Surreal

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would live in such a place as this.

We've been in our new house for twelve days now, and boy has it been an adventure! With 42 acres to explore, a new puppy to play with, house guests every day, and creepy critters trying to get in at every corner, we have hardly had a dull moment in our secluded paradise of wonder!

Since we moved in on July 25th, we've had Justin's parents, my parents, cousins, siblings and friends coming to visit. Our guest house and fishing poles have been busy since day one!!! We've loved having so many loved ones around to help us break in the new property!!!



With so much land and endless possibilities, it's been fun trying to decide just what to do with our new property. I thought a jogging path would be nice around the lake, so I mowed down a half-mile jogging/biking trail around the water. After the first few days of getting hit in the face with spider webs, the path seems to be pretty clear now, so it's become a great place to workout.

After a day or two of living in the new house, we discovered a peculiar smell coming from obscure places in the home. Upon investigation, we discovered dead mice in the kitchen, laundry room and attic. Once disposed of, along with the help of some Glade plug-ins, our home is smelling much better now.

The house was built in the 1970's, and I'm pretty sure all of the wall coverings and appliances have been in place since the house was built. Just since Sunday, we've peeled off the green & yellow floral wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom, painted the walls a nice neutral beige and replaced the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven with brand new stainless steel appliances! Our house is definitely beginning to come together and feel like our very own home.

Last Thursday night, we had some friends and family over for a bonfire in our giant rock fire pit. We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs, and Austin got stung by a bee...twice. One sting on his forehead made his face swell up pretty big so he looked like a Klingon for a few days.

Friday morning, we drove up to Nauvoo with Justin's parents, and met his brother Chris and family, and my sister Bev and family there. We enjoyed seeing historic homes and business, and of course the fantastic Nauvoo Pageant!






We went to our new ward on Sunday, and were thrilled to meet so many friendly people there. It definitely was a contrast from the small branch we came from, and I'm beginning to feel like a little fish in a big pond.

On Monday, I took the kids to the brand new Pioneer Trail Elementary to get them registered for school. After filling out stacks of paperwork, signing up for the PTA, and ordering t-shirts, I got a call from the school principal informing me that we were outside of their boundaries. She told me we needed to go to Belair Elementary. So, on Tuesday, I went to Belair, where they told me that we were supposed to go to Pioneer Trail. Ummmm, okay? Maybe I'll be homeschooling my kids after all.

We don't have the internet hooked up in our new place yet, so I'm typing this post from Justin's dental office while the kids are getting their teeth cleaned. Hopefully soon we'll be connected so I can update with more photos, but until then, I'll try and sneak into the office every chance I get! Now it's off to the Lake Ozark house to pick up mail and weed the flower beds. (No, our old house hasn't sold yet. We still haven't had any showings. Bummer.)