what a whirlwind life has been. new town, new house, new store for scott, new ward, new state, new experiences.

wednesday and thursday of last week the movers came and packed us up. boy is that wonderful. i could never move without them now. and i couldn't have stayed sane over the process if it wasn't for some awesome people in good ol' Cookeville. My friend Kara helped me pry our cat out from inside my mattress box spring because he was so freaked out by all the boxes and noises. My wonderful visiting teacher Alyssa watched Jake for almost five hours while Scott and I cleaned like mad (she even changed two poopy diapers which makes her a gold star visiting teacher and instant access into heaven.) My friend and fellow YW leader Mandi brought over treats for the car ride. And the awesome, beautiful and incredible Riches sisters, Lindsay and Rachel, my adorable--and very capable might i add--young women, let us use their family's work truck and hose to haul trash and boxes and paper to the dump. Lindsay even climbed on top of the dumpster to get a work line going more efficiently. They ding dong ditched me a couple of times with treats and notes and I most definitely may have cried.

the service and love shown our family in Cookeville is just...i don't know even know how to express our gratitude. the people there are amazing. hard-working, kind and giving. truly special people. and we are so blessed to have known them. 

friday night, around 8 pm, after an exhausting day of moving and cleaning and goodbye-ing, we left the Riches house and headed for our new home. 6 hours away. we were beyond tired but figured Jake would sleep the whole way if we were lucky. scott was a trooper and drove the whole way there. i offered to switch, honestly! but i think his mind was in the, "i just want to get there," and "you drive too slowly" mode. which is true. i'm a stickler for speeding laws. 

but i was grateful he did drive, because holy hannah, it rained hard most of the time. and if it wasn't raining, there was thick fog. if there wasn't fog, then there was wind. and it was pitch black on a windy, mountain road known as "the dragon's trail" that snakes its way over the Blue Ridge Mountains. i tell you what, it was fun. not.

but scott was great. the babe stayed asleep. and we made it in around 3:30 am. i blew a kiss to emily and "jef with one f" as we passed Charlotte. ;) we went straight to our new little house, brought in some blankets (the movers packed our air mattress! doh!) and slept on the floor. it was not comfortable. but it was only for a couple of hours and then the movers showed up to move our stuff in.

wow it's exhausting just to remember everything that's happened. i've been unpacking all day every day. cleaning and also laying on the couch because i'm tuckered out! jake's sleep schedule has been horrific. but it's getting better. (just in time to screw him up even more when we leave for california next week. oi.) 

and Albemarle? whether its pronounced al-ba-mar-ul or al-buh-mar, it is tiny. smaller than Cookeville. which is crazy. restaurant choices here is pretty much Applebee's or Applebee's. take your pick. in Cookeville, i had TJ Maxx as my saving grace. here in Albemarle, i got...hmmm....zilch. but...looking on the bright side, i'm only 45 minutes away from Concord which boasts everything my heart could desire. so, the glass is half full i guess.

tune into my next post, The Hmong. it's quite a surprise and an interesting tale.

xoxoxo

my littlest sister, Lina Lou, is amazing. and talented. and has lightning-fast hands. she attended EFY last week in Santa Barbara and was the star of the Talent Show when she performed Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" in sign language. she is one awesome sista. a beautiful, christ-like young woman. so proud of her and her talents. (you can watch the video on my facebook :)

***she's the one that looks like me and is wearing sexy, red pants :)

"mother dear, i love you so! your happy smiling face is such a joy to look at! you make home a lovely place!" i thought about this little song all day. my mother is a joy. and she does make earth a better place. happy birthday mom. so glad i have you. (and i'm glad that macaroon you ate in solvang was amazing. :)

 xoxo

deenie

(and no, that's not me with my mom. that's lina. but we look the same pretty much. mom, i think we need to take more pics together.)

poor kid. he was so tired he didn't even notice the camera in his face. it's tiring being one.

independence day 2012. something about this day just makes me feel awesome. it makes me want to hang flags from every window of the house and bake an apple pie. it prompts me to search the internet for flag pants (one pant leg stars, the other pant leg stripes) and head to a parade with a bag full of caramel popcorn balls. it re-flames my want to be a part of the "flag" like Pollyanna and sing The Star Spangled Banner. i love it. i guess it can be best described as a "mayberry" feeling. for one day, america feels like one big "small town:" everyone out and about and happy and celebrating this glorious and blessed country that we are so proud to call home.

