Like I'm really going to answer a number on my phone that's labeled: "Professional Telemarketing."
Riiiiiiiiiiight.
*rolls eyes*
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
30 is as 30 does. (Nope, it's not a post about my age. *grin*)
Well, the local news last night said that we received right at 30 inches in that Christmas blizzard - wow! I guess now we understand our drifts a little bit more. *wink*
Here's some pics from after all the shoveling was finished. Well, another 1/2" or so had drifted over on the driveway, but you get the idea.
From the front door to the entry walk.
The other side of the door.
Those are about 6' banks up to that top stair, too.
The wall of snow on the kitchen side of the house.
The driveway.
A different view.
We got the garage and storage room squared away yesterday. As it turns out, the storage room inside the garage is even much bigger than we'd thought it looked. We were able to put the pieces of the shed into the back, and then all of our regular shed items in front of them - and there's still room to spare! It looks soooo nice in there now. Also, today was Trash Day - yay! All we have left is to wait for the box/material pick-up from the moving company, and then we'll be golden.
Philip went back to work this morning. He's still finishing up training for this base, and then he's home in the evenings. I'm making a mental list of things to pick up tomorrow while we're out (gonna be seeing our 'reward' movie!), and I also want to find a quilt shop somewhere. Philip's looking for a small engines repair shop, as the starter is out on our snowblower, too.
Alrightee, I'm having some lunch and then getting back to work. Toodles!
Here's some pics from after all the shoveling was finished. Well, another 1/2" or so had drifted over on the driveway, but you get the idea.
From the front door to the entry walk.
The other side of the door.
Those are about 6' banks up to that top stair, too.
The wall of snow on the kitchen side of the house.
The driveway.
A different view.
We got the garage and storage room squared away yesterday. As it turns out, the storage room inside the garage is even much bigger than we'd thought it looked. We were able to put the pieces of the shed into the back, and then all of our regular shed items in front of them - and there's still room to spare! It looks soooo nice in there now. Also, today was Trash Day - yay! All we have left is to wait for the box/material pick-up from the moving company, and then we'll be golden.
Philip went back to work this morning. He's still finishing up training for this base, and then he's home in the evenings. I'm making a mental list of things to pick up tomorrow while we're out (gonna be seeing our 'reward' movie!), and I also want to find a quilt shop somewhere. Philip's looking for a small engines repair shop, as the starter is out on our snowblower, too.
Alrightee, I'm having some lunch and then getting back to work. Toodles!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Unpacking under the movies and the mail.
So. Much. Unpacking.
It feels like it will never end! Realistically, however, it will be done late tomorrow or Tuesday - I can't tell just yet. I am so very much looking forward to calling the moving company and asking them to come back and pick up all their boxes and packing material! (I'll have space in my garage again - whee!)
My dining room is just gorgeous and huge. I still cannot get over all the space in there. That, to me, is the most drastic difference between our old house and this one. I love the fact that it's not situated off the main garage entrance into the house, and it's not near a television of any sorts. It's awesome, truly.
The plan tomorrow is for Philip and I to move/unpack all the stuff in the garage. See, the movers unloaded all our shed and garage items directly into the garage, so we've got to unpack everything and get it moved into its proper place in the storage room in the back. Philip already took apart our shed, and we'll put the pieces in our "renovation space." (When they renovated this house, they built on an extra room along the basement wall, and they entered through there, bringing all their equipment with them. Once they finished, they closed off the room and left a large access flap. We can easily open it via the flap, and it's an 8x10' space, at least.) While we're doing that, the boys will be playing hard in the snow. Once we're done, we'll have all our space back in the garage, and we'll move all the boxes and packing material to the breezeway until pick-up. Trash Day is also on Tuesday, and it'll be great to have all that gone, too. (Gosh, but moving creates a lot of excess trash!)
Depending on how long we're out in the garage tomorrow, we'll work on the office afterwards. It's the only room left, and that's because I considered it the lowest priority of all the rooms. I mean, *I* love this room, and I practically live in it sometimes... but everything I really need (computer, bills, filing cabinet, etc.), I can already reach, and we brought with us ahead of time. What needs to be unpacked are the bookshelves and lots of Philip's military memorabilia and knick-knacks. He heads back to work on Tuesday, and I can finish this room by myself, if needed.
As a reward once ALL of the unpacking is done, we plan to go see Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. The boys are dying to see it, and I think it looks pretty cute, too. I thought the first one was good, and I'm sure this one will be about the same. The boys are also anxious to spend some of their Christmas cash at the mall, too. *wink*
Speaking of movies, we all went to see New Moon last Friday. It was the boys' first time seeing it, Philip' second time, and my seventh time. I probably won't see it again in the theatre, but it was just as good this time again. A quick rundown of the showings I've been to:
1st - with Marissa as my 'date' to Amy's midnight premiere party (11/20)
2nd - with Marissa again on Sunday afternoon (11/22)
3rd - with Liz on Sunday night (11/22)
4th - with Philip the following Tuesday (11/24)
5th - with Cheyenne on Thanksgiving night (11/26)
6th - with Aimée on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/28)
7th - with the family (12/21)
We also recently saw The Princess and the Frog (on opening day!), and we all loved it. I cried a little near the end, but it was wonderful to see the old-style animation again. And - I was so surprised when the first song began! I'd almost forgotten how the older Disney movies always had original songs - how sad is that?! I thought the characters were very charming, and I really hope the movie does well enough that Disney will do another one in this style again soon.
We saw Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D, too. I found it to be much darker than I'd imagined, but the effects were amazing. Honestly, though, there were parts of it that unsettled even me, and I don't think I'd let younger children see it yet (though the Disney Channel promotes it constantly). We were late to the game on this one, having been planning on seeing it ever since we rode the official movie train back in August (what a neat experience, too!). After seeing the movie, we bought my favorite as a young girl: Mickey's Christmas Carol. I didn't have the movie growing up, but I had a record of it, and I played that over and over all year long. I still have most of it memorized. :-)
I'm hoping to have mail tomorrow, but I'm not terribly optimistic. There was, of course, no mail yesterday in the face of this major blizzard, and then today was Sunday. Philip and I did watch some lady trudge through all the snow with her key, falling down in the deep drifts and then crawling on her knees atop them to get to the box, only to open it and find it empty, of course. We learned long ago (in both Alaska and Nebraska, actually) that even though the post office's motto is, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," that isn't always the case. We've had numerous times with no mail delivery due to inclement weather, and on a day where no travel is advised, I'm surprised that anyone would think there would be mail.
Perhaps she didn't check her box on Christmas Eve, then? *nods* We'll go with that. :-)
It feels like it will never end! Realistically, however, it will be done late tomorrow or Tuesday - I can't tell just yet. I am so very much looking forward to calling the moving company and asking them to come back and pick up all their boxes and packing material! (I'll have space in my garage again - whee!)
My dining room is just gorgeous and huge. I still cannot get over all the space in there. That, to me, is the most drastic difference between our old house and this one. I love the fact that it's not situated off the main garage entrance into the house, and it's not near a television of any sorts. It's awesome, truly.
The plan tomorrow is for Philip and I to move/unpack all the stuff in the garage. See, the movers unloaded all our shed and garage items directly into the garage, so we've got to unpack everything and get it moved into its proper place in the storage room in the back. Philip already took apart our shed, and we'll put the pieces in our "renovation space." (When they renovated this house, they built on an extra room along the basement wall, and they entered through there, bringing all their equipment with them. Once they finished, they closed off the room and left a large access flap. We can easily open it via the flap, and it's an 8x10' space, at least.) While we're doing that, the boys will be playing hard in the snow. Once we're done, we'll have all our space back in the garage, and we'll move all the boxes and packing material to the breezeway until pick-up. Trash Day is also on Tuesday, and it'll be great to have all that gone, too. (Gosh, but moving creates a lot of excess trash!)
Depending on how long we're out in the garage tomorrow, we'll work on the office afterwards. It's the only room left, and that's because I considered it the lowest priority of all the rooms. I mean, *I* love this room, and I practically live in it sometimes... but everything I really need (computer, bills, filing cabinet, etc.), I can already reach, and we brought with us ahead of time. What needs to be unpacked are the bookshelves and lots of Philip's military memorabilia and knick-knacks. He heads back to work on Tuesday, and I can finish this room by myself, if needed.
