We have arrived!!!

We finally made it! We have Internet...life is good! We had a wonderful cross country trip! We saw so many beautiful places. We got to see everyone we love and missed. I have so many pictures I have to figure out how to post them all. We arrived here in the DC area around Oct 26th. We stayed with the Benders (thank god) while we were house hunting. After almost 3 weeks of relentless searching, long days, tears, frustration, and confusion we decided to rent for a year to give us a chance to look. We moved into a beautiful 4 bdr 3 bath house on Nov 23rd the day after Thanksgiving. Whew! Our house hold goods came the same day. We live in a small town named Mechanicsville. We live on 15.106 acre property, however we are allowed 3.36 of it. Scott is in hog heaven...we can hunt and fish on the property! Paulie is loving the freedom and squirrels. The owner has said we can use what we want though. Austin rides his motorbike everyday now and has made a few friends. We had to put Austin in a temp school for 5 days and now he is in his permanent school Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School. I am happy to say he loves it. I drop him off at the bus stop by 8:30 and pick him up at 4:15. It is so different in Hawaii school was 7:50 -2:10 and on Wed 1:10. It gets dark at 5:30 which leaves him an hour of light after school. We are all adjusting. We are house hunting with Ron Harris (our realtor) who is amazing and will get serious in a few months. Anthony is doing great. We got to spend more time with him on the trip and we had so much fun. I love the area he lives in and all of his friends are great. I was bummed he said we couldn't live there with him! lol...he loves his job at the bank and is so busy with Younglife. I got a call the other day from him telling me someone hit and ran his new jeep. I was so upset about that. Life lessons...right? Well we officially hit Winter! We had our first snow yesterday! I actually drove in snow!!!! Can you believe it!!! I really didn't have a choice I was at the store and had to get home. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Scott surprised me with a 10ft Christmas tree and a beautiful live Poinsettia! It really feels like Christmas. It snowed most of the night. I got some pics of Austin making snow angels and sledding. Well trying to sled with a wave board...lol...hey why not. Scott and I get up at 4:30 because he has an hour drive to work. We have to live far from Andrews AFB to get the good schools and peace of mind. as long as he is on the road by 5:35 he is good to go. If you leave at 6:00 am you will be late. The traffic is the worst I have ever seen! Crazy! So far he likes VR-48. Everyone is nice and he is learning the ropes. We have the squadron Christmas party this weekend and tonight he is working the Redskins game. The stand makes lots of money for MWR. I have a feeling we will be working lots of games. I am still unpacking and cleaning. I should be done in a week or so. We can't wait to venture out and see some sights. I have been as far as Camp Springs. We did drop Skip at Baltimore International. I want to see the monuments and museums. We want to see the White house and Lincoln memorial. Hopefully we can take trips to New york, Philly, Williamsburg, and many more. Mom and dad have also been house hunting and have made an offer on a house on the North Shore. Cross your fingers they get it. Keep them crossed that they will make it here for Christmas. I know mom and nanny love being retired and I am so happy they are! Mom and dad Croucher are in Arizona selling Christmas trees. They work long days and are ready to get on the road. Thank goodness Don goes down and helps out. I will start updating again. I'm sure I left a lot out and will post if I remember something. I love and miss everyone...take care!

Ahhh...the big move!

Hello Peeps! I am sorry for not updating. As you all know we have been quite busy and it will only get worse. We are officially leaving the island on Sept 30th. Let me catch everyone up. Anthony has moved to Tennessee. I am so sad I missed watching him arrive and move into his first apartment! I know he loves the area and has a wonderful roommate. I'm so thankful for that. The job and school is soon to come. When I talk to him he sounds so happy and he has made some new friends. The complex he lives in has many Younglife leaders residing there too. I know he is comfortable and will do well. Austin's final game is this Saturday and his team party is Sunday. I am so glad he got to join and play football. We are taking him out of school on Wed the 26th. I am worried he will be out of school for a month. We are going to ask his teacher to send work with us. Everyone is so sad we are leaving. I don't think I will have a dry eye the whole last week we are here. Our plans have changed again. Our cross country trip will be:

