So much to catch up on...

Man, I have waited too long to post. Where did the summer go? Our trip to MN in June (pics still to be posted...stay tuned) seems like a second ago in some ways, yet in others, it seems like forever. What else have we been up to??

July brought a visit from Steve's parents to help us with some big projects around the house. We are getting it on the market just in case we move when Steve finishes school in May. YES...I said May! I am so excited that we are on the home stretch. Less than 8 months to go! It has been no secret that this has been much tougher than I thought it would be, being the breadwinner of our family while Steve is in school. So many things I would have done differently, yet also a great many things God has used to refine us (and continues to do so). Anyhow, back to the projects. The guys did some awesome stuff that week. They cut out a portion of the carpet by the back door and installed wood flooring.

Didn't they do a great job? They also fixed our cement step going out to our back patio. And they hung our bikes in the garage. It's a huge relief to have those things finished, and of course it makes it even more bittersweet to be selling the house, having it fixed up so nicely. But we will love the freedom and ability to pick up and move quickly if needed, so it will all be worth it.

In August, I traveled to Houston for work for 2 weeks. It was pretty neat, as I was traveling with the President of our company (Chesapeake Midstream Partners, L.P.) and other bigwigs from Chesapeake. When you travel with them, you travel in style. We stayed at the Four Seasons in downtown Houston (beautiful!) and were able to walk to the office where we worked during the week (my dream come true...I would love to either work from home or walk to work everyday). It was a great experience, even though I missed Steve and Norman tons. During my time in Houston, I was also introduced to my new favorite Starbucks drink...decaf skinny caramel macchiato. DELISH!!! I could drink those everyday, twice a day actually!

Soon after I returned from Houston, Steve took off for a week in California to visit his family. It was a great "last hurrah" before he had to start school again. Most of his time was spent at his folks' condo in Mammoth Lakes and he got lots of great fishing, hiking, and relaxing in. He even brought our "son" Junior with him (actually, Junior snuck in his suitcase...I have no idea how that happened). A little background on Junior: Steve gave him to me while we were dating back in October 2004. I decided his face looked like it was real, and started turning his head (and subsequently freaking Steve out...haha). Long story short...Junior has taken on a personality all his own and has become a part of the family. He's been a bit neglected since Norman came along (poor Junior), but he still makes an appearance every so often. He even came on Steve's dad's retirement flight with us and flew up in the cockpit with Captain (Grandpa) Irwin. Ok, so Junior could almost get a post of his own. Our families have embraced our silliness and played right along. Anyway...even Junior caught a fish while in Mammoth with Steve!

I wish I could have gone with the boys to Mammoth (I have actually never been there in the summertime), but I had to work since I used my vacation for our trip to MN. Norman and I did, however, get to have some fun and met some of my family up in Kansas City for the weekend. There were 5 of us, and 4 dogs. It was such a great weekend. We played cards, dominoes, and just hung out. So refreshing! And the best part about it was that on my way home from Kansas City, Norman and I got to stop at the airport to pick up Steve!

Steve started his senior year at OU August 24th and the past 4 weeks have been a whirlwind! He's already 1/4 done with the semester (the end can't come soon enough). My brother Eric came to stay with us over Labor Day weekend, and while he was here, we got a phone call from my sister with some exciting news...SHE IS ENGAGED!!! Her fiance Matt proposed on the beach in Hilton Head, SC. My sister is a beach girl, so Matt could not have picked a better place. I am so pumped for them! We love Matt so much, and are excited to officially have him as a part of our family! Here is a picture of the cute couple (this was taken while we were all in MN in June).

Perfect couple, yes?? Matt has made my sister so happy, and I love seeing the sparkle in her eyes. God is good! So now we have another thing to look forward to in addition to Steve's graduation this spring!

Finally, last weekend I headed back to Kansas City for a girls weekend with my best friend Gretchen. I will post all of the fun pictures from that trip (see how much you have to look forward to?!?) soon. MN trip first, I think.

This weekend, we had the pleasure of celebrating this sweet boy's first birthday! A wonderful way to spend our Saturday afternoon! I have also been working very hard at getting our house ready to be listed. I'm having a great time selling things on Craig's List...and our pile to go to Goodwill is massive! If I had it in me, I'd do a garage sale, but I just don't think that's feasible...so Goodwill donation it is!

Whew! That is my last few months in a nutshell! I promise I won't keep you waiting long for the MN trip post and the KC Girls' Weekend post! Until then...