When the weather gets cold...

the restless and hotel-fevered go bowling.

Getting on...

We decorated Mimi and Opa's tree.

Perfect, since we aren't doing a real tree in our household on the move.

(There was some time-on-the-stairs because there was some not-listening.)

The train is running.

 We scared Murphy, the dog, with it.

We talked about Mimi.

She would have loved it.

Surreal

Yesterday afternoon, we settled in our new place...and I turned on the TV. It's surreal...I recognize the weatherwoman's face and I know the towns of which she speaks. It is not a foreign land.

We are home...sorta, kinda.

Close to home would be more accurate...in another lovely hotel, close to home. A hotel I've actually stayed in with my parents about 20 years ago. It's older but still very nice. 

Strange...that company for which my husband works so very hard  putting us in a hotel when we could just stay in our house. I'm not asking too many questions, though. No one has ever accused me of being the squeaky wheel.

Sweet Man's office is down the road from our nephew's school. We're making plans with friends. We may even run into people we know. But technically we are "on the road."

Our own church was close enough to attend this morning...I've mentioned that people hug me and mid-squeeze say, "I thought you moved to Texas!" Seems so silly to explain it to people, so I have stopped. Who really cares anyway?

Speaking of my sweet man toiling away...we're a year into this new lifestyle. Before we signed on to the traveling gig, there were ongoing negotiations between Sweet Man and me. He explained his potential pay increase to be comparable to me taking on a part time job. A part time job with perks: child care provided by a trusted family member, free private education, pool maintenance, meal preparation, light housekeeping, accounting, personal shopping, etc. The spin he put on it still makes me smile.

Well, if I hadn't been earning that part time income up until now, I certainly have in the past weeks. Specifically, Saturday....whew! The man has been working his tail off...and he loves it...smiles all through it, in fact. In turn, I have been working my tail off, figuratively oh, how I wish it was literally off. I don't smile so much, and grumble some...but feel pretty purposeful.

So we're bringin' home the bacon...and letting the wonderful hotel staff fry it up and serve it with our complimentary, hot breakfast.

I'm still loving this life.

Foxy

The following is Bug's CD playing/amateur DJ protocol:

Step 1: Open fresh CD...no, don't ask a parent...it just complicates things.

Step 2: Open player...yes, been told not to...but...see step 1.

Step 3: Sit right next to the CD player, remote in hand (even though he is close enough to have his curls caught in the spinny thingy,) and listen to it in its entirety....exactly once.

Step 4: Push buttons...randomly.

Step 5: Choose 2 or 3 favorite tracks.

Step 6: Repeat...over and over, partial song or the whole thing...and over...No,don't ask anyone if they like what is playing...just keep playing it...until bleary-eyed-and-out-of-her-gourd momma squawks and snatches remote out of hand.

Step 7: Snicker as frazzled momma walks away.

Step 8: Wait a courteous 15 minutes...return to the player and begin again.

The boy loves music. So, today, it's Track 19 from the Fantastic Mr. Fox soundtrack. (Click on Preview.) (Bug's got a look in his eye and he's challenging each of us to an underwear wrestle.)

Forgot to tell you in my recent fog...we saw this movie as a family last week. It is PG...so go here and get the particulars. It is indeed fantastic, as is the music...so now we listen. Repeatedly.

Seriously  ~ over Christmas break, scrape enough together for matinee tickets, bundle everyone up and go see it. Then enjoy a delicious chicken dinner.