life is good

It's been a stressful week, but not all stress is bad stress. Remember that last time I gave you move-in dates and such? Well everything got pushed up a day, so that basically left me less time to procrastinate.

We got a call on Monday from Housing that said if we could meet her at the end of the day on Tuesday, we could get our key early. Perfect! That meant I could call and have the movers come on Wednesday morning. Which meant that the cable/internet guy could come Thursday. Which was just perfect... in theory.

So I show up on Tuesday as promised and met our "nice" Housing Lady (remember her?), praying that nothing went wrong. But it did. To include Jim not being there. Which is my fault because I thought me and my trusty Power of Attorney could do it all. (If there's a military wife in the house, can I hear an "Amen"?) But I was wrong and in a panic called Jim 6 times in one and a half minutes. But to no avail. This could be a show-stopper, folks. Which is not good since at 8am the next morning, a big moving truck was showing up at the house, locked or not. I even called a friend to have her call her husband in case he was with Jim to have him tell Jim to get his rear-end down to Housing pronto.

And Jim did eventually make it. After one intense hour and keys that didn't work, Jim and I finally walked around our echo-y house and I fell in love with every corner of it.

Wednesday was the big day. This was the day that we finished our 4th move in nearly 5 years. (If there's a military wife in the house, can I hear an "Amen"?) Moving day is always a little nerve-racking for me since usually I'm there by myself when 3 big men show up with all my stuff. Sometimes they can be very condescending (read, bullies!) and insist they "know how to do it" and don't want you looking over their shoulder telling you to be careful with your stuff. (I'd already promised myself that if they made me cry, I was going to call Jim.) But, Praise the Lord, this was the best moving crew I've ever worked with. I think it's because I ran to McDonald's for lunch. My theory: if I take care of them, they'll take care of me. And three super-sized value meals later, none of my stuff was broken.

They left me with a house full of boxes at about 4, and I rushed around getting ready for my first FRG meeting at 5:30. Speaking of nervous! I had to talk in front of about 60 soldiers who were all told they HAD to be there after hours for this very important family meeting. Nobody wants to be there and it's my job to convince them that this is all worth while. (If there's a military wife in the house, can I hear an "Amen"?) The meeting wasn't great. I talked too fast. But it was over, and since this was the event of the week that I was dreading the most - I was happy.

At about 7:30pm Jim and I headed to our old house to get some stuff to the new house so we could sleep there the night. To me that meant, grab a toothbrush. But Jim was in this mood. He wanted to get as much stuff together as we could. And he was kinda motivated about it. I, however, was not and had been "moving" all day. All I wanted was OUR bed. So I was kinda grumpy.

After we're back at the new abode, we spend 10 minutes unpacking enough boxes to find our sheets and towels. We then spend the next 40 minutes trying to find our stinkin' shower curtain. But that never happened. Instead we were inventive and somehow didn't end up with water all over the bathroom floor the next morning. All of that credit goes to Jim since I still haven't showered since.... um... maybe, Tuesday?

So Yesterday was the big internet day. I waited all morning for the guy to come, and in 20 minutes, viola!, we had the internet. In our very own house! And I should mention that we are cheap and are paying only the very minimum for such luxuries. But for $5 extra a month we could also get basic cable (ie, 18 channels) so we decided to go for it. It saves us from buying one of those convertor boxes, right? On his way out, the guy tells me that he doesn't have a "filter" so instead we're just going to get all 78 channels. Um, okay.

And now, Today. All of our boxes are still staring at me so I know I have to tackle those. But this afternoon I leave for a women's retreat that I've been asked to speak at. My topic? Finding Joy in Transition - The Promise of Future Goodness. Appropriate, don'tcha think? Last night as Jim and I were mumbling to each other as we were falling asleep I mentioned I was nervous about it. He said, "Just talk like you blog and everyone will love you." I've decided that was the best advice I'd heard all week.

