We arrived in Ohio on the 13th. Our trip went better than we expected (meaning, Joel did not cry for hours during our long car rides). We weren't able to see a few things we had planned (the tulip festival and the Mall of America) which was a bummer, but we survived and made it here safely--and that's all that matters!

We have been going nonstop since we arrived.. Between seeing family, house hunting, and doctor appointments (will post about that soon), we feel like we haven't had a chance to relax. We are ready to be in our own house and have our normal routine back!

Speaking of houses... We put an offer on a house a few days ago but the sellers decided to accept an offer from someone else. We weren't too upset about it.. It obviously wasn't meant to be ours. + We were able to find a house that is exactly like the first one (it's just in a different neighborhood and it doesn't have a finished basement) and we put an offer on it yesterday. We are still waiting to hear if the sellers will accept our offer! We should hear something tomorrow. *crosses fingers*


Jeremy starts his new job tomorrow morning! He was able to meet everyone last week, and he thinks he will like working there. I'm really excited for him! I know he has been wanting to do this for a very long time.

Journey To Ohio (in pictures)

Washington

We stopped at the Montana-Idaho border to play in snow!

Half way thru the trip we started to go a little crazy!! :)

We had to stay in North Dakota for two days due to a snow storm. We didn't mind too much though.. We needed a break from the road! We had fun playing in the indoor pool.

Once the snow cleared we went out to see what the town offered. We stopped at an outdoor/sporting store that had a ferris wheel inside the store. Joel thought it was cool.

Chicago! My favorite part of the whole trip! We stopped for lunch (Chicago pizza, of course!) and we walked around Millennium Park. We also stopped by the Disney Store, which I'm pretty sure was Joel's favorite part. I definitely want to go back for a weekend to see more of the city.

Free Man & Goodbyes

Jeremy checked out of the Navy this morning. After 8.5 years in the Navy he is a free man again! Woo hoo!! {We are still waiting to find out if he will be able to join the Reserves.}

I can't put into words how proud I am of my husband. He has made countless sacrifices for his country and his family. I know without a doubt he will do great at his next job.

. . .

We said our goodbyes to friends over the weekend. We had a going away dinner at Applebee's ("you can't go to Applebee's alone!" 10 points if you can name that movie) on Friday, Saturday we went to an egg hunt for Jer's command and saw friends there, and Sunday we had dinner with our friends Brent, Stacie and their 3 girls.

Last night was the most emotional for us. Our friends Mark, Sarah, and their daughter Jessica stopped by to say goodbye.. After they left we stood in the kitchen and cried. We are excited for the next chapter but we are really going to miss the friends we made here. We are already making plans to see some of them in the summer though!

Easter 2013

Easter was fun this year with Joel! He woke up Easter morning and discovered a basket full of goodies from the Bunny. He even found a few eggs in the living room that the Bunny left behind. He thought it was awesome!

Later that day we went to a friend's house for an egg hunt. Each time Joel picked up an egg he would open it up and try to eat the candy. It was cute--and needless to say he ate way too much sugar that day. Haha!

I didn't plan to get Joel's picture taken with the Easter Bunny this year, but the NEX on our base was doing it and you could either use your own camera or pay $5 for them to do it, so we did it anyway. (The mall Bunny is almost $30 for their basic photo package.. Isn't that ridiculous?!) He was thrilled as you can tell.

I have struggled with whether we should do the Bunny and Santa thing for Joel. As a Christian I want my child to know the TRUE meaning of why we celebrate Easter and Christmas. I don't want him to think it's just about candy or how many presents he can get from. How do I balance it--the fun and making sure he knows the true meaning?