weathered siding and white trim...
The abundance of huge, varying Hydrangea plants...
It kind of made me homesick for the east coast. And then I realize, I left there once and was incredibly sad about it. But then there was a whole new wonderful waiting for me in the next place. And the next place. And the next place. Again this summer, we left somewhere wonderful. We left people and places and it makes us homesick all the time. However, there is a whole new wonderful here. I'm sure of it. We're right on the very brink of realizing the wonderful adventures that await us here.
And I just can't wait.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I'm a Big Girl Now!
Look what we have going on at our house!
She's sticking with the theme of being the hardest-to-raise Clark child. So, of course it doesn't come easy, but thankfully we haven't had an accident in days and she wakes up dry every morning! Preschool....here we come!
She's sticking with the theme of being the hardest-to-raise Clark child. So, of course it doesn't come easy, but thankfully we haven't had an accident in days and she wakes up dry every morning! Preschool....here we come!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Last Day of School 2011
Yes, I know everyone is heading back to school right about now, but I just wanted to get this in. What a bittersweet day.
And, of course it wouldn't be a bus stop morning without Addie right in the thick of it all, still in her jammies. I never claimed to be super mom...
We still have three weeks left of summer. The kids feel like they're the luckiest on the planet with an extra long summer break!
And, of course it wouldn't be a bus stop morning without Addie right in the thick of it all, still in her jammies. I never claimed to be super mom...
We still have three weeks left of summer. The kids feel like they're the luckiest on the planet with an extra long summer break!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Catching up!
Just catching up on some May happenings...
Delaney finished her first competitive season for gymnastics. She actually did take 1st place overall in a meet, but Jeff thought I had the camera and I thought he did, etc....you know what happened. We are incredibly proud of how hard she's worked and she really, really loves it. She bugs me every day about getting her into gymnastics here.
This is Delaney at the state meet with the other two from her team in her age bracket. Her coach, Eugene was amazing to these girls. When it came time to move, he wrote her a very sweet note and cried when we left. He really does love his job and I'm so grateful for the time Delaney spent with him!
This year Jackson's class did a play for the whole school. He had a part on the "Jury" and he was also the announcer/"welcomer" at the beginning of the play. The whole class did a fantastic job, and they were incredibly proud.
And, in keeping with the "where's my camera" theme of my life, I didn't get a picture of Jackson as the announcer. I do have it on video, so hopefully that counts for something!
Here's the whole class in action, but you can't see Jackson behind the other jury members.
Here they are afterward. Well done 4S!
Also in May, over Memorial Day, we traveled down to Nauvoo. Jeff's parents were already coming out after Memorial Day to stay with the kids while we went house hunting, so we talked them into coming down early and coming with us to Nauvoo. We were long overdue for a trip down, especially since Jackson's Illinois State Project had peaked such an interest in our kids.
We drove down on Saturday morning and arrived by lunch time. We shopped for souvenirs and then Jackson and Delaney went on a horse-drawn tour of Nauvoo with Grandma and Grandpa. Later that evening, Grandma and Grandpa offered to watch the kiddos while Jeff and I went to the temple - what a treat for us!
The next morning we woke up to dark, dark clouds. The number one thing on the kids' list was to see the temple. So, we headed right over. These pictures were taken at 10 in the morning, even though it looks like dusk. The clouds were dark and threatening for sure!
Of course, before we left, the weather said it would be warm, in the upper 80s on Sunday. However, by Saturday it was clear that would not happen. So, I ran to ShopKo to get the cheapest clearance sweatshirts I could find. I came up with Chicago Bears sweatshirts for everyone. Jerry aptly named this picture in front of the temple, "The Three Bears".
This is the view of the Mississippi River from the temple. On a side note, every river we now see Addie calls the Mississippi River. Including the big river we can see from our house.
The Joseph and Hyrum statue across the street from the temple.