So it's Friday morning, and I've been up since 4:30am when Jim left for work. I couldn't fall back asleep so here I am drinking fruit punch, eating pretzels and blogging. I'm about to go take that much-needed shower and maybe find a Starbucks to camp out in and write out my talk for tonight. I'm still a little stressed, but at about 8:30pm tonight it will all be over and the week will be in the past. And tomorrow when I return from the retreat, I'll be greeted by the happiest red door I've ever known.

the new grube home

After being on the waiting list since August, and having arrived to Fort Bliss 3 whole months ago, I'd like to introduce you to our new home. It's lovely. And exactly what we wanted. I can't wait for you to come visit.

A little background: When arriving to a new army post and desiring to live in one of the government houses, it's important to get on the waiting list and... wait. Some posts are faster than others, but Fort Bliss is not one of these. But Fort Bliss is one of the few posts that has brand new housing for our rank. So nice!

God has been amazing in providing us a temporary house to stay in (a.k.a. house-sit) within the same neighborhood, allowing us to build some close friends that will soon become our for-real neighbors. And as I've lived in this borrowed house of ours, I've been able to do alot of observing and a lot of praying. It usually went something like this:

"Dear Lord, Thank you for providing a wonderful place for us to use that keeps us close to Jim's work and in a safe neighborhood (on post). But I'd really like to see my stuff again so we'd really like a home very soon. Preferably by the end of March, since that's when the owners of this house return. And... since we're talking of preferences, if you really wanted to know, God, I'd love for it to be one of the single story homes. And with a red front door... But I really would be happy with anything."

So, last week the lady from the Housing office called with the good news. And oh, by the way, she said, since she knew we were having a baby, she got me a one story home. She thought that would just be better.

I was floored.

I had to fight the tears. But, I was more floored when I hopped in my car in my pajamas with my mom on the phone and drove past our new address and screamed. Because, wouldn't you know, it had a red door.

Really, we just wanted a house. But God thought He'd give us that extra treat.

So here's our new neighborhood, that looks very southwest, I think:
And here's my favorite plant that's in the front yard:
And you'll notice by "yard", I mean rocks. The whole front yard is rocks. And half of the backyard is gravel. Gotta love living in a desert.

Wondering how I got these pictures without someone calling the MPs (military police)? Well, I parked down the street a bit and tried to look nonchalant with the camera behind my back. But I think I left subtle behind when I decided to peek in the backyard. No worries, it later became obvious the house was empty, so I quickly became "that girl" that was peeking in all the windows.

And there you have it. In exactly 6 days we will be the proud renters of a government house, all our own. And in exactly 7 days, all of our stuff will be dropped off by the movers - after nine months of storage. And in exactly 8 days, we should have the coveted internet in our very own home. I can't wait.

So, seriously, when can you come? We're going to have a killer housewarming party.

am i in el paso?

I checked the weather this morning to find out what to wear with the new Bella Bands I got in the mail yesterday. And this is what I heard:

"Coming from the northwest is a large patch of snow that will be brought in with gusty winds, as high as 50 mph."

Or something like that. My response, as I looked out the window at the clear blue sky? "Whatever."

And then an hour later I took some pictures.
It should also be said that on Saturday we had a record high of 79 degrees. Which didn't surprise me since I was hot in my shorts at the dog park.

So today my black lace Bella Band is neatly hidden under my wool sweater. And I've decided that El Paso is officially the craziest place I've ever lived. Did I mention the wind?

remember the alamo

Ok, here is an embarrassing story of how Karen's christian school was sadly lacking in it's history department. Or, more likely, I didn't pay attention in 7th grade. This story takes place a few weeks ago, and is (sadly) entirely true.

So we're Netflixers, and since Jim can check the internet at work, he's the sole decider of movies we should watch.

