big city

Today we ventured out of our bubble-AKA the city of Athens-and meandered into Atlanta. We knew we would need to go there time and again, but we try to make those times few and far between. The traffic alone makes one want to stay as far away as possible. Can you say flow of traffic...20+mph over the speed limit?!

Two words:   keep   calm

this is Caleb keeping his cool

There is a method to our madness. A visit to the best place on earth, of course:

People travel near and far for the goods behind these walls. Wok for $4.99? Yes, indeed.

If you don't have access to an Ikea...well, that alone is reason to move. So pack your bags, it's worth the drive. Trust me.

After getting turned around and lost inside a beautiful but busy area of Atlanta, we decided to park our car and head into our first Steak 'n Shake experience. I think we all left pretty satisfied.

That concludes this family's Sunday adventure.
We hope ya'll had a great weekend!
(See I had to slip it in there :~)

peach state

The more we are here, exploring our new surroundings, the more we've come to love our new home. Georgia has started opening up her beauty to us. The smell of the pine trees. The friendly southern hospitable atmosphere. The rain that slips in on a sunny afternoon, and dissipates after a generous downpour. We are taking it all in.

Something else we are taking in...

 Cable. Yes, that's right, we now have more than 1.5 channels. And internet. No, we are not letting our kids be lazy and sit around all day. But it is nice to have the option.

I gave these more than a passing glance today, when I realized that these can be found within a few hours of here. How awesome is that?!

I talked to a girl at work yesterday, and when we got talking about our family moving to the south. She mentioned her parents had done the same, for practically the same reasons. A days trip to the mountains or the beaches. Four full seasons of glorious weather. And the best part? She loved growing up in Georgia. I just pictured our children saying the same thing someday. It affirms our decision to move to this wonderful place. It helps me, when I get down sometimes because we are so far away from everything we've ever known. From family and friends. We miss you all dearly. But we hope that this decision, to be here and now, will be something we are grateful for forever.

workin' girl

So, Monday I started working my first job as a Registered Nurse. I am so very excited to begin my profession, something that I've been working toward for many years.

They may not have the most flattering uniforms. But hey, I get to wear a name badge with a big RN on it, so I'm happy.

I'm still in orientation, but I've already come to love the hospital that I work for. It's not too big, not too small, and it's a very friendly "family" atmosphere. I feel right at home. I am excited for the adventure ahead.

Mark and the kids are doing well. We've got Caleb enrolled in his elementary school which is right down the road. Still working on getting Katelynn into a preschool. Summer is rolling right by, and school will be here before we know it. We still hope to get out to the beach once more before that happens, to soak up a little more of that ocean breeze. 

And for those who are wondering. I am definitely picking up on this southern accent. So expect a lot of "ya'll's" and "how's your mominem?'s". My personal favorite came from someone I work with... "let's stand around and kick the tires." Gotta love the South!

Night ya'll!

to the market

Saturday we loaded up and explored the Athens Farmers Market. It was a great experience...complete with the appropriate hats. You can't go without the hats.

They had every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable, including meats and cheeses. But the best part of the experience? The fresh squeezed lemonade. Our favorite was the the blueberry lemonade. Next time we'll have to get enough to make it home.

What else have we been up to? Well, we've hit the local parks-just need to find some of them in the many trees that like to play hide-and-go-seek. We've also been to the local library, getting initiated with library cards and checking out books. 

Other than that we've been trying to take it easy. Yesterday, I finally received my official RN license in the mail. With that I can start orientation at my new job tomorrow morning. I am so very excited!

We will also get Caleb enrolled in school tomorrow. We are very fortunate because his school is right down the street from us. Katelynn is anxious to start preschool this fall, but we are still in the process of finding one for her. Something we found is that preschool is over twice as expensive as it was back in Wichita.

The apartment is starting to come together. We still have a little more to unpack, but for the most part we're pretty much filling up every corner of our new home. Hard to believe this is even after we've purged from our accumulation in Wichita. Guess we'll need to do some more to have some breathing room. Speaking of rooms, I'd have to say the kitchen is the one that is surprising me the most. This is where we are busting at the seems with dishes, gadgets, and I still have several things to fit in the nooks if I find any. How does this happen? Overall I'd say we're doing okay. Just bought a microwave last night (you never appreciate them until you don't have one. Can I say leftovers?). We still have to get internet and cable (we have two channels that come in with a fancy antenna), and our dishwasher disposal fixed (another thing that you don't appreciate until it doesn't work. But the beauty of living in an apartment...a maintenance call away).

We hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, and we'll keep you posted on our new beginnings.

whirlwind

Hello blogger world! We've been busy lately, to say the least. Over the weekend we officially said farewell to our home state- Kansas, and traveled with everything we own to Athens, Georgia. We are still in the process of moving and settling in but things are slowly starting to have a sense of order. I'll leave the rest of our update in pictures, as right as I type we are enjoying a short beach vacation before I start work in July. We hope you all are doing well, and we feel so incredibly blessed to be on this journey...


