We survived

We survived our first Maine winter.  Actually, it was very mild.  I think the kids only had one snow day.  Thankfully, there was plenty of snow on the slopes so the family became skiers this year.  Now we are getting serious Spring fever.  So what is new:
-The kids learned to ski
-The kids became advanced skaters
-They made new friends at school
-Kelsey became first chair for flute in band
-I reconnected with friends from high school. 
-I made a new best friend
-We spent all holidays with family and had 20 people over for Christmas.
-I had my parents over and they stayed over twice.  Pretty awesome for my mom who is in the late stages of Alzheimers.My mother and me
-I had hernia surgery.  They thought they were going to take something out but it turns out they shoved something back in.
-We had family to attend my kids' musical events
-We took in a foster dog for several weeks.Princess
-Tim and I kept working as usual.  He in a new job and me, thankfully, in the same job.  I love working online.
-Erin was invited to attend a writer's camp this summer
-Matthew has already been in the West branch of the Cathance river.  I think this is his new happy place.  There is an island out there.
-Got all three kids back in piano lessons with an awesome piano teacher right up the road in Bowdoinham.
-Helped Kelsey raise money to go on a NY, DC, PA trip.  She leaves Friday.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Just as the girls were finishing up the play White Chrismas, we got a good 6 inches of snow.  I don't have pictures yet, but I will try to get some up soon.  This picture is from the spring recital.  So, I am asking the Lord to open up the next opportunity that is not too pricey.

After spending weeks trying to find a dance school for the girls, this play came along that had song and dance numbers throughout.  Primarily tap, but Erin also did some ballet.

Chance encounters

Most of my friends know that Matthew has had some health issues that have kept himout of school.  He started back this week.  So, after dropping him off, I headed to a local coffee house to do some work on my laptop. The woman at the next table had recommended to me next to her.  So I spoke to the woman and asked her if she bought the book locally. Turns out, she has a son with similar issues. He is 8. We talked and exchanged numbers. Her name is Hope.


Then an older woman at the next table got up and spoke to us and said she works in corrections and that the book was excellent and the principles really work. She recommended another author as well.

So, as I was sitting there earlier today, there were two woman at two tables right next to mine who was processing the same stuff I am processing. One in the trenches like me and the other a professional. Neat huh?

Love these chance encounters that are not really chance.

Kelsey and Erin's Duet

Here is the link to K & E's duet.

Kelsey and Erin's Tap dance   press this link to the left

Erin loves the arts

I brought Erin and Kelsey to their first practice last night for White Christmas.  They sat there and went over a song over and over again.  I thought they would be bored and ready to quit trying to learn a tough new song and just sitting there with strangers.  But, when Erin got home, she wanted to go hear the song right away on YouTube.  It fits her so well.  Broadway Baby.  She watched many different versions and then sang it some more in bed.  On Saturday the cast was asked to bring tap shoes so I think this was an inspired substitute for the girls.  Thanks God.

So I decided to upload a practice from her spring dance recital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8f5p5TwKKQ

My girls are nice and they are glamorous

Just as we were getting ready to leave Iowa, a friend of Kelsey's invited her to do a fundraiser for a group.  It was a version of glamour shots.  Of course there is the promise of a free picture.  Then they took at least 8 fabulous photos of each daughter.  So we splurged for the CD Rom so we could use at will.  It was a nice ending.  I am hearing that Erin looks like my niece Kristin and Kelsey favors me in some of them.  She always thought she didn't look like the family.  I am glad they got the chance to do this.  Soon we can get some developed and use them in our new house.

Can rafting in September make you sick?

This isn't really us because I didn't want to ruin our camera.  But this is what we did.  We took the kids white water rafting on the Kennebec and then the Dead River.  We had a great time.  We stayed in our camper for the first time all season.  So it was below 40 in the morning when we got up and we had no heat.  So the water was a little chilly.  Is that why two of my kids had fevers and sore throats this week?  After all, the other one had the sore throat last week. So, whether it was a wise decision or not, we all had great family time and after the hectic summer we had with so much up in the air, we needed the time away.  By the way, in our picture, we would all have helmets on.  Uncle Bob insists on it.

Matthew and his turtle

Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ws0NMML0A
One of the reasons we moved here was for Matthew to be able to find things in the local river.  Wow, he really found something.  Good thing we do not live in Florida.

This is our new house

This is our new home at 22 Elliot Lane in Bowdoinham.  My grandparents lived in this town 30 years ago.  I have found some people who remember them.

Rip Tide can be fun but dangerous

Hurricane Bill on Sunday gave us the chance to jump really big waves at Popham Beach on Saturday.  We had to be careful to not go too far out or the rip tide would suck us right out into the ocean.  This was a new experience and we were safe enough to have a lot of fun.  We went to Reid State Beach first but they wouldn't even let us pur our toes in the water.
Welcome to Maine

Arrived in Maine

I will try to keep this brief because I have little progress to report. We are in Maine. Got here last Thursday. I have begun the task of looking for a house and it turns out, I am picky. I did not think I was picky, but apparently so. I have driven around the area where Tim works and it has its good and bad points. We will look inside houses tomorrow and Friday.

It is unseasonably cold and rainy here. Yes, this is Maine and it is cooler anyway. But this is different. Very cold and very rainy.

One last hurrah

A few years ago, we made it a family tradition to go to the Iowa Indy Corn 250. Tim made it back in time to go to the qualifying yesterday. We won't make it to the actual race today because we will be busy loading the truck. We had a great time yesterday. It was great to be all back together as a family. It was a good celebration of father's day. We head out in a day or two.

One more week

We are leaving Iowa in about a week. Tim will arrive this Friday and we will pack up and head out. There is so much to do. The hard thing is we have no place to land. I guess we will put our stuff in storage and stay with relatives until we can find a rental or buy a house.

This picture is of Kelsey taken in front of the garage the last week of school.

I will miss Hickory Park in Ames

Our car automatically stops in Ames so we can eat BBQ at Hickory Park. There is usually a long line but it is worth the wait.

I will miss the horizon.

When I first moved to Iowa, wide open spaces made me nervous. Now I love it and fenced in overly treed areas make me nervous. If there is a storm coming, I want to see it move in from Nebraska. Perhaps when I move to Maine I should live on a hill facing west.

Matthew's Brain freeze

Iowa Weather

I will also miss Iowa weather. Ok, not the 25 below weather but spring, summer, and fall are great. I also love a good spring storm. I don' t want a tornado, but a good thunderstorm is so cozy. Living in Iowa has taught me about tornado sirens and heading to the basement. I tune in to Ed Wilson on channel 13 for my weather advisories. He is like an old friend. I will miss Ed and my other friends at channel 13.

Believe it or not.....

I will miss the clean Iowa (and midwest) public restrooms. It is so nice that after driving a long time to walk into a clean, good smelling restroom. Also, many of Iowa's restrooms have an historical theme so you can learn things while visiting. Not while sitting though. The displays are in the foyer. Also, the restrooms are now wireless. This is one of the cultural differences between Maine and Iowa....clean public bathrooms. Someone works hard to make them this way and I appreciate it.

And I will really really really miss Aldi

Those who know me know I love my Aldi. Milk for 1.99; who doesn't love that? The best gourmet food at affordable prices. This is probably the hardest thing to leave. I will just have to go get an an Italian sandwich and then go to Mardens every time I miss Aldi.

Iowa green

I will also miss how green Iowa gets. The best way to demonstrate this is to show a painting by Grant Wood.