One day, as I picked up the mail at our PO Box, I noticed he'd gotten us The Alamo. And I thought to myself, good idea! I don't know a lot about that event and since we now live in Texas, it would be good of me to watch a documentary and brush up on my history.

But it wasn't until we popped it in, that I realized it wasn't a documentary at all. It was John Wayne in all his glory, bringing life to the legendary Davy Crockett. Wearing a coon-skinned hat and everything.

Learned history fact #1: Davy Crockett was a real guy. All this time I thought he was some fictional character made for TV shows and coon-skinned marketers. I really had no idea. And did you know he was a colonel? Yeah, me either.

So we're watching it and secretly I decide I'm pleased it wasn't a documentary but instead filled with the classic Wayne one-liners and bad acting of the 1960s. We continue to watch and the suspense builds as a small army is forming inside the walls of the Alamo.

And well into the movie, as Santa Ana's army approaches and they've got like 5000 soldiers and we, the Americans, only have like 200, things didn't look good for us. And I turned to Jim and with a very confused look on my face, I ask, "Do we not win?"

Learned history fact #2: We did not win the Alamo.

Jim pauses the movie and we have this conversation:

Jim: lovingly rolling his eyes and giving of those pity looks, "No, Karen, we lose pretty bad."
Karen: "Really! Wow. So the whole 'Remember the Alamo' isn't a good thing."
Jim: "Nope, pretty bad."
Karen: "Wait, so is this where Davy Crockett dies???"

Jim insists I just watch to figure that one out for myself. He didn't want to give away too much. He clicks on the movie and I watch with suspense while learning a little bit about American history from Hollywood, not from a teacher.

(I kinda felt like that one person in the theatre somewhere who was shocked when the Titanic sunk and Leonardo and Kate are seperated forever.)

I must add, though, that I've since felt a little vindicated. I've shared this story with a few close friends (only the close ones who know I'm not very smart) and more than one has said that they weren't entirely sure who'd won either.

So, I'm curious. If your husband was to bring home "The Alamo" and you hadn't read my blog today, would it be as suspensful for you???

Help my parents not feel so bad for all that money they spent on my education. Please.

a week in el paso

No, I didn't fall into the giant abyss that is Texas. You might have thought so given my absence. But I've just been busy... I guess?

The week hasn't been half bad. Lots of adjusting, but I'm making it work. This would be crazy long post if I told you all of it, so I'll recap. It'll just be sorta long. But I promise pictures at the end...

Recap #1
Thursday we ventured off post to see what this whole El Paso thing was all about. After about 20 minutes of driving on the highway, overlooking the sprawling city, seeing Mexico in the distance, feeling overwhelmed, feeling lonely....

I cried.

I cried and told Jim "I don't want to be here" and he lovingly held my hand and told me I cried when we got to Fort Campbell, too. I think he was lying and just saying that to make me feel better. But he does have a better memory than I do, like by a ton. So I believed him and it did make me feel better. I loved Fort Campbell and would go back to in a second. Perhaps Fort Bliss would surprise me.

Recap #2
Friday Jim met his "sponsor" who toted him around post to show him the place. I stayed back and walked Roxy to a mysterious coffee shop I thought I'd seen on post. It's fabulous! It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's frappuccinos are maybe better than Starbucks. Maybe. And with the long walk home, I felt very justified in my calories, thank you very much.

So, coffee shop on post. I might be able to handle this.

Recap #3
Saturday Jim and I decided to be adventurous and find a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place to eat that looked like it had passed inspection. (We've heard rumors.) So we found Viva Burrito and it was horrible. We ended up at Taco Bell. I'm not making that up.

Recap #4
On Sunday we made friends! Jim's sponsor Brandon ended up being a pretty cool guy with a pretty cool wife! And they like hiking. And she likes crafting. So for three hours we talked up a storm and watched our 3 dogs become rock climbing buddies as we hiked the Franklin Mountains. We made it to a cool Aztec cave (pictures below) and scrambled down what I think wasn't a path, but was still super fun. We even got an invite for Thanksgiving dinner. Our other option was turkey sandwiches in the hotel room. No kidding.

