Our First Real Snow Storm

We experienced our first real snow storm a couple of weekends ago. That big storm that dumped all that snow on the North East dropped about 12 inches on us here in Charleston. All the news reports leading up to the storm said that it could be the biggest storm of the last decade...AND it was. While it is normal to get snow here, it usually never snows more than a couple of inches at a time. Almost all of it fell overnight and made the next morning very dramatic. Thankfully, it happened on a Friday night so it wasn't a huge inconvenience. There was still a lot on the ground by Monday but we had time to dig out the cars. We had a great time playing in the snow with the dogs that weekend. While it was pretty fun, I am thankful that that much snow is NOT the norm for us here. Here are some pictures:

I thought that the snow would break our table, especially since it didn't fare very well during the move.

We measured 10 inches Saturday morning when we woke up

My glasses were foggy because Evan had just hit me with a snowball! (He didn't really mean to hit me in the face....sure)

Here are some more snow pictures.

Our 1st Real Christmas Tree

We decided to get a live Christmas tree this year. Growing up in a house where everyone had bad allergies, a real Christmas tree wasn't ever an option. As a result, I have never had a live tree. We got the idea to do it this year because our 9.5 foot artificial tree, that fit great in our old living room that had vaulted ceilings, was too tall for this new house. We went to a tree farm that was a little off the beaten path but was great! It was very cold and actually started raining while we were out there but we managed to cut down our tree and get it into our car before getting too wet. We will definitley be going back again next year.

I was a little worried about the mess it would make but it has been fine. It hasn't shed anywhere near as much as I thought it would and it is still nice and green! While I kind of missed not being able to have up our huge tree, I really enjoyed our first live tree and am looking forward to doing it again next year.

Spontaneous Trip to New York City

It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and Evan and I were enjoying lunch with Evan's parents after church. Evan's parents were flying back to Texas the next day and we got to talking about the upcoming week and what everyone had planned. Then Evan says "Well, what would you think about driving to NYC for the Christmas tree lighting?" I was SHOCKED and even started to cry a little. I WOULD LOVE TO GO!! And that is how we decided to be spontaneous and drive to NYC (about 8 hours from here) to see the Christmas tree lighting. Evan knows how much I like Christmas and Christmas Trees. He also knows that I have been wanting to go to NYC with him since we were married because he had never been and I loved it when my family went there on a vacation years ago. He has always been good at surprising me, but this took it to a new level! Especially since we both knew that Evan might not like New York since he is not a big fan of crowds. He thought it up as something we could do to celebrate my birthday that was the following week. I'm pretty sure it was the best birthday present ever!
Thankfully we were able to stay with my Uncle Michael and Aunt Caitlin at their apartment in Brooklyn. They have a beautiful apartment! It was obviously cheaper than paying for a hotel but it was also great to get a chance to hang out with them and their daughter Kasia since we haven't seen them since last year at my brother's wedding. It was also really nice to have a "home-base" to come back to during the day that was so welcoming. We were able to go to dinner with them a few times and see some sights, including the Christmas Tree.
Unfortunately, even though we left Charleston at 6:30 AM the day of the tree lighting and made it to Brooklyn by about 3 PM, we didn't make it to Rockefeller Center in time to witness the tree being lit. The festivities started at 7 PM and the tree was going to be lit just before 9. We got down to the area a little before 6 thinking we had plenty of time. We waited (about 30 minutes) in line just to cross the street when we first got there. Once across, we followed the crowd around what felt like a circle for another 45 minutes. We finally found out from an NYPD officer that they had blocked off Rockefeller Center around 5 that afternoon and that we would have had to be there at that time to witness the tree lighting. So after over an hour of walking in circles in the cold and rain we gave up and went to Times Square to do a little more sightseeing. We then went back to the apartment and made it just in time to see them light the tree on TV. We went back on Friday night with Michael, Caitlin, and Kasia and got some great pictures. The tree was BEAUTIFUL and was well worth the trip :)

