21 Days Later

Three weeks ago we didn't even know we were moving (though we were crossing our fingers as Ryan was on his 3rd and 4th interviews around the holidays). Now this Saturday, Ryan me and the girls will be in Austin for good. What a whirlwind this has been for us! This weekend Ryan and I flew out to look for an apartment and meet his new boss. The trip sure was one way to accomplish my New Year's Resolution #6 (take a vacation with just me and Ryan). Our weekend was all business but it got us really excited for what will be waiting for us.









We ate dinner at this restaurant, where we met Ryan's boss and his wife for the first time. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere gave us a taste of what the nightlife in Austin is like. Looks like we will soon be in the market for a good babysitter. We got along really well with Ryan's new boss(es). They are such interesting and inspiring people as well as fun and down to earth. We left feeling like this really was a good career move for us.

We found ourselves a little apartment in north Austin where we will be living until our house sells. This complex was appealing because it is connected to some businesses (sandwich and pizza shops, need I say more?) and it is close to family. And though I am getting better with my sense of direction, I am not ready to navigate Austin with two toddlers in tow. But there are plenty of things to do on foot with the girls as I won't have transportation yet. The good news is the weather is in the 60's this time of year! We know the girls will go nuts for the pool and the playground with their cousins. And we all know I go nuts for the shopping. :)
So there is our little taste of the life ahead of us. People keep asking us how we're feeling and the truth is, this all may not sink in until April. One day we may wake up and realize we moved the family across 3 states and there's no turning back. But until then, we are knocking ourselves out packing and taking it one day at a time. Thank you, friends and family for all of your support and encouragement! You have made this process a million times easier...Hello, Austin here we come!

Paparazzi

We got L & M these Princess play digital cameras and the other day and what a hit!


On the camera screen there is a picture of Cinderella and the Prince. The girls love to point out Cinderella, but when you point to the Prince they say, "Daddy!" (Well Ryan is my Prince charming!)


The girls follow me around the house all day and say, "Mom, say cheese!"


If only my camera spouted out such encouraging phrases--"You're as pretty as a princess!" and "So beautiful!"


L & M may be surprised when they go to get their film developed they will have a million pictures all like this.

Girly Girls

The girls had so much fun at their first day of dance last Thursday. As you can guess, their favorite part were the tap shoes. (I made them stay in the kitchen so they wouldn't scratch our wood.) The Mom and Tot class I signed them up for was perfect! The girls got to dance with kites to "Let's Go Fly a Kite!" and dance with animals to "Old MacDonald." There were a whole bunch of other props they got to use, but I think their favorite was the parachute! The last ten minutes of class, the girls got to go play on all the gymnastics equipment! They jumped on the trampoline, walked the balance beams, swung on the parallel bars, and basically bounced all their energy out exactly as I had hoped. I also hadn't realized how fun it would be for me to talk to the other dance moms. It turned out to be a great experience for everyone to make new friends and try new things. Too bad I just paid a hefty registration fee and found out the next day we would be moving. :) Oh well, I'm sure they have dance in Texas.

The Family Who Cried Wolf

For any of you who have known us longer than 6 months or so, here are the places we may have told you we're moving: Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Amarillo, Arkansas, Boston, anywhere in the U.S., are there any others? All of them were valid; at some time or another we were offered positions there by Ryan's work--or we were applying for new jobs trying to escape where Ryan's work wanted to relocate us (Amarillo, anyone?).
And this last one was no exception.
Except it went through.
Folks we are moving to Austin, Texas!!! Ryan has applied for, been offered, and accepted a new job as product manager for an employer in Austin that re-vamps failing businesses. Ryan's two weeks are in, his start date is set (Jan. 28th), we've met with our realtor in an effort to sell the house, and we are frantically de-junking in preparation to move. Ah, moving, we meet again.
We realize some of the locals may not be able to read the rest of this if your computer short-circuits when drenched in tears, and though we will miss everyone in Utah very very very much, here are some of the reasons we're excited.

*Ryan also found a master's degree program at the University of Texas (in Austin) he is interested in. We are now in the process of applying, which his employer fully supports and even prefers.

*On the same day we got the offer from Ryan's new job, his old job informed him they would be moving his position to Amarillo. The irony!

*It's about time we moved outside of Utah while the girls are young and we are fairly transient.

*We have a lot of family members in Austin and in visiting we have fallen in love with the city.

*Austin will be a great place to pursue hobbies for both of us- I can't wait to get my violin studio up and running, and Ryan will be able to finally immerse himself in filmmaking.

That's all the details we know for now. I keep practicing saying, "moving to Austin, moving to Austin." It doesn't quite slide off my tongue yet, but eventually it will, as I learned circa 2004 when I had to practice this little catch phrase--"pregnant with twins."

Flashbacks

I signed the twins up for dance lessons at the Syracuse Dance Academy this week. We'll see how it goes. My excitement must be just a shadow of what my mom and aunt were feeling when they put us in their old tap outfits and waited for THESE moves to be busted....Sorry cousins, I realize this evidence is incriminating.









I am the one with the glasses.