Warning...I'm not in the best of moods...

When I leave a cup of ice water on the counter/table and return an hour later, it's still a cup of ice water....not a melted, sweating cup.

When I leave butter on the counter to soften so I can bake with it, it doesn't soften.

When I bring a mug of coffee in the car on the way to CBS and leave it because I don't have enough hands to carry it in with, it's iced coffee when I return to the car instead of being warm like it was when this would happen in Florida.

When I open my car door to get in or out of the car I have to hold the door pretty securely or it might just rip off the hinge...I'm not kidding. This has happened to people we know.

I never needed GPS in Florida, nor wanted it. Doug bought me one for Valentines Day after I got lost on one of my first outings.

I find myself staying in pajamas all day on many days. The thought of going anywhere in this cold is anything but appealing.

Sage throws a complete tantrum whenever I try to put her winter coat on. She sits in her car seat and looks so stiff and...well, basically ticked off.

My hands are borderline numb as I'm typing this...I'm not exaggerating. Do they make heated keyboards?

I have to remind myself every day that GOD brought us here. Otherwise I would be hauling butt back to Florida.

That is all for now.

Home sweet....house

Well, we are here trying to set up our home but it's still feeling like I'm on vacation or something. I'm not living out of my suitcase anymore, in fact we are all unpacked except Aspen. I need a dresser for her room so she's living out of a suitcase but I don't think she minds! She's been SUCH a trooper....good girl, Aspen!
Holly and Sage on the other hand are still out of sorts quite a bit. Holly doesn't do well with change and Sage has become quite attached to her daddy since he's been off work for about 6 weeks now. She calls him "Doug" which is hysterical to hear...
Lily is doing pretty well but she R-E-A-L-L-Y misses her friends! Speaking of Lily, Doug and I are contemplating sending her to the school that is affiliated with the church Doug is working for. They have a small Christian school...her class has 7 other kids in it. She went the other day to check it out and loved it so now we are just waiting on the Lord as to whether this is what we should do. The homeschooling laws are a bit more regimented here in Maryland and I've been completely overwhelmed since Aspen was born (with the move and stuff...she's an easy baby!) and so we will probably send her to traditional school for an indefinite amount of time. I'm thankful that we have the option....!
Doug has only been to work for 4 days now so it's hard to tell how the job will be but so far he's loved it. He's like a kid in a candy store. I'm SO thrilled...
The house is great. We are adjusting to not having a garage, which is really a pain to me but hardly seems like something to complain about. We need a lot of new furniture because our old living room stuff won't fit here. We have it in the living room but it's really too big for it..our original plan was to put it down in the basement but the movers (and Doug and my dad) couldn't fit it down the narrow halls/stairs...RATS!
For those of you that don't know, I do NOT like to decorate and shop...it's stressful to me...crazy huh?!!
We have had mostly decent weather since arriving last week. Yes, it's been cold but not unbearable, however the past 2 days we've had terrible wind and apparently much of the country has had it as well so we aren't alone but it's been very strange/eerie to hear it. Even after living downtown Chicago, I have never experienced wind like this!
I'm starting CBS (Community Bible Study) next week and I'm so excited to get plugged in again with that ministry. I am going to be teaching again but I'm not sure what age I'll have yet.
The move itself was a nightmare and one that is still not over..we are trying to work out a lot of issues, like fees and unexplained charges and damaged items.. all this is what is contributing to it not feeling like home yet but I know in time and patience we will be feeling warm and cozy! I have been reminding Lily that although these times are hard because our friends and family aren't right here, we have each other. This is one of those rare times when a family is really forced to stick together much more than any other times when friends and family ARE right at our doorstep all the time. We have had to come together and really encourage each other in the last couple weeks because it's been very difficult. Leaving Naples was one of the hardest things I've ever done...
The folks at our new church have been MORE than helpful and welcoming to us and I'm excited to get more involved. I actually had to call there today and ask one of the ladies for directions because I was out looking for Wal-mart and got lost! I couldn't find Doug on his extension so I called the receptionist...it was so funny. I really need GPS!!!!!
So, that's about it for now. God is awesome and still very faithful and taking really good care of us! My children are healthy and happy and Doug and I are stronger than ever together...!
The picture of our entire family was taken in Naples before we left...what a great memory!