There are some positive and negative things that happen anywhere right?
Pro: We live near to the slowest Costco in the country. I can go there on Saturday afternoon and it isn't very bad at all. I'm used to being nearly RUN OVER in Spokane on the weekends at Costco. Also, Costco is the ONLY way to go when you are getting new phones/phone service. Discounts on cool phones, they pay activation, and you get 'extras' (car charger, hands-free device, holster).
Con: Some idiot walked into our apartment community the first weekend we were here and tried to break into our PODS container. Idiot.
Pro: My purse was in the car that morning and it was still there.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
My ONE YEAR OLD
I could have posted SO MANY pictures, but I decided (for now) to keep it simple.Happy Birthday Miriam!
In about an hour and a half, my child is exactly one year old - wow
She's so much fun! She:
Walks! Loves to go on walks outside
Climbs up and down stairs
Loves to clap
Points at planes in the sky (ever since we flew on one, she's always looking)
Loves playing 'chase the baby'
(Usually) naps once a day (bummer for me)
Tries to say 'dog' ("doo") duck ("duu") and ball.
Hates closed doors. Opens everything.
"Na-na" - used to mean 'hungry' now just means "I want!"
We are having dinner at a families house from our new ward. They have a 20 month old so they can 'play' together. I'm making cake and we're planning on a good time. I've been trying to teach Miriam to blow - so she can blow out the candle. She can blow, but whether she'll understand the concept of 'blow out the candle . . .? maybe not.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wastekeep - homesick part II
Are any of you Wastekeep friends out there reading my blog? Because this one is for you.
My second wave of homesickness was when I saw this video (and for those of you not part of Wastekeep, yes, that is Bill dancing with another guy, who was a sergeants candidate but had no partner, and no, I wasn't there for this part of the event which makes me all the sadder)
Video on Heather's profile here
Other things that made me a little homesick: going to Sonic of all things made me think of Joe and Brenda
My second wave of homesickness was when I saw this video (and for those of you not part of Wastekeep, yes, that is Bill dancing with another guy, who was a sergeants candidate but had no partner, and no, I wasn't there for this part of the event which makes me all the sadder)
Video on Heather's profile here
Other things that made me a little homesick: going to Sonic of all things made me think of Joe and Brenda
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Homesickness - part 1
Skipping ahead (or back, however you want to look at it) to Monday, October 27th:
This last few days have been really nice. Bill and I unloaded our PODS container almost entirely by ourselves, with Miriam strapped to my back. (One of the Elders in our new ward came by on Sunday to help take care of a few big ticket items "we" just couldn't get). Even so, I am enjoying our time all together and feel okay about being in Georgia. Bill leaves this morning to go to his first day at work!
Today (being Monday, Oct 27th remember) things are set up for us to get internet and phone service from comcast. I must say I had NO IDEA how much I was depending on this until the tech showed up at 3:30 looked around and said "I can't do it, your phone jack and cable jack are on opposite walls with doorways in between." This is how it is, by the way, in EVERY ROOM. We discuss this and that, I shake my head because they won't run cable across the floor, walls or ceiling because we might sue them if someone trips over it (give me a BREAK you stupid sue happy people), and in the end we reschedule for November 8th (so I can figure out how to "arrange" the rooms to "trick" the next tech - no joke) and he leaves. Never mind that in Cheney we ALWAYS ran our own cable around the rooms and suddenly I am grateful for Cheney Cable who hands you a modem and a nice long cord of cable and sends you on your merry way.
After the tech left is when I started to feel slightly paniky. I'm on the other side of the country from everyone I know and expecting to have fabulous phone service + free long distance and internet access by now. And they just resheduled us for NOVEMBER 8th. Practicing my deep breathing and trying not to hyperventilate because - hello - still mom to an 11 month old we went outside to play.
This my friends was the first day I felt homesickness. All I wanted was to call my dad and Brenda today. Without spending buckets on my pay as you go phone (which I've already added money to several times since I left Washington 2 weeks ago). It hits me how much I miss them. Pretty much I've dealt with this every day since that first crash last Monday.
We now have internet. We decided November 8th was absolutely unacceptable and made them come back on Wednesday. They still wouldn't do it and posed no real suggestions as to what to do instead (meanwhile I dropped the ball and my phone was off/charging all day while Bill was calling telling me just to plug the phone directly into the box - which the technicians NEVER SUGGESTED). I told them to please set up the internet and cancel the phone order. So there we go. I am really NOT impressed.
