For rent

Our home was officially listed as available to rent today. 

When Mark and I came home from Egypt in 2008 we made a goal to one day have a similar overseas experience with our (future) children.  We didn't care (mostly) where in the world this happened we just wanted to do it. We wanted our children to experience living in a new place/culture.  To see how things are done in different places around the world and do it as a family.  This August we will have the opportunity to fulfill this dream/goal/plan which has been in the making for over a decade. We are going back to where it all started, Cairo Egypt and we are so excited!!

Mark will be teaching 7th and 8th grade history and I will be a permanent substitute in the Middle School at the American International School in Egypt. We spent a lot of late Summer/Fall researching schools/countries and then applying for all the History teaching jobs that came up.  We actually got offered these jobs in December but felt it would be best to keep it to ourselves for awhile, largely due to Mark's calling and just that it was so far away but with our house being officially listed with a for rent sign in front of it we wanted to make sure we told our closest friends here. We told our families, our current jobs and our stake president right after we got the offers but other than that we largely kept it to ourselves.  By mid January I had told a few friends who live out of state but hardly anyone knew.  I hinted at it as much as I dared with close friends but really just didn't talk about it much. It's kind of hard to believe its really happening but it is and its awesome.

We have been in touch with a few teachers at AIS who have been so generous and kind to answer questions. Something very different about AIS is that when I worked there previously the school was very focused on hiring young, single teachers.  They have shifted in the last decade to hiring more families which made us feel good about accepting jobs there.  In 2006 - 2008 there were maybe 2 families with kids at the school.  Now there are more than a dozen.  Its been great to hear from these families about how they feel their kids do at AIS.  With hiring more families there is less teacher turnover which really helps the school too. There will still be the same issues as before but the school seems to be in a better place which is really encouraging.  We have also agreed to take over the lease of a family leaving AIS this year.  The apartment is across the street from the back side of the school and Jared and Lydia are really looking forward to being able to walk to school.  Deciding whether to live near AIS or in Maadi where the branch members are (and where we lived before) was the hardest choice.  Maadi was a really nice place to be, it was familiar, walk able and the branch members are there but its a 45 minute to an hour drive from the school depending on traffic and ultimately we just decided being closer to the school was what we wanted.  Another factor was living arrangements.  Apartments are larger, more updated and more affordable outside of Maadi. We want to invest in our school community and have a different experience.  I think living away will force us to branch out more and that is a good thing.  And honestly (from our experience last time) it can be hard to be around people who are so well taken care of by the State Department or other agencies.  Who have access to the commissary and US mail and all kinds of benefits.  We just felt Jared and Lydia didn't need that around them all the time since we would not have access to any of that.  It would just make us think of what we didn't have.  We are looking forward to getting to know the branch members and know it will be so helpful for us all to have that support built in.  The branch was a huge blessing in our lives back then and we know it will be this time as well.  We are especially excited as some fun friends who lived in Cairo when we were there previously are posted there again now.  It will be great to be part of a branch and so helpful for us all to attend church in English. 

This is our building.  We will be on the ground floor, not my first choice but it will work. 
 It's crazy to me that this building is even next to the school.  When I worked there before the school was surrounded by desert and the police academy.  Now there are apartment buildings like this all over, an Ikea, Dunkin Donuts and huge mall within 10 minutes. I think I will be completely shocked when I see the area by the school for the first time. 

Lydia has been fully on board with moving from the get go.  Jared was open to the idea but not as excited as Lydia. He really has some great friends here and he will miss them a lot.  He is also very attached to our house and his "stuff". Renting our house, not selling it was a deal breaker for him.  We planned to rent it all along as its in a good area and we will want it if we come back here one day which we are totally open too.  We have been so happy here and have so many good memories.  We love Charlottesville but we feel strongly that now is the time to go and try this out.  With Jared starting middle school this Fall it is a good natural break since he would be switching schools anyway and he and Lydia are old enough to remember the experience and learn from it. In a way COVID has actually been kind of helped too as it has caused us to greatly reduce the amount of time we are spending with friends and school has been so different as well.  We signed a 2 year contract with AIS but hope everyone is happy enough to stay for at least 3 years and even longer if it feels right. When we moved here I often said we planned to stay for 5 - 7 years.  This July we will have been here for 7 years.  It's time to try a new adventure and we are so grateful for this opportunity! 

