The Reynolds clan rolled in last night!
We had a great evening at the park and pizza place. We were able to meet their newest member, little Samuel. What a precious baby. We look forward to more sweet times with this dear family.
Friday, June 19, 2009
New Home
Now for the process that has taken up most of our time since we got here.
We arranged the bedroom first and then moved onto the living areas. I knew I needed to tackle the kitchen when he was working on another project. We got both of those rooms together and furniture in place. I am really happy with the set-up. We have a few things to get rid of but overall everything is fitting so far. We had a few scratches and bumps on some favorite pieces of furniture, but it is a good reminder of how I need not trust in earthly things that moth and rust can destroy. I also know a little bit of Old English and some paint can do wonders. I plan on taking some pictures of the house once we are settled. I want to unpack first.
Tomorrow will be our first night sleeping there. That means I get to make a run to the grocery store to buy the basics, like milk! I really won't miss paying an arm and a leg for a small glass of milk at a restaurant. I am excited about making food again and really feeling at home. This is the fun part, especially since we are not in a hurry.
Daniel starts class on July 6th. We have plenty of time to get settled, get him used to riding his new bike ( I will post pictures of that too) and get to explore the coastline. I am eager to start a new life here. It is about time.
We are thinking of everyone in New Bern often. We miss ya'll. I think about how different it is here on the West coast every time I want some sweet tea or I hear someone speak a different language other than Spanish even. I overheard Arabic and Korean the other day, and I am sure several others. It is a neat place to live and there is never a shortage of ethnic food restaurants to choose from. I just have to convince Daniel to try something new every once in a while. :-) He is not hard to convince.
We will be sure to keep ya'll posted with other news.
Love Ya'll!
We arrived Monday evening and I was anxious to see the house. We grabbed some food, dropped off our Penske at the lodging, unloaded the car to drive that around, and headed over to the house. When we got there there was a security box on the door. The house was vacant. We were told the family was not going to vacate until the 18th so that was surprise number one.
Numero Dos...(fitting since I might as well learn to speak Spanish out here.)
The housing office was closed that evening so we went back on Tuesday to check out how everything was going. Within 5 minutes of sitting down with the representative she had offered us the house that day. The family had to vacate sooner because their orders were bumped up. The house was available. Woohoo!
We decided to pace ourselves and move in on Thursday when we knew we could get some help to start the process. Daniel is strong and strapping but there is no way he should unload that truck alone. So we waited. Wednesday we prepared a few more things for us to move in the next day and did some bike shopping for Daniel. He had a few more military related things we needed to get finished as well.
Thursday came along and we signed the lease, grabbed the keys and headed over to our new home.
Here is how Daniel parked the truck. It made for easy unloading. Smart man.
Jeremy, a friend from Hawaii, came over around 1100 and those two unpacked the entire truck in about 3 1/2 hours. It was insane. Well, they are Marines... :)
Our house was instantly full and crowded. This is before they even got to the boxes.
This is how it looked yesterday before they finished. We went back today and made some really good progress. Daniel works so hard and he knows how to make his wife very happy.
We arranged the bedroom first and then moved onto the living areas. I knew I needed to tackle the kitchen when he was working on another project. We got both of those rooms together and furniture in place. I am really happy with the set-up. We have a few things to get rid of but overall everything is fitting so far. We had a few scratches and bumps on some favorite pieces of furniture, but it is a good reminder of how I need not trust in earthly things that moth and rust can destroy. I also know a little bit of Old English and some paint can do wonders. I plan on taking some pictures of the house once we are settled. I want to unpack first.
Tomorrow will be our first night sleeping there. That means I get to make a run to the grocery store to buy the basics, like milk! I really won't miss paying an arm and a leg for a small glass of milk at a restaurant. I am excited about making food again and really feeling at home. This is the fun part, especially since we are not in a hurry.
Daniel starts class on July 6th. We have plenty of time to get settled, get him used to riding his new bike ( I will post pictures of that too) and get to explore the coastline. I am eager to start a new life here. It is about time.
We are thinking of everyone in New Bern often. We miss ya'll. I think about how different it is here on the West coast every time I want some sweet tea or I hear someone speak a different language other than Spanish even. I overheard Arabic and Korean the other day, and I am sure several others. It is a neat place to live and there is never a shortage of ethnic food restaurants to choose from. I just have to convince Daniel to try something new every once in a while. :-) He is not hard to convince.
We will be sure to keep ya'll posted with other news.
Love Ya'll!
Naval Post-Graduate School or NPS
This is the official name of the school that Daniel will attend. The building he will spend most of his time in is called the Graduate School of Operational and Informational Sciences. The library is right next to this building. He will spend a large amount of time there as well.
The architecture of the base is very modern, but there is enough foliage and colorful plants to make it a beautiful drive through campus.
There are a few Spanish style buildings and they make for a nice picture.
I know there will be more pictures to come. We are living here for two years, if the Lord wills it.
Lodging
This is the view from our window where we have been staying since Monday night. Not bad.
