How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

So, it is official...the house is sold. We will be leaving by the end of the month and the house will close very soon after. I wanted to get my thoughts down about this move.

First, Star Valley has been the closest thing to a home for me that I have had other than New York. It is a safe and honest place to be. Eight years is the longest I have ever stayed in one place. I could see my kids graduating with the same kids they went to first grade with. I saw a future here, that was a new feeling. The safety you feel in a small community I am sure to find in other towns, but the safety of being hugged by a massive mountain range is different. If the rest of the world would shut down I know that my family would be safe here. That is going to be a tough one to get over. And then there are the schools. They are very well funded and the teachers are all great. I have been told that a private education is not as good as what we get here...(thanks to the taxes big oil pays to lease land in Wyoming). I am going to miss my 2 acres that the kids can play on, the quite and large neighborhood they ride around in and are safe in. (not to mention not having to pick up my dogs poop, because he goes out in the field) I am going to miss the seeing the mountains from every angle and I am really going to miss the summers in the valley. I am going to miss the smell of being in the mountains and pine trees every time I walk out of my door. The mountain streams and valleys 5 minutes away are priceless. I will miss the friends I have made. Most of them are more like family because those of us in the small valley with out extended family around have banded together.

Second, I am not going to miss only having a Family Dollar and one grocery store that closes at 8 p.m. every night. I am not going to miss seeing people you know every where you go...this makes a short grocery store visit a long grocery store visit. Along those lines, I am not going to miss knowing every person you pass on the road and realizing that they are waving to you just late enough to make you look rude for not waving back. I am not going to miss driving 2 hours for orthodontist and doctor visits. I am not going to miss driving 4 hours to the nearest airport so that I can fly home to see my family. I am not going to miss the 7 months of snow. I know I won't miss small minded things that happen in close communities...let me add that I am sure I will find it in other places. It just takes a while to find when your new:) I am not going to miss rodeos....and cowboy hats. I am not going to miss Maverik.

So, for the time I got to spend in Smoot and Afton, Wyoming....I am grateful. Home. I hope to return someday. Adieu...

Life as a "Single Mom"...this is tougher than I thought.

I don't know if you can see, but this is my king size bed. If you look you will see 3 kids. And some how I woke up in the morning to find this site. Some how I fit on the edge. So, life with Chad in Denver and me here has been ok. At first it was liberating and I came and went as I wanted. Since I work and the kids in school, it hasn't been too over whelming. I have been taking that parenting class and have really had a good time putting every thing into practice. So, my biggest trial now is missing having my friend Chad around. I almost miss him:)

New Adventures

Everyy time I look at my blog I get embarrassed about the same post that has been there for so long. So for the 3 of you who check to see if there is anything new, this is for you.

About 2 months ago, Chad got a call from a sweet lady in Denver saying she thought that she had found the perfect person for a job her company had. We drove down and enjoyed the city. Chad felt he blew the interview, so we just went back to the drawing board. A few days later he got a call and was offered the job. Because of the lack of work, our money situation was very tight and so I went to my

knees to figure a way to get Chad down and have a place to stay while he began his work. Elissa's good friend gave me the name of a wonderful Bishop and he and a family in Aurora have provided a place for Chad during his first month of work. Our house was put on the market right away and we may actually sell it in a few weeks. Chad also found a house for all of us in a town called Castle Rock, just south of Denver. He will move in next week and we will stay until school is out at the end of May.

Kyra has been so busy with dance and school that I hardly even see her. I remember being in 9th grade and thinking I was as grown up as I could get. I guess you could say I have been mourning the loss of my baby lately. My boys are busy, busy...with what? Making messes. I swear that is what they do best. Maybe they will grow up to be demolition experts!

I have been taking a Love and Logic class and my favorite thing to say to my kids lately is "your fighting is really draining my energy, " or "I love you too much to argue". I have decided that I am not the only person in my family fighting for control and so yesterday I gave Walker about 900 choices to make..."do you want to take your clothes down stairs in the basket or are you going to carry them in your arms? Do you want to a fruit or a veggie? Would you like peaches or pears? Do you want to sit next to me or stop farting?" I am loving the love and logic class. The only thing I am having a hard time with is setting them up for failure...because I suck at follow through. For example, I want to go to town, so I say "Boys, if you want to go to town, then you need to get the living room clean." Well, the living room is still not clean and I did take them to town. Ahhh, this is going to be a tough one. I still love ".....is really draining my energy".

The month of March is always so hard to get through because of the snow. Right when you think its spring, here comes more snow. Damn snow...