Thanksgiving 2013

November is always a hard month for me filled with ups & downs. The beginning of the month is hard because it marks the anniversary (is that the right word?) of when my cousin committed suicide five years ago. I wish I could say that it gets easier, but it really doesn't. Those questions still linger in my and my family's minds. I still harbor feelings of regret, sadness, and anger. Mostly anger. Nevertheless, as I go on throughout the month, I'm filled with anxiety and excitement as we prepare for our annual trip to New Jersey.

This year we didn't know if our trip would be possible. I just returned to work in August and our finances are tight, but we were able to score cheap tickets through Spirit Airlines (I know..they're shitty, but we got dirt-cheap tickets) and Murad was able to work for two days while we were in New Jersey, so part of our trip will be reimbursed. We decided to stay 10 days instead of five (mostly because we could only afford the tickets with those dates). It worked out really well because this may be our last Thanksgiving in New Jersey. Murad's family wants to start doing destination Thanksgivings and having us, along with my brother-in-law and girlfriend, host Thanksgiving here in Texas. I am really excited about that. While this trip was good, I think changing it up will be beneficial for our family, especially as we expand in the future. It's so hard to travel each year and now that Joely is two, we have to pay for his plane ticket. Despite this, I am so thankful that we have been able to travel each and every year to celebrate Thanksgiving in New Jersey. Last year, we went to Washington D.C. and this year we visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Here are some highlights from our trip (and lowlights).

-scoring a parking Groupon for $35. This is seriously awesome considering how much it costs us to park our car while we're gone. The downside was that the lot was not well-lit and the company was kinda shady. They picked us up in a limo when we returned from Philly.
-usually we send Sampson & Maya to the pet hotel while we're gone. This year one of my friends offered to house-sit for us. We got picture messages from her of our babes and it was good to know someone was at our home while we were gone!
-going to the liquor store with my family members! Such bonding!
-sleep-walking into my in-laws bedroom, hitting my father-in-law on the head and climbing into bed with them. yep! That really happened! If you want the full story, just ask!
-going to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty with Murad's family. We did a ferry tour with two stops. It was so cool to see both sites and to witness American history. I know Joely's too young to remember this, but one of the things I'm proud of is that he's so well-traveled. I want him to be exposed to so many places and to see how others live. I'm glad we've started that at such a young age. Also, Joely and his cousin Daniel became Junior Rangers at Ellis Island and got to pose with a Ranger.
-Spending Thanksgiving Day with Murad's mom's family and then coming back to his dad's house for more Thanksgiving celebrating.
-Going to a 76ers game. Even though we lost, I still had a fun. We had really good seats and I just love basketball. It's my favorite sport! I didn't like seeing punk-ass Anthony Davis (former Kentucky player and current New Orleans Pelicans player).
-Hanging out with friends. We went out one night with some of Murad's friends, and we also went to Atlantic City with some friends. We didn't win any money (we lost $30), but our friends won $395!
-Going to an Eagles game! We splurged and bought tickets and I'm so glad we did. We had the best seats we've ever had. It was the perfect weather for an outdoors game and we won!!!! Woo-hoo!

We really tried to do a lot during this trip, but some of my favorite memories come from hanging out at Murad's dad's house with family. Joely really enjoyed his time with his grandparents. He wanted to do everything with Pop-pop and act like his big cousin Daniel. Even though we love living in Texas, it is hard knowing that he won't grow up near any of his grandparents. Murad and I are still trying to convince both of our parents to relocate here, but we'll see what happens. We're just thankful to have them in our lives and to be able to visit them when we can.

Soup Kitchen...err... Soup Inn!