While there, we also saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Financial District, NYSE, the Twin Towers site, the Chrysler Building, the UN, Grand Central, Times Square, Central Park, and the Cloisters. We went to Central Park with Kasia and had fun watching the horses go by and riding the carousel. We drove to the Cloisters Saturday afternoon with M, C, and K. The Cloisters is a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art but is a separate location dedicated to Medieval Art. One of the coolest features is that while the building is new, portions of it, doorways, walls, pillars, etc. are pieces that were originally parts of old monasteries that were then incorporated into the new building. Also, the museum’s size was more manageable than the MET for the amount of time we had. It was also interesting to basically drive from one end of Manhattan to the other since the museum is on the end opposite of where we crossed over from Brooklyn. On our way back, we went to a very interesting Chinese Department Store and drove through Times Square. Evan drove and did a fabulous job of navigating through all the traffic while it was snowing!

Overall, it was a great trip! I am not sure if Evan has any desire to ever go back to NYC but he can now say he has been and I can say I’ve seen the tree!

For more pictures click here.

The Thanksgiving Post

We returned home from a week long training for Evan in D.C. the Friday before Thanksgiving and quickly turned around to go to the airport to pick up Evan's parents. They made the trip to see our new home and spend Thanksgiving with us. It was great to be with at least a portion of our family for the holiday. Since we weren't sure how much time Evan would be able to take off from work because he just started his new job, we didn't try to go back to Texas for Thanksgiving.

While it was a little stressful for me to host my in-laws for over a week with the house being a mess because we still hadn't finished unpacking, I was thankful that they could come. The last year has taught me a lot about letting go of things I feel that I need to control and the state of the house was just another one of those things. Thankfully, John and Judy are both very laid back and could have cared less about how many boxes were in the basement. It was a huge help to have them here to help with more unpacking as well as a nice break from all of it too :)

While we had a lot of time to just hang out over the week they were here but we also got a lot accomplished. We fixed the problem with the fence and the dogs are no longer getting out! Also, we got an outside storage shed to store all the lawn equipment in and give Evan more room for his tools in the garage. Evan and his dad built shelves for one of the basement closets making the space a lot more user friendly. They also installed our new digital thermostats. We broke down all the boxes that had been unpacked and took all the packing paper to the recycling center which cleared out a lot of space. In the sewing department, Judy lined a pair of the store-bought curtains for our bedroom that will block out the street light that was keeping Evan up at night. In addition, she gave me some lessons on her old sewing machine and I started the process of hemming the store-bought curtains for the living room. Also, we got fabric and I started making tie-backs for the curtains in our bedroom. Judy also helped me with the next step of the sweater I have been knitting for Baxter. It should only take me 2-3 hours more to finish it but who knows when it will actually be finished since I only seem to work on it in 15 minute installments. I'll post pictures of these projects as they are completed. However, I do have one project to post a picture of, but it is not one that I did any work on. Judy and Page, Evan's sister had been secretly working on a quilt for me for my birthday and Christmas. Judy brought the quilt top to show me and it is beautiful! I had to send it back to San Antonio so that Page could do the quilting :( I am really looking forward to having it to display/use in our guest bedroom! Thanks again J & P for my quilt! Here is one of the corners:

We also did some sightseeing and tried out some new restaurants. We drove down to the New River Gorge Bridge which is the longest single span, steel-arch bridge in the Northern Hemisphere and the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day! We took scenic route 60 to get to the bridge which is near Fayetteville and made a few stops along the way. We stopped at a waterfall and hydroelectric dam and got some great pictures. Both are close to where the Kanawha River forms as a result of the Gauley and New Rivers joining up. I still cannot believe we live in a place that looks like this! The bridge and the stops along the way are definitely ones that we will re-visit in the spring and fall to see the trees as they display different colors throughout the year. We also found a great little restaurant near the bridge. It was part of a camp type place where you can rent cabins or go on a white-water rafting tour. We are going to have to go back when the weather is warmer to take advantage of the outdoor sports and the view from the restaurant since it was just about dark by the time we got there.

Sign for the hydroelectric plant. The plant gets its name from the fact that is at the mouth of the Hawks Nest Tunnel. We thought what the sign said about fishing being open to the public "without discrimination" was weird...what does that mean?

Going down to the base of the dam

View of the river at the base of the dam

Cathedral Falls

View from the New River Gorge Bridge Visitors' Center. That is the New River below.