As a reward once ALL of the unpacking is done, we plan to go see Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. The boys are dying to see it, and I think it looks pretty cute, too. I thought the first one was good, and I'm sure this one will be about the same. The boys are also anxious to spend some of their Christmas cash at the mall, too. *wink*
Speaking of movies, we all went to see New Moon last Friday. It was the boys' first time seeing it, Philip' second time, and my seventh time. I probably won't see it again in the theatre, but it was just as good this time again. A quick rundown of the showings I've been to:
1st - with Marissa as my 'date' to Amy's midnight premiere party (11/20)
2nd - with Marissa again on Sunday afternoon (11/22)
3rd - with Liz on Sunday night (11/22)
4th - with Philip the following Tuesday (11/24)
5th - with Cheyenne on Thanksgiving night (11/26)
6th - with Aimée on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/28)
7th - with the family (12/21)
We also recently saw The Princess and the Frog (on opening day!), and we all loved it. I cried a little near the end, but it was wonderful to see the old-style animation again. And - I was so surprised when the first song began! I'd almost forgotten how the older Disney movies always had original songs - how sad is that?! I thought the characters were very charming, and I really hope the movie does well enough that Disney will do another one in this style again soon.
We saw Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D, too. I found it to be much darker than I'd imagined, but the effects were amazing. Honestly, though, there were parts of it that unsettled even me, and I don't think I'd let younger children see it yet (though the Disney Channel promotes it constantly). We were late to the game on this one, having been planning on seeing it ever since we rode the official movie train back in August (what a neat experience, too!). After seeing the movie, we bought my favorite as a young girl: Mickey's Christmas Carol. I didn't have the movie growing up, but I had a record of it, and I played that over and over all year long. I still have most of it memorized. :-)
I'm hoping to have mail tomorrow, but I'm not terribly optimistic. There was, of course, no mail yesterday in the face of this major blizzard, and then today was Sunday. Philip and I did watch some lady trudge through all the snow with her key, falling down in the deep drifts and then crawling on her knees atop them to get to the box, only to open it and find it empty, of course. We learned long ago (in both Alaska and Nebraska, actually) that even though the post office's motto is, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," that isn't always the case. We've had numerous times with no mail delivery due to inclement weather, and on a day where no travel is advised, I'm surprised that anyone would think there would be mail.
Perhaps she didn't check her box on Christmas Eve, then? *nods* We'll go with that. :-)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Christmas blizzard.
Snowed in, for sure.
On Christmas Eve day, the snow started falling. And blowing. And falling and blowing some more. By 4:30pm, we knew that a Christmas Eve church service wasn't possible. By 11pm, travel warnings were issued everywhere.
Christmas Day the snow fell nonstop - from midnight to midnight. It didn't stop snowing until yesterday around noon, and thankfully, the winds let up a bit then too. The accumulation wasn't nearly as crazy as the DRIFTS. Philip shoveled twice during the snowstorm, but by the time we woke yesterday morning, you couldn't tell he'd done a thing!
The TV channels turned to static in the morning, along with a message alerting us that the road conditions were RED. No travel was allowed on base at all, and everything was closed. Fine by us, as we didn't need to be anywhere, either!
He shoveled for hours and hours yesterday. We had much higher drifts than our next-door neighbor, and when he was done with his own house, he helped Philip for another hour-and-a-half, at least. I still can't much see out of my windows, but I expect that's just how it's gonna be for a while. ;-)
Drifts up to our office windows.
A sideways view out the window of the front lawn, including the completely buried front three steps.
The drifts up to the dining room window.
Looking out the kitchen window, the drifts blocked the garage and part of Philip's truck.
The view when we opened the garage door...
The solid wall of snow from the garage door to my kitchen window.
The view from our master bedroom deck.
This is a picture of our back-yard neighbors. The house on the left is the same floor plan as our own. Those neighbors were SLEDDING down their steps - that's how high the snow was!
Last night, Philip and I glanced out the dining room window just before I was going to start dinner. A beautiful dog was leaping through the snow, looking lost. Philip went to the front door and called, and the dog ran right to him. The dog had no collar, and Philip pulled him into the mud room for warmth. He had snow on his little nose, but he was just gorgeous. Philip and the boys sat in the mud room for over half an hour and loved on the dog. Finally, the police arrived to take him back to the squadron to read for a microchip, and they let him go.
The lost 'Snow-Dog.'
On Christmas Eve day, the snow started falling. And blowing. And falling and blowing some more. By 4:30pm, we knew that a Christmas Eve church service wasn't possible. By 11pm, travel warnings were issued everywhere.
Christmas Day the snow fell nonstop - from midnight to midnight. It didn't stop snowing until yesterday around noon, and thankfully, the winds let up a bit then too. The accumulation wasn't nearly as crazy as the DRIFTS. Philip shoveled twice during the snowstorm, but by the time we woke yesterday morning, you couldn't tell he'd done a thing!
The TV channels turned to static in the morning, along with a message alerting us that the road conditions were RED. No travel was allowed on base at all, and everything was closed. Fine by us, as we didn't need to be anywhere, either!
He shoveled for hours and hours yesterday. We had much higher drifts than our next-door neighbor, and when he was done with his own house, he helped Philip for another hour-and-a-half, at least. I still can't much see out of my windows, but I expect that's just how it's gonna be for a while. ;-)
Drifts up to our office windows.
A sideways view out the window of the front lawn, including the completely buried front three steps.
The drifts up to the dining room window.
Looking out the kitchen window, the drifts blocked the garage and part of Philip's truck.
The view when we opened the garage door...
The solid wall of snow from the garage door to my kitchen window.
The view from our master bedroom deck.
This is a picture of our back-yard neighbors. The house on the left is the same floor plan as our own. Those neighbors were SLEDDING down their steps - that's how high the snow was!
Last night, Philip and I glanced out the dining room window just before I was going to start dinner. A beautiful dog was leaping through the snow, looking lost. Philip went to the front door and called, and the dog ran right to him. The dog had no collar, and Philip pulled him into the mud room for warmth. He had snow on his little nose, but he was just gorgeous. Philip and the boys sat in the mud room for over half an hour and loved on the dog. Finally, the police arrived to take him back to the squadron to read for a microchip, and they let him go.
The lost 'Snow-Dog.'
Monday, December 21, 2009
Yay, cards!
We received a ton of cards in today's Monday mail, and I'm loving it! Several were from fellow LJers, including ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
mayna, laurushka, posthaste, butterflymama3, dottey & kechara, and desertmommy. Thank you all!
I'm even more amazed that so many of these cards are coming addressed to the new house, rather than being forwarded. Look how on-the-ball you all are! :-)
mayna, laurushka, posthaste, butterflymama3, dottey & kechara, and desertmommy. Thank you all!I'm even more amazed that so many of these cards are coming addressed to the new house, rather than being forwarded. Look how on-the-ball you all are! :-)
Moving: Our stuff is here!
Wow! Color me amazed!
Last night, I wrote that I hoped we'd hear from the moving company about our household goods. At best, I was hoping they'd arrive today, and that we would be able to *squeak* in a delivery by Wednesday, the 23rd (they're off the rest of the week for Christmas Eve & Day, and they don't deliver on weekends).
But they just called ten minutes ago! And they're on their way right now! And they'll be here in an hour or so! Yay!
And now, it's time to become a "Nicole Tornado." Too-de-loo, my friends!
Last night, I wrote that I hoped we'd hear from the moving company about our household goods. At best, I was hoping they'd arrive today, and that we would be able to *squeak* in a delivery by Wednesday, the 23rd (they're off the rest of the week for Christmas Eve & Day, and they don't deliver on weekends).
But they just called ten minutes ago! And they're on their way right now! And they'll be here in an hour or so! Yay!
And now, it's time to become a "Nicole Tornado." Too-de-loo, my friends!
Advent, and we wanted to make it.
Philip woke early this morning, and he ran to the Shoppette to get a copy of the base newspaper**.
**Side tangent: the base paper is an awesome one here. It reminds me of the hey-days of the great paper at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. It's chock-full of stories, happenings on base, etc. It even has a TV guide in it for the upcoming week!
/tangent
He got a copy of the paper, and he also picked up some grape and apple juice for breakfast. We looked at the church directory, and we decided on a Lutheran church (Missouri Synod). Services started at 11am, and so I went back to snoozeville while the boys ate breakfast and Philip showered. Once he was out, we all got ready for church.
We left in plenty of time, and thank goodness for that! Philip had thought it would be about six minutes away, but it ended up being closer to sixteen. He dropped me and the boys off at the door, and we walked in at 11 on the nose. I noticed a guest book to sign, but as soon as I picked up the pen, the organ began playing. I told the boys we'd sign it afterwards, and I ushered them inside... down to the first few rows. You know, folks always joke that Baptists sit in the back, but let me tell you - those Lutherans had left 3-4 rows empty at the front of each of the three sections, too! We sat in the third row, and Philip joined us a moment later.
The church was much larger than we'd imagined, and they were presenting their childrens' program today. It was cute, and the congregation sang along here and there. Jack got a kick out of using a hymnal again (we usually attended the Contemporary service in Nebraska), and I enjoyed singing the alto harmonies of several of my favorite Christmas hymns. The church was extensively and beautifully decorated, and I couldn't help commenting on it. A very nice couple then introduced themselves, and we chatted with them for over an HOUR after the service...