along with patriotism, our fourth was also pretty religious--complete with Pastor Dan giving "the word" up on the stage, dramatic dancing to some christian rock, a fervent prayer to bless the fireworks show and a prayer tent if you're feeling the need to pray vocally with others. (we live in tennessee remember? :) 

jake oohed and ahhed over the giant waving flag at the park most of the time, happily nibbled on chicken and funnel cake and then buried his head into my chest when the fireworks went off. it was an amazing display. and as he clung to me, daring a peak at the sky every few seconds, scott and i held hands and the moment seemed so magical. the one that good memories are made from. my little family of three sitting on a blanket in the Algood Park in Cookeville, Tennessee, watching fireworks with smiles on our faces on a hot fourth of july night. magic.

happy fourth!

xoxoxo

the garrison family

albemarle, north carolina. yes. we are moving. yet again. you may think we're secretly gypsies but i assure you we're not. though i would dearly love a pony. simply put, the whole reason for all this moving is that we feel free at the moment. we don't have kids in school yet and scott works for a company that provides awesome opportunities all over the country. why not move and advance your career if you can? i'd rather get all the moving around done with now rather than later when jake does start school and begins making friends. and since we don't live by family anyways, i really don't mind packing up and moving again.

i almost view this past year in tennessee as a tender mercy from the Lord. i feel so lucky that we were able to live in the same mission where my brother is serving. i feel like it's definitely helped my mom relax a bit knowing that spencer has family nearby if he needed anything, and it's been fun for me to feel like i have family nearby too (even though he's on a mission :)

tennessee has been great. and i know the thing i'll miss the most is my Cookeville YW and my fellow YW leaders. they are awesome. each one a total studmuffin. the youth of the church are simply amazing. they are fun and courageous and beautiful and such great examples to all around them. gonna miss those gals. lots.

but i'm sure we'll love north carolina just as much. the church is remarkably true wherever you go. we'll be just an hour outside Charlotte. two and a half hours from the beach. fairly close to some skiing and the mountains. and hello!...NASCAR! haha. dream come true. actually, the real dream come true is that i'll be able to hang out with my best friend, Emily. you may have seen her on the Bachelorette this season. it's going to be epic.

so we're excited. a new adventure looms. and it's coming up quick. like, in two weeks y'all. real quick. north carolina here we come!

twelve months old. and such a good boy. he is kind and loving and silly and yes, clingy at the moment. but i love to see his little personality developing with each passing day. he's growing tall, his curls more defined. he even found a little gal pal at church with whom he tried to share his pacifier with (which is something i thought he'd never freely offer to anyone else. ever.) such a good sharer.

here's another example: last week at church, we snuck into nursery during sunday school. i was uber tired of walking the halls chasing after a speed-crawler baby, and heck, we only have about 3 kids in nursery-- and jake will be the only one to enter nursery next year-- so i figured Sis. Hart wouldn't mind. (and it doesn't hurt that i know she brings homemade rolls as a snack each week :) so we played with toys and books and puzzles and then jake spied a pretty cool toy in the hands of a much bigger and older kid. he crawled over there at lightning speed and started pounding on the toy--cuz that's how you play with toys as a twelve month old--you whack it and laugh.

so this kid, totally freaked out and annoyed and not willing to share, pushed jake away and said, "NO BABY!" jake's face was priceless. he's used to a world where he's the only little one around and he can do what he likes to any toy, whenever, however, whatever. but he didn't shed a tear, no cry, no peep, no nothing. so i let that one slide for the nursery bully. i pulled jake toward another toy and tried to distract him. it didn't work. my little boy went right back over there like he owned the place and started pounding on the toy in the nursery bully's hands. he just laughed while doing it as if saying to the bully, "wow this is fun! see! do it with me!" again, "NO BABY!!" and a shove to the ground. and that was it for us for nursery. i was pretty perturbed--but merely in a protective-mommy way. (i mean this bully was what 2? 3?) so we graciously accepted a roll and left. for now, jake peruses the cultural hall. nursery will have to wait until he can defend himself and defeat the bully :)

but he is the best. seriously a great sharer and it melts my heart. he's the greatest kid on the planet. and as a mom you want everyone to see and know how incredible your little one is. but only a mom sees all the little things they do throughout the day. all the ways that they can be so sweet and funny and handsome and special. and even though his current sleeping habits have me completely sleep-deprived and all but banished from my own comfy bed, i love him to pieces for all those things. he impresses me daily. he's such a big boy now. still little, but a baby no more. sad day for mommy. but that pity party only lasts for a moment, because i can't wait to see what he'll do tomorrow, in five years, in ten years, in 25 years.... let's hope i live to see the next 70 years. and i pray i get to see him defeat the nursery bully too. with kindness, of course.

xoxoxo

love you big boy.