After our morning stop by the temple, we headed down to old Nauvoo and the heavens opened! It started POURING! However, the nice thing for us was that it kept away any tourists, so we had many of the tours all to ourselves. We went to the Wheelwright, the printer, the brick mason, the family living center, the bakery, and the Browning home. We wish we'd gotten to more, however with Addie being her 2 year old self, she could have cared less about how they printed a newspaper or made rope in 1845. All she cared about was getting back to the swings we'd passed earlier.
This is Jackson at the Browning home. He's really into marksmanship, thanks to a History Channel show, Top Shot.
Jackson and Delaney at the printing press.
After a stop at the swings, we went to the Visitor's Center and walked around the statue garden.
Sharing secrets...
Playing "Ring Around the Rosies"
After dinner that evening, we asked the kids what was the one last thing they wanted to do, and they wanted to go back to the temple. The weather had cleared and we went back for one last look of that beautiful building.
Delaney was fascinated with being able to touch the building. She stood with her hand on it for the longest time.
Knowing that this would be our last road trip through IL, I had Jeff take these pictures of the kids. My parent's moved to IL when I was in college. Never, before then, had I ever seen corn fields in real life (I know, I'm so sheltered). I was completely fascinated by them! In fact, I have a picture of one of my favorite friends from college and I standing in a corn field, because I'd never seen anything like it before!
I am mesmerized by the incredibly neat rows of corn, all well over 8 feet tall when fully grown. Little did I know that just a few short years later, I would be married to Jeff and living in the land of cornfields! Unfortunately, we had to leave IL before they were full grown this year, but I wanted my kids to remember that they have, in fact, seen corn fields. Lots of them.
Delaney finished her first competitive season for gymnastics. She actually did take 1st place overall in a meet, but Jeff thought I had the camera and I thought he did, etc....you know what happened. We are incredibly proud of how hard she's worked and she really, really loves it. She bugs me every day about getting her into gymnastics here.
This is Delaney at the state meet with the other two from her team in her age bracket. Her coach, Eugene was amazing to these girls. When it came time to move, he wrote her a very sweet note and cried when we left. He really does love his job and I'm so grateful for the time Delaney spent with him!
This year Jackson's class did a play for the whole school. He had a part on the "Jury" and he was also the announcer/"welcomer" at the beginning of the play. The whole class did a fantastic job, and they were incredibly proud.
And, in keeping with the "where's my camera" theme of my life, I didn't get a picture of Jackson as the announcer. I do have it on video, so hopefully that counts for something!
Here's the whole class in action, but you can't see Jackson behind the other jury members.
Here they are afterward. Well done 4S!
Also in May, over Memorial Day, we traveled down to Nauvoo. Jeff's parents were already coming out after Memorial Day to stay with the kids while we went house hunting, so we talked them into coming down early and coming with us to Nauvoo. We were long overdue for a trip down, especially since Jackson's Illinois State Project had peaked such an interest in our kids.
We drove down on Saturday morning and arrived by lunch time. We shopped for souvenirs and then Jackson and Delaney went on a horse-drawn tour of Nauvoo with Grandma and Grandpa. Later that evening, Grandma and Grandpa offered to watch the kiddos while Jeff and I went to the temple - what a treat for us!
The next morning we woke up to dark, dark clouds. The number one thing on the kids' list was to see the temple. So, we headed right over. These pictures were taken at 10 in the morning, even though it looks like dusk. The clouds were dark and threatening for sure!
Of course, before we left, the weather said it would be warm, in the upper 80s on Sunday. However, by Saturday it was clear that would not happen. So, I ran to ShopKo to get the cheapest clearance sweatshirts I could find. I came up with Chicago Bears sweatshirts for everyone. Jerry aptly named this picture in front of the temple, "The Three Bears".
This is the view of the Mississippi River from the temple. On a side note, every river we now see Addie calls the Mississippi River. Including the big river we can see from our house.