It was such a great day and we slept really well. Especially Roxy.

And I have my first friend.

Oh, and I saw my first tarantula! My first thought was to be scared. But don't worry, my second thought was to grab my camera. But then Brandon told me they could jump. So I quickly walked away. Then he said, "Sometimes up to 6 feet." So I ran. But I still saw one so I think I should totally get cool points for that.

Recap #5
Housing. I've been kinda moot on this point because things have been very up in the air as to where we're going to live. We really, really, really want to live on post. To do that, you have to get your name on the waiting list, and we've been on it since August. Our number has gone down from high, to 34, which is still high.

On Monday the "nice" lady behind the desk didn't give us much hope. She reminded us that 34 is really high.

So Plan B. This is a God Is Awesome! story. As it turns out, through a connection with the post chaplain, there's a girl with a home in the same neighborhood we'll hopefully someday be in who sorta needs a house sitter. Did you follow that? For 6 weeks we'll be borrowing someone else's home on post. And she thinks we're doing her a favor!

The house is huge and has a fence in the backyard for Roxy. We just got the key today and I couldn't be more pumped. We'll move in Saturday.

And for the next few months I'll visit the "nice" lady at Housing every week and maybe even bring her cookies.

Recap #6
Jim and I enjoyed our hiking trip so much that that we went back again today. We enjoyed a picnic lunch under the nicest side-of-the-road-picnic-table I've ever enjoyed. Then we found another set of caves and hiked away! Roxy is quite the rock-climbing dog - far more so than we anticipated. She thinks Texas is heaven. We never thought we'd be "those people", but we definitely have more pictures of her than of us. Lame, I know.

_________________________________
So that's our first almost-week in El Paso. The other day I told Jim that I think I might end up liking it here. Somehow, when you meet people and find things to do, it doesn't feel so big.

Here are all the pictures I promised. It's a collection I call:

"What Karen does when she's stuck in Texas,
and then doesn't feel quite so stuck"

On our first hike with our new friends, the Ebels. (A picture does exist with all of us together, but sadly it wasn't taken on my camera.)

Karen and Roxy near the Aztec caves

Wednesday's side of the road picnic

Our picnic view

Roxy and Jim

Roxy our mountain dog

driving to El Paso = eternal

"The closest thing I've seen to this before is Iraq... I think the closer we get to El Paso I'll start having flashbacks." ~ Jim

Most of Thursday was spent in the car. We left the Bragdon's at 7:30am and made it to El Paso by 5:30pm. But we lost an hour in there - or is it gained? - so we actually drove for about 11 hours and it was long. Super long.

And I got bored.

So I called lots of friends and took lots of pictures. 44 actually. Of what, you ask? Lots of nothing. Here are a few:

I took this hoping you'd be able to see the desolation out the back window and Roxy sleeping next to me. Nope. All you can see is the crap filling my back seat. Oops.

Again trying to get more of Roxy and less of the car. She was so good the entire drive(s). I couldn't believe it.

I call this one "Windmills and Bugs". I guess when there's not natural land variation to obscure the wind pattern it's windmill central. Go green!

I also took some notes:

• It was a high of 80 degrees on Thursday
• 11:03am: I saw my first tumble weed on a 4-lane highway
• The radio stations in Texas are equal parts Christian, Country and Spanish
• Except for one area where there was absolutely no stations. Not even static
  
• After only 12 hours in Texas I had heartburn from the tacos
• I really like tacos
• I have yet to see a Texas Ranger, let alone Walker Texas Ranger

So by dinner time we were official El Pasoans. We got checked into our hotel room on post at Fort Bliss. We had a gut bomb of a dinner at a food court. And time change or not, we went to bed early. For we were exhausted and tomorrow is another day...

into TX we go

Tuesday was our first glimpse of Texas. I was all excited to get a picture of the Welcome to Texas sign be we never saw it. No worries! When we crossed the border there was an Info Center and the nice guy gave us a map and this interesting tidbit of info:

From our present location in Texarkana (see Jim's finger above), you are actually 6 miles closer to Chicago than you are to El Paso (my finger).

