"Cousins"

It was a wonderful week here in Michigan, aside from the sinus infection that decided to greet me on Wednesday. Thanks to the sinus infection I now have a lovely cough. Gross. Moving on.

Last week Monday included a last minute "family" get together. You know, the kind of family that isn't really family, but they totally are family, because without them....well, it's not imaginable. For us, that is the Osborn's. My parents are best friends with Uncle Bob and Aunt Pat - we love them. Only problem is, they live in California. Needless to say, we don't see them often. I have many memories of going out west to California for week long vacations with the Osborn's. Some of my favorite childhood memories include trips out west. This last week, the Osborn's needed to take a last minute trip our way which landed them in Grand Rapids for a couple of nights. The best part of it all? My cousin Jeff and his wife Jamie had a little boy Wyatt, just 2 months before Maddux. We have been talking since BEFORE the boys were born about getting them together....it finally happened.

Monday night was a little crazy. People were flying in and out of the house, there was a loud dog, screaming children, about 10 adults trying to catch up, and dinner served somewhere in between. At one point I looked at Will and said "Doesn't it feel like were in the home alone house?!". We had fun. It was an absolute delight to spend time with Uncle Bob and Aunt Pat. Twice in one year!!! That never happens :) However, the highlight of the evening for all of us was Wyatt and Maddux meeting for the first time..."cousins".

Friday night....Jeff and Jamie drove back through GR which meant more time we got to spend together with the boys (and much calmer as well I might add). We relaxed, ate dinner, hung out with the boys, chased the boys, calmed the boys....everything revolved around the boys. But was SO worth it. We hope that they get to grow up being "cousins". The kind you can't imagine living without. Here is to keeping the Beal-Osborn tradition alive!

Here are some pictures of the boys on Friday night. As you can imagine, it's nearly impossible to snap a GOOD picture of a 17 and 15 month old simultaneously. 

 Meet Wyatt. Precious little boy.

 

 

That is probably the best picture I captured of the two of them. We'll keep it for the books :)










Osborn family, we love you! We can't wait to take a trip out west to spend time with ya'll! Thank you for taking the time out of your vacation to spend time with us. I can't wait for Maddux and Wyatt to get to know each other more and more each time!!!

A bloggers life, It's not my life.

Alright friends, look. As I mentioned in my previous post I like writing my feelings, it feels good. But, if I am honestly going to continue blogging...or rather, pick it back up, I need to feel the love. I don't know how the "real" bloggers do it, it is hard! Maybe that is why I tend to fall off the wagon. I follow blogs like Enjoying the small things ...an amazing blog written by a woman with who stays home with her 2 beautiful girls and loves life ( a little bit of my addiction may be due to the fact that she is a Michigan girl doing the Florida thing). I also enjoy reading Don't waste your cancer ,  a blog written by a girl I went to high school with and has a story to tell. Me, I am just living life. Writing is not my speciality and I can't promise consistency. However, I would like to feel the love. :-)

Considering I just picked this back up I think now would be an appropriate time to tell you that I LOVE THE OLYMPICS. With that being said, it's time to go watch the Olympics. It's time for USA to kick some booty! Or the Braves to kick some Philly hiney. We shall see who wins this tv battle....

6 months later and some catching up to do.

Hello friends! It's been 6 months, wow. There is a lot to tell and there is no way to sum it all up so we're going to do a simple month by month recap. And by golly, I am goig to do my darnest to keep up. I enjoy typing my feelings out...it feels good. And hopefully ya'll that used to read my blog will continue doing so. I'm back :) Ok, my last post was early February...lets pick up when Will joined us in Michigan on February 14, 2012.

February - Will came home! We lived out the month with my mom while we waited for our place to be available :)

March - Unseasonably warm weather decided to be a part of this usually dreary month. A couple of weeks were in the mid 80's and it was glorious! Will also ran his first ever 5k! The Irish Jig...and yes, it took place on St. Patrick's Day. It was his best 5k of the season AND his first ever. I was a proud wife.

April - The month started off with a wonderful surprise birthday party to me! Will pulled it off with all of our friends there, it was most enjoyable. I'm a lucky lady to have a husband like I do.

May - SOMEONE turned 1! What a wonderful weekend it was. Big William and Pamela came up for a long weekend to celebrate Maddux and Big William (he turned 50!). I took a couple of days off of work to I could have a long, relaxing weekend with my family. We also took Maddux swimming for the first this summer on his birthday weekend - he LOVED it.













