Where do I begin?

I get it. No more hints needed.

MUCH has happened in our lives in the last three weeks and I have been overwhelmed at the mere thought of putting it all into words. I am going to admit now that reading this will likely take a little of your time. But to all those who have hinted at the need for an update...

THE MOVE
We sold our house on June 16th and were set to close and be out by July 21st. We started the daunting task of house hunting in Auburn, and after days of searching and looking at existing homes, we realized that all signs pointed to us building a house in a new section of our old neighborhood Camden Ridge. Early in the process we said we'd be willing to move twice if needed...but I am not sure we really thought that would happen. It did. We needed to find rental property quickly so we met at a rental that Mark found one day...I won't go into detail here but let's just say that it positively would NOT work for me. I called my friend Susan in Mobile (who owns her childhood home on Payne Street) and asked her if we could rent it while we build. They were happy to allow us to rent for as long as we need for a wonderful price - and the difference from that price and our previous mortgage will pay for all the storage units we need (the house is partially furnished) and we'll hopefully have a little left over in a "new house decorating fund". God is good. :) The name Jehovah Jireh has come to mind quite frequently lately. We moved on July 15-16 with the help of 6 college students and my parents - we couldn't have done it without any of our help. (Thanks Mom and Dad - that's the 15th time you've moved me in the last 11 years.) It has taken a couple of weeks, but we are finally settled in a charming old home on Payne Street. This house holds lots of special memories for me from my college days (Susan's son was my good friend and lived here) so thank you Stewart and Susan for allowing the Armstrong clan to live in the "House of Payne". We have chosen a lot, plan, and a builder and have met with them twice to make custom adjustments to the plan. If you know me, you know that house design and decorating are something I greatly enjoy so this process is very exciting for me! There are lots of decisions to make (and I am not always decisive) but based on my current information, I think we will be completely thrilled with the end result. More updates to follow...

LOUISIANA
Turner made her first visit to her Daddy's hometown (St. Joseph, Louisiana) July 18-21. Turner is a fabulous traveler and was a complete joy on both of the 7 hour car rides. Mark's parents moved to a lake a couple of years ago and the scenery is beautiful - I am experimenting with different styles of photography and taking nature shots so you'll see some of those toward the end of the show. You'll also see some pictures at the end of this slideshow of downtown St. Joseph. When we say that Mark is from Louisiana most people automatically think New Orleans. Mark is from NORTH Louisiana which is some of the flattest farm country I have ever seen. A far cry from the well known Cajun flavors and Jazz sounds of New Orleans. We both grew up in small towns, but for those of you who didn't I think you might just be amazed that places like this actually exist (the town sign boasts a population of 1597). Granny and Grandpa Armstrong - thank you for a wonderful visit!

MILESTONES
Turner is growing and changing by the minute it seems. In the last month she has mastered pulling up on objects, moving from object to object while standing, and is crawling a very little bit. She wants to walk very badly and prefers standing to any other position. I feel like she's going to be mobile within a couple of weeks and life is going to quickly become different for us! For about the last week she's been a ill and has had fever on a few occasions, which we think has to do with teething. For parents who are blessed with an extremely happy and healthy baby, we are not accustomed to hearing her cry or seeing her be uncomfortable - this hasn't been a fun experience for us. Still no teeth in sight but I won't be surprised if we see something soon. Even when she's uncomfortable, Turner is still smiling and laughing and generally happy. We are so blessed and enjoy her every day!

THE BEACH
Turner and I are on the road again, back at the beach with Tootsie and Aunt Rebekah. We will be here through the weekend for a much needed break from moving and resettling in Auburn. I have some FANTASTIC pictures that we took at sunset last night but I will post those after we take more this afternoon.

I think you are just about caught up on life in the Armstrong household! I will post beach pictures soon.