Give Thanks!

Well we made it to Alabama. I never thought it was going to happen, but it finally did. We had a pretty nail biting time up until Thursday the 21st because we still hadn't gotten our orders and were scheduled to move on Monday the 25th. We had our families coming up to help us load everything in the truck on Saturday the 23rd, and someone else was moving in the day after we moved out, so either we were going to Alabama or we would be homeless. That is not a fun thing to worry about. We also found out we couldn't even rent our truck unless we had orders or we wouldn't be reimbursed for our expenses. How frustrating! Our orders finally came on Thursday after Jake did some calling around to get any information at all about them. We sure said a prayer of gratitude when we finally got them in Jake's email. 

The packing and loading went smoothly and the guys were able to figure out how to fit everything in the 16' truck we got, but it was a really tight squeeze. We filled every inch! Jake and I had a little party the last night we were in our condo by moving our TV upstairs in our bedroom, watching The Karate Kid, and eating ice cream on our mattress on the floor before going to bed. 

Monday morning we woke up early and drove to Hill Air Force Base to get the approval for our DITY (Do It Yourself) move. We were supposed to have gotten the paperwork taken care of Friday the 22nd, but when we were about 15 minutes away they called and told us we'd have to come back Monday because their systems had shut down. What luck! Needless to say I was livid because we had been driving for 45 minutes already and I had had it with the run-around from the army. We had to turn around and drive back to Logan, losing a lot of time we could have spent packing and cleaning our house. Luckily everything went without a hitch when we got there Monday morning, and we were able to return to Logan before we thought and finish last minute loading and cleaning. We left Logan around 2:00pm and headed up through Bear Lake to our new home. 

We drove 6 1/2 hours the first day through snow, windy roads, high wind speeds, and bumps. We stopped in a little town called Wamsutter, Wyoming after about 5 hours of driving to fill up on gas, and as I walked around the back of the Budget truck I saw Jake's scriptures sitting on the tailgate. I asked Jake if he'd recently put them there, and he said he hadn't. He left them on the tailgate when we left Logan! We were both so surprised they had survived and looked as good as if they were sitting on the shelf back home! We both thought it was a miracle and also a sign. We arrived at the Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming pretty late that night. The room we stayed in was fantastic! There was a full kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms!   

Tuesday the 26th we found breakfast at a cute little bagel shop that made awesome bagel sandwiches and burritos. I wish there were more shops like that around! We headed out of Wyoming through Nebraska. What a boring drive. There was nothing but grass blowing in the wind. We did see a few oil rigs and drove past a pasture with what looked like 10,000 cows, but other than that it was very long. We bought a few books on CD to listen to, and boy were we both glad we did! There was one point when Jake seemed to lose his mind a little and started singing and dancing around in his seat. It was hilarious and made for some good entertainment for a an hour until his throat started to hurt from all his bellowing. J We drove about 8 hours and stayed in Lincoln, Nebraska for the night. 

Wednesday the 27th we drove through the rest of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. About Missouri the scenery started to get pretty and was much more interesting to look at. Lincoln, Nebraska was actually a beautiful city and had the cutest houses and yards! I told Jake I wouldn't mind living in Nebraska if I could live in one of these adorable houses in Lincoln. We drove for about 8 hours and my ankles and hands started to swell up really bad after sitting down for so long. The wind also blew pretty hard all day. Apparently we were catching the tail end of a big storm that had just come through. We stayed in Hardy, Arkansas that night and had a hotel room with two full beds instead of a king or queen to save some money. Jake got a better night's sleep than he has in awhile that night sleeping on two different beds, because I wake up at night and move around a lot. 

Thursday the 28th we drove through the rest of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and stayed in Montgomery, Alabama that night. I really enjoyed driving through this part of the country because it was very beautiful. Memphis was a huge city! We got a little lost driving on their roads because their roads are crazy, but we eventually found our way thanks to Tom-Tom (I don't know what we would have done without Tom-Tom sometimes.). Jake and I went to Waffle House for dinner that night and it was pretty good. We thought Waffle House was unique to this part of Alabama, but little did we know it is everywhere! There are more Waffle Houses in Alabama than McDonald's! 

Friday the 29th we drove into our new home, Fort Rucker. I was amazed at how beautiful the base was as we drove through the security gate and into the base. There are trees lining the road for a few miles until you get into the "town" area, and then it opens up and is very well kept. There are also helicopters constantly flying overhead. When we got onto the base we had a few hours to kill, and of course the first place Jake and I went to was the Aviation museum. He was absolutely enthralled by all the helicopters, and it was pretty amazing. They have the progression of the very first planes and helicopters flown in all the wars and the stories behind their construction and use. 

