Sisters

I've been in Tennessee now for 2 months and 16 days and for the first time since I've been gone, I've had visitors. Anna (20) and Rose (28) took a red eye on Thursday night to get here by 10 Friday morning. It is so good to see them. We talked about everything, ate chocolate, pretzels and aioli mustard, read stories to Elsa, watched her play and took pictures. It was so weird to have extra voices around the house during the day and to have such sarcastic and funny comebacks to things I'd say.

Rose, Elsa and I went out for a walk after Elsa's nap. I put her in her tan coat and my red floral print scarf and of course her black boots and she looked so adorable. I could hardly handle it. She loved the walk and picking up leaves, seeing dogs and getting around 200 pictures taken of her with hope that some will be clear. When we got back, her little nose and chubby cheeks were red with the cold, but she was so happy.

Once we got to bed that night, Anna and I shared a room for the first time since I left. It was amazing to get that special late night talk with her before bed. She had gotten maybe three or four hours of sleep the past two nights, so she was exhausted. She's still sleeping now.

Today we hang out with Samuel, Lisa and Elsa and tomorrow we venture out into Nashville. I'm excited for some of the places we're going to try and visit. The home of Andrew Jackson, the Nashville farmer's market and Crema Coffee for carbonated iced coffee and then the one I'm most excited about, Olan Roger's Soda Parlor. :-)

Washington to Tennessee

September of 2014, I spent a wonderful month caring for a 6 week baby. My niece. I had never been away from my family for more then a week, so I thought it was a huge challenge. I got homesick, but fell in love with a little bundle named Elsa. Leaving her was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I never imaged that in September of 2015 I would move out to Tennessee for six months to look after a rapidly growing 1 year old girl.

September 2014

Was it an easy decision to come? It was extremely tough, I knew that I would lose catering opportunities, miss my family, miss my friends, put a pause on my career, not attend CAP (Civil Air Patrol)... I didn't come to a decision for several months, listing pros and cons on post-its in my bedroom. It came down to Elsa. When I heard that I was going to become and aunt, I knew that I wanted to be active in her life and what better way to do it then to live with her for six whole months!

So here I am, a nanny and aunt to the cutest baby I've ever seen (no offense to anyone else). For the first time in my life, I have a bedroom to myself. And a bathroom. There's no pounding on the bathroom door waiting for someone to leave so you can get ready in the mornings, I know, big family problems.

September 2015

Some goals flew out the window the moment I watched Elsa for the first day, but others I have kept. I'm exercising, teaching Elsa new words (or sounds), listening to music, writing, reading and talking more with God. There are other things I never anticipated doing like reading the same story aloud up to nine or ten times a day. Confession: I hide the book I don't enjoy reading.

I Skype or call home often. Probably more then I should. I can't help it, I'm curious to know what is going on back at home, what each of the five siblings at home are working on and what Mom and Dad are doing. And Elsa is pretty dang cute on Skype when she can see their faces.

Rose and Anna are visiting for the weekend, so I am beyond excited to see them. After that, Thanksgiving in Michigan with Lisa's family. Then it is only three weeks until I head back to Washington for the holidays!

There, I think you are caught up one what's going on in my life.