Sunday was the March of Dimes March for Babies. It was a beautiful walk along the Erie Canal. Altogether, I’d say it was a much better walk than last year. More organized, more entertainment, more food, much better location. It was much harder to fundraise this year, though. That was my downfall. But as the family teams chairperson, I’m looking forward to calling people and getting feedback. Can’t wait to hear what they think of the new place, etc. I took several pictures, especially along the canal. I have never walked along the canal before, and would love to do it again in a different spot. There are lots of locations to walk along the canal. Anyway, here are the pics I took from the walk, in no particular order:

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I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here that we’ve been “church shopping.” Today was the second church that we’ve visited since we moved here. The last 2 Sundays somebody has been sick, so we’ve stayed home. This whole search is a lot harder than I anticipated. I guess part of me thought that I’d walk in and just know. That hasn’t happened yet, at least not like I imagined it. There are pros and cons to both churches, things we like and dislike. And obviously, we can’t judge these churches based on one Sunday there. We’ll have to spend several Sundays at each church to be able to decide.

One has a strong music program (i.e. choir) and the other needs a bit of help. Both of those things appeal to me. As a member of the choir at First Church in Erie, strong music is important. But I also recognize that maybe a weaker music program could use people like Brian and I. I was so blessed to have the choir instructor at FUMC Erie that I did. Bruce is phenomenal. And I miss it. But I’ve resolved myself to taking what he taught me in the 2-3 years I was a member of his choir and using it wherever I go next.

We also like the pastor at both churches. They both have great energy and good sermons.

But I’ll be honest. The one drawback about today’s church was that I can count on one hand the number of people who greeted us, and that bugs me. I know to some, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. But honestly, if you see someone who is new and you want them to come back, making them feel welcome is a pretty darn good way of doing that. Dh says that sometimes first impressions aren’t everything. I’ll concede that, to a point. But first impressions have a big impact on me. They aren’t the be-all, end-all, but they are importnat. I guess we’ll have to go back to see if my first impression can be changed at all.

For now, we continue on this spiritual journey of finding a church.

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Packing is back into full swing here. I decided to take a few days off for Christmas and to visit with my mom and step-dad, who were here visiting with us. Today, I have spent the day vigorously packing up the kitchen, leaving only what I know I absolutely need. You find out quickly when you move what you can live with and what you can live without. I’m at that point right now; deciding what I can and can’t live without for the next 2 weeks.

But, I did want to stop and say that I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. I also want to wish you a Happy New Year. Please be safe if you’re headed out tonight. For the first time in a long time, we’re all 5 going to be spending New Years eve together. Not since we moved here have we done that because Brian’s usually working. Currently, he’s on his way home with our new van (pictures tomorrow). Then it’s off to bed after the ball drops so that he can leave tomorrow for Rochester. He starts on Wednesday!

On a different note, our Christmas went well. The boys were convinced that Santa had made a mistake because they found Wii games and controllers in their stockings, but no sign of the Wii itself. Little did they know that Santa had left it under the tree. Boy were they excited when they opened that up on Christmas morning! They have picked it up pretty well. Even Alex, who bowled a 170 last night in the Wii Sports bowling game! He’s gonna give us all a run for our money! We still have one more Christmas to do, and that will be tonight. My inlaws have sent their Christmas gifts home with Brian in the van, so I’m sure there’ll be more “oohs” and “aahs” tonight. I did not take pictures, but I took a video, so once I get that downloaded, I’ll post it for anyone who’s interested. I need to get it off of there, anyway, so B can take the camera for pictures of the place we’re considering renting up there. The good news is we ought to have that figured out by the end of the week. What a relief that will be, having a place to be able to move all of our stuff to when the time comes!

Ok, I’ve dawdled enough. Time to get back to work.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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If you’ve seen Jack’s blog today, you already know our big news. We are leaving Erie. I am saddened to leave Erie, but excited by the prospect that moving to Rochester, NY brings. Erie has been our home for the bulk of our marriage and family life, which is why it is going to be so hard to leave. It’s the only home our kids have known, but they seem ok with our impending move, albeit a little apprehensive. I expected them to react much worse to the news, but there were only a few tears. I think it will help them to be involved with the packing process. And, I think they are intrigued by the idea of having their own rooms. Well, at least the twins are excited about not having to share a room with Alex. I can’t say that Alex is excited about having his own room. He wants to be with his bubbies. That will certainly take some getting used to for him.

So, in the interest of packing, I’m likely going to be neglecting my blog for quite some time. I’ll try to pop in at least a couple of times between now and then, especially when I need a break from packing. However, if I don’t find that I’m able to, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my readers!

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