I think I have tried about five times to get an entry in since Easter, but each time it's been left and when I get back to it, a week has gone by. So. I'm going to start fresh. We've moved, again! Monterey was awesome, we were so incredibly blessed with good friends, an awesome church, and a great neighborhood to spend time in and enjoy. As with every move, my heart was left there, and I think so was a little of Grace's. We are going to try to go back and visit sooner, rather than later, but life will determine that one.
We drove cross country to Groton, and pulled a very large U-Haul behind the swagger wagon. She did pretty well! We think that maybe the back end took a hit, but overall, we got there with only one "bump" in the road. In Oklahoma City the U-Haul was broken in to and they took the tool box. Thankfully, the trailer was SO packed that they couldn't get the door all the way open and we think that is why the tool box was the only thing that was taken. It was the only thing they could get to! Grandpa Jones came with us for the trip, which was a lot of fun as having one more adult helped off set the kiddos! We saw Gigi in Phoenix, Aimee and her family in Arkansas, and Nonna Bev and Nonno Mike in Memphis before we landed in Elizabethtown for five days. That was a much needed break and good family time with the boys and the rest of the family. Opel was there, which Grace love loved, and there was a pool... need I say more, the week was covered with activity!
We picked up a table on our stop there and headed out to Groton, which was supposed to take two days, but I was done driving, so being a night person I just kept driving! We got into town around 7am the next morning. :) It was sweet to drive into town as the sun was rising. It was quiet too because Dan and the kiddos were asleep. Good prayer time as we were literally and symbolically turning a corner and starting again. It's a hard process, but it's worth it, and I always tell myself that. As I leave one place and my heart breaks a little bit, I tell myself that God's plan has us going somewhere that will bring new friends and new beginnings worth another round of heart break.
Groton has been good so far. It's a nice time to be in the Northeast, trees are full and green, the weather is mostly nice, and thunderstorms are regular (something I have been waiting for for years). The community we moved in to is full with parks, a pool, and good sidewalks for walking. Plus, we are a mile away from a Panera, Kohls, and grocery store. We've already walked there twice. We haven't met many people yet, though I'm sure we will as we get settled in and venture out more. Church usually is a good place for meeting people, and somehow getting a friend with a play group. We do have our friend from Naples who has now been here for a year and has lots of acquaintances with kiddos, so we will see if anything works out there. Grace really misses her munchkins! Nightly she asks for Evie and/or Alex; and Meema, always Meema. We are blessed to have her visiting us right now and so Grace is in heaven. She arrived and Grace was telling Daddy that "Meema is home!!" We all just looked at each other and kind of laughed... there will be some explaining to do on Tuesday when she leaves again.
It's amazing how flexible Grace has been with this whole process. She has her moments, especially as we were traveling cross-country, but there is no sadness or attachment to Monterey really. She was and still is excited about her "new house." She tells everyone about it. She loves her new room, which now houses every toy that is non-destructive and that I can trust her with... mostly baby dolls and soft things. She enjoys the outdoor things, the pool and the park and especially the splash park. It'll be rough in five months when we leave again, but hopefully she will have the same attitude. Noah just kind of goes with the flow. As long as he has me and his food, he's happy.
We are exploring a lot, though with Meema visiting, we're playing more now. That and trying to get through boxes! Have to purge so we can be less weight on the next move! Until Next time....
Ciao!
