Ho Hum

There's a reason I've been MIA the past couple weeks... there's nothin' goin' on! Well, nothing beside the usual anyway. The weather took a turn for the worst and I've been cursing Buffalo springs ever since. It even snowed on Mother's Day! Mother's Day for crying out loud! Which, by the way, besides the weather, was a fantastic day. Full of sleeping, eating, and not lifting a finger. And amazing talks at church.... Rachel- haven't you been translated already?

We made it through finals week. I say WE because I think I did my fair share of sacrificing. Well, maybe that's not really true. I didn't stay up at night studying, battling headaches, colds and the like. But once it was over and I got to spend time with Trav again, I felt like we were on a second honeymoon. Even though we had been {living together}, I felt like I hadn't seen him in weeks. (Mother-how do you do it?) Now he is officially a THIRD YEAR (woot woot) and 50% dentist. He just started spring extention and has his own {operatory} so it's exciting for him to have patients and start practicing what he's been studying for so long!

This also means we are starting to say goodbye to our great 4th year friends. Sadness. Briste and Dave were our first friends in the Buff. They let us stay at their house and helped us find our home. We owe them big. I will miss Briste and her carefree personality. She is so easy going and fun to be with. Last year, we didn't really have any friends graduating, so this year makes it really hit home. This experience doesn't last forever. There is a finish line. And once you reach it there's a big, fat question mark over your future. Where will we go? How do I say goodbye to the friends we've made out here? Trav jokingly asked me the other day what I'll do when I have to say good bye to Rachel. I just glared at him and told him {that's not funny}. I suppose I'll stop thinking about it. I mean, it's still far away, right?

Diana hosted one last {girls night} at her house last week for all those leaving and those of us that wanted to say goodbye. We ate "Buffalo" food, including pizza, wings, Buffalo dip, Crystal Beach drink, "Buffalo Balls", etc. Here is some of the crew!

Like I said about the weather.... yuck, yuck, YUCK! Twice, it seemed to be warm enough for a picnic, so I coerced Trav into heading to Cheektowaga Town Park. We got out, started eating, and I'm shivering from cold. It's not even enjoyable. I was ready to call it a day after 10 min., but Trav threw his jacket on me and took Collin to the playground for a couple swings.

Above, you can kind of make them out on the swings. Here I am, feeling sorry for myself.

Do you think Collin minded the cold? Of course not. He spazzed out when we tried to walk away. If you can see the ramada in the background, that's where we tried to have a ward party last Friday to say goodbye to all the families leaving. It. was. miserable. SO windy. Everyone was trying to eat their subs and visit, like we weren't about to get frost bite.

Subsequently, we've been spending a lot of time indoors. This picture was taken a few weeks ago, but shows what Collin's new favorite hobby is. (Btw, don't ya love the flat top? haha) You see, we started losing things. One night we couldn't find the remote ANYWHERE. He also has a fettish with the trash can, so Trav grudgingly went outside to rifle through the garbage that was just taken out. No remote. We searched everywhere and in the process found a stash of toys that he had thrown behind the entertainment center. Still no remote. It finally showed up in the recycling bin, but what was funnier was that the next morning when I plopped him down to play, he crawled over to the {toy corner}, saw his pile of balls and puzzle pieces that Trav had retrieved from behind the entertainment center, and promptly started putting them all back again.

Here he is depositing his ball. He loves to throw his toys or really anything, where it can't be reached. I've already had to clean out the crevice between the fridge and dishwasher. Stinker. He's also ruined my phone by sucking on the bottom where the charger goes in. My phone that's lasted 4 years. And since Trav used my update since his broke early, I've barely missed the next renewal date by a month and a half. Sigh. Such is life with a child.