Moving Day

Today is it. The day they are loading the truck. All of our things will be on their way to Colorado Springs.

We have had a lot of fun living here in Happy Valley. We had a good time as undergraduates, and a different time as parents with two little kids. Different, but still wonderful.

Things we will especially miss, in no particular order:

11.Penn State athletics. Beaver Stadium, football games, tailgating with the Kellers and Co., basketball games, SBS, everything being blue and white. I felt like I truly belonged.

10. Going to listen to the old Phyrst Phamily, now called Family Brew. It's fantastic to go listen to a band who knows your name and will play requests, all while letting you sing along and play percussion instruments.

9. Walking down College Avenue on the rare sunny day looking in shop windows and letting the kids play on the pigs. Who knew bronze pigs could be so much fun?

8. Eating. Whether it's breakfast at The Corner Room or ice cream at the Creamery, stickies at The Diner or dinner on our neighbor's deck, we will miss it.

7. The trees. Ok, I know I complained every single fall about raking. I know I did. But when you look at the cul-de-sac and it feels like you live in the woods in the summer - well, it's just wonderful. I will miss all things green.

6. The college kids. As crazy as it sounds (because most locals HATE the kids) I will miss them. I will miss their excitement, their youth, and the general "age" of the town. After all, if THEY don't age - because they are all between 18 and 22 and move on to be replaced by a younger set - then I don't age either!!

5. My Bunko Group. They were the first group that I felt like I could just be myself with, and oh, how I looked forward to our monthly games. Have a glass of wine for me, girls.

4. Our church/my school. Talk about a welcoming bunch. True, it helped that I taught there and knew so many people and the ins and outs, but they really met us with open arms. I'm glad the kids had their First Communions there.

3. Our large back yard. Fenced, shaded, playset and sand box. Enough said.

2. Having everything within 15 minutes of driving time. You could be ANYWHERE in town in 15 minutes. Anywhere.

And finally.

1. Our friends. I have made some simply incredible friends here. Neighbors who turned out to be much more than neighbors, parents from school who turned out to be much more than just parents, and co-workers who turned out to be much more than co-workers. I'll miss brunch after church with Stephanie and Scott, inviting myself over to Mittie's or Sharon's, and walking the path next to next door to ask if our kids are over there, since they have their own bedroom and all....
And you can't replace friends. I can make new ones, and I can find my old ones in Colorado Springs, but I won't replace these. And I'll be back.

The Neglected Blog

I really WILL do a better job at this. One day. Let me go through my camera memory stick and see what's new to tell.

OK, I've found:

The Blue/White Game

It was an incredibly beautiful day here for the ol' Blue/White Game. In the 80's, very breezy, lots of friends, Chris's barbeque, and a Temple Owl-Nittany Lion engagement cake to eat. I forgot to take a picture of the cake, or if I did, I can't find it. (Perhaps it was all of the beverages consumed??) It was a great cake!!
And's what is a game without a picture of Mark and his parents!?

Chris and Co. set up at 8:00 am. As he was getting up to an alarm (which we don't even use during the work week!) he said "I can't believe I am getting up there at 8 for a 2 o'clock game..." I looked at him and laughed, replying "I can't believe you guys are getting up there at 8 for a 2 o'clock PRACTICE." But, they got our spot, and it was totally worth it. At least for me, because I wasn't there at 8.

Alright, so the timing of the whole day is backwards, but you get the point.

Next on the camera card?

The trip to D.C.!!

Our best part of the trip was something we couldn't take pictures of - a trip inside of the White House!! A friend from college, Gina, is the Air Force Aide to the President. We took advantage of it and got her to walk us through and tell us what she knows. It's a lot more than I know! So, no pictures, but an unforgettable trip. I think the funniest thing was the butterfly and the bird toys stuck on the windows that you could see as you were leaving. Gina said the girls must have put them there. Made me think that it is great to see they are treating it as a home.

