Moving Day...Sort Of

Well the day has finally come to move into our new home.....sort of. The movers were here a little ahead of time. We were there on time. The house is still not ready, but we made do. The kitchen is still not in, nor the bathroom fixtures and cabinets. The flooring on the main level is still not complete. The carpting in the basement is not finished yet. But, we were able to do what we needed to do. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will go by quickly, and we will finally be able to completely move in.

Independence Day

Today is Independence Day....the Fourth of July. It's an odd situation we're in, but we will make the best of it. We still haven't moved into our new home yet, but it will be finished in a couple more weeks. So, we will be celebrating in our temporary home...a one-bedroom cottage. Being new in town makes one feel a bit on the perimeter, but our new neighbors have made us feel at home, even though we are not quite at home. We probably won't be hosting a cookout this year, but there is a great place in town that has the best barbecue I've had in a good while. We will stop by and pick up a little something, then maybe take in some of the local flavor. There are quite a few things going on around town today, so I'm sure the kids will enjoy the day without feeling like they are missing our usual celebrating. Of course, what would the Fourth of July be without fireworks? I am told there will be fireworks, so hopefully the kids will enjoy those too. Happy Fourth!

Forever, For Always, For Love...Remembering Luther

I just found out the one of my favorite R&B artist has passed away today. Just say his name, and all sorts of musical images come to mind. Luther..... Luther Vandross. He has to be my all-time favorite. His smooth voice and lyrical styling was pure genius. I have to admit, that I absolutely love his music. I don't think that there was a single song he released that I didn't like. Luther could sing anything, and it sounded good.... "Here and Now was our wedding song. Darryl sang it to me on our very first date, and it is such a special song to us. I don't think there ever will be a voice that can compare to his. There are a few who follow in the same vein, but they just aren't Luther. I have missed his voice ever since he fell ill, and I will continue to miss his voice now that he has passed on. Long live "The Power of Love".

Together Again, and On the Move...Again

Well, the family is now reunited after 4 months being apart from Darryl for work reasons. With his new position, comes new challenges. This is our 4th move in 5 years, all with the same company. Darryl's new job began in February, and he relocated without the rest of us. The kids and I stayed behind in order to finish school. We would move after school let out. So this past week has been an interesting one for us. The last day of school was June 23, and the movers were in the house packing it up that same day. We spent a couple nights at the Best Western in order to attend church on Sunday for the last time at Calvary Baptist. Everyone was teary eyed as we said our goodbyes. It has been a nice place to be for the past 5 years, but I am ready to leave the North Country. This transition has been without many issues, but as we wind this thing down, we come to find out that the new house is not quite ready yet. So, here we are all 5 of us staying in the builder's one-bedroom cottage. It's cozy, but a bit too small for us all. I feel like we're camping, since I don't have all my personal stuff. It's on a moving van somewere in NY state waiting for us to take delivery this Friday. I just hope the house is ready enough for us to get our belongings....

David's Birthday

Today is David's 5th birthday. This child has been anticipating this birthday since his last one. Just about each day, David would tell me and anyone else who would listen what he wanted for his birthday, a Buzz Lightyear with no belt. Every day, David reminded everyone what his birthday gift was to be, and he also asked how long it was till his next birthday. As the days, week, and months went by we had this daily discussion about his birthday. Well, today it finally arrived and the look of joy on his little face was just too cute. We celebrated yesterday with cake and his present. I told David that finding the Buzz he wanted was pretty hard, so he may need to think about something else. He received the RC car from Toy Story, with a miniature Buzz and Woody. He was thrilled beyond measure, and somehow forgot about that Buzz Lightyear with no belt. Overall he had a great birthday weekend at the funpark on Saturday, family party on Sunday, and his happy meal today on his actual birthday. So now David is 5...I wonder what he will cook up tomorrow for his next birthday?

Catching Up

I feel like I've been "catching up" in all aspects of my life over the past few months, even more so now, though. Moving day is coming next week, and there is so much to do to get ready. This will be our third move since August of 2003, so I am hoping this one will be easier than the previous two moves. The new house is almost complete, so the schedule will be very tight, but I am thinking it will be finished on time. I'm excited to finally get a dedicated scrapbook/craft area in the new house, I just don't know where yet. I got dibs on the guest room, but I am thinking the basement family room would be a better fit. Once I get to see the rooms, I'll make a decision. Building a house from afar has been challenging. Just trying to imagine how everything will come together using my imagination and photos does help, but it will be even better when I get to see the real thing. Yes, the past few months have been a challenge, but one part of our lives is ending, and a new one is beginning. Hopefully I'll be caught up and ready for the new challenges that lie ahead!

The Gold Medal

This is the beginning of the last week of school for David's Kidstart class, and today was their awards assembly for the Books & Beyond reading project. David was extremely excited to be receiving his gold medal for reading through the 8 stations throughout the school year. We worked extra hard the last two weeks to get from station 5 to station 8. With the help of both of his grandmothers, we actually did it. We went up to the wire to complete the reading. All of the children either received a blue ribbon for making the attempt, or a gold medal for completing 8 total stations of 225 reading minutes at each level. Darryl arranged his schedule to be home this morning, so we attended the ceremony. David looked so proud to receive his gold medal. That's quite an accomplishment for a soon-to-be five year old!

First Entry

This is my first entry in my new blog. My intent is to capture the events of my life and that of my family in order to record in my future scrapbooks. I also intend to collect my thoughs here about scrapbooking in general. I know some people don't understand how one can obsess about scrapbooks and all that goes with it, but you probably wouldn't understand unless you are a scrapper. I equate the artistry involved with scrapbooking to that of any of the other arts. When you find something that allows you to express yourself in such a way, you fall in love with it and it helps define who you are and what you are here for. I love everything about scrapbooking, and I plan to discover new ways to record my life events through photos, paper, embellishments, and all the other stuff that goes along with this wonderful hobby.

Life Event for Today - June 5, 2005

It is Sunday afternoon, and the kids and I have returned home from church. Lunch is over, and I am thinking back to the events of today. Daniel had his first communion today. I was so touched when he told Pastor Brian that he felt privileged to be able to participate in communion this morning. I had tears in my eyes all during the Lord's supper, and Daniel did his best to make me feel better. Today was hard, because I would have loved to had Darryl here to see Daniel be so focused on communion, but the circumstances were such that he had to be away. Either way, I am glad Daniel has been baptized, and is now walking with Jesus at such a young age. Hopefully this will keep him focused on being the best that he can be and keep him on the right road throught his life to come.

My Three Little Loves



Most of my scrapbooks will detail the lives of these three from birth on up. They certainly keep me on my toes.