Valentines Week

We had a week full of Valentine's fun at our house. We started the week by making Valentines to send to family members. While Jared, Lydia and I made cards Mark cut out a ton of hearts for us to use later in the week when we heart attacked a few people in our ward who serve so willingly.  I filled Jared and Lydia's mailboxes up each day of the week this year.  Most days I did some candy with a corresponding Valentine card.  Example: Reeses PB heart "There are a million Reeses" why I love you." They were both sad to not get to exchange valentines/candy with their classmates so that made it easy for me. It was really nice to see how happy these notes made them and they were so thankful.  It was really sweet. 

We went out Friday night between the snow and ice to do our heart attacks. We didn't both trying to surprise anyone.  Just decorated the door then knocked on the door to let them know there was a treat out there.  Doorbell cameras are so weird.  At one house the mom and dad were out on a date, they have older kids and the daughter peeked out the window, saw it was us and opened the door and said she would call her parents.  We thought she meant from like the other room but no, she called them on the phone and then they called and talked to us through their doorbell camera.  Its so weird, I am not a fan.  One house was dark and the last house was a real success eventually.  It was funny too though because it took the couple a good while to figure out who we were.  We were all bundled up in hats and coats and had face masks on so they were pretty stumped.  She commented that she was so used to seeing Mark in a suit she was thrown off.  Too funny.  She also sent us a cute picture of their door in the daylight and a really nice thank you note.  It was a funny, kind of awkward night but we spread some love. 

We had lots of fun holiday food.  For some reason I associate donuts with Valentines Day.  Most people I know associate them with the Fall but it was just never a thing for me growing up.  We decided to make some for Saturday morning since the weather was awful and we were not going anywhere.  They turned out really well. I was glad the recipe I found during our Spring "stay at home order" was still easy to do and turned out well.  I made the dough Friday night and Mark fried them up Saturday morning.  I only made half the recipe which was perfect for the size of our family.  I think it would be so fun to have a donut bar once its kosher to meet with large groups and have people in and out of our house again.  For Mark I made his favorite mint chocolate brownies.  My family loves this recipe and I am really just not a fan but they were all very happy to have them. On Valentines Day we had heart shaped french toast in the morning and heart shaped pizza for dinner. 

We had chocolate and maple glazes, Valentines sprinkles, peppermint bark, cinnamon sugar and raspberry jam

Mark did a great job frying these. 
He filled these with his favorite filing, key lime buttercream.  

Valentines Sandwich

Strawberry Fanta Floats.
  They end up tasting just like Italian Cream sodas once the soda and ice cream mix.  Its so good. 

After church we played some fun and silly Valentine games I had found online.  We played Apples to Apples Valentines edition, Valentine Outburst and Valentines Danger words.  Jared and Lydia really got into these games which made me happy.  The favorite was probably Cupid's Arrows which was just straws and Q Tips.  It was a fun afternoon and we got a sweet drop off from some kind friends of ours.  It was a fun day. 

We had a simple Valentines Scavenger hunt Saturday morning.  Both Jared and Lydia have been wanting these cool bow and arrows called "Hyper Strikes."  I found two online for a really good price and this sweet lady got them shipped to us before Valentines Day.  They were a pretty good theme present, with Cupid and all.  Their Valentine Saturday morning just said " Any guesses what today's Valentine will be?  You can look starting at nine."  We did not want them running around looking on the one day we could really sleep in plus in rhymed nicely.  They waited patiently and then around 9:15 asked if they could start looking.  We said go for it and they looked a little lost because they had no idea where to look.  They asked if they could have clues or if we would at least do hot and cold but we held out, at least for a little while.  I did let them know it was upstairs.  Of course they had no idea what they were even looking for so that made it a lot harder too.  Eventually we did hot and cold and they were so happy when they found them.  It was so fun to see the joy on their faces.  We hid them in our his and her closets and Jared found his first.  Lydia didn't see hers and ended up leaving the room so we called her back and eventually she found it.  It was really fun. They helped fill a lot of time Saturday as we really did stay home the whole day.  I did not even go outside it was just so yucky, 

Before going to bed Saturday night I heart attacked Jared and Lydia's doors.  In the morning we woke up to little scratch sounds on our door.  Sweet Lydia took some of the hearts from her door and added them to our and wrote us a really sweet heartfelt note.

