It's finally done!  We have moved out of our old house, into our new house, and sold our old house!  There were times when I doubted we would get to this place.  I doubted I would get all the boxes unpacked.  I doubted that our old house would ever be out of our possession.

But we have arrived and I feel so at home.  We have already entertained our first few rounds of house guests.  Pics to come soon!

PANAMA!

There is so much to say about our trip to Panama.  It was an incredible adventure.  We were so blessed to not only stay with my amazing grandparents, but also meet up with my Cousins Stephen and Gerta and Gerta’s husband Chris.  Gerta is from Chiriqui, so she took us to many cool sites, hooked us up with some great excursions, and helped us find Wifi every now and then, too. 

Check out my Shutterfly book of our trip!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Red Light, Green Light

You remember that childhood game, don’t you?  The one where you run as fast as you can towards the finish line until the one in charge yells, “STOP!” and you come to a screeching halt.  You wait on anxious tippy toes until you hear “GO!” so you can once again race forward.   

That is about how life has been for us lately.  We are running several different races right now. 

Race #1:  Ronnie and I had been casually looking at houses in search of something that would fit our growing needs.  We were in no rush as our current home offers the right amount of space for now.  Several weeks ago, we found a home that seemed to fill most of our must have list while staying within our budget AND was located in our current neighborhood.  After touring the house, we knew we needed to make an offer.  We listed our house that evening and two days later made an offer on the new house.  Our offer was accepted and our house sold on the same day!  We were ecstatic!  We were racing forward at lightning speed! 

But then we halted.  Our buyers for our home backed out as we waited for the new house to be inspected.  It was a standstill; the nail biting kind.  But another race was starting so we didn’t have time to think about that.

Race #2:  It had been a dream since we had met; to travel to Panama together so Ronnie could meet my extended family and visit my Grandparents’ house in Chiriqui.  We finally took the plunge, talked my cousin into joining us, and bought tickets back in December (well before the house race took off).  But the trip was coming up and we had to start packing. 

Race #3:  In the midst of the packing and house “stuff,” Ronnie started his job at the Indy VA.  That was a full on marathon to get to that point (see previous post). 

Race #1:  Before we could leave for Panama, we had to make a few purchases for the house.  We ordered new carpet for the upstairs and set up a time for it to be installed after the closing date but before our move date.  We needed to order our bed and make sure it could be delivered on the right date as well; before move, but after carpet.  Then there was the mountain of paper work for the loan that had to be sent in before we went off the grid. 

Race #2: We had adventure after adventure in Panama.  It was a trip of a lifetime.  But more on that later.  We enjoyed every moment, but deep inside we were still playing the waiting game; waiting for our house to sell, waiting for the loan to come through, and waiting for the big move.  Finally Sunday arrived and, after a week of pretending the rest of the world did not exist, we were ripped from our tropical paradise back to Indy and work life. 

Race #1:  No sooner did we fall into a groggy, jetlagged sleep, did our wonderful Realtor call to let us know we had a showing.  We had twenty minutes to re-contain our traveling items, scoop up the pups, and get out the door.  But it was worth it.  Later that evening, we got an offer on our house.  We were in full motion again, signing papers, setting appointments, and making phone calls. 

It is well into our work week now and we are balancing the demands of work, family, friends, packing, signing, planning, and calling.  We are in a full sprint.  For now.  We know once everything is wrapped up it will be a short wait until we close next week.  At least, we hope. 

UPDATE 3-27:

We hit another Red Light this week when our loan processor informed us that our loan would NOT be ready for closing on Friday.  In fact , he said it wouldn't be ready for THREE WEEKS.  We were angry.  Very angry.  But we decided to RUN this red light.  Ronnie spent hours and hours on the phone with different departments, banks, and realtors.  Soon, he had our wait time down to just 4 days.  So.... HOPEFULLY we will be closing on April 31st.  We will see.  *fingers crossed*

Ronnie's new job

Ronnie applied for an HR work study position at the Indy VA back in November or December.  The department was excited to hire him on, but the paperwork for his Voc Rehab education program required a mountain of documentation.  After over two months of frustrating hoops, it was nearly set up.  Just when things looked like they would finalize, Voc Rehab decided not to cover Ronnie’s next online school program.  This meant he would have to switch to the GI Bill.  The only catch: GI does not do work study.  Let the paperwork begin. 

Fast forward to the week before our trip.  Ronnie finally began working at the VA as an unpaid (volunteer) employee in HR.  The experience was worth the sacrifice, but the timing could not have been worse.  Between trying to sell our house and packing for vacation, there was not much free time to play with.  Regardless, he is loving his job and the potential it holds.  The people in his office love him and greatly appreciate his willingness to work as a volunteer.  They even said they hope to get him on as a PAID employee by the end of the month!  

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas filled to the brim with family fun.  Here are a few of my favorite photos.  :)

Christmas Stories

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of my mom reading Christmas books to me.  My all time favorites are ones my mom got from her aunt when she was young.  The first is called "The Cajun Night Before Christmas" and the second is a pre-qual called "Gaston, the Green Nosed Alligator."  My mom was the best at reading in a deep Cajun accent.  It was fun to break out the books again this year and hear her read them aloud to me and my now adult sisters and cousins.  We all laughed and poked fun as we snuggled on the couch with our presents.  What a great tradition.  

"Merry Christmas to all, 'till I saw you some 'mo!"

McCulley Family Visit!

Ronnie's family came for an early Christmas celebration the weekend before Christmas.  The time was extra special because Ronnie's sister brought her to adorable children ages two years and two WEEKS.  I was so excited to meet our new nephew and snuggle with him as well as play with our now babbling niece.  Our puppies were especially interested in the children too.  They did great with them and only wished to follow the toddler around and give her kisses (she wasn't too sure about that).  Some of the highlight from their visit included, playing a new game called Logo Party, eating at an authentic Honduran restaurant, attempting to play darts, and watching movies.  It was so great to see everyone and extra special to celebrate Christmas together.  

Peace on Earth

I don't know why, but I am super excited about Christmas this year.  It's not the presents, the lights, the Christmas music Ronnie loves to stream through the house, or even the adorable decorations we have everywhere.  I think this year just feels like a "real life" Christmas.  For the first time in many years, we are not in transition.  We are not stressed with finals and job hunting, worried about traveling great distances, or scurrying to buy gifts that pack easy.  We are in real life now.  And I love it.  It has been a relaxing holiday season filled with family and friends.  There were chaotic times, yes, but I'm at peace through it all.  What a great way to celebrate the birth of the King; with peace and joy and without pressure and madness.

We wish you all peace, joy, and happiness in this season and in the year to come.  Merry Christmas to all!

Our new nephew

We are so excited to have a new baby nephew!  He is adorable and snuggly and, hands down, our favorite little man. We cant wait to spoil him rotten.  Ronnie got to meet the little guy on his recent trip to Tulsa to visit his grandpa in the hospital.   

More baby showers!

It's in the water, folks.  You have been warned.  This time we had a lovely shower for a coworker and her sweet baby girl.  Little miss surprised her mommy by being a tad bit early too.  The shower was adorable (and just in the nick of time!) and we all had a great time.