Bunco Baby!!

I dont know why I ever thought it would be hard to find friends in Texas- Jarelyn wouldnt stand for it! I have to give her all the credit for my latest adventure. At our Monday night cookout she befriended a couple of kids and their dad ended up befriending Jared and I back! lol Come to find out he is the son of the owners of our RV park. We exchanged phone #s and on Tue he called to invite me to play Bunco with his wife as a sub in their group. I almost didnt go but Jared encouraged me to give it a try. I am so glad I went it was so fun! Every month one of the girls hosts the girls night with dinner, drinks, and dessert! We played 3 rounds(this is a dice game if you are like me and had heard of Bunco but didnt have a clue what it was). At the end of the night they give out prizes for the most wins, buncos, loses, and snake eyes. Everyone pitches in $6 and that is the "prize". I tied with Jasons mother in law for the most wins 13! We had to have a rolloff to see who won. I was a little more timid than normal for me(anyone that has ever competed with me at a baby/bridal shower game will know what I mean!!)I offered to just split the pot with her and the girls said no way this is for $$ girl! We rolled for the first Bunco(3 of a kind) and I won! I have always liked playing dice. My dad started me out early playing ship captain crew, rolling for the jukebox was so much fun. To my pleasant surprise I treaure those memories. Jared took Jarelyn to Jason and Chandra's and she got to play with Dylan and Lainey. It was really a winning night for all of us.
We went from having no friends to having too much to do! Friday some friends we've made in the park are having a send off cook out before they leave. Sat Scott, Christa, and Rachel invited us over for dinner and Sunday we have another bday party!
Today I feel very content and at perfect peace. Although I dont know why, I know this is where the Lord wants me and my family to be.

A Week in Fast Forward

This week has been pretty good. It is spring break here and the lake and park are full! Jarelyn has loved making lots of new friends(even if they were just for a week)! I remember as a kid setting up kool-aid stands with friends in Eden(you can imagine our great success-LOL). My own little entrepreneur was a lot smarter than I was at that age. She got out her art supplies and created beautiful “master pieces”. She then informed me she was having a “yard sale”! Many campers walked by our camp smiling at Jarelyn and passing by. She decided to take advertising to another level as “they must not know what a yard sale is in Texas”… She had her dad make a sign that should say in BIG letters Yard Sale! Jared instead created a sign that said, “I’m cute huh!” Jarelyn doubted her dad and came to ask mom if he had completed it correctly! She is too smart… discrediting myself I smiled and said yep it looks great. I hope she will forgive me. Jarelyn finally lured in her first victim aka customer and the woman had obviously watched many unsuccessful kool-aid stands of her own, because she careful looked over each piece of art and then said that she would have to go to her camper to get some money but that she would be back. I smiled as I listened inside and was thankful that she had at least made Jarelyn feel noticed in her endeavor. To my surprise a few minutes later she came back and gave Jarelyn a dollar for a signed master piece! She thanked the lady and ran in the camper to show me she had earned her first REAL dollar! I buy things but we use our imagination for moneyJ
Another neighbor (Mike that travels with construction) has a cute little puppy that loves Jarelyn. Her name is Dixie and last week had to have a little surgery on her tummy. Jarelyn worked very hard to make her little crafts and cards to help her get better. On Thurs we had Scott from Jared’s work over for dinner-Christa and Rachel were still gone for spring break. We baked cupcakes and when Mike and Dixie stopped by on their evening walk Jarelyn couldn’t wait to give one to him. She really is the hostess with the mostest! When they were finally cooled off we frosted them and she ran one out right awayJ We had a good visit with Scott and look forward to getting to know their family better.
On Friday Mike brought Jarelyn a surprise of new markers(washable for mom) and colored pencils. Jarelyn felt like royalty. I was very proud of her manners and appreciation. Noni and Pa had sent a package that day with a Thumbelina coloring book so she couldn’t wait to color a picture for a thank you card for Mike and Dixie. Mike said he had another gift for her but wasn’t sure if mom would let her have it. He said it was a shipping pillow and that he used to play on them all the time when he was a kid. I had never heard of them. These things are SO FUN! It is a nylon gunnysack about 3 feet long and about 2 feet around full of air! Jarelyn rides it like a buckin’ bronco. It works as a teeter-totter also. I think every kid in the park has been by to play with the strange toy! Jarelyn was so great though before she ever went out and played on it she came in and made her thank you card! When Jared got home he told me he had volunteered us to help a co-worker move at 8:30 in the morning. Some people will say I’m crazy but I was so excited! Todd and Sherry have 2 little girls (2 & 4) so it was more friends for Jarelyn to meet.
We got up early to go help move Todd and Sherry. The lived in a small neighborhood and so Jared thought it would be easy to find and didn’t bother with small details like what road or house #. We drove up and down every street twice and never found them. I was a little put out- okay he was in deep trouble! He had at least gotten directions to their new house so I said lets head over there and maybe we could at least help un-load their stuff. Just as we left another one of Jared’s co-workers Roy pulled up beside us on the road they rolled down their windows and he said that Todd’s house was back that way. Jared waved and asked if he had caught any fish. WHAT?!! (Roy was camping at the lake for the weekend and Jared didn’t really hear what he said) Roy shrugged his shoulders and started rolling up his window. Jared looked at me and said I think he said Todd’s house is back that way… LOL I said ya you think! He motioned for them to pull over. Roy gave us the address and luckily we were able to still help them move. They are good people. Roy and Rod(another warrenCAT guy) helped move them too. It was fun getting to know them and was nice to know that there are good people here willing to help each other out. After we got things unloaded we went to a birthday party for Jewels across the lake. Jarelyn had fun with all the little girls running around and screaming!
Today we went to church- it was refreshing to get to go to church, but it sure isn’t home! It is going to take a while to get used to Texans I suppose! Maybe in was Pima that was so crazy! LOL Maybe this IS normal?!
We have been looking at probably getting a bigger camper and just staying here at the lake. Although work is steady here now I am not sure about getting a house or signing a lease any where and Jared doesn’t want to rent and throw our money away so this seems to be our compromise that we both feel comfortable with for now. While we are looking if something else is meant to happen I guess we will adaptJ It is hard to beat waking up at the lake though- even in our little camper!
My new out look on life reflects a saying I came across in my reading last week:
There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those that say, “Thy will be done”, and others that force the Lord to say, “Fine have it your way”!