It was really nice at dinner that evening as we talked to hear Jared and Lydia talk about how thankful they were for all the little things I had done.  Jared commented that it would take decades to list all the things and it just made it all even sweeter. It has been fun to develop our traditions over the years and just take some time to put an the extra effort to show them I love them.  I wrote them a short love letter for Sunday mornings and both kids hung it up on their walls.  It's something I could certainly do more often that would really build their confidence and our relationship.  It really was a fun sweet week. 

Biking and Snow

 It feels like I just wrote about this very topic but this has been a pretty steady pattern the last 2.5 - 3 weeks.  We have gotten some fun snow the last 2 weekends and when its dry/warm enough I have tried to get some bike rides in.  Last week Laura and I went on a ride together in Forest Lakes, a large residential neighborhood not far from our house.  We were treated to the most beautiful colorful sunrise, it was amazing. We also had to bike up a crazy hill and I was impressed with myself that I could make it up the hill!  I don't go into Forest Lakes very often, especially not South Forest Lakes.  A very dear friend used to live on the street where we stopped to enjoy the sunrise so I texted her a picture of it and we commiserated about the hill right before her street.  She is way tougher than me, she used to ride her bike up there while pulling a trailer with kids in it. I can't imagine being able to do that.  Its awful but what is great is that I was able to make it up the hill.  Catching that sunrise and visiting with Laura was such a treat. 

We got about 4.5 inches of snow from the most current storm.  A day of sleet/wintry mix also came with it. Fortunately we did not lose power and went and sledding at Chris Greene the day before the ice came.  Lydia spent some time in the front yard building a snowman all by herself.  She did a great job.  While I finished working she and Jared played around in the yard and thankfully avoided any lasting injuries.  Jared had one bad crash into a tree stump but managed to walk away with just a bruise.  It does scare me when they sled down our side yard.  It is pretty steep and goes straight into our woods.  There have been times they have just kept sledding down the hill all the way to the creek.  They are getting better at stopping before that happens because it is a long walk back up.  Not to mention you have to avoid tons of trees.  I was thankful they avoided injury until we could all go to Chris Greene.  

We are so happy we have gotten these snow days!  I love snow in Virginia. 

One day earlier in the week I went on a bike ride after finishing work.  As I was nearing our street I came across Mark just starting his run.  It's funny how we have switched places.  I used to be the runner and now he is.  I haven't run since the Monday after Christmas and don't think I will anytime soon.  My tendinitis seems healed for regular day activities but when I try something with more impact or put more strain on it I feel it.  It felt pretty good after the 2 mile hike/walk Lydia and I did at Walnut Creek but the other day I tried jump roping and it was really tender.  And my jump rope broke which made it even more sad.  I only jumped for 5 minutes and I was winded!  Crazy how quickly I lose whatever I had built up.  I am not sure about running again, I think I am over it but I definitely want to jump rope regularly so I will get a new rope and give it some more time. 

Saturday dates and preschool supplies

Saturday Lydia and Mark went on a date to Goodwill (to look for books) and then to Dairy Market for ice cream. They stopped by Pen Park and walked the fitness trail. I haven't been to that trail in years. We used to go on almost weekly walks there since we lived right next to Pen Park. Jared and I went on a bike ride together.  I was really glad Jared was willing to bike.  Active dates are my favorite.  I may not think of good conversation topics while sitting at a table but on a hike/walk/kayak or bike I am much better. We rode on Bleak House Road out in Earlysville.  I had planned to ride out there with some friends but actually slept through my alarm that morning which never happens, it was so weird. It turned out to be a good thing I missed riding with them because that road ends with a crazy hill and they are way stronger cyclist than me.  For the most part it is a nice mostly level gravel/paved road.  There is little traffic and some fun barns and mountain views.  We were riding along and I thought this isn't bad and then we got to the end of the road and knew we were in trouble.  We rode down the hills which was mostly fun (except for a blind corner that had a car turning and scared us both and probably the driver too) but when we tried to bike up we could barely bike any distance.  We just walked up the hill and then got back on our bikes when it leveled out.  Jared was a great sport about it and said the ride was so fun which made me so happy.   He was open to going again and next time we will know when to turn around. I helped Jared work on switching gears which is kind of hilarious because I have very little knowledge but it was enough to help him figure out what to do.   We enjoyed being together and ended the date with Oreo's and milk when we got home.  