With a thick Texas accent, of course. I didn't know if I really believed him until we kept driving and driving and it went on FOREVER.

We stayed the night in Iowa Park, TX with our good friends the Bragdons from our White Sulpher Springs days. But before we got there, we spent the last 2 hours of our trip stopping frequently on the side of the road for Jim to throw up. Yup, full on up-chucking. The poor guy. I felt so bad for him as there was nothing I could do. Roxy didn't seem to care much as she was just glad to be out of the car. She apparently didn't mind the tractor trailers whizzing by, either. I did.

Of course, this also meant that by the time we got to the Bragdons, Jim was feeling pretty crummy and wanted a shower. So I had to stare at the delicious burritos and tacitos (is that what they were?) as Dan, Kelli and I sat around the table catching up, while Jim got cleaned up.

Eventually Jim started to feel better and was able to partake in Kelli's delicious feast. And after the kids were to bed, Settlers ensued.

But not just any Settlers. Dan and Kelli opened our eyes to the new Cities and Knights expansion. Ok, so it's probably not really new. But I can now appreciate that overwhelmed feeling people often have when we teach them Settlers for the first time. I sported the deer-in-the-headlights look for a good while. But it all turned out fine since I WON! Ha, Ha! In your face, Jim.

Triumphantly I went to bed. We all did. It was going to be an early morning if Jim and I were going to make it to El Paso the next day.

memphis and sideburns

On our way out from TN, we stopped in Memphis to visit the King, just like Jim remembered he always wanted to do. It wasn't what we expected. I was disappointed with how commercialized it all was. But in hindsight I shouldn't have been surprised. Elvis's whole life was the result of excessive and brilliant marketing.

Jim and Roxy walking the wall of outside of Graceland that was COVERED with love for the King.

I know very little about him, so this is what I learned:

• When you bring your dog to walk around with you, everyone is your friend.
  


• Including Brenda, a talkative security specialist who's been working with the Presley family for 20 years. I learned more from her that I would have on a tour. She is also a very proud owners of two poodles at home.
  


• Most of Graceland is run by members of Elvis's family, including brothers, nieces and nephews.
  


• Elvis loved banana-peanut butter sandwiches, as does Jim apparently. And Roxy.
  


• Many fans are willing to spend over $25 per person the walk through the mansion. Jim and I aren't.
  


• Jim's crazy sideburns were much appreciated in Memphis.
  

Roxy almost enjoying some PB & banana with Jim (can you see those side-burns?)

But the best part about the whole day? Running into the Brookshires, our old neighbors back at Fort Campbell! Wha? We were disappointed we didn't get to see them this weekend. So what are the chances that they were in the same overly-Elvised souvenir shop that we were? We even got to see Nate who was back for his 2 week R&R from Iraq. It took me a minute to process the whole thing after Melanie jumped out at me from the t-shirts. Quickly followed by Maegan and Rhiannan pulling on my legs. It was such a great reunion.

the Brookshires!

Melanie and me

Next: a night in Arkansas and TX!

the weekend in TN

(Amy, Justine, me, Mya, Julie, Becky, Holly, Kristen at Blackhorse)

Such a super-fun weekend! After two days of driving, Jim and I crashed for the weekend at our friend Mya's. Her air mattress is now lovingly nicknamed the Cloud of Glory. Roxy and Mya's dog Marley (Jim calls her Meathead) didn't really get along, but at least they gave each other a little exercise.

Me & Mya (I had just woken up, be kind.)