June - It was hot!! Maddux went on his first trip to Meijer Gardens and he LOVED it. At the end of June I gave in....he got his first hair cut. His hair was out of control!!! :) Now he is my little man...no more baby.










July - We spent the 4th of July in Savannah which was absolutely delightful. Spending time with family is always the best. It was a blast seeing Maddux and Brandon together - Maddux was just figuring out walking while we were down there. Nothing like a big cousin to teach you :) We were also able to spend 1 day (not even) in Jacksonville. It was wonderful to see each and every person we got to see. It was short, and I apologize to those of you we didn't get to see, but know that next time we're down south, we'll spend a little more time in Jacksonville. Will also accepted a job in July! He is the videographer for Cornerstone University. He gets to do what he loves to do AND spend a couple of days at home with our little guy.





August - It's only August 6th - I've got all month to keep you up to date! This last weekend was a great weekend. We went to a concert with friends on Friday night, relaxed all day Saturday, and ran the happiest 5k on the planet on Sunday, The Color Run! It was amazing.

Ok, I feel better. I promise, it won't be 6 months. Baby steps here....I'm shooting for 6 days. :) And I must say, I'm quite impressed I summed up 6 months in that little of writing...not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing?

 Toodles!

Phew!

Holy crazy 2 1/2 (almost 3) weeks. Wow. I'm not even sure where to begin. Wait, yes I do. Maddux and I miss Will. Like crazy. I have a lot of respect for single working momma's, phew! I'm exhausted.

Michigan is great. It doesn't feel like Michigan, but it's great. We have had an unseasonably warm winter - barely any snow since I've been here. The temperature has been in the low to mid 40's for almost a week! And the best part? No major accumulations of snow is even in the forecast! It's crazy. However, I'm forever grateful. I think it's God looking out for me - Will's truck is TERRIBLE in the snow (the little we've had hasn't gone over so well) so I'm thankful we haven't had much. I miss my Honda (and I'm sure it must miss me). The new job - awesome. I couldn't be happier. It's a big adjustment and a lot of work but I love every second of it. Next week is the start of a crazy three weeks for me. I'm doing educational seminars for all of the plants and hitting all shifts. A lot of long days and crazy hours are ahead, but every second is worth it.

On another note, Will has decided to join us in Michigan 3 weeks sooner then planned. Me = happy. So happy. He should be here one week from tomorrow (weather permitting)!!!! I know everyone involved is incredibly happy with this decision. Maddux misses daddy, mommy really misses daddy, and I like to think daddy misses us :) Will has also applied to a handful of jobs and has an interview the end of this week...please pray for him if you think of it....he has a lot on his mind with finishing his current job, moving, and interviewing for a new job....he needs all the strength he can get.

Maddux is doing wonderful. We were so blessed to find Erin who would help us out for a few weeks - major blessing. It's helped me adjust to a new job and schedule knowing he is well taken care of during the day. Not only does Maddux love it, but I think Erin loves him :) Maddux is also extremely interested in crawling now. I am doing everything I can to hold him off until daddy gets here! The last few days it hasn't been difficult to do because he has been sick and only wants to cuddle....lets hope it stays that way (the cuddling, not being sick). He is also pushing is two front teeth through, poor little guy. I'm convinced he is holding it all off until daddy gets here next week!

I hope this short update finds you all well....I promise to be better at this once life calms down some, ie -  Will joins us and we move into our own place (I'm currently living with my momma). I will leave you with some recent pictures taken over the last couple of weeks.

xoxoxo

Road Trip.

We are on the ol country road as I type this (technology still amazes me). Its been a memory filled 24 hours!

Spending the weekend with my in laws was wonderful. Leaving my in laws to move to Michigan, was not so wonderdul. I've said it before and I will probably say it 10 times again....I love my in laws. They are amazing people and I'm blessed to be a part of their family. Leaving them yesterday morning was one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever gone through. There were a lot of tears and hugs...but as Miss Pamela told me "Always follow your heart and where Jesus takes you. Even if its Alaska. I'm proud of you for doing that". And I can honestly say I am doing that. So needless to say, I’m glad the goodbye is over and am looking forward to next time we get to see them!

