So my new job has vision insurance and I hadn't seen an eye doc in many many moons. Last week was slow at work so I decided to get my eyes checked. I went in on Friday morning and the doc said I have a slight astigmatism, -0.5 or so. He hooked me up to this device that showed me what I could expect if I were to wear glasses. Man, what a difference. So it looks like I will need to wear glasses now. It's more for a "quality of life" benefit than strictly necessary, but if I'm going to buy glasses, I might as well use them, right?

I went back out to the lobby where they had a ton of frames for me to try out. But first they took a picture of me and ran my face through the computer to give me an idea of what shape I liked best. I was able to take the pictures back home and here are the before and after pix:

before



after


Not a bad improvement, if I say so myself.

Home Sweet Home

Where was I?
Well, we put in an offer on a house and it was accepted. The nice thing is that it is lower than what we had planned on by about $12k. We did the home inspection yesterday. Everything seemed pretty well taken care of.

For some reason, the current residents were there. Erika apparently found out that the mom is on the same online forum that Erika visits. They talked a lot while the kids were all playing together. We also managed to meet some of the other neighbors and their kids. Within a 100 yard radius there appears to be a bunch of kids and families. The existing owners also put us onto a bunch of local things for Er and the kids to do. There are a bunch of walking trails, parks, and other fun things. Just down the road is a Super Target, which pretty much made Erika thrilled. And for the aquarium-lover in the family (me), there is the best fish store in Charlotte about 2 miles down the road.

The kids are fitting right in. The boys love their Christian preschool. Rory comes home sometimes with Jesus-y things to say. It cracks us up. They appear to be very strict at this school, too. Initially Rory was acting out, but now he is very well behaved and can't wait to get back the next day.

Our apartment complex is surrounded by some trees and hills and stuff, which the kids love to play on. Tiger has ripped both of the knees in one pair of pants rolling down the hills. I can't wait to see what Charlotte looks like in the spring, summer, and fall. Plus, the tree area is a great place for Gypsy to do her business.

We are also looking into summer camps for the kids. We were both shocked by the price, but I think the kids would love it. The boys will be going to a sports camp where they will try a different sport every week. Allegra will be going to a camp for 3 year olds. She is so excited.

Work is going well. I think I can do a lot here. The company keeps giving out shirts and tools. They don't have to twist my arm too much to get me to take a 70-piece tool set home for free.

Erika has made a "new best friend". Unfortunately, she lives a little bit away from where we are now and even farther away when we move.