Besides all this Bill enjoyed his first day and first week at work. I am working on unpacking (still) and trying to keep Miriam entertained. Life is a little different with only one car! One day I will really have a clean organized apartment (yes I know this will last about 10.2 seconds).
This last few days have been really nice. Bill and I unloaded our PODS container almost entirely by ourselves, with Miriam strapped to my back. (One of the Elders in our new ward came by on Sunday to help take care of a few big ticket items "we" just couldn't get). Even so, I am enjoying our time all together and feel okay about being in Georgia. Bill leaves this morning to go to his first day at work!
Today (being Monday, Oct 27th remember) things are set up for us to get internet and phone service from comcast. I must say I had NO IDEA how much I was depending on this until the tech showed up at 3:30 looked around and said "I can't do it, your phone jack and cable jack are on opposite walls with doorways in between." This is how it is, by the way, in EVERY ROOM. We discuss this and that, I shake my head because they won't run cable across the floor, walls or ceiling because we might sue them if someone trips over it (give me a BREAK you stupid sue happy people), and in the end we reschedule for November 8th (so I can figure out how to "arrange" the rooms to "trick" the next tech - no joke) and he leaves. Never mind that in Cheney we ALWAYS ran our own cable around the rooms and suddenly I am grateful for Cheney Cable who hands you a modem and a nice long cord of cable and sends you on your merry way.
After the tech left is when I started to feel slightly paniky. I'm on the other side of the country from everyone I know and expecting to have fabulous phone service + free long distance and internet access by now. And they just resheduled us for NOVEMBER 8th. Practicing my deep breathing and trying not to hyperventilate because - hello - still mom to an 11 month old we went outside to play.
This my friends was the first day I felt homesickness. All I wanted was to call my dad and Brenda today. Without spending buckets on my pay as you go phone (which I've already added money to several times since I left Washington 2 weeks ago). It hits me how much I miss them. Pretty much I've dealt with this every day since that first crash last Monday.
We now have internet. We decided November 8th was absolutely unacceptable and made them come back on Wednesday. They still wouldn't do it and posed no real suggestions as to what to do instead (meanwhile I dropped the ball and my phone was off/charging all day while Bill was calling telling me just to plug the phone directly into the box - which the technicians NEVER SUGGESTED). I told them to please set up the internet and cancel the phone order. So there we go. I am really NOT impressed.
Besides all this Bill enjoyed his first day and first week at work. I am working on unpacking (still) and trying to keep Miriam entertained. Life is a little different with only one car! One day I will really have a clean organized apartment (yes I know this will last about 10.2 seconds).
Saturday, November 1, 2008
It's Halloween baby!
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Pretty fun stuff this Halloween. Miriam liked the frosting on her cupcake and her little pumpkin from Great Grandpa Florian. She did not like her hat.
We only had two trick or treaters, so I will be sending Bill to work with some candy . . .
Georiga part 3 - time change
Night #1 in our apartment could have been better. We failed to get Miriam to bed on Georgia time. Instead she napped from 7-9:30pm Georgia time. In the end we decided she'd better sleep in our room, seeing as she's been in 'our room' for nearly 2 months (since we moved out of our apartment and were staying with friends/family that is).
I am feeling especially frustrated that all our work when she was younger is for naught. We used to be able to put her down for nap/bed and she would roll around, play and go to sleep on her own. Now I am pretty sure, she'll stand and scream. This is most definitely partly my fault as I was slightly lax on how I put her to bed for most of those 2 months, what with all the transition, I felt like she deserved some extra . . . something. And I got pretty tired for a few weeks. So it was back to sleep 'by any means necessary.' *
After being off for 6 hours the alarm begins beeping again and we can't get it off. Somehow, Miriam and I still go back to sleep.
*Just as a note we are still working on getting her to go down for bed and naps two weeks later. It's been hard and I hate that it is hard but I think we are making progress with our new "schedule."
I am feeling especially frustrated that all our work when she was younger is for naught. We used to be able to put her down for nap/bed and she would roll around, play and go to sleep on her own. Now I am pretty sure, she'll stand and scream. This is most definitely partly my fault as I was slightly lax on how I put her to bed for most of those 2 months, what with all the transition, I felt like she deserved some extra . . . something. And I got pretty tired for a few weeks. So it was back to sleep 'by any means necessary.' *
After being off for 6 hours the alarm begins beeping again and we can't get it off. Somehow, Miriam and I still go back to sleep.
*Just as a note we are still working on getting her to go down for bed and naps two weeks later. It's been hard and I hate that it is hard but I think we are making progress with our new "schedule."
