Moving On Up to the North Side

We are completely moved out of the Ghetto Penthouse! Our final out inspection is not until Friday. I need to return for some cleaning this week, but we are now sleeping in the new place. It has taken a year, but I finally feel like I have arrived and I am home. The neighborhood is great, tons of kids the girls' ages, friendly neighbors, and centrally located on base. I can walk to the gym, the post office, the schools, the pool, and several parks. Wow! You know the feeling...where you know you just fit. It is the greatest feeling. I don't care that we have a ton of grass to mow while it is hot and humid. I am just thankful that we can walk outside into a yard. I am thankful I have grass to mow. It is true that you don't know what you have until it is gone. I will never look at yardwork as a chore again. It is a small thing, but it means so much.

We couldn't have done it without our good friends Dionna and Alex. They gave up their ENTIRE 4 day weekend to help us get everything done. They are hard workers! It wasn't the show up at noon and work for a couple hours...they were literally working from 7:30 in the morning until late at night. I can't believe how blessed we are to meet such good people wherever we go. That is one of the things I am most thankful for in life. Having a mobile lifestyle has it's drawbacks, but one of the biggest benefits is that you encounter wonderful people you would never cross paths with otherwise. Everywhere we have gone we have bonded with fantastic people. Technology allows us to keep in touch with the ones we have moved away from so we don't have to leave the good stuff behind. I am thankful we live in this era.

The house is coming along well. I would post pictures, but the camera is in a box somewhere..I think..I hope! When I find it I will take some pictures. D helped me get the kitchen all done, painted and everything. She also helped me plant some flowers and make everything feel homey. It makes a big difference.

Everywhere I turn there is some project I can work on, but I have to ignore it this afternoon. I need to get a big project done this afternoon for school. I would much rather organize. It is fun. However, it will still be there this evening. I need to work while the kids are at school.

I feel so free and so thankful..for everything big and small. I love our life here and I pledge to remember to give thanks everyday because I am not entitled to this life. It is a gift. Now, I am campaigning for an extension to this tour. I could spend the rest of our career here if it was at all possible. It won't happen and that is okay. I look forward to all the other wonderful people we will meet and new experiences. In the meantime, I am going to thoroughly enjoy where we are right now.