And the road trip began...Will, Maddux, myself, and a 6 x 12 ft Uhaul trailer. Snacks, good music, a very well behaved baby, and clear skies made for a great morning of driving...

First stop, Rock Hill, SC. My Uncle Chuck, Aunt Wendy, cousin Dani and her family live there. We got to stop for lunch with them. It was kind of them to let us relax for a while. Maddux got to play with his toys, we ate lunch, and talked. I love good family talk time. We love you guys!

Back on the road by 3:30 with 240 miles until our hotel...it was a long 240 miles. Charlotte traffic, a car accident causing a traffic jam, a hungry baby, dark mountain roads, a crying baby, crazy semi drivers, and a head ache....we were ready to call it a night. We FINALLY pulled in to the hotel at 9 pm - we all felt immediately better. We did some serious relaxing and sleeping. I even let  Maddux sleep next to me all night :-)

The weather today is iffy...we woke up at 5:30 to hit the road and get the heck out of the mountains! As I type this we are 30 miles south of Ohio. We will give it our best to make it in tonight...lets hope mother nature cooperates!!

We are coming Michigan!!!

Making a Memory

That's it! It hit me driving this morning and it just feels right. I think my emotions are finally catching up to me and Im reflecting on how awesome the last 3 1/2 years living in Florida have been. We have made memories.

My amazing mother-in-law always says "we're making a memory!" and she is right...life is about making memories and making the best of every situation, even if it isnt good, and making it a memory.

So there we have it....I like it. And Im confident memories will be made this next week as Will, Maddux, and I road trip 1000 miles North.

And like I would leave without a picture....

Michigan.

Here it is....the story of how our move back to Michigan came to be...

It was a Sunday in September, one that neither Will or I will ever forget. We were leaving church and started talking about what Vic preached that day, loving people and following your heart. It was that day when Will and I realized our hearts were telling us it was time to move home...which was crazy. We always knew deep down that we wanted to end up in Michigan but didn't think it would happen this soon. Obviously God had other plans for us. After praying, talking, thinking, and more praying, we decided that we'd start the job hunt and if come July 2012 we had nothing, we'd move anyway since our lease was up. That was our plan and we were sticking to it!

Have you ever heard the quote "Announcing your plans to God is a good way to make him laugh?". Yeah, well, we made him laugh alright. We had this grand ol' plan that this summer we'd move home....well, that was until my best friend Kate called me with a full time job opportunity. I won't go into all of the little details but God obviously had a plan because the timing was all to good and everything fell in to place like it was supposed to. While we were in Michigan for my sister's wedding I also had 3 interviews - talk about a busy weekend!!! Next thing we knew I was offered a job the week of Christmas and accepting a job on January 30. A perfect start to a new year! I accepted a position with the McCahill Group as a full-time, on-site, Health and Wellness Consultant for Lacks Enterprises. I will be helping Lacks develop and implement a wellness plan to assist in decreasing their health care costs in 2013. I'm FINALLY getting an opportunity to utilize my degree in Kinesiology, something I've been waiting 6 years to do.

Ok, on to the small details. Maddux and I are moving home next week! Crazy! Will, Maddux, and I are hitting the road Saturday morning and heading to Savannah where we plan to spend a couple days with family. Monday morning we will wake up bright and early with a goal of reaching Beckley, WV (sounds exciting!) to spend the night. Tuesday we hope to drive the second stretch of 500 miles and end up in GR Tuesday night. Will is going to spend the week in GR with Maddux and I to help us get settled, look at daycares, potential houses to rent; and then on Sunday, sadly, he will be leaving us and heading back to Jacksonville. With how fast everything has happened we decided it made the most sense for him to stay in Jacksonville for 6 weeks and join us the first of March. The plan is for him to visit for a week mid February and hopefully have a few job interviews lined up. And while I'm in Grand Rapids I'll be living with my momma (who is SO excited to be having her grandson live with her....obviously way more excited for him than me ;) ).

God's hand has been in all of this or it wouldn't have happened as easily as it has. Thus far I haven't been an emotional basket case...although, I haven't had to say goodbye to my inlaws - oooh boy, something I don't want to think about....moving on....

I plan to document our road trip as we go! Look for updates and mini blog posts next week, I've downloaded the blogger app to my phone!!

Lots of love to everyone, we can't wait to see you Michigan friends....