There were 200 or so steps down to the observation deck. It was worth the view but by this time, I was so hungry and my blood sugar was so low that Evan carried me all the way back to the top.

The New River Gorge Bridge

We also went to the Blenko glass company in Milton, WV. We got to see their stained glass museum and their beautiful showroom of pieces made on-site. The best part was getting to watch some of the craftsmen at work. Here are some pictures:

Craftsmen blowing glass that will eventually become a vase.

The scrap yard just outside the factory where they are blowing and firing the glass.

Thanksgiving Day was great but a little exhausting. We made WAY too much food but it was fun to host our first Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone helped with the cooking and it all turned out very well. The only thing I would have changed was to cook a smaller turkey and cut more of the recipes in half. Evan and I have enjoyed trying some leftover turkey recipes but we still have a whole gallon-sized zip-loc bag of turkey left in the freezer. It was also the first time we've eaten on our Wedding China which helped make the meal even more special. Judy and I were both so tired after all the cooking that we ate lunch in basically our pajamas because we never remembered to change! PJs, China, and crystal! It was great :)

Butterin' up the bird and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The finished turkey! I couldn't have done it without Judy, John, and Evan!

After the meal, I took a long nap to get ready for the football game that night. Most of you know that Evan's family are all Texas A&M fans and that my entire family are UT fans. As we have in the past, we watched the game together Thanksgiving evening. Some would think it would be hard to watch the game together but everyone is a good sport about it. It is usually a close game and involves quite a bit of shouting at the TV. This year was no different. It was a very close game and very entertaining to watch. Thankfully, UT won in the end. National Championship, here we come!

The next day we had our first snowfall. It wasn't much and very little stuck but it was still pretty neat. While it got pretty cold that weekend, we still managed to make it to check out Mountain Stage on Sunday night. One of Evan's co-workers told us about the radio show that is often times recorded live in Charleston and showcases a variety of music. For all of you from Texas, think of it as a smaller version of Austin City Limits that is taped for radio not TV. The other main difference, from the little research I have done into it, is that while they do have big names from time to time, most of the musicians are up and coming. The radio show is then broadcasted on NPR stations across the country. The best part was that for $12.50, we got 2 + hours of great music! It surpassed all my expectations. My favorite performances came from a duo called Pianafiddle and a group called Winterbloom. We will definitely be going back for more in the spring and summer when they start up the series again.

Pianafiddle. To see a video we took of them performing click here.

Winterbloom

It was a very memorable Thanksgiving! Thanks again J&J for sharing it with us!

The Usual Busy December

I actually have a lot to post about but not a lot of time to do it. After a great Thanksgiving week with Evan's parents who came to visit us in West Virginia, we left for a very spontaneous trip to New York City for my birthday. I have always wanted to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center and Evan surprised me only a few days in advance that he wanted to take me to see the tree lighting. We made a vacation out of it and stayed for about five days. We have been back for about a week now but I am still playing catch up on laundry, bills, Christmas shopping, etc. Oh, and did I mention that I still have unpacking to do! I have a lot of great pictures that I will post soon. I am just about caught up around the house and then I will catch up on the blog. I should be able to finish wrapping and packing gifts tonight to then take to the post office tomorrow. Also, tonight, we will hopefully get our Christmas picture taken so I can get Christmas cards out. We are doing very well....just busy, busy, busy!

A Visit to the Forest and a Finished Fence

On Veteran's Day, Evan had off from work so we decided to do a little exploring and take the dogs to the Kanawha State Forest. It was an overcast day and most of the leaves were brown but it was still beautiful. The dogs really enjoyed the outdoors time, even Baxter. He did well enough to be off his leash most of the time. We hiked for about an hour and then went to check out the firing range we had seen a sign for. We didn't get out and shoot but there were quite a few people there. Here are some pictures:

Jersey, Baxter and Evan on the trail

A sealed off old coal mine

It was pretty chilly but still beautiful!

