The Move

So...the move. Crazy that something we thought about and stressed over for so long is finally over. Well, kind of. But yes, we made it safely here to our new home in St. Louis. Here are a couple things we experienced and/or noticed during our trip:

loading and reloading and shoving as much of our junk as possible in a too small truck and then having to leave a bunch of things behind anyway,

it is impossible not to have an "odds and ends" box

2-kid trikes can be transported on a trunk bike rack (although they do obscure your vision enough to make changing lanes a bit tricky)

worrying that Cambree had pink eye during the two days we were on the road,

noticing that BJ's sister Mindy doesn't believe her cell phone is capable of transmitting her normal voice,

Cambree deciding at a dirty gas station toilet somewhere in Tennessee that she was ready to start potty training,

how much more enjoyable it is to look at the hind side of a Budget truck as opposed to a Penske,

that, at least between the Triangle and the Mississippi, there are at least 3 x more Cracker Barrels than there are McDonalds,

a good friend's tip to number all the boxes and then keep a notebook with a detailed description of the contents is a fantastic idea! Just a suggestion though, make sure you don't pack that notebook away...ours is still missing!!!

So yes, overall, a good move. We were so blessed/surprised/very relieved to have so much help on both ends, including BJ's mom and sister Mindy, especially here in the near 100 degree heat!!! And, yes, MO is just as humid as it is in NC!!!

We are making lots of progress unloading and unpacking boxes to the point where our place has become rather homey. Luckily, we are now the proud renters of a house with a basement. It is the perfect place for all the boxes that we don't quite know what to do with yet.

So yes, the house. Everyone's most favorite aspect about the house is by far the backyard. It is fenced in, there is a beautiful wild flower bed, a swing, a porch that is ideal for our new mini pool (given to us by our neighbors) and some grass (even if it is a bit itchy and possibly full of chiggers).

We probably had more boxes labeled "kitchen" than all other labels combined...funny thing, the kitchen is the smallest room in the house

Yesterday I Learned...

...that changing a # 2 diaper is amazingly more difficult if you change it immediately after the wearer of that diaper consumes 1/2 a bottle of syrup. I guess I shouldn't have used the term "consumed" because I really don't know how much she actually swallowed. By the time I got to her though, she was pretty frustrated. First, the syrup was all gone. Second, her eyelids were stuck mostly shut. Her arms too were "glued" half bent at the elbows so that she couldn't really move them either. Her hair was stuck (literally) out straight. As I prepared her for a bath, I noticed that various rolls and creases in her body were also stuck together.

Yes, our "busy" little almost 2 year old likes syrup. She also happens to be a very good climber (I think she gets that from her rock climber uncle) and can pretty much get to whatever she wants. So she saw her chance while Mom was busy on the phone for 5 minutes.

There have been aftershocks too. Like, every time I pull out the toaster (which happened to be on the counter while Cambree had her snack) there is a puddle, if you can call it that, of syrup underneath it. I've tried to clean it out 3 times. Also, there is still all kinds of syrup somewhere inside the handle of the dishwasher so that every time we open it, our hands become covered in sticky gunk. Finally, each and every time someone goes up (0r down) the stairs, our feet stick to the carpet.

How grateful I am for the many opportunities my children give me to laugh each day. One kid just happens to give me more of those opportunities than the other one.

My only regret is not having a camera to take a picture of the whole thing.

5 years later...

So Jules and I move out to NC 5 years ago for me to go to pharmacy school. It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years but it has. A few weeks ago I finally graduated from Campbell. For my 5 years of hard work all I got was 2 large pieces of paper and this funny looking hat.

At least Cambree liked the hat.

It sure feels good to be done with school though. OK almost done with school. I still have to pass my licensure exams. They shouldn't be too hard though. They just cover everything I have learned over the last 4 years.

Graduation day was nice. My Ma flew out along with my sister Millie. They tried to surprise me with my sister, but my Ma gave me a few hints and I was pretty certain she was coming. It was fun to see her even if I wasn't surprised. Jules' sister Mindy came over with her family to cheer me on and were very disappointed when they didn't get to really cheer when my name was called.



So the green thing around my neck is a hood for my Doctoral degree or Pharm.D. So I guess I got more than some papers and a funny hat. It also comes with the title "Dr." so if you feel so inclined you may now call me Doctor Beege. The yellow hood that Julie is holding is for my masters degree. That's right I finished two degrees in 5 years. What a haul that was.

People ask me how I made it through pharmacy school with a wife and two kids. Well here is the answer...

No, Seriously, I wouldn't have made it without her. In fact I am not sure I would have had enough ambition to get into school without her. I love my wife and I thank her for her support through out my last 6 years of school.