Fly out Sept 30th in the PM. Arrive in Seattle, WA the morning of the 1st. We will visit Wes (Scott's brother), Susie, and Desi (Scott's cousin's)for 3 days. We leave out the morning of the 4th and head to Montana. We will visit with Mom and dad Croucher. Can't wait to see Aunt Louise and uncle Chuck! We all leave on the morning of the 7th. Mom and dad head down to Arizona to sell pumpkins. We head over to Mount Rushmore. I can't wait! Mind you Paulie (our dog) will be with us. Yikes! We leave from there the morning of the 10th and stop in St Louis for the night. Finally on to New Orleans...I know mom is dying to see Austin! We should arrive about the 12th? We will stay for about 4-5 days (let's see how Paulie does) and off to Tennessee the morning of the 16th or 17th to visit with Anthony. We will stay there about 2 days. I can't wait to put shelf paper in his kitchen cabinets! So hopefully on the morning of the 20th or 21st we will drive to Maryland. I am not really sure of the dates. We will be staying with some friends (The Benders) we met here. This will give us time to house hunt and find a school. I shipped the truck off 2 days ago. We have the mazda to drive the remainder of the time here. Scott left on a trip Tuesday morning (same morning I shipped the truck) and will be gone through the 11th. The 12th the movers come and pack us out. Pack out is 12th-14th. Scott leaves again on the 16th-22nd. My 1st inspection is the 18th. I have to get a cert. of health for Paulie to fly on the 25th. Our final inspection is the 26th. While Scott is gone I have to separate what stays and what goes, empty deep freezer, clean clean clean! I want to have a garage sale somewhere in there. The 27th is Scott's going away at work. We are trying to get into the cabins on base the 26th-30th. I love them! I have begged, bribed, and groveled to get a cabin. So far they only have the night of the 27th :(. I will not stop til I get it. We will spend each night at friend's houses visiting and saying good bye. I know I left some things out, but you get the picture. I am excited and nervous. I can't wait to see everyone. I wish more could have made it out to Hawaii. It truly was a one in a lifetime experience. The culture and the food is amazing. The beaches and hikes are breathtaking. The people we have met here have become our family. I can say I don't take any of it for granted. Each morning driving Austin to school, I look out at the view coming down the hill and think...wow! I will miss it so much. It's the little things. Me being able to walk down to the ocean and sit, watching the waves crash on shore. Passing the landscapers who are at the tippy top of a coconut tree grooming it. You don't see that everyday. Closing your eyes while just your feet are at the edge of the water smelling the sea air. Looking out at the water and seeing every color of blue you can imagine. Ya'll are gonna laugh at me. Now I will tell you what I won't miss. The darn Centipedes, Roaches, and Ants! The sand in my bathing suit, sand in the truck, sand in the house....you get the idea! Hmmmm now that I think about it...things I can't wait to see are Squirrels, Snakes, and signs welcoming you to a new state. Ahhh....the little things. I have attached lots of pictures of people we love. You will have to look on right side and scroll down to see them all. I put quite a few. I almost forgot...Birthdays! Kim's b-day is the 23rd and Mom's is the 30th. Happy Birthday!!!! Last, but not least......Mom is retiring!!!!! Yay! Long awaited and very much so due. I am so happy for her. Her last day of work is Sept 30th! This will be the best birthday present she will ever have! You deserve it mom. Congrats! I want to sayn congrats to Nanny too. Nanny will be retiring as well. Look out garden here she comes!

Austin is center....catches and scores

Go Hurricanes!!!!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been a while. I do have lots to report. Austin is on a summer league football team! We are so excited! Our first game was this past Saturday. We won 29-6.....woohoo! Practice is on Tues and Thurs from 4:30-6:30. Austin is in hog heaven. All the kids are great and he loves his coach. If you would like to check his stats each week go to http://www.i9sports.com/ they post each childs efforts that week. Each child is also ranked nation wide which is really cool! I shot video of his point, however when I downloaded the pictures I lost the videos! I am so mad. I hope I find them. I'm just so glad we were able to get him on the team. We have had a great summer! You know summer is coming to a close when you start school shopping. I must say Austin is not to happy about that. We are almost done though. School starts Aug 1st here. I think we hit the beach enough. Scott is busy at work and we are working on our transfer package. We will leave the island Oct 1st. I have a feeling our time here will fly by. Anthony will be home soon. I know he has enjoyed his time at Dollywood. I also know Grandma is missing him too! I think we have decided to try and buy a house once we get to DC. Whew....we have lots of planning and work to do! If anyone has advice or feedback please leave a comment. I do have an announcement....Wesley (Scott's brother) made Chief!!!! Congrats!!! Well I hope everyone is well and can't wait to see you all!

