Still no pictures.

Here I am, at the library. Again. I may have to take Pete out for coffee tomorrow so I can use his laptop to post my list. It has been absolutely nuts here. There is so much to do and to get done. Our house is finally on the market. You can take the tour here. I am really hoping and praying that it will be quick to sell, but still being realistic. Siobhan hated her school and transferred to a new one today. I will admit this new school is a lot less fancy and that the staff were incredibly friendly. Way more so than the rich school. So, I think she will be happy there. She has a couple of friends and is planning on taking French, which she is excited about. The boys are doing really well and love their school. Olive is just Olive and is mostly compiling complaints against me throughout the day so she can inform her Dad. This is still a little unreal being here. It is great and we love it but it just isn't sinking in yet. We did go to Oktoberfest this weekend. We had so much fun. Both the Newbolds and the Benches made it and we had an awesome time. I am hoping that eventually the kids will not be so shy around each other. So, that 's my news for now. I really promise a list tomorrow so be ready!

Rushed Rambling

Another post with no pictures? Boo,hiss. I have such awesome pictures right now. We made it to Utah and have been busy settling in. School was started first off. Oscar- Loves it, as he is popular! Siobhan- Hates it, but I hope that will take a turn soon. Hansie! First day involved a lot of tears, why had I not thought to explain I would not be attending with him? But after the initial departure he is very happy and loves his teacher. I have been too busy to miss him too much for now. Pete bought his car today. A Ford Confusion and he is very happy. He starts work tommorrow and I am very excited for him. Everything is unloaded and packed either in storage or at Grandmas house. Olive is in heaven getting her nails painted and reading lots of books. Petes cousin lives a couple of houses down. She is 5 and looks EXACTLY LIKE OLIVE. It is a little unerving but Olive adores her already and it is fun that the little kids have so many playmates. So, I know it is Wednesday and I have a list to post but I have 4 remaining minutes so I will have to postpone again until tommorrow. So be ready. We took a little longer for our drive and enjoyed two really nice hotels. Moneybags is really stepping it up now that he is an executive. The weather here is beautiful and we are looking forward to Oktoberfest this weekend. Thank you for all the well wishes on last weeks post. Sara- the eyeballs were not only a hit but they offered me a great deal of leverage. So thank you, it was an awesome present.

The Final Countdown (not the final list)

Well, the Internet was gone a little before I had expected. I am already lost without it. Plus, I think we somehow lost our email address and now I can't even log in here at the library. That's right, we are packing our moving van tomorrow and heading out early Saturday, yet I can't leave without a weekly list. That is what you call dedication. Pete calls it something different. This has been a week of huge ups and downs. I don't even want to think about my goodbyes with my mom and sister. Too much. I love them both more than I could ever express. Over the last year I have realized that they are me and I them. I have never had a closer relationship with my mom and I hope she doesn't fear that will change. I feel a huge responsibility towards her and her well being and I will still be breathing down her neck from Utah. So, before my time runs up on the old library countdown I would like to list 5 things I enjoyed this week.

#1. I will start with my moms visit. We picked her up at the ferry on Sunday and she left this morning. We shopped and ate(not her) and drove around and she prodded me into finishing up my packing. We played Scrabble and gossiped and it was so nice and fun and man do I love her.

#2. Part of the shopping included the long anticipated Lego store . It was all the boys hoped for and Olive bought a whole cup from the bulk brick wall. All pink, (pink legos!) and flowers and picket fences and now she is beginning her own lego obsession. The boys built custom figures and also bought some knights and skeletons and have completely dog eared the catalogs they brought home.

#3. Leaving the mall I ran into my best high school friend Sara, who was in town on business. I have not seen her in ten years and we had planned on meeting the next day. I was so happy that she got to meet the kids and my mom was so happy to get to see her also. The next evening we met in Seattle and closed down a couple of places until we ended up just walking the streets. Yeah, that's right, I said walking the streets. I could have talked all night and am so happy to have her back in my life. She is just the same as teenage Sara and has an awesome sense of humor.