... but that was because today was Jesus's birthday party, too! The fellowship hall of the church had been decorated with balloon centerpieces on every table, and each child received a birthday goodie bag. The younger children received red plastic mugs, and the older children received white stone mugs. They were filled with cocoa, candy, and stickers, and everyone munched on cupcakes, frosted brownies, and ice cream. The couple we had been talking with in the sanctuary introduced us to many, many folks (there is no way I can remember all those names correctly!), and one of the youth directors joked with A.J. for a while. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, and then she introduced him to a handful of other sixth graders, too.
It was a wonderful experience, and now we'll have to decide whether we want to try a few more churches, or go ahead and commit to this warm, welcoming congregation. Even if we don't end up joining this church, I feel very blessed that God has led us to what will be a wonderful congregation to share our Christmas Eve together.
After leaving the church around 1pm, we grabbed a bite for lunch. We stopped at Barnes&Noble for a quick return, and then we headed home. With a full tummy and in the warm car, I was dozing before we reached the base again. Once home, Philip set up the air mattress for me, and I was down for a nap (around 3:30 or so).
I didn't wake until 6:30! Baby kitty had joined me for sleeps, and I think we both needed it. We had easy dinners tonight, and then after the boys went to bed, I began the wrap-fest of Christmas presents. I had intended to do it tomorrow, but I got a jump on it instead tonight. I'll run some errands tomorrow instead because I ended up finishing all the wrapping in one go - yay!
And now, it's 2am, and I'm back to bed. Here's hoping we hear from our moving company about our household goods tomorrow... *fingers crossed*
**Side tangent: the base paper is an awesome one here. It reminds me of the hey-days of the great paper at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. It's chock-full of stories, happenings on base, etc. It even has a TV guide in it for the upcoming week!
/tangent
He got a copy of the paper, and he also picked up some grape and apple juice for breakfast. We looked at the church directory, and we decided on a Lutheran church (Missouri Synod). Services started at 11am, and so I went back to snoozeville while the boys ate breakfast and Philip showered. Once he was out, we all got ready for church.
We left in plenty of time, and thank goodness for that! Philip had thought it would be about six minutes away, but it ended up being closer to sixteen. He dropped me and the boys off at the door, and we walked in at 11 on the nose. I noticed a guest book to sign, but as soon as I picked up the pen, the organ began playing. I told the boys we'd sign it afterwards, and I ushered them inside... down to the first few rows. You know, folks always joke that Baptists sit in the back, but let me tell you - those Lutherans had left 3-4 rows empty at the front of each of the three sections, too! We sat in the third row, and Philip joined us a moment later.
The church was much larger than we'd imagined, and they were presenting their childrens' program today. It was cute, and the congregation sang along here and there. Jack got a kick out of using a hymnal again (we usually attended the Contemporary service in Nebraska), and I enjoyed singing the alto harmonies of several of my favorite Christmas hymns. The church was extensively and beautifully decorated, and I couldn't help commenting on it. A very nice couple then introduced themselves, and we chatted with them for over an HOUR after the service...
... but that was because today was Jesus's birthday party, too! The fellowship hall of the church had been decorated with balloon centerpieces on every table, and each child received a birthday goodie bag. The younger children received red plastic mugs, and the older children received white stone mugs. They were filled with cocoa, candy, and stickers, and everyone munched on cupcakes, frosted brownies, and ice cream. The couple we had been talking with in the sanctuary introduced us to many, many folks (there is no way I can remember all those names correctly!), and one of the youth directors joked with A.J. for a while. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, and then she introduced him to a handful of other sixth graders, too.
It was a wonderful experience, and now we'll have to decide whether we want to try a few more churches, or go ahead and commit to this warm, welcoming congregation. Even if we don't end up joining this church, I feel very blessed that God has led us to what will be a wonderful congregation to share our Christmas Eve together.
After leaving the church around 1pm, we grabbed a bite for lunch. We stopped at Barnes&Noble for a quick return, and then we headed home. With a full tummy and in the warm car, I was dozing before we reached the base again. Once home, Philip set up the air mattress for me, and I was down for a nap (around 3:30 or so).
I didn't wake until 6:30! Baby kitty had joined me for sleeps, and I think we both needed it. We had easy dinners tonight, and then after the boys went to bed, I began the wrap-fest of Christmas presents. I had intended to do it tomorrow, but I got a jump on it instead tonight. I'll run some errands tomorrow instead because I ended up finishing all the wrapping in one go - yay!
And now, it's 2am, and I'm back to bed. Here's hoping we hear from our moving company about our household goods tomorrow... *fingers crossed*
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Year in Review.
~ meme that's been making the block
Jan - It's very quiet in our house lately.
Feb - Open your Paint program. Close your eyes. Draw a cat!
Mar - Yes, THAT movie.
Apr - I can cry at the drop of a hat today.
May - I'm so very tired of being so stupid with maps and directions.
Jun - I've worked my frustrations out in the earth today, and I will sleep well tonight because of it.
Jul - Remember when my iTunes directory went kaput a few months back?
Aug - We're finally back!
Sep - We can't find Vanilla Coke™ anywhere lately, and after several weeks of looking, I was frustrated!
Oct - Normally, I love Hallmark.
Nov - I have been working, working, working, and working some more lately - craziness!
Dec - We're officially homeless now!
Jan - It's very quiet in our house lately.
Feb - Open your Paint program. Close your eyes. Draw a cat!
Mar - Yes, THAT movie.
Apr - I can cry at the drop of a hat today.
May - I'm so very tired of being so stupid with maps and directions.
Jun - I've worked my frustrations out in the earth today, and I will sleep well tonight because of it.
Jul - Remember when my iTunes directory went kaput a few months back?
Aug - We're finally back!
Sep - We can't find Vanilla Coke™ anywhere lately, and after several weeks of looking, I was frustrated!
Oct - Normally, I love Hallmark.
Nov - I have been working, working, working, and working some more lately - craziness!
Dec - We're officially homeless now!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Lazy security in Alaska.
We received more cards today, including ones from hetterrific and flyingwolf - thank you both!
Today felt mostly lazy on my part. You see, since our household goods are not here yet, we have no washer & dryer. It had been a week since we did laundry on our last night in the TLF, and we all were down to having no clean pants. The boys and I bluffed the day away in our PJs, while Philip headed out to the base laundromat, only to find it empty. He also had to take money out of an ATM, but then find a nice store that was willing to give him a couple rolls of quarters. Once he had the laundry washing at a laundromat downtown, he headed over to Napa AutoParts for a new oil cap for his truck. Then back to switch the laundry to the dryers, and then out to pick-up the BIG. NEW. TV!
Meanwhile, the boys played and watched a few videos here at the house, and I unpacked the cleaning supplies. It was the last box of stuff we'd brought with us in our U-Haul trailer, and I wanted to find my cleaners so that I could give my red kitchen trashcan a good scrubbing (we used it to haul items during the move, too). I made lunch for myself and the boys, and then I set aboutdestroying fixing my computer.
I bought and installed new security protection, but in doing so, I then had to make sure that I had all the Windows Updates I needed. I didn't, and that took a couple HOURS to do - ugh. But now everything is running smoothly, and I'll have it do a deep scan tonight while I'm snoozing.
I also paid all the mid-month bills, paying a handful of them way, way ahead, too. I love the feeling that comes from sending $800 to a bill instead of the $100 it asks for. We are so blessed to have come so far in our finances, and I'm thankful every day for that. Also, I discovered a mistake on the Air Force finance side of things... I'm sure no one who is/has been military is shocked by that one. It always happens. Philip will go to Finance on Monday and let them know what we've found. Until then, we've moved the $1888 error to a side savings account so that we'll have it to pull from when the military then sharply deducts it from Philip's pay in the future. Wouldn't it be lovely if Finance could ever get anything right the first time?!
I took an evening bath/shower, and then we all headed out to dinner at Alaska Alder Grill. (I've just looked, and I can't believe they don't have a website!) It was very reminiscent of our times at Alaska Wild Berry, except that it was a food place, not just a chocolatier. Among the store area, we looked at a huge buffalo, a white ram, a cougar, a hyena, a wolf, and many deer heads. I loved all the beautiful wood carvings and stone pottery. It was a neat experience.
