So some of you are probably wondering where we've gone! We're in Texas! And what a crazy, crazy ride it's been. I'll spare you the drama and tedium, but basically we decided to get here BEFORE December in hopes that the apartment complex would find someone to take over our lease. We made the final decision to move TWO DAYS before we actually did it. Literally. All week we hummed and hawed because we didn't know what to do and I finally had enough and made an executive decision. We felt good about it and went ahead with our plans. So on Saturday the 18th we packed up the truck and headed south. By Sunday we were here without any real incident. I say without real incident because it wasn't incident-free! Sunday morning as we were leaving our skanky motel Chase locked his keys in the truck and we had to call a locksmith. A cool 25 minutes and $65 later we were on our way. Now, for those of you who know of our previous trips to Texas, you know this isn't really that serious. Afterall, no cars were totalled or tires blown up or moving trucks breaking down. So it's all good.
The REAL drama came the following Friday right after Turkey day when Chase tried to fly back to Chicago. He was scheduled to take the Financial section of the CPA on Saturday morning. I dropped him off at Love Field in Dallas at around 6:15 pm. We kissed, we hugged and he told me he would call when he arrived. His plane was scheduled for a 7:15 departure. WELL at 7:45 the phone rang and I could hear my father-in-law talking to Chase. I thought nothing of it because what plane actually leaves on time the day after a major holiday? So I listened to dad's half of the conversation and became increasingly alarmed as I heard things like "They're holding you where?" and "So where are they taking you?" Turns out Chase had been arrested while going through security and he was on his way downtown to be booked. NO KIDDING! I guess Chase had thrown a knife into his backpack at some point during the move and had completely forgotten it was there. It just happened to be big enough to be considered a "prohibitive weapon" which is also a Class C Felony. So they cuffed him and hauled him away and he spent the next 7 hours sitting in a holding cell with a bunch of druggies and one guy charged with manslaughter. It was awful. Mostly for him, but for me too! Thinking of him down there was terrible! So we were so relieved when my father-in-law posted his bond and got him out of the clinker. So now Chase is trying to find someone to represent him on a pro-bono basis and we're trying to figure out how much it will all cost. It's been a huge bummer to say the least.
As for house hunting...that's been a real treat. We've seen some total dumps and some really nice places. We're trying to find something in the middle. We've actually found a house that we like a lot and we're considering putting an offer in on it. It's older and needs some work in the kitchen, bathrooms and backyard - mostly cosmetic stuff. But it's got good space and a good layout. It's small'ish, but it's a good size for a starter home. Once we figure out how much the legal fees will set us back we'll decide whether or not to put a bid in.
Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted...

"Don't smoke when you get big, kid!" This is the advice we got when we arrived at the park this afternoon. Not exactly what we were expecting. We showed up at the park which was crawling with kids because it was SO NICE today. Anyway, as we're walking onto the playground Cameron notices a guy walking on the path who is hooked up to oxygen and is pulling the tank behind him. I tried to just divert Cameron's attention, because he really lacks tact at the moment. Of course, there's nothing as interesting as stuff with wheels, so Cameron was drawn like a moth to a flame. I think he thought it was some great new toy that he should have, too. So he's standing there, mouth agape, pointing. I knew the guy saw him so I tried to hustle him onto the playground before he said...oh, no, too late..."MOMMY, LOOK!!!!!" The guy was cool and gave him a big smile and said, "Don't smoke when you get big, kid!" Nicely handled by the guy with the tubes. I just laughed and smiled at him and then realized it was the saddest thing in the world. So I'm passing along that advice to all of you. Just in case you forgot. Don't smoke.

Okay, I have the Sunday blahs. We are all SICK...AGAIN! I HATE BEING SICK. If you have not read any prior posts about us being sick (you don't have to look far - we're sick all the time), then let me just say that being sick ranks right up there with having a baby without any sort of painkillers. I hate it THAT MUCH. And that's without having other people to take care of. Chase learned this lesson about a week after we got married when I ended up with a sweet "bladder infection." I cried, I moaned, I groaned. I laid on the couch waiting for death to take me at any blessed moment. And that is my preferred method of getting through an illness. So you can imagine that when I'm sick the last thing I want to deal with is my kids being sick. So this morning I decided that I would stay home with the boys. They're both really gross and I've got a killer sore throat. Then I told Chase he'd better tell the missionaries we can't feed them tonight. His response was "Oh, no. We can still do it! I'll do everything." I tried telling him that I just didn't feel like it. After all, it's hard to remain in a stupor on the sofa when you've got eight eyes boring holes in you and asking for referrals. SO I've dragged myself into the shower and I'm just trying to conjure up the energy (and desire) to go blow-dry my hair and put on makeup. Yuck. On top of that we are up to our eyeballs in boxes. The house is completely pulled apart and we're half in and half out of boxes. I hate that, too. Hmmm...I hate a lot of stuff today. I guess I'm just bitter that my day (which started out by watching the Bears and Steelers games and knitting a hot-pink scarf) has reached the point where I've got to be productive. Argh. Anybody got any Calgon?

Just for those of you who are wondering and waiting for pictures of my babes, I don't have any. I know, it's awful. I just don't have a digi camera right now. We're getting one for the house hunt, so I'll get the boys in their costumes at that point...
Thanks for wondering, Sara!