Yesterday we officially met another dental school family (2 boys ages 4 & 2) at Leslie Science & Nature Center. http://www.lesliesnc.org/ I had scoped out the center online when we first were here last October for Kevin's interview. The reality is that I was trying to get a grip on the fact this could be a community we would be moving to and I was looking for pieces of home. We have loved spending time at River Bend Nature Center and the kids have gone to their day camps each year. Finding this 'sister center' in Ann Arbor as well as other familiar places has helped us all feel more welcome and realize that this is where we are supposed to be at this time in our lives.
The eight of us had a great time getting to know one another, the area, visiting the Critter House (which is supposed to be open only on Sundays, but a staff member present for a birthday party, let us in!), checking out their raptors and getting 'off track' on the trails. The kids all got along great and enjoyed the freedom to run. Much credit goes to them as the off trail part brought us into an extra few hours of exploring! Thus the adults could remain a little more laid back when we finally saw parts of trails we recognized.
Unfortunately I left the camera in the car...so not photos from yesterday to share. I'll be better with our future explorations!
The tale of our move after being in our house in Northfield for 10 years, having 2 children there and accumulating stuff, stuff, stuff!
We rented the largest U-Haul available (26') and towed our car behind. On Saturday 18 July, with the help of our brother-in-law Bill, and college friends Dan, Sean and Toby, we worked a full day loading 'the beast'. We continued to load the following morning with Bill. In all, I think we spent ~14 hours and it was well worth the amazing efforts of Bill and Toby- the meticulous packers of the truck. There were no casualties of the move. Thank you Bill and Toby!! Woo hoo!!!
Sunday morning we hugged and waved goodbye to our kiddos as they went into the care of Kevin's parents. Got our car hooked up to the tow trailer. Said goodbye to Bill. Cut our grass and picked up the house a bit, had lunch on the deck savoring a perfect Minnesota summer day-- low 70's, a light breeze and blue skies, and waved farewell to Archibald Circle at 2:45 p.m. CST. Kevin and I arrived in A2 
at 3:30 a.m. EST - 12 hours with 3 stops for gas. Not bad. We pulled into our sleepy neighborhood feeling as though we were banging symbols announcing our arrival! This 
truck was not quiet by any means! After pulling off our mattress and overnight bags, we shut the truck back up, got to bed by 5 a.m., woke mid-morning and began the 7 hour unloading with Kevin's brother, Jason. It took Kevin's efforts of pulling me off the couch to head out for dinner. Dinner at Zingerman's -- an Ann Arbor staple. Move complete...now for those boxes.
We managed to get fairly settled by Thursday evening, when Kevin's parents arrived with Evelyn and Christian. We were glad for our long days of unpacking when we saw the recognition of 'pieces of home' in the kiddos. We will make this place home together as a family --this is our adventure indeed!
This is my first attempt at blogging. Enough said on that...
My family and I just moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, from Northfield, Minnesota. With the newness of a move, why not start a blog? The blog name inspiration goes to my dear friend, Aimee, who gave me a lovely farewell card titled "L2 goes to A2." Ann Arbor is called A2 by the locals; L2 for my name, Lisa Lukis. Now that I have gone to A2, L2 in A2 seemed appropriate.
Today is Day 12 of living in Ann Arbor. So far, so good. The boxes with the intent of unpacking, are unpacked. The rest live in the basement semi-organized for now. A few have been torn into as a search has ensued for various items, mostly decor rather than function. There is less square footage in the livable space in our rental home, however, there is also character and charm of this 1937 bungalow that has offered built-ins for storage and display. I've always longed to live in 'one of those houses' that I used to walk by on the streets of Northfield. Now this adventure in A2 has allowed such to occur. We love the neighborhood, the nearby Burns Park, the fact we are only 1 mile to the dental school -- the reason we are here, as hubby begins his 4 yr career as a dental student... so far, excitement of the adventure outweighs sadness of leaving of our sweet life in Northfield.
For now, the adventure begins. Thanks for joining me as we embark!
Christian, the 4 year old!
French Toast for B-fast
We had a late lunch out, picked up a DQ ice cream cake as requested and opened presents on our screen porch. It was a fun day for all!
