Meeting LUKE

Last week Toby and I took the long drive to Alabama to meet our new grand baby, Luke. We broke up our trip there and stopped off in Lake Charles for the night for a little adult time at the casino. It was nice to hang out with Toby like we used to when we were first together...I didn't realize how much I miss that freedom...

But alas, the casino was not our friend, but we managed to get out of there before it was too late! Luckily, Toby won back most of the money we lost and we scrammed.

Little Luke was even cuter in person than in his photos. He was so tiny, but very strong. He's also a good baby with no dramatics so that made him even more appealing. I can tell he's going to be one of those laid back, easy babies...they got lucky!

Luke's first bath....

We also visited Toby's brother while we were there. Charlie's kids really loved Toby!

And I can't close this post without a big shout out to Bo. He's the best traveling dog ever. He travels better than any kid I've ever had...

It was a short trip, and as much as I miss my extended family, I'm always ready to get back home.

New Home, New Life

Well, we finally are settled into our new home for the most part. It's definitely been a whirlwind of non stop work and after a month, Toby and I finally feel like we can relax a little bit. We bought a much older home than what we had previously owned, and this home definitely needed a little TLC. I'm no clean freak, but I don't think this home had EVER in it's 38 years of existence had a deep cleaning. We call her our work in progress....she still needs some cosmetic surgery that we're still chipping away at.

Honestly, I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. My quality of life has increased immensely since moving to Pflugerville....the city between a rock and a weird place. (I just had to throw that in there because I just think that is the cutest motto ever) Even though there were aspects of my old home I loved, I didn't realize how awfully isolated I felt. I finally feel like I'm "HOME".

Aside from really loving my home, the area is prime. Close to shopping and the city trail runs right outside of my neighborhood. Toby and I have really enjoyed walking the trails. Our neighborhood is also full of people our age, so that's definitely been a bonus, and I haven't had to fill my tank up with gas but one time since we've moved, relieving the wear and tear on my car.

I'll quit boring you with talk now, and share some pictures I've taken over the past month....

Bo loves being able to see outside

The rains have sometimes caused the creek to overflow

 There's really so much more to the trails, these are just some pics I've gathered along some of our hikes...

The Heritage House Museum

This is my favorite place in the house. I've always dreamed of having a gathering table which looks out into the backyard, and here I have it. We even all eat at the table now...even Skye.

 

Toby and I took a night walk last night, so I took a few night photos of the creek...

This is an old gin that always grabs my attention on our walks. I haven't really researched it's history yet, but it's an intriguing place to look at...

This is right along the trail...the signs says it's where Jesus comes to pray...

And the backyard sunsets aren't too bad here either....

I didn't share outside pictures of our home yet, because it's in great need of some grooming...bushes are overgrown and need to be trimmed and the previous owners had planted winter grass which looks more like a meadow right now. And all the rain we've received lately has put a damper on some proper yardwork.

Moving On To CHAPTER TWO

Life works in cycles, and I'm at the beginning of a new chapter in life, hence the title of this post.

I believe the seasons are changing to a more flow in my life. If you're in tune with yourself enough, it is possible to feel these changes coming on.

Not that I've been unhappy for the past decade or so, but more like I was just trudging through trying to just make the best of things from day to day and accept the things that I really wanted to change that weren't necessarily working for me.

There is a lot that has happened in the past month, and more that will happen in the coming months. 2020 will definitely be an exciting year. We bought and sold a home on the same day January 14, we're expecting our first grandchild in February, things to be excited about from fixing up our new home and exploring our new area to meeting the grand baby and spoiling him rotten just like good grandparents do.

With all that has been going on, I really haven't had time to spend on individual posts, but here are a few photos to share from over the past couple of months...

SOLD!

BOUGHT!

This is the last photo I'll probably take of my backyard oasis. I'll really miss my backyard sunsets, but it will be offset by all the other amenities I will enjoy in my new home.