Dancing through life feels more like trudging through life sometimes---Month 2

We have been living life one day at a time this month.  It seems like so much has to happen everyday and there are not enough hours to get it all done.  Dan and I started a six week boot camp class.  It starts at 5:15am every Tuesday and Thursday.  This has curtailed several of our late night plans of laying on the couch, watching T.V., as we are in bed by 9:00 or 10:00 every Monday and Wednesday.  It is very early to get up, and the workout is even harder.  However, with just adding 2 days a week of exercise, Dan has managed to lose a few pounds, and I haven't lost much, but my body has been slimming down and toning up a bit.  If we added exercise to 5 days a week, we might do even better.  I'm just not getting up that early everyday.  One thing that has hurt our weight loss, is that we have found an incredible doughnut shop--not too far from our house.  It is called Jack's doughnuts and we have been three times since we found it 3 weeks ago.  It is that good.


Dan's travel schedule has been under control, but he has several early morning meetings that keep him on his toes.  As far as travel goes, he drove down to Nashville, Tennessee, to speak at a Dietician's conference.  The conference went well, but it was over a weekend, so we didn't get to see him much that week.  It seems like we just need one more full weekend to work on the house to get everything finished up, but we can't seem to get one with nothing planned.  Two days after returning home from Nashville, Dan headed back for more work meetings.  He spent most of last week there.  He did have some fun experiences though.  He went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw Alan Jackson!  He said it was a great concert and great night!  He also got to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame.  He got to see the display from Ian and Silvia Tyson.  They are a famous old country duet from Canada.  They reminded him of home.  His group also got a private tour of the RCA Studio B.  It is
managed by Chett Atkins  Elvis recorded over 266 songs there.  Everyone who is Anyone in country music has recorded there.  His highlight was that the original Steinway, built in 1945, that was used on all the recordings from Studio B, is still there on display.  It has a big "Do not touch" sign on it.  But because they were a private tour, they took the sign off the piano and asked if anyone played the piano.  Both Dan and his boss raised their hands, and they both got a chance to play on the piano, where many greats, including Elvis Presley, had recorded.  They also had on display, the piano that was used to record The Browns "Three Bells".  They had actually put steel-headed tacks on the hammers to create the sound that you hear in that classic song.  Dan even got to play a chord or two on that piano. 

Although we said that we would be totally relocated and done by the end of September, that has been a pipe dream.  Our relocation people in Vienna have been a nightmare to work with.  We don't have any of the closure information for our apartment in Vienna.  Although we were supposed to be completely done by September 30, with the hand over of the apartment, we are not done.  We still haven't even been informed on anything over there.  We don't know how much we will be required to pay, what expenses they are actually going to reimburse, or what has been done or not.  They were supposed to close all of our accounts by the end of August, but we have received two bills from the phone company and an insurance company for our service in September.  So, they didn't actually close out our accounts over there.  This has become a huge frustration and the company has hinted that it might be several months before we can get this fully reconciled.  I told Dan to tell them that as per the relocation companies request, our bank accounts will close by the middle of November.  I figure that, that is long enough for them to figure things out.  Whatever doesn't get taken care of by that point, we will not be responsible for.  If we no longer have Euros to pay the bills, I don't think that we should be responsible to pay.  I feel like three months should be long enough to figure out the final bills. 

I have been working on getting the house cleaned up.  It seems like that is a never ending project that stays on the to do list forever--like laundry.  Danyon and I have decorated the house for Halloween.  It is fun to have the Fall decorations up.  The kids are excited to have a "normal" Halloween again.  They want to decorate the car for trunk or treat, but are really excited to go regular trick-or-treating.  I have been slower to work on costumes this year.  I need to get on it.  As the kids have reminded me, only 21 days left!  I was able to go to the new Indianapolis temple this last month.  It was my first time going.  It was beautiful!  I went with the youth group from church.  I have been asked to teach the 16 and 17 year old girls at church, so I will be going to their weekly activities, too.  I went to a lunch bunch with some other women from the church this week.  They go out to lunch once a week.  It was good to meet new people.  I don't know if Danyon and I will go every week, but we will probably try to make it once a month. My afternoons are completely full of taxi duties.  Having family dinner is proving to be a hard task--sometimes we can't sit down together until 7:45 or 8:00, but we are managing.  There isn't a day in the week that we don't have something going on.  It's good to busy, right???

Dane has finished up his cross country season.  He has a rough go with his strained hip flexor.  He seemed to get healed up by the end, and was making some progress.  He did PR (personal record) for his last meet.  He ran it in 11:56.  I think if we had more time, or if he didn't get injured, he would have done even better!  It is weird to not have him in any sports for a few months.  He would like to play soccer and do track and field, but they don't start until spring.  To keep him in shape, I signed him up for piano lessons.  How is that keeping him in shape?  Well, he will have to run to the teachers house--about a mile and a half every week.  It's not enough to keep him in shape, but it is a help!  He is trying out for the Junior All State band in saxophone.  He is just staring to practice the try-out material.  Hopefully, he will be able to participate in that!

Dyllan is doing well.  She is liking her swimming.  It is turning out to be work for the parents, too.  Both Dan and I spent 6 hours each, volunteering at a swim meet yesterday.  It was fun to watch the swimmers, but Dyllan was not in the meet.  In this swim club, we have to put in at least 30 hours of "volunteer" time during the season.  She is studying her states and capitals in school, and is eager to work on school projects.  She is adjusting very well, now.

Deagan is doing well.  He is so excited about hockey.  He loves it.  He has had 3 practices so far, and has been so excited for every single one.  It is fun for Dan to see someone so excited about hockey.  Deagan has spent several hours in the basement on the artificial ice, practicing his shots.  We love his enthusiasm and his willingness to work on it.  The other kids love their sports, but don't always put in the additional practice time.  He is doing better in school.  He has a big book project due this next week.  He has to do some book character analysis, make his character out of a pumpkin, and then do an oral report on it all.  We have been working on that a bit this week. 

Danyon is potty trained!!!!!  No more diapers at our house!!!!  Whooohoooo!!!  That is huge news for us.  We are so excited for him and us!!  He is growing up--I had appointments for all the kids to go to the dentist, but it was Danyon's first.  He did great.  He just sat there and opened his mouth.  He was very relaxed and did what he was told.  He is loving his swimming class.  He asks almost every day if it is his swimming day.  He has so much fun with his friend, Ethan.  He is getting to be a talker.  At the lunch bunch, he talked the ear off of several people.  Some things are hard to understand, but he is getting much more vocabulary now.  My favorite thing to hear him say is, "Dinner's lllleady" (Dinner's Ready).