Strawberry Fields Forever

The man who lived in our house before us owned a landscaping business and left our yard and flower beds in beautiful shape. It has been a treat this Spring to see everything bloom out. Among our favorites is Strawberries!! We were playing in the backyard one day and were thrilled to find tiny green strawberries growing out of white blooms. The kids have been waiting so patiently and checking on them everyday. All of their waiting and care paid off on Saturday. We finally decided that they were ripe enough to pick and eat. We had fresh strawberries for breakfast and they were delicious. Our crop was teeny-tiny, but it was fun nonetheless. I felt like some sort of Gardener Extraordinaire, even though all I did was turn on the sprinkler.

There are some other great things going on in our flower beds. MY favorite (yes, even more so than the strawberries) is the Hydrangea. It has the most beautiful pink blooms coming out. Hooray! Oh, and the kids planted beans in school. Hasn't every good kid sprouted a bean in a ziploc? Well, we're seeing how long ours last. If all goes well we should have some green beans in about 40 more days. We'll see about that. I'm not holding my breath. But--if we do--I'll really feel like a Gardener Extraordinaire! Here are a few pictures:

Family Affair

The day to day tasks at Chick-fil-A have kept Chad so busy that he has not had time to do "extra" things--like organize his inherited mess of an office so that he can walk to his desk instead of climbing over boxes. You know, little things like that that would make his life a little easier.
So we loaded up on Sunday and took our family to the store for a little work day. We had a bag of cars and balls for Jake, the kids road bags with all their special gear that they only get to play with on special occasions (read: anytime we need them to sit and play quietly) and movies for the laptop. We got them all set up and we got to work. They played great together for a while and then it was time for Jake's nap. The only place quiet enough for a nap was the bathroom hallway--so that is where he slept. So shoot us. He took a nap (a long, peaceful nap) in the bathroom area.
After his nap they played again and we continued to work. We decided that we should call it quits and head home when Chad found Jake (20 months) at the TOP of an 8ft. ladder, reaching for the plush cow on the top of the coffee maker. No kidding.
All in all it was a super productive day. We were so proud of the kids. They did great and were very patient throughout the day. Chad will spend less time searching for things and more time working on what counts. Mission accomplished.

I Heart NKOTB

Yes, I was a New Kids on the Block fan. And so were you if you were a kid in the late 80's. We all were. We had weird hats with their logo and posters in our rooms. Some people had bedspreads and pillow cases with their pictures all over it (and still do, right Cliff?). Everyone had picked a favorite. My favorite was Jordan. I had an over-sized button that I wore on my jacket to show my devotion. We knew the songs by heart and knew the dances that went with every song. Embarrassing, I know.

Then it was over. They broke up. We were disappointed but got over it quickly and we have spent the last 15 to 20 years making fun of ourselves for acting that crazy about anything. I mean, really, it was ridiculous.

Well, they've reunited. They had their first performance in 15 years this morning on the Today Show. Did I tune in? You bet. I've been waiting all week for this. They danced and sang. I watched and laughed. I still knew all the words. The audience was full of women on the brink of turning 30 who probably drove their mini-vans to Rockefeller Plaza. They screamed their hearts out and held up signs that said things like, "30 Year Old Moms in California Still Love You!!" Dead serious.

After "Please Don't Go Girl" it went downhill. They brought out scantily clad girls that danced and they sang new songs (which means they are taking this reunion thing seriously). Ug. They should have stopped after the old stuff. I don't recall then singing that badly in the 80's but I'm sure they did. No matter how bad it was or how rusty their dances, it was still fun to watch. I'll be singing "Step by Step" all week, I'm sure.

Here's to the olden days--and here's to being DONE with them.

(For more thoughts on going back a decade see Michael's post.)

Happy Birthday!!

Rad Bad Chad turns 30 today! Happy Birthday!!

By the way, this is his official Chick-fil-A Photo. You know as you walk into a Chick-fil-A you always see a picture of the Operator. Well, this is the picture you see if you walk into Chad's store. It's pretty cool.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A, all of you should know that they are rolling out some new products on Monday the 19th. There will be new chicken strips, new chicken salad sandwiches and new salads. We tried the new strips today at lunch and they are AMAZING. They've definitely got the Erin Gerlt Seal of Approval. Go try them out Monday.

A Return To Blogging (hopefully)

We are now settled into our new home and we are thrilled to be (hopefully) finished with this period of upheaval for at least a little while. Our blog has been unusually quiet during this time. It has not been quiet because of lack of blog-worthy material. No, there is always something "bloggable" going on here. Honestly, blogging has just been very, very low on my list. My list from the past two months has looked something like this:
1. Send Chad to Atlanta for interview
2. Go to Atlanta with Chad for second interview
3. Pack up house
4. Drive to Texas
5. Send Chad to Atlanta for 5 weeks
6. Enjoy time with family at Sunfish
7. Load moving truck and move to Yukon
8. Unload truck
9. Survive
10. Make sure everyone has food to eat and clean clothes to wear
11. Get through Chad's first few weeks at new Chick-fil-A (80+ hour work week)

Anyway, you get the picture. It has just been a bit busy around here and we're finally keeping our head above water. Now that everything is in its spot and we are seeing a routine emerge (which thrills me to no end) I am hoping to pick up where I left off here on our blog. I have TONS to blog about (a trip to New York City, Hershey's Chocolate factory, our drive home, Chick-fil-A home office, Lubbock, our new house, just to name a few).
So, if anyone still reads our blog, keep checking. I'll be posting more often.