A Cool JULY day

I'm sure all of you in Missouri and Arkansas are enduring some high temperatures and intense humidity. Well, here in West Virginia we are enjoying a cool 59 degree day. As you can see in our picture, we are wearing our jackets because of the cool air. We just thought we might share that with those of you enduring the HEAT today.....of course never to rub it in.

This is a picture of Herns Mill Covered Bridge, one of the few still passable covered bridges remaining. This is about a quarter of a mile from our house, so we drove down to get a picture. We were fortunate enough, at the bridge, to meet a family vacationing for the summer in WV. Oddly enough, they are spending the summer here from FLORIDA!! Maybe they are trying to escape the beautiful beach paradise for a serene mountain view. Isn't it funny how we always want what we don't have!! I would trade the mountains for a beachy Florida day anytime! For now, we will be content here and make the most of the beautiful mountains.

Just a quick side note: I realized that I have not put my Mary Kay website up yet. I am having a YARD SALE, and it is quite the deal. I will line your products end to end, the longest way possible, and for every inch you buy (up to one YARD, 36 in.) you get that percentage off of your total purchase. Example, if you buy 20 inches of products, you get 20% off. It really doesn't take much to get several inches. You can order and pay online, and it will be at your door in about 3 days. So, check out the website and happy shopping!
www.marykay.com/rgtompkins

The countdown begins.....there are now only 12 more days until Dustin officially begins his Medical School journey!! What a short, action packed summer it has already been. We are both excited for school to begin. He will have something to do, and I will not have to go grocery shopping quite as much. When he is home most of the day, he eats us out of house and home!! Well, better late than never I say..... I am putting that extra time he has to work!! Today we are headed back home to PAINT and he is going to do some yard work!! YIPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Too bad I didn't have a to do list for him all along. He might think twice the next time he reaches his hand into the snack jar...

1st Anniversary........West Virginia style!!

Anniversary dinner at The Greenbrier

Our first anniversary proved to be an interesting one from the moment we awoke. The previous three days prior to July 15 (our anniversary) we did not have hardly any water pressure, therefore, we were unable to shower due to this lack of pressure. So, on the morning of the 15th, I quickly discovered that again we did not have water pressure. At this point it was three days without water pressure, so we obviously needed to shower for church and our anniversary dinner that evening.....

In my desperation of a hike the evening before resulting in much perspiration, I proceeded to take an old fashioned shower.......with a bucket!! We had a few droplets of water, and after about 15 minutes, I had a small container of water. I was able to wet my hair in that container...... At this point I was desperate and woke Dustin up to help me with my hair. I had it lathered and ready for a rinse, but with no clean running water, it was going to be impossible to rinse the shampoo out. So......with my head in the sink and shampoo in my mouth, ears, nose, and eyes, Dustin remarks, "I have a great idea, just don't move". Little did I know that this idea was not a well thought out idea. We have a pitcher purifier in the refrigerator, so we had COLD drinking water stored. He returned seconds later, and without any warning was pouring this VERY COLD water on my head!!! After several shrilling screams, we finally got the shampoo out, for the most part, and our day continued.

By the time we returned from church we had water pressure and were able to carry on like normal. We had a fantastic three course dinner at The Greenbrier restaurant to celebrate our aniiversary.

We exchanged gifts and enjoyed the top of our wedding cake from one year ago. Even Belle got a tiny piece and loved it, even though the cake was older than she was. Surprisingly, it was still tasty!!

Thank you all for your anniversary cards!! That was so thoughtful of you to think of us on our anniversary.

Belle's New Favorite Outdoor Activity

Belle's Version of Hiking

Greetings from WV!! Today we went hiking on the Greenbrier River Trail, and what a beautiful hike it was. Of course we took Belle with us (there aren't many places we don't take her), and we think hiking is her new favorite outdoor activity. She loves being outside and loves going on walks, but after the first couple of miles, she began getting fatigued. So, she found a comfy place to ride while Dustin and I continued the hike. Some may say she is spoiled, but we just like to think she is treated well. Check out the photo.

Belle making friends

Belle is finding our home and surroundings in Lewisburg nothing short of adventurous. She is not sure what to think of the cows surrounding our house. To the large cows, she probably seems like a rodent; and to her the cows must seem like giants. Regardless, she takes it upon herself to diligently stand on the fence post and bark in their direction. (Check out the photo)

We are enjoying the slow paced life out here. Our daily rituals have now been including washing dishes after every meal as a result of having no dishwasher, hanging the clothes out on the line to dry (saving electricity), and going for a walk around our place. Swinging in the hammock as the sun is setting behind the mountains has also been an enjoyable regular for us lately.

For all of you MISSOURIANS out there, we recently learned that a HOT day in WV is in the mid 80s. We have no air conditioner, and truly we do not need one. Our windows are open and in the evenings and mornings, we are chilly!! I just thought I would boast of the beautiful weather out here while I can. Come winter, I will be begging for Missouri weather. Winters are bitter cold!!

The job search is now in full force! I will keep you posted about this area of our adventure.

Talk to you soon!! Thanks for your comments and checking in with us.

Getting Settled

Our Humble Abode


We have oficially arrived in Lewisburg, WV!! We are unloaded and our things are now scattered to the correct room (thanks to my parents)!!! We are not quite settled, but that will come with time. Belle is loving the yard, and Dustin and I are enjoying the hammocks with no noise around, except the ocassional cow mooing.

We are doing the preliminary things today such as insurance, licenses, and of course the necessary internet.

We will post again soon. Thanks again for checking our site. Talk soon.

We are posting some pictures of the house and of our trip.

Belle's favorite spot to travel; On Dustin's shoulders



Dustin's two sleepy girls

In the beginning.....

Welcome to our blog site!! We are excited to share with you our journey to West Virginia……. and beyond. This journey is already promising to be eventful with many twists in the road, but with God lighting our path we can walk it with peace. We will be embarking upon this 13 hour journey in just a few days (Sat., June 30) and our apartment is proof of that with boxes and piles of items to be boxed all over our place. Luckily Dustin’s parents are arriving tonight to assist us with the boxing and loading. Their experienced packing will be much more productive than my shoving things into trashcans or searching for anything to clean or do other than the tedious packing. Dustin has resorted to giving me a specific room to pack and checking up on me every 30 minutes to make sure I am still packing, not playing with Belle or sulking in a corner with the overwhelmed feeling that it is never going to be finished. Like it always does…it will get finished and I will look back in awe and disbelief that it really was possible.

We will continually keep you posted on this blog site, so periodically be checking back. We will be posting pictures and other items for you to check out and enjoy. There is also a place for you to comment on our site, and we would love to hear from you….. so don’t hold back! It will be a great way to stay in touch and hear about what you are also doing. Because you are taking your time to visit our site, I promise we will try our best to make it worth your time. In that effort, I promise to try not to do so at the expense of Dustin by telling too many silly stories about him or to embarrassing him…..but anything for some entertainment, right?!

Above is a picture of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, which Dustin will be attending.

Thank you all for checking out our site, and we will keep in touch weekly, if not more frequently!! Talk again soon!