Steiner Ranch

(Joshua on his first day of school)

Though my house is still very disorganized - I believe I have finally emerged from the sea of moving boxes and can actually sit down and write about our new life in Austin. I think all of the hassles of relocating are behind us... it is just the annoying stuff like having to go to the post office three times to get a key to the mailbox (they have cluster boxes here - not mailboxes), getting all of your utilites hooked up....I think we waited on three different days for Directtv to show up - they finally did at 6pm on a Saturday night...needless to say we are getting a few discounts off of our bill, plus just finding a new place for everything. Nothing major just a hassle - however I think we are now finding some normalcy in our days.

I am really liking our new community - Steiner Ranch, it is a master planned community like we experienced in Celebration. It doesn't have the cute small town architecture that Celebration did, but it does have some truly amazing hill country scenery and lake views - lots of natural beauty - something that reminds me of Kauai. Like we experienced in Celebration there are several pools and playgrounds that are either a short walk or drive to within Steiner Ranch. I am totally impressed with the newest pool in Steiner Ranch...between the splash pool, shade covered baby pool, lap pool, and amazing view - it feels like I'm at a Hyatt. I met two moms as I stood around with my jaw open in awe of the place and proudly introduced the fact that I was new in town and couldn't get over the amazing pool and view...turns out they were all new and thinking the same thing! The playgrounds are nice and lots of people bring their dogs so it has made my life easier in the fact that I can now just walk Nala to the playground instead of taking her on a walk and then walking to the playground.

We are starting to meet people and get a lay of the land. People are very friendly and there are lots of moms around so I'm sure things will fall into place. Joshua is loving preschool and would like to go everyday....currently he is there 3 days a week from 8:30 - 2:30pm. The most amazing thing is that he actually participates in the naptime at school...this kid has not napped since right around the time that Noah was born!! We told the teacher that he probably wouldn't nap and he would part of the non-nappers since he is in a mixed age class....then he proudly told me he had napped on the first day! As much as I enjoyed having him home full time him going to school has been beneficial to both of us - he's just one of these kids that really enjoys learning and having his independence and I'm really thankful for the 6 hours a week I now have to actually get something accomplished since Noah naps form noon - 2pm.

As much as we are enjoying exploring our new community, the downside is I'm not really digging our rental home. Yes I know "its just a rental" - but really I wanted to find a rental home that we could stay in for a year or two. I just didn't want to have to move again...even if it was a mile away! However I'll be lucky if I make it the year in this house. The home is only two years old and it is bigger than our Florida house so it has some positives....it is just really basic and lacks any personality to it. There are so many amazing and cute homes in the area and unfortunately this isn't one of them. It is not very inviting on the outside...I don't pull in the driveway and go "ahh...I'm home". However "its the people not the house right?" and we will make it work. Poor Mark he had the task of securing us a rental...and somehow I knew based on my history of generally returning most of his major purchases for me - that maybe him picking out our house was not the best idea. However I give him credit - he got Joshua into a great school and he chose a really awesome community. We'll just have to work on the house bit.

Here are some pictures of the pool - they aren't the best pictures but they showcase the view a little bit.

The Hidden Gem - Rosemary Beach

After spending nearly the whole summer apart coupled with the stress of relocating we decided we needed a little family time. Therefore we decided to factor in a couple of nights at the beach as a stop on our trip to Texas. Having lived in Australia, Hilton Head, the Caribbean and Hawaii we feel we have seen many of the best beaches this world has to offer. Rosemary Beach on the Florida panhandle turned out to be a wonderful hidden gem - it was this quaint, little, newly developed beach town. I loved the architecture and colors (lots of earthy tones), the many parks, playgrounds and pools. There really was a lot to do and we never had to get in the car! We had rented this cute little guest cottage and it was perfect for us - then the owners of the house and cottage were leaving and offered us use of their private pool as well. It was the perfect way to decompress from all of the good-byes and to just have some fun. The beach was easy to walk or bike to and the kids just loved playing in the sand!!

