We are ok in OK
We are better than ok, really.
Here is the far too quick rundown of the past two weeks. Has it been only two weeks? Amazing!
1 July- Final hugs for my younger brother. Left Hawaii.
2 July- Landed in San Francisco. We took a stretch limo to my brother and sister-in-law's house, as we were travelling with 9 bags and 2 cats. It was a lovely ride. Rested a bit and then collected our cars at the dock. Wendall would drive the Passat, filled with bags and cats. I would drive the Smartcar, filled with one bag and the boy. Dinner was at a favorite restaurant, and would be the last good meal we had until we reached Oklahoma.
3 July- Final hugs for my brother and sister-in-law. Started the drive through California. Made it to Bakersfield and then realized that the Passat had no air conditioning. We found the one and only VW dealer in the area, and were told that they could not see us until the 8th. Also that the next closest VW dealer (along our path) was in Las Vegas. We set an appointment in Vegas for the 5th, and found a hotel room for the night.
4 July- Left Bakersfield, CA. Wendall had all of the bags, and none of the air conditioning. I had all of the air conditioning, the boy, and the cats. We drove through the Mojave Desert, stopped for a moment in Baker, CA, and then crossed Death Valley. We stopped whenever we could so that Wendall could go into air conditioned stores and buy cold water. There were surprisingly few stores, though, and by the time we reached Vegas at 4pm, he was ready for a shower. We checked into a hotel near the airport and relaxed for a bit, and then spent the evening on The Strip, people watching, firework watching, and remembering that we do not like crowds. It was so good to go to sleep that night!
5 July- Dropped the Passat off at the dealer in the morning, where they completely ignored our statement that we were in the middle of a cross country move and needed a simple job done quickly. Luckily, the hotel that we had picked at random was able to extend us for one night. The cats rejoiced! The humans went to the movies (Lone Ranger) and gambled away a hard earned dollar before watching the fountain show at the Mirage. We also managed to stand under the Dale Chihuly ceiling at the Bellagio, which was just what I needed before I could go further east.
6 July- A morning call to the car dealer confirmed that they were still not paying enough attention to our case. The hotel had no more space for us, so I ran taxi to the dealer. First Wendall, who stood in front of the service bay, then the boy and the cats. We sat in air conditioned comfort and drank bad coffee. The car was finished with surprising quickness, and then we went back to the hotel, loaded the bags, and began the drive. Pulled into Sedona Arizona near midnight, and fell into a deep sleep. The cats hid under the bed, and refused to come out when it was time to leave.
7 July- Left Sedona. It was so nice to see shapes on the horizon. We drove and drove, and knew that we were passing cool things, but could not stop. We had a full day to make up, and the goal was simply to get to the next place. We made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the worst stop of the trip. Nine bags and two cats up the stairs, only to find out that we all got to share one bed. No matter...it was a bed, and we were happy to fall into it for a few hours.
8 July- Left Albuquerque. All that mattered was the drive, and we managed to cover the final 500 miles to Ft Sill. We were quickly settled into a one bedroom apartment/hotel room while we looked for an actual place to live. The girls realized immediately that this was different, and that they might be willing to come out from under the bed.
9 July- We woke to discover that we really were in Oklahoma, and that we really didn't have to go anywhere that day. Nothing off base, anyway. We sat through meetings where people did their best to tell us what a wonderful place we had found. The fact that they were paid to tell us these things reminded us to make our own decisions on our feelings towards moving here. I can say that this was not our choice, but that I know we will find many wonderful moments while we are here.
10 July- More of the same. We drove around base. We watched a movie (Despicable Me 2) and ate chips and salsa. We pet kitties, who were pretty sure the one bedroom apartment was all we needed. Just for fun, and because we were told to at least ask to be on the waiting list, we popped our heads into the housing office. Paperwork was shuffled, and they set an appointment for the following day.
11 July- Breaking all records, we were offered a house immediately. We toured the house at 10am, and had signed the paperwork by noon. Off we went for a final night in the hotel, dreaming of the HUGE house waiting for us in the morning.
12 July- Moved into the house. It was just finished a few weeks ago, and is the biggest, newest place we have ever lived. Central air, stainless steel appliances, four bedrooms, sidewalks filled with children. The houses in the street next to ours are still being built, and there are still a few empty houses on our block. We celebrated by seeing a movie (Pacific Rim) and finding Thai food. We came home to discover a neighborhood gathering at the end of our block. We met our neighbors, some of whom have also recently arrived from Hawaii, and found out that they gather every Friday evening. So nice! We had hoped for a community, and here it is, ready for us!
13-16 July Empty house, but happy people. We are slowly exploring the area, and are waiting for our things to arrive. They are just on the other side of town, but the movers are booked until the 22nd. Ah well. It is easier to move furniture mentally than it is to do in reality. Glad to have had plenty of time.
Tomorrow and beyond- The boy turns 12 in 10 days. We will eat Thai food and raise a glass of sparkling grape juice. We still have to get him registered for school, and of course we will start the unpacking very soon. Wendall has started working and will be busy in his new position. I see many opportunities for meeting people and exploring the area. We look forward to visitors (you did notice the mention of four bedrooms?) but will understand when we have only a few.
Life is so good.
I am doing my best to post photos on Flickr. Look here-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allysther/
Right now a bunch of them are also Instagram photos. This will change...I just have to find things here that are colors other than brown.
Oh, and the boy made a video for his friends. Very silly, and oh so rushed, but it is very him, and is the best view of the house that we have. He actually ended up in the two front bedrooms (one as bedroom, one as play room unless we have guests) but everything else is accurate.
http://youtu.be/HfX_MEfIfms
Here is the far too quick rundown of the past two weeks. Has it been only two weeks? Amazing!
