Homeless

We arrived here in Washington on Tuesday evening and things are going pretty well. Ryan has been in-processing here at Ft. Lewis since then. I have a million things that I want to post about, but I want to wait until I have my pictures, which won't happen until we actually FIND a place to live. That's right, we are in lodging on-base (basically a hotel). It has been pretty good, but you can only go so long each day with all 3 (or 4 if Ryan is around) of us in the same room. I am starting to go a little crazy! We have finally figured out which area we would like to live in, but we haven't picked out a house in that area. Luckily for us, we have 10 paid days here at the hotel to do so. So here's to hoping that we find a place to live soon before I loose my mind!

By the way, I haven't forgotten you Brooke, I just haven't had the desktop computer yet. Remind me again in a few weeks if I haven't gotten the pictures to you by then.

Travelling

Well, we have spent the last few days watching our house get packed up, and driving across the country. we have been in 6 states since Tuesday. Kim is now a world traveller since her trip to Florida with Dad. She will have 14 states in under three weeks under her belt by the time we get to Washington. We are currently in a little town called Worland, WY. Pretty nice little town. Yesterday when we finally got back to the mountains I realized how much the West feels like home. Even though I have never been through the part that we drove last night, just driving down a beautiful canyon felt like coming home. I'll have to post more later since we are trying to get out of here.

Miss you all in Ohio!

The Travelers Return

My family is complete again. Ryan and Kim got home safely Tuesday afternoon and we have been working on cleaning, sorting, and getting Ryan checked out from school. He finished up today, which is great! We are excited about him graduating this Sunday. Here are some pictures from the trip.



Ryan got this great picture of a wave curling over Kim's leg.



Ryan and Kim with Ryan's Grandparents William and Elaine Loucks.



Beautiful Sunrise from the hotel.



Kim came home with a great collection of shells.



These nice people let Ryan and Kim camp on their land in SC on the way down to Florida, because of the holiday weekend the campground was full. They even gave them a ride on their boat.

Ryan is going to post more details on his blog later today.

Funny Car

So I thought this was hilarious and hopefully you will enjoy it too. This last week I was driving home from the Swenson's with the kids (thanks for a fun playdate). I was in our little Smurf (blue Geo Metro) since Ryan was prepping the van for our long trip. I pulled off of 315 South onto Bethel Road and as I turned the corner off of the ramp, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. So I looked and there was my driver's side front hubcap rolling across the road. I had a moment of indecision as I slowed down trying to decide whether to pull over and grab it or not. I thought, "This is a pretty busy and dangerous place to run across the road." But then, my dilemma was solved as the hubcap was flattened by a car in the lane next to mine. Kachunk! I could see that it was beyond salvaging, so I sped up again and drove off. After the hubcaps weren't that expensive and they have lasted for over 4 years. That evening coming home from the Pinewood Derby with Ryan the hubcap had disappeared, so apparently someone took care of it. I was a little nervous to cross right there by the freeway exit.

Home Alone

I guess only kinda home alone. I am here with Glade for 5 days without Ryan and Kimberly. They took a road trip to Florida to see Ryan's grandparents. He hasn't seen them for a long time, so it will be good for him to get down there. I decided to bow out of the trip so I can feel ready to move in a week's time. So far I haven't done much of what I have on my list, but hopefully in the next few days I can get the majority of it done.

Ryan's parents will arrive next Friday and we are excited forjavascript:void(0) them to get here. Graduation next Sunday, and then we're off. Hard to believe, but the time has actually arrived. So I'll be spending my time scrubbing toilets, tubs, and floors to get ready to move out. I also have a talk to get ready for tomorrow, but I'll put another revision of a very rough draft off a little longer while I go finish up the dishes.

Jumping Bean

Graduation

We have had lots of graduations in our family this month. Kim from Jelly Bean, Ryan from OSU, and Glade to a toddler. Yes, he is toddling all over the place now. He has gotten really great at walking. It has taken me forever to get a video of him, but here it is. I can't believe he is already big enough to be doing this!

Our Little Jelly Bean

Kimberly has been part of a little preschool group in our ward that is called "Jelly Bean School." She has really enjoyed it and will miss it. This morning was our last meeting. We played at a park, had snacks, made a craft, and had a little "graduation." The kids really enjoyed it. Can you tell what Kim's favorite part was?

Hike at Highbanks

On Saturday morning we decided to go for a hike at Highbanks Metro Park. It is nice and close, which is great for the current high gas prices. We did a pretty easy 2 1/2 mile hike to the overlook over the river. The kids did really well as usual. Kim got a little tired and got carried partway, but Ryan got her interested at the end by pretending that we were in Robin Hood's forest and that joggers were the Merry Men and Sheriff. She thought that was really fun. We stopped right by the exit and sat by a little stream to play. That was Kim's favorite part.


After a few minutes, we walked out of Sherwood Forest and across the street to the playground for a few minutes of fun. Glade loves the swings now and both kids had a great time.

That evening we got together with a bunch of friends from dental school for a bbq. It was great to see them all and talk about remembrances and future plans.

Completion

Well, this has been a good week in our house. Ryan placed his last two crowns, which were also his last two requirements. That was great for him to get done. He also got his WREB scores today and did very well. That means he has basically completed all the tests and requirements to be a dentist. So I guess you can almost call him Dr. Abbott! We are really excited to be finishing up. Just a few loose ends left to tie up and we will be outta here!

We're so proud of you, Ryan! Great job!