We're heeeeeeere!!
We left Del Rio in our 26' moving truck with our car in tow on Friday, Oct. 8th. We spent Saturday with my mom, aunt and uncle, and the infamous Papaw in Forth Worth. Papaw took us to all of his favorite honky tonks in the Fort Worth Stockyards, and we two-stepped all night long....which made for a slow start on Sunday! We hit the road around 9:30am Sunday, determined to make it all the way to Michigan in one stretch. At about 8:30am, we rolled into Vicksburg so. incredibly. exhausted. After sleeping away most of the morning, we made our most anticipated stop of all--the cider mill! The rest of the week was spent eating delicious home-cooked meals and relaxing with our families. We also surprised my little sister at her volleyball game; the look on her face was priceless!! The greatest part about being back in Michigan--aside from spending time with our family and friends, of course--was discovering our appreciation for our beautiful state. Coming from Texas, we had forgotten how colorful and bright Michigan is, especially in the fall. It truly was the perfect time to visit; the leaves were gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the cool air was so refreshing after spending over a year under the hot blow-dryer that is a Texas "breeze". (Pictures of this portion of the trip will be up as soon as we get moved in!)
On the 16th, we had our belated wedding reception. I can't express enough how grateful we are to have had the opportunity to visit with all of the important people in our lives. We commented on our way out the next morning (which was another slow start!!) how we wished we could have had more time with each and every one of you. It was such a fun evening, with dancing, wonderful food, and great friends from so many places and times in our lives. And our parents deserve a huge thank you for all the work they put into throwing this party on some fairly short notice. We're lucky kids. :) (Look at some of the pictures from the party by clicking on "our photos" at the top right of the page! More to come...)
Sunday afternoon we hit the road again, tired but happy. Once again, we pushed through the night, arriving at McGuire a little after 5am. Whew...one all-nighter in one week is not so bad, but two?! I think I'm still recovering. We slept for a few hours before Eric had to get up for work and we had to find a place to live! After a couple days of trying to get a house on McGuire, we decided to look off base. We are so glad we did!! I found a house online when we first found out we were moving to McGuire, and I was in LOVE with it. When it came time to make appointments to see houses, however, it had disappeared. Three days ago, it magically popped up again in a random search I did, and I called the realtor. We saw the house that night, and we both loved it as much as I thought we might. I can't wait to post pictures once we're moved in! It's a nice townhome in a beautiful neighborhood near lots of shopping and restaurants. Also, no one in this area lets you have a pet when you rent, but the homeowner said he may allow it, depending on the breed. Yay! We're scheduled to move in on or before November 1st. Until then, we're in a very nice one bedroom apartment on base. Eric gets up and goes to work everyday and I apply for jobs. Once we move off base, we're going to have to get a second car very soon, so we're praying for the funds and the right opportunity to buy.
As far as the area goes, it is beautiful. Much like our corner of Michigan, there are lots of green fields and farms, beautiful trees, farmer's markets, pumpkin patches, and cider mills. The towns are about 25-30 minutes from base, and they are small and quaint until you get closer to Philadelphia. From what we can tell, the town we will be living in seems to be kind of like Portage with a lot more shopping. It is halfway between the base and Philly. It also neighbors Moorestown, Money Magazine's #1 place to live in 2005. Moorestown is home to lots of the Philadelphia sports stars, an adorable little downtown area, and a cool church we are going to check out this Sunday. There's also an awesome miniature golf place down the street from our house; we love mini golf for a cheap date night!! :)
Eric will be going to SERE and water survival in early November and he'll begin his training on what I like to call "the new mistress" in early December. (The old mistress was the motorcycle, the KC-10 has taken it's place.) He's like a 5 year-old every time they fly over us while we're driving on base. Hilarious! Next week he'll go up in the plane for the first time to watch all that goes on. I'm sure there will be stories! He is LOVING his new squadron. He comes home with new toys every day--flashlights, patches, boots, goggles, a silly-looking desert hat, all kinds of stuff! He tries it all on for me, of course. He brought me a new toy the other day, though--a Garmin! It's been pretty helpful in finding my way around the area, but I've discovered you still have to know a thing or two; that lady loves toll roads and scenic routes.
*I've set up a photo website for easier viewing of more pictures. In the top right corner of the blog, there's a link under "SEE PICTURES". That site will be updated almost as often as the blog, so after reading a new entry you can see the pictures and videos from the fun events you've just read about!
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