#4. I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance.

#5. We had pizza with the Williams crew last night. It was bittersweet as I look back on the past almost two years and all we have done together. This will always be great memories for me. Some of them difficult, some just plain crazy. But always entertaining. Those kids are my blood and I will always adore and love them. I will hold out hope that someday I will own a Williams. Seven will always be a surprise to me. From the moment I learned he was in the world. Malachi will always be Uncle Petes boy and I look forward to having them come stay with Auntie in the summer. Oh, this is hard.

Despite the goodbyes, I am very excited for this new chapter in our lives. I look forward to what the future holds for me and my babies. How will Pete like the job? How will I handle all my time alone? Who squeezed the Charmin? So, it may be sporadic here but I am sure someone will allow me access to a computer or else I will be back at the library. And I will be checking, so tell me, what did you do this week?

Dirty Little Secrets

Sorry I'm a day late on the list. Pete had the day off yesterday after a root canal on Tuesday. The real estate agents came to scope out the house. I am really happy that we are working with them again. The house is almost all packed and we are at a 9 day countdown. So busy. We have a big week ahead. Pete has to head to Salt Lake for a meeting next week and my mom is coming to see us. I am going to see my friend Sara on Tuesday and then there is the much anticipated visit to the Lego store. It has been a legend amongst the boys. A magical, mysterious place where there is rumored to be a wall of bulk bricks. I am going to make that magic happen next week before we leave. I think I may plan it while Pete is out of state. He is not as Lego friendly as I am.
My kids are very much like me and love their toys and their things. This is a constant source of frustration for Pete because they are also messy like me. This is the sort of habit you can't really keep hidden because it is out in the open for anyone to see. I think I keep things pretty in check but all this packing has thrown the house into chaos. Of course, I have many other, less noticeable habits. That leads me to the list. Five habits or secrets. Of course I am not expecting some deep dark personal secret. Even I wouldn't share that on a blog. Just silly little things that will only mildly be embarrassing. Or if you have no shame, like me, not be embarrassing. So, here are mine....

#1. I watch Golden Girls everyday from 9-10. The kids know this and I have caught Oscar getting hooked a couple of times. Which one's your favorite? I like Dorothy.

#2. I sing in the car, to EVERYTHING.This embarrasses the older kids to no end and when I open the windows they sink as low as they can go. Also, when we are at stores that play music, I dance a little to get them good and riled up.

#3. When I am in the car I usually listen to really crappy rap stations. I used to make up excuses when Pete would drive the car that it landed on that when I was scanning, but he has gotten wise to that and the secret is out. It is so much fun to sing "Apple Bottom Jeans" when Oscar is in the car.

#4. I like to stay up and read late into the night. Sometimes though, I really just play Nintendo DS for hours while the kids are sleeping.

#5. I love to tease the kids. It drives Pete crazy and I have tried to be more "grown up". I was banned from the Sharpie yesterday after Oscar and I had a marker vs. water gun fight. That's okay, I'll get him in the dodge ball game later.

Birthdays

Sunday! A whole new week and I am determined that this will be a fun filled, busy week. So, there was some fun stuff this last week too, so let's get to that. As previously mentioned, Saul turned 4. He is awesome to watch due to his unbridled passion for just about anything presented to him. We met up at Pizza Hut and took up one half of the restaurant. We ended up taking the party outside to open presents. It is so much easier to not contain them. Saul loved his presents. He received some great new clothes from Grandma and a really neat tool set. I opted for a bag of miscellaneous items that he loved. Bananas, punch balloons, a walking dog and Reeses. All of the kids were super impressed by his own Reeses, that did not need to be shared and now I know what they will all be getting for Christmas.