The Joseph and Hyrum statue across the street from the temple.
After our morning stop by the temple, we headed down to old Nauvoo and the heavens opened! It started POURING! However, the nice thing for us was that it kept away any tourists, so we had many of the tours all to ourselves. We went to the Wheelwright, the printer, the brick mason, the family living center, the bakery, and the Browning home. We wish we'd gotten to more, however with Addie being her 2 year old self, she could have cared less about how they printed a newspaper or made rope in 1845. All she cared about was getting back to the swings we'd passed earlier.
This is Jackson at the Browning home. He's really into marksmanship, thanks to a History Channel show, Top Shot.
Jackson and Delaney at the printing press.
After a stop at the swings, we went to the Visitor's Center and walked around the statue garden.
Sharing secrets...
Playing "Ring Around the Rosies"
After dinner that evening, we asked the kids what was the one last thing they wanted to do, and they wanted to go back to the temple. The weather had cleared and we went back for one last look of that beautiful building.
Delaney was fascinated with being able to touch the building. She stood with her hand on it for the longest time.
Knowing that this would be our last road trip through IL, I had Jeff take these pictures of the kids. My parent's moved to IL when I was in college. Never, before then, had I ever seen corn fields in real life (I know, I'm so sheltered). I was completely fascinated by them! In fact, I have a picture of one of my favorite friends from college and I standing in a corn field, because I'd never seen anything like it before!
I am mesmerized by the incredibly neat rows of corn, all well over 8 feet tall when fully grown. Little did I know that just a few short years later, I would be married to Jeff and living in the land of cornfields! Unfortunately, we had to leave IL before they were full grown this year, but I wanted my kids to remember that they have, in fact, seen corn fields. Lots of them.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
We made it!
Well, though it appears we got lost somewhere along the way, we actually made it to Washington! We left Chicago on June 26th and arrived in WA on June 30th. Along the way, we dropped Jackson and Delaney off in Utah with grandparents and cousins while Jeff, Addie, Adrianne (my cousin/helper/cleaner/nanny/babysitter/slave laborer/unpacker) and I continued on up to the northwest.
We unpacked for a week. Then decided all the boxes could wait and that Utah was calling our name. So, we headed back down to Utah for almost 3 weeks.
Ah, denial - it's such a beautiful way to live!
But, now we are back for good. We are now officially Washingtonians. Of course I was going to take my camera with me to UT and blog the whole time about everything from the past 6 weeks, but I forgot it. So, now I have major catch up to do and also I have no pictures from the past 3 weeks in UT! Bummer.
Here are the views from our driveway. Coming from the midwest, this is gorgeous. All our friends and family in UT? You will laugh because you have a gorgeous view out of any room in your house.
So for us, we're loving the gorgeous views from our new home. After many weeks filled with tears, it's nice to see beauty all around.
We unpacked for a week. Then decided all the boxes could wait and that Utah was calling our name. So, we headed back down to Utah for almost 3 weeks.
Ah, denial - it's such a beautiful way to live!
But, now we are back for good. We are now officially Washingtonians. Of course I was going to take my camera with me to UT and blog the whole time about everything from the past 6 weeks, but I forgot it. So, now I have major catch up to do and also I have no pictures from the past 3 weeks in UT! Bummer.
Here are the views from our driveway. Coming from the midwest, this is gorgeous. All our friends and family in UT? You will laugh because you have a gorgeous view out of any room in your house.
So for us, we're loving the gorgeous views from our new home. After many weeks filled with tears, it's nice to see beauty all around.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sold!
For the 3 1/2 weeks that our house was on the market, I was a total stress case. I told Jeff, I felt like I was waiting for the cute boy to call...and he just wasn't calling! I will be the first to admit that I could have handled that month with much more grace than I actually did. But, the whole thing made my stomach in knots for so many reasons.
