and we now return you to the show...

Sorry for the extended absence. I have been gallivanting around the country and just haven't had time to squeeze in a post. Plus, other than a new tooth coming in, not much has changed with Gavin. Of course, I say "not much" but that is because I see him daily, but to others he may have changed tremendously. I will try to get some new photos up this week . . . finally managed to empty the memory card on the camera and so now have space for 1300 new photos. Yippee!

So, sorry to disappoint, but there are no images of Gavin in this post. But July will be different!

This post is geared towards Gavin's future home in Austin--well, at least the place we are going to rent. I have included a few photos for your viewing pleasure. We are pretty excited about the move and about landing this place. It was quite a drawn out process as there were lease applications and background checks and references and so on. A little more "business" than we are used to coming from our renting experiences in Jacksonville and then Highland and then down here. But everything checked out well and we have been approved as renters. Now we just have to sign the lease and we at least have a residence for a year.

The house is about 15 miles North of campus, up near Dell's headquarters (yes, recently learned that Michael Dell, founder of Dell, is a UT graduate), and it is located to a much larger array of options than we are used to . . . including a variety of shopping, a short jaunt to a Tanger Outlet Mall, and pretty much every dinner option you can imagine (especially when considering that downtown Austin restaurant options are only a 25 minute drive). Plus, it is conveniently near several major routes around the area, so we should have no trouble accessing the plethora of options to explore in and around Austin.

Beyond that, all is well here in the land of Gavin. He is still quite a bit wobbly in his attempts at walking, but soon he will take off on his own and we will have to cover everything with Nerf. He also still refuses to crawl, but can "scootch" with the best of them.

In terms of Nikki and myself, we are slowly beginning our packing adventures -- primarily still in that collecting boxes stage, but we do have quite a mounting collection. And in just under a month from now we will be nearing the end of our long drive down to our new residence and begin the process of getting settled there. But I will do my best to stay more up-to-date with the posts . . . hopefully no more two-week lags.

As the (Gavin) World Turns

This week in the "World of Gavin" finds us still faced with a refusal to crawl. He will "skootch" across the floor (and you'll know exactly what that is if you ever see it) but no crawling. Granted, it it's not like he isn't trying to be mobile, as he prefers to "walk," but his "walk" is a bit painful after awhile as one of us has to follow along behind him, holding his arms for balance and safety (as he can't do it on his own yet) and this particular activity requires a slight bending over at all times (5 minutes in and your lower back screams at you). Someday this will change, which will be both better and worse, but for now this is our situation: hunched over, escorting Gavin on his countless trips up and down the hallway.

Shifting topics a bit, we find ourselves in readying for a couple of visitors. Gavin's Aunt Laura and Grandpa Joe are coming down for a few days (each in turn) while I venture out to Davis, CA for a conference and then on to Austin to secure living accommodations. Not only are we thrilled that they are coming, but I am sure Gavin is happy too as he can already use a break from just hanging out with Nikki and I. After this visit, we will only have a handful of weeks remaining before we make the big move to Austin...and we'll see what kind of fun that journey brings our way.

On a somewhat unrelated note, due to an unexpected removal from the Clemson email system, my new (temporary) email address is hodgson.rcid@gmail.com. If you have tried to contact me in the past couple of weeks, I apologize for not responding as I have been locked out of my Clemson account and therefore unable to check my email.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the photos--they are both from our recent trip home: the first is Nikki and Gavin in the butterfly house at the St. Louis Zoo and the other is from the graduation party (taken by Peggy Stanley).

back home and settled...for a week or so

Things are getting a bit crazy around here these days. The trip home was nice, and it was really great to see everyone, but as a result I have been extra busy since our return. I have prep work for this fall at Austin--not to mention the time spent laying out a game plan for finding a suitable residence--and with some upcoming travel to California for a conference, followed by travel to Texas to locate a place to live when we move, followed by a trip to Memphis for my nephew's baptism, there just doesn't seem to be enough time to post. But I will work on these things and try to do better, especially now that he starting to pick up new skills almost daily.


I must begin this post (well, begin again) by saying thank you to everyone for their graduation well-wishes and congratulations and gifts and thoughts and prayers. And I would especially like to thank all those friends and family in the Liberty area (and Griggsville, and Jacksonville) who made it to the small graduation party at the Liberty Park--especially a big thanks to Aunt Terry and Jodie for catering the event and to Aunt Pam and the countless others, especially my mother and sister, for their work on putting together the party. I would also like to pay special tribute to Glen Levit Scotch as its consumption by my father and brother at the "after-party" provided hours of entertainment and several years worth of stories.

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Getting back to Gavin, the star of this show, he is getting closer to walking on his own. I believe he really intends on skipping over crawling as it just doesn't suit his style. But he is still, unmercifully so, in the "help me trek all-around the house" stage. As a result, both Nikki and I believe we are developing hunch-backs. But it is worth it as he is so very proud of himself when he travels all over the house, and he has even started to kick a Wiffle ball when he walks--maybe he will play a little soccer in the coming years, who knows?

Anyways, I have included an image above from our Zoo excursion and there is also a brief video/slide-show of some other images from our visit home. I don't have any photos from the trip up to Liberty, as so many others were taking photos that I figured I would just get them from them. As such, if you have photos from the party (or the next afternoon), please feel free to send them to me. My new email is hodgson.rcid@gmail.com.