Home at Last!

We left Tahoe at 9:00 this morning and arrived in Boise 8 hours later. It was an easy drive and both boys behaved far better than we could have hoped for or ever imagined. We were a bit worried when we had only been in the car for 20 minutes and Jake asked plaintively, "Are we there yet, Mommy?" But, luckily, it was not a sign of things to come. In fact, the only fussing or complaining that we had to contend with was when Tanner fell apart 10 miles from our house. I think he had just had it with his carseat and I had used every trick in my bag to keep him happy. Jake watched movie after movie while Brian and I listened to XM Channel 16 the whole way. Lots of great country music :) and, as usual, we sang along loudly and enjoyed the drive.
Brian did get pulled over just outside of Winnemuca for speeding. The cop did not give him a ticket- which was very generous and much appreciated. I think it helped that right after the cop arrived at our car Jake said, "Mommy, that policeman is a very nice man!" (No coaching from us, but we did give him more candy when we pulled away!!)

Jake was very excited to arrive at our new house. He was hyped out of his mind due to lack of sleep and too much sugar (He's still working on that giant lollypop we got for him at Marine World!) and didn't go to sleep until 11:00. It stays light here very late. In fact, we were out on a neighborhood walk and didn't realize it was close to ten already! I can't wait to explore more tomorrow. I am especially excited to take the boys to the pool. It is only 5 blocks away and is way bigger than I had anticipated. We'll need it, as it was close to 100 today.

This house is great! It is nicer than I had remembered it and I keep walking around it thinking, "Is this really ours???" I am so anxious to get our stuff moved in tomorrow. It is sure to be another long day. The movers arrive at 8:30AM.

I guess we should try to get to sleep. Just wanted those of you that are checking up on us to know that we arrived, are in good spirits, and are ready to continue this adventure.

One thing that moving on does for you: It sure shows you who your friends are and how much you are loved. The things we take for granted daily come into focus so clearly. We have been so lucky to spend time with those closest to us over the last month in preparation for our move. Friends and family have spoiled us and spoiled our boys with their love and affection- and more than a few toys for the little ones! Although we may be moving on, part of our hearts are definitely staying here in California with friends, countless "aunties" and family.
We are truly blessed.

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all...This photo is from the Giants game a week or so ago. We had a great time. It was very cold though and the Giants lost, so not all positive. On the good side, my Fathers Day gift from Marisa and the boys was tickets for the Boise Hawks minor league team (an Angels affiliate), so we have that to look forward to once we get settled. My real Fathers Day gifts are in the picture to the right--------------------------->>
These two boys have changed everything about my life for the better. Very few things make me happier than seeing my boys first thing in the morning. I am really looking forward to the next six weeks or so that we will have off together so I can help them (and their mother) adjust to life in Idaho and we can spend some time just enjoying time together. Both Tanner and Jake are so good natured and adjust so well to whatever circumstances we are in at the time, I have no doubt that they will adjust just fine. Jake especially has been such a trooper with all of this chaos, I have been so proud of him. He has his own map to Idaho that he drew with his new house, new school and friends on it. He is planning on navigating with HIS map so we don't get lost on the way to Boise....

We spent yesterday with Bill, Kim, Cori, Kiri and all the kids. We had a great time, with a good BBQ dinner to finish things off. All in all a very nice Fathers Day.

I wanted to write a Fathers Day post like my Mothers Day one, but those kind of words just don't come as easily when talking about men. I don't know if that is sexist or chauvinistic, but I just can't muster the emotion....

Dad: I love you and can't wait to see you next month. I can't wait for you to meet Tanner and see what a little man Jake is growing into. Thanks for your great emails and words of encouragement and support over the course of this process, they've meant more to me than you know. I'll see you soon.

Love,

Your son,
Brian

Goodbye Sycamore

Today was a tough goodbye. I have worked at Sycamore for ten years, have made countless friends, and have learned so much along the way. What a great place to have called home. Walking through those gates for the last time was hard. Still, despite a few tears (OK... so at one point I needed a friend to bring me a box of kleenex and was actually babbling) I am excited to be done with school for now and am ready to get this adventure started! We are down to 6 days in the hotel and can't wait to be on our way to Tahoe, then Boise. Brian appears to have a job on the horizon but won't start until after the first week of August. Six weeks of vacation together as a family does not happen very often and we are really looking forward to it!

