It's been a while since I have posted anything, so this entry will be a little of this, some of that, and a liberal dose of the other thrown in for good measure. Who knows what we'll end up with!
We have been adjusting quite nicely to our new life in the Lone Star State. We miss our California neighbors and friends, but are grateful to have Facebook, e-mails, phone calls, Google Video Chat, and USPS to keep connected. We are always ready to receive visitors from near or far... Hint. Hint.
Even our furry friends are adjusting to their new home. Bartholomew and Jemima have a new feline friend, Pepper. Miss Pepper is 17 years old, which equates to about 90 years old in human years. (She can be a bit crotchety at times, but all in all is a sweet old gal.) The three cats are getting along and can all tolerate being in the same room at the same time; however, I am not sure that they will ever be the best of friends. Kitty détente is a good thing. Peace talks will continue.
Now that's the face of a well-adjusted feline. HA! Bart is no longer intimidated by the huge bathtub with the scary jacuzzi jets, so he has resumed jumping in the tub to request his nightly drink. If the jets ever were "accidentally" turned on, I don't think he'd even set one paw through the bathroom door.
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Not much has happened on our house construction, due to weather, so I do not have anything to report from Everest Road. Stay tuned... We are planning to head out to the construction site later today to check up on progress. I will be taking my camera along.
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The DFW area is BIG!!! I am thankful (I think!) for multiple forms of GPS devices: the navigation system in the car, M's Garmin, and Google Maps on the iPhone. We are never really lost, just confused -- especially when we get conflicting directions/information as we simultaneously use the different devices. Why can't the three of 'em all agree? We have taken some scenic routes that make the journey more "interesting." I am learning my way around here, and I am sure it won't be long until I can go confidently without having "Beatrice" tell me where to turn.
We recently made a day trip to OK to check up on Grandma Smith. Despite the fact that we were only there for one meal, she made four pies for our visit -- Two Dutch apple pies, one coconut cream pie, and one INCREDIBLE blueberry pie. That's two-thirds of a pie per person! No, we didn't consume every slice while there. We brought one whole pie back with us. And we even left some pie there. There was certainly no shortage of pie! Just look at the smiles on the Smithlings' faces. And there might even be a pie crust crumb on those smiles, too. :-)
I had to share this photo of Liesey that was taken in front of Grandma's garage. I love it!
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The Smithlings and I abandoned Mr. Smith for a little over a week to drive to the Hoosier state. (Having a flexible schedule is yet another perk of homeschooling.) It took 14 hours to make the road trip from TX to IN, and 15 hours to go from IN to TX. We encountered snow, ice, and some crazy drivers on the drive back to Texas.
Here are a few photos from the Indiana trip:
The kids got their first taste of Steak and Shake steakburgers in downtown Indianapolis. Yum!
Sisters!
"Wild" Women :-)
Snowgirl and friends
Sliders @ White Castle
We made a quick trip to Monument Circle in downtown Indy. Despite the snowy weather, we still enjoyed the view from the observation level.
(To see more about the monument, click here: http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/soldiers.html)
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Since we moved to TX, we have had 70 degree weather, bone chilling 20 degree temps, thunderstorms, snowstorms, and sunshine. And that's just in one day! HA! Okay, so the weather is not quite THAT dramatic, but we have seen a little bit of everything in the six weeks that we have been here.
We awoke yesterday morning to SNOW! Yes, apparently, it does snow in North Texas. It continued to snow all day long. This morning I measured the snow on the deck, and it was just under 10 inches. The official snowfall total at the DFW airport was more like 12 inches. Enjoy the photos:
I love this image!
This photograph reminds me of Robert Frost's poem that I memorized as a schoolgirl. (This photo was taken from the family room window. The woodland is really a golf course, but it's still poetic!)
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Home Sweet (temporary) Home
So now you are up to date with the TX Smiths. There's always something going on, but I just don't seem to have the time to get details blogged. Life is good -- BUSY, but good!
Liesey posed by the front door. I hope she didn't track any snow in the house.
All three Smithlings allowed me to take their photo at the construction site, as they know how much I love to document EVERYTHING! This shot is reminiscent of nearly 11 years ago when we were taking photos of our CA house being built. The kids were a lot smaller back then. And so was I!
How 'bout that? It appears that we already have a bathroom. Hmmmm... This beautiful structure adorns the front corner of our future home site. I do hope that they remember to remove it once our build is complete. Perhaps we can incorporate this into the landscape plan. Or not.
Liesey posed by the front door. I hope she didn't track any snow in the house.
All three Smithlings allowed me to take their photo at the construction site, as they know how much I love to document EVERYTHING! This shot is reminiscent of nearly 11 years ago when we were taking photos of our CA house being built. The kids were a lot smaller back then. And so was I!
How 'bout that? It appears that we already have a bathroom. Hmmmm... This beautiful structure adorns the front corner of our future home site. I do hope that they remember to remove it once our build is complete. Perhaps we can incorporate this into the landscape plan. Or not.
