October is my very favorite month of the year. I love Fall and pumpkins and cooler weather. This October was overtaken by our move east and adjusting to that, but even with all that drama, the beauty of October wasn't overshadowed. Autumn in this area is just phenomenal!
On October 12, I reported to my new job. Once I found my way in, it was crazy seeing so many familiar faces... but, nice, too. I got my bearings on the bus and train, again, and we were reminded that we prefer Maryland to Virginia... More than anything, our first month here confirmed that we made the right move. It's SO hard to explain, but I feel comfortable here... I feel like I fit in.
That's not to say that the adjustment hasn't been a bit crazy, lol. At first we noticed the traffic and just how many people are here! Our first adventure to the grocery store introduced us to Wegmans - an absolutely giant store. The first time I walked in, it was just overwhelming. The store is huge to begin with and there were SO many people there. I felt very country-pumpkin walking through the aisles and weaving through other shoppers... but, we figured it out. We also found wine at the grocery store! This, I believe, is the only thing Virginia has on Maryland ;)
As you can see, they even sell wine at Target!
Our very first weekend in town, we went out house hunting. Our poor kids were stuck in the car for DAYS. We focused our search in Germantown in Montgomery County Maryland, after driving around on our own and really liking the area. On Columbus Day, we met up with a realtor who showed us around a few properties... the highlight of the day was Mary Grace throwing up down the front of my shirt in the very first house we were looking at... The day will now be forever known as Puke Day because we cleaned up as best we could and kept looking at houses.
We found our new home that day... a three-level townhouse with enough space for all our stuff - a tall order! It has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a finished basement... it's also a "bump-out," which means we have probably an additional 12 feet on the back of the home... this is the space that makes all the difference. After one look, we filled out a rental application and got it! We will move in the second week of November.
Early in the month, I also took one of my admin days so we could go daycare shopping. Now that we knew where we were going to live, we had to find a great place for the kids... and, we did! I had pretty much made up my mind on our tour with the center's director... while we toured, both kids participated in their classes and that went well, too.
This month, we also finalized the buyers' contract on our house in Murfreesboro, and on October 27th, we officially signed the property over to the relocation company. The buyers won't close on the house until sometime in November; however, my relo benefits allow the relocation company to take over responsibility earlier than the buyers' closing. What a relief!! No November mortgage payment and being relieved of the responsibility was liberating... but, of course, at the same time, it hurt a bit. It made this move that much more final... and, we brought both of the babies home to that house...
And, lastly, all month Jon has been working on me to accept the idea of him becoming a professional poker player. He's not talking the guys on ESPN, but he's insistent that he can make a reasonable living playing cards at a casino nearby. He's still looking for a regular job, and had an interview this month... but, even as we were talking about him going back to a regular retail job - including closing and weekend shifts, holidays being blacked out for days off, having to worry about his vacation days and if the kids get sick - I have to admit the flexibility of the poker gig became more appealing. We shall see where this goes.
And, the kids. They have had a month of being inside too much and watching too much TV. We are not good apartment dwellers and I felt we were constantly yelling at the kids to stop running and jumping because we were on the second floor. But, they also got to spend a bunch of time with each other, their Dad, got reacquainted with Uncle Toby and Uncle Andy, and got to meet Candice and Shawn, too :) We haven't gotten them downtown yet... but, that will happen soon.
Mary Grace is talking up a storm and she repeats everything. My favorite of her newer phrases is, "lub you, Mommy." She's also big into wearing her Dora, Sponge Bob, or Minnie Mouse clothes. She is also a fan of the swings at any play ground :) She likes the bouncy things, too.
Jackson is obsessed with the Hulk. He's developed an aversion to clothes and his favorite outfit is his Hulk costume or jeans shorts and no shirts. He asks us why is the Hulk angry? Because his clothes are ripped :)
Here are some of the best shots from the month...
We left right before our friend, Matthew's birthday party. But, his Mom (Jen) was cool enough to make MG and Jackson some dino tails even though they wouldn't be making it to the party. Here is a shot of them modeling their tails :)
We did our first DC-thing by going to the Udvar-Hazy Center with Uncle Toby... Here, the kids are flying.
Jack watching the planes take off at Dulles...
And, the three of us being silly.
This is one of the best from the day, though... Little Miss being herself. I captioned this one, "Huh! You talkin' to ME!!??" After us saying it, she's gotten her Joe Pesci impression down, lol.
The kids spent a lot of time together this month... and played pretty well together for the most part. Here they are hamming it up in the bath...
And, being sweet on each other after bath...