Where are we here?

And here?

Or here.

Then, we kept walking...

Need another hint?

We got the spend the day with Karina and Colin, who we were VERY excited to see. We've missed our Godson and his sister!! It figures that as they move this way, we move back that way.

The next weekend I went with my peeps (Stephanie and Jean)

Here:

Our husbands sent us to Bedford Springs for a Mother's Day Getaway. Boy, do we love our husbands!!

Day before yesterday Michael scored his teams two goals at soccer. I was so proud!!

My mom and dad have been here visiting for just over a week, and I haven't taken a single picture of them. Maybe tonight. I took the week off of work to spend with them because I have the feeling we won't see them for quite a while with the move in a few weeks. So, perhaps tonight's cookout with our friends will give me a chance to get out the camera!

Miss Molly

So, the other day Molly was sitting on the couch facing her Daddy on the loveseat. She puts her little hands behind her back and says "Pick a number from 1-10, Daddy, that I am thinking of..." and she puts 5 fingers out behind her back. Well, she didn't know that I was watching! I go above her head and put out 5 to show Chris. He plays along and says "Umm...5?" She pulls her hand out, tucks in her thumb and replies "No, but you were Oh So Close! It was 4." I laughed at her and told her that I could see she had five, and changed her mind. So, she wanted to try again. She put her small hands behind her back again and said "Pick a number from 1-20, Daddy, that I am thinking of..."

I cracked up. It only took her a sec to realize that she couldn't DO 1-20 with just her hands, and she laughed, too. I love that little girl. Oh So Much.

Catching Up

SO much to tell. First, the house sold. It took a week and day, and we got 96% of asking price. We're pretty pleased. I'm especially excited that I don't have to keep it spotless anymore. Chris, however, has threatened to tell me the house did NOT sell and we have a showing once a week so I'll get a-cleanin'. He sucks. :-)

Spring Break was fun. I went with Mittie and Steph to the Crayola Factory and to Chocolate World in Hershey. I have wanted to do both since we moved here and was glad to go.

The kids got along famously and we have been doing things together ever since.

Here is a picture of the kids writing on a clear wall to explore mixing of colors. It looked like they had writing all over their faces!

Next we found a "shadow room" that took pictures and made shadows on the floor. We figured out that if you use a flash against the metal wall, you get this:

We spent hours at the Crayola Factory! On the top floor is a canal museum. The kids learned all about locks and how they operate by using boats and cargo to go up and down different levels of the river. They liked it so much they did it 3 times!

That night we drove down to Hershey and spent the night. We took the kids to the pool, ordered pizza, and just took it easy. Right after breakfast we headed to Chocolate World! The kids pretended they were working in a chocolate factory packing Kisses into packaging. They took their jobs very seriously!

It was a very relaxing "mini-vacay" with my good friends and their good lookin' 'kids!

Then we got in gear for First Communion, which was last Sunday. Here are the kids all excited for their big day.

We also went to Shaver's Creek to the Maple Harvest Festival with the Tumey's and the Fozard's. Too bad the weather was cold and rainy!!
I didn't manage to get any pictures of us all eating the pancakes, but the kids did like the bluegrass music inside!

Last weekend we went on our third Walk for Autism. One of my students from two years ago has autism and his dad happens to be one of Chris's fraternity brothers from oh-so-long-ago. Molly had her picture taken with the Nittany Lion. A different shot of her and the Lion was on the front page of our paper the next day in color!

In between all of the running around we have been playing a bit of Wii on the cold yucky days...

and finished off the days with a bit of bedtime reading. I LOVE the fact that both kids can now read to US!!
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but the Solo fam has been busy busy busy!

We did it!

We finally got it on the market. THIS is what we're trying to sell.

I don't think it shows everything off that we've done, but at least it's on the market. The best news? The realtor says that most houses are selling for 95-100% of asking price!!! I hope the housing market here doesn't fall flat on its face in the next couple of months.

