Turn on the lights, mommy!

We were up extra early this morning so we could take Casey to the airport, his final commute to Boston. Gavin loves these mornings because it means we go to the airport and he gets to see AIRPLANES. After Gavin and I returned home we went to his bedroom where I lifted him up so he could turn on the lights by himself, like a big boy. Its one of his new activites he likes to do. Its funny how he gets excited about the small everyday tasks that adults take for granted. Flipping light switches, sweeping the floors, taking trash to the curb. I could go on.

After he turned on his bedroom light, I got him dressed for school, allowing him to pick out his own clothes, and then I started working on myself. He was excited to put on his sneakers because it meant he could go outside and play golf. Some days I can't get his sneakers tied fast enough. He'll squirm and wiggle until the bitter end because he needs to be free to go play ball.

Looking out my bedroom window I could see him down below, presumably searching for his golf club and balls. He turned around and began marching back toward the house with purpose. I heard the flip-flap of the doggy door and his quick pitter patter as he came running to find me. "Mommy, too dark outside. Turn on light. Play golf now." I explained to him that it would only be light outside after the sun came up. The sun lights the sky, we can't do it with a switch. At first he didn't understand. He pointed to the ceiling fan/light fixture and asked me again, this time a little annoyed that he had to repeat himself, because I clearly did not understand him the first time. I explained to him again about the sun. He got it. He spent the next half hour sitting patiently at the living room window, drinking his juice and enjoying a graham cracker with nutella, until the sun began peeking up over the hill of our tiny neighborhood. Through the trees he began to see the hint of morning light and with the same excitement one might expect on Christmas morning he exclaimed, "Mommy! Sunshine! Light outside! Play golf now!!" And without even looking back to see if I was watching or listening he ran as fast as he could through the kitchen and the doggy door, out into the backyard where he could get a quick round of golf in before heading off to school.

He then called out for me to come watch him hit the ball "real high and real far." We played outside for a little while before putting the dogs in their run, where Gavin gets to give them their morning treats and close the gate all by himself; and then off we went into the morning sunshine.

And Away We Go...

As previously mentioned, packing up the contents of our home has commenced.

[Gavin helping mommy pack his books.]

Everyday I leave work with more boxes. My coworkers are literally stopping by my office on a daily basis to discard their empty parcel boxes. I have all sizes AND packing material galore! I think they like having an excuse not to have to break the boxes down and walk them out to the cardboard recycle bin behind the building. I don't mind.

With all this packing and business about selling our beloved fixer-upper starter home, you might be wondering where we're runnin' off to. Yes, the rumors are true, we are going home to Texas. We have secured employment. Housing and preschool are in the works. Our notices to current employers have been submitted. We are headed to Austin to eat tacos, listen to live music, frolic in the cold water of Barton Springs, and finally commit to the business of settling down. Texas is home to more family members and friends than we can count on all our fingers and toes. Gavin will get a taste of what both Casey and I were lucky to grow up with - being near extended family and lots of friends! Unfortunately as Gavin gains the proximity of one set of grandparents, it means losing proximity to another. We look forward to making our annual and sometimes bi-annual trips to TN to visit Casey's parents, as long as they live here.

Us moving is big news to some, not so much to others. It's been a hard secret for me to keep, at least from this blog. This has been in the works for approximately the past 18 months, and each month has been just a bit more stressful and at times uncertain than the last. And now here we are, depending on how everything works out with the sale/lease of our current house we are four to six weeks out from final departure. We are overwhelmed and occasionally nostalgic. The logistical planning for making this happen is like riding a roller coaster. Each week is filled with volatile highs and lows, we have contingencies for plans A-Z. The next 12-18 months will be full of transitions.

We'll miss Gavin's current school, it truly has been a God-sent. Great teachers, great staff, great location, everything about it gives me the warm fuzzies. We have watched Gavin thrive in his preschool environment and all will be missed. I am sure we'll find another great place for our lil' squirt, but CCK will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. Currently Gavin's BFF is William, they love each other and throw each other the ball during playtime.

