I just finished reading my first book using my Kindle app; Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” I have to say that I am very impressed with the app. It was very easy for me to use, despite the fact that I can be a bit lacking in terms of technology. The features are pretty cool.

I chose to read Austen because her book was one of the free Kindle books on Amazon. I tend to shy away from books that date before the 1970′s because they usually cannot hold my interest, or the language used can be off putting. However, a free book is a free book and I figured I could use some exposure to some important literature. After getting past the language used (the speech of the early 1800′s in England can, in my opinion, qualify as an entirely different language) I found myself reading through it speedily. There were a lot of times that I had to read certain sentences over and over again because the meaning of them just wasn’t sinking in.

On a very positive note, upon completion of Austen’s work I feel a little more intelligent and am even finding it easier to string together sentences for this blog. I just purchased another of her works, “Emma.” I have the DVD of it as well so after I finish reading it (in, like, a month, ugh) I will have to watch the movie.

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Yesterday was the second day of our official move into the new house. We are sort of recovering today. It feels like we have been going non stop and the kids need a break.

The movers got all the boxes and most of the furniture into the house. Of course there is still a huge mess at the old place. Now I just have to worry about getting it all cleaned up.

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As the movers were packing our things this morning and my husband had to leave to do some tests for his new job, I started reflecting on everything that has happened to my family this year. I realized that this has been a HUGE year for us, and we still have a couple of months left.
I have been trying to figure out why I feel overwhelmed and it would probably have something to do with all the major life milestones we are hitting this year. I separated from the military to become a stay at home mother, had second child, bought a vehicle, went on a long trip to New York, went house hunting, bought a house, are moving into the house and my husband got a new job. That is a LOT of stuff to be doing in a single year. I was joking with my husband that all I want to do next year is lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.

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Today begins the official move! Never mind the small loads of stuff I have been bringing to the new house the past few days. The movers are here packing up our stuff today and tomorrow. We should be most of the way moved in by this weekend! Yay!

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…and not just because of the sugar. This can be found in noblerobinette’s Flickr photostream. Congratulations to the newly weds! Too cool for school.

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Here is the video tour of our new home and me making an idiot of myself. I kept running out of batteries, and that is the reason there are three videos instead of one. The reason I am so excited about a light switch in the first video is because we currently live in a house that has very bizarre system of lights to switches. You don’t always get a light when you flip one. Anyway, enjoy!

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My son, Trent, has a huge obsession with elephants. They are almost all he talks about (besides Thomas the Tank Engine.) Since we have Netflix and a computer hooked up to our television we use the instant view a lot. One of the programs that we put on for Trent is a documentary about a group of elephants that live in Amboseli Park in Africa. This movie was made in the early to mid nineties and follows the events in the lives of the EB group, led by the matriarch, Echo. We have seen this documentary so many times we can quote it and the members of the family have become familiar names in household.

Since this documentary is about fifteen years old, we decided to look up some information to see what the EB elephants are up to now and we found the Amboseli Park website. Sadly, Echo passed away this past May. It is so sad, but she lived a long and good elephant life. She was sixty four years old. Her family members visit her bones often. Her family broke up into many pieces after her death, but the reappearance of her sister, Ella, after missing for four months, may mean the family can pull together again. One can only hope.

Please check out this website and learn about these amazing creatures who seem to have more in common with humans than you might think.

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