Now we're home, and the boys are headed to bed. I've culled the receipts that stacked up everywhere during these last two weeks of moving, and I feel much better about the state of things now. I still need to get my holiday cards in order, and I need to pick out a "Card Wall" here and get it going... :-)
hetterrific and flyingwolf - thank you both!Today felt mostly lazy on my part. You see, since our household goods are not here yet, we have no washer & dryer. It had been a week since we did laundry on our last night in the TLF, and we all were down to having no clean pants. The boys and I bluffed the day away in our PJs, while Philip headed out to the base laundromat, only to find it empty. He also had to take money out of an ATM, but then find a nice store that was willing to give him a couple rolls of quarters. Once he had the laundry washing at a laundromat downtown, he headed over to Napa AutoParts for a new oil cap for his truck. Then back to switch the laundry to the dryers, and then out to pick-up the BIG. NEW. TV!
Meanwhile, the boys played and watched a few videos here at the house, and I unpacked the cleaning supplies. It was the last box of stuff we'd brought with us in our U-Haul trailer, and I wanted to find my cleaners so that I could give my red kitchen trashcan a good scrubbing (we used it to haul items during the move, too). I made lunch for myself and the boys, and then I set about
I bought and installed new security protection, but in doing so, I then had to make sure that I had all the Windows Updates I needed. I didn't, and that took a couple HOURS to do - ugh. But now everything is running smoothly, and I'll have it do a deep scan tonight while I'm snoozing.
I also paid all the mid-month bills, paying a handful of them way, way ahead, too. I love the feeling that comes from sending $800 to a bill instead of the $100 it asks for. We are so blessed to have come so far in our finances, and I'm thankful every day for that. Also, I discovered a mistake on the Air Force finance side of things... I'm sure no one who is/has been military is shocked by that one. It always happens. Philip will go to Finance on Monday and let them know what we've found. Until then, we've moved the $1888 error to a side savings account so that we'll have it to pull from when the military then sharply deducts it from Philip's pay in the future. Wouldn't it be lovely if Finance could ever get anything right the first time?!
I took an evening bath/shower, and then we all headed out to dinner at Alaska Alder Grill. (I've just looked, and I can't believe they don't have a website!) It was very reminiscent of our times at Alaska Wild Berry, except that it was a food place, not just a chocolatier. Among the store area, we looked at a huge buffalo, a white ram, a cougar, a hyena, a wolf, and many deer heads. I loved all the beautiful wood carvings and stone pottery. It was a neat experience.
Now we're home, and the boys are headed to bed. I've culled the receipts that stacked up everywhere during these last two weeks of moving, and I feel much better about the state of things now. I still need to get my holiday cards in order, and I need to pick out a "Card Wall" here and get it going... :-)
It's here!
Our new TV has arrived at the store! Philip is on his way to pick it up right now, and we are SO EXCITED!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Holiday-ing.
Whew, I'm beat!
Philip and I began the day earlier today than we have all week, and I'm bushed tonight to show for it! We had decided today would be the day to finish up the Christmas shopping, as he will begin working here on Monday, and it was best to take advantage of the full day with the boys in school. So, we dropped them off at 9, and then we were on our way into town!
We did all of the rest of our holiday shopping VERY early this year, knowing that the confusion of moving would put things into a tailspin. I'm so very thankful for that, as it's been a comfort to only have the boys left to shop for. We bought everything, I wrapped it all, and then I shipped it to everyone via UPS waaaaaaaay back on Nov. 7th... I think if those folks haven't received their packages by now, it's safe to call them lost. ;-)
For the boys this year, we had decided on one thing: A.J.'s gift would be easy, and Jack's would take a bit more searching. We purposely did no shopping for them ahead of time because we didn't want the movers to pack any gifts, and we had no spare room in our vehicles for packages, either. See, we've had things stolen from each move, and I figure a wrapped holiday present is just *TOO* much temptation, ya know?
I cannot WAIT for Christmas morning, as I'm so excited to see A.J. open his gift. He has a small handful of gifts, as well as his Christmas stocking, but that's because his main gift will be...
... his very own netbook!
Not just his own computer, but he's receiving his own mini-laptop! His mini comes with Windows 7, and I'm so geeked to set him up with his own email account. I've got a pocket full of addresses from several of his gal pals back in Nebraska to set him up with, too (they all made sure to give me their emails on the night of his band concert, and it was so sweet to see their *goo-goo* eyes). I just know he will have so much fun with his new computer. And probably the best news of all - he won't have to share it AT ALL. We're going to set a very strict rule: it is A.J.'s computer, and A.J.'s only.
That may sound harsh, but the reality is that my boys have to share practically everything. It's been this way since Jack was born, and I think that lately, it's really starting to affect A.J. how he never has his "own" things, and he really gets very little personal space from Jack. Sure, he can go to his room for alone time, but he still ought to be able to have some things that are his alone, and this will be one of them. I know he will be stoked, and we'll have to work with him on not gloating, even just a little.
As for Jack, he'll still have use of the secondary computer. It is on a LAN with mine, and it's what the boys currently use on a desk in A.J.'s room (which takes even further from A.J.'s personal space, but that's where it fit in our old house). Here, we'll either set up a smaller desk in the office with our computer, or we'll put one in our large dining room. Either way, A.J. will be free to use his bedroom desk for just his own computer.
So we were shopping today mainly for Jack, as well as for stocking stuffers. Along the way, I ended up with a new wardrobe. Now, I hate shopping for myself, but I badly needed to, and Philip insisted. In fact, Philip was encouraging me to "just get it, honey" with almost every single item I picked up all day. As a result, I came home with a LOT of goodies. I kept saying, "But what about you?" He just insists that he's got something in mind, so don't worry about it.
Hmmm...
So the shopping is finally complete, and I have a ton of wrapping still ahead of me for next Monday and Tuesday while the boys are in their last days of school before holiday break. Right now, all the packages and items are hiding in the cabinets in the basement. See? I'm using them already! ;-)
In addition, we returned home to two large packages of Christmas gifts from our family, as well as a host of cards. These included ones fromhappysmiles01 and adiasplat. Thank you!
Philip and I began the day earlier today than we have all week, and I'm bushed tonight to show for it! We had decided today would be the day to finish up the Christmas shopping, as he will begin working here on Monday, and it was best to take advantage of the full day with the boys in school. So, we dropped them off at 9, and then we were on our way into town!
We did all of the rest of our holiday shopping VERY early this year, knowing that the confusion of moving would put things into a tailspin. I'm so very thankful for that, as it's been a comfort to only have the boys left to shop for. We bought everything, I wrapped it all, and then I shipped it to everyone via UPS waaaaaaaay back on Nov. 7th... I think if those folks haven't received their packages by now, it's safe to call them lost. ;-)
For the boys this year, we had decided on one thing: A.J.'s gift would be easy, and Jack's would take a bit more searching. We purposely did no shopping for them ahead of time because we didn't want the movers to pack any gifts, and we had no spare room in our vehicles for packages, either. See, we've had things stolen from each move, and I figure a wrapped holiday present is just *TOO* much temptation, ya know?
I cannot WAIT for Christmas morning, as I'm so excited to see A.J. open his gift. He has a small handful of gifts, as well as his Christmas stocking, but that's because his main gift will be...
... his very own netbook!
Not just his own computer, but he's receiving his own mini-laptop! His mini comes with Windows 7, and I'm so geeked to set him up with his own email account. I've got a pocket full of addresses from several of his gal pals back in Nebraska to set him up with, too (they all made sure to give me their emails on the night of his band concert, and it was so sweet to see their *goo-goo* eyes). I just know he will have so much fun with his new computer. And probably the best news of all - he won't have to share it AT ALL. We're going to set a very strict rule: it is A.J.'s computer, and A.J.'s only.
That may sound harsh, but the reality is that my boys have to share practically everything. It's been this way since Jack was born, and I think that lately, it's really starting to affect A.J. how he never has his "own" things, and he really gets very little personal space from Jack. Sure, he can go to his room for alone time, but he still ought to be able to have some things that are his alone, and this will be one of them. I know he will be stoked, and we'll have to work with him on not gloating, even just a little.
As for Jack, he'll still have use of the secondary computer. It is on a LAN with mine, and it's what the boys currently use on a desk in A.J.'s room (which takes even further from A.J.'s personal space, but that's where it fit in our old house). Here, we'll either set up a smaller desk in the office with our computer, or we'll put one in our large dining room. Either way, A.J. will be free to use his bedroom desk for just his own computer.
So we were shopping today mainly for Jack, as well as for stocking stuffers. Along the way, I ended up with a new wardrobe. Now, I hate shopping for myself, but I badly needed to, and Philip insisted. In fact, Philip was encouraging me to "just get it, honey" with almost every single item I picked up all day. As a result, I came home with a LOT of goodies. I kept saying, "But what about you?" He just insists that he's got something in mind, so don't worry about it.
Hmmm...
So the shopping is finally complete, and I have a ton of wrapping still ahead of me for next Monday and Tuesday while the boys are in their last days of school before holiday break. Right now, all the packages and items are hiding in the cabinets in the basement. See? I'm using them already! ;-)
In addition, we returned home to two large packages of Christmas gifts from our family, as well as a host of cards. These included ones from
happysmiles01 and adiasplat. Thank you!
