Home Sweet Home

home/hōm/

noun the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

I'm trying to think of a way to teach Scarlett what home is. I'll be using that word to describe 5 different places in 6 months. She probably is thinking that "home" is where her pack 'n play is and nothing more.  Maybe it would be easier to teach her the word "nomad". 

We got back from Vietnam and Naples, Florida February 12. We left again February 27 for Jacksonville, Florida. The two weeks we were home were busy to say the least! I fully intend on blogging about Vietnam, but have only now sat down. Our time back in Rochester flew by working, saying Hi & Bye to many friends, getting our house ready for the market, fighting illness and figuring out what to do with the rest of our lives. It's all kinda a blur. Here are the highlights though:

Wine tasting at Patrice and Derek's. Each couple was instructed to bring a red and a white wine. We placed them in paper bags then randomly numbered them so it was a blind taste for everyone. The taste testing reassured me of two things. First, all white wine is terrible. Second, my favorite wines are actually my favorite. Above is pictured the overall ranking of the red wine. My two favorites were 14 Hands Hot to Trot and the third bottle. The third bottle was actually most people's favorite but was weighed down by a couple haters. It turns out the third bottle is actually Trader Joe's boxed Red Blend. So there you have it: cheap and delicious!

For Valentine's Day we got BOGO lattes at Caribou while we took Scarlett to story time at Barnes & Nobel and the mall play place. We had Daube's chocolate cake (love Daube's bakery!) and watched Gone Girl. Most of the time watching a movie after I've read the book leaves me disappointed, but not this time. I felt the movie was still quite good.

                                                      
Scarlett or I were sick pretty much the entire time we were home, I mean in Rochester. If it wasn't a GI thing it was a cold. (She's a natural at sharing.) It was great for her to be around kids again, but between play dates, dinner dates, and daycare a couple days when I picked up shifts in radiology she was exposed to all the germs she had avoided in Naples. 

It's official! We are moving to Mankato, MN the end of June for Ben to start his career! Ben and I had drinks to celebrate the signing of his contract. I think I'm more proud of him settling on a job then I will be when he finishes residency :)

Patrice and I at IceFest.
Pretty proud of my Texas friend braving the negative temperatures for a night out.

We placed our house on the market Friday. The realtor was taking pictures as we drove out of town to Jacksonville. I spent countless hours cleaning, painting and organizing our house. I love to clean, paint and organize, but I was ready to be done with it. If you would like to see the cleanest house you've ever laid your eyes on, you can see our listing at:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/466-45th-Manor-Ln-NW_Rochester_MN_55901_M73719-76628

Within 24 hours of having our house on the market we had 3 offers! Two were above our asking price. I couldn't have dreamt of a better situation in selling our home! We were shocked and elated. We've accepted an offer, now just waiting for all the legal/financial stuff that I defer to Ben. Only fair, since I did do all the cleaning, painting and organizing.

 The 1,347 mile drive down to Jacksonville was actually better than anticipated. The first night we stayed with Ben's sister and brother-in-law who live near Keokuk, Iowa. The second day we drove 7 hours to Nashville. The third day we made a slight detour into Alabama since it's not everyday you get to see Alabama (luckily). The stat was actually very pretty, but I don't think I'll make it there aging. It's state number 16 for Scarlett, 43 for me, 46 for Ben. The final day of our trip we woke up at 4 am to Scarlett vomiting. Then again at 5 am. She proceeded to vomit three more times, luckily only one time in the car :) Having a doctor and a nurse as parents, we know how to take care of a sick child: Elmo. Scarlett watched Elmo on our laptop for at least 674 miles. I don't care if you judge me as a parent. You do what you have to do.

We're finally in Jacksonville! Mayo pays for a "luxury" furnished apartment for us while we are here, as well as for expenses to get here and a rental car for Ben. So coming to Florida when it's miserable in Minnesota is a no brainer. We are looking forward to exploring the area and having a lot of great family time.