Falling into place...

Since we've even made the decision to move back to Texas, things have just fallen into place.

1. We got a SUH-WEET deal on the PODS for moving back to Texas.
2. We found an apartment within a week of moving.
3. Chris found a job.
4. I found a job.
5. Our schedules are offset just enough to not kill my mom with watching CJ.  It's been a while since she's had a 2 1/2 year old around so it is a bit of an adjustment for her.

So my new job... I just started on July 27.  We are in a period of transition - they are changing the job roles so that our customers have a single point of contact despite where they are in the process.  I think this is fabulous!  However, it also means that even though I've been there for a week and a half now, I still don't know exactly what I'm doing... or supposed to be doing.  I am just being positive and patient and I know that once I catch on and find my groove, I'll be golden.  I'm just so thankful right now for a great group of people that I work with.

CJ is just amazing.  I know that all parents out there think this of their kids - but he is just so smart!  He recognizes all his letters (though sometimes he likes to play games and point out all the wrong letters first) and is recognizing numbers now, too.  He's already been saying his alphabet and counting to 20.  Now he is also tracing lines (a pre-writing skill) and drawing lines from one point to another.  Grandma is really helping out with this during "school" when she is the teacher and CJ is the student.

CJ is also really comfortable in the water now.  He loves his life jacket so he can just float and kick his way around the pool.  And with this heat wave, he's realizing that sunglasses are a necessity at all times during the day and the pool is best in the morning!  You know, before it has evaporated into thin air!!!

It is amazing to me just how independent CJ is.  He is funny and smart and definitely has his own opinions about things.  Now if we can get him interested in potty training... and eating a wider variety of nutritious foods...

I love that kiddo!

Just like riding a bike?

I had my first real in-person interview today... first in I'm guessing in 11+ years.  I can't lie - I was definitely nervous going in, but I prayed about it a lot between last night and this morning.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" has been my mantra as of late.  It was much easier when I framed this interview in a new way - if nothing else, this was an experience to get my feet wet again in the interview arena.  However, I must say of all the gifts bestowed upon me by my Creator - reading people is one of my assets.  So once I'm in front of a person and can get a good "read" on them, I can do really well.

Now I wait... I have another interview with a different company on my horizon.  I can rest easy though - and I have to say, this is one of the best perks of being a true believer - this is all in God's hands.  He has a plan and it is the perfect plan for me at this time.  Whatever comes, I can pray over it and feel good about my decisions.

Working out is hard to do

As most of you know, I'm on a weight-loss quest.  I'm not proud of how far I let myself go, but know that I'm well over halfway - close to two thirds of the way! - to my (healthy) goal weight, I can admit that it was BAAAAD! 

At any rate, if anyone else out there needs to be encouraged, I'm your gal.  And I wouldn't mind a reciprocation either.  I do make my posts on Facebook on my weight loss, though sometimes I slack.  It has been slow and steady with little spikes of weight gain (1-2 lbs) but generally in a downward trend.  Let me just tell you, it's hard for several reasons: 1) being a female has some serious challenges in losing weight 2) having a 2 1/2 year old can sometimes wear me out and 3) sometimes I just flat out don't put myself into the equation - meaning I don't make myself a priority.

Neither here nor there... I'm healthier now and getting healthier everyday.  Chocolate continues to be my kryptonite, but at least now I can enjoy it in moderation.  :)  And as long as I remain active, it will all work out!

Keep up the great work to all of you on my same quest...

Is it the middle of June already???

Ok, I don't know about you... but it's true what people (adults) always said when I was younger, "Time flies the older you get."  It couldn't be more true.  Wasn't it just yesterday that 2011 was starting?

But I can't say I'm sad about the time that has passed.  Many great things have happened, some disguised as not-so-great things.  I'm trying to just let God lead my footsteps and to simply follow obediently.  That's not exactly my strong point, but I'm doing the best I can with it.  I know God has some amazing things in store for me and my family.  I have faith.  That's all I need right now.

I'll just try to act a little more like CJ looks here...