1. The constant gloom and doom that is the real estate market. No one ever has good news when it comes to real estate these days. Buyers know they have the pick of the litter and they're in no rush. 'Cause mine is a dime a dozen.
2. Jeff had committed to being up in WA by August 1st. Which meant if we hadn't sold our house, our family would have been separated. And, I was having constant anxiety about that. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I hate being separated from Jeff.
3. Three kids, house on the market...enough said.
4. Does anyone like having strangers walk through their house? We even had someone use the bathroom during a showing. How do I know that? We never leave toilet seats up, and the one in the master bathroom was up when I got home. Yuck.
But, thankfully, the pain was short lived. Relatively speaking, it sold very quickly. And, coincidentally, we go two offers on the same day. So, in this "low ball" market, we were able to bid the offers up and got very close to our asking price.
Really, I'm just super grateful that someone came into our home and decided to buy it! Their realtor told us that they looked at 18 homes in one weekend, and then flew back to the east coast. How our home stood out among 18, I have no idea. We're just very grateful that it did and realize how blessed we are.
1. The constant gloom and doom that is the real estate market. No one ever has good news when it comes to real estate these days. Buyers know they have the pick of the litter and they're in no rush. 'Cause mine is a dime a dozen.
2. Jeff had committed to being up in WA by August 1st. Which meant if we hadn't sold our house, our family would have been separated. And, I was having constant anxiety about that. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I hate being separated from Jeff.
3. Three kids, house on the market...enough said.
4. Does anyone like having strangers walk through their house? We even had someone use the bathroom during a showing. How do I know that? We never leave toilet seats up, and the one in the master bathroom was up when I got home. Yuck.
But, thankfully, the pain was short lived. Relatively speaking, it sold very quickly. And, coincidentally, we go two offers on the same day. So, in this "low ball" market, we were able to bid the offers up and got very close to our asking price.
Really, I'm just super grateful that someone came into our home and decided to buy it! Their realtor told us that they looked at 18 homes in one weekend, and then flew back to the east coast. How our home stood out among 18, I have no idea. We're just very grateful that it did and realize how blessed we are.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Broken
Well, it's official. We're moving. And, we're all broken-hearted about it. In fact, some days I'm so sad about it, it hurts to take a breath in.
Many people in the school ask if we have family here, and when I tell them no, they say, "Well, at least you don't have to leave family." And what I want to tell them, is that what we have is probably just as good. While we don't have extended family here, my little family has thrived here. We've been so blessed to call this place home. We have a ward family who love us and we love right back. We have so many wonderful neighbors who we absolutely trust and love. I have loved the 5 years at our elementary school and come to know so many of the staff there. It is so hard to know we're walking away from all of this. I just feel broken as I think of it.
For the past two years I have had the greatest church calling! I have been lucky enough to be our ward Young Women's President. I have been given an amazing opportunity to be blessed by getting to know, and spending time with, 30 girls who I look up to. They are unwavering examples to me of faith, self worth, charity, love, laughter, compassion, generosity, virtue, fun (!), service and integrity. To say I will miss them is a gross understatement. To say that I will leave a part of my heart back in Illinois with those girls is completely true. I want nothing more than for them to know that they are loved. They are loved not only by me and their families, but most importantly by their Savior. And if they truly understand that love, they will never feel alone. They will always feel "of worth". And knowing their self-worth, they will be unstoppable in the things they will be able to accomplish!
So, where are we going? What the heck are we doing?
Chasing a dream, really. 8 years ago when Jeff was in business school he took an entrepreneurship class with a friend, and they wrote a business plan. They have carefully worked to make that plan a reality. And, the day has finally arrived.
I am thrilled for Jeff that he has gotten to this point. I wish I could say I'd been 100% supportive of every step. There have been many long hours over several years as he would work at night, after his "regular" job, to make this a success. And as is often the case in life, there are still no guarantees. However, the time is right. We are in a position in our family right now where it's either now or never. So, we're making a leap of faith, leaving a home we love and starting new. And, of course, Jeff couldn't be happier. And because of that, I couldn't be happier for him.