And... this one I had to include because Jon said this was Mary Grace's "sexy grandma" outfit. Ha!
She'll be tearing up the future retirement homes, no doubt :)
On October 12, I reported to my new job. Once I found my way in, it was crazy seeing so many familiar faces... but, nice, too. I got my bearings on the bus and train, again, and we were reminded that we prefer Maryland to Virginia... More than anything, our first month here confirmed that we made the right move. It's SO hard to explain, but I feel comfortable here... I feel like I fit in.
That's not to say that the adjustment hasn't been a bit crazy, lol. At first we noticed the traffic and just how many people are here! Our first adventure to the grocery store introduced us to Wegmans - an absolutely giant store. The first time I walked in, it was just overwhelming. The store is huge to begin with and there were SO many people there. I felt very country-pumpkin walking through the aisles and weaving through other shoppers... but, we figured it out. We also found wine at the grocery store! This, I believe, is the only thing Virginia has on Maryland ;)
As you can see, they even sell wine at Target!
Our very first weekend in town, we went out house hunting. Our poor kids were stuck in the car for DAYS. We focused our search in Germantown in Montgomery County Maryland, after driving around on our own and really liking the area. On Columbus Day, we met up with a realtor who showed us around a few properties... the highlight of the day was Mary Grace throwing up down the front of my shirt in the very first house we were looking at... The day will now be forever known as Puke Day because we cleaned up as best we could and kept looking at houses.
We found our new home that day... a three-level townhouse with enough space for all our stuff - a tall order! It has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a finished basement... it's also a "bump-out," which means we have probably an additional 12 feet on the back of the home... this is the space that makes all the difference. After one look, we filled out a rental application and got it! We will move in the second week of November.
Early in the month, I also took one of my admin days so we could go daycare shopping. Now that we knew where we were going to live, we had to find a great place for the kids... and, we did! I had pretty much made up my mind on our tour with the center's director... while we toured, both kids participated in their classes and that went well, too.
This month, we also finalized the buyers' contract on our house in Murfreesboro, and on October 27th, we officially signed the property over to the relocation company. The buyers won't close on the house until sometime in November; however, my relo benefits allow the relocation company to take over responsibility earlier than the buyers' closing. What a relief!! No November mortgage payment and being relieved of the responsibility was liberating... but, of course, at the same time, it hurt a bit. It made this move that much more final... and, we brought both of the babies home to that house...
And, lastly, all month Jon has been working on me to accept the idea of him becoming a professional poker player. He's not talking the guys on ESPN, but he's insistent that he can make a reasonable living playing cards at a casino nearby. He's still looking for a regular job, and had an interview this month... but, even as we were talking about him going back to a regular retail job - including closing and weekend shifts, holidays being blacked out for days off, having to worry about his vacation days and if the kids get sick - I have to admit the flexibility of the poker gig became more appealing. We shall see where this goes.
And, the kids. They have had a month of being inside too much and watching too much TV. We are not good apartment dwellers and I felt we were constantly yelling at the kids to stop running and jumping because we were on the second floor. But, they also got to spend a bunch of time with each other, their Dad, got reacquainted with Uncle Toby and Uncle Andy, and got to meet Candice and Shawn, too :) We haven't gotten them downtown yet... but, that will happen soon.
Mary Grace is talking up a storm and she repeats everything. My favorite of her newer phrases is, "lub you, Mommy." She's also big into wearing her Dora, Sponge Bob, or Minnie Mouse clothes. She is also a fan of the swings at any play ground :) She likes the bouncy things, too.
Jackson is obsessed with the Hulk. He's developed an aversion to clothes and his favorite outfit is his Hulk costume or jeans shorts and no shirts. He asks us why is the Hulk angry? Because his clothes are ripped :)
Here are some of the best shots from the month...
We left right before our friend, Matthew's birthday party. But, his Mom (Jen) was cool enough to make MG and Jackson some dino tails even though they wouldn't be making it to the party. Here is a shot of them modeling their tails :)
We did our first DC-thing by going to the Udvar-Hazy Center with Uncle Toby... Here, the kids are flying.
Jack watching the planes take off at Dulles...
And, the three of us being silly.
This is one of the best from the day, though... Little Miss being herself. I captioned this one, "Huh! You talkin' to ME!!??" After us saying it, she's gotten her Joe Pesci impression down, lol.
The kids spent a lot of time together this month... and played pretty well together for the most part. Here they are hamming it up in the bath...
And, being sweet on each other after bath...
And... this one I had to include because Jon said this was Mary Grace's "sexy grandma" outfit. Ha!
She'll be tearing up the future retirement homes, no doubt :)
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