CJ relaxing at the pool

Road Trip Day 4 (a couple days late)

Whoo!  So sorry to not have posted but I'm sure you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Let me give you a quick rundown of what our fourth and final day of travel was like:

1. 5:54am (mountain time): CJ wakes up, so Chris and I wake up in our hotel in Denver, CO.
2. Around 6:15am: Chris and CJ go down for breakfast while I get cleaned up.
3. Around 7am: I go down for breakfast and the CJ hand-off takes place so Chris can pack up the room and get ready for travel.  I attempt to make a Belgian waffle while CJ alternates sitting at a table and running down a hall.  Finally, I give up and take the waffle upstairs to try to eat while CJ can run around the room.
4. Around 7:30am: Chris and CJ head downstairs to try to load the car while I attempt to smuggle the cats out one by one... before Chris even gets down the hall, he warns me that the cleaning service is a couple doors down.
5. Around 7:40am: I try to bring Baby Girl down covered with my jacket.  I think I'm being stealthy going past staff to the stairs but the realize after passing several people - Baby Girl's tail is down by my leg... *sigh*
6. Around 7:45am: I give up being too stealthy and grab Houdini, cover him with my jacket and hoof it to the car.
7. Around 7:50am: I am looking for Cassie... she is wedged between the headboard and the wall, but fortunately just close enough for me to pull the nightstand out, lay on the ground and barely reach her scruff to yank her hissing and growling from her "safe" spot.
8. Around 8am: I have completely given up being stealthy and just make for the door.
9. Around 8:05am: We are headed to Walmart and Starbucks for cold medicine and coffee, respectively.  We look back and CJ is passed out cold from lack of sleep.
10. Around 8:15am: We are on the road!

So that was our morning.  Our intention was to hit the road early and make it all the way from Denver to Frisco... gas and go's the whole way.  Most of our family wanted us to stop in Oklahoma City to recharge our batteries and not push ourselves.  Chris and I just couldn't do that... three hours from home was too close to call it quits, so we pushed through.

And then... 32 miles from the Texas border on I-35 southbound at close to 9pm (central time), we spot a sign.  A construction sign.  A sign that reads expect stops... I'm pretty sure Chris and I just felt our hearts drop.  We spent the next 45 minutes stuck in traffic until finally it freed up.  They had closed the southbound lanes completely closed so traffic was being routed down to one lane in each direction... it was U-G-L-Y!!!  It was smooth sailing from there.  If anyone was outside when we crossed into Texas, you may have heard a loud "Whoohoo!!!"  That was us.

We finally made it to my parents' house around 11pm, I think.  We were beyond delirious but so happy.

CJ was a real trooper through all of this.  He still isn't quite back to himself - his schedule is so off and he's pretty much refusing sleep at this point.  I'm sure that will get better as we get settled.  Chris and I are looking for an apartment (or even better - a house) for rent and know that once we're settled with all our stuff back, the cats, CJ, Chris and I will finally feel at home.

So keep us in your prayers - that we find a great place to live and jobs (quickly).  I know we can use it!

And I know CJ isn't a native Texan, but we got him here as quick as we could!  A short four years and fourteen days after Chris and I moved... we were back in Texas.  Not that anyone is counting, of course.

Road Trip Day 3

Let me sum today up rather quickly...

1. Driving through Wyoming may have been the most monotonous thing I've ever done in the world.  Cheyenne was just the icing on a poo-poo cake.  I drove from Ogden, UT this morning to just outside Cheyenne before Chris took over.
2. We are staying in Denver to get a good night sleep and see what we can accomplish tomorrow.
3. CJ has just about had it with the car I think - he has had two big meltdowns today - the worst one as we pulled up to the hotel and Chris ran in to check us in.  I think it lasted the better part of 30-45 minutes and may have caused delays at Denver International Airport.  Sorry!
4. Had "fun" smuggling the cats in again.  If I never had to do that again, it would be too soon.
5. If we have to stay the night in Oklahoma City tomorrow, 3 1/2 hours out of Frisco, I may just cry.

Tomorrow is a new day.  A better day.  A lot of prayers needed for Chris, CJ and I for tomorrow.

Road Trip Day 2

So today was our first "full" day on the road.  Chris and I took a little time to catch up on our sleep (FYI: 2-3 hours of sleep a night for the last 2 or so weeks is NOT enough sleep for an adult parent of a toddler) so we didn't leave Pendleton, OR until noon.  After a much needed sleep-in, we ate breakfast at the hotel and packed up the car (again sneaking the cats and their litter box out one by one).  After Chris figured out that the stuff from the car that fit fine (tight, but fine) yesterday no longer fit, we went to the post office and packed the lesser necessities in two boxes and shipped them ahead of us.  If you can believe it, shipping 85lbs of our belongings cost nearly the same as taking a literal ton of trash to the dump in Vancouver.

It was a good travel day.  Not much drama from the cats and CJ was a model traveler.  He got a little fussy right as we were coming up on our hotel, but we managed to give him an incentive to push through that last little bit.  And Baby Girl managed to escape their little camp set up in the back of the Rav4... she was fine though.  Honestly, it may have been mostly due to Cassie beginning to growl again - I'd probably want to escape, too!

