There is nothing better than a crisp fall day!! We have been blessed with numerous beautiful days in November, with sunny skies and fairly warm weather, considering this is Iowa, and we've tried to enjoy them, knowing that all too soon, the snow will fall.
The first weekend in November was the annual military ball, and I was shocked that the weather was so warm, I could wear my open toed shoes (instead of snow boots) with my dress. As always, it was wonderful to have a night out with my hubby, and we are so thankful for our gracious friends who volunteered to keep our kids so we could attend. The trees in our yard were at their peak that weekend, and we got some great shots of the fall colors!
By the next weekend, however, the leaves were mostly gone, and we spent one sunny afternoon raking up 15 bags of leaves! Alexa loved helping us rake and compress the leaves, though she seemed to enjoy playing in the piles a bit more!
Soon after, the weather cooled quite a bit and we decided to try out our fireplace! It was a hit, as you can see!
And lastly, this was just a cute photo of the kids before school one morning when Alexa had fixed her own hair!
The second week of November, Billy received a phone call and then an email that began, "Congratulations! You've been selected to be Company Commander for a unit in Columbus, Ohio..."
They might as well have said, "Congratulations, we're going to turn your life upside down!" So much for having three year orders for Des Moines! Apparently Uncle Sam wants us in Ohio. In June. I will admit, I was not a happy, go with the flow, it's all in God's hands, army wife when my husband gave me the news. I like Des Moines. I love my house. I finally feel like I have friends here. The schools are good, the parks are fun, and there's so much more we wanted to see and do! And, being that the Des Moines move was our first "active duty" move, I never in a million years thought the army would just change our orders - now I realize how absurd that sounds - but I honestly thought three year orders meant we'd be here three years. So I pouted and cried and prayed and questioned...and then, in the way that only He can, God gave me an answer that left little room for questioning. Two days after we found out about our pending move, I opened my materials to prepare for the kids class I teach two Saturdays a month at our church. I started reading the "lessons for the leader" section, which began, "Pack up! It's time to move! If you've ever had to relocate for a job, you know the stress associated..."
Yeah. I laughed out loud, and I got the message. We're going to Ohio. Columbus, to be exact, and that happens to be the state's capital. The fourth state capital we will have lived in! The spring will no doubt be challenging as we attempt to sell the house we closed on just last December, and Billy will be in South Carolina. He has to attend a four month course at Fort Jackson beginning in January. He will have days off and be able to fly back here, or we will head to Fort Jackson on school breaks, but being apart is never fun...
But here are the positive aspects of the move - career-wise, it is a great opportunity for Billy. Columbus looks like another nice place to live with lots of fun kids activities to explore. We will only be six hours from the DC area where we hope to spend more time. We will only be ten hours from my brother's family and hope to be able to meet in the middle somewhere for vacations together. The weather in Ohio looks to be somewhat milder than Iowa (ten degrees or so, but still better!) There are several airports within driving distance, giving us options to explore when looking for cheap tickets to either visit family or have visitors. Alexa is excited about the opportunity to meet new friends and live in a new place! I'm sure it will be harder on her as she gets older, but right now, she enjoys the adventure, and that makes it more fun for all of us!
So stay tuned....the latest Hill household adventure is soon to begin, and with it will come a new address!!
There is nothing better than a crisp fall day!! We have been blessed with numerous beautiful days in November, with sunny skies and fairly warm weather, considering this is Iowa, and we've tried to enjoy them, knowing that all too soon, the snow will fall.
The first weekend in November was the annual military ball, and I was shocked that the weather was so warm, I could wear my open toed shoes (instead of snow boots) with my dress. As always, it was wonderful to have a night out with my hubby, and we are so thankful for our gracious friends who volunteered to keep our kids so we could attend. The trees in our yard were at their peak that weekend, and we got some great shots of the fall colors!
Soon after, the weather cooled quite a bit and we decided to try out our fireplace! It was a hit, as you can see!
And lastly, this was just a cute photo of the kids before school one morning when Alexa had fixed her own hair!