I spent a lot of Saturday morning going through all the old preschool toys and setting them up to sell on Facebook Marketplace. Last week when we redid our shelves I sorted out all the stuff I was ready to get rid of.  It took a lot longer than I thought to post them all so hopefully people will want this stuff.  It didn't make me sad exactly, it just brought back a lot of memories of teaching preschool.  It really was a good fit for me and even though it caused a lot of stress (getting classes set up, not teaching) I am really happy/proud that I did it. I haven't thought about it much the past 2+ years but it was good to reflect back on that time. We really were blessed when we needed it. 

More snow fun, School update, Walnut Creek

The snow from Sunday seemed to stick around longer than it has in the past.  By the end of the week the temperatures had warmed up nicely so I was able to convince Jared and Lydia to go play outside.  Since there was still decent snow available we filled up water bottles with colored water and they had fun painting the snow.  We hadn't done this in awhile because last year there really wasn't much snow and sometimes I forget about it.  The forecast is calling for more snow early tomorrow which would be just fine with us.  After a good amount of snow painting they began their own version of Lord of the Rings.  Jared is almost done with the second book. I don't think Lydia had any idea what was going on, she was just happy to play with Jared outside. 

Lydia in cursive


Jared went to town dripping blue dots one by one. 

Mark went into his school for the first time since mid August and since his school is right near downtown he decided to run his own Charlottesville 10 miler.  After that he worked in his classroom and had meetings until about 1:00 and then came home for lunch. The superintendent of Albemarle County recommended our school district move to phase 4 starting March 01.  The school board will vote next Thursday whether to move forward or not.  This past weekend they had a huge vaccine drive just for county teachers/staff.  If they move forward Lydia will be in school 4 days a week and Jared (or all grades 4 -12) would attend 2 days a week.  Baker Butler sent an email saying they were ready to begin phase 4 February 24th.  Jared would love a chance to go to school. I have felt really good about Lydia going twice a week but am not sure about more days and more kids in classes.  I don't know if they will have to switch teachers around and I really do not want her to do that again so I am anxious to attend the community meetings Baker Butler has scheduled.  Mark does not want to teach hybrid and in person so he is pretty stressed and I don't think teachers should have to. I have not heard a single positive report from any teacher anywhere who has been doing both. It seems pretty awful. They will continue to have Fridays off so if teachers don't have to give all their planning time to meetings and office hours it would help a lot.  

Friday morning I went on a bike ride before Mark left.  I left home about 6:30 and timed it just right to catch some pretty light at Chris Greene and the sunrise behind on Berkmar.  I did the ride in reverse this time going to Chris Greene first to try to see some fun light reflections and to get the Hill out of the way at the beginning of the ride. Biking is great.  I hope I can meet up with friends to go together again soon. Its so fun to ride and visit. We are so lucky to live in such a pretty place.  For so long I mourned our gravel road and no sidewalks/lights (the dust, the wear and tear on our tires, etc) but really its a pretty good set up for biking/running.  Especially now that they completed the fire station road so we don't just have to go out and back but can make loops, that road is a game changer. 

Since the weather warmed up at the end of the week our family went to Walnut Creek Friday.  It was so nice to be outside.  Mark and Jared played disc golf while Lydia and I enjoyed a lovely hike around a portion of the lake. Lydia does not love hiking but she repeated more than once how great it felt to be outside and how happy she was to be hiking.  It was so pleasant.  It is the dead of winter here, hardly any green to be found but with 50 - 55 degrees, no humidity, no ticks or poison ivy it was pretty great.  We both got warm enough to take off our coats even.  I was happy to have some time with her. She is a great girl. 

It's weird for me to see it so brown here in VA.