Yikes...I'm slacking!

Wow! I can't believe that it has been so long since I have written on here. Here's a quick run down what what has been going on for us the past 6 weeks:

1. We closed on the house and got all moved in. We LOVE having a house!! It has been so fun to do little projects around the house and it is starting to really feel like our HOME now. I have been really impressed by how handy my husband is. So far he has installed new smoke detectors, hung a new rod in closet for my clothes (we got the heavy duty one...especially now that I work in retail), and he ran cable from the attic to one of the upstairs bedrooms! And he is still working like crazy at the hospital too. We have also painted the bathroom, repainted the shutters on the front of the house, and changed lighting fixtures inside the house. Joel and his dad also built a workbench in the basement. So you can see, we've been busy around the house...but we wouldn't trade it for anything! :)
2. I've been working more hours at the Loft so that has been keeping me busy. I am really enjoying the "easiness" of the retail world but I am starting to think about what I am going to do next year. I am constantly toying with the idea of going to grad school for counseling or going back to teaching. My thoughts about this change daily and I really have no idea what I'm going to do.
3. We have found a church that we absolutely love and have started to get involved there. We have both joined small groups and I am also doing a bible study. This is totally new for me, but it is a good change and something that we have both felt like we were missing in our lives. We have also made a lot of friends through church and everyone has been so welcoming.
4. We have been keeping busy with friends and have enjoyed several nights of dinner and football with one of Joel's fellow resident and his family. They have a 2 year old and needless to say we only have Winston. Good thing our dog is spoiled and has tons of toys that can also keep a toddler busy.
Hopefully within the next few weeks we will get the office, basement, and attic organized. We also have a few trips planned that we are really excited for. Later this month we are going to Brown County (in southern Indiana) with my family for a few days. This has been a tradition that my parents have done for 27ish years. I really love this weekend because it reminds me so much of my Uncle Jerry (I can't believe that it has been 3 years since he passed away...I miss him daily) and we always have so much fun. We are also heading to Orlando in November with my parents (and maybe brother). Joel has his first week of vacation in November and we are really looking forward to some warm weather. I'm sure he is looking forward to not being at the hospital. So far life is good in Peoria. It's not Kansas city, but it is slowly but surely becoming home.