Friday I drove back and forth from various homes to catch up with all sorts of friends. Saturday was the planned night of girlness at Blackhorse. You know when girls get together and it just sounds like high-pitched excitement as everyone talks over everyone else? Add a few beers, a bottle of wine and that was us. Most of the girls shot out early but I decided to stay after Jim showed up with a friend. So my buddy Holly stayed by my side and we chatted the evening away. It was a late night, but everything I'd hoped it would be.

After church on Sunday we shopped for a camera and decided on this one. It's just like my old one but upgraded and not 4 years old. Merry Christmas to me.

That evening we had a great night chowing on a delish taco ring, catching up on life, and playing games with Amy & Matt Flora. She was an on-post neighbor and one of the first to encourage me to run a half-marathon. I miss having running buddies. Jim beat us handedly at Settlers twice and I was crabby because of it. Apparently I'm more competitive than I thought. Or perhaps we need to just put the game away for a while.

The whole weekend was about seeing old friends and it met every expectation. We miss our life there in a lot of ways. I pray that God has as good a friends waiting for me in El Paso. I know He does. All we have to do is get there....

Tomorrow: Memphis!

from VA to GA to TN

So this has been my view for the last 15 hours of driving. Jim and the kayaks, me following from behind in my Civic.

On Wednesday we made it to Marietta, GA in time to have a good hometown dinner with the family. Aunts, uncles and cousins, 10 of us in all. Too many for one table, so the young cousins, 21 and 26 got to sit at the kiddie table. Robbie normally would have been there, too, but he brought a girlfriend so he was granted the upgrade. It was loud and it was fun.

Thursday morning we really enjoyed catching up with our friends Dan and Angela (a.k.a. Dangela) over a delicious brunch with an obscene amount of bacon. Love it!

Then off to Panera for some lemonade with Rachael, the maker of this fabulous quilt! And a tickle session with her son Anakin. Such a cutie.

You'll notice I have no pictures of the above events because, well, I often forget to pull out my camera. Sadly, when I did remember, I discovered that my LCD screen is black with cracks in it. Discussions of an early Christmas present for Karen have commenced.

Currently Jim and I are pal-ing around with our Fort Campbell/Clarksville, TN friends and loving every minute of it. It's strange to be back in a place that was home to us only 6 months ago. Tonight is the ever-predictable and ever-important girls night at Blackhorse Pub and Brewery.

Hopefully someone else will bring their camera.

heading west

Well, it's Tuesday and it's official. Nothing can stop us now from moving to El Paso, TX. Over the next week and a half, we will drive 36 hours and 2469 miles. We'll be seeing lots of friends and family along the way. Might as well make the best of it, right?

• A) Yesterday we left after a great weekend with my parents and brother's family in Annapolis, MD.

• B) Next we'll have a few days back in Suffolk, VA at Jim's parents to pack up my car and say our goodbyes. From this point on we're caravan-ing... as in two cars. (Sad face.)

• C) Wednesday morning we'll head to the Atlanta, GA area to visit some extended family and two sets of friends. All in less than 24 hours. Whew!

• D) For the weekend we'll spend some much needed time back in Fort Campbell, KY visiting the friends who got me through my husband's one year deployment back in 2006. Those are bonds you keep for a while. What? It looks out of the way? Never!

• E) We'll stay a night in Memphis, TN so Jim can visit Graceland. Oddly enough, he mentioned this summer that he's always wanted to go. That was news to me since for 3 years we lived only three and half hours from there. Whatever. Long live the King.

• F) After a full day's drive, Jim and I finally see TX together for the first time. We have some dear friends in Iowa Falls, TX who have graciously opened their home to us weary travelers. Given that their kids are terribly afraid of dogs, we're especially thankful.

• G) Finally, the Thursday before Thanksgiving we'll have made our destination... Fort Bliss, TX. Notice how far away it is from everything?
  

I will attempt to blog myself across the U.S., but I suspect things will get a little crazy. So the adventure begins.