Celebration Heartache

Okay there are many aspects of moving that can be somewhat exciting - say the thought of exploring a new area, meeting new people, seeing new things, etc. The flip side is that there are many aspects to moving that quite frankly suck! I think the number one worst part being having to say good-bye to all of the wonderful people we had met - I felt like my heart was breaking - literally that is how I felt...heartbroken. Not to be dramatic but I really had met some fantastic people and were really just starting to get to know them. I was sad to not have those people in my daily lives and same for their kids. When you have just endured this same experience just TWO years ago...the scars are still visible!!



However, I have to believe that life takes you were you need to be and sometimes there is a greater plan - so as my stubborn soul bucks this move left right and center - I just have to tell myself that "there is a plan".

To all of the wonderful people we met in Orlando/Celebration - thanks for filling our hearts with yours and sharing your lives with us - thanks to all of the many people to stopped to say good-bye, came to parties, gave wondeful gifts, organized parties, etc - you all are amazing!

The Boys of Summer

Mommy and her boys!


Okay I have been really behind on this blogging thing - especially since everyone wants to know what is going on with our move. I have all these blogging thoughts rambling through my head, I just seem to have a hard time lately carving out a chunk of time to actually get down and do it. In early June, after 6 weeks in Austin we headed back to Orlando, living in a hotel has its perks but we were all very ready to get back to our own home and routine. The plan was I would stay in Florida with the kids and dog until we found a house to rent in Austin or until our house in Florida sold whichever came first. We are finally in the process of signing a lease for a house to rent in Austin. We changed our focus a couple of times as to what area in Austin was best for us - however I think we have made the right choice. We will be renting in NW Austin in a master-planned community called Steiner Ranch. It is a little further of a commute for Mark than Circle C (the other area we looked at) but Steiner Ranch has more of a Celebration feel to it - plenty to do without leaving "the bubble"
It has been in many ways a really fun summer just me and the boys and in many other ways it definitely has been shall I say "challenging". I definitely have new found respect for single parents. The days were easy as we kept busy with playdates, the pool and playgroups - it was the nighttime that I found most challenging. However I have only a few more days left and then Mark comes to help move us all to Austin. Yeah!!

Joshua and his new friend Goofy!

We are very sad to be leaving Florida and saying good-bye to the amazing people we have met in our short two years here...however I'm pretty sure Mark is ready to no longer live in the hotel and I am ready to have some help with the kids. Austin will be a new adventure and I'm sure once we get settled we will enjoy our time living there.

As long as everything goes according to plan the movers will come August 11th and 12th and then we will depart Orlando on the 13th. It is a 17 hour drive to Texas, somewhat daunting with a 1 year old, 3 year old and a dog! We are going to break the trip up and enjoy a few relaxing days at Rosemary Beach on the Florida panhandle. Our joke is that the drive to Texas may very well be the most challenging part of the move.

Amy

Austin Bound

Okay I have to admit I have been really slack at posting on this blogsite...you all know the constant treadmill of life...and life with kids..days go to weeks and weeks to months...however exciting things are happing in our life. As many of you may already know the Bedford's are moving to Austin, Texas!! Mark has received a promotional transfer to the Hyatt Regency Austin. For those of you familiar with the Hyatt world relocating is part of the territory. This definitely is bittersweet news for us as we have really enjoyed living in Celebration, we have made some wonderful friends, love the Celebration lifestyle, and really we get to take our kids to Disney quite often...even to this day I always enjoy visiting the Disney themeparks. On the flip side this is a great promotion for Mark and out of all of the places we could be going to Austin has always been at the top of our list. Neither of us had been there before this transfer, however we really felt it was a city that suited us.