We ate lunch in the PX, which is a mini mall, and then checked into our new home. I was so excited when we drove up and saw it. It's a four bedroom, one story house. There is lots of storage space inside, including a storage shed in back and a car port storage. Jake and I don't have enough stuff to fill it up! Jake and I were both surprised to find out there are several guys Jake went to school with here, as well as some guys from his unit in Utah. Several of them came and helped us unload our truck. We were invited over for dinner Sunday night as well as Monday night by several friends, and everyone was more than happy to give us advice and help us adjust to our new home. We were invited to the ward Trunk-or-Treat and chili night, and it was fun to socialize with people in the ward and meet new friends. Jake and I both left excited to be here.  

Saturday the 30th we took the Budget truck to Dothan to drop it off. We were relieved to be rid of it because it was a pretty crappy truck. The tire was worn clean through so you could see the metal wiring in it, and the brakes on the trailer didn't work. When we got back to Ft. Rucker, I started to unpack while Jake went around and tried to figure out where he was supposed to be reporting to. His orders didn't give us any information except we were supposed to be here the 31st. I got the kitchen and our bedroom unpacked by the time Jake got home.

Sunday the 31st we went to our new ward, the Ozark 1st ward, for the first time. There is a ward and a branch here with 90% of the ward being from Utah. Everyone was so friendly and accepting, willing to help out and offer any service or advice we needed. I am amazed at how we have been treated since we've arrived here. I think it's partly because everyone was once in the same place we are and knows how it feels. We ate dinner with the some friends that night and really enjoyed socializing with them. We played Settler's of Catan for the first time, and it was a really fun game! Jake and I are going to need to invest in some board games and invite friends over. 
 
Jake found out he needed to be at PT (physical training) at 5:15am Monday (Nov 1st) morning, and when he showed up they gave him his class schedule. We thought we were going to get a few weeks or months to get settled in before flight school started, but apparently the army had other plans without telling us. Jake has now been in school for 3 1/2 days, and I am left to take care of everything else. Jake came home Monday after class and was really stressed out because everything was new and there was so much to do still. They told him he needed to take care of all the in-processing stuff on his own time, like transferring over health care, putting in our DITY move papers, and getting finances taken care of so we could get paid. He was pretty upset about everything. 

Tuesday I tried to get most of the paperwork and tasks done, but spouses can't do anything here without their husbands! It's ridiculous! Whoever said being married gave you rights lied. Jake had to give me a General Power of Attorney just so I could look at his paycheck and get our vehicle registered. It also took me 5 hours to complete what would have taken me 30 minutes to do in Logan! Yuck! And people want the government to have more power. 

Jake came home on Tuesday and was much happier and felt better about things, mostly because I took care of several of them, and he didn't feel so overwhelmed. Jake has a hard time with change, and I think the abrupt immersing into flight school right after we got here didn't help. He's feeling better about things though. I spent the rest of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday unpacking our house, putting our giant desk together, and setting up the internet. I'm pretty much finished except for the baby's room, but that can wait for a few more weeks. 

Funny story: The internet guy was getting our modem set up in the other room and said, "Oh my Lord!" He then asked, "Ma'am, how much do you know about your computer?" I said I didn't know much, to which he replied, "I have never seen a download speed this fast before! Usually I get around 15mb, but yours is pushing 45! I want to take your computer home with me!" He performed the test 3 times just to make sure it was accurate. I laughed very hard at this because I remember dad being so impatient growing up with how slow the internet could be, and wanting the fastest we could get. I guess it rubbed off onto me too because I've always had to have the fastest internet connection I could get too, price isn't a factor. I think people here in Alabama are a lot less tech savvy than in Utah. They're also more friendly and laid back, which I both like and dislike. 

So far Jake and I are loving this place. It's different from Utah, but we were expecting that. Everyone here calls me sweetie, ma'am, or darlin', and the roads are CrAzY! I got a blessing a few days ago that said Jake and I were sent to Ft. Rucker to further the gospel and be examples, and flight school was the avenue for that to happen. I know we've been through some pretty trying and crazy weeks, but being here now is so worth it, and I know the Lord is blessing us! We miss our families, but we know we are where we're supposed to be! We love you all!

Jake's miracle scriptures.

The lovely Budget truck pulling our Rodeo.

Memphis

Our study

Our new house!

My craft corner.

The kitchen

The hallway back to the rooms.

The living room.

The Aviation Museum