We check-out of here tomorrow because we have a house and it is slowly getting in order. :)
This is what we saw downstairs from our window this morning.
More to come about all the wildlife around here...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
New Look
New venue, new look. Let me know if it is easy enough to read on the eyes.
Green is fitting for Monterey so far. There is a great amount of green out here. Green in the large geranium bushes that spill over people's fences, green in the enormous trees that I have yet to know the names of and green in the vast fields you drive through before reaching the ocean. We passed row after row of green fields of lettuces of all kinds yesterday. It made me salivate for a yummy salad.
More to come on the area's plant life. You can be sure of that. I look forward to making it a true home with plants of all kinds.
Green is fitting for Monterey so far. There is a great amount of green out here. Green in the large geranium bushes that spill over people's fences, green in the enormous trees that I have yet to know the names of and green in the vast fields you drive through before reaching the ocean. We passed row after row of green fields of lettuces of all kinds yesterday. It made me salivate for a yummy salad.
More to come on the area's plant life. You can be sure of that. I look forward to making it a true home with plants of all kinds.
Journey Part II/ We Have Arrived!
Our last few days have been centered on driving. Friday we took off for Oklahoma City. Knowing we had a shorter day of driving, we stopped by the Penske truck shop to check out the air-conditioner that was acting up. I am so thankful we did. The man fixed our air-conditioner, a fan problem, and as we were driving out of the parking lot the anti-lock brake light came on. After the mechanic fixed that problem he noticed a flat tire on our trailer holding our car. Praise the Lord we stopped by that shop. If we had continued we would have been stuck with a couple of bad problems most-likely on the side of the road in the deserts of Arizona. There are very few and far between stops in the southwest. Believe me I had to limit my liquid intake drastically just to make it to our next stop. God had His hand directly over us the entire journey. Here is Archie, our mechanic, and Daniel after everything was fixed.
Saturday night was Albuquerque, New Mexico and Sunday night was Barstow, California. We stayed on military lodges all three nights and had three great stays. I am always thankful for the military.
Monday morning we left Barstow early and arrived in Monterey early afternoon. It is beautiful. I cannot wait to explore more of it with Daniel. All the anticipation and dreaming of what it will be like and here we are getting ready to start this ride.
Daniel is doing all his checking in and military requirements this morning. I decided to stay here in the room. I knew I would have just been in the car most of the time while he filled out forms and such. We have a third floor room with a gorgeous view of the bay and the weather is cool 63 degrees. The windows are open and it feels wonderful knowing we don't have to drive a long distance today. I was very ready to be done with the Penske truck rides. It has been a good truck for us and Daniel handled it well. He is an excellent driver and remained alert on the road the entire trip from coast to coast. We just have to get into our home and drop it off to be done with it. Whew! DITY moves are a lot of work with this distance. I am thinking it will be worth it in the long run though.
Thank you again for all your prayers concerning our journey. We are safely here. Now I just can't wait to get some photo shots of this lovely area.
We are running errands this afternoon and then sharing dinner with my friend Jo and her family tonight. The Marine Corps brought Jo and I together in Hawaii and it has brought us together again. I look forward to spending time with her here in California.
I plan on posting some pictures soon. Thanks for reading all this. I know it was a long couple of posts.
Much Love
Saturday night was Albuquerque, New Mexico and Sunday night was Barstow, California. We stayed on military lodges all three nights and had three great stays. I am always thankful for the military.
Monday morning we left Barstow early and arrived in Monterey early afternoon. It is beautiful. I cannot wait to explore more of it with Daniel. All the anticipation and dreaming of what it will be like and here we are getting ready to start this ride.
Daniel is doing all his checking in and military requirements this morning. I decided to stay here in the room. I knew I would have just been in the car most of the time while he filled out forms and such. We have a third floor room with a gorgeous view of the bay and the weather is cool 63 degrees. The windows are open and it feels wonderful knowing we don't have to drive a long distance today. I was very ready to be done with the Penske truck rides. It has been a good truck for us and Daniel handled it well. He is an excellent driver and remained alert on the road the entire trip from coast to coast. We just have to get into our home and drop it off to be done with it. Whew! DITY moves are a lot of work with this distance. I am thinking it will be worth it in the long run though.
Thank you again for all your prayers concerning our journey. We are safely here. Now I just can't wait to get some photo shots of this lovely area.
We are running errands this afternoon and then sharing dinner with my friend Jo and her family tonight. The Marine Corps brought Jo and I together in Hawaii and it has brought us together again. I look forward to spending time with her here in California.
I plan on posting some pictures soon. Thanks for reading all this. I know it was a long couple of posts.
Much Love
Journey Part I
Thank you for your many prayers and phone calls over the last couple of weeks. We are now in Monterey staying in temporary quarters until the house we have pre-leased is available. The lodge is great and we are thankful the driving is behind us.
It has been quite a long past two weeks. We had several goodbyes and lots of tears as we left New Bern. It had become quite a wonderful home for us and we already look forward to returning to live as well as visit. Moving week went smoothly due to all the helpful hands and words of advice given to us over the whole ordeal. Many thanks!
