Ahhh, Weekend.

We finally had a chance to enjoy a relaxing weekend, and we definitely jumped at the opportunity.

Yesterday, Tom took the time to finish hanging up our pictures downstairs- and I think that it's finally done! Now we just have to tackle the upstairs...

Look, mom, they're still alive! :)

Living Room

Tom's baby

Dining Room

Kitchen

Last night, we went out to dinner and a movie with another couple from Tom's unit. We ate at the Pizza Factory, which features some incredibly tasty, but greasy pizza and then saw Pineapple Express. (HILARIOUS- definitely go see it if you're not bothered by lots of foul language!) The other couple, the H's, also live in Fountain and, like us, are preparing for their first deployment. It was great to meet another wife in the area, as most of the families in our neighborhood aren't very friendly.

Today, we tracked David online while he competed in the Chicago Triathlon- congrats!!!- and then ran some errands. Tom has decided to take up painting, so we made a trip to the local Michaels and picked up some canvas, paint, and brushes. Afterward, we ventured to a new part of town near Peterson AFB (Air Force Base). Let me tell you, those AF guys are so spoiled. Besides having the nicest post housing and shopping, there is an amazing shopping center just a couple miles from the base that includes an IMAX theater, Whole Foods, an amazing Dick's Sporting Goods, and many other stores and restaurants. After picking up a North Face fleece for me and some organic milk and yummy flavored rice milk from Whole Foods, we came home and have since been relaxing. This may be our last such weekend for quite a while, as I start grad school tomorrow and may possibly be taking on a full-time job at the local high school. I'll know more about that in about a week, so I'll save that for another time. Hope that you all enjoyed the weekend as much as we did!

Painting away!

Friday: The "We're No Longer Homeless But Yet Still Kind Of Homeless" Edition

After getting the run-around from the on-post housing office (long story), we made the decision to look for a place off-post. We ended up falling in love with the first place we toured, a brand-new townhouse in the town of Fountain. The town is just a few miles from post and retains a small-town feel despite offering modern conveniences like Walmart, Lowes, Starbucks, Applebees, and a variety of other stores and restaurants. We're living in a subdivision called The Heights At Cross Creek, which ironically is neither very high nor does it contain a creek. Also ironic is the name of our street: Elk River View. (I'm not sure where the Elk River is, but I certainly can't see it.) So after 6 1/2 months of living out of a suitcase we finally have a place to call home. But here comes the bad news:

Our household goods won't be arriving for three weeks.

So we finally have a home, but have no furniture other than an air mattress for three weeks. Thankfully, we kept out a few kitchen items so we are able to cook. But three weeks without a chair to sit on, no television for entertainment, or an actual bed to sleep in still sounds pretty homeless to me. Hopefully we'll get some better news on Monday when we call to check on the status of the shipment. And in the meantime, Jasmine is loving all the wide-open space to explore.

Here's a few pictures of our beautiful (empty) house!

Front of townhouse

Living/Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Kitchen Again

Master Bedroom


Bedroom #2: Office

Bedroom #3: Guest Room


View from the Guest Bedroom