Squirrelly girl.
Happy Birthday, Kiki!
My Kiki girl kitty is 11 years old today. She won't be celebrating with a party and cake this year (I know you'll never forget that,hetterrific!), but we love her even more.
What a fuzzy, sweet presence she has continued to bring into our lives. :-)
My Kiki girl kitty is 11 years old today. She won't be celebrating with a party and cake this year (I know you'll never forget that,
hetterrific!), but we love her even more.What a fuzzy, sweet presence she has continued to bring into our lives. :-)
Moving: House pictures!
Since everyone has been dying to see... here are the pics I snapped when we got the keys to the house. They were taken at dusk, and I've not done anything to brighten them up, but you can still get a "sorta" feel to the house, I think.
ALL of the pictures are located HERE. I tried to caption them with descriptions, too.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have as you look through them. I know it's hard to understand floor plans just by looking at pictures, ya know?
ALL of the pictures are located HERE. I tried to caption them with descriptions, too.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have as you look through them. I know it's hard to understand floor plans just by looking at pictures, ya know?
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The bigger, the better!
As a Christmas/housewarming gift, Philip's parents have ordered us a new TV. Mind you, our current TV is still in excellent condition (it was a Christmas gift from my parents a few years ago when we did not have a working one at all), but his parents have been introduced to the HDTV age, and they insisted that we must have one as well.
The day after we took keys to the new house, the new TV was ordered, and it is still on its way. A 52" RCA LCD flat-panel TV that is so flippin' huge that it didn't have a chance on fitting in our current entertainment center. Soooo...
... the current entertainment center will go downstairs (when our household goods arrive, that is), along with the 32" TV from my parents. We have been carpeting the basement (in a tiled pattern, and I'm doing it slowly - I keep taking breaks!), and one half of the basement will be a relaxing area for the boys (entertainment center, TV, carpet, couch, and several of their toys). The other half will be my scrap/craft room, complete with the sink and all those lovely, lovely built-in cabinets.
We bought and built a beautiful new entertainment center to house our new TV in the living room. We subscribed to digital cable again, but for the first time, we joined a new club: those with DVR. We never really felt we needed it before, but it was only a couple bucks more with our internet/cable packaging, so we sprung for it. It's only been a day now, but I think Philip loves it already. ;-)
Merry Christmas to us, indeed! Now we just wait for the TV to arrive!
The day after we took keys to the new house, the new TV was ordered, and it is still on its way. A 52" RCA LCD flat-panel TV that is so flippin' huge that it didn't have a chance on fitting in our current entertainment center. Soooo...
... the current entertainment center will go downstairs (when our household goods arrive, that is), along with the 32" TV from my parents. We have been carpeting the basement (in a tiled pattern, and I'm doing it slowly - I keep taking breaks!), and one half of the basement will be a relaxing area for the boys (entertainment center, TV, carpet, couch, and several of their toys). The other half will be my scrap/craft room, complete with the sink and all those lovely, lovely built-in cabinets.
We bought and built a beautiful new entertainment center to house our new TV in the living room. We subscribed to digital cable again, but for the first time, we joined a new club: those with DVR. We never really felt we needed it before, but it was only a couple bucks more with our internet/cable packaging, so we sprung for it. It's only been a day now, but I think Philip loves it already. ;-)
Merry Christmas to us, indeed! Now we just wait for the TV to arrive!
More cards!
Today's regular and forwarded mail brought only Christmas cards - yay! Nothing but the good stuff! :-)
Among those received were ones fromashen_butterfly, 1grl_revolution, and sdaisyk - thank you!
Among those received were ones from
ashen_butterfly, 1grl_revolution, and sdaisyk - thank you!
New school.
The boys have had almost a full week in their new school, Dakota Elementary. This is their first time attending an on-base school, and I gotta say: it is super-nice. The security from knowing the school is under more protection than a regular school, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that each and every one of their classmates understands and lives the same hardships, difficulties, family separations, etc. is golden. I wouldn't trade it away for any price right now.
In addition, the school is brilliant. I love the stage in the gym - the fact that their new school can hold their own concerts and assemblies without traveling away. I love that the get to experience a "true" school cafeteria, complete with sliding their trays down metal beams while their food is served. Near the front of the building, there is a special place for the pick-up children to wait - it's called the "Snow Den." The classrooms for grades K-3 have bathrooms inside, so there's not much instruction time missed for a potty break. The student ratio is a bit smaller than our their last school, and that's always a plus, too.
Their school day is now from 9am-3:15. I was surprised to hear that, having always seen schools start between 7:45-8:15 or so. The later start is great for these darker mornings though, and I have appreciated the extra minutes of shut-eye myself. We had to purchase school supplies over the weekend for the first time (our old school district supplied them), and the boys had fun picking out certain colors of their items. The breakfast and lunch choices are FAR superior, and I love that there is no set pattern in the lunch menu. Philip and I were reading the monthly menu, and even then, *we* each picked several days we'd like to join the boys for lunch, if only for the great selection!
The change in weather between Nebraska and North Dakota is apparent, and not in the least on the playground rules. Back in Nebraska, the boys had outdoor recess at school unless is was below 20°. In their new school, the school operates with outdoor recesses unless it is -5° or the windchill is -15°. Wow! Due to these regulations, students are required to wear full snow gear for recess (boots, snowpants, gloves, hat, coat). All students are provided bus transportation too, but they must wear the full snow gear while on the bus. This week, we have been dropping off/picking up the boys, as we're waiting on their brand-new (tags still attached) snow boots and snowpants to arrive with our household goods. They are SO EXCITED to ride the bus for the first time, and I'm excited to turn in my years of driving them for a bit of jammy-clad, kiss-'em-on-the-cheek goodbyes at the door. ;-)
Both of the boys have been placed into the Gifted & Talented program at school. A.J. had previously been in the HAL program (High Ability Learner) since 3rd grade at their old school, and they simply transferred him over. Jack had been pegged for the HAL program by his other teachers, but was waiting until next year to start. (He's in 2nd grade, and the program does not begin until the 3rd grade.) At this new school, however, the Gifted program begins in the 2nd grade, and he has already easily tested into it. In addition, his teacher has placed him in a special math club for advanced students. She also will be supplementing his reading curriculum with material from the 5th grade classrooms (that is where he has level-tested now). With all the extra reading he does at home, I'm not surprised in the least!
A.J. will be playing a bit of catch-up in band, as the school here began instruction in the 5th grade, so his classmates are one year ahead of him. I hope he is able to hold his own, but I'm encouraged by how well he enjoys playing his instrument.
The boys don't break at the same time as their old school for the holidays. Instead of having their last day tomorrow, the 18th, they will continue until next Tuesday, the 22nd. They return on the 4th, which is the same. We also noticed fewer breaks throughout the year, but they have a solid 90-day summer vacation, and I am very happy for them for that. School won't begin next year until Aug. 27th - which will be the first year A.J. has ever celebrated his summer birthday (the 23rd) by NOT already being in school. He is ecstatic over the news!
All in all, we have no complaints with the new school, and we have only joyful news to share. What a blessing!
In addition, the school is brilliant. I love the stage in the gym - the fact that their new school can hold their own concerts and assemblies without traveling away. I love that the get to experience a "true" school cafeteria, complete with sliding their trays down metal beams while their food is served. Near the front of the building, there is a special place for the pick-up children to wait - it's called the "Snow Den." The classrooms for grades K-3 have bathrooms inside, so there's not much instruction time missed for a potty break. The student ratio is a bit smaller than our their last school, and that's always a plus, too.
Their school day is now from 9am-3:15. I was surprised to hear that, having always seen schools start between 7:45-8:15 or so. The later start is great for these darker mornings though, and I have appreciated the extra minutes of shut-eye myself. We had to purchase school supplies over the weekend for the first time (our old school district supplied them), and the boys had fun picking out certain colors of their items. The breakfast and lunch choices are FAR superior, and I love that there is no set pattern in the lunch menu. Philip and I were reading the monthly menu, and even then, *we* each picked several days we'd like to join the boys for lunch, if only for the great selection!
