Our house is a very, very, very fine house!

Unless something really horrible shows up in the inspection, this will be our home in Abilene. We are really excited about our biggest purchase ever! This 2000 sq. ft. home sits on 10 acres about 12 miles NW of Abilene. It is surrounded by oak, pine, elm, and pecan trees. This is a huge difference from the usual mesquite that you might think of in the area. It also has a 1/2 acre pond (currently empty), a separate 2 car garage (that will someday be used for my doggie daycare), 2 sheds, and a small haybarn. The owners are fixing a few items, so we decided to put off our inspection until we could both be there in August. We are scheduled to close on Aug. 14th! We just want to give God the praise for bringing this all together. I won't go into detail, but my 10 days in Abilene were absolutely crazy. In the end, we feel very blessed to have found such a great place we will soon call home. There are a few other pictures of the house and land posted on our flickr page too. Won't you come visit and swing on our porch with us?

Are you a hoarder or a purger?

I have been cleaning out our house over the last few weeks and making piles all over the house for our yard sale. Yesterday, we spent about 7 hours cleaning out the garage and finally finished at 9pm. I love getting rid of stuff!! I am totally a purger. I will happily get rid of almost anything I haven't used in the last few months, and I get great joy out of having more space and getting more organized. Josh on the other hand, as I was reminded yesterday, is a hoarder. He keeps things for long periods of time and has a much harder time letting go. Case in point, we found 3 little 6 inch trophies yesterday that Josh won for math contests back in middle school. Middle school!! I had to work pretty hard to convince him that because I was never going display them (because I refuse to dust unnecessary items) and because they are from middle school (and he now has his Ph.D.), that he should get rid of them. Sorry, honey! I find it funny and frustrating at the same time. Each week I have these little piles that he must go through to decide what I can get rid of. Sometimes I feel like a lawyer arguing my case for pitching or selling all this stuff. So, I'd like to know... are you a hoarder or a purger?

Our week

It seems like soooo much longer than a week since we found out we're moving to Abilene. Each day seems to drag on for me. Why? Because I'm excited and worried and cleaning the house and working and should be packing and on and on...
We decided that we are going to try to buy a house and close on it as soon as we get to Abilene so we can move right in. I know things don't usually go that smoothly, so that's why I'm worried. I'm excited because I get to go to Abilene in 10 days and look at houses and spend 2 weeks trying to take care of all the details (and seeing lots of family). I'll feel much better once I'm there, but the waiting is already hard. In the meantime I have been working at the herbarium at WSU and building stacks of yard sale items at home. I haven't even begun packing since all our boxes are buried under stuff in the garage. We're hoping to dig them out tonight so I can really make some progress.
Pretty soon after I get home from Abilene, Josh is going to take off to CA to collect some plants. I'll stay home to pack and have a yard sale, and then we'll only have about a week before we hit the road. Crazy!!
It's hard to believe our time in WA is almost over. We have been trying to savor all the things we enjoy here that will be absent in TX- like cool weather, green hills, and no need for air conditioning. We are also excited to get to TX and enjoy the things we have missed for the last several years- real thunderstorms, snow cones, and long growing seasons for the garden. Moving always seems to be bitter sweet but God has plans far beyond what we can even imagine.
On a lighter note, Titus turned 5 this week! Hard to believe my little puppy is middle-aged. Here he is looking particularly happy on his special day.

Abilene, here we come!!

JOSH GOT THE JOB AT ACU!!!!
We just got the call this morning, and yes, we are very excited! Thank you, God, for answering our prayers and thanks to all our friends and family who have been praying with us. Your support has been overwhelming. Things have truly come full circle, and we're happy to make a new beginning in the town where we met and began our relationship together. God is so good!
We'll be in WA for the summer and get to TX at the end of July sometime. So y'all make plans to come down and see us, ya hear?!?

Picture update

Here are a few pictures from graduation. More pictures are posted on our flickr site too (link is on the right.)

The "big cookie" I made for Josh.

The carrot cake Mom made. Isn't it awesome?!?

Dr. Josh

Go Cougs!

Pullman, WA in the background

In the wheat fields.

A video of Josh being hooded.

Graduation/Mother's Day weekend

I'm back in WA now and we survived graduation weekend! Mom, Titus and I arrived last Tuesday; Josh arrived Wednesday; and Josh's parents arrived Thursday. Saturday was graduation followed by a big BBQ at our house. Everything went really well and we're settling back into a routine. I'll post pictures soon.
Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! Josh and I are so thankful for our Moms and feel very blessed to have them in our lives.

Dr. Josh!!

Ok, it's not official yet, but it's close enough for me. Josh turned in his dissertation yesterday and is done with school! He is still crazy busy with a bunch of other academic projects, but none of them are required for graduation. We are all so proud of you, Josh!