U is for Us

This is Us.

This picture was taken on Mother's Day this year. It's incredibly hard to get us all together for a picture these days, and this one is current enough. So, let me introduce us ...

We are Rick and Nicole. I am a former attorney turned stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mom. One year ago we relocated back to my childhood hometown in Missouri. Rick works in Oklahoma as a structural engineer during the week and comes home on the weekends. That has been, and continues to be, quite an adjustment. When Rick is not working or driving, you can find him on the golf course. He lives and breathes golf .. except on the weekends when he is soaking in time with his family (and watching a little golf on t.v.). I am a homebody extraordinaire and like spending the majority of my time in my home. I love to hobby garden and have a mini-obsession with birds. Green is my signature color. As long as I'm nurturing someone or something, I am happy. It doesn't take much to entertain me. I like peace and quiet. My perfect day starts with a cup of coffee in my pj's and robe and ends with a glass of wine in my pj's and robe. I like my pj's and robe.

This is Kyndal. She is 18 years old, our recent graduate and first adult child. Kyndal is enrolled in cosmetology school and begins her studies on October 1st. She's wanted to be a cosmetologist since she was a little girl. She also recently snagged her dream job at The Buckle, a fun clothing store where she is excited to enjoy the employee discount! Kyndal is and always has been a goer, but she recently came back home. For being someone who likes to be on the go all the time, she is also someone who doesn't like to be alone ... not even for one minute. Her future is very bright and exciting!

This is Dawson, our 16 year old upcoming Junior. Dawson homeschooled with me in his 8th and 9th grade years and was the one who started us on our homeschooling journey. But when we moved to Missouri, he decided to go back to public school since the school district and class size were so much smaller than where we came from. Dawson has excelled in a small town environment. He spends all his free time with his girlfriend, Taylar, his dog, Crusoe, his buddies, and working at his part-time job as a Dietary Aide at the local nursing home. He also works the nightshift whenever possible playing his Xbox. But he always makes time for me and the rest of his family. He is honest to a fault and demands justice in all situations ... and even gladly accepts justice directed at him when he is being ornery. Because, he is ornery.

Next we have Eli. He is 9 1/2 years old and going into the 4th grade. Eli attended public school through the 2nd grade and began homeschooling last year. He is the sweetest boy on the universe and a fact hound. Although we have never had him diagnosed, we know that he is on the autism spectrum somewhere leaning toward Asperger's Syndrome. He is extremely high-functioning and at this point really doesn't show any signs of problems other than some quirkiness and some stuttering. And did I say quirkiness? He is the coolest kid and so funny without even trying. It's a pleasure to spend my days with Eli as he appreciates life like no other.

Our last little love is Brynne who will be 8 years old on Thursday. She is also in the 4th grade and has homeschooled since her 6th week of kindergarten when we learned that she was too advanced for kindergarten even though she had just turned 5 years old. We brought her home and she has thrived in a home environment. She is a mini-me and just quite a spitfire. She loves playing Minecraft, swimming, hanging out with Kyndal and playing with her dogs and her brothers. She goes, goes, goes all day long and absolutely collapses at bedtime. There is no doubt in my mind that she could run our household if I needed her to, and sometimes I have to remind her that I am, in fact, the mommy. She is going to do great things.


We also share our home with five furry family members who include our four dogs Crusoe, Quincy, Chloe and Buck, and our 12 year old cat Clifford.

We are enjoying our newfound simple, small town life. You will mostly find us at home. But, we are enjoying our time at Scouts, the swimming pool, the park, walking to and fro, spending time with family, and playing sports like softball and bowling (yes, bowling is a sport ... **wink**!)

I hope that you will stop by often to see what our family is up to. A lot of our posts are on our schooling adventures, whether they be home schooling, public schooling, or technical schooling. But, this blog is about our whole family's Journey to Excellence, so all posts relating to that will be included. So check back in! We'd love to have you!