Sunshine and tears

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, full of sunshine... a welcomed sight after almost a week of clouds, rain, and cold! The lake is full of families boating and fishing together making today even harder. When we left AZ I told everyone goodbye without much waterworks, but today hugging JT and Joey and sending them back nearly broke my heart! I know we will all make the best of this, but not having them here with us is harder than anything Ive ever had to go through in the past. I am already counting down the days 'til summer vacation!
On a happier note, we had a lot of fun while they were here. We made the best of the bad wheather by going and looking at houses. On Thurs we all celebrated Jared's birthday. He was so excited to get a new pair of boots(especially because I had told him there was NO WAY that was going to happen!)
We decided to check out the rollerskating/blading rink here. The kids had a blast. Jarelyn liked iceskating better- I think they all did, but there was a jumping castle and arcade to keep Jarelyn entertained and the boys chased each other around all night! Jared and I just watched and laughed. So many friends and family called or sent txt to tell Jared happy birthday- Thankyou! I wish we could have all been spending it together. On Friday Gma/pa D got here and brought David(a new "adopted" grandkid). I rented a cabin here at the rv park right behind us for them to stay in. It was nice being able to be together. Sat we all went to check out the town. It was fun to show off our new little area and I got to go to a few antique shops:) Im not sure I really appreciate seeing stuff I grew up with in an antique store!! IM NOT THAT OLD!

For dinner we went to Zetner's Daughters one of the oldest stake houses in SA. It is really yummy and have HUGE plates! Our waiter was so funny, he was probably the best waiter Ive had at a restraunt. Jared was worried that I liked him "a little too much" LOL he liked to travel, was working on his masters, was cute and witty, Jared said that was the first time in our married life he felt insecure. I told Jared I didnt need that much competition and the fact that he was gay should reasure him he had nothing to worry about!
We went to show everyone the house we looked at after dinner. It is across the street from a guy Jared works(Scott and his wife Christa) with and they have a little 5yr old named Rachel. We were in the back yard and could hear them out front. Jared said there's Rachel, and the boys asked who that was. Jarelyn(who has never met Rachel) said as she ran back around to the front, oh she's my best friend from SA! Their house is a lot like the layout of the one we were looking at so they offered to let us come see theirs. Jarelyn and Rachel hit it right off. They both have the same princess poster hanging over their beds even! They played for about 1/2 and hour while we all talked. They are on Spring Break here next week and Christa and Rachel are going to visit her parents, but we planned a play date when they get back. We went to the mall to get the boys a Texas Longhorn shirt and they ended up picking hats instead:) When we got back to the park we all sat around the cabin telling stories and laughing. It was a great way to end our time together. Today I got the laundry done and updated my blog so it must be time for a nap:) ttfn