We managed to get about 522 miles under our belt and got to check off the remainder of Oregon and all of Idaho and have now checked into our hotel for the night in Ogden, UT.  We did lose an hour right before crossing into Idaho due to the time change, but feel like today was a good day.  The upside to this hotel is that it is pet-friendly and required a mere $50 refundable deposit per stay for the cats!  It was much nicer to not have to smuggle them and their litter box in one by one.  Now we're getting ready to sleep for the night and we'll hopefully get an earlier start tomorrow.

I'm taking the first leg tomorrow so Chris can take the last part of driving and see if we can get a bit more driving in by switching off.  So far, Chris has done all the driving (mainly because it's a tight squeeze for him to sit in the passenger seat and be unable to push the seat all the way back due to his desire to not squash our son's legs).  He's a superstar and I'm happy I can help a little by taking first leg.  With that said, I ought to rest up!

Good night!

Road Trip Day 1

Late departure from the 'Couve... so we didn't get too far.  We are in our room in Pendleton, OR.  We've smuggled our three cats in (one by one, four flights of stairs and another trip for the litter box).  Cassie is in the corner under a desk growling, Houdini is huddled not-too-close to Cassie for fear of death and Baby Girl is wandering around like she owns the place.  CJ is wired and Chris and I are POOPED!!!

With a little over 200 miles under our belts on this little adventure and we are now a bit wiser.  Let me share a few tips for traveling 2,000+ miles with 3 cats and a 2 1/2 year old.

1. It is important to pack wisely but even more important to load the vehicle like a genius.  Make sure those must-get items are accessible on the fly in order to head off a cranky toddler.
2. Bring air freshener for when the cats need to take care of business.
3. Bring upholstery cleaner for when the cats show you just how displeased they are with your selected mode of travel.
4. Find out when Starbucks closes... apparently the two we attempted to hit for me close at 7.
5. Finally, and my mom will love this, don't ever move so far away that you have to pick and choose what to move.  We unloaded literally a ton of trash and donated 3 car-fulls of stuff on top of giving away a boatload of stuff.  And on top of that, the PODS box may be overstuffed as is our Rav4.  We will be packing up some excess from the car and shipping it ahead of us.  Perhaps they can ship cats, too???

Well I will hopefully post again tomorrow evening with the results of Day 2.  Please pray for a productive travel day tomorrow and for it to go smoothly!

Crazy times

It is the end of day 2 packing and loading the PODS box.

Fortunately, based on a conversation I had with CJ after we picked him up from daycare, Chris and I can rest now... he's got it!

Me: CJ, does Daddy pack?
CJ: No.
Me: Does Mommy pack?
CJ: No.
Me: Who is packing up the house?
CJ: CJ packs.

Well that is a load off our minds!!!

As a generic gripe, how do we end up accumulating so much stuff?  Chris and I are kicking ourselves for letting stuff get the best of us.  As we sift, sort, pack and load... we just keep our chins up and our eyes on the prize - getting home to Texas.

Back to packing... took a few moments to rest.  I'm sure I'll be blogging more later.

One month later and I see blue sky!

Where shall I begin?  So it's been a month since I last posted... bad, blogger!  Well, let's talk about the last month.  God is GOOOOOD!  He is so good.  Doors are opening, and through the clouds and the rain I see the sun again!


We are moving back to Texas!!!  Yup, that's right.  We are Texas-bound on the 23rd (so long as all goes as planned).  We are having PODS drop a box off Monday and CJ's daycare is allowing him to come back next week so Chris and I can have some focused packing and loading time.  Thank God for a church-run daycare - they aren't even letting us pay them for the week!  The wonderful church we've been attending since December is praying over us Sunday the 22nd and then we leave as soon as possible Monday morning... Chris, me, CJ... and our 3 cats... in a car... for about 5 days worth of driving.  Whew!  Should be an adventure, to put it mildly.


Once we get to Texas, Chris's mom and step-dad are taking care of the cats while we stay at my mom and dad's until we find an apartment.  The only reason we are separating from the cats is because for my mom, it is a choice between breathing without cats versus not breathing with cats courtesy of her terrible allergy.  We've decided that a little time away from them to allow my mom to breathe is the best choice.  Thanks again to Candi and Jim for welcoming Houdini, Baby Girl and Cassie into your home soon!

