Wow I have been so busy, I haven't had time to sit down and think about what all has gone on since my last posting.
Shep is moved in and things are going well. We are remarkably compatible as roommates, I think because we have both "grown up" a bit and have life in better perspective. The question you are all thinking but afraid to ask is....."are you getting married again?" The answer is no. We are great friends and have many mutual interests, especially our incredible growing family! I think there is too much water under the bridge to look to our past. We are more concerned with our future years, economic well-being, having someone to complain to at the end of a hard day (which I am really good at), and our future, especially not being a burden to the kids. Life has given us some lemons along the way and we are just making lemonade, no matter how unconventional it may seem. Now on to what has been going on over the last two months.
Work: CSU-Pueblo Foundation graciously decided to hire me full time and permanently on July 1. The pay is nothing to write home about, but the health insurance is great! In fact, it is so good that if I ever quit and need to go on COBRA, my monthly insurance premium would be $1084 a month! Well, for now I will enjoy the $15 co-pay and hope I can stay on until I retire and get medicare! Work is work and that's about it. We are having some turnover, and that is always hard on employees. I am hoping to be able to work 3 more years and retire (I think that might be a pipe dream, but who knows). Shep's contributions to the finances may help make that possible.
Activities: We have been getting out some. We go to Colorado Springs to see Bree and Josh and to Bailey for Ben & Brenda quite often. Pueblo had a huge parade with 126 entries to kick off the State Fair. It was really fun to watch (took about 2 hours). Went to the State Fair and wandered around and managed to avoid greasy food and trinkets. It was great to see (and smell) all of the animals, see the crafts and watch people. If you ever get a chance you are welcome to visit late August to see the fair. It is huge and something to experience at least once. We even managed free parking which is pretty difficult. We checked out Cripple Creek and found a cute little town for a gambling mecca, but decided the food was lots more fun than the gambling was. The countryside surrounding the town is beautiful! I got a new front door and with Shep's expertise and plane, we got it trimmed out. I had plaster and greatstuff hanging out all over for two months. It looks great, now.
Bree & Josh: They are moved in their new house and have an extra bedroom for guests. That will make family visits much easier. Josh is back at work for the school year and dealing with the usual beginning of the year rambunctious kids. Bree is still tutoring on-line a couple of nights a week and just keeping up with kids. Owen is just hilarious, but has quit singing songs for us - his performances were so much fun I really miss them. He is really getting good at puzzles. Josh takes him to Lowe's classes every Saturday to make little wooden projects-he is quite proud of them and has this little apron with patches for each project. Josh took him camping and introduced him to s'mores! Needless to say, that made a big hit. Wyatt should be the Gerber Baby. He is just the smiliest little thing - so happy all the time, Bree is such a great mom. He definitely has the "Hobgood Charm" when he grins. He is sitting up and loves being able to play with toys. It is great to be so close by-they are only a half hour away and let us visit often! Bree has helped me with fabric choices for my latest sewing project I will write about later. She has really enjoyed the house with more room, and has really added her good taste.
Brenda & Ben: That little Amelia loves her Nana - what can I say. We went to her 2nd birthday party last month and met many of their friends. It was really fun to see all the kids. Amelia talks like crazy now and she still has the cutest little walk swinging her arms. When she was around her cousins, she did not have a bit of trouble standing up for herself. She is quite the outdoor kiddo - they made her a sand box and put pea gravel in it and added a slide. She loves the slide, but hates swings. She even goes down the slide head first. When I visit we read lots of books and she cooks "soup cheese" and pizza for me. One visit she would not let dad brush her teeth, but Nana could. I must say I like that idea. Ben finally resorted to using puppets on his hands, and the pig and cow could brush her teeth. What a character. Cavan is just growing like crazy! He is always hungry and has just started smiling. He loves cuddling and being held, so I enjoy that a lot. We got great of grins when we visited a couple of weeks ago. Ben is busy with work. He is doing lots of projects on the side, as usual, including a new remote controlled airplane project. Brenda is working part time, some of it from home, too. The kids really keep her busy, though. She and I enjoy such good visits when we get together.
Becky and Devin: Wow, they are in the midst of moving to Los Alamos. Devin's post doc position will be doing research that he really loves, so it is an awesome career move. They are really lucky that the lab is paying for the move, even the packing end of things. Mid September they will head from SLC to Los Alamos and camp along the way until the mover arrives with their stuff. They are really looking forward to Los Alamos. It is a small community with a plethora of outdoor activities, kids parks, skiing, and great education! They have a huge number of students from the high school receiving full-ride scholarships every year. Logan will go to pre-school, which he will thoroughly enjoy. That will give Becky a break. They visited in August and Becky & Devin left the kids overnight to look for rentals 4 hours away in Los Alamos. They found a great house to rent, and when they got home I was beat! Logan is in the questioning stage of life. Like Devin says, "welcome to the world of why". Logan mostly asked questions and used my little vacuum in the family room the whole weekend. He and Owen had a great time playing together and going to the Quarter Rides. Pueblo has this little tot amusement park and you can get $5 in tickets, ride all the rides and still go home with change. The boys were hilarious laughing and talking on the little Ferris Wheel. The two little ones, Laila and Wyatt, just enjoyed the great weather. They were pretty cute together, too. Laila or Lailee as Logan calls her is coming into her own. When she gets upset she can definitely make herself heard. Logan calls her a drama queen. She is so happy, even if she doesn't sleep much. She imitates her brother, and it is quite fun to watch. I loved their visit.
My latest sewing project: I am making "hooter hiders" which are nursing aprons for moms who are breast feeding. Bree helped me pick out material and I made 10 of them. I am going to list them on a mom's site called Hyena Cart. There is also a site called Etsy I may use. I am going to try to get the sites up and going in the next week. I have sold one, and Brenda and Bree tried them out for me. I don't have my name yet, but I figure this weekend when the boys are together they can come up with something. I am going to get pictures of the girls with them on so they can be models for my website. I can get Becky to model one, too when I visit them. I will post information for it when it's done. It seems to have been months in the making!
We are all getting together Saturday & Sunday of Labor Day weekend. It is Brenda's first time to see Bree & Josh's house, so they will stay there and we'll celebrate birthdays on Saturday and come here Sunday for the Quarter Rides and play! Amelia and Owen have fun playing together. Wyatt is almost old enough to join in now. I have to work Monday in order to get time off at Christmas, so I am going to bite the bullet. There will only be two of us in the office - yea!
Sept. 26-28 I am traveling to Los Alamos to stay with Beck & the kids. Devin has his annual biking expedition in Moab, so we can do the decorative things in the house. His first day of work will be the 28th.
Time is just flying by - I will try to write more often, because I think I forget a lot of stuff waiting this long.
Say a prayer for Deb Kaus - we all miss Jim, but I can't imagine how hard it is for her.
Come and visit any time!
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