Time for GRAD SCHOOL!

Introducing Mister Christopher,

Graduate Student

Classes don't actually start until Monday, but today was the grad school orientation at Georgia Tech. Chris was able to talk to more professors, meet several students, and eat free food. From all I've gathered, it was a productive day.

Audrey was excited that she and Dad are both students now.

It is certainly an interesting time to be living in a hotel. School starting has been more of one story among many, when I would have much preferred for that particular event to have more of a spotlight. But, such is life. Tomorrow we finally finally FINALLY move into our apartment. We've already hung out there for a couple hours now and again, mostly killing time before the bus came, but it will be much more meaningful to actually live there.

Before that blessed event, though, I want to wrap up on the last few hotel etc. noteworthies.

In all our road trips over the summer, I rather lost my zeal for tracking license plates. Between New Mexico and Utah and Idaho, I was always seeing pretty much the same ones every time and it just wasn't so exciting. Now, however, with driving across the country I thought we'd have a good chance to get quite a few different states. I was right.

I collected 43 different states. Booyah. With that many, I find it more mentionable to say those we missed, rather than those we have. Missing:

Hawaii

Vermont

Connecticut

Delaware

North Dakota

Wyoming

Idaho

Yes, Idaho. Holy cow. Of all states ever, that was always the most guaranteed in the license plate game in my entire life. What a one to miss.

With our switched hotels, we were able to finally split us away from the kids for sleeping. This worked out a lot better since they could actually go to sleep at a decent hour and we... didn't have to go to sleep at a decent hour. Ha. Anyway, the hotel we're in now has a bedroom separated from a living area. The doors are glass, unfortunately, but Chris came up with an ingenious plan to darken the room for the kids so they could sleep and we could stay up later in the bedroom.

I did feel just a little guilty for putting the kids on the sofabed/pillows piled up on the floor while we had two queen beds to ourselves, but they all slept just fine.

They even enjoyed it. I'm not sure what the appeal is to pillows shoved in corners, but it seems a favorite of Megan's.

We have no real semblance of normal, which is definitely wearing down on all of us. Well, Chris seems to be holding up fabulously well, but it's taking a bit more visible effort on my part. The kids are showing signs of stress, too--Ben is practically bi-polar with how suddenly he's just the happiest little man on the planet and then just as quickly he's screaming and trying to bite me. Megan has gone mostly deaf if I'm saying anything that goes contrary to her personal ideals of the moment. And Audrey Jane... well, she is convinced that, as a child old enough for school, she is old enough to own the world. They've all given us quite the seasonings to go with our plate of crazy.

We have tried to keep things fun, though. Pizza, chocolate milkshakes, and Jack Frost.

And chasing Dad all over the rooms after dinner.

In the apartment tomorrow, unpacking for fingers crossed a week, then we can start figuring out normal again. Comments of encouragement and humor strongly welcomed and gratefully accepted.