Sunday, April 27, 2014

First Impressions

We've been in Dickinson a little over a week and a half. It feels like we've been here much longer than that though. 

Some pictures of our first two weeks:
Swimming in the Hotel Pool
Saige in goggles
 As I was walking to the grocery store the first day we got here, I met a couple who had just moved here the same day and that have 7 kids. The husband, James, also works at Conoco Phillips, so I asked Dave to look for him at training since Dave and James were starting on the same day. The guys found each other easily during orientation, and our family and theirs became fast friends. We had them over to our hotel to go swimming a few times, and even ate Easter Dinner with them. They have unfortunately gone to training in Colorado for 3 months, but we hope to have them over for dinner when they come back to North Dakota.
Letters to classmates and friends

Before the girls were back in school, we spent an afternoon writing letter to friends and classmates. Julia is such a perfectionist, that it took us a while to get a letter written to her class and a friend. But, we finally got it!

Sweet Sleepers

Sweet sleeping babe
Sleeping in a hotel gives Dave and I the opportunity to see our daughters sleep. It is so sweet! And, now we know that one of the girls grinds her teeth for a long time, the other girl grinds her teeth in short clicking like sounds, and the baby laughs and cries in her sleep. It's been an interesting experience.

But despite a slightly less amount of sleep, we have been able to go on some pretty wonderful adventures. Last weekend we visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We had such a wonderful and exhausting day!
A Herd of Buffalos
We saw several herds of buffalo. We counted that we saw about 100 buffalo in the few short hours we were at the park last weekend. It was so invigorating!
Can you See the Baby?
Looking for the Baby Buffalo
It's a little windier in North Dakota...


Buffalo Right By the Van

Girls on the Hilltop
We let the girls get out, and we went on a short climb/hike.
This View from our Short Hike

Another View...See the Van?
It was unbelievably windy up there. But, it was so great! We can't wait to go back to the park and hike to the petrified forest!
Wild horses!

We also saw prairie dogs, turkeys, birds and cows that day. We look forward to going back to see more wildlife.

Theodore Roosevelt's Summer Cabin
The girls loved learning about Theodore Roosevelt and all the wildlife, and so did Dave and I. We plan to camp and horse back ride at the park in the summer. The small town near the park, Medora, also has a musical that runs for about a month in the summer, that we can't wait to see. 

We are loving life in North Dakota! So far, our first impressions of North Dakota have been great. We will see how we feel when next winter hits. :) 

Thanks for reading,
Amber

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Bon Voyage, Houston!

I thought I'd add some pics of our families' last few days in Houston. These are very bittersweet to look at. I miss our friends and our church. 
Lydia got to have Bono- the stuffed monkey that her class took turns bringing home.
 I was thankful that Lydia got a turn to have Bono on some of her last days of school.
A show before bed
 I love seeing these sweet sisters lined up.
My last Tuesday Team Meeting
 I really miss my Keller Williams family!
Wednesday Night Small Group Members

Wednesday Night Small Group Members

Wednesday Night Small Group Members

Wednesday Night Small Group Members
 Crying now. I miss all of these people.
Welcome Baby Daniel
 Dave's brother and his brother's wife had a baby in the last few days before we moved. We loved welcoming the baby into the world!
Making a "Welcome to the World" Poster

Baby Daniel Sloan and Saigie

Baby Daniel and LydiaLou

Julia bug, the baby hog

Catching the bus on the last day


Pappasito's after Church. 

CityCentre near our Houston Townhouse
 The building in the middle is actually the hotel we stayed in for our last night in Houston.

Saying Goodbye to friends at school. 
 I was surprisingly teary when picking the girls up that day at school. It is still hard to think about.
Mrs. Vanderhorst and Lydia
 Mrs. Vanderhorst was a little teary too. That didn't help dry my eyes any.

The girls start their new school on Tuesday.
Mrs. Suppatkul and Julia
The Infinity Pool at the Westin in the Houston CityCentre
Dave and the girls swam while I got kolaches for breakfast. We had to make sure to have some before we left. 
Watching Frozen on the way to Dickinson.
 Lydia's concerned look is just because of the movie.

Thanks for the nearly five great years, Houston. We miss all the wonderful people and restaurants we were so blessed to have known. Living in this hotel even makes me miss our townhouse...sometimes.

Blessings, Amber