My mom wisely chose the Costco cupcake route. There is seriously about 2 cups of frosting on the top. Olive ate it all and chucked the cake.
Malachi had me hold his so that he could lick his fingers in between bites.
Baby Seven was in the house. Barely fitting into his clothes. He is HEAVY. Siobhan could hardly believe it.
I still call him Seven, but mom has started calling him the Cabbage Patch. Very fitting. Last night we went to Red Robin. Pete and I had never been there before. We don't usually eat out but this move has closed our kitchen down. Oscar had earned some gift certificates last year so we decided to cash in. When the waiter came over and asked if we had ever been there and understood the menu, we both said no. He stopped for a breath, then looked at me oddly. Again I said I hadn't and then he asked, and I quote "Are you being sarcastic?" Loved it. Apparently we are the only Americans to have not eaten there. I also had a doctors appointment this week. When the nurse came in to send me on my way she would not look at me, it was so odd. So I left and after getting to the parking garage realized my embroidered shirt was on backwards. And inside out. The pockets were flapping all over and I still cannot believe that she let me leave like that.
My final item today is a birthday wish to Rosanna Rae. Happy First Birthday! I seriously cannot wait to see her again. She is such a fun,smart girl. So entertaining. We are all thinking of you today Rosanna, have a fun day. We love you!

Pajama

Grandma Pajama,
Happy Birthday! I wish you were here for us to celebrate with. Instead I know you are having a party with all your brothers and sisters. I am sure Grandpa is entertaining everyone, maybe playing guitar, or his Casio, and you are happy to be with your mama. I miss you everyday and I think of you often. Every party and milestone leads me to wish you were with us. I know this is true for mama too. I am amazed sometimes that all the years later I still have a difficult time talking about you. I am so happy that Siobhan and Oscar still remember you and talk about you often. I talk about you with Hans and Olive and hope that they will remember my stories about you when they are older. I hope that you are able to visit us and that you can see how well they are doing. They are getting so big and they are so fun and smart. You would have so much fun with them. They adore their "big grandma" and Mom i s getting more and more like you. This week has been a hard one Grandma. I am so excited to move and start a new home but I am so sad to leave mom. On Tuesday my friend Joel was killed by a reckless driver and I am having a hard time imagining him gone. Remember he watched Oscar for me when I worked at the preschool? He came over to your house a couple of times with his boys. With Joel, Oscar would just cry and cry so you kept him with you. I would come to pick him up and he would be in your shopping cart next to your rocking chair watching TV with you. You would feed him through the basket and he was perfectly happy as long as he wasn't being held. When he was sleepy you would take him out and sing and rock him. I loved that and we still talk about it. Well, I guess that is it for now. I miss you so much and I hope you know that we are all thinking of you today and always. I love you with all of my heart. Matilda Jane

Joel

Tonight I want to add another school memory. When I was a freshman in high school I decided to try out for cheer leading. I didn't even really want to be one, just to have tried out. We were paired with other girls and I was matched up with a girl named Adrianna. We tried out together and both made it. She went on to become a cheerleader and I decided not to. She dated a football player throughout high school named Joel and they married shortly after. Joel and I have been friends since middle school. He was the boy who gave me the Grand Tetons nickname in middle school and drove me insane. But we were friends. Out of high school we worked together for awhile for my aunt at Oneida. She loved him because he was so fun and he got away with never doing any work. A few years later we both had kids. He has a son, Jacob, Siobhans age and a son, Nathan, around Oscars age. Siobhan and Jacob attended the Pacific Grove Cooperative Preschool together. A requirement was working at the school one day a week. We traded off babysitting for each other and hung out a great deal at the preschool. The kids played at the park together and had a lot of fun. Joel was an amazing friend to me at that time and a really great listener. When I left for Utah I missed him and his family. We spoke on the phone for awhile and eventually I was off onto a whole new life. My heart is absolutely broken tonight. Joel was hit by a car on Tuesday in front of the middle school we had attended and died. I am in a state of numbness right now and I grieve for not only him but his boys and Adrianna. Jacob is autistic and to watch him with his Dad was something special. He was an extremely devoted father and worked in the evenings to care for the boys during the day. He was patient and loving and I am just so sad. Please, please say a prayer for his family. I hope and pray that Adrianna is okay. I hope that Joel didn't suffer and that he is at peace. I will miss you Joel and always treasure our friendship. I will always remember what a good friend you were to me. I will always keep your family in my prayers and be amongst the many that will have great stories for your boys about you. God rest you, with love, Grand Tetons.

