The sun is shining!

After almost a week long of stormy/rainy weather, we woke up to sun today! It's definitely a welcome change. Now we'll be back to hot and sticky....gotta love Florida!

Thursday and Friday everything was closed and Lyndon had those days off work so he's had to work the weekend in order to make up for lost time. None of us are happy about that but we had a nice time last night over at The Ferguson's. The last three Saturdays, we've been doing happy hour/appetizers in the evening and it's been tons of fun. Last night I brought some marinated shrimp that were scrumptious and Robert did some fantastic mesquite wings out on the grill with Lyndon's wing sauce.

The girls have fun together and the boys are starting to interact more and more. Miles is so sweet with Isaac and always returns his binkie when he finds it and helps him out with his toys and such - it's a joy to watch.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Well we're now getting our shot from Fay and it's definitely not as eventful as I thought. It's been raining for awhile now and the winds just started really kicking up in the last couple of hours but definitely not anything big. A few big gusts where we lost the top to our shed but Lyndon secured it and we're having an inside movie day.

Everything is pretty much closed around here. Lyndon's work is shut down today as well as tons of other employers (I've heard). I honestly haven't left the house as I don't want to be whipped around the road with these crazy drivers! However I find myself becoming a bit stir crazy and may try to make it to the gym - because they're open (of course they are!) - which means I have no excuse to be lazy all day.

Isaac has been having rough nights lately. He's up in the middle of the night for anywhere from 1 - 3 hours and it's hard to calm him down. I thought maybe it was his ears as he's been yanking on both of them but yesterday the doc said they were clear. Now I'm thinking it's his teeth. Poor babe, I feel so bad when I can't relieve his pain!

Sydney has been adjusting well to being back in preschool. She has Ms. Brenda as her teacher and there are 8 kids in her class - which I think is a great size for her. She is all decked out in her princess backpack every day (she goes four days a week from 9 to noon) and loves it. That girl is amazing - we can be on the other side of the store from some princess item and she discovers it. It's almost like there's this gravitational pull that gets a hold of her. Hmmmm. Although I love her enthusiasm about the usual girl characters (Dora, princesses, Barbie), the marketing those companies do kills me! They know exactly where to put the stuff so that the kids SEE it and they WANT it! I know all you mom's know exactly what I'm talking about!

Other than that, life is good. I'm still on the job hunt but am finding it's really hard to find something while living in FL but looking in WA. I've gotten a few calls but they want someone immediately - which I can't exactly do. They want to know when I'm moving but I want to have something lined up before I go - so kind of at a stand still there.

We've definitely decided on moving towards the south end and I really really really (really) want to get on with the State and move to Olympia. However, the governor and her hiring freeze has put a cramp in our plans. I've been looking at other areas - like Tacoma, Federal Way, etc. but I really would like to live and work in the same city (or at least very close to it) - so we'll see. We go back and forth about when the kids and I will move back. We don't want to spend too much time away from Lyndon but want to get settled and set up before he separates from the Navy - which we found out COULD be earlier than Feb. Stay tuned!!!

Upcoming plans - Isaac turns the big "1" on August 31st - I can't believe it. Not sure when but we'll throw a little party for him down here. The following weekend, Jessica and I are headed for a girls weekend in Miami. We're planning on leaving Friday (Sept 5th) when the daddy's get home from work and then driving 5 1/2 hours (Thelma & Louise). Saturday we're planning on partaking in the Run of The America's (10k) on Key Biscayne - doesn't that sound lovely? We thought so - and although I may have to walk some of it - we get free t-shirts! After our run, maybe a nap (maybe not) and then it's on to checking out the town - maybe seeing who makes the best mojito during the day and venturing around Miami's nightlife later - I am so excited as I've never been to Miami and since our time here is limited, really want to have some fun R & R with my Florida BFF!

Fay Update

OK, so over the last day, I've learned that you just have to be patient in watching the storm. The track changes constantly. Today I am starting to prepare. My friend Elisabeth has weathered a few of these and she basically told me all the things I need to do. Today I am going to buy more water - gallons of water. Everything from outside is coming in - BBQ, shed, kids toys, everything. I am a couple of days to get ready and if it really looks like it's going to be bad, we're packing up the car - or van - and heading to North Carolina with Jessica.



Click here to see the NOAA site for this storm - it's easy to read and updated quite frequently. . .

Hurricane Fay

This storm could mean big trouble for us!!! I'm sure you've heard about this storm on the news already. This will be our first hurricane experience - they are saying Fay will have a huge impact on the Jacksonville area as of now and we should definitely be prepared. Yikes!

My Buddy and Me!

Turns out Isaac loves having his picture taken. Tonight he and I did a photo shoot and he was all smiles for the camera. He is a little shy of the red light but then is all smiles for the flash!

Zumba

I did it! I signed up to become a certified Zumba instructor. The workshop will be in Orlando next month. Zumba is this super fun Latin dancing class I take almost every day of the week. It's fun and I love it! My fear was to move back to WA and not be able to find a class - a good one - so I thought getting certified here in FL where it originated would be a good plan. If I can't find a class I like when we move, I'll just teach it myself.

Our Little Man is Walking!

Isaac is offically walking! He took his first steps while in Washington - for my dad and Justin! Although it wasn't for us - we were so happy they could experience it. Since we've been back in Florida, he's been going more and more and now it's his preferred "mode of transportation"! It's so adorable and of course he still has his falls (an the bumps/bruises to prove it) but this is just such a fun time for us!

Yesterday he discovered the phrase "uh-oh" and now he walks around saying "uh-oh" all day. Life for me has gotten a little bit easier as now he is just enjoying his newfound freedom so much!

Learning to Ride

Now that we are back in Florida and somewhat settled, I am finally getting the chance to sit down and upload all of our pictures. All 276 of them.

The latter half of our trip was good. We really missed having dad around but tried to stay busy as much as possible! My interview with the State went really well and as of now I haven't officially heard anything but my inside source believes it's been offered to another applicant. I have a stack of about 5 other positions I plan on applying for and will be doing that this weekend! Having spent such a wonderful month in WA, we are so anxious to move back - more than EVER!

My parents put training wheels on an old kid's bike they had and Sydney loved it! I think we know what Santa will be bringing this year....

New Shopping New Life Email

Yesterday my email was somehow hacked and a message titled "New Shopping New Life" was sent to every single one of my contacts in hotmail. From the information I gathered, it doesn't look like this affects anyone who opened the email at all - it's just an inconvenience and I apologize.

In addition to sending this email, all my contacts in hotmail were somehow deleted. It seems as though hotmail and yahoo are being targeted the most and so from here on out I will be using my gmail account which is rebecca.linville at gmail dot com . I will be checking my hotmail periodically and will respond to emails and include my new email address. Unfortunately I can't send a mass email letting people know of the change.

Again - I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused!!!