1 July- Final hugs for my younger brother. Left Hawaii.
2 July- Landed in San Francisco. We took a stretch limo to my brother and sister-in-law's house, as we were travelling with 9 bags and 2 cats. It was a lovely ride. Rested a bit and then collected our cars at the dock. Wendall would drive the Passat, filled with bags and cats. I would drive the Smartcar, filled with one bag and the boy. Dinner was at a favorite restaurant, and would be the last good meal we had until we reached Oklahoma.
3 July- Final hugs for my brother and sister-in-law. Started the drive through California. Made it to Bakersfield and then realized that the Passat had no air conditioning. We found the one and only VW dealer in the area, and were told that they could not see us until the 8th. Also that the next closest VW dealer (along our path) was in Las Vegas. We set an appointment in Vegas for the 5th, and found a hotel room for the night.
4 July- Left Bakersfield, CA. Wendall had all of the bags, and none of the air conditioning. I had all of the air conditioning, the boy, and the cats. We drove through the Mojave Desert, stopped for a moment in Baker, CA, and then crossed Death Valley. We stopped whenever we could so that Wendall could go into air conditioned stores and buy cold water. There were surprisingly few stores, though, and by the time we reached Vegas at 4pm, he was ready for a shower. We checked into a hotel near the airport and relaxed for a bit, and then spent the evening on The Strip, people watching, firework watching, and remembering that we do not like crowds. It was so good to go to sleep that night!
5 July- Dropped the Passat off at the dealer in the morning, where they completely ignored our statement that we were in the middle of a cross country move and needed a simple job done quickly. Luckily, the hotel that we had picked at random was able to extend us for one night. The cats rejoiced! The humans went to the movies (Lone Ranger) and gambled away a hard earned dollar before watching the fountain show at the Mirage. We also managed to stand under the Dale Chihuly ceiling at the Bellagio, which was just what I needed before I could go further east.
6 July- A morning call to the car dealer confirmed that they were still not paying enough attention to our case. The hotel had no more space for us, so I ran taxi to the dealer. First Wendall, who stood in front of the service bay, then the boy and the cats. We sat in air conditioned comfort and drank bad coffee. The car was finished with surprising quickness, and then we went back to the hotel, loaded the bags, and began the drive. Pulled into Sedona Arizona near midnight, and fell into a deep sleep. The cats hid under the bed, and refused to come out when it was time to leave.
7 July- Left Sedona. It was so nice to see shapes on the horizon. We drove and drove, and knew that we were passing cool things, but could not stop. We had a full day to make up, and the goal was simply to get to the next place. We made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the worst stop of the trip. Nine bags and two cats up the stairs, only to find out that we all got to share one bed. No matter...it was a bed, and we were happy to fall into it for a few hours.
8 July- Left Albuquerque. All that mattered was the drive, and we managed to cover the final 500 miles to Ft Sill. We were quickly settled into a one bedroom apartment/hotel room while we looked for an actual place to live. The girls realized immediately that this was different, and that they might be willing to come out from under the bed.
9 July- We woke to discover that we really were in Oklahoma, and that we really didn't have to go anywhere that day. Nothing off base, anyway. We sat through meetings where people did their best to tell us what a wonderful place we had found. The fact that they were paid to tell us these things reminded us to make our own decisions on our feelings towards moving here. I can say that this was not our choice, but that I know we will find many wonderful moments while we are here.
10 July- More of the same. We drove around base. We watched a movie (Despicable Me 2) and ate chips and salsa. We pet kitties, who were pretty sure the one bedroom apartment was all we needed. Just for fun, and because we were told to at least ask to be on the waiting list, we popped our heads into the housing office. Paperwork was shuffled, and they set an appointment for the following day.
11 July- Breaking all records, we were offered a house immediately. We toured the house at 10am, and had signed the paperwork by noon. Off we went for a final night in the hotel, dreaming of the HUGE house waiting for us in the morning.
12 July- Moved into the house. It was just finished a few weeks ago, and is the biggest, newest place we have ever lived. Central air, stainless steel appliances, four bedrooms, sidewalks filled with children. The houses in the street next to ours are still being built, and there are still a few empty houses on our block. We celebrated by seeing a movie (Pacific Rim) and finding Thai food. We came home to discover a neighborhood gathering at the end of our block. We met our neighbors, some of whom have also recently arrived from Hawaii, and found out that they gather every Friday evening. So nice! We had hoped for a community, and here it is, ready for us!
13-16 July Empty house, but happy people. We are slowly exploring the area, and are waiting for our things to arrive. They are just on the other side of town, but the movers are booked until the 22nd. Ah well. It is easier to move furniture mentally than it is to do in reality. Glad to have had plenty of time.
Tomorrow and beyond- The boy turns 12 in 10 days. We will eat Thai food and raise a glass of sparkling grape juice. We still have to get him registered for school, and of course we will start the unpacking very soon. Wendall has started working and will be busy in his new position. I see many opportunities for meeting people and exploring the area. We look forward to visitors (you did notice the mention of four bedrooms?) but will understand when we have only a few.
Life is so good.
I am doing my best to post photos on Flickr. Look here-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allysther/
Right now a bunch of them are also Instagram photos. This will change...I just have to find things here that are colors other than brown.
Oh, and the boy made a video for his friends. Very silly, and oh so rushed, but it is very him, and is the best view of the house that we have. He actually ended up in the two front bedrooms (one as bedroom, one as play room unless we have guests) but everything else is accurate.
http://youtu.be/HfX_MEfIfms