Well, things are finally starting to settle down around here and then things are going to get crazy again. Fall is always crazy for us, but it is even crazier with a baby. Now that Joely is here everyone wants to see him. who wouldn't want to see him? he is the CUTEST boy I know!
Mr. Soup and I are just amazed at how much Joely changes each day. Some days he looks exactly like me and on other days, he's a miniature version of his father. He loves to laugh and he's starting to watch television. As a teacher I cringe and I only let him watch it for about 20 minutes in the morning while I'm getting ready for work. I also pull out a few books to balance it out (don't question my logic!) I know it means he's learning to focus. He gets pretty excited when he hears the music for Plaza Sesamo (Sesame Street) though. It's pretty darn cute. He's still talking up a storm and he's quite the chubster. We're in size 2 diapers and 6 months clothes.
He really loves going to daycare. It's so hard for me to leave him in the morning. I just love watching him giggle and cuddle with daddy. Today, Mr. Soup texted me after he dropped Joely off at Abuela's. He was really upset because Joely didn't look back at him like he usually does when he drops him off. He's becoming so independent so soon!
I will say that Joely really thrives with the routine. Mr. Soup says that at 7:30am, Joely starts getting fussy and cranky because he knows they should be leaving for Abuela's. When he gets there and sees Abuela, Miss Christy and the other kiddos he's all smiles! When I pick him up it's a different story. He usually has just woken up or eaten, so he has that drunken/out-of-it look. When we get home though, he's all smiles and ready to play with Mommy!
This 3-day weekend was wonderful. We had tons of much needed family time. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend! The weather was perfect for playing outside and grilling out!
Speaking of weekends, Mr. Soup and I have a ton of things planned for this fall. Of course, we'll watch tons of Eagles games and KU games. We won't be able to hit the bar as much unless we find a sitter and a new bar (the Eagles bar burned down over 4th of July). Oktoberfest will be here. Last Oktoberfest I was pregnant with Joely (I didn't know it which was why I was at Oktoberfest in the first place).The Texas State Fair will start in late September and end towards the end of October! We love walking around the fair and visiting the booths. Joely loves to people-watch, so this will be perfect for him too. We also plan to take a weekend trip to Houston to visit two sets of friends. Joel's Kansas grandparents have already called requesting a weekend visit in Oklahoma City (it's the halfway point between Dallas and Wichita, KS--my hometown). We have friends coming from Pennsylvania in September and October. We have friends coming for Kansas City in December. We'll travel to Pennsylvania/NJ (if we can find cheap airfare) for Thanksgiving. I'm still really nervous about flying with a 6 month old. I know I shouldn't be, but I just fear he'll scream his head off when his ears pop. I wish he was still my little sleeping baby, but Joel will fight sleep, especially when he's in a new environment. I also really worry about him getting sick from the germs on the plane. maybe I'm too worried about this. I need to focus on the positive. Joely will get to spend time with his New Jersey grandparents and extended family. Yeah, so that's our fall in a nutshell. Pretty much booked every weekend until Christmas!
Well that is it for the Soup Family!

We are Family

So our AC went out on Thursday! Can you believe it? One thing I do not like about summer is that it seems so many things go on the blink in the summer. We've had more bills this summer than the law should allow. Thank God we have savings and help from our parents, but we hate to use that as who knows what will happen this fall! Here are some of the things that we've had to pay for this summer:
-A/C in the jetta went out (and something else, but I can't remember)
-master bathroom toilet broke
-A/C in the house goes out
-oh and did I mention those medical bills for Joel's birth keep streaming in each month...
Despite this, I'm thankful that we can still get by and that we've received so much help from our Dallas family. There are days when I think to myself that things would be so much easier if we lived in Kansas close to my parents. I see all of my friends with family near by and I do sometimes get jealous. However, this week we were really reminded that we have a family here. Friends came forward with technician recommendations and we even borrowed a window unit and fans from friends. Joel and I spent yesterday at my friend's house enjoying her A/C. Joel even got to play and read with 3 year old Rowan!
So, even though part of the house is hot, we're still sitting pretty cool until the AC guy arrives with the new fan for the outside unit! Hoping he gets here soon!
So thanks to our Dallas Family! We're so glad we call this city home!

28 is great!

