Holy Cats Has It Been Five Months?!

It's wild to me that I once thought things would get easier when our babies were older. There would be more time, less laundry, earlier bedtimes, fewer costume changes. Those were the days I sat down to share precious moments and photos at least once a week, and there were date nights that didn't involve calendar syncs.

We are definitely in a different (and more enlightened!) season. My last update to our adventures apparently involved starting school in the new spot. Blinkandyoumissedit, the kids started holiday break today, after the end of several sports seasons and a very cute drama club production.

It's been a whirlwind of a first few months in our new home. I spent lots of time in the field and a little time abroad (and am grateful, per usual, for grandparents, who kept the trains on time.)

We swam a lot,

threw yard parties, explored our new town,

caught up with old friends, 

and Labor Day'ed at the Land Between the Lakes.

We farewelled summer at the Gaylord,

and attended a lot of travel baseball tournaments.

We discovered Finley's new summer camp home

and celebrated her big 10th birthday with her first concert (Meghan Trainor, with Ashley and Laura) and a trip to Chicago.

We explored Kentucky's best (caves, not bourbon, when you're under 21);

and made the promised trek back to Arden

 for the annual Halloween Beach Bash.

We made a run for the Smallest State for more fall with our people and Aunt Bex's beautiful promotion,

and before we knew it, it was time for basketball and football games,

a visit from Aunt Laurel,

and Ice! at the Gaylord.

We celebrated Seth's 12th Alive Day, quickly followed by 

Thanksgiving trips to St. Louis and Arkansas;

and somehow, impossibly, it's already almost Christmas. We have (barely) survived Clarksville Mall shopping, and Missy arrives for 60 hours of Tennessee/ Kentucky fun tomorrow.

In the meantime, Seth is recovering from major surgery like a champ (while running Santa's Workshop), and the state of Kentucky is out of powdered sugar.

Phew... and to all a good night! Happy Holidays and a restful new year to you and yours! 

The End of Another Summer

It has been a summer. And it is well and truly over. Finley and Ford started school a solid 3.5 weeks before they would have if they hadn't had to PCS from a "late" to an "early" district this summer. 

The life of Army kids. I think they'll be OK.

I spent my first several weeks in the new job playing Army.

We discovered all the stuff there was to do at Fort Campbell, and embraced our slower-paced life.

The #worldsbesttrainedservicedog earned his first stint in dog jail, and we pulled off an end-of-summer reunion with Ford's best friend in Knoxville,

as well as the discovery of a new swimming hole and a visit from the Kentucky Hollenczers.

We threw a massive party for my new office at which Seth smoked hundreds of pounds of brisket, Finley and Jayne made hundreds of cookies, and I forgot to take any pictures at all- and then enjoyed a lovely morning with the leftover bounce house water slide the next day.

We interviewed every post-church brunch spot in town, and worked to fall in love with downtown Clarksville, which does at least boast cheap mimosas and a cute museum.

And I, despite my struggles to love onpost living, discovered the joys of being able to come home after PT and ride bikes with the kids to their nearby school.

We got a random long weekend- the perks of FORSCOM assignments- for the 101st's birthday, and made a wild run to North Caroline for Mikayla's 13th birthday, which was fantastic despite the ridiculous amount of driving time. I am beyond grateful for the early investments we made in kids who can road trip.

And then for Labor Day and the traditional end of the summer, we found every body of water in our new state(s) to celebrate. Which included Kentucky Lake, in the Land Between the Lakes for fishing (Seth's fave)

and the absolutely stunning Gaylord Opryland for a world class waterpark and poolside drink service (mine).

And with that, we bid a fond farewell to an action-packed, road trip-heavy, moving-accented summer that found us getting used to new homes, new jobs, and new (onpost) lives. Plus poolside lounge chairs.