I miss Albuquerque.......Take 2

Please ignore my previous post "I miss Albuquerque."  I tried to get creative with the font and that didn't work out so well!!

As I said in a post last night, I am very glad to be home.  I have missed my family and friends very much over the last 10 years, and there is nothing like good ole southern hospitality.  I don't think that I have opened my own door since we got back here :)

However, we lived in Albuquerque for 8 years and I miss it terribly....more than I ever dreamed that I would.  Everyone there assumed that we were a couple, and they didn't care.  I really took that for granted.  We were treated with the same amount of respect and concern as any "married" couple, both in my work, while fostering, and just being out in the public in general.  However, any time that we went out to eat, the server would always hand Tammy the bill (male chauvenism I suppose; as she is pretty butch and I am not at all :) and she never had a dime!  But we always got a kick out that :)

Some of our neighbors here in Kentucky have been incredible and treat us just like family.  And I have been "out" for so long that I refuse to go back in, so my co-workers, whether they like it or not, are continually exposed to my diverse little family.  So, in our little community, we are here to stay...........

But I miss the green chile, the Mexican food, Mariachi music, our Saturday daycare, the mixture of cultures, the Hispanic heritage that was all around (especially since we have 2 Hispanic children), The International School where our girls attended and they were learning Spanish and Mandarin, The Bataan Military Academy that our son attended, and just the overall attitude of the west in regard to "I don't care what you do-just leave me and mine alone....

Albuquerque, New Mexico will always be a part of us.  Will we ever move back there?  That is a fair question; and quite honestly, I don't know.  But, all of our children were born there, we adopted all of our children there, and it will always be "in our blood..........."

This is a photo of Sophie and Jack Henry (our 2 children who are Hispanic-yes Jack Henry is-even with his blue eyes and blond hair lol :)) that was taken at our last trip to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in New Mexico.  Jack Henry is even wearing his Rio Grande Zoo hat that was purchased at the zoo in Albuquerque; which is one of our favorite places in this world.  We could go on and on about the things that we took for granted there...hindsight is 20/20......another one of life's lessons. 

Posted by Harman Farm at 5:49 AM

I miss Albuquerque

As I said in a post last night, I am very glad to be home.  I have missed my family and friends very much over the last 10 years, and there is nothing like good ole southern hospitality.  I don't think that I have opened my own door since we got back here :)

However, we lived in Albuquerque for 8 years and I miss it terribly....more than I ever dreamed that I would.  Everyone there assumed that we were a couple, and they didn't care.  I really took that for granted.  We were treated with the same amount of respect and concern as any "married" couple, both in my work, while fostering, and just being out in the public in general.  However, any time that we went out to eat, the server would always hand Tammy the bill (male chauvenism I suppose; as she is pretty butch and I am not at all :) and she never had a dime!  But we always got a kick out that :)

Some of our neighbors here in Kentucky have been incredible and treat us just like family.  And I have been "out" for so long that I refuse to go back in, so my co-workers, whether they like it or not, are continually exposed to my diverse little family.  So, in our little community, we are here to stay...........

But I miss the green chile, the Mexican food, Mariachi music, our Saturday daycare, the mixture of cultures, the Hispanic heritage that was all around (especially since we have 2 Hispanic children), The International School where our girls attended and they were learning Spanish and Mandarin, The Bataan Military Academy that our son attended, and just the overall attitude of the west in regard to "I don't care what you do-just leave me and mine alone...."

Albuquerque, New Mexico will always be a part of us.  Will we ever move back there?  That is a fair question; and quite honestly, I don't know.  But, all of our children were born there, we adopted all of our children there, and it will always be "in our blood..........."

This is a photo of Sophie and Jack Henry (our 2 children who are Hispanic-yes Jack Henry is-even with his blue eyes and blond hair lol :)) that was taken at our last trip to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in New Mexico.  Jack Henry is even wearing his Rio Grande Zoo hat that was purchased at the zoo in Albuquerque; which is one of our favorite places in this world.  We could go on and on about the things that we took for granted there...hindsight is 20/20......another one of life's lessons. 