I will miss working and attending classes at the University of Tennessee. It has been a very positive experience. The people, the culture, and the bright ideas...I will miss it all. I'll be sitting out of school for at least 12 months while I establish my Texas residency. Have you seen the cost of college these days?? I can muster up a bit of patience in order to save tens of thousands of dollars.

The past five years in Tennessee have been a special time and place for us. It is where we became engaged, became first-time homeowners and first-time parents. It is where I started on a path to a new career, including returning to school (an evolution from a liberal arts background to a science background) and really a return to an old Tiff that got a little lost somewhere in the post-college shuffle. I am looking forward to pulling all the pieces back together - and adding a couple of handsome and sometimes ornery new ones.

TN is where I grew my first real garden, where Gavin had all his firsts leading up to two years old, and where we met a few fantastic friends, with whom we intend to continue knowing and loving throughout the years.

Its time to close this chapter and move on, away we go.

Close encounter

While playing in the river on Saturday I had another close encounter with a slithering foe. This time it wasn't a harmless rat snake type, but instead a venomous baby copperhead. Yikes. I had Gavin with me and we were walking along the bank, just minding our own business, throwing rocks, etc., when this wee snake darted across our path and into the river. I am not sure how venomous they are at that age, but was glad we weren't close enough to find out nonetheless.

Grants for school and community gardens

One of the Slow Food Knoxville volunteers that helped out with Gavin's school veggie garden forwarded this link to me. Its a list of grant opportunities, a great resource for anyone else who is interested in tackling a school/community garden. I realize my Texan readers may have trouble with something like this right now, considering the drought and all, but I'm hopeful this too shall pass and the heavens will rain down on you. At least the summer is coming to a close and the temperatures should start dropping in the next month or so. Y'all need a break!

New Book

I have been wanting to read this book for some time and I finally started. I am borrowing it from a friend and I only have a few weeks to finish before returning it. I'm a few chapters in and I can already tell its going to inspire. For any runners and/or endurance athletes out there, this is a MUST read. It's about a fitness/adventure journalist's adventure into Mexico's Sierra Madres Occidental to discover the Tarahumara, an ancient outsider-weary tribe of super athletes that live in the desert mountains and vast canyons of Northern Mexico. They are known for their seemingly super human ability to run long distances, hundreds of miles at a time, over the course of several days, without stopping. These people are the model of fitness, health and simple living. If you have any ideas about embarking on ironman competitions or ultra marathons, this is the book for you. Or if you like non-fiction, memoir-style writing then you will find this book interesting and entertaining.

Cherokee National Forest: Indian Boundary Lake and Tellico River

After the past few crazy weeks, we decided to spend this weekend taking it easy together as a family - and not work on the house. We loaded up the dogs and the child and headed for the great outdoors. The weather and company were perfect. Afterwards we came home, Gavin napped, and later we made pizza and peach cobbler. We topped off a great day with a movie on the couch.

Read all about it!

The garden we built for Gavin's preschool made the news on Anne Brock's local eco-blog, Flour Sack Mama, here in Knoxville. She even called and got an interview. It is nice to see the community taking interest in agriculture and education. You can read the post here.

First stitches

Excuse the phone pics. They aren't the best quality. On the way out the door this morning Gavin took a dive down the front steps and hit his head on the corner of a cinder block. Ouch. He cried a few minutes and then was calm. Unfortunately the wound was deep enough to warrant a few stitches. We've reached a milestone!!! The first of what I am sure will be many trips to the ER for stitches and/or broken bones.

He called the hospital gown his "hospital pajamas." I was so very proud of our lil' Mann. He left his bandage alone while the numbing gel worked its magic. He played very well and was patient while waiting. Lately Gavin has been asking that we go visit the doctor for everything - bug bites, etc. He was happy when the ER doctor arrived to spend special time with him. She was very nice and has the same last name as our vet. Gavin remembered this and when she introduced herself he said, "Holly and Rocky's doctor?" She got a kick out of that. During the procedure he sat perfectly still and did not cry and did not have to be held down. Now why can't I have that kind of luck when trying to administer eye drops?? Speaking of, if any of you mothers have tips for giving eye drops to a two year old, I am all ears.