The change in weather between Nebraska and North Dakota is apparent, and not in the least on the playground rules. Back in Nebraska, the boys had outdoor recess at school unless is was below 20°. In their new school, the school operates with outdoor recesses unless it is -5° or the windchill is -15°. Wow! Due to these regulations, students are required to wear full snow gear for recess (boots, snowpants, gloves, hat, coat). All students are provided bus transportation too, but they must wear the full snow gear while on the bus. This week, we have been dropping off/picking up the boys, as we're waiting on their brand-new (tags still attached) snow boots and snowpants to arrive with our household goods. They are SO EXCITED to ride the bus for the first time, and I'm excited to turn in my years of driving them for a bit of jammy-clad, kiss-'em-on-the-cheek goodbyes at the door. ;-)
Both of the boys have been placed into the Gifted & Talented program at school. A.J. had previously been in the HAL program (High Ability Learner) since 3rd grade at their old school, and they simply transferred him over. Jack had been pegged for the HAL program by his other teachers, but was waiting until next year to start. (He's in 2nd grade, and the program does not begin until the 3rd grade.) At this new school, however, the Gifted program begins in the 2nd grade, and he has already easily tested into it. In addition, his teacher has placed him in a special math club for advanced students. She also will be supplementing his reading curriculum with material from the 5th grade classrooms (that is where he has level-tested now). With all the extra reading he does at home, I'm not surprised in the least!
A.J. will be playing a bit of catch-up in band, as the school here began instruction in the 5th grade, so his classmates are one year ahead of him. I hope he is able to hold his own, but I'm encouraged by how well he enjoys playing his instrument.
The boys don't break at the same time as their old school for the holidays. Instead of having their last day tomorrow, the 18th, they will continue until next Tuesday, the 22nd. They return on the 4th, which is the same. We also noticed fewer breaks throughout the year, but they have a solid 90-day summer vacation, and I am very happy for them for that. School won't begin next year until Aug. 27th - which will be the first year A.J. has ever celebrated his summer birthday (the 23rd) by NOT already being in school. He is ecstatic over the news!
All in all, we have no complaints with the new school, and we have only joyful news to share. What a blessing!
Cards!
I've received several cards, but the majority are still slowly trickling in due to mail-forwarding. For example, the ones we received yesterday were originally postmarked the 7th of December, and it never took 10 days for mail to reach us state-to-state before.
But thank you toprosodic, gardenmama, and niftybabe313 for the cards we have already received. I haven't decided on a 'Card Wall' here in the new house yet, but you can bet I'll be deciding soon. ;-)
Now that we're here and have an address, I'm going to work on my own holiday cards. We don't have our household goods yet, but I figure that just means I'm *supposed* to really buckle down and do cards now - hehe!
But thank you to
prosodic, gardenmama, and niftybabe313 for the cards we have already received. I haven't decided on a 'Card Wall' here in the new house yet, but you can bet I'll be deciding soon. ;-)Now that we're here and have an address, I'm going to work on my own holiday cards. We don't have our household goods yet, but I figure that just means I'm *supposed* to really buckle down and do cards now - hehe!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Another one for the vault.
For the umpteenth time, I nearly killed myself trying to walk around the far side of the bed in our room in the TLF. Why? Because there is a warm lump of a cat, hidden from view under the bed comforter, yet sticking out in the way. I have tripped over said cat many times and grappled to the wall to spare my face a floor-smack.
Me: *walks into living room*
Me: I'm going to kill the cat soon, I swear.
Philip: What?
Me: I'm going to kill the cat. If I don't, she's going to kill me.
A.J.: Which cat?
Me: Kiki. She keeps sleeping in hiding on my side of the bed, and I'm tired of falling over her.
Philip: *laughs*
Me: I don't get it. I keep scooting her over under the bed so that I won't step on her... why does she do it?
Philip: Because she can't fit under the bed?
Me: No, she fits fine, 'cuz I scoot her under it with no problem.
A.J.: If you kill Kiki, I'm going to secede.
Me: *confused look*
Philip: You're what?
A.J.: I'm going to secede from this family.
ALL: *laughs*
And as I type this, Kiki *merps* into the room, purring and acting all adorable and sweet. That cat, I swear. *shakes head*
Me: *walks into living room*
Me: I'm going to kill the cat soon, I swear.
Philip: What?
Me: I'm going to kill the cat. If I don't, she's going to kill me.
A.J.: Which cat?
Me: Kiki. She keeps sleeping in hiding on my side of the bed, and I'm tired of falling over her.
Philip: *laughs*
Me: I don't get it. I keep scooting her over under the bed so that I won't step on her... why does she do it?
Philip: Because she can't fit under the bed?
Me: No, she fits fine, 'cuz I scoot her under it with no problem.
A.J.: If you kill Kiki, I'm going to secede.
Me: *confused look*
Philip: You're what?
A.J.: I'm going to secede from this family.
ALL: *laughs*
And as I type this, Kiki *merps* into the room, purring and acting all adorable and sweet. That cat, I swear. *shakes head*
Moving: we have a house!
We have a house!
We looked at two, and we fell in love with one, so now it's ours. It is HUGE and spacious, and gosh, I don't even know how I'm going to fill all of it! I'm pretty sure we need to go "stuff" shopping now, just so it won't look so bare. ;-)
Guys, I have prayed and prayed over this. We have agonized and worried over the housing situation, having been told we'd have to wait over a year for a house on base (which we learned upon arriving was very WRONG information - the wait list is only for those who need a 2-bedroom unit). I cannot believe how blessed we have been, and how God has answered my prayers with a house more wonderful than anything I could have imagined!
Here are several of the perks:
I just really can't imagine how we're going to fill up the space. It seems SO BIG. I'm sure I'll figure it out, though - hehehe. The housing office told us we're welcome to come by and pick up keys again before our move-in date, in case we'd like to get inside again and measure anything or take pics, and I think we'll take them up on that. I know a couple people that would be interested in seeing the inside. (*coughs in Grammy's direction*)
As for actually moving in, we called up the TMO today, and our household goods have not yet arrived. When they do, we'll set up a delivery/move-in date, and then we'll be set. It should be no later than next week, though. I'll check with housing tomorrow to see if we can go ahead and snag our mailbox key though, so we can stop our temporary mail forwarding and begin permanently forwarding. :-)
Also, we picked up our mail at General Delivery on base, and it's a peace of mind that the temporary forwarding has gone according to plan thus far. Philip will begin in-processing tomorrow, and now that we have a house, we know which school the boys are zoned for, so I will be registering them tomorrow. Their first day should be next Monday, and they'll be attending Dakota Elementary here on base.
We're headed to the commissary in a bit to pick up some foodstuffs for make-shift meals here in the TLF through at least the weekend.
What a great Thursday!
We looked at two, and we fell in love with one, so now it's ours. It is HUGE and spacious, and gosh, I don't even know how I'm going to fill all of it! I'm pretty sure we need to go "stuff" shopping now, just so it won't look so bare. ;-)
Guys, I have prayed and prayed over this. We have agonized and worried over the housing situation, having been told we'd have to wait over a year for a house on base (which we learned upon arriving was very WRONG information - the wait list is only for those who need a 2-bedroom unit). I cannot believe how blessed we have been, and how God has answered my prayers with a house more wonderful than anything I could have imagined!
Here are several of the perks:
- gorgeous, genuine hardwood floors throughout the entire house (not just the hallway, like our old house)
- TWO large family/living rooms. One has an elevated ceiling, and the other has a cathedral ceiling. BOTH have beautiful ceiling fans, and we can't decide for sure which will be the "official" family room yet.
- a large, large kitchen (twice the size of our old house, at least). It also has an eat-in bar attached.
- gas stove
- ice-maker in fridge/freezer
- an arctic entryway/mudroom before entering the foyer
- two gigantic picture windows. One is in one of the living rooms, and the other is in the dining room. (Both my full-size Christmas trees can be seen from the road!)
- a massive dining room (easily twice the size of our old one)
- more closets than we can figure out what the heck to do with
- a storage closet IN THE GARAGE (which is bigger than the shed we bought ourselves years ago and have been using)
- an indoor storage space which we have NO CLUE what to fill with (about the size of our old laundry room)
- four doors to the outside, plus a garage door (in other words, tons of entrances/exits)
- beautiful tub in the main bathroom (I love the built-in hooks, shelves and racks)
- much larger shower in the master bathroom, plus storage
- a private DECK off the master bedroom (!!!)
- old-timey crank windows (I think those look so nice!)
- a full basement (One side has a kitchen's worth of cabinets installed, as well as another complete two-sided sink, and the other side has cable hook-ups, etc. It screams 'Craft room!' to me.)
I just really can't imagine how we're going to fill up the space. It seems SO BIG. I'm sure I'll figure it out, though - hehehe. The housing office told us we're welcome to come by and pick up keys again before our move-in date, in case we'd like to get inside again and measure anything or take pics, and I think we'll take them up on that. I know a couple people that would be interested in seeing the inside. (*coughs in Grammy's direction*)
As for actually moving in, we called up the TMO today, and our household goods have not yet arrived. When they do, we'll set up a delivery/move-in date, and then we'll be set. It should be no later than next week, though. I'll check with housing tomorrow to see if we can go ahead and snag our mailbox key though, so we can stop our temporary mail forwarding and begin permanently forwarding. :-)
Also, we picked up our mail at General Delivery on base, and it's a peace of mind that the temporary forwarding has gone according to plan thus far. Philip will begin in-processing tomorrow, and now that we have a house, we know which school the boys are zoned for, so I will be registering them tomorrow. Their first day should be next Monday, and they'll be attending Dakota Elementary here on base.
