Drum roll please....

And the winner is...Houston, Texas! Yes, we finally have a destination! We are leaving after Chad's finals, around the 9th or 10th of Dec., so we will hopefully be settled before Christmas in a furnished apartment. We are going for a short term lease in a furnished place while we look for the "perfect" house, and then this ordeal will finally be over! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, they definately paid off. We have much to celebrate this Thanksgiving.

Thankful

I am trying to look on the bright side of things, even though at the moment I have a lot to be frustrated about. I have to say I never imagined I would be living in a 300 sq. ft. hotel room with three kids (four if you consider my messy husband!). I am so glad we don't have any pets right now. But, in the spirit of looking on the bright side, here are a few of the things that I am thankful for:

Running water. I don't know how my brother and his wife can stand to live in my parent's detached garage-turned apartment without putting in a bathroom.

Chapstick. A must when it turns cold outside.

Heat. Another must when it is cold.

My new super soft blankie. Thank you so much Karen and Adam!

My cell phone. Without it I would be lost...literally, I use it to get directions ALL the time! Thank you Jennifer and Clay.

My parents. Thanks for letting us crash at your house when I locked us out of our hotel room and Chad was out of town!

My mama. Thanks for everything, from helping me with sewing projects to listening while I rant to taking care of me or my kids when I am sick.

Volumizing shampoo. My hair depends on you.

Lower gas prices. It's down to $1.69 here.

My children. Even though they make me crazy sometimes.

My husband. Even though he thinks I'm crazy sometimes.

Zoloft. Because I am crazy sometimes.

Naptime. Need I say more?

Public education. Because I couldn't stand to have Blake home all day, everyday.

My Savior. For making the ultimate sacrifice for me.

Kisses from Kade. Cause he's so stinkin cute.

My new cordless Shark vacuum. Because without it I couldn't clean my hotel room, and even though it is not my sister's awesome purple Dyson, it sucks pretty good! Everyone should have a cordless Shark vac, I was so sad when my old one broke.

Gameboy Advance. For entertaining my kids and keeping them from fighting for twenty minutes in the car.

Christmas lights. For twinkling.

Chocolate. Because I can.

So these are a few of my favorite things. I have so much to be thankful for, I think I will start a new tradition for myself of coming up with a long list before Thanksgiving every year...maybe I'll make my kids do it too. Until next time...hopefully I will have good news to post in a few days about our next destination.

Bittersweet Endings

This is the last post I will be able to do for a few days, and there is so much updating to do! We have had a very busy week with all the packing, Halloween, Chad's dad and grandpa visiting, a garage sale, more packing, my niece and nephew's birthday, dentist appointments, packing...you get the idea!

First things first. My father-in-law (Von) and grandfather-in-law (Grandpa McGhie) flew into town last Wednesday afternoon. We were really glad to see them before we move to who knows where. We know that whenever my FIL is around we are going to have to eat pretty good (even though he is now on a strict "heart healthy" diet, we were able to find things he could eat). We spent many wonderful meals with them, showing them most of our favorite places in Tennessee. We went to:

Toots: great deep-fried pickles and Chad loves their Cajun wings. Bar B Cutie: free kids meals on Halloween when they wear a costume, we met my sister Jennifer and her family there and filled up on ribs and pulled pork. The Cheesecake Factory: need I say more? We shared their appetizer sampler (cause we always do!) and Kade tried and LOVED clam chowder...we didn't try any cheesecake this time, though my mouth was watering over their pumpkin cheesecake.

Luckily I didn't gain any weight...but I didn't lose any either!

Blake was Indiana Jones for Halloween, Trevor was Superman, and Kade was Mickey Mouse. After dinner at Bar B Cutie on Halloween, we took the kids to Trick or Treat at my parent's house and their sweet next door neighbors. Then it was back to our neighborhood to hit about 10 houses and we were done! The boys had a blast with their cousins, Incredible Hulk (Reagan), Army Man (Zach), the Southern Belle (Emma), and Minnie Mouse (Alyssa). It was sad that this is the last time, probably forever, that they can go trick or treating with their cousins. We crammed a lot in that night, hoping that it would last forever I guess.

Saturday morning I was up before the roosters to get ready for a final garage sale (or "moving sale") where I tried to get rid of as much as I could so I wouldn't have to pack it! Jennifer and my mom also contributed and we did pretty well, anything that didn't sell went straight to Goodwill afterward. Kade was so cute all bundled up in his stroller! Eventually we took pity on him and let him out and he went and got a little red wagon that he found in the garage and put all the toys Jennifer had given him in it, then he went "shopping" at the garage sale and collected other items of interest...it was so funny to watch him look through boxes and things!

After the garage sale, we (meaning Me, my parents, my sister Karen and her family, and Jennifer) took our visitors out to Bellbuckle (Chad stayed at home to work on the repairs that had to be done for the sale of the house) and ate at the Bellbuckle Cafe. It is really neat on Saturdays there because they have live country music that is broadcast on the radio. Von and Grandpa McGhie got a kick out of "lunch and a show" and of course they were big fans of the great food. I was happy I got to go there one last time before the move...I love their chicken salad croissant!

Sunday we went to church and then Chad left for the airport, but not before I got a four generation picture of him and the boys with their grandpas. Then that night we went to Jennifer's house to have pizza and celebrate Reagan and Emma's fifth birthday. I can't believe they are already 5! Time has gone by so fast. Jennifer outdid herself this year with an Indiana Jones cake for Reagan, complete with a chocolate cupcake volcano, and a Tinkerbell cake for Emma, with a little swing for Tink to sit on...too cute!

Today is moving day, and I couldn't sleep past 5! I wonder if the ER will hook me up to a Diet Coke IV? Course, then I'd have to pull the little IV tree along with me and I'd be tripping over it all day! We are loading up at six and then moving into Crestwood Suites. My dad, Jennifer and my mom came last night and helped pack up the kitchen. THANK YOU! That is my least favorite job and I am most grateful for their help and love and support. While they did that I was able to pack up the bathrooms. We're in pretty good shape I think, just a few odds and ends to pack up today. Time has really flown by. Sorry for the long post, sometimes it is hard to cram it all in! Hopefully we'll be able to hook up our computer in our hotel room so I can keep y'all (yes I have been known to slip and say it in the last two years) updated on where we are going to end up. Ta Ta For Now!