We're headed to Washington DC!

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while. Well we finally got orders and are officially headed to Andrews AFB in Washington DC. I am getting excited. I can't wait to see four seasons and there is so much to see. Austin can't wait to play in snow. The last time Scott and I talked we decided to have the truck shipped to California and we will drive to DC. Of course we want to see some sights and visit my family in New Orleans. I want to see the Grand Canyon and Scott wants to see the Hot Springs in Arkansas. It should be a fun trip. Anthony is doing well in Tennessee and has made lots of friends. Scott will be home in early July and we can start making plans for the move. All is well with the family. Mom and dad Sutton are still trying to figure out what they are going to do. I think life is pretty uneventful with Anthony not being there, which isn't a bad thing. Mom and dad Croucher are having a blast in Alaska. Their time clock is all off. I think they are sleeping in the day and fishing at night. I attached some pics of the King Salmon. I wish we were there to catch some. Scott would love that! Nanny thanks for the encouraging words....I needed them. I think the only birthdays for July are Nick Gilbert on the 21st, Skip and Wes on the 13th(same day) and Nanny on the 26th! Happy Birthday! Oh, Austin did great with his summer job! I'm glad to report Sandy wasn't lost, starved, or lonely. I know he is happy to earn his money and can't wait to spend it. It tickles me to watch him change his mind every 5 minutes trying to decide what he wants. I have to say this summer is flying by. We have been hitting the beach, riding the dirt bike(yes I wiped out hard), and hanging out with his friends. Well I hope everyone is well and will post soon!

It's Summer time!!!!!!!!!!!

We are kicking the summer off right! We decided to hit the beach which is located on Bellows Air Force base! We love this beach! It's located on the southern side of the island. The beaches are so different depending on where you go. If you hit the North and West sides most are surfing beaches with huge waves. The rest are geared towards anything from snorkeling and spear fishing, to wave boarding and body surfing. Most have very strong currents and lots of dangerous coral. Some are perfect to see colorful fish, turtles, and perfect for finding sea shells. We love Bellows because there is no coral and the currents are not so bad. The water is about waist high and is perfect for boogy boarding. The kids just love it! We also camp there too! Hopefully this summer is full of fun and excitement. I want to do as much as possible since we are leaving. Even though we have been here 3yrs I still look out every morning and take in the beauty of this island. I never take it for granted. I have been busy looking at houses in Maryland. It is so difficult to look for places on the internet. I was so worried about Austin's school. I want to make sure I find a good location with a great district. I know you all remember what 5th grade was like. I know I do and I remember how cruel the kids were. Cross your fingers. Thank goodness I have found a few local people who have helped me so much. I was told Calvert County is the place to be. I want land so Austin can hop on his dirt bike and go. We want Paulie to be able to run and play. Now a pool would just make the whole tour that much better. We want to be near water for lots of fishing and camping. I really do miss going to Mississippi and going canoeing. One of the really great things is location. No matter which way you go you are bound to drive into someplace awesome. We plan to take advantage of the area. I am getting excited! We wanted to say "Happy Birthday....Kim!" she will celebrate on June 13th! Well that's all for now. I'll be in touch!

Update....Last day of school!

Hello everyone! Today is Thursday the 7th. Today is Austin's last day of 4th grade! Austin has worked so hard this year. Thank goodness he has mastered multiplication and is improving in comprehension. We are so proud of him. I took some pictures of his friends and the school for you all to see. We are going to have him start 5th grade here on August 1st. We think it is better for him to have this experience instead of keeping him home until we move. I am so happy I also bring Paulie to vet today to remove stitches and hoody! Yay!!! I can't wait to give her stinky cute self a bath. Next week on Wednesday the 13th, Scott leaves for the desert. I am sure he'll keep in touch. We are busy getting his desert gear ready. I think the highest temp is like 130. I'm not sure, I just know it's terribly hot! Stay safe, honey! I finally remembered to take pictures of my new furniture so here ya go. I think that is all for now. Oh, I wasn't sure if you all know that you can leave comments. I check them daily to see if I need to update anything. Until next time.....