Now, if I can just either :

a. ship my kids to my mom's so the house stays clean
or
b. check us all into a hotel.

We hope to move right after 4th of July weekend. So, I want it to sell, but not TOO quickly. See how demanding I am??

It could be worse.

We could be trying to sell this.


http://www.cbur.com/propertyDetails.php?mlsid=27839

I can't decide what I like best about this beauty. The cook top? The green carpet? The accordian doors? The dark paneling? I think I come back to the mural on the wall in the panel room, every time. Once I quit looking at the doorknob in the middle of the door, that is.
A certain friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, likes to dance on bars in private homes. I wonder if she'd like THIS bar??

Perhaps ours will sell faster than I think. If we can just get it all done to get it listed!!

"This is the BEST age!"

Chris and I seem to say this earnestly at least two or three times a year. "We don't want them to get old." "We enjoy them just they way they are!" and "Isn't this the best?"

I liked it when they were babies and napped at the same time, ate at the same time, and played with the same toys. I thought I had it made.

I liked it when they took baths together, shared so nicely together, and ate dinner with us as a family. No more naps, but we had longer days to do things together. I thought I had it made.

Now, they take their own showers, including conditioning their hair. They can turn the water off, get their towel, put on their pajamas, and hang their towels up. They bring us a book and read to US. They can get their own snacks out of the refridgerator (cheese, yogurt, etc.) get their own drinks, and clear the table after they eat. When they want to go out in the snow they just ask "Can we go OUT to play...?" After I nod, they can get on their boots, hats, coats, gloves, and scarves. I look out the window to check on them playing together. They come in, hang things up, put them away (after I nag a little bit) and play Monopoly together. I don't even have to count out money or change! They'll play chess, or draw, or play with their Lincoln Logs. They can buckle their own seat belts! I'm so glad I had two kids, of opposite sex, close together. I think I have it made.

Quick Update

We are moving back into our old house in Colorado Springs. It just makes sense. Why buy a house when we already have that one? And, I already know where the furniture goes!

I love being a Daisy Leader. But the amount of meetings and events has risen exponentially. I don't ever want to be in charge of selling cookies again. Remind me of that, will ya?

Snow is fun. I'm missing the sun right about now, though.

Heather, if you are reading this, thanks. For everything. Especially listening and reasoning. "Love you!"

The dogs are great. This puppy is the easiest dog I could ever imagine. If by "easiest" you read "laziest" then you are correct.

I'm actually looking forward to putting stuff in storage. I just have too much stuff. I need to give away TONS of it instead of moving it.

Michael came home excited to do Jump Rope for Heart. He couldn't wait to tell me that if he raised "Only 5000 dollars, we can get a Wii!!!" I laughed right in his poor little face. I love that kid. But he DOES make me laugh.

Facebook is seriously taking away from my blogging. I can't NOT Facebook though.

Chris is one of the most comical people I've ever known. He just makes me laugh.

A busy few weeks!

Things to share:

- Chris got selected for Lt. Col. He probably won't pin on until later this year. That's probably the biggest news, and everything else pales in comparison!!

- The puppy is doing better. He came to us with a new surgery, and that one had to be re-done. So, hundreds of dollars in vet bills later, he is home with a lamp shade on his head. But he HATES the lampshade, so in all honesty, it is sitting here next to me, NOT on his head.

- Michael got third place in the Pinewood Derby for his den. He and Chris made a car to look like a police car, and he named it "Speedy". Original, huh?

Here he is with his trophy looking SO proud, as were we.

The kids and Chris all happened to be in their uniforms on Sat., so I took a quick pic.

- Molly and her Daisy Scouts went to 2000 Degrees to paint pottery, to our vet's for a tour and to a Cookie Rally this week. I hope they are all excited to sell their cookies. I'm hoping just being cute in their uniform will be enough and they will sell a LOT of cookies! Molly has The. Smallest. Uniform. And it's still too big!

