Tobler Times

Monday, August 11, 2014

We Made A New Discovery

in old downtown Las Vegas.

A little shopping and restaurant plaza

made from old shipping containers.

It's only been open for about 8 months.

I heard about this place a couple months ago

so after Karl's last rad appointment we decided to check it out.

They've tried to make everything out of recycled or re-purposed items.

Lots of fun little (really little!) shops and restaurants .

Even one of my favorites.

There's a stage at one end where they show movies on Thursday nights
and concerts on the weekend.

Karl's envisioning Aspen Ridge on the Stage.

Maybe possible.

There's an awesome Treehouse playground in the center.

I really wanted to go down the tube slides
...but I didn't. Maybe next time.

Click here and watch a fun video about this place.

Come to visit and we will take you there and get you some amazing food, listen to music while we eat

and you can go down the slides with me.

Now how can you pass up a deal like that:)

Friday, August 8, 2014

...and Kyle's new home

After two days of helping Jake and Steph get unpacked and semi-settle I left them and took a short flight to visit Kyle's family in their new home.
I was feeling a bit guilty for making Kyle travel an and hour and twenty minutes to pick me up me in Raleigh since there is no good flights from Nashville to Fayetteville, So I was just expecting Kyle to pick me up on the curb. What a happy surprise to be ambushed by an excited Charlie and Greta as soon as I walked out of security. Georgie was there too, hanging on to Kimberly, not sure who this strange lady was. Kyle and Margot were waiting in the car for us.

What a fun four days. First thing, we explored the Chapel Hill area and got pizza before the trip back to Fayetteville.
Much to Kyle's dismay they were still in the throes of having their new home remodeled.
When I arrive the flooring people had just finished installing the hard floor in the kitchen and family room. It is beautiful but everything was covered with a thick layer of construction dust.

Kim spent much of her time in this mode.

Since they had started the remodeling projects as soon as they moved in they had never really gotten their kitchen organized. I could help with that.

The kids first activity of the day...sneak in some cartoons while mom and dad are still out on their morning run. They are mesmerized even with re-runs.

Margot, (just called Marg most of of the time) what an easy going baby. She was just happy wherever she was...in her exersaucer or just laying in the livingroom floor.

They have a blueberry bush by their driveway...mmmm fresh blueberries everyday.

Greta loved to help me pick.

It rained/poured my first day there. Charlie was suppose to have tennis lesson so we just drove around in the rain instead. (We needed to just get out of the house. The floor guys were installing hard wood floors up stairs and were coming and going in and out of the house with a lot of sawing, pounding and hammering. The house seemed to be crawling with construction guys...3-5 of them from 7:30 am to 5pm every day)

While we were in old downtown Fayetteville we saw this amazing bolt of lightening hit right it front of the van...okay maybe it was a half a block away but it was pretty intense.

Georgie doesn't say much...she pretty much communicates in grunts and whine right now. But she definitely has a mind of her own. She is so funny and fun.

She was loving the puddles after the rain.

They sure enjoy their pool.

An evening swim. Yes their yard is beautiful.

What is that great white blur?

Jump Georgie.

Enjoying the firepit/lounging area by the pool

Playing at a park while Charlie has tennis lessons.

And a little walk through the forest/park.

The house was still crawling with construction guys so Kyle decided to take everyone out for lunch. Then we did some Target shopping...Charlie had some $$ burning a hole in his pocket.

Yum dessert...it always taste better when you can go up to the counter and order it on your own. So cute.

George getting a nibble.

A very happy Charlie...until it was time to practice.

But he did enjoy Gramma Jan sitting with him and helping him practice.

The favorite room not only because it has a beautiful view of the backyard...

but it seem to be the only place that the construction guys didn't walk through.

(But Wayne was in there patching a wall:) )

We ate dinner in there every night.

So pleasant.

I really love their new place.

Off to Nashville, Tennessee

...with two little people, one mom (Steph), one gramma (that would be me), 5 suitcases, 1 large box (with some nifty homemade handles) and all carry-ons we could handles plus a double-decker stroller. It took both of our cars to get us to the airport. Thank you Sarah Jane for going with me to drive a car home. Sarah Jane just dropped me and the luggage on the curb at the airport where I just waited a few minutes for Karl bringing Steph and the little people.
Thank goodness for curbside check-in...it was worth the tip.

Then we had to say "Good bye" to Pa. It was a hard moment. But luckily Pa had gotten the emotion of that hard moment out early that morning and the hubbub of the airport kept the realization that "our-close-by-little-people-were- really-moving-away" at bay. And we rushed away.

With an hour before we boarded we found a less crowded gate and played chase and hide and seek with the little people...our plan to wear them out.

Where's Ethnie?

There she is!

We were flying Southwest and were totally stoked that we had an "A" group boarding...only to realize we were pretty close to the end of the boarding.   The plane was pretty empty. Most people had a row to themselves...we had the back third of the plane to ourselves (who would willingly sit close to two toddlers on a flight:) Thank goodness.

We had planned a late night flight thinking that the little people would drop right off to sleep as soon as we settled in. WRONG!
Poor Duke...Poor Steph. She walked (as soon as the seat belt light went out), bounced, cooed to and tried calm a distraught baby. Ethnie was good but so restless...she obediently tried to lay down but couldn't get comfortable or fall sleep. So she tossed and turned and crawled up and down and over for 3.5 hours. She never did sleep.   Duke did finally fall asleep for the last 45 minutes of the flight.

We landed in Nashville at 1am...so happy to be there. By the time we got to the baggage carousal, our luggage were the only pieces making the lonely ride through a near deserted baggageclaim area.

It was such a good sight to see Jake walk through those doors. The kids, still and now wide awake, were so happy to see their daddy after a six week separation.

Jake loaded up Steph, the little people and a couple pieces of luggage and head for their new home (one car and too much luggage). I was left to explore the now deserted airport with a smart cart full of luggage...trying to stay out of the way of the custodians and the ride-on vacuum. Finally, after reading every sign, board and tourist flyer in the baggage claim area... Steph returned to get me.   Jake would have come but the little people wouldn't let him go.

Our first sight of their new home.

and this.

But VERY Grateful for set up beds.

Friday morning Jake's and my first activity was a trip Walmart for breakfast makings.

One a side note: Jake had a arrived in Nashville Monday night with plans to get semi-unpacked and organized. But the moving company had a different idea. They called Tuesday to inform him that their garage door where his crate was stored, was broken and that it wouldn't be fixed until Wednesday or Thursday. He finally got his crate Thursday afternoon...the day we were to arrive. Thank goodness for a friendly neighbor and then two men from his new ward's Elders Quorum to help him unload.

Here's Steph blog on our the first few days in Nashville.