We will find an apartment to live in for 6-12 months then work our tail ends off looking for jobs!  I'm so excited I can barely stand it!!!  We'll be returning home to Texas just a couple weeks past 4 years after we moved.  We left for Washington as newlyweds, unencumbered... and we are returning as pet owners three times over and proud parents to one adorable two-and-a-half year-old CJ!

Now we have a new CJ development as of today as well.  The boy is trying new food!  We have tried everything to get him to try new food and have had him slam the door in our face time after time.  Well thanks to his playdate with his friend Ava, he tried macaroni and cheese for lunch (and got an airplane, thanks to one of our "incentives" that CJ repeats over and over: "Try new food, get a new airplane.") and then he ate some chicken for dinner.  This kid has not eaten much beyond Cheerios and Gerber Graduates Pasta Pick Ups as lunch and dinner staples for AGES!  This is the dawn of a new age in meals... we might be able to finally graduate to "real" food and stop buying the toddler meals.  Chris and I could not be more proud.  Now, if we can get the potty-training rolling and get him to stay in bed at naptime and bedtime...  But beggars can't be choosers so we will just keep plugging away with patience and a good sense of humor.

Keep praying for us - we've got an interesting journey ahead and I look forward to seeing God's plan revealed for our lives.

Ah... life...

It is inevitable.  Just when life seems like it is going in one direction, BAM! God throws a fork in your road!  Now I know that He has a plan and I am sure it is a great plan, it just is alluding me at the moment.

So I realized that it has been over a month and a half since my last post so I guess I should start by giving a brief recap of what that time has held...  So of course my job is no longer... and now Chris's job is no longer.  So the Craig family is completely unemployed (feel free to pray on that for us - we are!) and trusting that God has something for us.  We're both looking for jobs (mostly focused on Texas jobs that will bring us HOME) and spending our days with CJ.  And boy is CJ exercising his right to be a terrible-two-year-old!  So I guess that is the brief recap for you.  :)

So on to what fun things we've done.  We went to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum - CJ was in heaven around all those airplanes! 

CJ in a helicopter

CJ running back toward me - startled by a loud sound

Chris & CJ next to a helicopter

I've taken up bicycling and CJ really enjoys riding in his trailer (helmet and all) and often catches a brief nap while I pull all 70+ pounds behind me.  Lucky, boy!  We've been doing a lot of deep cleaning around the house (I guess that's not fun, but totally necessary) and figure at the very least, we're lightening the load before it all gets hauled off to Texas.  It's also been really encouraging "cleaning out" my closet - donating clothes that are too big is reassuring in my quest for weight loss and will help ensure I never get that big again!

Now the CJ updates... I love that boy!  He is terribly smart, probably too smart for his own good (and ours).  He is also so independent and very stubborn (hmmmm... wonder where he gets that from?).  I guess all of this adds up to some pretty intense tantrums.  I think he may have burst some small blood vessels around his tempers with these tantrums... yowza!!!  He is hitting both me and Chris and we're trying everything we can to stop it.  We definitely don't want a hitter on our hands... but nothing we do seems to work.  We're trying to be patient and really remove him from a frustrating situation before a melt-down, but obviously we can't always catch them in time.  And I think a lot of his short fuse is stemming from his lack of sleep... the boy won't eat, won't sleep and I don't know how he is even functioning at a basic level.  When we first started putting him in bed in the "big boy bed," he was an angel - wouldn't get up to even get something that fell over the edge... but fast forward to the last few weeks and we have a boy that plays peek-a-boo with his bedroom door mere minutes after tuck-in.  (Oh, and the "child-proofing" door knob things - he has mastered the art of opening those after we had them on his bedroom doors to help keep him in...)  Tonight was a little better - trying new tactics and a more rigid bedtime routine.  We'll see how that goes tomorrow night...

And as far as the potty-training front goes, it is a slow movement there.  He likes to sit on the potty, isn't afraid of the potty flushing... just doesn't really have the timing down or the desire to drop playing for pottying.  Oh, well... I knew that potty-training a boy was going to be an adventure and it sure is proving to be just that.  We're just going to be patient and encouraging and I'm sure it will all click at exactly the right time.

So keep us in your prayers - for employment opportunities and for some patience and guidance with our dearest son... and I guess for my self-diagnosed insomnia.  :)

Growing up

Well I guess our little boy is growing up... as much as I wish time would just stop, I know it is inevitable.  Not to mention, it feels like such a privilege to be his mother and to be given the distinct job of raising him to be a kind and generous person and to learn and know God's presence in his life.  With all that is going on in my own professional life right now, I know that my job as a mom will be a little tougher.  I need to deal with this, Chris and I need to deal with this, all while showing CJ how to follow God's design for our lives.

