(almost) wordless wednesday

Sunday, we had a snow day. Which is huge around these parts. In fact, when I walked outside Saturday night to all the crazy snow falling, I couldn't believe it. It had been snowing off and on all day but it was still a shock to see all the snow on the ground the next day.

So we did what most South Carolinians probably did; we found our warmest clothes and we trekked out to enjoy our snow day. BG was a huge fan, but even she was over it after a while. We truly are warm weather folks in this house.

our anderson christmas

This past weekend, BG and I went down to Anderson for a weekend with our best friends.

Other than almost losing her at a rest station and the endless "are we there yet??" questions, the trip down was actually pretty uneventful. We met up with Stacy and Zo at the mall in Greenville to just look around some before heading on down to Anderson.

BG and I got there first and perused the kids' clothing section for a bit while we waited on the girls. We also avoided the Santa hanging out in the department like the plague. That was fun.

When they showed up and the two littles locked eyes, it was over. They both gave each other shy smiles and then it was like no time had even passed. They giggled, they chased each other, they wrestled around the mall play place. It was fantastic.

We had to separate them for the drive back to Anderson and I basically had to swear on my life to BG that they would be back together soon. They were not okay with being apart again. Thank goodness we had a weekend of fun planned for them.

S and her husband planned a little cookout for that night so we got to see a few more old friends and have a few laughs over drinks and football before we girls decided to pack up the kiddos and head into town to check out the Lights of Hope. We drove through twice as the kiddos "oohed" and "aahed" over every single light and we girls managed to continue to catch up over the squeals of joy and the sounds of Christmas music on the radio. It was fantastic.

After the second loop through the lights, we decided to park and check out Santa's Village. Based on the girls' reaction to Santa at the mall earlier that day (they were fine to wave from afar but there would be NO lap sitting apparently), I was a bit nervous to see how this Santa trip would go. I needn't have worried.

Zo wanted zero to do with him, but BG? BG loved him. And even though she had an accident in my perfectly planned out Christmas outfit before even leaving the house, leaving her in a less than "Christmasey" outfit, I had to oblige her getting to sit with him. And then I had to oblige my "Mom needs every picture ever" and had to buy one. Because duh. And also because that smile. Duh.

After letting the kids run out a bit of their rambunctiousness in Santa's Village, we packed it back up and headed home. S and I did everything we could to get the girls calm and ready for bed, but it was all for naught. They weren't having it. They were too, too excited to be together.

They wanted to sleep together, but that was a hot mess of disaster that we finally had to split up when Zo's crying was frustrating BG so bad that she tried to make it stop with a pillow. True story. They got separated.

Finally, they hit the hay and S and I got some much needed catch up time over a couple of bottles of wine. It was good for my soul. I so miss my friend.

Way too few hours later, the girls were up. And raring to go. S and Zo spoiled us and BG had a few presents to open that morning. Ms. Stacy knows my girl. You can't fake that kind of smile.

That afternoon, we all packed up and headed downtown for the annual Christmas parade. BG and I have been to this parade every year she's been alive and I was so thrilled we were able to make it this year. This year was also the best one yet as most of BG's favorite people (family not included) were there. She was literally giddy with excitement when she laid eyes on "Miss Bitme" and MK.

The parade was amazing. BG and Zo danced and clapped and had an absolute blast. They managed to climb into Britt's lap for a good portion of the show leaving her almost immobile with a lap full of babies, but they weren't stepping more than two inches from her. They sure do love that lady.

We had an absolute blast. I was so sad when the parade was over.

But Britt had another surprise in store. She took us to one of the town's spas that was holding an "afterparty" of sorts full of cupcakes and face painting and yep, even Santa! MK and BG climbed up their together, but once again, Zo was not having it. No Santa picture for that girl this year!

After cupcakes, we made our way to the face painting where B managed to convince BG that she needed a reindeer on her face. Since my child pretty much adores Britt, that didn't take too much convincing. So she climbed right on up. Only the lady didn't do a tiny, little reindeer on her cheek like we were expecting. Oh no. The lady painted my sweet girl's entire face into a reindeer (or a Cats cast member, you be the judge), and while we adults were absolutely crying with laughter, my sweet girl sat as still as a stone while she got her face painted for "Miss Bitme".

Seriously. Sometimes this child is so sweet I can literally feel my heart aching.

When it was done, she took off to go show Britt how it looked. She was a little proud I would say.

I'm telling you, if you manage to find friends that love your children as you do, you are beyond blessed. Mr. P and I? we are beyond blessed in that department.

All too soon, it was time to wrap it up. The last thing I wanted to do was get in that car and drive away from that town. From these people.

Coming home to Mr. P was amazing, but I'd be lying if a little piece of my heart isn't back with these people in Anderson.

