Tuesday in Tennesee

We have internet access here but not really a good signal for our cell phones.  There is only one place where we can get any kind of signal.  It's kind of nice to be in this secluded place surrounded by trees and bugs.  Lots of bugs.  

I was telling Mike that part of being a parent means you have to pretend to like certain things and that I was going to have to pretend to like being here in Tennessee on this vacation.  The amazing thing about pretending is that if you try hard enough, the pretending becomes a sincere like, not just a pretend like.  Now, let me say, I like vacations and under other circumstances I don't think I'd even have to start pretending.  But I haven't been very happy to have moved.  When you move all the time you leave little pieces of your heart all over the county and this time a large part of my heart remains in Colorado.  I have been kind of silly and childish.  Mike told me to change the clock in the van and I told him no because my time wasn't Tennessee time and I wasn't going to officially become a Tennesseean yet.  Ha, ha.  So immature.  Anyway, he changed it for me.  We are still not adjusted to the new time change, which is two hours ahead of our Colorado time.  I am hoping we can get our bodies adjusted before school starts in a few weeks, which we should if I would stop being immature and accept that we are not going back to Colorado and that we need to live on this time...Anyway, back to the pretending thing.  For the sake of the boys I have been saying things like, "This is going to be a great adventure!" and other upbeat things like that when my head says, "Bleh.  I don't want to be here."  But, I also know that I cannot survive in a place I don't like.  I have to like where I live or that would make for a miserable existence and I am trying to let go of Colorado and give this a fair chance.  I guess a part of me feel like a traitor if I move onward and leave my Colorado behind.  That sounds ridiculous.  So, I've been trying to pretend for the sake of the boys and so that I can convince myself as well , that I will like it here.  

And being on this vacation in the mountains is definitely helping.  The last two days have been truly enjoyable and I think it has been a much-needed break.  It is so beautiful here and I believe Heavenly Father is blessing me with a tender mercy because I anticipated arriving to disgusting, muggy, sticky weather but it has been so pleasant and nice.  Still sticky but not like I know it should be and not bad.  The first day we drove to Kansas was nasty (107 degrees) and humid and we all groaned that we would have to get used to it.  But since being here it's been nice.  I think if I was hit with the yucky weather right off the bat I would have to pretend even harder!  

The bugs here are crazy.  There are so many of them.  Colorado rarely sees flies or mosquitoes.  I've already been bitten a few times and will have to buy some mosquito repellent soon.  We are staying in the middle of a forest so of course there are even more bugs than we other wise would see though.  Piper and the boys love it but the boys were really weirded out the other night when they tried to go to sleep and couldn't because the bugs outside were so loud.  

On Tuesday we went on a short hike.  Again, the weather was pretty amazing.  The kids LOVE that Tennessee has so much water.  They really are amazed at the water on every corner.  Piper's name for water is "Wy-la" and she is always looking out the window and pointing, "Wy-la!  Wy-la!"

After our hike and dinner we played games.  I'm really happy we thought to pull a few games out and not let them get packed.  So far we have played Ticket to Ride and Twister.

I can get used to slow days like Tuesday where I don't have to worry about anything but enjoying my little family.