"Home is where the military sends you"

Well, it is official. We are not staying at Motel Vegas anymore. We have moved everything into the Mac Shack Jr. (and when I say Jr., that means number two and smaller at the same time!). The movers came to unload everything last Friday and we have been trying to unpack ever since. As you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done! And Charley is doing his best to help us!

Charley is also pretty excited to have his litter box back again...evidently he missed it! I think he is adjusting pretty well, but little does he know he is about to move again in a few more weeks.

So, other than unpacking, I have been working at Wal-Mart and trying to separate my stuff from all of Alicia's. Then it is all going in a storage unit for the movers to pick up in July. So, I will be going through all of this again in August. It has been a good experience because now I know what to expect when I start my career with the Army. I think a sign that Alicia got for my new apartment when I move in states it perfectly..."Home is where the military sends you!"

A Day Full of Good News

Well, today was rather eventful. First of all, Happy Birthday Alicia...you have finally caught up to me...the big 2-7!! So, to celebrate, Alicia took off work two hours early so we could go look for apartments.

The first property we went to was not that great. First of all, the lady who was showing the property had no personality, and the apartment was old, smelly, and well...dirty. So, we moved on to the next two rentals from that company, which looked better. Finally, we went to one more apartment that was owned by a different company. That apartment was the winner!! Alicia signed the papers and we will be moving in June 19th! So only one more week in the hotel.

After signing the paperwork, we went to Up the Creek (a fish camp and grill restaurant here in town) for her birthday dinner. She had steak and I had butter fish...it was pretty tasty.

Also, I will be starting a temporary job as a cashier at Wal-Mart until I move to Kentucky/Tennessee. Orientation is all day Saturday, but I am just excited to have some money coming in soon!

Leaving on a funny note, I have had two people ask me what kind of phone I have...hello...Buler?? It's an iPhone!! But most of these people have never seen an iPhone since AT&T does not exist up here. Crazy huh?! Anyways, I promise once we get everything out of storage, I will start posting pictures instead of just writing. PEACE!!

Lovin' the Cold!

Well, last weekend I experienced "spring" in North Dakota. It was 39 degrees outside most of the weekend, and a town just south of us got 4 inches of snow....yeah that's right, I said spring time in Minot! I will take the 39 degrees over 90 any day.

I also had an interview with Wal-Mart yesterday. I went through two interviews back-to-back and at the end of each, they said that was the best interview they ever had. So, I think I got the job, just waiting on the reference and background checks to come back. Who knows, if I like it, maybe I will transfer to the Wal-Mart in Clarksville and work there part time for a while.

Alicia is still searching for an apartment at the moment. We were hoping to move in to one this weekend, but the housing market here is NOTHING like Fayetteville. There are very few apartments available and they are flying off the market like hot cakes. So please pray for us to find a place to live soon.

Finally, to end on a funny fact for you...it is against the law for Wal-Mart to have pharmacies in North Dakota....go figure! Good thing I am heading back south soon for normal Wal-Mart's, Chik-Fil-A, and Sonic! : )

Applying for Jobs = Not Fun

For the past two weeks, I have been applying for jobs. I know, I already have one, but not until the end of July. I need something to get me by in the meantime, but it is so hard applying for a job, knowing that I will pick up and leave in two months. I feel badly that they will take the time to train me and then I will just leave shortly after.

I have applied at the Air Force base, Applebees, and Gate City Bank. I just had an interview today with Gate City Bank, and it looks promising. But we will just have to wait and see. I am ready to get a job though so I can have something to do during the day!

Aside from the job search, I am looking for any kind of furniture, appliances, dinnerware, etc. for my new place when I move. Any suggestions??

Traveling around the world

I was thinking today about the many places I have been over the past month and where I will be going in the next two months. My adventure began May 14th around 15:00 (that's 3:00pm military time). I found out that I would be traveling to Washington DC and then to Alexandria, VA the next day. Little did I know that 30 minutes later, I would discover that my flight leaves from Springfield, MO instead of Fayetteville, AR at 6:00 am. We already had plans for a "going-away" party that some friends had planned, so I couldn't leave Fayetteville until 8:00pm at the earliest.


Alicia and I had a great time at the party, then she offered to drive me to Branson to meet up with some friends who let me spend the night with them and take me to the airport the next day. So, I traveled from Arkansas to Missouri one day...Missouri to Chicago to Washington DC to Alexandria, VA and all the way back to Missouri the next day!! After traveling back to Arkansas again, I had a couple days to recover and begin the next journey.

Next on my agenda was a 17 hour road trip with Charley and Alicia to Minot, ND. Little did I know I would receive a phone call somewhere in South Dakota from the Army offering me the job I applied for a week before relocating to North Dakota. This trip entailed Missouri again, Iowa, South Dakota, and finally North Dakota...can anyone say, "FARMLAND!!"

Now, I am looking forward to a trip to Minneapolis, MN a month from today, and hopefully a trip to Tennessee and Kentucky that same weekend to go apartment hunting. Finally, the last week of August I will return to Alexandria for orientation, come back to North Dakota, pack up the rest of my belongings, and travel by car down to Fort Campbell as my duty station for the next two years! I guess my mom was right when she always told me I was her gypsy. I promise to post pictures as I go along.

Life Changes

Well, I gave in and finally decided I should start a blogspot. I have never done this before, so hang in there with me! I was just recently offered a job with the Army Civil Services as an Outdoor Recreation Management Trainee! I am so excited to begin this new adventure in my life. I have been trying to get a job with the government for years, and all the hard work finally paid off. So, I am currently living in Minot, ND to help my roommate Alicia get settled in, and then I will be moving to the Fort Campbell, KY area the first part of August. Before I move, I will get to spend a week in Alexandria, VA for orientation and in-processing. I am really looking forward to that trip so I can get a chance to spend some time with the Cooks and check out Washington DC! I will update more while I am on TDY for the week.