New addition and some updates.....

We have a new addition.

 An EXPEDITION.  A 2007 Expedition EL (extended length) to be exact.

 

The Pathfinder served us well, but we felt we were outgrowing it.  I know - the mere thought of "outgrowing" a vehicle that size makes me cringe, considering I grew up with a Festiva.  I regularly fit my 5'10" frame into the back seat of that thing and thought nothing of it.  Eventually the passenger door didn't open anymore and I would have to climb over the shifter, through the drivers side door, if I wanted to sit in the front seat.  That Festiva took me to college, loaded up with all my stuff, although that trip did feel cramped.  And now, here we are, with a freaking tanker for us, our two kids and a dog.

 

But, we use the space.  It isn't wasted.  See that?  There is a jogging stroller and Costco trip AND still space for two more car seats. The Pathfinder could only hold two car seats and then the "third row" (really not meant for adults to sit in) had to be accessed by the back hatch.  

We fit an entire cow in there (more on that later).  We could NOT do that with the Pathfinder. This can seat 8 and probably at least 5 car seats.  Not that we need 5 car seats. But, hey, you never know.  It is basically the size of a Suburban. We can also go camping now without loading all of our gear on the outside of the car and having the dog either hop through the hatch window or climb over the kids car seats to get out.  

Papa is also very happy to have a Ford again.  And do you want to know the sad (but now happy) part?  This actually gets better mileage than the Pathfinder did.  True story.

So, we got rid of the Pathfinder and now have this beast.  Which brings me to another amazing discovery in Boise, Idaho.  CAR CONSIGNMENT.  Yes.  We are super busy and wanted top dollar for the Pathfinder - especially since it had almost brand new freaking tires on it that we couldn't switch to the new car.  The last thing I wanted to do was meet up with random people from Craigslist with two kids in tow and Papa simply does not have the time to do it.  So, a coworker of Papa's pointed him to Maverick Car Company.  We took the car there, along with paperwork for it, and they checked it out and agreed on a price with us - that is the amount of cash we would get.  They then market it and sell it for a higher price and they get whatever is above the price we agreed to.  Oh yeah, they also detail it and give it a mechanical check over - and can set up financing for the new owner - and handle any loan payoffs - and can sign all the paperwork for you (you do a POA for it) - and just send you a check, they actually hand delivered ours.  BEST THING EVER.  Seriously.  I couldn't be happier with the experience.  Freeman Dawson is the owner (and also a friend of Papa's coworker) and he was very personable and kept us updated and didn't mind our kids poking around in their office. 

We also recently purchased another 1/4 cow.  This year we went with Triangle C Beef.  The company we went with last year unfortunately stopped doing the cow thing.  It worked out though because we wanted to do grass fed AND grass finished this year.  I recruited some other families (from the meetup group I'm in) to go in on a whole cow with us.  This drove the price down even lower.  It was a bit different this year.  Last year it was delivered to our door.  This year I picked the entire cow up from the butcher.

 

I had to load it from the carts into the coolers/tubs I brought along.

 

I had a great little helper.  Hopefully she remembers this stuff when she gets older.  She was so eager to help!

It was a decent amount of work.  Thankfully, I had gloves with me!  That meat was COOOOOOOLD!  I then hauled that cow back to Boise with us, enjoying the views on the way home.

 There is something so right about seeing mountains on the horizon.  It just feels healing - not sure how else to describe it.  It gives me peace.  

Moving on.

Then came the fun part.  Sorting.  Six other families were splitting 3/4 of the cow (basically 1/8 each).  Thankfully, Papa got home from work a bit early to help out.  We had to put the kids in the back of the Expedition and put in a dvd (did I mention it had a player) while we set to work in the driveway. 

It was already split in halves - the half that we were splitting with Papa's coworkers was a bit fattier and had thicker steaks.  We then had to divide the other half into two "equal" (as close as we could get it) batches.  We tallied everything as we went so when the other families got there they knew how many of each cut to take.  It wasn't perfectly even, so they then decided between themselves how to divvy it up.

The final cost (after butchering and processing and everything) ended up being $5.68/lb.  So, super nutrient dense grass fed, grass finished, non gmo beef.  You simply have to look at this guys website to see that he is serious about his cows and ensuring you are getting the best quality possible.  Grass finished was important to us, given our "paleo" lifestyle.  Yes, we still eat that way and, God willing, will always eat this way.

Geez, I should start getting paid for all these endorsements, right?

Papa is still super busy.  His week consists of 12+hr day on Mondays (clinicals), sometimes a 6hr clinical on Tuesday and then 6 hrs of classes too, then a 12 hr work day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  He doesn't typically see the kids at all on Monday.  He does on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday he usually gets home as Little Lady is going to bed and helps tuck her in, but doesn't necessarily get to see Ninja Baby at all.  Saturday mornings we have breakfast together and then Papa heads into his office to do schoolwork.  Soooooooooooo - yeah.  We usually spend time together on Sunday.  Since it is getting nicer out we try to do an outdoor activity together.   That is basically the extent that I see him as well.  

Done in December.  Done in December.  Done in December.  

Then the hard work of figuring out how to be a family together again will start.

I was also recently contacted by someone I used to work with in the real estate world back in Maryland.  They needed someone that could help with the behind the scenes stuff, administrative and marketing things.  She thought of me since everything could be done remotely.  How random is that?  So, I am now doing work for the group that sold our house in Maryland.  It gives me some non-kid brain work and some extra money to help out.  So, if Chris can get out of work early and see the kids, he can do it with less stress and concern about the missed hours.

So, things are crazy busy, but good.  The house is more of a mess, but everyone is happy and healthy right now.  What more could I ask for?  Well, maybe a little more time together - but we ARE in the final stretch....kinda.

Oh yeah, and we can now fit plenty of visitors in our vehicle.  So, no excuse not to visit.