At the vets office a dog had to have his eye removed because he had been in a fight. After the surgery the vet dissected the eye for us so we could see the lens. It was totally cool.

- I actually have a job application for Colorado Springs, which I hope pans out. It is for the pre-school where I had the kids while I was teaching in the private elementary school, and for a 3 year old position 5 days a week. Prayers for that. I loved the teachers there and hope I'd fit in well.

- We are already starting to think about our move. Selling this house, moving back, Chris teaching at USAFA, me teaching but with hours that would allow me to do full-time bus duty (both mornings and afternoons) because Chris can't. It's a lot to think about. And I don't want to be thinking about it because I am loving living here.

So. There's a lot going on in SusieWorld. Now it's time for Girls Night Out. See ya!

Introducing Smokey

Because we already have the Bandit.
And no, that's not our carpet or wallpaper - it's from the foster home. Thank God.

2008 In Review

Most people start the New Year with a resolution. I have a horrible habit of looking backwards instead of forwards. I sit and ponder the year gone by - what we did, what I would have liked to do, and what I would have done differently. I seem to always have the same secret wish for the upcoming year, and yet, rarely see many changes. This secret wish? I want to be better.

A better wife. A better mother. A better daughter. A better sister. A better friend. A better teacher. A better Christian. A better Daisy leader. Just better. It seems like so much to juggle and I tend to get overwhelmed, like I have so much to do, and I don't know where to start. So, I start with prayer.

Then, I get frustrated that things don't change immediately. I don't know what change I want, or what change I'm looking for. Just a change.

This will be the the Year of the Change. I'm changing my attitude, you see. Not so much my actions. Instead of perfection, I'm going for "as good as I can do". And in most of the areas, I can honestly say "I'm doing the best I can do." I will have a lot of changes this year in my life as I turn 40. Moving again is a biggie.

(as a side note- Chris just made me a kick-a%% milk shake, which he said "Fits in well with our new diet! Creamery ice cream, vanilla, chocolate malt and milk.)

Selling a house, buying a house, moving kids, pets, stuff. Finding a job.

However, in the midst of all the turmoil, I am thankful. Thankful for my relationships. Without the people I have in my life, I wouldn't have much life at all. Especially my husband, kids, mom, and friends. I value those relationships more than life itself. So, I just want to say thanks. Thanks for being you. Thanks for making me laugh. Thanks for letting me cry. Thanks for celebrating with me, hanging out with me, and talking on the phone with me.

But watch out. I'm the girl with the New Attitude!

Another Christmas, come and gone...

I haven't posted in awhile for two reasons -

1. I didn't want to lose the picture of me at the top (totally selfish, I know!)

2. I was busy with Christmas. I LOVE Christmas!!

We had various activities here in the Solo household. Christmas parties, cookie decorating, caroling, church services... the same as across the world. As we were singing in church on Christmas Eve and I looked around, seeing lots and lots of friends and their children, I was filled with amazement. I was wondering how many people across the world were singing Christmas carols at that exact same time. All singing, all joyous, all for the same reason. I'm sure the angels loved it.

Molly did not have an extravagant Christmas list. An Easy Bake oven and Connect 4, which she got, and he threw in the Polly Pocket Jet for good measure.

Do you wonder who is taking the pictures? We have the best neighbor in the world, Rebecca. Not ONLY did she wrap all of the gifts and hide them at her house, but they came over before 7 on Christmas morning armed with a camera and fresh quiche for breakfast!! Boy are we going to miss her and Jim when we move....they are irreplaceable.

Michael had a short list, too. He asked for Lincoln Logs, Battleship, and Sorry. Santa delivered. It will be a sad, sad year when they ask for expensive gifts!! We are encouraging them to stay young and little as long as we can. They grow up only too fast....

