California Scheming

My constant barrage of “fun facts” about Michigan seems to be paying off. Shawn is starting to be into the idea of a move back to my beloved home state. He started off by saying that he was “considering” it, then he said he was “seriously considering” it, now he says he’s “very seriously considering” it. Hooray! My lists, diagrams, and constant nagging have been a  success. He even asked about the logistics of having my parents help us with the move back in the Spring.

It was fun out here for a while, but I’m so ready to go home. I love the idea of having Noah and Lima Bean grow up near their cousins, Uncle and Aunt, and Grandma and Grandpa. And I miss my friends back home. HOWEVER, I’m sure that I will spend the winters trapped inside saying, “What in the HELL was I thinking!!!” Oh well. There’s always fireplaces and cocoa and trips out to California to visit Shawn’s family.

I hope that he continues to get on board with this idea, because my heart is set on moving now and I’ll be really sad if it doesn’t work out….And Shawn will never know peace again

I know, I know – I’ve been the worst at posting new entries lately.  Here’s a quick update of what I’ve been up to:

1. We took a trip up to Santa Cruz over my birthday weekend.  We loved it!  All of the trees reminded me of home.  Hopefully we’ll be moving up there one of these days.  Here’s a picture of Shawn frolicking amongst the trees on the campus of UC Santa Cruz.

For my birthday dinner Shawn and I had Afghani food.  Noah opted for some delicious Daddy’s hat.  Yum!

2. My old friend Kim and her boyfriend came out to visit us from Chicago.  They stayed with us over the Memorial Day weekend and it was great to see them.

Big News:  After they left us, Corey surprised Kim with an unexpected trip to Hawaii, where he proposed!!!  Congratulations Kim and Corey!!!

Side-note:  Whenever Noah throws up down the front of himself, I call it “pulling a Kim” due to an ill-fated night during college involving too much booze and the front of Kim’s outfit.

3. At the resident graduation party, Noah demonstrated that he’s already got a way with the ladies. She couldn’t keep her hands off him

4. And, finally, I’M PREGNANT!!!! Noah will have a baby sister or brother in January 2011. We’re very excited!

It occurs to me that most people who read this blog haven’t seen where I actually live now. I’ve included some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The Living Room:

The Bedroom:

Noah’s Room:

The Bathroom:

The Backyard:

Now come visit and see for yourself!

Thanks for the hat Aunt Stephanie (Michigan Stephanie, that is)

*** I will be posting pictures of the baby soon. No one yell at me! ***

Now then… I think I may be over this whole California thing. It was great for a while…before my friends started moving away en masse. And before I had a baby and wanted him to grow up with his family around – especially his three adorable cousins. Also, I miss my Michigan friends, those rowdy scamps!.

Plus Michigan is insanely beautiful. Don’t believe me? Check out this website:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/michigan/

(Whenever I’m feeling homesick, I click on all the different photo albums he’s posted…and then I end up feeling way more homesick. But it’s good to see a little bit of home and he’s an awesome photographer)

Anyway, let me clarify – Michigan is insanely beautiful DURING THE SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL.

Winter: You are an unholy bitch and I despise you!

I’m harassing Shawn these days to try to convince him that a move back to Michigan is where it’s at. He’s not convinced. I’ve got to figure out a way to sweeten this deal for him. Any suggestions? And don’t say sexual favors! My grandma reads this, people! Let’s keep it wholesome!

We LOVE the RV SO much! Actually, SO much that we’re considering moving out there full time. We’re thinking of trading in our current 32 footer for a 40 footer with multiple slides. The one that we like is actually a two bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms. I swear that it’s actually bigger than our condo. It has a sliding glass door, multiple entrances, and tons of storage. Plus everything is super swanky – totally more nicely decorated than the brothel-theme I came up with for our house

We’re going to experiment with staying out there for a while to see if Shawn can handle making the drive. It’s even further away from his work than where we currently live, but it just may be worth it. It’s amazing to be out there and have bonfires and listen to the creek that runs behind us and hear the frogs croaking. It reminds me of home and, dammit, I miss home!!

It’s official…we decided not to buy a house. Well, mostly I decided. Shawn was pretty into the idea and I crushed his dreams…as usual. I was dreading the drive and being far away from my friends and the ocean. Well, not actually that far, but it’s pretty sweet to live in the same complex as Awkward Stephanie and just a short drive from the beach.

Plus I realized that I’m a creature of habit and don’t really want to make any major changes right now. Sooooo we may end up living in the condo for a few more years and I’m totally all right with that. We can cram a few more kiddos in there, I’m sure. We’ll live like people in the Old Country.

And I love having the RV out in the woods and didn’t particularly want to give up that spot and the chance to escape from suburbia. We had a bonfire out there over the weekend and it was awesome.  I love that Noah will be able to spend weekends out there as he’s growing up!

I know that I haven’t written anything in a very long time. Life has been crazy, but here are some updates:

1. My parents have abandoned us for the great state of Michigan . They left a couple of weeks ago and are now happily ensconced back home in the Michigan country-side.
2. I really miss my parents.
3. We bought a house!!!
4. The deal on the house seems to have fallen through
5. We’re looking for renters and new babysitters, without really knowing if we’re ever moving.
6. I am very stressed!
7. It was our second anniversary yesterday! I got Shawn a tea-pot. He got me a ring…that I took back. I’m super picky and hard to please. Poor Shawn!
8. Working part-time is the best thing ever. Well, I mean, not working at all and still having money and insurance would actually be the best thing ever…but working part-time is pretty rad.

Dear Ally Lou,

We so wish we could be there with you to celebrate your 5th birthday! We love you and miss you! Have lots of fun today!

Love,

Aunt Balissa, Uncle Shawn, & Pinto Bean