Well the whole Bedford family has been in Austin for a week and I have to say out of all of the hurdles we will endure during this relocation, liking Austin is not going to be an issue. Austin is a nice blend of what we loved about Hawaii - beautiful scenery, lots of nature, healthy eating, an outdoor lifestyle and what we have come to enjoy about living in a metropolitan area shopping, good restaurants, activities for the kids, etc. The Hyatt is in a fabulous location right along the river (that they call "Town Lake"). There is this wonderful hike and bike trail that runs along the lake. People of all ages are out walking, jogging, biking...I am actually starting to feel a little out of shape! There is a park along the trail so the boys and I have spent many afternoons hanging out at the park or even just watching the dogs swimming and playing in the "no leash" area along the trail. There is a Children's Museum across the river from the hotel so we could not have asked for a better location to be for keeping the kids busy. I was kind of dreading living in the hotel with two young kids, but it really has not been difficult at all. In addition to all of the nearby attractions, they have this nice little play area in the restaurant so Joshua and Noah have become morning regulars...I imagine the staff dread seeing us come in as we make a big mess, the restaurant is open to the lobby...so the noise my boys make kind of echoes throughout the atrium. Noah's latest party trick is smiling and just screaming at the top of his lungs...great...However the staff always seem very excited to see us and have really taken good care of us. The sad news is the restaurant is getting renovated and Mark has informed me that the play area may be gone as soon as next week!!!

We have been in total grocery store awe and excitement as we have twice visited the downtown flagship store of Whole Foods. Austin is where Whole Foods started and I have never experienced a grocery store where people seem so happy to be shopping! I love it! We just love going over there to eat dinner sometimes the food is amazing and the choices are endless.

I think our big hurdle is going to be finding a place to live. We have realized that we will never find a master-planned community quite like Celebration, but we are remaining hopeful that we will find a family friendly neighborhood with good schools and decent amenties. We loved this one area called Steiner Ranch which had many of the qualities we liked about Celebration but the commute is just too far for Mark. We are now looking into an area called Circle C...a master planned community only about 20 minutes to downtown. However the Austin market is actually doing well compared to the rest of the country and inventory is a little low. Anyway I am remaining optimistic that the right house is out there!

All in all our first week in Austin has been great everyone has been really friendly and helpful. One of my old roomates from when I lived in Hilton Head lives here and has a 4 year old boy - so it has been nice to at least know one person. The GM of the hotel and is wife and family have been extremely gracious as well...ensuring we have a nice spacious room, taking the boys for an afternoon so we could househunt and so on. The boys definitely miss their friends and doing laundry is a bit of a pain, and we don't have TIVO (Survivor is on at 7pm!!) but really it hasn't been bad at all.

I'm not sure when we will head back to Celebration. I'm really hoping to find us a house and Joshua a preschool before I head back with the boys, but who knows. However I think we will definitely head back in another couple of weeks regardless of if we found as house as I believe the boys will be really wanting to get back to their own things and routine by then.

Lots of Love!

Amy, Mark and the boys.

Cayman Memories

Photobucket Album

Way back in June Mark had bought me a plane ticket to Grand Cayman for our anniversary. The ticket was for a weekend in December, with the intention of giving me a break from the kids and some girl time with Brigitte and many of our other friends. As excited as I was I couldn't help but think that if I was going to Grand Cayman I should have Mark with me. As I began to grieve Brigitte's passing I knew that I wasn't going to face the memories alone and that we should all go as a family.

As short as our three day trip was it was truly a remarkable time. We had lived on Grand Cayman for five years and in some ways it felt as if we had never left. However there were definitely some remarkable changes to the island. The most poignant change was the Hyatt Regency. Hurricane Ivan had damaged much of the main part of the hotel and from what we understand a battle between the insurance company and hotel ownership has now left it to be an overgrown old building. As you look at the main hotel from a distance it looks the same as it always did...however as you get a closer look you see it is fully gutted and what was once the signature landscaping of the island is now just an overgrown jungle. Very sad. However the beach suite portion of the hotel was up and running and we enjoyed three nights with a wonderful view of Seven Mile Beach. We were privileged to encounter many of the old employees of the Hyatt-many wonderful souls who gave their heart to working for Hyatt. These employees had just found out that Hyatt was pulling out of Grand Cayman effective the end of the year. They will all most likely have jobs with the ownership who will run it as Grand Cayman Beach Suites, however there is a sense of pride in working for Hyatt and the standards of service that coincide. I think that is what truly was upsetting to the employees.