When we got home, the fence was finished! We had figured that with the progress they had made that morning that it would probably be finished that afternoon but I decided not to get my hopes up. Sure enough, that evening, we finally had a fenced yard for the dogs. Evan and I both noticed a potential problem with the fence right away. Basically, there was about a 10 inch opening by the gate. The guys had stopped the fence that ran along the back wall just short of making a corner with the gate on the ground. We decided to just try it out since the dogs would have to jump about three and a half feet up to get through the opening. The couple of nights later, we left the dogs outside when we went to run a few errands. We were only gone about an hour and a half but when we got back the dogs were gone. After we left, the sun had set and no doubt, Jersey caught sight of something on the other side of the fence and decided to go after it. I was surprised that Baxter was gone too. I didn't think he would make the jump. We ran upstairs from the driveway and out into the backyard. We determined very quickly that they had to have made it by jumping the wall because there were no signs of digging anywhere. We called for them for what seemed like a long time. A couple of minutes later, we heard them coming from up the hill behind our yard. They both ran back and jumped back into the yard through the opening. Thankfully, they were safe and didn't have any injuries. I was actually surprised by how upset I was over the thought that they were both lost. Evan found an oversized brick and put it in the opening until we could make it to the store to get some cinder blocks. It didn't cover the entire opening but based on our dogs' personalities, we figured they would be freaked out about knocking it over therefore wouldn't try to jump out again.

The next night, I let them out for their routine bathroom break before we all were to go to bed. I heard Baxter barking so I ran downstairs just in time to see Jersey knock over the brick and jump the wall. Baxter stayed this time but I quickly called for Evan to help get Jersey to come back. I got him a flashlight and he took off running after her up the hill. You could hear her tearing around amongst the trees, bushes, and leaves behind our house after some animal no doubt. Evan finally corralled her to come back home but not before she collected quite a few stickers. So much for the quick fix!

When Evan's parents were in town for Thanksgiving, they helped us come up with a solution. A few cinder blocks and coat hangers later and  now the dogs can't get out anymore. One modification to the design was required when the dogs pushed their way through the gate and met us on the driveway last week, but hopefully all the kinks have now been worked out.

We Made It!

We've moved to West Virginia! After spending a little time in San Antonio hanging out with family, we took our car, a u-haul trailer, the dogs, and some furniture that Evan's parents graciously gave us to help fill our new and much larger home, and headed off for the 1400 mile trip. The drive went very well and it was beautiful for major portions of it, especially in Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.  

We couldn't have picked a better time to move here than October. The fall colors are GORGEOUS! When we came to visit at the beginning of October, the leaves had just started changing but it was already beautiful. When we came to sign our lease the following week, the colors were even better! When we returned the next week, this time to stay, it was just more of the beautiful reds, oranges, and golds than the week before!

View from our front porch!

Unfortunately, last week a cold front came through that brought wind and rain, and most of the leaves fell to the ground, but there are still a few hanging on. We have a tree in our front yard that is just a brilliant shade of red right now and it makes me smile every time I see it.

As for the weather, it has been pretty mild so far. We have had a few mornings in the 20s but we have had numerous afternoons that are sunny and 70 degrees. I love being outside and I am really looking forward to being outside more now that we live somewhere that isn't SO hot!

On our visit at the beginning of October, our main objective was to find a place to live and we hit the jackpot! God promises to go before us and prepare a way and we are so thankful that He has done so for us. After looking at some places that needed a lot of work, were too small, or didn't have any type of yard or fence for the dogs, I was discouraged. I am not THAT picky, but I was starting to think we were going to have a problem. Then we came to the house that we now live in :)

