6 Months in Iowa

Wow, that went by rather quickly! There have been many "firsts" here in Iowa and here is a recap for you.

July: We started our journey the first week of July to the midwest. Emma and I traveled in the Pathfinder along with 2 cats, a lizard and a fish. Dan and Noah had the company of the dogs on our 3 day journey. Our first stop was in Albuquerque with a rather frightful evening. Since we had so many critters with us we needed 2 rooms at the hotel. Again, girls together and boys in the other room. We had dinner at Denny's and retired to our rooms early since our schedule would  have us leaving bright and early. Or so we thought. The hotel neighbors we had indulged in too many beverages and the drama began. We heard the shouting between 2 men and then a loud bang on my door. The person was looking for an individual and thought they were in mine and Emma's room. I seriously thought they were going to break down the door! I yelled at Emma to get in the bathroom and lock the door. Come to find out, no locks! I called 911 after the pounding didn't stop and I heard a mother crying a baby screaming. I then called Dan in the next room and asked him to escort us out of our room and into theirs once the rent-a-cop had arrived. Emma and I safely got into the other room and left the poor kitties behind. They would be fine under the bed. So peace and quiet is restored, for a mere hour! The same 2 men begin their argument to a head again and crash through the window next to my original room. Dan calls the front desk and again we're assured that the "real" police are on their way and everything would be fine. Needless to say, we didn't sleep a wink. Morning could not come soon enough. We high tailed it out of there and contniued. on our way. Tip= 5 hour Enenrgy Drinks do work. Dan and I needed it after the night we had.
So the rest of the trip was thankfully less eventful. We had an amazing hail storm in Witchita and then ended up in our temporary housing in West Des Moines.
The Residence Inn was home for a few days while final steps were taking place on our home. It's here at the hotel where Emma teaches Sparky how to use stairs. Such a weird thing but he's never seen them before. Lucy being a pup had it in no time. Sparky did get in his daily practice with us being on the 4th floor and all!
The 18th has arrived and it's our first night in our home. Bitter sweet. It's good to be home, settled, (somewhat) and done with the move. Sadly we are one family member short. Lala, we love and miss you! And more sadness as we lost our beloved pet Spike. I think the journey was too tough on his already weak system. Brighter days on the horzon and beautiful greeness all around.
We've met our now dear friends Bob & Edna and they in turn have introduced us to their cirlce of friends. We couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome! This place is surrounded with "good folks." Everywhere is a helping hand or a smiling face. Ankeny or Mayberry, it's a toss up! Just a down to Earth little place we call home now.

August: Who would have ever thought an August could be nice. In Arizona it's the dreaded month with heat in all it's glory. Here, it's a whole new story. You can smell the freshly mowed grass and enjoy a cool evening. Our house is looking more and more like home. I quickly decorated so the kids ( ok me too ) would feel more comfortable more quickly. They are enjoying the longer break from school since they don't start until mid August here. Noah loves going to our "lake" and Emma plays with her new friend Natalie. We play in the back yard and grill almost every night. We also treated ourselves to a day at the Iowa State Fair. Everybody has to go just once!

September: Our 1st birthday in Iowa. Noah turned 11 on the 8th and we had a great day. There was no school that day and we went fishing. Both the kids made a catch and we had a wonderful celebration at home. San Diego Charger decorations, favorite foods and of course blueberry pie. 
The kids love their new school, Ashland Ridge Elementary. They have made new friends and say that the school has the best lunches. They feed these midwest kids well!
Dan loves mowing the yard and it's funny to watch Lucy follow him. Noah has followed him and has learned to get the job done!

October: The next birthday and Noah shows off his new skills. Since it was Dan's birthday Noah didn't seem fit for daddy to mow the yard. Noah took care of the whole yard. Makes a mom proud : ) We also celebrated my birthday and had a great visit with Aunt Karen, Lauren , and Matthew. It was so good to have family come visit. We all needed it. It showed us that everything was going to be ok. we wouldn't be stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nobody. What a fun Halloween and just a good time in all.

November: It's quite chilly now and this will be our 1st Thanksgiving away from family. Or so I thought. Everyone I needed most was around our Thanksgiving table that day or in my heart. We had an amazing feast, fun and began traditions of our own. We enjoy lazy weekends with football and board games. Our new family fave is Apples to Apples. Jenga is always fun while Dan and Noah enjoy Sorry.  I've done some Christmas shopping and can't believe it's right around the corner!

December: To quote a famous holiday favorite, "It hit!" (from Rudolph) We have snow and lots of it. I'm seeing temps that I haven't seen well, EVER! The first snow fall was back in October but nothing stuck. Can't say that anymore. Now it just keeps piling up. I also found a new light on my dashboard, "SLIP!" Yeah as if I didn't already know I was sliding across the ice! Driving is tricky and you need to get out on the "good days." When we have a clear day here, we seize the chance to do all errands. I now have a shelving unit in the basement that holds extra food. Stock up when you can and get out when you can. Words to live by when you're not sure when the next "good day" is coming.
We have gone church hunting and found one we wish to become members of. We would have loved to have gone to their Christams Eve service but as weather would have it, another huge storm hits! We thankfully have another church right by us and really enjoyed the service. We enjoyed it so much so that we're "in between" churches in our decision making process. We'll know it's right in due time.
Our Christmas Eve was filled with excitement, good food, amd great memories. I talked to everyone throughtout the day and even though we were far apart, we all were close in our hearts. Again, I found myself in a "new" Christmas Eve surrounding and enjoyed every second. My husband by my side and my children wrapped up in the spirit of it all. We opened a few family gifts and waited eagerly for Santa to arrive.
Christmas morning. It's always so peaceful. Even amongst the crinkle of wrapping paper, squeals of delight, there is just a calm feeling that I love to take in. There's nothing like it. What a beautiful day all in a winter wonderland. The Christmas Snow began to fall just as we left the church service the night before. It fell quietly throughout the night and left a blanket of white which is just so special on Christmas day.
We were spending our Christmas with Bob & Edna in our home. It was good to have friends on this special day. We shared food, laughter, and gratitude for it all. It was a good Christmas! My Christmas was extended and we celebrated it all again on the 26th with Lala! Merry Christmas all over again! I loved every second of it and I'm so thankful we could be together.

January: Our fun continues with Lala spending the week with us. We went to Jordan Creek and saw Avatar. We had a good time at Joe's Crab Shack and really just enjoed everyone's company. We don't have to be doing "things" to have fun. We just have a good time on our own being silly, loud and fun! We played wii and came up with some new funny mii's. Lala, Noah and Em all played in the snow and it was so good to watch them with one and other. It's those quiet moments you steal when they're not looking that are so prceious. What an amazing week!
I am so excited to say I have more to look forward to. Mom & Dad will be here on Saturday and we couldn't be happier. I have never been this far from them since I was born for this amount of time. I cannot wait to see their faces and show them how we're doing.
We're doing great! We're happy, healthy, and have so much to be thankful for. These past 6 months have taught me so much. What I know for sure though is that I know it will all be ok. I have an amazing family good friends and support from you has carried us through. So, that's the past 6 months, here's to the next! Happy New Year and here's to a great 2010!