Christmas is a funny time when you have kids. I think the best quote was from Michael as he was dumping out his stocking. Our kids get very little candy, so the contents are a bit..."different" from most stockings, I'm sure. Michael shouts out "YES!! My favorite MEAT!!" Santa had delivered some beef jerky. I had to sit there and laugh out loud at that one.

As I sit here and think about Christmas and all that we've done, I will have several favorite memories. A childhood favorite memory is watching out the door to see my grandparents driving down from Amherst, MA. They would have stopped by my aunts and uncles in northern VA and picked up all of the presents and be arriving like Santa's sleigh down the old dirt road. Grandma would have a blanket on her lap and Grandpa would be driving, because she never learned to drive. Can you imagine that today? We would all bound out of the house for hugs, kisses, and of course, to help unload all of those presents!!

An old-ish favorite memory is caroling at the VA hospital in OH with Chris's office. I love carols.

Now we are making new memories. I wonder if my kids will remember they got to eat dinner in their pajamas on Christmas night, and they didn't get dressed for 3 days because they were busy playing!?

Now, my friends, here is my question for you. What do you remember most about Christmas past, and what do you hope your family will remember about Christmas present?? (Even though I'm sure what our families will remember is NOT what we had planned for them to remember!!)

Check ME out!

Now, let me tell you the short story behind the picture...

We had a book club weekend in Monticello. Erin is a photographer. A real one, actually. I know, I know, it seems like the "in" thing to do is buy an expensive camera, get a website, and start calling yourself a photographer. Everybody knows one of those. C'mon, don't sit there and pretend you don't. Someone who can't even get the subjects to look at the camera, much less get a decent shot of them. Well, Erin is not one of those. As evidenced by the photo.

I am not photogenic, that's no secret. I usually HATE having my picture taken, that's no secret either. I also don't like singing in front of anyone over the age of 4, but I digress. I knew that she was good at taking pictures. But I had never really been around her because I had my kids way before she started taking pictures. I had decided I did not want her to take my picture. Until she whipped it out. The camera, people...the camera. This is a family blog, remember?

All of the sudden, I realized it might be my one shot in life to get a decent picture. You know, the one to use for an obituary one day, or just to make me think that I - at one time - had a decent picture taken. And here it is, voila!

Please don't send me hate comments about your friends that bought expensive cameras and are great photographers. I already have Erin. She's the butter. Everyone else is just Parkay.

I've made a decision -

I've decided that I always want a table in my kitchen. It doesn't have to be big, or nice, or even totally cleaned off. Actually, a cheap flat surface will suffice. But here's why.

Last night was an evening that I had always dreamed of, yet one that you can't plan. I had gone to the gym, so I was only wearing work-out clothes. I was preparing dinner, unloading and loading the dishwasher, etc. Molly was doing her "math homework" for kindergarten which involved hiding a certain number of her ten bears in a cream cheese tub. She had to figure out how many were hidden by counting what was left on the table.
I had just gotten a book in the mail. Not just any book, mind you. The Book. The book that I had ordered a few weeks ago. It was from Snapfish and was our trip to Europe from August. I had used a coupon that came from Oprah (don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about here...!) and ordered the book. SO, Michael was sitting here reading the book with me helping out with hard words, like architecture. He was LOVING looking at the book and reading it. Loving it I tell you.
I was doing mommy stuff, and they were doing kid stuff. All was well, all were happy. Right there at the kitchen table. Mixed up with their Playmobil Advent calendar toys. I couldn't have planned his good reading, or her good math work. All I could plan was the yummy dinner. Sitting at the dining room table eating that dinner with Chris, Michael, and Molly was pure heaven.
Oh, the icing on the cake? Molly's headband that she was wearing was reindeer antlers. Complete with bells. I can't look at that sight and not smile.

Our Thankful Life

I usually reflect at Thanksgiving at all of the blessings we have in our lives and how good God is to us.

I was able to go to the kids' elementary school for Molly's feast. Who wouldn't be thankful for THIS??