room to play

This is the 2nd time I have tried to post this so it will be a lot shorter this time! We got to go to Odessa with Jared for his NEOP training. Before we left I had looked up some things online. When we first moved to SA I asked Jarelyn if she wanted to be in soccer or dance or cheer and she said um I will do iceskating! LOL what? Well the mall here has a rink so I surprised the kids by taking them to skate. Jarelyn's eyes got so big. Mom she said, Ive been dreaming of this for so long!" Some days there is nothing more rewarding than being a mom! The kids did so good. Jarelyn was so determind and within 30min was out in the middle of the ice doing spins and jumping and other "tricks". JT and Joey were having a blast chasing each other and playing cops n robbers. They skated for a full 2 hrs, right up to closing time. Before we hit the mall we had to find a bed for Daisy. We dont know anyone to feed her while we are gone yet and Warren booked our hotel and they dont allow pets. It was clear on the other side of town but we found it and made it back pretty easy. I am getting good at finding my way around new places! Thanks Dad for teaching me North, South, East, and West. I am surprised how many people dont have a good since of direction or even know where North is in there hometown:) After we left the mall we met Jared for dinner and then went back to the hotel. The pool was freezing and it was wendy anyway. Jarelyn had bought a new swim suit just for our trip and wanted to swim so bad. I just filled up the bathtub and she was good to go. She is such a trooper always happy with the simple things. I hope she always keeps that attitude. It was so nice to take a shower all by myself! Jared and I are looking forward to sleeping on a real bed and the kids are happy to have room to play!

Spring Break came early:)

Spring Break isnt for antoher week here in TX but in AZ it is a week earlier! Having the boys here has been great! Jarelyn loves having them to play with, I just feel like our family is more complete. They love it here too. They cant wait for summer to be out on the lake! Jarelyn has been talking non stop telling them she "knows all about San Angelo"! We went to the skate park and Joey was in heaven! He woke up this morning ready to go back. We are looking at some cloudy skies and 30% chance of rain. Kind of a bummer for skate park plans, but we really need the water. It is amazing how everything greens up so fast after every drop of water! The boys are in shock over the wildlife. They have seen a lot of deer, turkey, armadillos, and an oppossom so far. We went and looked at a few houses yesterday. One of them I really liked a lot. I found the school dist I want us to be in so now the hunt is on:) The boys say they dont care if they have a bedroom they would rather live out on the lake! I have found 2 smaller houses out on the lake that we have looked at. Living at the marina has spoiled us. I love waking up and sitting in my front yard looking out over the lake. The good thing though is the houses we are looking at are 6 miles from the lake... so even though we may not be right on it we will be close. It is pretty awesome, I can be at the lake or the mall in 10min! We made it through the time change I think... how long does it take your body to adjust:) My body still says I should be in bed!LOL Happy Monday everyone! Have someone give you a hug for us! We luv and miss ya'll(guess Im going to have to give in)! ttfn-the McClain clan

Its FRIDAY!!

well we made it through week two! everyday is a bit of a two step... somedays its two steps forward and one step back. Last night we had a really nice night. The weather is beautiful right now. it has been a little windy but in the evening sitting outside watching the deer graze and listening to some great Texas music, we realized how long we have been living for work, and are excited to have a "job" that Jared can leave and come home to live! Jarelyn and Daddy played catch yesterday and both had a blast. Jared asked her if she missed Eden, and she said no I luuuuv San Angelo! She is the biggest trooper of all of us. She says when we get "our real house" LOL she is getting a bunny and a fish and a pink goat(she saw one at the fair last weekend- kinda like what we do with chicks for Easter back in AZ) JT & Joey will be here tomorrow- we are SO excited, two weeks has seemed really long without them. My wonderful in-laws are bringing the boys out to spend srping break with us and we are excited to show them our new town too! The lake is great. Everyday kids come out in big fancy boats with their music jammin' and look like they dont have a care in the world. Its fun just watching, but Im looking forward to sharing in with the fun first hand too:) I have internet at home now! it is so nice! it is a little quirky sometimes it works really well not so much others. maybe because we live next to the airport. Oh ya last night we saw our first Armadilla(SP?). There was a big one and three little guys. They are so fun. Jared wanted a pic on his cell so I got out and tried to chase it closer to him! Jarelyn was laughing so hard, we all were. Jared thought I was a nut and said I was going to get attacked. I wasnt too worried I would still only have to out run Jared:) heeheehe There are deer all over here. I thought in the "city" we wouldnt have to worry but they are everywhere! Jared has to do some training in Mid/dessa next week, so Warren is going to put us all up in a hotel so the boys will still be able to spend time with Jared. We still cant decide what to do about where to live. Everything that is for rent(houses anyway) are gone the day they list them or they are way scary or way over priced. We have been thinking about trading in our camper for a bigger one and just staying in it out at the lake. We really like it out here if they would let us stay for a year I would probably lean that way. It will be fun to see how the summer months are here. This is THE PLACE everyone goes for weekend get aways. I feel better today than I have about just enjoying the ride. We have a place to live at least until the end of June so we'll see what happens by then. This weekend we will get to experience day light savings time. Im glad it is on a Sat! We just got used to the time difference from AZ. Now we will be 2 hours ahead of everyone back home. I remember this when I was a nanny in VA, all my friends would call at midnight! Thank you so much for everyone that has called/wrote it has really helped all of us not get too homesick. We are very blessed to have a great family and friends to support us. Hugs and kisses- the mcclain clan:)