Our journey began on June 1st and took us to Crossville, Tennessee where my Daddy's side of the family was joining for a summer reunion. Daniel and I timed our trip across country just right. (Well, we know it was the Lord's timing.) We spent three nights in a rustic cabin with my parents, aunt, uncle and cousins. It was a refreshing time for us after the hectic process of vacating our home. I sadly do not have any pictures to upload at this time because they are on Daniel's phone and we have not made them available quite yet. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time with family and of course it was hard to say goodbye there as well.
June 4th, our 4 year anniversary, took us on a road trip to Missouri to stay with Daniel's parents for a week. It was a sweet day together despite the 12 hour drive to Centerview. We were together for our anniversary this year and I am very thankful for that. Daniel has become an even dearer friend to me over the last year. I am so thankful for his time home from deployments and I look forward to this time here in Monterey where God can continue to grow us in our marriage.
Our time in Missouri was sweet and productive. We were able to spend a great deal of time just enjoying the company of family. Mom planned a barbecue on Sunday with her side of the family and the rain storm held off that day for a perfect afternoon under the giant elm tree in their back yard. Thank you dear family for the wonderful gifts for our baby girl. I cannot thank you enough for thinking of us and our new family member.
We were able to help Mom continue to prepare her shop. She is opening an antique store and there is so much to be done. She purchased several beautiful display units and Daniel and his muscles were very helpful in placing as well as transporting them to the correct place in the shop. I was able to help with light lifting and organizing. It is going to be a wonderful store when it opens.,Mom!
On Wednesday we took a break from the shop and headed to Branson to visit Silver Dollar City, an old west themed amusement park. Daniel and his family went to SDC several times when he was growing up so it was neat to go with the family this time. I look forward to going again...to experience even more than one day can show, but I really wanted to ride the roller coasters. For baby girl's sake I refrained. We were able to get an old-timey photo taken and it came out pretty good. I will have to scan it in in the future to share.
Thursday night we went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Basically, this is an excellent dinner theatre with yummy food and fantastic entertainment. The show is centered on Civil War era North and South competition. The audience is split in half and participates with stamping on the floor and cheering through out the night. There are horse stunts and several other live animals doing amazing tricks in a dirt-floored arena. It really was a fantastic sight to see, well worth the visit. We had a great time with the Good side of the family in Branson. Great idea to end the visit in Branson, Mom and Dad. We loved it!
It has been quite a long past two weeks. We had several goodbyes and lots of tears as we left New Bern. It had become quite a wonderful home for us and we already look forward to returning to live as well as visit. Moving week went smoothly due to all the helpful hands and words of advice given to us over the whole ordeal. Many thanks!
Our journey began on June 1st and took us to Crossville, Tennessee where my Daddy's side of the family was joining for a summer reunion. Daniel and I timed our trip across country just right. (Well, we know it was the Lord's timing.) We spent three nights in a rustic cabin with my parents, aunt, uncle and cousins. It was a refreshing time for us after the hectic process of vacating our home. I sadly do not have any pictures to upload at this time because they are on Daniel's phone and we have not made them available quite yet. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time with family and of course it was hard to say goodbye there as well.
June 4th, our 4 year anniversary, took us on a road trip to Missouri to stay with Daniel's parents for a week. It was a sweet day together despite the 12 hour drive to Centerview. We were together for our anniversary this year and I am very thankful for that. Daniel has become an even dearer friend to me over the last year. I am so thankful for his time home from deployments and I look forward to this time here in Monterey where God can continue to grow us in our marriage.
Our time in Missouri was sweet and productive. We were able to spend a great deal of time just enjoying the company of family. Mom planned a barbecue on Sunday with her side of the family and the rain storm held off that day for a perfect afternoon under the giant elm tree in their back yard. Thank you dear family for the wonderful gifts for our baby girl. I cannot thank you enough for thinking of us and our new family member.
We were able to help Mom continue to prepare her shop. She is opening an antique store and there is so much to be done. She purchased several beautiful display units and Daniel and his muscles were very helpful in placing as well as transporting them to the correct place in the shop. I was able to help with light lifting and organizing. It is going to be a wonderful store when it opens.,Mom!
On Wednesday we took a break from the shop and headed to Branson to visit Silver Dollar City, an old west themed amusement park. Daniel and his family went to SDC several times when he was growing up so it was neat to go with the family this time. I look forward to going again...to experience even more than one day can show, but I really wanted to ride the roller coasters. For baby girl's sake I refrained. We were able to get an old-timey photo taken and it came out pretty good. I will have to scan it in in the future to share.
Thursday night we went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Basically, this is an excellent dinner theatre with yummy food and fantastic entertainment. The show is centered on Civil War era North and South competition. The audience is split in half and participates with stamping on the floor and cheering through out the night. There are horse stunts and several other live animals doing amazing tricks in a dirt-floored arena. It really was a fantastic sight to see, well worth the visit. We had a great time with the Good side of the family in Branson. Great idea to end the visit in Branson, Mom and Dad. We loved it!
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