Bye-bye crib!

Standing next to the box his new big boy bed came in.

I realize he is a blur, but he usually is in photos!

I've gone off on a tangent here... really my purpose of this little blog entry is to simply announce that CJ will (hopefully) be sleeping in a toddler bed tonight!  I will post pictures later of his new bed and bedding set and maybe even one little boy (sitting or lying down???) in it.  This will be an interesting new adventure for all of us.

Checking out the new bed for the first time.

The blur is ready for bed!

Next step will be full-on potty training...

A brand new day. A brand new chapter.

Suffice it to say, yesterday and the day before were two of the toughest days I've been through in my professional life.  I now no longer work for the company that I have worked for since March 6, 2000.  Fortunately, I did get to leave of my own free will which will save me from explaining why I am not "rehirable" at the company I spent 11 years of my life working for.  Of course, leaving of my own free will was more or less the only choice to save me from being fired and was suggested by my now-former boss.  Thanks?

Now for those of you who know me well, you know that I can roll with the punches, but don't often really "welcome" big changes, so this is very tough on me.  The amazing thing is that I can already see how God is working in my life and my family's life.  I have been incredibly blessed with the people He has placed strategically in my life. 

For instance, today I went to CJ's daycare to officially un-enroll him and gather his remaining pull-ups, wipes, etc. and we left there feeling so completely blessed I can barely explain it.  Before I continue, I should give a little back story to his daycare (and a little "shout out" to them as well!).  Little Lights Learning Center is a part of the ministry of The Lighthouse Church.  While we are Christians, we had no ties to this church prior to selecting them as CJ's daycare providers when he was not even 3 months old.  We loved the daycare from the very beginning.  Everyone from the director to each one of the teachers and staff are wonderful with the children and us parents.  We started to attend Lighthouse Church at the beginning of December and have felt right at home ever since.  When I walked in to Little Lights today, the director of the daycare (a member of the church) was there.  I apologized to her for not having my withdrawal letter with me.  She quickly said that she was glad - they had tried to call us last night.  She wouldn't let me withdraw CJ... instead, she insisted that I bring him for the occasional Mom's day off and when/if I have any interviews or meetings.  Seriously, words cannot express the sheer gratitude I felt with those simple words.

With several tearful hugs with the director and several of CJ's teachers we left there feeling refreshed and comforted.  My first thoughts were of how great God is.  That I could just feel His embrace and guidance and see how He is already working in our lives.  To be so far from family and friends in Texas and to be told that we are family to the daycare and have them be such a support in a difficult time is just simply wonderful.

So now I begin a brand new chapter in my life.  My dad keeps saying it is an "exciting" time... I wasn't prepared to use that particular word to describe this, but I think it is an accurate way to describe it.  I get to spend some time at home with CJ and look for jobs in Texas full-time.  I am exploring new paths and trying to find something that will make me happier (professionally) than I have been for a while now.  I continue to pray and ask for prayers that I am diligent in listening for God's divine will for my life and that His light flows through me and guides my footsteps.

For now and for always, I will put my faith in Him and allow Him to work.  I can't wait to see what is in store!  I guess you could say I'm excited to see what the future holds...  Thanks, Dad!  :-)

CJ sings his ABC's!

First blog ever!

Welcome to my first blog.  I don't know where this is going to take me but I thought it would be fun.  I will begin by telling you a little about our little family.

My husband Chris and I got married in May of 2007 and the day we got back from our honeymoon, we moved thousands of miles away from our families to SW Washington state.  Here we have bought a house and started a family.  And now we are anxious to return to the state that we really consider home... Texas.

Our son CJ was born November 2, 2008 and is simply the sweetest boy.  He has a heart of gold!  I'm sure I am a bit biased being his mom and all... but honestly he is just a kind-hearted little boy.  He loves to move, as most 2 year olds do... he runs (hardly ever walks), jumps and hides behind doors and blinds and curtains.  He is one of the funniest kids I've ever known.  He has a very contagious laugh and a smile that can just make you melt.  It amazes me how smart he is and that he is constantly learning something new.  Last night he sang the ABC's for Chris and then for me.  We have been singing the ABC's to him since he was a baby and I know that his daycare is always teaching the kids new things... but it just took us both by surprise.

Enough gushing on this little guy.  I suppose this blog will take on a life of its own as I go through life.  I'll try to post often and include pictures so friends and family alike can share in our journey.

May God bless you all!