Somehow the final weeks of 2013 escaped in a whirlwind.
On a mid December evening, we watched the twinkling skyline lights and dined as the yacht cruised San Francisco Bay. It was an enchanting evening I will never forget.
A week later we were rolling out of the city with a loaded U-Haul. A few days later we arrived in Indiana. We survived the ice storm in Texas sitting on the interstate for 9.5 hours before we were allowed to cross the treacherous stretch of icy road. The reward was my favorite guacamole a few more miles down the road. The ice covered countryside in Oklahoma and Missouri was unlike anything I had ever seen. It sparkled in the daylight and shimmered in the evening lights.
But the best moment was tumbling out of the suburban at my sister's home. The candles were burning, the tree was twinkling, and sweet smiles greeted us. A special Christmas awaited us.
Though just down the road our new home sits patiently, waiting for us. A little teamwork and the truck was unloaded there in a just a couple hours.
Then a washer and dryer were on my Christmas list, and the search began the morning of December 24. A week later we added a hot water heater--Happy New Year, Ron!
We painted ceilings, scrubbed walls, and rolled paint on bedroom walls. The results were exciting and exhausting.
We did venture out to enjoy a local hockey game at the Icemen arena.
The pond in the backyard was a perfect place for Kade's new remote control boat to zip around--once the ice melted!
And New Year's Eve we celebrated with my sister's family and the kids at our new home. All the kids' voices filled the basement...and it was a perfect evening to celebrate the end of a year filled with adventure and warm memories.
Too soon it was time to go home. It was hard to drive away...the 2,278 miles seemed to stretch longer and longer.