We're headed to the commissary in a bit to pick up some foodstuffs for make-shift meals here in the TLF through at least the weekend.
What a great Thursday!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Moving: Tearful Jack.
Upon hooking up to the 'net in our TLF, I saw in my email that "I" had been tagged in four photos by our next-door neighbor back in Bellevue. I saw that the pics were of our old house covered in snowdrifts, and that our neighbor girl, Natalie, was at our door. I called Jack to the computer to see, and he was looking over my shoulder. We read the captions together:
And that's where Jack turned, and I spotted the tears in his eyes. Within minutes, he was full-on crying, saying and wishing that we didn't have to move. Philip and I both tried to console him, but his heart is a bit broken right now. Finally, I got him to come around by showing him a special, funny postcard that I had purchased *just* tonight *just* for mailing to our friends. He got a smile out of writing a special message on it, and we'll stick it in the mail tomorrow.
We miss our friends! :-(
1) Natalie wanted to show Nicole their old house. (of Natalie trudging through drifts in our driveway to get to the front door)
2) "I wish Jack and AJ really could come and play." (almost to the door then)
3) Ding dong. :-( (of her ringing our old doorbell)
And that's where Jack turned, and I spotted the tears in his eyes. Within minutes, he was full-on crying, saying and wishing that we didn't have to move. Philip and I both tried to console him, but his heart is a bit broken right now. Finally, I got him to come around by showing him a special, funny postcard that I had purchased *just* tonight *just* for mailing to our friends. He got a smile out of writing a special message on it, and we'll stick it in the mail tomorrow.
We miss our friends! :-(
It's tough to know whether you have the correct weather, ya know?
Since so many folks are interested in our weather forecasts, here is the best website for checking on Minot AFB (which is 15 miles north of Minot).
Tonight seems nice. We encountered no winds as we ate dinner and checked out the BX. We drove around and looked at holiday lights and located several empty homes (*insert excited squeeee*), and we are optimistic about tomorrow. Also, I'm excited to meet Michelle at the Youth Center. It seems like she and I have talked on the phone a ton in recent weeks while we got the boys registered for the youth programs, and while getting Jack enrolled in the indoor soccer league which starts in January.
And speaking of weather, this TLF unit has a super-effective heater. I keep turning it DOWN, and we're still HOT!
Tonight seems nice. We encountered no winds as we ate dinner and checked out the BX. We drove around and looked at holiday lights and located several empty homes (*insert excited squeeee*), and we are optimistic about tomorrow. Also, I'm excited to meet Michelle at the Youth Center. It seems like she and I have talked on the phone a ton in recent weeks while we got the boys registered for the youth programs, and while getting Jack enrolled in the indoor soccer league which starts in January.
And speaking of weather, this TLF unit has a super-effective heater. I keep turning it DOWN, and we're still HOT!
Moving: Made it!
We're here, and we're all snuggled into our TLF. We even have hi-speed internet, so I'm über-glad we brought our desktop. :-)
Tomorrow, we'll be checking in with housing and then finding out about the boys' school. Philip may in-process in the afternoon, and then he'll have eight days off before beginning training. My fingers are crossed for good news tomorrow!
ETA: My mouse seems crazy-fast right now, and I've got no clue why. I even went into the Control Panel and adjusted the speed down two more settings. Hmmm.
Tomorrow, we'll be checking in with housing and then finding out about the boys' school. Philip may in-process in the afternoon, and then he'll have eight days off before beginning training. My fingers are crossed for good news tomorrow!
ETA: My mouse seems crazy-fast right now, and I've got no clue why. I even went into the Control Panel and adjusted the speed down two more settings. Hmmm.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Before I forget...
Did everyone pick up their copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince today on DVD? If you're not moving, you have no excuse. Heck, even if you are, you still don't!
I can't wait to crack it open and watch the extra features. Oh, but as luck would have it, my license plate frame cracked on Sunday afternoon - the day before we hit the road. I was gonna save that puppy with my "SLYTHRN" license plate. Boo.
I've got a fantabulous idea for my next plate, though...
Oh, and speaking of all things fangirly, did I mention that I've now seen New Moon SIX times? I know I mentioned it over on FB, but yeah. Oooh, I swear it gets better each and every time.
/geek to bed
I can't wait to crack it open and watch the extra features. Oh, but as luck would have it, my license plate frame cracked on Sunday afternoon - the day before we hit the road. I was gonna save that puppy with my "SLYTHRN" license plate. Boo.
I've got a fantabulous idea for my next plate, though...
Oh, and speaking of all things fangirly, did I mention that I've now seen New Moon SIX times? I know I mentioned it over on FB, but yeah. Oooh, I swear it gets better each and every time.
/geek to bed
Moving: Makin' it.
We're on the home-stretch now: 530 miles down, 208 left to go. We will make it to Minot AFB tomorrow!
A la Kevin Smith, I yelled as we passed the border: "NORTH DAKOTA, I am IN YOU!"
*giggles*
Now the knowledge is out in the open, and that feels nice. Even so, it still gives me a great little thrill that we kept our moving news so locked down for six months to just a handful of special people in real life. I love that folks didn't know until I chose to let them know. For the sake of the boys and their church/school situations, it made things much simpler. Thank you, my LJ friends, for keeping mum on the subject since June - hee!
And it sounds like our friends in Nebraska have had more than a bit of snow since we left. We got some on Sunday night that put us in a tizzy over whether to leave or not... but we decided that we couldn't wait and then risk being trapped by the larger storm system due on Monday night. Apparently, we made the VERY RIGHT decision in leaving, as they have been nothing but blasted by snow since we left.
Meanwhile, I'm not a great big ol' fan of South Dakota. There was hardly any accumulation going on along the interstates, but the 3-5" of snow that was already in place was whipping across the lanes, and we felt as if we were driving in an intense fog. For most of the roads in SD, we were buzzing along at 35-40mph... in an area with a speed limit of 75mph. Philip's truck pulled the U-Haul, and he was the one equipped with our GPS, so I was lolling afterward. At one point in the afternoon, he was at 1/4 tank of gas, and I had a solid 1/2 left plus Jack and both kitties sound asleep. We made the decision for me to whip on and find a place for dinner and 'free time' for the kitties, and then it took Philip another 40 minutes or so to catch up to us.
I was super-nervous this morning when we hit the blustery roads, but by mid-afternoon, I was asking Philip to go faster. I'm more than a little proud of myself for keeping it together and pressing on. :-)
Philip just brought me a hot fudge sundae from McD's while I'm down here in the hotel lobby using the computer. Mmmmm!
My friends have more than kept me occupied with texts and Tweets. Thank you, all of you, for checking in so frequently. If nothing else, I catch up on potty breaks. ;-) Oh, andkerryblaze, thanks for the LJ gift, too!
hearts_refuge, did you get your box yet? Mailing that sucker out involved being a party to the most RIDICULOUS conversation ever. Seriously, I was shaking my head in bewilderment and looking around for a hidden camera.
kp_nut, I received your Christmas card in our last day's mail. Anything else should be forwarded right now, but yours came just in time. Thank you!
On a side tangent, our hotel tonight has the best showerhead ever. Goodness, it was relaxing to stand there forever after the chilly parking parade. I also love how hotels have neverending supplies of hot water. Philip jumped in with me, and then afterwards, Jack took his bath. We were dressing in our jammies and giggling, listening to Jack singing, "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" while he bubbled away in the tub.
I can't wait to download some pictures. I've not taken any of the trip, but I have several from before that I think will be keepers. We were SO PROUD of A.J. in his very first band concert last Thursday night. I was so tickled that we were able to stay until that point (the next day, Friday, was their last day of school), and that he enjoyed it so much. We sat in the second row, and I took a bunch of snaps. He is one of six clarinet players, and he clearly knew his stuff.
Even better, he surprised the heck outta me when we arrived back at the TLF that night. I had watched Mr. Holland's Opus with the boys the previous weekend, and A.J. had been particularly interested in the clarinet player's struggles (which I expected, and which is the reason I suggested the movie, besides just loving it to pieces myself). He told me he wanted to play something for me, and he pulled out his clarinet...
... and then he played THAT TUNE from the movie! He played it by ear, having guessed and practiced it by himself all week. I was ASTOUNDED! I told him he's really got a gift, and that not many folks can "hear" notes like that, and especially not just three months after beginning to play an instrument. He just grinned and played it over and over, working on figuring out the next note as he went. Wow!