We are embarking on our new adventure in Washington. State. Not DC. We are leaving crummy winters behind for crummy rain all year! For some reason we can't score in the weather department.
Mother Nature is prepping us for the move, though. Here's what my favorite local weatherman had to say about April in Chicago.
"April's produced the most measurable rain days of any the past 50 yrs. It's still on track to become Chi's cloudiest April on record here. Sunshine records begin in 1893 and to date, April 2011's produced 31% of its possible sun!"
Right as we told the kids we were moving to the Northwest, the weather turned on us and brought the Northwest to us! We do hear it's beautiful up there, and I'm excited to get to see first hand, in a few weeks. In fact, that's the first thing people say when they hear where we're going..."I hear it's beautiful up there!"
Are we crazy? Probably. Do I feel crazy? Absolutely. Are we doing the right thing? Yes, and I'm sure. Am I broken, having to leave? Of course...but we are blessed and for that I am grateful.
Many people in the school ask if we have family here, and when I tell them no, they say, "Well, at least you don't have to leave family." And what I want to tell them, is that what we have is probably just as good. While we don't have extended family here, my little family has thrived here. We've been so blessed to call this place home. We have a ward family who love us and we love right back. We have so many wonderful neighbors who we absolutely trust and love. I have loved the 5 years at our elementary school and come to know so many of the staff there. It is so hard to know we're walking away from all of this. I just feel broken as I think of it.
For the past two years I have had the greatest church calling! I have been lucky enough to be our ward Young Women's President. I have been given an amazing opportunity to be blessed by getting to know, and spending time with, 30 girls who I look up to. They are unwavering examples to me of faith, self worth, charity, love, laughter, compassion, generosity, virtue, fun (!), service and integrity. To say I will miss them is a gross understatement. To say that I will leave a part of my heart back in Illinois with those girls is completely true. I want nothing more than for them to know that they are loved. They are loved not only by me and their families, but most importantly by their Savior. And if they truly understand that love, they will never feel alone. They will always feel "of worth". And knowing their self-worth, they will be unstoppable in the things they will be able to accomplish!
So, where are we going? What the heck are we doing?
Chasing a dream, really. 8 years ago when Jeff was in business school he took an entrepreneurship class with a friend, and they wrote a business plan. They have carefully worked to make that plan a reality. And, the day has finally arrived.
I am thrilled for Jeff that he has gotten to this point. I wish I could say I'd been 100% supportive of every step. There have been many long hours over several years as he would work at night, after his "regular" job, to make this a success. And as is often the case in life, there are still no guarantees. However, the time is right. We are in a position in our family right now where it's either now or never. So, we're making a leap of faith, leaving a home we love and starting new. And, of course, Jeff couldn't be happier. And because of that, I couldn't be happier for him.
We are embarking on our new adventure in Washington. State. Not DC. We are leaving crummy winters behind for crummy rain all year! For some reason we can't score in the weather department.
Mother Nature is prepping us for the move, though. Here's what my favorite local weatherman had to say about April in Chicago.
"April's produced the most measurable rain days of any the past 50 yrs. It's still on track to become Chi's cloudiest April on record here. Sunshine records begin in 1893 and to date, April 2011's produced 31% of its possible sun!"
Right as we told the kids we were moving to the Northwest, the weather turned on us and brought the Northwest to us! We do hear it's beautiful up there, and I'm excited to get to see first hand, in a few weeks. In fact, that's the first thing people say when they hear where we're going..."I hear it's beautiful up there!"
Are we crazy? Probably. Do I feel crazy? Absolutely. Are we doing the right thing? Yes, and I'm sure. Am I broken, having to leave? Of course...but we are blessed and for that I am grateful.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Too Brite!