Schooled

Today is the first day of school. After much discussion Oscar chose to go for just the first three days. Just enough time to see everybody and catch up on summer shenanigans. Then he will hang out at home until he starts his new school in Utah. He chose his first day outfit and put on his backpack an hour before the bus came. So, fifth grade for Oscar. He is so smart and I am excited to watch him learn this year. I think this will be a big year for him. Yes, he is growing his hair out and is really proud of it.
Siobhan will attend school every day until we leave. This will be no different for her because to Siobhan school is all about socializing. Her friends are upset that she is leaving and she has had several offers to let her live here with friends. From parents. I think I'll keep her. I need my BonBon, she is too fun.
She chose a Power Ranger backpack for this year. Grandma got it for her on her birthday. Her dad bought her the shoes. That was a long process. You can make custom Converse on their website. These are actually the extra tall ones, though you can't tell with the pants over them. She chose all the colors and patterns. Then she wanted the writing on them. After a cancelled order due to the mention of the phrase jackass and a separate copyright issue, she chose Party Ranger. So, party ranger is at school today and happy to be there.

I decided that it would be to hard for Hans to start here and then again at a new place in two weeks. So, I kept him home and he is anxious for Utah. I felt really bad when the kids were preparing last night and he felt left out, but he'll have his day soon. Plus, today is Sauls 4th birthday! So, a party will be had tonight. This leaves me with the list. In celebration of the first day of school let's share 5 school memories. Here we go....

#1. I remember Kindergarten clearly. Especially the boy who peed in class. Also, my cousin Serena attending my class when she was here from Germany.

#2. In 6th grade my mom, who chose our outfits, had me wear a sweatshirt dress. Popular at the time with leggings. The school counselor made me bend over in front of the english class and then sent me to the office to call my mom for another outfit. Too short for her liking and my mom was not happy with the call.

#3. Handball, handball, handball!

#4. Hearing about my parents from most every teacher I had. Growing up in a small town is great for that. Middle school was all about my dad. High school was about my mom and dad, usually stories of them kissing in the halls, or about my grandma Jane who was a teacher at the high school. I also heard a lot about my cousins, the Sheppard twins.

#5. All of my friends. I had really great friends and a lot of fun in all my grades. In elementary school my best friends were Nicole Cavallaro and then Caroline Geisler. In middle school Nicole and I held strong but then in high school she switched to Monterey High and I became best friends with Sara Russell who lived a few blocks behind me. I recently found her on Facebook(love that) and I am looking forward to seeing her this month. School friends are so important. My heart is breaking for Siobhan right now, although I know she will quickly find a new group of friends in Utah and I only hope they are half as fun and nice as the girls she has here. So, that's the list for the week. I plan on keeping up with my posting even throughout this chaos. Hope you will too!

Pioneers

Well, it has been a crazy, mixed up week here. Siobhan was in Idaho with a friend and during that time Pete was called and offered a new position with Macys. A humongous promotion for him and a huge move back to Utah for us. This has been a great experience for us. It's good to leave your comfort zone and throw yourself into something new. We have had to depend on each other and it was sometimes difficult. In the almost two years we have lived here a lot has happened in our lives. We have spent thousands of hours with my beloved Williams and my mom and John moved here. My only regret in moving is leaving my Mama. I can't write about it now, this is a freshly opened hurt and I need to leave it a minute. On the favorable side of leaving, I really dislike this town and it will always be a reminder of where I got sick. Besides leaving my family I am happy to be heading back to Salt Lake City. I am happy to see all my other family and my friends. I feel good there. I am comfortable and happy in the surroundings and Pete and I will be able to make a good life there for our kids. So two weeks from now we will be "Utahards" (thanks Kim and Troy). I'm sad to say, I must be on my way

So buy me beer and whisky 'cause I'm going far away

I'd like to think of me returning when I can

To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane
................................................................The Pogues