If only I had some pictures to go with all these experiences, dang it! Miles and I got here last Saturday, September 7th. James and I promptly began looking at houses and we found a cute little house near downtown Ashland, very well kept and in our price range. So we put in an offer and it was accepted outright. Awesome! We thought we were going to have to do some negotiating. We've had our inspection and have our loan, so I think we just need an appraisal still. We are probably going to be closing somewhere around October 10th. There are a few electrical issues (which I think is a ghost, :)) that need further inspection, but otherwise the inspection went well. I love this house and I can't believe I'm gonna get to live in it. The kitchen is beautiful and it has an office with a door for James to work from home. It also has a buckeye tree out front, which James says is a good omen. :)
The Ashland County Fair is in town and guess who's already been twice? Last night we went to the Easton Corbin concert, which was very good. We also had some deep-fried oreos. DELICIOUS! Today I took Miles to see the animals. I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but he didn't show a lot of expression at seeing them. Just kind of watched. Oh, well. It was fun. My favorite display was "vegetable oddities." I have pictures, but my camera cord is in storage.
Our ward has been very nice and very welcoming. We've had dinner with some members and there's a softball game tonight and a Relief Society activity tomorrow night.
There are two farmer's markets here, one on Wednesday and the other on Saturday. Most of the fruits and vegetables sold are from Amish farms. We've had some green beans, rhubarb, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes and peppers from the farmer's markets, all have been really good!
The library here is great, they have lots of programs for moms and kids. We signed up for the baby laptime group, which starts next week. Now that I think about it, Miles is not really a "laptime" kind of baby, but we'll see how it goes. I met a friend at the library with a little 4 month old boy and we've had a playdate and a weekly playdate set up for the future.
We've had lots of other fun experiences, including trying to find things in our storage unit, helping James' dad put a roof on their new garage, and driving up near Cleveland to go to Costco.
Am I homesick? Of course. I almost teared up today in the livestock pavilion when I told the guy we had moved from Colorado and he said, "Oh, you're FAR from home!" BUT, I know that here is starting to feel like home and it will get easier as time goes by and we make more friends here. Having our own place will help a lot. And I'm starting to think where precisely you live matters less than what you do in your family and how you live. I sure can't wait to see all my stuff again, though :).