28 is great! I guess I'm partial because everyone has been telling me how young I look. I just feel good about 28. I'm probably the happiest I've been in a while. I'm married to the man of my dreams. I have two beautiful dogs. I have a wonderful life! I feel like everything is coming together as well. Mr. Soup is in grad school, so only one more year of being poor. He just got promoted to case manager at his job, so things are really looking up. I have an awesome student teacher and I love my students! I've just been enjoying life a lot lately. I'm really proud of myself for working out consistently. I don't go out much anymore, so it's not tempting to drink as much, but I've really cut down drinking wine. Mr. Soup and I have become Justin.tv addicts. I think we could watch The Office reruns on Justin.tv non-stop!
It's been an awesome birthday week! It's also been a very busy week. On Sunday I went to church and went out to lunch with the twenties n' thirties group (TNT). It was really fun to meet new people and feel more a part of my church. On Monday night, I attended my first ladies' Bible study. Again, another awesome experience. I'm really excited to be part of this amazing group of women. We have some exciting events coming up. Tuesday was my birthday. Mr. Soup had grad school, so I spent most of the evening opening gifts by myself (lame) and then I went to spin class with my friends Kristin and Melanie. Mr. Soup called me when spin ended because he got out of class early, so we went out to eat as we planned. So good to have time just to be out and enjoy each other's company.
Yesterday I went to dinner with some friends from work and my good friend Christina. There were supposed to be more people, but with the cold weather lots of people ended up sick. It was still awesome especially since KU beat K-State!!!!!
Okay, so I felt like Mr. Soup and I had talked the home-buying conversation to death. However, we have officially decided to start looking for homes and we *hope* to buy a house by May. We recently learned of some new homebuyer programs that we qualify for since I'm a teacher and he's in graduate school. We have been generously blessed with financial help for our down payment from family, so we hope to get everything worked out this week and start looking. Plus, our dream starter house was lowered by $5,000. so that's a sign, right? So, please keep us in your thoughts. This is all new to us, but so exciting.
This upcoming week will be busy as well. I am going out to eat with some friends on Tuesday night in Uptown, hopefully meeting with a realtor, and on Sunday we will root on the Saints (well I will root for the Saints and Mr. Soup will root for the Colts) in the superbowl! WHO DAT!

Easter and other updates

Another Easter has come and gone. I spent my first Easter as a married woman alone. Murad went to visit a friend in KC and then visited Abby in Meade. Although, I missed him, I know he needed to go. I had a great time with friends. On Friday, I went to my first ever crawfish boil at my friends Kristin & Sammy's house. Sammy's family and Kristin's brother were in town from Louisiana. It was great to just hang out, EAT and celebrate Good Friday. My friends from work and I got to hold our first crawfish (they're still alive until you cook em.) We tried to make them fight, but I think they were frightened. So was I. Those little pinchers look like they hurt!
On Saturday, I enjoyed a day of cleaning and laundry. On Sunday I went to my favorite brunch place, Iron Cactus. Ironically Iron Cactus is just down the street from DAC and Hotel Indigo, so I got to relive that as we drove down the street. Christina, her friend Teresa and I enjoyed a wonderful brunch buffet full of waffles, omelets, salmon, pasta, and of course, bottomless mimosas! My favorite! It truly was a great day. Even though I wasn't with family, I still was able to celebrate with friends. I'm so thankful for the life I have here in Dallas. It truly is our home.
On another note, Easter always signals the end of the school year. TAKS is just around the corner and tomorrow marks the first day of the last six weeks! Abby will be here soon and I can't wait to hang with her. She'll go to the City of Richardson camps again and I found a dance camp that runs for half a day for a week in July. It's just around the corner, so I'm excited. When she's not in camp, she and I will hang out, do crafts, lay by the pool and READ! My goal is to get her reading some chapter books this summer. My good friend Elaina (fake librarian, but actually the real librarian) suggested Junie B. Jones and Cam Jansen books. I loved to read with my parents when I was a kid, so I hope Abby will too!
I leave you with a pic Murad took of Abby and her sister Lexie. We bought their Easter dresses this year (okay, so Abby's is just her rehearsal dinner dress, but we still bought it). I think they look SO CUTE! Almost makes me wish I had a sister....almost! I'm glad I don't!
I'll post some pics of our other children soon. Maya is just chillin' on the guest bed as I type this and Sam is playing with a toy on the floor. Typical day in Campbell household!