The first being we have moved to my hometown of Manvel, Texas. We sold our home in Austin, and bought a house in Quail Valley Ranches. Leaving behind the suburb lifestyle and moving to the country made us feel like we were moving to the other side of the world. Our first big challenge was finding internet at a speed that resembled what we were used to. It took about 6 months, but AT&T finally came to the rescue! I was on the verge of losing it, because we only had the basic channels (no cable) and anytime I needed to use the internet for work, I would have to drive to the library, which luckily wasn't too far away, or use my cellphone. After getting over that tiny hurdle, we have discovered how much fun it is to be in the country. We also love being closer to family and getting to spend much more time with them without having to make a 4 hour commute!The first half of the year we focused on some house improvement projects- painting, replacing formica counters, and removing lots of trees and tree stumps that had poison ivy growing out of them. Dirk and I both had poison ivy that ended up spreading! We were both miserable in February.
We have made the house feel like our home, but still have lots of projects to go. We want to work on the landscaping, the patio, and perhaps some new carpets in 2020.
Being in the country has created some new favorite activities. These include fishing in the bayou that runs behind our house, turtle-hunting, and finding all kinds of new insects. Kota loves riding her bike without training wheels in the driveway; she learned this year! Dirk loves getting to have a burn pile. Dirky loves getting to water the lawn, with his weiner. When we have lots of rain, the ditches fill up and create the perfect tubing spot! One activity that we have learned to love is mowing. There is something very satisfying about having a lawn that does not sport the tallest grass in the neighborhood.
I'm also so thankful for the time we've had to spend with cousins. Dakota calls Devin her best-friend-cousin. Devin has helped make Kota's Kindergarten year much easier. They are both in Mrs. Dare's class at E.C. Mason. They also were both in the same dance class at Studio G. We've had fun going to pick strawberries at Froberg's in Alvin, going to family dinner nights at Nana and Nono's, and church on Sundays at Redeemer. Demi and Dirky are often the instigators of mayhem, but even they have loved playing while the big sisters get together. Dawson is the sweetest little baby, and I feel like I get to experience the joy of a younger one again.
One reason it has been hard for me to create a new post is because of another change in our lives, and this one was not for the best. We lost our Gaga Shelli in December 2018. I know she always read our blog posts, and it was hard to write a new one knowing she wouldn't talk to me about it afterwards. This has been a tough year without her because her support and love were always so evident in our lives. In January, Dirk and I were able to attend a memorial for her in California. Losing her has been a reminder that life is short, and it has helped me see why we moved to be closer to family. It has also made us appreciate our visits with Papa Dirk, The OG. He came to visit us this summer and we loved getting to show him our new place. We had a fun day in Galveston at Moody Gardens and on the Strand. And then in December we were able to meet in Nashville with Papa Dirk, Auntie Nay Nay, and Shelli's brother Drew and his hubby Michael. Even Shelli's dad Papa Andy was there. I know she'd be so happy to see all of us together still. I feel like she was there in spirit! Nashville was a perfect spot too because there was so much to do. We went to the Zoo, took a stroll down Broadway to Ole Red (Blake Shelton's bar), let Dirk eat his heart out at Prince's Hot Chicken, and even took the kids to The Parthenon. Of course, Dirk had to sport his Texans gear in front of the Titans stadium.
Some of the other trips we took in 2019; Dirk and I kicked off the year on a sailing trip with our friends Joe and Amber, Brooke, and Keith and Kendall to Sint Maartin, Anguilla, Saba, and St. Bart's. It was an epic vacation, but on days with choppy waves, I wished we could have ditched the sailboat! We had our annual April camping trip and went to Huntsville State Park. I love how excited the kids get about camping, but it stormed pretty hard at night and what I remember the most were the tall pine trees and how much they swayed in the wind. In the summer, I got to get away with our Austin friends Leah and Shanda to Cancun! Beach Book Club was started, and we were the nerdiest hot girls (self-titled) at the pool. Afterwards, the family visited Joe and Amber in Del Rio. We had so much fun setting Jonah and Dakota up on their 1st official date. Jonah picked Kota up in his Jeep power wheel, that was pulling a kayak. Dakota and Dirky loved tubing and the Joplin's ring tailed cat! Dirk had some quail hunting weekends sometime in the fall. My Manvel BFFs met up in Denver for the FIRST time ever at Hillary's place. Girls' weekend was such a success we are hoping to go world wide with this years. Once school started, we went to Splashway with Mimi and T-Paw to celebrate T-Paw's birthday with Grandma Katie and Cheyenne and Addison and our friends Colby and Elizabeth and Charlie, Chase, and CJ! It was a Halloween weekend so even more fun! At Christmas time, we went to Palestine with Nana and Nono and Aunt Cocoa and Aunt Jess and Uncle Derek (and Demi, Devin, and Dawson) to ride the Polar Express! It was a memorable train ride, and we loved poking around the city. The Redlands Hotel was also a highlight!
Some other milestones for 2019 include our first family soccer team. Mom and Dad were coaches, and Dakota and Dirky played on the same team, The Tigers. They only lost 2 games all season. Dirky also finished potty training - whohoo!!! Dakota and Devin starting kindergarten has been such a change. Being on a school schedule makes time fly by! They also got their ears pierced right before Christmas and instantly transformed into little ladies. Dirky has become quite our little comedian, cracking us up with his impressions and silly faces. I have no idea where he gets it from!!
We finished the year off celebrating Christmas at home. It was so nice to get to rest on Christmas Day and watch the kids enjoy all their presents. Mimi and T-Paw came over and we had so many presents! We have had so much to be thankful for this year, and I'd say the the thing we're most appreciative of is the family being close. To be able to share life with all of them is so special to me.
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