New normal

Things around here have really calmed down, and, dare I say, gotten back to "normal", if you want to call it that.  The new phrase "burn scar" has infiltrated into our collective vocabularies, and right now, what with all of the heavy rain (yay!), we've heard a lot about mudslides and flash flooding and such at the "burn scar area".  No major problems yet, just some road and highway closures.  I am so thankful that we can now keep the windows wide open during the day, and it sure makes a difference when you're able to let fresh air and cooler breezes into the house.  We've even been back to the pool, although it's been a few days due to the heavy storms in the late afternoons, which is our favorite time to go.  My overall sense of security has started to come back too, thankfully.

In other news, we are off to upstate New York next Tuesday for two weeks to visit Grandpa and Grandma (or, in K-speak, that would be "Gampa" and "Gamma".).  I must admit, I'm kinda anxious about the long plane flights each way...we are taking a red-eye out with the hopes that she will sleep most of the way.  We did this during the first leg of our trip out east for Christmas, and it worked like a charm.  Even though this is the first time she'll have her own seat instead of curling up on my lap, I think I'll be able to raise the arm rest and help her curl up with her blankie and her ever-faithful Bunny sort of halfway on my lap.  On the way back we are leaving around 6:30 pm, which may allow her to sleep *most* of the way back.  I'm especially nervous about that flight because it was a NIGHTMARE on the way back from our Christmas trip...she became overtired and would NOT sleep, but instead fussed for what felt like hours, making me desperately want the floor to open up and swallow both of us.  My mantra:  "We will never see these people ever again...we will never see these people ever again..."  Yeah.  Didn't work.  I really don't want a repeat of that particular scenario.  But we'll see...wish us luck.  We have already talked about going blueberry picking, going to the beach at a local state park, hiking around in several parks unique to that area, visiting some great antiques places, playing in the back yard...you name it.  My parents still have the kiddie sized swimming pool and sandbox we used as kids, not to mention the shiny red tricycle I rode when I was little.  The possibilities are endless!  My dad has not seen K since Christmas--she's changed so much!--and my mom hasn't seen her since February.  They are soo looking forward to this visit!  It's going to be hard to leave.

I have also made a big decision that I think was always in the cards somewhere...sometime in the next three years or so we will be moving back to the Syracuse area.  Why?  Well, I can't deny that my parents are getting older (now 71 and 72) and even though they're still wholly independent, they won't be so forever.  My brothers live quite far away from them (Denver and Red Wing, MN) and don't have any intention of moving closer.  I'm also the only one of us three sibs who has a child, and I feel like *someone* needs to be closer-by "just in case".  There's no rush, but I also want my parental units to be able to see Miss K more often, and...ahem...to take advantage of some built-in babysitting opportunities.  I really don't want to move back until baby number two has arrived (OR until I am in some sort of peace about having "only" one child, which I have not found my way to...yet).  My hometown has several terrific school systems to pick from, and the pay in my field is definitely higher with a relatively comparable cost of living.  I lived there during my first three years of teaching, and it was great having my parents close-by...thank goodness they are not the type to stop by unannounced or to be all smothery and so forth and so on.  I will definitely miss all the sunshine my state gets, though...Syracuse is infamous for weeks and weeks on end of cloudy skies and no sunshine.  I hate it in the wintertime.  But the other three seasons are quite nice, so it's not a horrible idea.  In some ways I am NOT thrilled about moving back, but the pluses far outweigh the drawbacks, and I feel like it simply has to be done.

Only about a month left before school starts up again!  Yikes!  We start with all the teacher stuff around August 12th.  I am NOT ready.  But I will be as we get closer.  This week's projects include mailing off several packages of eBay sales, and painting a dresser a lovely shade of turquoise to match K's bedroom.  I can't wait till it's done...we so need the storage space for her clothes.  Her stuff is mostly hung in the closet, as well as in a *small* three-drawer dresser that lives in the closet below the clothes rod.  I am hoping it will look great once it's painted.  Oh, and I have four HUGE studded snowtires taking up space in the corner of the kitchen...I posted them on Craigslist and I am dearly hoping that someone will take them off my hands.  And soon.  I just sold a Pilates machine via Craigslist, so here's hoping.

So many updates about Miss K, but that's a whole other post entirely.  She amazes me on a daily basis.  She also makes me laugh ALL the time.  I have a few more pics to post too...better get on that.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!!  :)