I do believe we've just moved to Mayberry. I heard tales of the harsh, uncaring, unfriendly, people we would meet here, but our experience has been quite the opposite. Everyone has been very kind, warm and loving. We've already had a play date. The kids and I met up with Susan, a dear friend I know from Georgia, and her 2 cutie pies. We had a fun time playing in the library...and by library, I mean indoor amusement park for preschoolers! Wow...that place is amazing. There aren't any roller coasters in there or anything, but they have a large kitchen fully equipped with lots of food and baking needs for pretend play. They have at least 3 doll houses with furniture. They have a puppet show and stage area with a large seating area for an audience. They have a bank with cash register, atm, and play money inside of a child size bank building. There is a large train table and tons of legos. I can't even remember all the things b/c the place was really. That place is amazing!...and conveniently located walking distance from our new rental house in West Hartford! We stuck pretty close to the hotel for most of the week b/c Elizabeth had a really bad bug that (we think) is what caused a very scary asthma attack. It seemed almost like she had a seizure b/c her eyes rolled back in her hear, and she got pretty lethargic. We've noticed this bug has really drained her. She's had a fever for days, and we ended up taking her to the Children's hospital here. After 3 days of sleeping and being feverish, she is finally starting to act normal. She's still tired, but she is fever free and eating well today. The sweet ladies at the front desk purchased gifts for the kids, and they were in our room when we got back from the hospital. They go over and beyond at this Residence Inn. It's a great place to "live" if you have to live in a hotel! I was invited to a Homeschool Used Curriculum sale in a nearby town. A sweet new friend (who was introduced to me by Susan and is also the director of our homeschool co-op CC group) picked me up so we could go to the sale together. We had a great morning, and we both found some great deals. I bought 25 books and only paid $22. Most of the books were chapter books for Andrew, but I scored a few for myself too. I also found a book that I've been wanting to look at in person - Shurley Englist. Wow...that is some good stuff. It was free and a 3rd grade edition, but I know that I for sure want to check that out at the Homeschool Conference in June. I met so many friendly people and fellow homeschoolers at the sale. Earlier in the week, I was researching Dairy Farms to visit, and I found a really unique store that sells Boar's Head deli meat for $5.99 a pound. It was a strange looking place online, and I had to go check it out in person. We got there to find that it's a convenience store that sells all this deli meat, cheese and other stuff including some fantastic potato salad. We got a little bit of each item...and I will be going back there to save some $$$. Everything is super expensive up here, and I hope to find lots of little treasures like this store to pinch some pennies! My sister and I area planning to share Mother's Day together - yay for being close enough to some family again to be able to do this! Our cars arrived and were delivered to our hotel today so it's seeming a little less like a vacation now and a little more like reality. I kinda like that. I'm ready to settle down into our cute little rental house in West Hartford, but I'm thankful in some ways for the transition. We're heading to this new store called Bob's today. It's supposed to be like Kohl's or a very nice Walmart. I don't know how the 2 go together, but I'm excited to find out. I hope to find some cute little warm dresses or fancy long sleeved shirts for ME. I've done so much shopping for the kids that I've honestly not purchased much for myself in a very long time!