And clearly so is BG's. When I picked her up from school the next day, I asked her how her day was and if she liked her class.

She responded "yep" to which I said "Oh good! So you want to go back to school tomorrow?".

To which she responded "I'll go back to school tomorrow. But it's going to be Miss Bitme's school".

Ouch. Sigh.

Guess we'll be putting another trip on the calendar soon.

meeting MK

When we put BG in school she was around 18 months old. It was the first time she'd been in a "structured" setting like that as she had always been in just in home daycares or at home with me before. We loved our in home daycare in Savannah, but weren't as big of fans of the one we had in Anderson. So we pulled her out and found the school we eventually fell in love with.

BG's teacher was a younger lady that she immediately went gaga over. She would go on to eventually meet her two best buds in that class, but before that, her number one was "Miss Bitme". She couldn't get enough of her.

When "Miss Bitme" and her husband decided to start a family, I think BG and her little pals might have been more excited than the two of them. The girls were ecstatic. Then when they could put a name with a "face" (belly?), they loved it even more. They were fascinated with the Mary Kate in "Miss Bitme's" belly. So much so that for months Mr. P and I heard about BG's "Mary Kate" as she walked around with a ball under her shirt and also heard about our "Mary Kate's" that we repeatedly corrected with "that's just food hon".

Anyway, Mary Kate actually entered the world a few weeks before we left town so I knew that we had to let BG meet her before we left or we would never hear the end of it. So Stacy and I packed up the girls one afternoon after work and headed out to meet MK.
Just as I suspected, BG was enamored with MK. BG was made for babies. The girl just has a heart for them and is so gentle and sweet. Gah, she melts me.
Z (obviously) could have cared less. She was good with her, but she pretty much preferred the phone.
"Miss Bitme" with her girls.I am so glad we got to go do this before we left. BG loves B and MK so much. I am so thankful for the amazing people that Anderson put into our lives and into our sweet girl's life.

Man I miss these ladies so much. Sigh...

the last night.

I've been in an odd sort of limbo here lately. Once we knew that moving was our next step, I was ready to just go. I don't like the middle part. The packing sucks, the goodbyes hurt my heart; I just wanted to go. Just fast forward through the next few weeks.

Of course that doesn't happen and you have to deal with the packing and the goodbyes are every bit as hard as you thought they would be. And somehow, when it comes time to go, even though I thought I was ready, it hurts. And I'm not ready. And I wonder, how on Earth did it get here so fast?

How am I spending the last night in my home? Although truth be told, it's 11:30 pm and we're still loading the truck so sleep may not happen. How did I take my kid to her favorite park for the last time today? To which she cried "bye bye park" as we left and I freaking lost it. How did I make my last run (well non race run) with Stacy today? Which turned into a walk with a lot of chatter. How am I dropping my kid off at the school she loves for the last time tomorrow?

Okay. I have to stop. I'm bawling and I have to go pack.

It's our last night in the town we've grown to love and it hurts big time. But Mr. P once told me that he didn't think I had it in me to enjoy living anywhere but in Savannah and I've clearly proved him wrong there. So if I could fall in love with the sleepy little town of Anderson, then maybe I can fall in love with the next place...

We shall see.

I'm shutting down the computer and packing the rest of everything we own in a box to hit the road tomorrow. This chapter is done. It's been an amazing one and one I'll still wax poetic about for years, but it's done.

The next one begins tomorrow. Gulp.

to be continued...

how the weekend was fun.

This weekend was pretty awesome. At least the first two days were. We spent our entire "bonus day" packing the house which is a horrible way to spend a holiday if you ask me, but no one did so whatever.

But the rest of the weekend? Awesome.

Friday night I ran in my second 5k. I haven't ran in a 5k in years. Since April of 2009 to be specific. My friend Stacy and I have been training for this for weeks and it was finally here.

The race didn't even start until 10 that night but Mr. P and BG still tagged along for support. She was thrilled about that. Can't you tell?

Stacy and I didn't plan very well so I didn't meet up with her until we were waiting at the starting line. I was so stoked to have a few friends to run this race with even though we didn't end up sticking together for the whole thing. I'm just glad we got to run this together before I moved since we've been looking forward to it for months.

The race started off great. The good thing about running at ten at night is that it is a good bit cooler. There was a slight breeze that was helping to keep the humidity at bay which was also nice. Most people were out there just to have fun so it was a very relaxed feeling and I was loving it.

At the halfway mark I started feeling the effects of already having worked a ten hour day in heels that day. My legs just ached, but I managed to push through to just over the two mile mark before I had to take a quick breather to stretch it out. My legs were on fire.

I was pleased that I was still able to breathe so well but I was just plain frustrated with how sore my legs were. Fortunately my determination kicked in after a quick stretch and I managed to finish strong.