This was the funny series of pictures from Easter morning, before church. We have had the rainiest April in 50 years so when that strange yellow orb showed up in the sky, their eyes couldn't handle it!
Watch Addie, as the pictures go on...
Yikes! It's bright, but she got one eye open...
Not for long, though!
Maybe if I use my hands to shade my eyes...
Oh, never mind!
Watch Addie, as the pictures go on...
Yikes! It's bright, but she got one eye open...
Not for long, though!
Maybe if I use my hands to shade my eyes...
Oh, never mind!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Still Here
Wow! It's been over a month since I last posted. Life's been crazy over the past few weeks, to the point where sometimes it's hard to breathe. Things are changing at the Clark house, and for now, I don't really want to talk about it. So, in doing the mature thing, I'm going to ignore it...because if I say it out loud, that means it's true, and I'm not ready to admit it. So, I'll do some catching up...
Addie started dance. I couldn't believe it. That girl has NO INTEREST in anything girlie, but thanks to "Despicable Me" she wanted to dance. She's been to two classes and really likes it.
Addie also moved to her big-girl-bed. Yes, she's almost 3 and was still in a crib. However, I had no problem leaving her there. And then she and I went to Dallas over spring break and the pack n' play was too short for her to fully lay down in, so I figure if Graco is telling me she's too big to be in a crib, it must be true. She loves her new bed, but still says she's a baby. See, she knows if she's a big girl, she has to go on the potty, so she's quick to remind us all that she's still a baby.
When I was pregnant I searched long and hard for a crib that converted to a full size bed, but wouldn't look like it used to be a crib. I'm really happy with it and her brother and sister are both jealous that she's got the biggest bed in the house. Don't they realize that the youngest will always get the better end of the deal? They may as well start learning now...
Delaney took 2nd overall in another gymnastics meet! And at this meet, her team took 1st place overall. What a fun experience for her. There's another meet in a week and I'm still prepping her that this won't happen every time. Work hard, have fun, and be happy with how you've done!
Jackson worked hard all month on his Illinois State Fair project. He wrote a report, put together a presentation, and built a Lego model; topic being Nauvoo. We didn't have a chance to get down there during the month, so thanks to our Bishop's fantastic photography skills, he had a really great presentation. All the 4th graders in his school displayed their projects in the gym and all the parents got to come see. No one had ever heard of Nauvoo so it was a great opportunity for others to find out about something they didn't know even existed so close by!
Addie started dance. I couldn't believe it. That girl has NO INTEREST in anything girlie, but thanks to "Despicable Me" she wanted to dance. She's been to two classes and really likes it.
Addie also moved to her big-girl-bed. Yes, she's almost 3 and was still in a crib. However, I had no problem leaving her there. And then she and I went to Dallas over spring break and the pack n' play was too short for her to fully lay down in, so I figure if Graco is telling me she's too big to be in a crib, it must be true. She loves her new bed, but still says she's a baby. See, she knows if she's a big girl, she has to go on the potty, so she's quick to remind us all that she's still a baby.
When I was pregnant I searched long and hard for a crib that converted to a full size bed, but wouldn't look like it used to be a crib. I'm really happy with it and her brother and sister are both jealous that she's got the biggest bed in the house. Don't they realize that the youngest will always get the better end of the deal? They may as well start learning now...
Delaney took 2nd overall in another gymnastics meet! And at this meet, her team took 1st place overall. What a fun experience for her. There's another meet in a week and I'm still prepping her that this won't happen every time. Work hard, have fun, and be happy with how you've done!
Jackson worked hard all month on his Illinois State Fair project. He wrote a report, put together a presentation, and built a Lego model; topic being Nauvoo. We didn't have a chance to get down there during the month, so thanks to our Bishop's fantastic photography skills, he had a really great presentation. All the 4th graders in his school displayed their projects in the gym and all the parents got to come see. No one had ever heard of Nauvoo so it was a great opportunity for others to find out about something they didn't know even existed so close by!
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