Tanner miraculously recovered from whatever was causing him to scream endlessly for four days as soon as Brian returned from Boise. Coincidence? Brian thinks not. He is back to being his smiley self. He is very close to crawling and we have to be VERY careful when he is on our bed as he rolls and rolls and rolls. Just a few minutes ago I heard Brian yell from the bedroom. I ran in and found that he was holding- just barely- onto Tanner's foot- Tanner dangling off the side of the bed. He loves his food and is starting to feed himself cheerios and anything else he can get his hands on. Jake is a swimming fool these days. Tonight he learned how to jump off the side (with floaties) without someone "catching" him- a giant leap for water confidence, I think. This morning on the way to school he saw a cow all alone in a field. He commented that he was a "sad cow" and that he must be "lonely". He continued on, saying that the daddy cow was probably jumping over the moon. I tell ya, that kid keeps us entertained. Tired, but entertained.

In Idaho (temporarily...)

Hello All. This post is actually coming from the office in the new house. I went out and bought a desk chair yesterday and it's the only furniture here right now, so while I was sitting down I thought I would catch up on the updates. The drive up was beautiful and quick. Once you get outside of Reno, it's two lanes, desert and no cell phone service almost all the way there. The drive took me 10.5 hours from Livermore to here, pretty much non-stop. If you are looking for a more scenic route (albeit slower), you can take 1 up (down?) the coast to Portland and over, which, if you are not a fan of scrubrush, I would recommend.

I am here this week to try and get some things set-up. I have been pretty successful so far; we have a lawn mower (and a mowed lawn), a fridge, freezer and washer/dryer, cable service and internet, a pool access code and mailbox service (almost). I also got in two job interviews here, dropped off Jakes pre-school registration, and signed him up for swim lessons at the community pool, so all in all a very productive trip.

I still very much like the area, so no buyers remorse here. It is a little bit more like the mid-west weather wise (hail the size of golfballs yesterday for about 15 minutes, followed by thunderstorms etc.) It's raining today but is nice otherwise.

Unfortunately, as Murphy would have it, Marisa is having a tough time with the boys. Tanner is teething or sick or just pissed off and has been inconsolable since I left (could be he misses Daddy...). He has been such an easy baby so far that this is kind of out of the blue. Plus she's there with both boys and Milo in the hotel room and trying to finish the school year with no sleep......honey I feel so bad I am not there to help, I will be home soon. We've both been doing the single parent thing lately and are both amazed that people who are acutally single parents survive the process. I don't know how I would make it with out Marisa's help with the boys on a regular basis. To the single parents out there...I am in awe, you are much stronger than me.

Marisa and I are both kind of ready for this transition phase to be over. It is great to be able to visit with our friends and stay in touch with the area, but our lives have been on hold for six weeks now and we are ready to get going again. We leave for a week or so (we don't know when the furniture is coming just yet) in Truckee on Thursday the 22, so one week left.....

Talk to you soon - Brian

Great Day!

We moved!!!! Ok... so we only moved across the pool. But, still, we MOVED. What a great day! After dealing with water damage in our studio hotel room for the last two weeks, complaining nicely, having blowers in our room, workmen trying to fix the problem etc... we finally said "enough is enough" and were rewarded with an upgrade to a room twice the size of our studio. It is like a castle in here! We no longer have to move TJ's crib in order to access the kitchen and there is actually some room to sit down to watch TV or play with toys or read somewhere other than the bed. I tell ya... it is like heaven.

Also, Brian was contacted by a ServePro in Boise that he had randomly sent his resume to last month. Turns out the owner wants to "retire"- or cut way way back on day to day operations- and is looking for a replacement. It is the same business as Brian is in now. So he is meeting with the guy next week in Boise. His phone interview with Farmers Insurance went great and he is being flown out for an interview soon. I guess his talk about karma is true. He has been so kind and overly accomodating to many during this transition and good stuff is happening. I think it is great that he may get to choose which job he wants instead of just having to take whatever comes along.

I returned from Outdoor Ed camp on Friday afternoon. It was a fun time, but it was good to get home to my guys. I talked to Jake each night and on the last night he told me that he was "eating ceral with marshmallows for dinner in the bed".... I figured it was time for me to come home! Seriously, though. Brian was a champ dad and the boys had a great time.
Let's hope I can do as well when Brian leaves for five days next week!