Our caravan, moving to the southeast...

Out and about around our new hometown...

living room

dining area

kitchen/laundry area

katelynn's room

caleb's room

and this sums up how we feel these days...tuckered out!

Update

~ June 23rd: took my boards in Kansas City (6 hr round trip)
~ June 24th: left Kansas and headed South (13.5 hr trip)
~ June 25th: arrived in Athens, GA (3 hr trip)
~ June 25th: received results: I AM A NURSE!!!

And in the interim we've been feverishly unloading and unpacking. It has been quite an adventure! More pictures to come!

And those who've been waiting...

Answers to posted questions:

1) d
2) a
3) b
4) c
5) d
6) d, e, b, c, a, f

And if you got all of those right, you have either completed nursing school or should consider a profession in nursing! And if you did not get them right...well no worries. Rest assured that those of us that did get them right are going to be taking good care of you, if you find yourself in need of a good nurse. 

just a drive

Tonight we took a little journey around my favorite parts of Wichita. I don't know if it was to say farewell or get some closure on this chapter of our lives.

I found myself driving through the enchanting homes of Eastborough and College Hill. Through the tall buildings of downtown, the unique shops of the Delano district, the historical Hotel at Old Town-where we were married, the lively Crown Uptown theater, and the sweet-smelling Spice Merchant to name a few.

 So many memories here.

I know that I may gripe a lot about Kansas. But one thing I will never gripe about...the beautiful sunsets in our wide open skies.

We will miss you Kansas. This is where we've called home all of our lives. Where well-traveled roads lead us to the doors of our families. Where heritage takes us back to cemeteries of loved ones who've passed, and through the trails that once lead generations before us onto this land, a land they deemed their "garden of eden".

It may be all we've ever known, a soft spot seared in our hearts forever. And most importantly a wonderful starting line on our life's journey.

We have so much to be thankful for. The life and experiences that we have had here. The family and friends that have made this home. With our excitement comes the sadness of goodbyes and closing of this chapter. But we are excited for the next one, the new memories that we will form. One thing is certain. Kansas-and everything in it-will always hold a special place in our hearts. 

countdown on:

-5 days until I take my board exam!

-6 days until we say "goodbye" to Kansas!

I can't believe it, but we are nearing an end to a huge chapter of our lives. And subsequently starting a very exciting new one.

If you notice that I haven't had frequent postings like my usual self, you can get a sense of the evolving chaos that is present in our lives right now. I don't want to just walk off the face of the blogging world, because someday I want to look back and remember this life-changing experience. But there is just one thing I want more of: time.

As the house becomes more of bare walls, empty rooms, and mobs of boxes, it has all become more real. We are leaving the only place that we've ever called home. Kansas is such a wonderful place, even though I give it a hard time sometimes. But we are looking forward to what the future will bring, and more specifically what kind of memories Georgia will bring.

And the next order of business...studying for this grueling exam! It's been said to be a "right of passage" and just something you have to go through to get the sacred "R.N." behind your name. I call it a dark looming cloud that keeps beckoning me, no matter how much I tell it to hush. Oh, well. Nothing like taking it the day before you make a life-changing journey to uproot your family and move over 1000 miles away. No pressure.  By the way, any thoughts and prayers are welcome :)

Also, this made my day- my favorite blogger, Kelle Hampton, added a picture and caption about our move that I posted on her forum. Check it out here.

Happy Weekend! (Our last one in Kansas!)

balance.

I don't claim to be a good multi-tasker. You know most women, we seem to think we are. We can fix dinner, console our friend on the phone, change batteries in a favorite toy, change an empty toilet paper role, all with a baby on our hip and the family continually asking "when's dinner?" We may think we're the great mystics of time but at what cost? Our minds. That's what.

Lately, along with the valuable lesson on Patience I've been having to learn (ask the Georgia Board of Nursing how I'm doing on that one), I have also been learning about the grand illusive one: Balance.

Balance is much more mysterious that Patience. Patience is out there, you've been learning its tricks since you were 5 and your Mom wanted you to sit quietly at church. But Balance is the new kid on the block. He outruns you, has a better bike and you wish he would go find someone else to taunt.

Balance makes me wonder how I can get 40 hours of work done in 12, without feeling like I haven't touched any of it.

Balance looks great on the outside, you feel great just saying it. "I am very balanced." Seems like everything is great, but really my life doesn't look how I feel.

Here's what my balance is starting to look like:

packing up boxes...

Summer fun in the sun...
(notice this outweighs the others for now)

this is our little girl...we've renamed her "mud magnet"

pulling out the books to study...

I'm not claiming that I've got this Balance thing pegged down yet. But we are starting to get to know each other.  Maybe someday all of this will make sense. For now, with a little patience, I'll just keep trying.