My mom, dad, and brother all came up for the week, arriving after the game last Sat. night. I was excited to tell them all about the game, the tailgate, and what we had been doing lately. It was our last tailgate for many years (except for the Blue/White game) and although it was a sad thought, our friends helped us really enjoy it. Perhaps too much.

I'm thankful for the family we always tailgate with, go to church with, go to brunch with, have children's choir with, have dinner with, and go ice skating with. I guess we do a lot together each week, huh? Here we are at our tailgate. Prime real estate, I tell you.

My family sat around a lot this week and laughed playing games, watching football, movies, and going to Wegman's. I think my mom started a new tradition. Why cook when you can just order Thanksgiving dinner from Wegman's and enjoy the day together??

Oh, we did go to an Amish house for lunch again. The day was extended by trips to the Amish tackle and boot shop, then the soap and candle shop, and finally the dry goods shop. They had all kinds of things there. I looked at the Amish bonnets, wondered if I could dress up as an Amish lady for Halloween next year, and decided it probably wasn't in great taste. But that would have been cool, huh?

Here is my mom sitting around while I took a picture for her Facebook page.

Today Chris took the kids to Millbrook Marsh. I am thankful for this family of mine.

I'm thankful for a wonderful husband (he really is, I'm not just saying that...) and two beautiful, healthy, happy children. I wonder what I have done to deserve all of this. I'll never know. But I AM thankful.

Did you hear?

Who passed his comprehensive exam and now only has to defend his dissertation in May?? Yup, my hubbie. Christopher James Solo. Soon to have a PhD.

Life is good in the Solo household. Real good.

We went to Great Wolf Lodge with Heather and Scott last weekend to celebrate. What an incredible time THAT was!! The kids were all old enough to play together while the adults rode slides, or they could go down the slides with us. The kids played like cousins all weekend. Just good ol' playing. And loving every minute of it... It was relaxing and fun with a best friend along. And to top it off, guess who we met for dinner?

Heather and I took the kids out of school for the day on Monday (yup, we teachers value our kids education!) and then on Monday night we stopped in D.C. to have dinner with Mark. A pretty perfect ending to a pretty perfect weekend.

Things I Want to Remember

- Molly got upset with Michael because she was left to pick up the game. She came out saying "He force-fielded. I have to pick up, but I won because he force-fielded." I think she meant he forfeited.

- We were talking about moving across country to Colorado again next summer, and how the dog and the cat don't get along. We discussed possibly getting two rooms, one for me and Michael and Bandit, and the other for Chris, Molly and Jamba. However, it would have to be a hotel that allows pets. Michael chimed in "Like the Hampster Inn?" I think HE meant Hampton Inn.

- Chris has the kids making a scrapbook for earning a Scouting badge. Michael glued a picture of them going into a haunted house at Acacia fraternity. His caption? "I whent to a hatetit hous." I don't think the brothers at Acacia would agree.

An Explanation

That picture WAS the parade. The WHOLE parade. We walked around the block. That was it. People in the cars waved to us as we walked by, and the truck held up the traffic for us. We may have been small, both in stature and number, but boy, did we have FUN! It just cracks me up, still.

Happy Veteran's Day!!


We had our Veteran's Day Parade at school today, and it was the best ever. Check it out!


P.S. I found the camera!! On my dresser.

Where's the Camera?

Remember the old Wendy's commercial that said "Where's the beef?" (If you do, you are OLD.) Well, I feel like saying that for my blog. I have pictures on the camera, I just can't FIND the camera.

Imagine a picture here of the kids trick-or-treating.

This is Abby, Molly, Michael, and Carter.

Here is a pumpkin that Chris carved, too.

Now, imagine a picture here of Chris and I heading out to a formal on Sat. night.

When I find the camera, I'll post the pictures. Any ideas where it could be? We didn't take it to the formal with us....so I have no idea. I guess if I cleaned the house, I'd find it. That's a big if.