What I miss and What I love

Well, we are finally getting settled in here in Chesapeake and it's starting to feel like home, even though we still refer to things in Roanoke as "ours."  "Our" restaurants, stores, church, etc.  When thinking about where I need to go, I still picture Roanoke roads- that doesn't get me too far!
There are tons of things that I miss about Roanoke, but tons that I love about Chesapeake.
I miss:
the mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Parkway Wesleyan (I loved getting a card from "Grandma Jo and Papa Ira" today!), my classroom, our neighbors, marching band, Rachel's friends (especially with her birthday coming up), our friends, our small group, my kitchen cabinets, Cheddar's, Brambleton Deli, the Homeplace and so much more.

But at the same time, there are so many things that we love about being here.  The ocean, the rivers (Rachel loves going over bridges and seeing boats), we are getting involved in church and I am excited to be able to play my flute again.  A big, flat neighborhood is great when it comes to getting out and going for bike rides and walks/runs.  Rachel loves to feed the turtles at the pond in the middle of our neighborhood (It's also the same place where I spent many days doing the same thing growing up) It's great having a playground .25 miles away!  It's been nice to meet Brent and the kids there a few times after work.  It's also been great to stop by mom and dad's house and let Rachel and Gavin play on their swingset, or just hang out for a little bit (or eat! :) ) Going out on a date and having a free babysitter isn't a bad deal either.  I love that Dustin and I get up at the same time in the mornings and we get the whole family ready together and he can take the kids to where they go and I can get the kids and he's home by the time I get home!  I love making dinner with Dustin and having Friday nights free to watch movies together.  I love our home.  It's open, the kids have have space for their toys to be out and they're not in the middle of everything, our room is big, and although I've only used it a few times, I have a jetted tub!  I love that Rachel is in preschool and she absolutely loves it.  I love that Gavin is at a babysitter who is (very extended, but still is) family and we have celebrated holidays with for years.  Her kids love having him around and she even took him to the zoo on a field trip last week!  We both really enjoy work.  Dustin likes the younger kids and he's getting to play guitar with them every day.  I love having two sessions of preschool with a total of 11 kids!  I wish I had all that technology back, but I'm making do just fine!

So although the move was and still is tough at times, we are having a great time here in our new home!