There aren't that many houses for rent in Charleston and the ones that are available are not available for long, if they are in good condition. My main source of information was the local newspaper classifieds that, thankfully, were updated daily online. The only problem was that of the seven or eight listings a day, most wouldn't work because they had been rented by lunch time or they didn't allow pets. The other resource that every realtor I called referred me to was a version of the classifieds that could only be found at local gas stations. Most realtors didn't have any properties to show us because only those who are also property managers would show rentals, and most of them didn't have anything available. Don't get me wrong, all the realtors I called were very friendly and went out of their way to help me but there just weren't many options. I had called about a different house that was listed in the newspaper and the landlord said that it was already rented (no surprise) but that he had another one coming available soon and we could see it if we wanted. My parents and I came and looked at it before Evan arrived for the weekend and we were all shocked. It was huge, beautiful, and brand new. It exceeded all of my expectations. Only in my dreams had I thought we would live in a house like this one. I quickly called the landlord back to double check about price, the dogs, and when it would be available. The house was being completely re-done (they tore the original down to the studs and then added onto it) and still about three weeks from being finished. We were to arrive in Charleston in two, but I knew we had to bring Evan back to see this one. Evan had a similar reaction the next day when we came back to see it. (Evan would like for me to add that I showed him the second worst place we saw right before this one, so a cardboard box would've looked good at that point...but he does REALLY like the house.) The landlord said that they could have it ready for us to move in when we would arrive on the 22nd but that they would probably have a few little things left to do and we agreed that it was worth it. This house was never advertised and yet, two foreigners found it! Praise God! Just this past weekend, one of my new friends, who has lived here for about 6 years, came to pick me up and said, "How did you find this place?!?!?" I told her it wasn't as much about the how as it was about the who. And did I mention that Evan has less than a 10 minute commute to work and never has to get on the highway? I am still overwhelmed by what a blessing this house is and how it all came together. I will post pictures once we are a little more settled. Right now we have boxes everywhere! While we lived here for over a week before our stuff was delivered, it is all here now and I have a huge puzzle on my hands figuring out where to put stuff. We have a guest bedroom so just give us a call if you want to visit. We would love to have guests!

All that paper came from one box!

Another HUGE blessing is that we have found a church and have already made some friends. Charleston had been great, but it was starting to feel lonely. Especially since I am not working, I was anxious to meet people and get plugged in at a church. I am really thankful for all the people we have met so far and for how warm and welcoming they have all been. I am excited, but having a hard time being patient to see where and how God will call us to serve at this church.

Evan's new job is going very well. He is enjoying the work and has great people to work with. We are adjusting to the new schedule since this will be the first time that I stay home during the day and he leaves to go to work since he worked from home for so long. The fact that I have had a lot to do in the way of cleaning, unpacking, and errands for setting up our house and new life here have helped. Making new friends that I can see during the day is also helping with this a lot. I am still adjusting but starting to settle into my new role quite nicely. Now that we are starting to get into a routine, I hope to update the blog more regularly!

While it is very different here than it was in Houston, we like it so far and have peace about knowing that this is where we are supposed to be. It is fun living in what would be categorized as a small town compared to Houston. We had only lived here for two weeks before I ran into someone I knew in Walmart! Everyone is friendly and quite chatty. It is also very laid back. I have caught myself hundreds of times since we moved here feeling like I am the only person in a hurry. I never realized that I was always rushing around before but most of the time, I don't even have a reason to rush. The pace is much slower here and it is a welcome change. Overall, I would say we are doing very well and that we are blessed to be here!

The dogs are doing well too. After all the confusion of the last 10 months, I think it took them awhile to figure out that we were staying here.

In the back seat of the car on the trip to WV

They (Jersey) will be happier when the fence is finished and they can go outside for long periods of time without us. They will also be happier when the fence is finished because then there won't be guys walking around our backyard. Baxter has a particular dislike for the welder and the sparks frighten him. They both get very excited with all the cats that seem to cross through our back yard at night and are beside themselves when deer show up. One of Evan's co-workers who lives in our neighborhood said that with the Kanawha (pronounced "Ka-naw") state forest close by that people have seen bears too. Yikes! We're not in Houston anymore!

Deer in our backyard

I think they both finally accepted the idea of staying when we unpacked the dog bed last night. They have spent most of their time sharing their "pillow" today and finally seem content about hanging out in the basement. They also have found their new "spot" to gaze out the window. In our old house it was sitting under the drapes of the sliding glass door in the living room. In this house, they really like looking out the sliding glass door in our bedroom

Enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon in our backyard!

Virginia for Labor Day and the NASCAR Race at Richmond

We spent the week of Labor Day in Virginia. We were the guests of Gary and Marie Allen and had a great time! With all the travelling Evan and I have done to Virginia in the last year, Gary and Marie have graciously taken us in and have become like adoptive parents to us. They live in beautiful Williamsburg and thanks to their hospitality, their house really feels like a home away from home. The biggest highlight of the week was finding out definitively that we were going to be moving and when. It was great to be able to share with them in praying over the situation and then celebrating the good news since we had to be far away from home. Thanks again Gary and Marie for hosting us!

