Blog, what blog?

We are alive and well in Alabama. It's been a long time since I've posted because we were busy with all the busyness that results from moving into a new home a couple of days before school starts while one of the adults in the family is in the midst of a challenging course which leaves him with no free time to help unpack boxes, hang curtains, or write run-on sentences.

Then after we were settled-ish, I put off blogging because I had too much to catch y'all* up on and it felt overwhelming. So I didn't blog, and then more stuff happens, and it's a vicious cycle.

*Oh yeah, people. I'm all in.

So I guess it's time to just dive in and get started.

We are living on base and we're loving it. It's been ideal for this particular assignment for the following reasons:

1) We live on a circle with a playground in the middle. There are always kids outside to play with and the bicycle gang owns that circle. It's been so great to let the kids get a taste of what I had growing up-- being outside all the time, getting some freedom from mom and dad, and donating half of their blood supply to the mosquitoes. It's like Hades out there but they don't seem to care.

2) Bikes, baby. We ride 'em everywhere. The kids ride bikes to school, Josh rides to work, and we almost never have to put gas in the van.

(Aside-- I say van, instead of vehicles, because until very recently our car had not yet arrived from its Spanish voyage. This is due largely in part to the enormous cluster of the military changing contractors during PCS season ((Permanent Change of Station--moving time!)) and cars were being lost, damaged, and delayed. In our case, the Corolla Sport ((yes, it is imperative that you know it is a Sport edition)) made the transatlantic trip rather quickly, and then sat in a line at customs in Savannah for around 75 days. It was that last trip between Savannah and the pickup location of Atlanta, that was a bridge too far. Why, yes, astute reader, those two cities are in the same state. Fortunately for us we didn't really need the car, but we know lots of other people who are having to deal with this issue as well who truly do need their vehicles. I'm generally not one to complain much about the military moving process, as we've accepted that there is a certain amount of inconvenience involved in this lifestyle. It just seems this particular PCS season has been full of horror stories of moves gone bad and I do feel that the systems set in place should be running smoothly to take some of the burden off of the families. End of rant.)
ps- we're picking up the Corolla Sport tomorrow in Hotlanta.

This is our new house:

It is an old duplex, only the left side is ours. It is small and the bedrooms have old carpets. The laundry is in the creepy basement and I can't stand fully erect or I might knock myself out with the pipes that hang down overhead.
We're happy here :)
The lifestyle makes up for the rougher edges, and it's super quick to clean. I even think the living room space is cozy and not too shabby.

And I think time is going to fly by and before I know it there will be boxes again.
Like, 9 months from now.

Ugh.

Back to my list:

3) Neighbors!
Our friends hooked us up with the house next door. So we've got built-in friends. The kids are fast friends and it's so dang convenient to have people you can ask for help right next door. Or maybe not ask, and just take advantage of. Like me, today:

 

 

(Another Aside-- we got iPhones! It's like, we're totally hip now)


So there you have it. We've moved in, we like our 'hood, and we'll be out of here before we know it.

Next time I will regale you with the true story of THE GREAT BIKE INCIDENT OF 2014, in which I donate a good portion of my very own skin to a sidewalk in need.

I am always giving.