Despite the sad news of the Hyatt we had really a wonderful time catching up with many friends and their new additions of children and pets. We reminisced about old times and our 5 fabulous years on Cayman. I enjoyed early mornings with Noah watching the sunrise on Seven Mile Beach and was reminded about how much I love the beach. As plentiful as our trip was, we couldn't help but realize that there was one missing piece-our friend Brigitte Brown. We kept thinking she was just going to appear in our room going "Beddos!!". One of the highlights of our trip was getting to meet Bailey, the dog that Brigitte and her boyfriend Viv had adopted. He is a very well trained Jack Russell Terrier all the way from Ireland...Joshua and Noah had the best time playing with him.

As we tearfully said goodbye to Cayman and our many wonderful friends, we can only hope that it won't be another 5 years before we get back there.

Click on the above album to view a slideshow of our trip!

October Road

October has always been my favorite month. The weather is generally great wherever you are and it is all about Halloween my favorite holiday-when you work in the hotel industry your love for many holidays begins to diminish-Halloween is one of those great holidays that is really pure fun, no emotional ties, no big feast, and well Mark can generally get the day or at least the evening off! As September started to come to an end, everyone in the Bedford household was anxiously awaiting October. October was bringing Grandma and Grandpa Bedford to Orlando for the month, Joshua's birthday, and Halloween. We were eager to show Mark's parents our wonderful little town of Celebration, Disney and also let them experience Halloween since it isn't truly celebrated in Australia. Well we sure did have a fantastic time with them. We took them to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party complete with trick-or-treating through the Magic Kingdom, the Boo to You parade, Halloween fireworks and more. Luckily Mark's parents are the type to want to experience different things...it is really strange for many people to don a weird costume and go ask people for candy! When we pulled up at the Magic Kingdom Mark's dad would not get out of the car until he saw other adults dressed up. I can't blame him! Needless to say he soon was receiving many encouraging compliments on his costume.

October 8th marked Joshua's 3rd birthday! Wow we still can't believe he is now three...however we weren't too sad to say goodbye to the "terrible two's"...or at least we are hoping they are over. Given the fact that we don't really have a back yard nor a large house (by mainland standards) we decided to hold Joshua's party at My Gym. Basically all you do is show up with a cake and a few decorations and they take care of the rest. Not an easy feat keeping 17 young kids busy and out of trouble. Needless to say they did a FANTASTIC job and the kids had a great time. Tying into the My Gym theme I made a trampoline cake (Joshua LOVES to go on the trampoline at My Gym and of course it had to been GREEN-he loves GREEN), and then I made cupcakes to resemble the ball pit at My Gym. The kids were so cute they each had a cupcake and then wanted a piece of cake!

As much fun as October was it unexpectedly turned into windy, emotional road. On October 11th we unfortunately were given the news of the passing of our dear, dear friend Brigitte Brown. We had relocated to Grand Cayman not long after Brigitte and she soon became a close colleague, friend, mentor and confidant. We genuinely adored her and she did us the honor of giving a reading at our wedding as well as accepting our request to be Noah's Godmother. Brigitte was someone who brought out the best in you. We shared many laughs, many holidays, and yes many Amstel's. She is always in our thoughts. When we told Joshua we would be leaving for the day to go say goodbye to our friend Brigitte because she was becoming an angel. He told us that we could go outside and see her because she would be the brightest star in the sky. He sure is right. Brigitte you never stopped fighting, may you rest in peace.