Still here!

So I'm still alive. I just never make time to post anymore. I have trouble justifying computer time when I still have a messy house. But since I'm pretty sure I will have a messy house for a couple more decades I decided to go ahead and check in!

I will get my act together with some photos soon but we're basically super excited for summer around here! We have lots and lots and lots of fun things planned. Trips to the library, the local pool, Sonic, etc. Okay, so this summer is really boring compared with last summer. It's been bitter sweet to look back and think where we were a year ago. As school ended we talked about how a year ago we were packing up our house. A few days ago we talked about how fun the first few days of vacation were...driving through Georgia and eating peaches, the silly car games, etc., getting to SC and visiting cousins (wish we could see them again), fun times! I didn't realize how much I would miss that vacation but right now I have the itch to travel.

This summer will be an adventure all it's own. And maybe one day we'll abandon everything and travel again...but not this year! This year our dear, dear KIA is not going much more than 10 miles from home. I have yet to fix the A/C, which wasn't so bad up through May. Things were pretty mild (for Houston). And then June happened. Have you watched the weather channel? Holy hot! It's been over 100 degrees several times this month. I know I'm getting really thin blood when I get in the van and think "it's kind of a nice day today, a little cool even" and then I see the thermometer is at 89...at 8:30 in the morning...awesome. When I drive Dan's car I turn the A/C down super low and when we're in there together I have to close my vents because it's FREEZING (and by freezing I mean "below 80"). We debated back and forth about whether it was worth fixing and by the time I decided that yes, it is worth it, it's kind of too late.

We're in the process (hopefully) of buying a new (to us) home. It's not actually new at all...it's a HUD foreclosure and so it needs some 'TLC'. How much TLC we don't really know yet...that's why we're still not sure it will be ours. Long story short (and oh, what a LONG story it is turning out to be) we don't really have 'extra' cash for frivolous things like vehicular A/C when we might need it to buy a bathtub faucet or build a new wall or pay some random fee that might pop up unexpectedly (that seems to happen a lot). Basically we're on the fence right now about some things so it may or may not end up being our house...we'll be sure to let everyone know. BUT, I've decided it's just not worth it to fix the car right now. If we go somewhere more than 5 miles from home I pack a cooler full of ice packs. We pass them out and tell the kids to stick them in their shirts for portable A/C units. So, so sad (and rather embarrassing if we happen to have a guest in the car). I just tell myself that one day they will look back fondly on this memory...or at least they will have a good story to tell their children...it's the Houston version of walking barefoot in the snow, right?

Okay, it's late. I'll have to play catch-up later. My goal is to finally upload all the photos from my camera to the computer before we move again. I have sad goals. Have a 'Hoppie Day'!