P-town. The place i grew up in, our house in Birdland, friends i've had since high school... i've left that all behind now and i'm starting a brand new journey in the beautiful land of Alaska. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be living in Alaska and my parents would be living in South Dakota, i'd probably tell ya i think you're nuts!! But because life is unpredictable and hard times, although painfully heartbreaking to go through, make you stronger and allow you to grow and live your life to the fullest.
My parents told me they were selling their house a few months ago and i was totally taken by surprise. it was the house that i grew up in, the house my kids had grown up in... full of memories. they never hinted the fact that they had no money or were even considering selling the house. i didnt want them to sell it and i hoped that because the economy was suckish they wouldnt be able to. Me and the kids had moved into a quaint little place of our own in downtown ptown and life was pretty darn swell. It was definitely challenging being a single mom with 2 kids living on our own... but it was awesome at the same time cause it gave me such a sense of accomplishment and it brought our little family together in so many ways. But my parents sold their house with no problem at all and in what seemed like record time to me. So they were busy selling stuff on e bay and packing shit away without really having a plan of action. They talked about moving to Wisconsin or Minnesota... which would make sense seeing as thats where my mom's from. And they also talked about moving to places like Montana or Idaho or Tennessee... My dad was convinced that California was going to hell and that everyone needed to get outta Dodge. Fast. They decided to buy an RV. Cool. I would love to own an RV someday and just take off and travel to anywhere. But then they took a trip to South Dakota in their new RV and ended up buying a house. Um.. excuse, me? You bought a freaking house without consulting me?!?!? without letting me and the kids know?!?! i mean come on, South Dakota?? where the population of their town in only 120 people??? jesus christ!! i seriously think my dad done lost his mind when he told me where they moved to. But whatevs... i figured i could at least try to make things work in p-town without my parents' support. I had such a wonderful family of friends that i knew i would be able to rely on if i needed some help :) And then me and the kids took our annual trip to Alaska where Clay's grandparents live. They offered to have us move in with them and told us that if we could stick it out for a year they would build us our own house on their property. A generous offer indeed!! Like everyone, i have always dreamed of having my own house someday never imagining that i would be able to get one pretty much for free. So with much thought and consideration i made the decision to give Alaska a try. I knew that because of major budget cutbacks within the school system i would probably not be getting the job that i wanted as a special needs aide and without a consistent source of income there was no way that i would be able to stay in California. Leaving behind a wonderful family of friends was the hardest thing i've ever had to do and i miss them so much that sometimes i wonder if i've made the right choice. But in all honesty i knew in my heart that the choice i made was the best one for myself and for my children. The adjustment is huge and i know it will take time to settle in... but P-town will always be home. no matter where life takes us or throws at us one thing is for sure: my kids and i have each other and we are survivors, not victims. and so... here we are.
tomatoes
potatoes
chard
and, ofcourse, chloe got a snuggie too
clay got a new painted turtle from santa. he named him "squirt". him and jack are getting along just fine...
all dressed up
this, folks, is a whip cream roll and it is the highlight of our christmas dinner. pure yumminess!!
my grandpa is kind of a hard core green bay packer fan. i was kinda like... whoa!
and here he is... my grandpa. he's battling throat cancer at the moment and the doctors say things arent looking too good for him : ( but he was in great spirits and sooo happy that we came to visit!!
here's me and my dear grandma... she wasnt used to having a vegetarian in staying at her house cause well... everything is meat and potatoes in the midwest!!! ahhh!!!! but i survived... i mean, Wisconsin IS known for its cheese and, man oh man, its delicious!!! 
happy christmas to all!!
the date on the back of the ornament is 1984. notice the complete lack of bangs that i have in this picture? yeah.. mom says i got a hold of the scissors and cut all my bangs off. sounds a lot like a certain little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl that i know... he he.
