So this year started out in Bossier City, Louisiana (we moved there in October of 2009 ). Our family consisted of Brigette, Chris, Layla, Ryan (Chris’ brother) and a sweet bloodhound named Sarah!What a journey, we were enjoying the change of scenery, and had just found out that we would be moving again sometime near September or October to Minot, North Dakota, we found out shortly thereafter that our family would be growing by one around the same time!
The Shreveport/Bossier area had so many fun things to do. I was busy homeschooling Ryan, while Chris was finishing up follow on training for his job. We found time to visit casinos, nature parks, and got a taste of the southern life (taste meaning the local food and fare, yummy crawfish boils and begnets) . After much searching we finally found a good Mexican food restaurant, Superior Grill, they had rice like Nati’s rice which made me the preggo mama very happy! We also got to attend a Mardi Gras parade, and ended up with about 50lbs in Mardi Gras Beads, and lots of stuffed animals and toys that they gave to Layla. Ryan enjoyed the Holy Roller skate park, which was an indoor skate park that was an outreach ministry program; we were constantly amazed at how great of a skateboarder Ryan was/is. In March Ryan went back home to his mom and dad, we enjoyed having him so close for so long, and the test run for having teenagers in the future, but he was happy to be back with his parents!
During the winter and spring we got some snow (right after we planted and constructed our garden why no one warned us to not plant a garden until after Easter was beyond us lol!). We also found a good home for Sarah (she needed a big back yard and privacy fence). WE made a trek back to San Antonio and visited Sea World (where Layla discovered her love for SHARKS!) and went tubing with our friends the Rarings, we never had a chance to while we were in San Antonio before, but it was so much fun, and Layla loved the 3 hour cruise. We had a short visit from our college friend Roland who was driving his truck back to South Carolina to finish up training in the Navy. In May Chris pinned on 1st Lieutenant after two years of serving in the United States Air Force, he was still in training, sheesh, and we hadn’t had much time off. The training is very rigorous and filled with numerous tests and checks along the way, but he made it through, graduating in August. My parents (Dennis and Sylvia) came to visit during the summer, which was a mistake… they asked us why we didn’t sit on our shaded porch during the evenings, we invited them to enjoy some beverages out there and five minutes later after the 102 degrees and 100% humidity they were back inside understanding why we were looking forward to our move to North Dakota! Dad spent most the time play Mr. Fix it, repairing the window sill that Sarah had gnawed through and repair the drywall that was in the same condition, and mom was playing with her Layla-Grace, who enjoyed all of the attention and Grandma time. Because of the heat the town was riddled with outdoor water parks that Layla loved to run through and play in!
In August we got our Orders to head North, and in a frenzied packing and cleaning drive we were able to leave three days later (Thanks in most part to our dear friend Brent Kerns who spent hours in the heat helping us pack and loading our 26’ truck). We were super excited for the new adventure that the great north would bring, and looking forward to visiting with our good friend Omo in Omaha, Nebraska! Along the way we got to stop at Costco for a slice of pizza, and indulge in Chipotle, did I mention that at the time I was Eight and Half months pregnant and having some serious cravings for food that was unavailable in Louisiana and wouldn’t be available in North Dakota! Omaha is beautiful, and if the opportunity ever arises we would love to be stationed there. We left Omaha at about 5 in the morning, and by 8 am I was calling my dad on the West Coast asking him what could possibly make a truck turn off while driving 70 MPH down the freeway? Our Uhaul kept breaking down, but we made it to Fargo, ND where they helped us offload our truck into a new one, and we were off on our way to Minot early the next morning. We arrived in Minot on the 19th of August and began moving into our brand new base house the next day, it is the nicest place we’ve ever lived! Chris is a knighthawk now! A few weeks later our former neighbors (The Calls) in Louisiana moved in across the street, and the neighborhood began to fill in with families that had young children around Laylas age.
Dennis-Clark Eugene Geary was born September 25, 2010 at 11:45pm weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces, he has beautiful brown eyes and brown hair, and is such a joy. My mom and dad missed his arrival by hours (they had just left Idaho when I went into labor) but were there to help us get settled in with the new addition. Mom helped us plant tulips for the spring, and Dad went back to being. Mr. Fix it, setting us up a BBQ bench, painting our guest room (we got the first coat on during early labor), and fixing our shower. It was nice to have family around, and the weather was certainly much better this time around. We all enjoyed the Norsk Hostfest, which is a celebration of the Nordic cultures that settled the north. The had beautiful woodworking displays and felt crafting, lots of yummy food! My parents left too soon, but we enjoyed seeing them again!
The first snow arrived at the end of October, and we gave ourselves an early Christmas present of a Snow Blower, which is an amazing piece of machinery if you haven’t tried one yourself! We spent Thanksgiving with our neighbors the Duffs, they have a young son who Layla absolutely loves. The base here has some awesome amenities, a bowling alley, a big indoor play place for the kiddos, and a fun sportsbar/burger joint that we frequent! Overall we are loving the move to North Dakota! It has been snowing a lot, not as much as we anticipated based on all of the horror stories we had heard while living in Louisiana but, there is still so much winter to come! Christmas was quiet, again we spent it with the Duffs and the other neighborhood families who could join us!
We’re looking forward to 2011! Chris will be leaving sometime in January to Anderson Air Force Base in Guam and should be back sometime mid April, but you never know!
We hope 2010 was amazing for you and your families, and that 2011 is even better. May the new year bring The warmth of home and hearth to you. The cheer and goodwill of friends to you, The hope of a childlike heart to you. The joy of a thousand angels to you, The love of the Son and God's peace to you.
Many Blessings,
Brige, Chris, Layla-Grace, and Dennis-Clark
