Catching Up

Gentle Reader,

I have all kinds of blog posts swirling around in my head. But this move, plus the time change, plus the humidity, plus the flurry of activity right before we left, plus the red-eye flight with a cat on my lap yowling from one end of the country to the other, has left me a bit fatigued. What with the piles of boxes to be unpacked and the house to get in order, I still have miles to go before I sleep.  But in the meantime, here's a little of what's been going on in our world:

We packed up our California house and then waited with baited breath in the empty shell of our former home, 

for our buyers to wrap up the financing and close the deal.

And they did. And we moved into a hotel.

The lovely and hospitable San Vicente Inn right in our own backyard.

Here you see Brother McBride giving Sam the Eagle Challenge.

Then Sam came home from his High Adventure in Sequoia and Jenny Lakes and parts thereabouts

and we held his Eagle Court of Honor.

This was an accomplishment in itself --many thanks to the kind Scouting Moms

who helped me with refreshments and set-up. And the many kind and thoughtful ward members who helped with the planning and technical set-up on one week's notice.

And here you see his fearless leader, Wurzel preparing to present him with the actual Eagle Badge.

And that's his proud Mama standing by.

After the Eagle Court of Honor and some tearful good-byes, we zipped off to the San Diego Airport to

catch the red-eye to New York City.

Sam and the cat are portraying how we all felt after our exhausting journey.

Shane looks like he's in shock.

We were all happy to see our new house.

And begin the work of turning it into a home.

The craft room will have to wait--it's low on the priority list.

The front entry.

The kitchen looking into the breakfast nook.

Andy's office--he's pretty happy about it.

By the way kids, Dad got a letter published in the Wall Street Journal!

It came out the day we arrived in Connecticut. 

You can see it here.

It's about two of his favorite topics:

Italy and gelato.

The yard is a little over-grown but these hydrangeas are blooming beautifully.

And this my friends, is going to be my new garden spot.

Some intrepid raspberries and blueberries are  growing here.

I have some work to do but look at that lush

forest in the background! We are a little partial to green so I think we

will be able to adapt to our new home.