Angry Birds: Live

YOW --> AUS

I haven't posted in a while because I've been busy with some big news and by big, I mean huge. On December 27, 2012, the boys and I left Ottawa and drove down to Austin, Texas where I have a contract as a Marketing Director for The PPA Group, a commercial real estate investment and property management company. Sheldon will join us as soon as he can find a job. We're praying hard that happens soon! In the meantime, the boys and I are living with Sheldon's brother and his family. We're living in the apartment over the garage but of course we have access to the main house as well. I can't wait until it's warm enough in a couple months to use the pool. I've always dreamed of having a home with a pool.

Anyways, that's my excuse for not posting lately. There is a lot of paperwork and logistics to sift through when you move to a new country. It's crazy! So I haven't had a chance to sight-see or enjoy the city yet. Too busy doing the daily grind stuff and the paperwork but I bought a little time with the paperwork deadlines so the major stress I was feeling a couple weeks ago is lifted a little.


Work is good. I miss the culture of the ad agency (it's more corporate here) but I'm determined to inject a little fun here. There are about a dozen of us here at the corporate office and half of us are LDS members! That's a bonus compared to the ad agency. I went to Dallas for a couple days last week to visit our properties there. I'm hoping to make my way to San Antonio soon to visit the properties down there (and visit the temple).

The boys were having a hard time adjusting to school here. Not only is it a different curriculum in a different country, there are over 3 times more students here. Ashbury had about 700 kids. Westlake has over 2000!! The school is so big they got lost a few times. Poor kids. We've told them to not be so hard on themselves when they didn't do so well on a couple assignments because they have a lot of adjustments to get used to but we think they're awfully courageous and brave to do this.

The ward here is big. There are 3 stakes in the Austin and surrounding areas. There is a big group of young men in our ward too; no shortage on who to bless and pass the sacrament. We're in the Barton Creek Ward of the Oak Hills Stake. Our church building is only an 8 min. drive from our house but sacrament meeting starts at 9am which means I still don't get to sleep in on Sundays. Boooo. We got a new bishop the first Sunday we were here so it's new changes all around.

The weather is LOVELY here. We've had a few days here and there where we were hovering around 0 degrees C but these last few days have been in the high teens and we're going into low 20s later this week (yes I'm still stuck in C but am slowly learning how to convert to F). I sat outside by the pool in sweatpants and a hoodie on Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to get into the pool in a couple months. I'm going to live in that pool.

I wish I could move all my lovely Canadian peeps to Austin so we can all enjoy the lovely weather and each other's company.

Hugs and kisses to all of you!

What makes a mother happy? Seeing her sons up and dressed for school by the time she gets out of bed.

Fulfilling a Mother's Dream on Father's Day

The second you realize you are going to be a parent, you start imagining the different milestones that you're going to experience. Visions of first steps, teaching them how to ride a bike, and wonderful family vacations where everyone gets along dance through your head. As a Mormon mother, my list also includes other milestones for my sons like their first day in nursery (a day that many young parents look forward to), baptisms, and serving missions. 

Connor recently turned 16 which allows a worthy young man to be ordained as a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. One of the Priest's duties is to bless the sacrament before the Deacons, (12-13 year old young men who have been ordained as such), pass the sacrament to the members in the congregation. 

This past Sunday, Connor blessed the sacrament for the first time with his father by his side and his younger brother standing in front of them waiting to pass it. It was a wonderful sight for a mother to see. My heart was full of joy and still is whenever I think about it. 

I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with three worthy Priesthood holders in my home. 

Huh?

ME [randomly over 10 min.]: Time to wake up, Connor. Come on, turn on your light and wake up.

CONNOR [after ignoring me for 10 min.]: No, I can't. I don't know where the light is!

ME: What?!

Remembering 9/11

Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and while we were driving to church, the boys and I had a discussion about what happened and how it changed the world. Aidan was not quite 2 years old so a lot of the details we were talking about were new to him.

He asked if the terrorists had guns or other weapons on the plane. He asked how they were even able to get them on the plane. He chastised airport security. That was when I realized that my children have always grown up with high airport security; that the only world they've known is one where the word terrorist is a part of their normal vocabulary and the possibility of being attacked in their own city is real.

I realize this and I hold my children a little closer to me.