Maryland

I have joined the technological world again! Thank the Lord! We have fiberoptic internet through Verzion (not available in Colorado) and when max tested the speed last night we were getting 18 mg, crazy. Not that I need internet that fast for what I do but it is nice that it is included in our $99 per month tv/phone/internet bundle (haven't I told you how I like saving money).

So here I sit in Maryland a little over a week into this big adventure of ours and I thought I might share some of my thoughts as well as update everyone on everything new for us.

Max's job is good. He is super motivated and kicking some butt. He really is one of the smartest people I know. The first few days were background and a little boring, some of the work is tedious, but he taking on new projects and completing them quickly with very positive feedback so I think he is off to a great start. His company already reimbursed us for our moving expenses and we got out insurance cards today so I am excited about those parts.

I don't have a job yet but I was only casually looking in Colorado. Now that we are unpacked and the kids started school the job search is in full swing. I am hoping being both commuting distance to Baltimore and DC will provide me plenty of opportunity. We will see what comes along. If I could find something I love, even better!

The kids started school last Wednesday and are doing exceptionally well. The school did not hassle me about enrolling them just took the documents I had gathered and asked if they could start the next day. All three of the kids have very friendly teachers and all have made "best friends." We even have a scheduling conflict with a Cub Scout event and B's new best friend's birthday party and I thought moving to Maryland would give us more free time! The kids all seem advanced for their grade levels and I am meeting with their teachers either this week or next to get up to speed. In Colorado they ate hot lunch every day, now they bring "home lunch" and they are excited about packing their lunches everyday (oh, the little things). B did the Colorado standardized tests before he left and he did have to immediately start similar testing here but he is doing well. The girls both got brand new bedrooms sets complete with full size beds and dressers. Wyn's is a dark wood that is very cute and FiFi's is white. They are being delivered tomorrow morning. After that I will feel like all three children's rooms are coming together well.

Our house is adorable and has worked out better for us then we could have imagined. Our queen size box spring would not fit up the stairs so we turned the main level playroom into our bedroom. Now we have a master suite with a full bath attached and the laundry room off the bath with tons of shelving and hanging space which I turned into my master closet. Since our kids are older I love having all three of them upstairs and having our room on the main level. Why didn't I think of this sooner? We still need to get living room furniture which I know is making Max crazy but one thing at a time. We found some furniture we like but I want to shop around a little more. Most of the boxes are out, now just cleaning and organizing and little improvement projects. Good thing for us Max is very handy and we are used to fixing up little things we want modified. My kitchen is cute and laid out well but lacking a pantry which is proving challenging for me so far. I think today I have to rearrange where somethings are kept so I can get everything into a cabinet.

The weather here is different. The highs have been in the 40's and 50's and the overnight lows in the 30's. It hasn't seemed close to snowing and I get the impression it snows a lot less here. It does rain a lot more here. The week and 3 days we have been here it has rained at least 6 of those days. The rain here is very different than Colorado it warmer and more like a slow, steady drizzle, that lasts a lot of the day. In Colorado the rain comes in quick and hard and often is cold. It does not rain that often in Colorado or when it does it last 30-45 minutes. I don't notice a difference in humidity yet but I hear it is coming this summer.

B's asthma was acting up the past few days and I felt like the paranoid mother talking to the school nurse all the time. I think it is more secondary to a cold than climate related. Guess I need to trust my instincts and chill, his asthma has always been moderate never severe so it would not make sense for it to get really severe at almost 9 years old.

Our town is cute and has some historic buildings that date back to the 1700's. Colorado is a much younger state so you don't get that there. The neighboring town, Ellicot City has an adorable historic downtown that we have driven through. I can't wait to walk around the shops on a warmer day.

We made it into DC last weekend and walked along the mall and checked out the Air and Space Museum. I took some pictures and will post more about DC tomorrow. It is really amazing to be so close to so much.

Our one year wedding anniversary is May 24th and we are considering a weekend trip to NYC. I have never been but I amazed at how close it is. 1 hour by plane, 3 hours by train, and 3 1/2 hours by car.

I have also connected with one of my girlfriends from high school. She lives about an hour north in PA. We are planning to go visit them this weekend. She currently is expecting twin baby girls and I got invited to her baby shower. How fun! Something else I couldn't do from Colorado.

Everything is great so far! Thanks for bearing with me during this transition. I happy to be back to blogging. I have missed you ladies!