Impromptu Dinner

Lately we have been pretty good about staying on our budget. We have been eating MANY more meals at home, packing lunches, avoiding trips to target just for fun, etc...but sometimes, we are greeted with unexpected challenges. Yesterday was that such day. Haddie's school was dismissed early due to no electricity and since we live very close to the elementary school, we didn't have power at our house either. All day I was thinking about baking a ham and making smashed red potatoes, but when we finally got home, we didn't have power and our house was 62 degrees...pretty cold when it was only in the low 20s!

We decided that we would have to eat out, and while we could have done that much more cheaply, I was really craving Hibachi so we loaded in the car and all went to dinner. The girls have gone before but it was when they were pretty little so I didn't think they would remember. They were excited when the fire was lit really enjoyed watching our food being cooked right in front of us. Both girls ate really well but Molly was really the dinner champion last night, even eating grilled onions!

Fun Trip to Snowshoe!

Part of Tyler's new job has already given us the opportunity to have a fun mini vacation to Snowshoe Mountain. It was perfect timing because we hadn't been out of town for a while and it happened to coincide with about eight inches of fresh snow! The only "catch" to this trip was that I had to take off two days of work, something that I rarely do. We decided it would probably be worth it because a) it was free and b) this was probably the last chance we could get out of town before the baby makes his arrival! 
While there we ate a couple dinners out and enjoyed the split rock pool. It was a little crazy swimming outside while it was snowing, but the water felt great for all of us, especially taking the pressure of my big ole' belly off of my back! Tyler got to enjoy more of the snow activities than we did; including a snow mobile tour which he said almost more than he could handle!!!

Haddie enjoying her hot chocolate and Molly's apple juice!

I hit 26 weeks pregnant while on the trip!!!!

Even though the temperatures were frigid, we enjoyed a little play time in the woods!

On Open Letter to my Love...

An open letter from your biggest fan, cleverly disguised as your harshest critic;

I will never forget the day a long time ago, before kids, when we were just getting started in our life together, you were working at the newspaper as an intern. We were so excited for this internship—much better than selling tools at Sears or working prepress at the paper during the evening shift. One day you came home from work, excited, and told me you had just had lunch with Tom Hindman and Steve Shaluta. You said, “Steve looked at me and said six years and four months, that’s when I’m retiring and you should take my job.” Being the constant pessimist in your life, I said something like, “sure thing, I’ll believe it when I see it”. After your internship ended and you moved into selling ads for the newspaper, quite possibly the most depressing job for your personality possible, we would scour state and federal jobs looking for something a little more “secure”. I can’t even remember how many jobs you applied for during that time, even got a couple interviews doing things you could “get by” on but never truly love until the day we saw it…The photographer for the division of culture and history was open. Knowing that this could be your dream job, I tread lightly, trying to remain the calm voice of reason, “they probably already have someone they are going to hire, this is just a formality”, “there is no way you could get this, no experience in the state, etc…”, all the while hoping with all of my heart they would see the “you” that I see and know you were the perfect fit for the job. Before your interview, when I was giving you stellar last second pointers; eye contact, strong handshake, I happened to say, “make sure you tell them how much you love West Virginia and how that is something you would bring to the table”. Turns out, they did have someone for the job, someone that most likely would have done a fine job, but the defining moment that gave you the proverbial “leg up” was that you were the only person they interviewed that said how much they loved our state. The job was just as much fun as you had hoped, it afforded us with a comfortable salary, state benefits for our family, and most importantly, the ability to travel throughout the state. You were able to show me, and eventually our girls, so much of the state that we all loved. At five and three, our girls have already seen more of the state than many will see in a lifetime. Everyone raved about your photography, I was always in the background critiquing every picture, “it’s ok”, “I don’t see what the big deal is”, “you just point and click anyway”. My intention was always to keep you humble amidst everyone loving you and telling you how wonderful you were. Then, I started to see what everyone else was seeing…not that it was just a picture of a mountain, but that it was your personal love letter to the state. The emotions that would translate directly from you into your work is what made you special. Technically, yes, it is not impossible, not even hard really, to learn a formula that yields good pictures, we see it in every new “photographer” that pops up…but to capture a picture that invokes emotions in the viewer is a gift, a gift that you have. While your time at the division was a wonderfully happy time for us, I am thrilled to be on this new journey with you as you move into Steve’s position, patiently waiting for your dream job for those six years and four months.  I often say you are the luckiest person I know, but this wasn’t luck…this was your skill, your love, your desire to constantly grow and learn, and most importantly, your insatiable desire to take care of your family. I know I often give you a hard time for everything, but know I’m always one step behind you; rooting for you, being your number one fan and your biggest supporter. I love you with everything I have in me, thank you for taking us along on this journey. I can’t wait to see where it takes us. 

A home for our thoughts...

After about eight years of my sister telling me how much I am missing when I'm not blogging, I have decided to start a blog...for the third time. My intention is for this to be an online filing cabinet so everything will eventually end up here. On the verge of a big life change for us, a new job for Tyler, and a new baby for all of us, there is no time like the present to begin, so, Welcome!