I should probably get moving here. No one's waiting on the computer, but I would like to get a long, lazy sleep in, and that means I should start snoozing soon. 'Night, all!
A la Kevin Smith, I yelled as we passed the border: "NORTH DAKOTA, I am IN YOU!"
*giggles*
Now the knowledge is out in the open, and that feels nice. Even so, it still gives me a great little thrill that we kept our moving news so locked down for six months to just a handful of special people in real life. I love that folks didn't know until I chose to let them know. For the sake of the boys and their church/school situations, it made things much simpler. Thank you, my LJ friends, for keeping mum on the subject since June - hee!
And it sounds like our friends in Nebraska have had more than a bit of snow since we left. We got some on Sunday night that put us in a tizzy over whether to leave or not... but we decided that we couldn't wait and then risk being trapped by the larger storm system due on Monday night. Apparently, we made the VERY RIGHT decision in leaving, as they have been nothing but blasted by snow since we left.
Meanwhile, I'm not a great big ol' fan of South Dakota. There was hardly any accumulation going on along the interstates, but the 3-5" of snow that was already in place was whipping across the lanes, and we felt as if we were driving in an intense fog. For most of the roads in SD, we were buzzing along at 35-40mph... in an area with a speed limit of 75mph. Philip's truck pulled the U-Haul, and he was the one equipped with our GPS, so I was lolling afterward. At one point in the afternoon, he was at 1/4 tank of gas, and I had a solid 1/2 left plus Jack and both kitties sound asleep. We made the decision for me to whip on and find a place for dinner and 'free time' for the kitties, and then it took Philip another 40 minutes or so to catch up to us.
I was super-nervous this morning when we hit the blustery roads, but by mid-afternoon, I was asking Philip to go faster. I'm more than a little proud of myself for keeping it together and pressing on. :-)
Philip just brought me a hot fudge sundae from McD's while I'm down here in the hotel lobby using the computer. Mmmmm!
My friends have more than kept me occupied with texts and Tweets. Thank you, all of you, for checking in so frequently. If nothing else, I catch up on potty breaks. ;-) Oh, and
kerryblaze, thanks for the LJ gift, too!hearts_refuge, did you get your box yet? Mailing that sucker out involved being a party to the most RIDICULOUS conversation ever. Seriously, I was shaking my head in bewilderment and looking around for a hidden camera.kp_nut, I received your Christmas card in our last day's mail. Anything else should be forwarded right now, but yours came just in time. Thank you!On a side tangent, our hotel tonight has the best showerhead ever. Goodness, it was relaxing to stand there forever after the chilly parking parade. I also love how hotels have neverending supplies of hot water. Philip jumped in with me, and then afterwards, Jack took his bath. We were dressing in our jammies and giggling, listening to Jack singing, "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" while he bubbled away in the tub.
I can't wait to download some pictures. I've not taken any of the trip, but I have several from before that I think will be keepers. We were SO PROUD of A.J. in his very first band concert last Thursday night. I was so tickled that we were able to stay until that point (the next day, Friday, was their last day of school), and that he enjoyed it so much. We sat in the second row, and I took a bunch of snaps. He is one of six clarinet players, and he clearly knew his stuff.
Even better, he surprised the heck outta me when we arrived back at the TLF that night. I had watched Mr. Holland's Opus with the boys the previous weekend, and A.J. had been particularly interested in the clarinet player's struggles (which I expected, and which is the reason I suggested the movie, besides just loving it to pieces myself). He told me he wanted to play something for me, and he pulled out his clarinet...
... and then he played THAT TUNE from the movie! He played it by ear, having guessed and practiced it by himself all week. I was ASTOUNDED! I told him he's really got a gift, and that not many folks can "hear" notes like that, and especially not just three months after beginning to play an instrument. He just grinned and played it over and over, working on figuring out the next note as he went. Wow!
I should probably get moving here. No one's waiting on the computer, but I would like to get a long, lazy sleep in, and that means I should start snoozing soon. 'Night, all!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Moving: Homeless!
We're officially homeless now! Our house passed the final inspection this morning, and we've been staying in the TLF since Monday night. We have just a few more days, and then it's bye-bye, Bellevue!
I'm at the base library right now to "play internet" while Philip is finishing up some more out-processing. We'll be picking the boys up from their last day of school here in an hour, and I'm already sad about that. They took special treats to school with them for their friends - Hershey® chocolate bars that they wrapped in special snowman wrappers and signed their names on. The wrappers ended up being a bit large, so Jack helped trim each one as we went.
Speaking of which, I think everyone knows that Jack is left-handed. He's the only lefty in our family, and has been the only lefty in his class since preschool, even. However, he uses scissors with his right hand, and he uses them perfectly. What a trip!
I have yearbooks from last year ready and waiting in the wings for the car trip to North Dakota. I bought them without the boys' knowledge, and I've been saving them. I know that A.J., especially, is having a stressful time with the move, and I hope that being able to spend a few hours remembering his friends will help. We also plan to split the boys in our two vehicles, giving each of them lots of special one-on-one time with us. The kitties will be entirely with me in my car, though. ;-)
And the kitties have tranquilizers, too. That's a first for us, but poor Baby was just trembling for even the 3-minute ride from our house to the TLF a few nights ago. I hope the meds help to mellow her out for the ride so she isn't traumatized TOO badly. We also bought new carriers for them, as well as super-comfy mats to put inside, and we've had them open in the room, allowing the kitties to become comfortable with them. This morning, I tucked a bit of catnip in the back end of each one, and they had to crawl inside to nom their treats. I really do hope they move as well as the cats did years back on the 10-day drive/move from Alaska to here.
I ate lunch at the boys' school one last time this past Wednesday, and I'm really gonna miss all their sweet friends. We had dinner with our dear friends, the Thrasher family, that night. There was food, fun, chocolate fondue, and lots of laughing. The kids played their hearts out, and before we knew it, the time was 10:30pm... on a school night! Jack crashed in the car in just minutes on the way home, but I'm so glad we were able to spend the time with them before we leave. We had A.J.'s band concert last night, and we said goodbye to several of his friends then. We are spending the evening tonight with the Petersons, then tomorrow night with the Gettys, and then Sunday night with the Bradleys. We've got a lunch date with the Vassers tomorrow, and hopefully, we can get together with Marissa's family on Sunday afternoon, too. I am physically exhausted at the end of each day from all the running around and visiting, but I wouldn't waste a minute of our time left by not seeing friends!
I'm at the base library right now to "play internet" while Philip is finishing up some more out-processing. We'll be picking the boys up from their last day of school here in an hour, and I'm already sad about that. They took special treats to school with them for their friends - Hershey® chocolate bars that they wrapped in special snowman wrappers and signed their names on. The wrappers ended up being a bit large, so Jack helped trim each one as we went.
Speaking of which, I think everyone knows that Jack is left-handed. He's the only lefty in our family, and has been the only lefty in his class since preschool, even. However, he uses scissors with his right hand, and he uses them perfectly. What a trip!
I have yearbooks from last year ready and waiting in the wings for the car trip to North Dakota. I bought them without the boys' knowledge, and I've been saving them. I know that A.J., especially, is having a stressful time with the move, and I hope that being able to spend a few hours remembering his friends will help. We also plan to split the boys in our two vehicles, giving each of them lots of special one-on-one time with us. The kitties will be entirely with me in my car, though. ;-)
And the kitties have tranquilizers, too. That's a first for us, but poor Baby was just trembling for even the 3-minute ride from our house to the TLF a few nights ago. I hope the meds help to mellow her out for the ride so she isn't traumatized TOO badly. We also bought new carriers for them, as well as super-comfy mats to put inside, and we've had them open in the room, allowing the kitties to become comfortable with them. This morning, I tucked a bit of catnip in the back end of each one, and they had to crawl inside to nom their treats. I really do hope they move as well as the cats did years back on the 10-day drive/move from Alaska to here.
I ate lunch at the boys' school one last time this past Wednesday, and I'm really gonna miss all their sweet friends. We had dinner with our dear friends, the Thrasher family, that night. There was food, fun, chocolate fondue, and lots of laughing. The kids played their hearts out, and before we knew it, the time was 10:30pm... on a school night! Jack crashed in the car in just minutes on the way home, but I'm so glad we were able to spend the time with them before we leave. We had A.J.'s band concert last night, and we said goodbye to several of his friends then. We are spending the evening tonight with the Petersons, then tomorrow night with the Gettys, and then Sunday night with the Bradleys. We've got a lunch date with the Vassers tomorrow, and hopefully, we can get together with Marissa's family on Sunday afternoon, too. I am physically exhausted at the end of each day from all the running around and visiting, but I wouldn't waste a minute of our time left by not seeing friends!
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