Grafton Notch State Park

screw auger falls
This weekend we camped just outside of Grafton Notch State Park. We drove in to do day hikes on Saturday and then Sunday we found a hike close to the site.

Maine is beautiful. On Saturday, we all hiked to Table Rock. Mermaid and Extraordinary Views
According to the signage, the views were extraordinary. We thought they were pretty good as well. Only a few trees have changed color, so the full Fall Effect is missing. Monkey and I hiked down while Mermaid and Jesse hiked another 3 hours. At the Lean-to on the Appalachian Trail
I'm so glad that she likes to hike. J said that she was pretty fast and barely complained. Love that kid.

The next day we found Step Falls. Absolutely amazing. Pictures? Nope. Sorry. And best of all, the sun was shining, the wind wasn't blowing, and you could almost imagine what it would be like in summer. Glorious.
rare photo of me
My favorite part of the trip was hanging out with the kids with nowhere to go and nothing to do but play. It was some serious family time. FUN!

My brother Pete doesn't have any kids of his own. If he never does, I'd like him to rest assured that some of his genetics will be passed down by her:



And just to re-emphasize:



This morning, her alarm clock woke up Jesse, two rooms away.

Losing It and Getting Lost. But I Expect to be Found on Thursday.

I'm not sure where my temper keeps going. I'm also not sure why the kids can't sit on their chairs at church, obey certain safety rules, or eat their dinner without screaming. I might find out. Maybe on Thursday.

We had our first adventure on Labor Day. We drove to the beach and stopped at two old forts. Have you read One Morning in Maine? You should. Maine looks exactly like the illustrations.

What you don't see in the pictures are the enormous, slow, and potent mosquitoes. Yikes. It's taken me a week to mostly get over them.

We almost stopped at Popham Beach. I'm sure it was beautiful. We just couldn't get ourselves to pay since we have no proof of residency just yet. We are trying to not be so cheap, but it's hard.

On the way back, Jesse guided us with one of his newer acquisitions. The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. Which found us on some crazy dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. It was crazy but kind of fun. (I think Jesse hasn't come to terms with his 4WD lifestyle but hypermiling desires.) So we bumped along in our Fit. (This was reminiscent of some 4WD-ing we did in Oregon on logging roads he found in a map, but that was scary, not crazy.) We ended up where we meant to be, but it was mostly gut navigation.

But come Thursday, those who once were lost will now be found. Our GPS should be delivered on Thursday. Our next adventure might lose some of the thrill, but now we can blame the gps if we get lost or on some funky logging road. And Boston won't seem so overwhelming if I know I can depend on my Navi to get me from Ikea to Trader Joe's, to the church cannery and back to the Ames'.

If only it could show me where my temper is.

First Day of Pre-K

We were lucky enough to win the pre-k lottery. Monkey had her first day where she painted and made a new friend. She was a little disappointed with all the rules: no going up the slide, can't use the swings until they take out the baby swings, no holding hands with your new friend when you're in line. She and her new friend almost switched moms because they traded nametags on the bus ride home. They wanted to be able to remember their new friend's name (they can't read), but the driver doesn't know them yet, so he almost dropped Monkey off somewhere else. Glad we got her home safely.

Do you love the shoes? 2.98 at Goodwill. Sweet.

The New House

The only room in order is the living room. I want to get a new rug, but it will have to wait until we get paid. And I need to recover the couches. But otherwise, it looks way better than anywhere else in our house.

This is our kitchen. That's our table from our old house in the middle of the space. See what I mean about a huge space? The layout has much to be desired. There are cupboards and counters on the right, but nowhere else. The fridge and stove are on the left. We will probably head out to Ikea and get two kitchen carts. One for next to the stove and the other next to the table. We'll post more pics as the rooms come together. Meaning, when we get beds.

Arrivals

After our crazy tour of California and Oregon, we have arrived. There are tons of pictures to share. Tons of stories to tell.

We are exhausted. Monkey keeps losing me in the house. I never thought I'd say this, but my kitchen is too big. I miss my friends. And my family. And Target and Trader Joe's.

Whine, whine, whine.

Here's just some of the good: Everyone I meet is really nice. Monkey may never have to learn how to say her R's. The weather is fantabulous. I have a garage door opener and a new barely used car to park in that garage. We're together as a family.

Pictures to come

Hey, Wake Up!

It's Moving Day!

Maybe I'll post some pictures later, but for now, I just want it recorded that after a fabulous meal (thank you Ramas) and some delicious lemon bars (thank you Britt), and 4 hours of sleep, I have been cleaning my house at 2:30 in the morning. Rest assured friends, it could have waited until morning. But here's a little known fact about me. Under stress, I am a touch manic. I know most of you have a hard time believing it. Laid back Bekah intently washing windows, folding clothes, cleaning the fridge, and wiping down cupboards at 3 in the morning (I started packing my suitcase, but it woke up Jesse).

So when I come crashing down in a couple of days, family, please forgive me. But the house looked really good when we left!