Crazy Whirlwind Month

So it's been a while since I last posted anything. A lot has happened in the last month and a half.

The Gardners had a family reunion the 2nd - 5th of July in Federal Way, WA. Megan and I organized it and as Andrew predicted only a few things went according to the plan. It was still a lot of fun. We saw a Tacoma Rainier's game on the 3rd (they lost, way to be like the Mariners) and there was a pretty awesome fireworks show after the game. We got some pretty awesome family pictures. The one problem I have is I look fat not pregnant, but I guess that's life.

Andrew and I both quit our jobs and packed up our car and drove to Tucson, Arizona (the movers took the rest of our stuff). We are officially homeless though Tim and Megan are being awesome and letting us stay with them until we find a house. Actually we've found a house but it's not done being built so it will be at least until the 3rd week in August that we can move in. That is actually just a little bit longer than the average 30 days that it takes to close escrow.

We looked at quite a few houses before we decided on buying a new build. One of the houses that the Realtor showed us, though he didn't realize it when he agreed to show us the house, had 5 bullet holes on the roadside wall of the house. We discovered the holes because one of them went all the way through the dishwasher into the island in the kitchen. One of them was so big you could see daylight through it. There were other older houses that we looked at that weren't quite as bad but they all required more work that we anticipated.

Andrew has come to the conclusion that older houses down here are not as nice as older houses up in the North West. In fact anything that was build before the 90's falls into the category of not so nice.

Andrew started his new job today. That's where he is right now. I'm sure he'll like it. I'm still contemplating getting a job, Andrew thinks that I could do some contract work. I'm not sure about it though.

So we left the rainy North West to move to the sunny South West just in time for the monsoon season. So instead of the typical hot and dry days we were expecting, we are experiencing less hot but more humid days. I now understand why they said we moved during the worst time of the year. Not because it is hotter but because it feels hotter. We could have gotten this weather back in Seattle. :)

So I am now 16 weeks along and I'm feeling better. I was experiencing a lot of nausea thankfully no "morning sickness". I'm still really tired but I have a feeling that that's not going to fully go away. I am starting to look more pregnant but I think that has something to do with all the maternity clothes I've been wearing.

We're Moving to Arizona!!!

This week Andrew finally heard back about his interim clearance and he was approved!!!! Hurray!!! So now we're moving to Tucson. We still have a lot of details to work out, like where we're going to live. That's the one that I'm most concerned about. We really want to buy a house. I'm tired of apartments and they are WAY cheaper in Tucson than in the entire Puget Sound region. The best part about this move is we get to have movers do all the work! No packing boxes for me!! Hurray!!!

It's a Gummy Bear...

So I haven't written anything for a while mostly because the only thing I really wanted to write about was totally and officially confirmed today!!!!



According to the ultrasound technician and my doctor's nurse, I currently have a gummy bear growing inside of me. How funny is that?!?!

So here are some quick details:

• Due Date is December 30th (we're hoping to get a tax deduction this year!)
• We're not going to find out what we're having (I like surprises!)
  
• The ultrasound technician is pretty confident that there's only one baby in there
• We tried for 14 months before we finally got a positive test
• I love babies!!!
• Andrew is taking a picture a day (when he remembers) so he can make a video of me getting more and more pregnant
• So far **knock on wood** I haven't thrown up yet and mostly seem to have a little upset stomach
• I have had more than my share of heart burn (I typically don't get heart burn)

I guess that's all for now, but we will for sure post more updates as they happen.

Update on the Arizona Thing

First of all we had a lot of fun while we were down in Tucson for Andrew's job interview stuff. It was so great to see baby Shaun David and also to see how much little Eva has grown. It was also nice to see Tim & Megan and Jared & Tara. :-D We love you guys!

Andrew got an offer along with copious quantities of paperwork to fill out. Everything has been filled out and sent it. So now we are playing the waiting game to find out if he gets clearance. We're figuring that since it took Tim 3 months to find out about his clearance then it will take about the same amount of time for Andrew to find out.

Once we know that then we can work on the logistics of it all, I hate the anticipation! I want to get going on the things that will need to be done. That means a couple of months of month-to-month rent at our apartment, which sucks 'cause it's $150 more a month. On the brighter side we're hoping we will be able to find a house in our price range down in Arizona. I'm really tired of living in apartments. I know houses are a lot of work but I'm willing to put in the effort, also I'm SO ready to stop throwing my money away on rent.

Arizona Here We Come... For A Weekend... Or More?

So here's a tidbit of potentially exciting news... Andrew has an interview with Raytheon down in Tucson next week. It's only potentially exciting news if Andrew actually gets a job there. Until then we are reigning in our excitement. We decided to turn it into a long weekend to hang out with Tim & Megan and if Jared & Tara come down we will, of course, hang out with them as well. :) So we're flying in late Wednesday (April 16th) and leaving Sunday afternoon.

A lot of people who live in the Pacific Northwest have seasonal depression because of, among other things, the lack of sunlight from September until the end of May. I seem to be feeling the effects of the gray skies more than usual this year. It will be nice to get away for our own mini spring break to a place where the sun is always shining. I believe that spring break was invented in Seattle, by those who hoped to believe that there are places that exist that don't live with gray skies all the time. Though I did hear a rumor that it's supposed to get all the way up to 70 degrees this Saturday!!! Or maybe it was only 60 degrees. Either way it will be better than 45 degrees. Now all I need to do is find something to do to force me to go outside.