Why, hello there!

Hi. I am, in fact, still alive. Its been a crazy few weeks, but all of it has been so worth it.

Brian's brother, sister-in-law, and their kids came to MD for an extended trip and we had the pleasure of having them stay at our house for two days. Unfortunately for them, they spent those two days amongst piles of boxes and various other, well, crap. That aside, I know our kids had a blast having them around, and I hope their kids felt the same.

We made a big family trip (Brian's brother and sister and their families and a family friend and her kids) to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA. If you ever get the chance, I'd suggest going. Its the perfect sized park.....by the time the kids will start whining you'll be at the end of the park. There's even some sort of promotion where you can do Hershey Park one day and Dutch Wonderland the next. Anyway, its the perfect size and had plenty to do and rides that fit every age.

The following day we went back to PA to attend Brian's cousin's wedding. Our kids didn't make it because they had to spend the other half of Father's Day with their grandfathers, but all the other kiddo's made it. They had a blast....all of them danced their butts off. I tried, but my butt is still here. :)

Ugh. Then moving day. I can't complain. It was a LOT of hard work, but Brian and I accomplished packing and loading the truck without a fight. That, in itself, is amazing. I got to all my settlements on Friday and ended up at the new place to find Brian and his parents already at work. My parents came around 5. Their help was definitely most appreciated. We got everything in the house and then it seemed like it would never get organized, but it did. Bella and Brandon showed up and were totally into helping us offload the truck and unpack. I was very surprised.

Our neighbors are great. Very entertaining. I don't know that we'll be buddy-buddy with them, but its definitely a big change from the other neighborhoods I've lived in since moving to MD. This place is like a vacation house. Go outback on one of the two decks and there's a beautiful view of the lake and the ducks. Out front, there's nothing like sitting on the steps under a huge shade tree watching kids run around. Speaking of kids, we're so happy because it seems every house has kids. And they are of all ages so everyone will have a playmate.

We already hosted our first cookout with Brian's sister and family. I have to say, it went very well. The kitchen is working out wonderfully. The deck is perfect for socializing. We get our living room and bedroom furniture today, so hopefully those two rooms will look more finished. Maybe then, I'll find my clothes once they are in drawers. Right now, they are strewn about the bedroom. It took me 4 days to find my flip flops. It was very interesting to find out that Brian left all of my capris, pants, etc., in the car still parked at the old house. Trying to find something to wear on my bottom half was a bit tricky for a few days.

I know you've all been wondering. The Abs Diet isn't working. The theory behind it I get. The problem is I don't know when to stop. Nibbles don't make me feel full....but add up all those nibbles and its not pretty. I meant to go to a meeting this morning, but I slept through it. I am journaling everything online, though. Anyone else having problems pulling up their points tracker? The current weight? 206.3. How did I let that happen? What happened to the 170s I used to complain about.