Gary is really into cars and is a big fan of NASCAR. The weekend at the end of our stay was the weekend of the race at Richmond. Gary got us all tickets and Evan and I attended our very first NASCAR race. We went to the Friday night race which is known as the Nationwide Series. The "big boys" race on Saturday night as part of the Sprint Cup but the Friday night race is more affordable and less crowded. The great part is that some of the big names race both so the Friday night race is definitely the way to go for people just wanting to check it all out. Gary and I showed up early so that we could walk around the grounds and check out all the booths that were giving away free stuff. That part was just like OU weekend at the Texas state fair minus the rides and concession stands. The race, however, was unlike anything I had ever seen before. We went up to our seats during time trials for the Sprint Cup race and the noise was UNBELIEVABLE. And that was with just one car going around the track at a time! I have been to some very large and very loud football games in my time but this was the loudest noise I had ever heard. I definitely got a rush standing on the walk way at the bottom of the bleachers watching the cars race by at 185 mph. Even if you couldn't see them or hear them, you would feel them race by. Since the race was on September 11th, there was a very nice tribute to those who lost their lives during the attacks in 2001.

Evan arrived just in time for the race to start and Gary got us set up with the appropriate "gear." We each had a headset connected to a scanner so we could listen to the commentary of the race but still protect our ears. At the advice of Gary, we listened to the start and the first couple of laps with out the headsets. The noise was indescribable! While I could have done without all the people around us smoking, I really enjoyed the race. There were no huge crashes but it was a pretty close race. Having the headsets, scanners, and Gary's coaching allowed me to keep up with the race pretty well. If I didn't have anyway of knowing which cars were leading, it would have been boring but the headsets/scanners solved that problem. Thanks again Gary for taking us to the race! Here are some pictures:

Gary and I at the National Guard booth with Dale Jr.'s car

The pace cars leading the pack out of the pit just before the start of the race

Evan and I at the Allen's country club Saturday night

Elizabeth's Birthday Party Weekend

Our niece, Elizabeth, turned 5 at the end of August and we were fortunate to still be in Texas and be able to make it to her party. Friday night, we met up with my parents and sister at this new Brazilian steak house that my Dad had been wanting to take us to. I had never been to one of these places before but based on my Dad's description, it sounded fun. It was DELICIOUS! The food was great and it was fun to watch the waiters (they actually have some special name for them that I can't remember) come around with all the meat and wield these giant knives right in-front of your face to slice you a piece of meat. While we didn't get there until about 8:30 because Evan and I were late getting in from Houston, it was totally worth it. Here are some pictures:

Like a kid in a candy store :)

The next day was Elizabeth's birthday party. The theme was Dogs and Cats. Elizabeth is really into animals of all kinds and has been for some time but I'd say her favorites are dogs and cats. I remember when she had just started talking and she would list all of the dogs in the family...Tombs, Jersey, Rowdy, Toby...it was really cute hearing her trying to pronounce all the names :) She still asks about Jersey and Baxter (our dogs) when we see her. Elizabeth tells everyone that she is an animal rescuer and trainer. I don't watch Dora the Explorer but apparently Diego (her brother) is an animal rescuer and I think this is where she got the idea from.


In the morning when we saw her for breakfast, she talked about how there was going to be a dog show at the party. She got a DVD for Christmas last year about dog training and has been working on training her dog Stache. We were obviously very interested in the possibility of a dog show, especially since Elizabeth tends to be pretty shy. The dog show was definitely the highlight of the party. It was hilarious but it was also great to see Elizabeth coming out of her shell. Page did an awesome job as always with the party. She had dog and cat ears for the kids to wear, dog and cat door hangers for the kids to make, and of course a dog cake with dog and cat cupcakes! It was a great party and we are thankful we were able to be there! Here are some pictures from the party:

The birthday girl

James is one serious cat!

The birthday girl with Aunt Amy and Uncle Evan

Let the Dog Show begin!

Dave trying not to laugh during the Dog Show