Birthday Buddy

How many people are lucky enough to have a birthday buddy?

birthday buddy -  a person with whom you share the same date of birth

I happen to be one of those fortunate people and my buddy just happens to be my Papa.

Born on the same exact day, May 19th, but 67 years apart, we shared many great birthday celebrations together and a special bond because of it.

Today, he would have been 93. I miss him every day, but especially today when I feel such a connection to him.

Happy Birthday Papa!

I love you.

NYC Reads

I just purchased a couple of new reads about New York. I really hope these are good insights to the place we'll be calling home for the next two years. I don't want to look back and dwell on all the fabulous hidden gems of the city that we didn't see.

The first book is about the markets (artisan, farmer, food, and flea) in NYC. How exciting! I'm sure we'll see some really interesting things, and people, at these markets.

This book goes through the can't miss places of the city. It explores everything from the more traditional spots to the nearly unknown and everything in between.

Kyle will obviously be busy, but some rotations will be lighter that others and he will have most weekends off. It's those times that I hope to flip open one of these books and say "Let's go there!".

Maybe if you visit, I'll take you there too!

Movin'

I you haven't already heard, we're moving! To New York City. Brooklyn to be exact.

This is a move we've been anticipating for what seems like forever and we finally know our next step and have a date scheduled. Kyle will begin rotations July 2nd.

Kyle and I will be traveling to "The Big Apple" at the end of May to find an apartment before making the long road trip, trailer in tow, from AZ to NY in June (oh the anxiety I have about that...I just hope we don't have to sell our organs to afford the potential shoebox we will call home).

I am beyond ready for this move. We will finally get to use everything we got for our wedding, 2 1/2 years ago (dishes, silverware, glasses, gadgets, etc.). Up to this point it's been in a box in our storage unit (it sort of looked like a Crate and Barrel wearhouse) while we lived in furnished apartments with semi-stocked kitchens. With this move, we'll get to use our furniture, decorate the way we want to, and create our very first home. I get giddy just thinking about it.

AZ Wine

Arizona is usually perceived as a bone-dry state where it's 120 degrees year round, where we all ride horses, and kick around tumbleweeds for fun. This, however is completely false.

 Parts of AZ are a desert with cactus and the whole nine yards, it does get warm in the summer, but there are also mountains, pine trees, 2 ski resorts, and a small wine country. Yes, that's right, wine country. This was even news to me. Thanks to my "wine savvy" in-laws we got a complete tour!

Five wineries, lots of tasty vino, a new appreciation for the diversity of Arizona, great views, great company, one amazing day!

What's New

Well, we're back in Arizona and here's what's new:

• Kyle got his score back on his exam and did very well (I'm a proud wifey)
• I've been back teaching and have been as busy as can be subbing all over, trying to be the bread winner for our family
• We've gone through every box in our storage unit deciding what makes the cut to be labeled "keep"
• Kyle is finding ways to occupy his new found time, mainly out on the golf course or just relaxing, a completely foreign concept to him
• We've been finding every minute we can to hang out with friends and family, unsure of how much time we have here
• We should know in the next week or so where we'll be going for Kyle's rotations
• We've been trying to figure the best, most economical, and logical way to get our stuff from here to wherever, all while making a pit stop in St. Louis

That's what's been going on around here. It's a very exciting and stressful time. I'm not sure if it's the calm before the storm or if we're already in the storm. Either way, it's the start to a whole new city and adventure for the two of us. We'll let you knew where our next stop will be, asap!