Georgia part II - arrival
My first view of Georgia is this: fairly flat, slightly hazy and actually quite green. Trees everywhere.
Off the plane we walk a small distance before we are confronted by a scene I don't recognize (keeping in mind this small city gal just arrived in one of the largest airports in the country). Next thing I know I find myself taking an underground train towards baggage claim. I wonder if I'll feel panicky hurtling down a big dark hole, but it is okay.
After waiting a while for our luggage and letting Miriam run around laughing and clapping her hands ("Finally! I'm free! Weeee!") my husband and I trek our way to the hotel shuttles (another 1st for me, unless you count my cruise shuttle). We wait maybe 20 minutes (one review of this hotel said 1 hour, but it was inexpensive, so I feel lucky). I know I am really truly in the south when I see an exit for Birmingham/Chattangooga.
At our hotel we order Chinese, the leftovers of which we wistfully leave on the table as the was no fridge (how did I not notice that on the website?) and look up the Auto Shippers phone number. I also took a moment to determine - yes, Arby's is all over down here. Miriam goes to bed and we settle down watching Crusoe.
___________
We wake up around 8:30am (Georgia time) because Bill needs to take a cab to pick up our car. The auto shipper is 5.3 miles away and we pay $20 to get him there. Yikes - and you think gas is pricey. He comes back with our lovely Toyota which we promptly load up and head off to find our new apartment - we hope.
11:30am - Miriam toddles around the apartment happily, laughing, squealing and clapping her hands. We pay the deposit and rent for October and get our keys. It's got 3 bedrooms, we're by a man made lake - that you can fish at, has a pool, fitness center, alarm, free cable (not that we currently OWN a TV) and is gated. We're getting a $135/month discount. So dad and I feel like running around laughing and clapping too. Suddenly I like this place.
2:30 - Since our check-in is complete it is time to go get a few 'essentials.' from the store. We don't have hardly ANYTHING with us, besides diapers, formula and clothes. So a few hundred dollars, 5 hours, and some very sore feet later (I'm wearing flip-flops) we drive our loaded car back to our apartment. I'm pretty sure I can get from my apartment to the hub of civilization (read: Target, Costco, etc.) and in 5-10 minutes to boot. Map quest is about to become my best friend and it is hard to believe that in two years time I'll know these roads without hardly thinking, but it's true.
Off the plane we walk a small distance before we are confronted by a scene I don't recognize (keeping in mind this small city gal just arrived in one of the largest airports in the country). Next thing I know I find myself taking an underground train towards baggage claim. I wonder if I'll feel panicky hurtling down a big dark hole, but it is okay.
After waiting a while for our luggage and letting Miriam run around laughing and clapping her hands ("Finally! I'm free! Weeee!") my husband and I trek our way to the hotel shuttles (another 1st for me, unless you count my cruise shuttle). We wait maybe 20 minutes (one review of this hotel said 1 hour, but it was inexpensive, so I feel lucky). I know I am really truly in the south when I see an exit for Birmingham/Chattangooga.
At our hotel we order Chinese, the leftovers of which we wistfully leave on the table as the was no fridge (how did I not notice that on the website?) and look up the Auto Shippers phone number. I also took a moment to determine - yes, Arby's is all over down here. Miriam goes to bed and we settle down watching Crusoe.
___________
We wake up around 8:30am (Georgia time) because Bill needs to take a cab to pick up our car. The auto shipper is 5.3 miles away and we pay $20 to get him there. Yikes - and you think gas is pricey. He comes back with our lovely Toyota which we promptly load up and head off to find our new apartment - we hope.
11:30am - Miriam toddles around the apartment happily, laughing, squealing and clapping her hands. We pay the deposit and rent for October and get our keys. It's got 3 bedrooms, we're by a man made lake - that you can fish at, has a pool, fitness center, alarm, free cable (not that we currently OWN a TV) and is gated. We're getting a $135/month discount. So dad and I feel like running around laughing and clapping too. Suddenly I like this place.
2:30 - Since our check-in is complete it is time to go get a few 'essentials.' from the store. We don't have hardly ANYTHING with us, besides diapers, formula and clothes. So a few hundred dollars, 5 hours, and some very sore feet later (I'm wearing flip-flops) we drive our loaded car back to our apartment. I'm pretty sure I can get from my apartment to the hub of civilization (read: Target, Costco, etc.) and in 5-10 minutes to boot. Map quest is about to become my best friend and it is hard to believe that in two years time I'll know these roads without hardly thinking, but it's true.
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