I did start my sprint to the finish a little far out and was dying by the time I actually made it to the gate. Oh well, don't care. I finished! And in 33:46. My goal was to finish in under 34. Check!

Yes, I am a sweaty, sweaty beast after running.

My girl went home with Stacy and her family that night so that Mr. P and I could get up early the next morning for a garage sale. BG got to play all night with her bff and then go out for breakfast and run errands with some of her favorite people. She didn't even want to stay with us the next day when they dropped her off. Nice.

Mr. P and I got up Saturday morning at five after getting in at midnight to host a garage sale. We are crazy people. Fortunately it ended up being worth our effort and I managed to squeeze a three hour nap in that afternoon when BG got home. It worked out.

That night, we headed back over to Stacy's house for the Clemson/Auburn game. Though honestly, could have cared less about that game, but I do love a good reason to get together with friends and let the kids run around like crazy people.

It makes me one sad panda to be leaving these people. These relationships. But I am so, so thankful that we've had times like these before leaving. Memories have been made and we're leaving a piece of our hearts here. That's okay though. That just means we'll be making many, many trips home back here to visit.

home sweet home.

Expect many posts like this over the next few days as I work out what is going through my head and in my heart...

Almost exactly two years ago, we packed up our little home and moved away from Savannah to the Upstate of South Carolina.

A job change sent us scrambling, but we serve a mighty God who blessed us quickly and we were without a job for under two weeks before a new one was handed to us. A new one that was four and a half hours away from all of our friends, most of our family, the church we loved, and the first house that was home to our family of three.

It was the house we brought our very longed for baby home too, the house we gave our lives to Christ in, the house where our marriage grew as our individual faiths grew.

It was home.

I can still remember coming to this town two years ago and thinking "this will never feel like home". I distinctly remember pulling up to a busy intersection and thinking how weird it looked and how this town just didn't look like one I could feel truly comfortable in. It felt so foreign to me.

Now? that intersection is the last intersection before I am home. I know it like the back of my hand. Our neighborhood pharmacy sits on one corner. It's where we've made many late night (and for Mr. P) early morning runs for diapers and milk and chocolate.

On the other corner is my cut through to work when the traffic is out of control. On the other corner is the QT they've been building forever that I was beyond excited for it to open and bring me daily $.49 drinks.

That intersection is now as familiar to me as breathing. I know it's a guarantee that someone will run the light. That someone else will make a funny left and back up traffic. That if I get through that intersection, I'm home. I'm back with my people.

And just like that intersection, this town has become familiar to me. I've fallen in love with the area. The hills, the lake, the weather. I've fallen in love with the small town traditions; the Christmas parade, the Farmer's Market, the tree lighting, and even the Block Party (although I think I just love the idea of the Block Party since we've yet to go to one. This week it's happening).

Moving to this town gave me a shot at my dream of SAHM'dom and then gave me the chance to realize that wasn't for me. It gave me an awesome part time job that still left me plenty of time with my sweet girl but also introduced me to some amazing coworkers who quickly became friends.

This town holds my daughter's school in which inside holds her sweet "friends" (her words not mine). Where a sweet teacher sent me daily text pictures of my girl and taught her her "model face". Where three little girls went from schoolmates to the best of friends. Where my child soared in learning and in her social life.

This town lead us to a church where we've seen God do some amazing things. Not only in the lives of people in our community, but in our own life. We've been through a lot these last couple of years and through it all, we've seen our faith grow by leaps and bounds. Having a church we both love and look forward to attending each week has helped that growth so, so much.

I found amazing friends here. One of my closest friends in the world lives here and it breaks my heart to leave her. In such a short time, we became like sisters with that kind of comfortable friendship that takes no effort and is able to just be. I've made a good friend that I'm able to laugh with and cry with and just spend time with in yoga pants and flip flops because neither of us care to put on airs (Tiff you know I'm talking about you!). I've made a friend that I can sit and talk with for hours upon hours without a single lull in the conversation because we both have that much to say and truly enjoy what the other is saying.

This town went from being a spot on the map that I didn't even know existed to home. Our home. I've grown in ways I couldn't have even imagined here as has my family. And while it absolutely breaks my heart to leave here, I know we'll be back and there will be numerous visits. I've got people here now. People I'm invested in. People I love.

I know we're following God's will in this move and that's why I know it will work out. I'll lick my wounds for a little while and I'll cry a lot, but at the end of the day, I know where we head next will eventually become home. We'll eventually form new relationships and put down new roots. Plus? I'm heading off with my people. And if there's one thing I've learned in my (almost, sob) thirty years, it's that home isn't a building. It's where your heart is. And my heart is with my people; Mr. P and BG (and even the pets). So let's do this.