Weight loss contest

Tammy and I are having a weight loss contest.  We are going to (attempt) to put $100 back per month, and whoever loses the most weight by January 1st wins the money.  We started this adventure last week; and we are pretty even right now.  I want to lose more pounds than she does......as I have gained 20 lbs since we have moved back home (eek) and she has been losing since then.  So..this will be interesting in our house..may the most will-powered woman win :)

Home

On August 15th; it will have been 8 months since we have been home.  It has been harder than I ever dreamed.  After living in such an open and welcoming environment for so long where no one cared that we were a same-sex couple, or that we had kids...moving back to such a conservative state has been really hard.  I am a southern girl at heart and always will be.  My accent is back thicker than ever; and I have to admit that I love it.  Although it has been hard, we are so glad that we are home.

Getting ready for school

Getting ready for school is a bit different in our house than in most; as we homeschool.  I ordered our curriculum last week for the younger kids; and our high-schooler pretty much goes year round and works on his classes as they are shipped to us.  However, there are still school supplies to purhase, scheduling to be made, and all of the "extras" to be added.  We are doing music, art, dance, soccer, and Sea Cadets at our house this year.  I am very excited about our new curriculum.  It is based on the Waldorf method, and is very interactional and inclusive of all our varying learning styles in our house. 

Our farm continues to grow and change daily.  We gave 3 of our roosters away today; as we have decided that we just want eggs and not baby chicks for a little while.  Also, having the roosters on the farm is a bit frightening, as we have little ones around and the roosters cannot be trusted around them...Currently we have dogs visiting as our dear friend is healing and we are taking care of her dogs.  We have such a welcoming crew here (children and animals) and I am very proud of them.  We fostered for 7 years and had 48 children come through our doors, and our kids assisted in helping all of these kids feel welcome (our kids were also a part of these 48 kids :).  Although I am so very glad that the "fostering" chapter of our life is over; it taught  us all a great deal about being gracious and flexible......

On a final note.....we found a 4 foot snake skin about a foot from our front porch this morning.  ewwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

"Trying to keep moving"

This phrase has a multitude of meaning in my life right now....we are attempting to make decisions about the direction our little farm is going to take; and these decisions can be quite difficult.  We have 3 things that we want to accomplish; an organic farm, a Grade A Dairy Goat operation, and a small country store where we sell our produce, our honey, and a multitude of homemade items (baked goods, sandwiches, etc.).  How do we "keep things moving" with all 3 goals in mind?  Well, to be quite honest, we haven't figured that part completely out yet.  Winning the lottery would be nice in regard to funding these adventures :)  But, we won't be relying on that.  So....I am searching grant opportunities for small farms, hoping to find one who will believe in us! 

This phrase "trying to keep things moving" also rings true to me in my 20 year long struggle with weight.  Before we had moved back home, I had lost nearly 70 pounds...but the scale continues to creep back up.  Oh, I do the usual; count calories and exercise for a few days, a week, etc., but then easily fall back into old habits when I get stressed, etc.  So...here we go again...."trying to keep things moving" along with that adventure as well.....

To be continued.....

Simplify

The last month or so has been quite eye-opening.  We have been surrounded by a lot of death and illness and it really makes you realize what is important in life.  We are making conscious decisions in regard to our lifestyle, what we consume, getting rid of waste, etc.  "Things" just really don't matter to me anymore....I buy most of my clothes at the thrift store, shop store sales, use coupons, and we are attempting to teach our children the same.  We are trying to weed processed food out of lives and raise the healthiest family that we possibly can; in every way.  Although there is a considerable movement in the world toward these changes, it can be difficult to convince your children that cable and an overbundance of toys are not what life is all about.